For the last couple of years I have been telling everyone that will listen about the benefits of eating these little red berries that are called Wolf berries (western Snow berries) or by their marking name, Goji berries. About the size of a very dry raisin, Goji berries are one food that you cannot go without. If you currently eat these great, if not read on…

Goji berries are native to the higher elevations in China and Mongolia and have a taste that is rather like a mild dried cherry with a bit of citrus in it. I have some friends that refer to the taste as “tree bark”, so I guess the exotic flavors I taste are due to having a refined palette (or that I have eaten a bit of tree bark in my life and like it, which is not the case). Eating the berries raw will certainly get you familiar with their unique flavor, adding them to dishes offers you all of the nutritional benefits without the taste (if you find you don’t like it).

I have Goji berries, Goji berry juice and Goji berry tea avaliable at the aGreatChef.com store if you would like this great food delivered to your home or office.

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Tags: , goji berries, wolf berries

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Yea,

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to write about today, all I know is I had to write about something while taking a break from what seems like my never ending move in to my new diggs in downtown San Diego (more about that @ robconaway.com). So I have, to keep a smile on my face decided to write about something sweet…aka Creme Brulee.

Just for the record, I love this dish in it’s traditional form. That would be free range eggs, farm fresh cream, cane sugar and vanilla beans…that’s it. Roast some sugar on the top and you have a timeless dessert for any occasion. I have, over the years had many variations of this dish and still find that the one first presented is by far the best.

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Tags: creme brulee, vanilla custard, vanilla pot de creme

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Who doesn’t love crepes? Last year when I was living in my other condo, I told some friends that every Sunday morning I ate crepes for breakfast. It was kinda funny because at first, no one believed me. Then all of a sudden, one Sunday there was a knock on the door. Allison, Kat, Ryan and a couple of other friends came over to keep me company…and to eat my crepes!

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Tags: crepes, strawberry crepe

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Pasta has to be one of my great comfort dishes, as it’s versatility as a food stuff is almost unrivaled. Pasta comes in many different shapes and sizes and allows you to make a variety of different sauces to accompany these varying shapes.

Marinara is one of my favorite pasta sauces to both make and eat, as it is simple in ingredients, simple in flavor and simple to make. With a few garden fresh ingredients (in season) or a can or two of Italian pear tomatoes, some garlic, extra virgin olive oil and herbs your well on your way to enjoying this sauce for yourself!

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Tags: italian food, marinara, tomato sauce

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The art of braising is one that requires plenty of patience, a good heavy pot and an oven or stove top. Once you have assembled these 3 components, you can begin the creative processes necessary to make this dish and to become an expert braiser.

Short ribs come in 2 different cuts, flanken (long and skinny) and English style (long and thick). The flanken style are a 3 boned style of rib that finds it uses in the cuisines of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Kalbi ribs or Maui ribs are two variations using this type of cut and hold up well to grilling while English style work best for braising and are the ones we will be using for this recipe.

This dish takes a bit of time (mostly just waiting for the cooking process to be completed) to make, but it is one that is simple in ingredients, simple on flavors and simply delicious. Hints of red wine, if you so choose to use it, garlic, parsley and caramelized onions are what to expect. The garlic and parsley components of this dish make up the persillade, what I’m going to discuss next.

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Tags: french food, persillade, short ribs

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As most chefs are, I am a big lover of cheese. This obsession, I would guess started with those little plastic wrapped Kraft cheese slices that I used to eat as a child, blindly thinking that it was actually cheese.

Then came the culinary education and the lightbulb went off, that all we see in here is not what it truly is. Companies like Cowgirl Creamery (in NorCal) were able to get great, heirloom cheeses to chefs like myself in the bay area, opening up doors to tastes and cheeses we could only imagine.

Farmhouse cheddar is one of my favorite cheeses. Partly because it resembles nothing of the cheddar cheese I ate as a child. Gone is the funky yellow/orangeish color, the pasteurized milk and lame flavor profile. Farmhouse cheddars are a traditional English cheddar that, much like the wines of France, have their own PDO or protected destination of origin. Like sparkling wines from regions other that the Champagne region cannot use the term Champagne, the PDO limits the use of the term West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, the true name of this cheese. WCFC are only produced in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in Southwestern England.

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Tags: Cheese, heirloom cheese, raw milk

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Beef Bourguignon is a great dish, exemplifying the refined nature of French cooking, while at the same time reaching out to the hearts of those of us that simply love a good stew. This time of year, when the weather takes a turn for the worst I am always looking for a dish that will warm me up inside, a dish that will represent the “C” in comfort and that dish is Beef Bourguignon.

One of the things that I find fascinating is that so many people seem to think French food is hard to cook. *Aucune façon que je dis! In all of my cooking classes over the years I have found a strong resistance to learning French food, and most if it is people have already made up their minds that it is too difficult for them to do. I have, and will say again that if you go into any recipe with an open mind, then anything is possible.

Beef Bourguignon is a simple yet complex dish of beef, red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms, carrots, hearty beef stock, garlic & some fresh herbs all slow roasted until the beef is fork tender and the flavors have matured. Served with either egg noodles (like the image above) or with plain boiled potatoes this dish is sure to take the chill off those cold winter nights.

So now your sold on it and want to make this dish for yourself, there are a couple of things that you should remember.

• Red wine - use only what your willing to drink but don’t sell the house for a bottle either.
• Mushrooms - Crimini’s work best. Chanterelles make an interesting substitution when available.
• Beef - Organic feed and a free range makes for a more tender chunk of beef.
• Salt - Season this dish only after is has completely cooked. Doing so before hand and you risk serving a salt lick to your dinner guest(s).
• Consistency of the dish. If you cook this dish and the sauce is not thick, just reduce it down a bit over a flame until the thickening occurs. it usually takes a couple of minutes to thicken if it did not do so in your oven.

Want to give it a try? Good, here is what you’ll need to get started.

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Tags: , beef bourguignon, burgundy beef. french food, stew

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