Miela Tahril

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A Food Wish Thanksgiving

Here is a short little slideshow of our Thanksgiving dinner just in case you were wondering if I actually use my own recipes. I thought everything came out pretty well, although the walnut chocolate fudge pie at the end of the video could have used about half the amount of chocolate ganache. There are worse mistakes.

By the way, I never got a photo of the cranberry sauce, but it was the same style used in the cabernet cranberry sauce video. A Food Wish Thanksgiving

The flatbread appetizer you'll see was made with "Mango Peno" cheese from the Beechwood Cheese Factory. They're in Wisconsin and produce a great variety of very creatively flavored, and all-natural cheeses. I got to sample some a while back, and I was very impressed. Since we like to support smaller, family-owned producers, I encourage you to check out their offerings on the Beechwood Cheese website.

Here is the menu you'll see in the clip. Enjoy!

Olives, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Whole Wheat Flatbread with Mango, Jalapeno Cheese, and Fresh Apple
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sauce (not shown)
Maple Meyer Lemon Candied Yams
Blue Cheese Green Bean Gratin
Crème Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
Pickled Roasted Red Onions and Garlic
Pear and Almond Bread Stuffing
Apple Coleslaw
Herb Butter Turkey
Turkey Neck Gravy
Pumpkin Pie (not shown)
Walnut Chocolate Fudge Pie

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

Ah, oh, ah? Beef Au Jus

I do not speak French. This is not something I'm proud of, as I could have, and should have, picked it up by now. With that said, the mispronunciation of French culinary terms is one of my great guilty pleasures.

I know it's "oh" jus, and not "ahhh" jus, but that's how I grew up saying it, and I don't have any plans to start saying it right at this advanced age. Besides, the proper pronunciation sounds like you are surprised you're getting a sauce, and my way sounds like you are happy about it.

This is the most minimalist method for doing a quick au jus for your prime rib of beef. In a restaurant that specializes in prime rib, they have the benefit of massive amounts of bones and scraps to make a reduced, rich jus without having to thicken it.

At home however, we need to cheat a little bit. You can do this without the flour step, but I think most people prefer this beefy dipping sauce to have a little body to it. Not thick like gravy, but just a little something to help it adhere to the meat. By the way, that thin film of beef fat floating on the surface is fully intentional, as you are about to hear. Enjoy!

Beef Au Jus Ingredients:
1/4 cup beef fat, plus pan drippings from a cooked prime rib or other roast beef
1 1/2 tablespoon white flour
2 cups rich beef broth
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
*makes about 1 1/2 cups depending on how much you reduce

Vote at Chef 2 Chef 4 Chef

The folks over at Chef-2-Chef are asking people to vote for their favorite food blogs, and Food Wishes is in contention. If you would like to give this blog some love, here's the link to cast your vote, and by "vote," I mean give us "5 Chef Hats!" Thanks for the support.

Prime Time for Revisiting Prime Rib of Beef

It's an iconic holiday table scene; you carving a juicy, perfectly pink prime rib while a roomful of friends and family watches, in awe of your awesomeness.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, it's sometimes more like you cutting through a dry, overcooked roast while they stare daggers at you.

You can almost hear them thinking, "Way to screw up $80 worth of beef, jerk. I hope there's lots of gravy."

Well, hopefully this proven mathematical method will increase your chances for success significantly. This is a new video revisiting the same method I featured in this Prime Rib post a few years ago, which only used photos. There are lots of great comments on the original post, and if you're skeptical, you should go check them out.
Here is the formula for what was called, "Method X." The rib is brought to room temperature. Overnight is good, but at least 6 hours (this is CRITICAL)! Season anyway you like. Then multiply the exact weight times 5 minutes. For me it was 5.35 x 5 = 26.75 minutes, which we round up to 27.

The rib is cooked at 500 degrees F for exactly that many minutes. Then the oven is turned off. You wait 2 hours without opening the door. You then remove the prime rib and slice into the most perfectly medium-rare meat you've ever seen. By the way, I will be posting a short how-to for a quick au jus soon. Enjoy!

Special Notes:

To use this method you must have a full-sized, modern oven. It must have a digital temperature setting that indicates when it is preheated. Older ovens with manual controls can vary greatly, and the doors may not have the proper insulation.
I've heard from lots of people that have used electric ovens and reported great results.
This is a specific formula for achieving a perfectly pink prime rib cooked somewhere a shade under medium rare. I have no info on altering it for other degrees of doneness.

IMPORTANT PRO TIP!!!: Prime rib is very expensive, so no matter what method you use (traditional or Method X), you should always have a probe-style thermometer inserted so that the internal temp can be monitored, to avoid any chance of over-cooking. Set the probe alarm (125 F. for medium-rare) just in case, and pull the roast from oven even if there's still time left on the timer.

Ingredients:
4 to 8 pound Prime Rib of Beef, bone-in, fat cap removed (ask the butcher to explain)
kosher salt as needed
1/4 cup soft butter
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (this is just a dried herb blend - you can use any thing you like, or just salt and pepper)

For more traditional methods of cooking Prime Rib of Beef, check out these other great recipes:
Simply Recipes' Prime Rib
Serious Eats' The Food Lab: How to Cook a Perfect Prime Rib
Mark Bittman's Prime Rib Roast for a Small Crowd

You'll Heart This Artichoke Gratin

This easy, all-veggie appetizer idea is proof you don't have to make a dish, to reinvent it. For all the millions of meals I've cooked and/or eaten, I can't remember ever having cooked and/or eaten an artichoke gratin.

From what I've seen, it's usually made in a shallow baking dish like any other vegetable casserole, and always features some form of crispy, caramelized gratin topping. So, while I can’t claim to have made the original, I was pretty sure it would translate to a nice, small party bite.

I made this as a last-minute appetizer at Thanksgiving, but fried it in a skillet to get the crusty coating on the artichokes. This time I went to the broiler with even better, and less messy results.
This would make a great hors d'oeuvre at any holiday gathering, and as you'll see in the video, a deviled eggs tray makes for a cool serving platter. By the way, extra credit for getting the "bacon of eggs" joke in the recipe.

Of course, this can also be served as an extra special side dish with just about any main course. I hope you give these easy and delicious artichoke hearts a try. Enjoy!

Artichoke Hearts Gratin Ingredients:
Makes 12 halves
6 artichoke hearts, drained
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoon plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
lemon

SFQ Makes its Debut!

Today, my wife Michele's fabulous barbecue sauce, SFQ – The Original San Francisco Style Barbecue Sauce, will make its debut at The New Taste Market. We're excited to see how this unique sauce will be received by the always discerning San Franciscan foodies. I think the fact that we are serving the sauce with fried pork rinds should help (called Q-Chips).

I'll probably be tweeting pics from the event, so you can follow me on Twitter if you're interested – or better yet, if you're in the Bay Area, come over to the market and have a taste for your self. It's at St. Gregory’s church, 12-5PM.

By the way, I will have a new video recipe up tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We just got back from a great family gathering at our parents, Al and Peggy, in Davis, CA, and I wanted to share a quick photo of our bird. It was a buxom 20-pounder, and tasted almost as good as it looked. I'll be back to work tomorrow, starting in on a whole slew of new videos. One we'll have coming soon, will be inspired by the pan-roasted artichoke hearts seen below. Stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Breaking News: Foodwishes' 500th YouTube Video Upload Goes Live!

It's with much pride and gratitude that I present our 500th YouTube video upload! I want to thank you all for the amazing support and love you've shown to me, and to this blog. I hope you enjoy the video, and here's to the next 500!

Once-a-Year Scalloped Oysters

Some recipes you only make once a year because they're just so-so. Other recipes, like this dish of scalloped oysters, you only make once a year because they're too good.

Scalloped oysters are so rich and decadent, it's a recipe you save for those very special occasions. Happily, we have a bunch of those coming up. This great holiday treat features the briny bivalves baked in a creamy, buttery casserole.

One word of warning: if you don't love cooked oysters, you should probably not make this. By the way, scalloped oysters is one of those recipes that are actually better warm, than piping hot, which is another reason it makes such a great choice for large family gatherings. I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Scalloped Oysters Ingredients:
Makes 12 Side Dish Servings
3 cups saltine crackers, coarsely crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 quart shucked oysters with liquor
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped Italian Parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
lemon wedges, optional

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Thanksgiving, the holiest of American foodie holidays, is almost here. I'll assume you already have a great turkey and gravy recipe, so today we are focusing on the side dishes (if you don't, please check out our critically acclaimed, two-part video series, How to Make Turkey and Gravy).
Any Thanksgiving dinner expert will tell you, it's not a great turkey that makes the meal, it's what you pair it with. What good is a beautiful bird dressed with a bunch of so-so sides?
What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

I was just about to make an inappropriate "gorgeous dress, with shabby lingerie" analogy, but I think you get the point.

So, without further adieu (that's French, like the good lingerie), here are some of my favorite side dish recipe videos, all of which would make a lovely addition to your holiday spread. Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Creamy Corn Custard

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Pecan and Apricot Sourdough Bread Stuffing

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Green Bean and Blue Cheese Gratin

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Lime and Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Celery Root and Potato Puree

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Cold Broccoli Salad

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

Butter Roasted Cauliflower

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

How to Cook a Frozen Turkey

Can you really cook a completely frozen turkey? Apparently you can. My friend Stephanie, About.com's Guide to Cooking for Kids, sent me this video a few days ago, and while ideally you'll never need this information, it just may save a few of you this Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb – You'll Go Nuts for this Beautiful Rack!

The holidays bring us so many joyous things. Sharing time with family, watching your boss do a drunken karaoke version of "It's Raining Men" at the office party, and of course, those special meals. This super easy rack of lamb recipe has special written all over it – well, actually more like has special all pressed into it.

Sure, rack of lamb is a little pricey, but no more so than other special occasion meats like prime rib, beef tenderloin, or goose – and since they're sold completely trimmed, you'll have virtually no waste. Also, if you haven't had lamb in like the last 20 years, you're in for a nice surprise; the meat is lean, tender, and not at all gamey.

The other great thing about today's rack of lamb is it's consistent size. They will have eight rib bones, and run just under 1 1/2 pounds each. The fact that these are all the same weight makes life a lot easier when cooking more than one. Speaking of which, portioning here is very easy; simply allow one rack per two guests.

As far as the crust goes, we've added rich, sweet pistachios to the traditional Dijon mustard crust. This gives the lamb such an interesting flavor and texture. It may be my imagination, but I think there's something about what makes the pistachios green (chlorophyll?), which makes it pair so perfectly with the meat. It also looks pretty damn cool.

I'm a big turkey-for-Thanksgiving guy, but if you're looking for a unique dinner entrée idea for that Christmas or New Years feast, this pistachio crusted rack of lamb would be an excellent choice. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions of Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb
2 fully trimmed racks of lamb (just under 1 1/2 pounds each)
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence, or dried Italian herb blend
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil for searing
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
For the crust:
2/3 cup finely chopped roasted pistachios
2 tablespoon plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper
*Note: the cooking time given in the video of 25 minutes will work if you are doing one or two, but if you load up the oven for a large group, you'll obviously need to increase the cooking time, as the oven temperature will drop. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature. Remove at between 125 and 130 degrees F. for a nice pink center.

One Last "Project Food Blog" Video Entry!

I believe tomorrow is the final day for Round 7 of Project Food Blog, so this may be the last guest video featured (at least from this contest). Here we have a lovely pasta video by Mardi from Eat. Live. Travel. Write. You can read Mardi's original post here. Enjoy!

The World on your Plate. Destination: Umbria

Videos from People that Went to My Foodbuzz Panel Discussion, Part 1: Risotto

During the recent Foodbuzz Festival, I had the honor of being asked to participate in a panel discuss on video blogging. I was joined by the lovely and talented, Pim from Chez Pim (and author of The Foodie Handbook), and future video blogging star, Sabrina from Rhodey Girl Tests. The panel was moderated by Krissy Wall, and you can see all four of us here (I'm the bald guy on the right).

At the end of the session, I told attendees that if we inspired any of them to make a video, to email me the link, and I would feature on the blog. Here's our first installment, a beautiful looking risotto demo, compliments of Edward from Weekend Food Projects. For more information, you can see the original post here. Thanks Edward! Enjoy!
Making Risotto

Panel Photo (c) Marissa from Where I Need to Be

Guest Blogger Videos: Three More "Project Food Blog" Entries!

You can read a brief explanation of why I'm posting these Project Food Blog - Round 7 video entries here, or, you can just watch them and not care why. Either way, enjoy!

Mozzarella Balloon Wars by Linda from Salty Seattle

Cooking a Perfect Steak by Marc from No Recipes

First Turkey Balls, then the 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival!

I'll have a brand new video recipe up tomorrow for a tasty, holiday version of cocktail meatballs that I think you're going to love – if only for the best slow-motion cranberry jelly scene ever filmed. After I post that, I'm taking the rest of the weekend off for a very special event.

This weekend is the 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, and I could not be more excited! Not only do I get to eat and drink (two of my four favorite things to do), and see lots of my fellow food blogger buddies, but I was also asked to participate as a panelist for one of the Saturday breakout sessions called, "Star of the Show: Video Blogging." Basically, I'm going to give away all of my trade secrets for free.

Of course, there will be lots of fun updates and live reports via my Twitter feed, so stay tuned!

Miela Tahril

A Food Wish Thanksgiving

Ah, oh, ah? Beef Au Jus

Vote at Chef 2 Chef 4 Chef

Prime Time for Revisiting Prime Rib of Beef

You'll Heart This Artichoke Gratin

SFQ Makes its Debut!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Breaking News: Foodwishes' 500th YouTube Video Upload Goes Live!

Once-a-Year Scalloped Oysters

What's in Your Sexy Thanksgiving Side Dish Drawer?

How to Cook a Frozen Turkey

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb – You'll Go Nuts for this Beautiful Rack!

One Last "Project Food Blog" Video Entry!

Videos from People that Went to My Foodbuzz Panel Discussion, Part 1: Risotto

Guest Blogger Videos: Three More "Project Food Blog" Entries!

First Turkey Balls, then the 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival!

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