issue 001: a retrospective
While sitting here the past four days wracking my brain as to what the First Entry should be, I kept drawing a blank. Out of all the food blogs, book reviews, fashion quips, political analyses there are on the web today surely there would be something for me to draw my strength from.
Nada.
It wasn't until I picked up a copy of the New York Times at a Starbucks the other day that it fell right in my lap. Literally, the paper fell open in my lap and out popped the Op-Ed section. After reading three related articles about President Obama's trip to various European countries last week and then a fascinating article about Harry Truman trying to leave his presidency behind him, I finally had an idea!
How can you hope to prosper and grow in the future if you do not acknowledge your past mistakes, failures and, most importantly, your past accomplishments? It's a rhetorical question--you don't really have to answer. By starting at the beginning (being anything that happened prior to issue: 001 and giving you a look at my past, only then will you be able to see where I am headed and where my heart truly lies...in family, life, enjoyment and food. These four points will be a basis for the development of these interjections. Some might take precedent over other for a time, but they will be used.
Here's to the first edition of phoo.d for thought...salute!
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My first job outside of culinary school landed me in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It is where I am still and have grown to enjoy the city life. The 16th of June, 2005 saw me walking in to the brand new, still unfinished Grand Hyatt Hotel inside the DFW International Airport. It was a dream come true for me--taking my two loves of travel and food--and putting them together in to the perfect job!
Travel never really came in to play working at the airport, but the food was fantastic. Kobe beef, Thai cuisine, international menus, the best quality, top-of-the-line product; out budget was near-limitless. The kitchen, too, was a sign of perfection (or so they thought when they thought it up). A fully open kitchen with two sides adjoining the seating of the restaurant with a large black granite counter enclosing it, a full-sized brick pizza oven open for the customer's enjoyment, and 5 capable culinarians having the time of their lives. The thought process for the kitchen was perfect but, just like everything else, was distorted and redone to save costs, etc. The end product was a somewhat functional contraption that acted like a maze and trap at the same time. Your pantry station was at the front with the chef like normal. But, he also had a second station in the back, through the saute' station, that included the pizza station. Add to that, a third station-dessert, on the other side of the kitchen, through the pass-through portion of the grill station, on a separate island build for something entirely different than being used as a dessert station. That was done by one person. One person worked saute' (and would some times help with the pizza station); two people worked grill and one chef stood up front and finished everything. And we made it work flawlessly. After the first few months of grand openings and corporate drop-ins, we were up and running like a veteran war machine.
After the first year we were set in our ways, new our menus upside down and backwards (sometimes the backwards would trip us up). We started to get complacent. Then, one day, chef walks in and has a new plan (albeit a Corporate plan) that will help give us new light. The idea of daily specials comes to Grand Hyatt DFW and with it a whole new dose of creativity. For a while, we use ideas from our Executive Chef and the other Echelon. Eventually, they open it up to 'the help' and ask us for ideas.
And thus was born Aztec Chicken with Sweet Potato/Corn Mash.
Aztec Chicken
Yield: 6 servings
6 ea. Airline Chicken Breast
6 Tbs. Honey
1 Tbs. Ancho Chili Powder
½ Tbs. Garlic Powder
¼ C. Canola Oil
2 tsp. Cholula
Combine honey, ancho, garlic, canola and cholula in large bowl; whisk together. Place chicken breasts in large zip-top plastic bag, adding marinade, and close. Store in refrigerator for 3 hours, or overnight.
Remove chicken from bag. Place on seasoned grill, marking each side and cooking thoroughly.
Sweet Potato/Corn Mash
5 ea. Medium ears corn, no husks (or equivalent in chopped corn)
2 ea. Large Sweet Potatoes
¼ C. Heavy Cream
Canola Oil
Salt/Pepper, to taste
Place ears of corn in shallow hotel pan; brush with oil and season with S/P. Wrap in foil and place in 450 oven until roasted (around 25 minutes). Remove; let cool slightly. Bake sweet potatoes, skin on, until tender. Let cool; peel and cube. Place sweet potatoes and ½ corn in blender with ¼ C. heavy cream; puree. Combine with remaining corn in mixing bowl; mix well and season with S/P. Cover and keep warm until service.
Presentation:
Cut chicken on bias into 3 equal pieces; fan out slightly and place atop corn mash. Garnish with two halves grilled plantains, or bananas, and cilantro.
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