Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Spike's Village fries
Ingredients
Method
1.Wash and scrub potatoes under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Cut in half lengthwise, and then into long strips about 1⁄4-inch thick.
2. In a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer, heat about 3 inches of oil until a thermometer reads 120°C. Line a metal tray or plate with a few paper towels.
3. Add one handful of the potatoes to the pot. Fry until tender but have no color. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on the paper towels. Repeat the procedure until all the chips are cooked. Refrigerate until cool. (This took me about 15 minutes - luckily I had to go to the shops for some forgotten ingredients!)
4. Reheat the oil to 175°C. Line the metal tray or plate with fresh paper towels.
5. Add the cooled potatoes a few handfuls at a time and fry until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on the paper towels.
6. Toss with the rosemary, thyme, and salt while the slices are still hot, and serve.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Spike Mendosohn's sexy burgers...
Ingredients 800 gm ground sirloin 6 hamburger buns, cut in half 500 gm streaky bacon Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper 6 slices cheese iceberg lettuce tomato slices red onion slices pickle slices About a cup of Spike's "Good Stuff Sauce" (as per recipe below) Method 1. To make the patties, roll six mince balls. 2. Grill or fry your bacon as you like (I prefer to grill to "crispy") 3. Heat a large skillet pan over med-high heat, and add a small amount of oil. 4. Place the mince balls into the pan, and flatten into patties. Season the patties with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Flip, and cook on the other side for 1 minute. Place 3 strips of bacon and 1 slice of the cheese on each patty and continue to cook 2 minutes more. 5. Cover with a lid for the last 30 seconds to melt the cheese. 6. Toast the buns and set aside. 7. To assemble the burgers, place 1 patty on 1 toasted bun bottom. Top the patty with a lettuce leaf, tomato slices, onion slices, and 2 pickle slices each. Slather over with some of the "Good Stuff" sauce. Cover with the bun top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes and serve. |
Good Stuff Sauce |
Spike says: "After reading several books and articles on Americans and the hamburgers they love, my mother found that people’s favorite sauces were different takes on Thousand Island dressing (ketchup and mayo). At one of our family tastings, Mike Colletti, a chef I met at Le Cirque, and I came up with our twist on it—we locked ourselves in the kitchen and added a little something to the sauce to give it a real kick." Ingredients 2 cups whole egg mayonnaise (I use S & W Whole egg Mayonnaise - I haven't graduated to making homemade stuff yet but feel free to go that extra mile!) 2 tbsp ketchup (NOT tomato sauce. Ketchup is far sweeter and tastier than tomato sauce) 2 tbsp molasses (you will find this in health food stores) 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp salt Method Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, and salt to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. |