Baby's First Food Job

My friend Eryn knows I love to cook so when she got a little too busy to prepare a meal for the 20+ baby shower guests she was hosting at her house last Sunday she called me up and asked for my services. This was the first time ever that someone has offered to pay me money to cook food for them! I was so excited. It felt like a huge step in the right direction.

Eryn asked if I could make some mini Asian turkey burgers to go along with the Chinese chicken salad she'd ordered and the plans for the decor. For the record I do not like the concept of mini burgers, especially when they're called sliders!! Ew!

Here's why went down:
BURGERS
4.5 lbs ground dark turkey meat
1 ear white corn, off the cob
1 carrot, grated
3 green onions, diced
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 handful cilantro, leaves, no stems
3-4 tbs hoisin sauce
1 tbs sesame chile oil
1-2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
Salt & pepper

SAUCE
1.5 cups mayo
1 tbs hoisin
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs Mae Ploy chili sauce
1 clove garlic
Salt & pepper

FIXINS
24 French rolls or 16 hamburger buns
6-7 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 pineapple, sliced
1 head butter lettuce

Put the burger ingredients in a bowl (also I don't actually measure ingredients, I just sorta go with what I like, so please follow your heart).




Mix

Form into 24 small patties, or probably 16 large patties
I put them in the fridge overnight but you can get them right on the grill. Always, ALWAYS season before grilling. Grill 3-5 minutes per side, longer if patties are bigger. Shouldn't be more than 7-8 minutes a side.


Mix sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Assemble burgers, sauce and fixins on toasted buns.
They are delicious if I do say so myself. Again, following reipes exactly is for pussies so do whatever you feel, whatever you think works!

Bon appetit!

Food Weakness

Anything Reese's!

Telly Says Must Have

We all know there are plenty of kitchen gadgets out there, many of which are useful and some of which, well, I wonder why they even exist. But no kitchen is complete without one of the simplest of culinary tools, the mortar and pestle. I am the type of cook that likes to start from scratch with whole foods, nothing wrapped in plastic, nothing pre-sliced, so naturally my cupboards are stocked with as many whole spices as possible: cardamom pods, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, you name it!

I love grinding up my own little spice concoctions! Mostly it's the smell that eminates from my little marble bowl that gets me, but I also love the feeling that I'm actually working in a kitchen. In this fast-paced, convenience-driven, touch-screen-tapping society using a little elbow grease has become something of a novelty, so I have no problem taking some time to do some smashing.

Last weekend was what can only be described as my first catering gig. I made some Asian turkey burgers for a friend's party. Rather than spend $4.50 in a jar of Chinese Five Spice I got a $3.50 jar of star anise (which was the only of the five I didn't already have in my spice drawer) and pounded out my own custom made Five Spice - black peppercorns, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds and cinnamon.


Not only was it cheaper but it was fresher and probably more delicious than the premixed. If you don't have one of these little treasures go out and get one! The one pictured above only set me back $25 at Sur La Table and it's very high quality, high performance and easy to clean. Whether you're making Chinese Five Spice, garlic paste or pesto (a namesake of the device itself) a fine mortar and pestle is a must have for any working kitchen.

God Bless...

...the crafty truck sandwich bar!

1.5 avocados, mixed greens, tomatoes, horseradish mustard, roasted pepper spread, mayo and hot sauce all on toasted fitness bread.

Pasadena Farmers' Market

My wonderful friend (and one of my first ever cooking companions) Dana was in town a few weeks back. She and I, along with a newly west-coasted Carrie Davis, decided to take a trip east one gloomy Saturday morning to visit the Pasadena Farmers' Market. It was a gem of a little trip. I gorged myself on free samples and basically had to resist the temptation to make love to a small pile of peaches. The fruits (and veggies) of our labor went into what turned out to be one hell of a picnic - fingerling potato salad, pickled beets and carrots, tomato and feta salad, wine, a park, and engaging conversation. What could be better?

Bon Appetit

Hello dear readers,

As many of you know I am something of a self proclaimed foodie. Given the advent of my iPhone and this handy new blogging app I am hoping to bring to the world at large a greater understanding of how the Kousman looks at (and eats) all things food. From fitness to fatness, restaurants to bars, temptations and frustrations, it's all here. So when you're thinking about trying that new Korean BBQ you heard about or contemplating a second (or third or eighth) Oreo or whipping up a bangin' kick-ass new recipe, just remember - Telly Says Eat Me!