Enjoy the Delicious

Light Lunch at An Nhau

Gerry Holford — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:51:42 EDT

An Nhau is an awesome Vietnamese restaurant right off the L Train in Williamsburg. I've been a few times and have never been disappointed. I don't go to Williamsburg often, but when I do An Nhau is always on my list of places to visit.

Usually, I just stop in for a quick nibble and if it's winter, a respite from the cold and a place to warm my hands. Their hot coffee is delicious and comes in this ingenious little contraption.

When it comes to a quick nibble, they have mastered the art. When you are shopping and want to stop in for a light snack, you can order their "Baby Pho." It's simply a mini order of pho and comes with two sauces on the side: a lemony hoisin and a spicy chili sauce.

If you feel like you need some extra sustenance, I can also suggest the imperial shrimp, the spring rolls and the grilled eggplant with scallions. All delicious!

A Sunday Snack

Gerry Holford — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:13:20 EDT

Dont ever tell me you can't eat well on a dime and 10 minutes! This snack took no time and it was easy peasy. A handful of sliced mushrooms, 2 minced garlic cloves, a handful of spinach and a few crumbles of Roquefort.

In a pan, heat up a swirl of olive oil. Add your mushrooms and cook for just a few minutes. Next add your garlic and a couple of shakes of vinegar, balsamic is great but I only had white wine vinegar on hand. A pinch of salt and pepper and keep it cooking for another few minutes until the mushrooms are tender but not soft and mushy. Add your spinach and stir it up until it's wilted and then simply plate it, top with the cheese and squeeze of lemon if you like. Now, tuck in.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw

Gerry Holford — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 20:52:21 EDT

It's fitting for me to be making pulled pork sandwiches because when it comes to barbeque, I'm a little piggy. I discovered southern food in my early 20s when I waitressed at a BBQ restaurant for a year to save money for my move to New York City. Nightly, I devoured plates of ribs, pulled pork, succotash and corn bread with peach butter. I was fascinated by the exacting nature of the chef as the sauce was created, the meat rubbed with spices and or the peaches incorporated into the butter. The smell of the cornbread as it came out of the oven became a most comforting feeling. During downtime I would go hang out with the cooks on the line and they would sneak me ribs to snack on during my shift. I gained 10 lbs that year.

Most people will always go nuts for a rack of ribs or barbequed chicken but I can never resist a pulled pork sandwich. Some would say that a pulled pork sandwich is the forgotten step child of southern bbq but I beg to differ. Although cooking the pork is almost foolproof, one must spend time getting the seasoning just right and cooking must be done with care; a low and slow braise ensures that the meat is tender and shreds easily. Cook it too long at too high a temp and you get tough, dried out meat. The flavorful and moist seasoned meat should shine through and not be masked by the sauce.

My pork recipe is a combination of my own and this one by Tyler Florence. You most likely have everything needed for this dish in your kitchen already and the only thing you'll have to pick up is the actual pork. I used pork shoulder with the bone in which lends extra flavor during cooking and at $1.50 per pound you can afford to make a lot of it!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

1 (5lb) pork roast
3 T paprika
2 T garlic powder
2 T brown sugar
3 T Dijon mustard
1 T chili powder
3 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 bottle of beer.

Slaw:

Half a head of purple cabbage
A pinch of salt
A shake of apple cider vinegar
A squeeze of half a lime

Slice the cabbage...I used a mandolin but be careful of your fingers and use the guard. Place it all in a tupperware. Pour a little vinegar over the cabbage, just enough to coat the veg so as not to have a terrible amount floating around the bottom of the container. Sprinkle on the salt and squeeze on the lime. Cover, shake it up and just pop it in the fridge.

Preparation:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients together except for the beer. Place your pork into a roasting pan and smother the roast in the smoky, tart mixture. Go ahead and massage the rub into this dense piece of swine, making sure that it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Cover with foil and place in the fridge for 2 hours minimum or up to overnight. The longer it marinates, the more intense the flavor will be.

When you are ready to cook, take the roast out of the fridge and pre-heat your oven to 450F for half an hour, uncover the pork and place in the oven fat cap side up. Let it cook for half an hour then pour the beer into the roasting pan. Loosely cover with foil and lower the temp to 300F. The pork will continue to cook on the low temp for 5 hours. After the 5th hour, lower the temp to 250F, uncover and continue to cook for another 2 hours, basting the meat often. If you notice your pan juices drying up at any point, add water to the pan. When the pork is done it will be tender and juicy and falling off the bone. The pan juices will be deep and caramelized from the dark brew.

Place your roast on a dish and let it rest for 10 minutes then while the meat is still warm, pull the pork. This is simply just using 2 forks to shred the meat apart. My experience is that it's easy to fork the meat but using your hands is really the best way to get all the meat off the bone, so this is how I do it. Now, proceed to making your sauce.

Purists will roll their eyes but when making this dish I use a bottled BBQ sauce. I know, I know, true barbeque is all in the sauce but the ones I've made never really have the flavor of the ones ingested in restaurants. I use Sweet Baby Ray's and then add to it.

I add the beer pan drippings, some Dijon mustard, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Swirl it all together and simmer on a low heat for a few minutes until it's reduced a little. Make sure to taste and adjust your seasonings accordingly.

Presentation:

Now it's serving time...pile a heaping serving of the meat onto a hamburger bun, drizzle the sauce on your pork and top it with some crunchy purple cabbage slaw. Grab yourself and brew and a stack of napkins and dig in!

Dumplings, dumplings everywhere

Gerry Holford — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:55:06 EDT

My son making our secret recipe dumplings. Coming soon...

Culinary Tools

Gerry Holford — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:04:46 EST

Kind of obsessed with this poster, available from Pop Chart Lab.

Gerry Holford — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:39:06 EDT

“

We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived.

” Randy Pausch

Lazy Afternoon Lunch

Gerry Holford — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:10:14 EDT

Food at New York Fashion Week

Gerry Holford — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:15:05 EST

Mini speck, fennel and dill pitas at Willow Fall 2010

Christmas Dinner 2009

Gerry Holford — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:15:23 EST

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebration. I certainly did! Christmas 2009 was celebrated with my dear friend Ali and her family at their home uptown in Manhattan. Ali and her husband Mike send their children to the same school as my son so over the years now we've celebrated Christmas, 4th of July, birthdays and First Holy Communions together. They have a beautiful townhouse that is just made for entertaining and they are always so generous in opening their doors for celebrations and summer barbeques.

Ali is the most amazing hostess and cook and always makes it look so effortless and beautiful. They love having a full house; invitations to their get togethers are coveted and I always love being their guest.

We spent early Christmas Eve at a cocktail party at the home of another school family and then off we went to Ali and Mike's. We began celebrating with a champagne cocktail of bubbly mixed with strawberry puree and a platter of cheeses and foie gras. It went down a treat and then we were off to bed before Santa made his appearance!

Christmas morning began with a traditional English breakfast of sausages and eggs - did I mention Ali is English? - and then the main meal preparations began.

With Christmas carols playing in the backgound, Ali prepared yet another outstanding meal. It was started off with langoustine in a Mary Rose sauce (I'll never be able to go back to simple shrimp cocktail) and proceeded to roast turkey, ham, roasted and mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, glazed carrots, sausages wrapped in bacon, gorgeous cranberry sauce and creamy gravy. It was all so delicious that I could have eaten 3 plates but I didn't want to seem like a piggy!

After a short break we indulged in a dessert of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce topped off with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

We all just about passed out while finishing the evening watching Elf. Another year over, another Christmas celebration and there's nowhere else I would rather have been.

Thanks again, Ali and Mike!

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Gerry Holford — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:49:34 EST

This light meal was completely random and unplanned. Actually, it was meant to be something altogether different. On this snowy Sunday, I had plans of caramelizing onions and throwing together a lovely tart topped with goat cheese, served before a little steak dinner.

I'm not sure what happened but I forgot to get the puff pastry for the tart and I didn't take out the steak from the freezer last night. I felt like a right fool opening my freezer to find no pastry but a ziplock of beef. I stood there dumbfounded. I couldn't believe it. I was really looking forward to that tart!

Not to worry, the steak is now defrosting and I'll pick up some puff pastry tomorrow...look out for that post!

Now, back to my sandwich. Simply caramelize 1 red and 1 vidalia onion in some olive oil with a shake of salt and a pinch of sugar. After about 30-40 minutes when it's almost done add a splash of balsamic vinegar and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Two onions will yield you enough for two sandwiches plus the tart.

Slice open a ciabatta roll and pour a small amount of olive oil on it. Add some of the onions and top with pieces of goat cheese. Freshly grind some black pepper and throw some kosher salt over it. Put into a 325F oven - keep the sandwich open - for about 10 minutes. Simple as that. You can pair it with a side salad or some fresh berries and a cup of yoghurt...whatever strikes your fancy. I was extremely hungry. I ate it as is, right out of the oven.