Sasha's Kitchen: David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette

I confess, I have not yet been to any of David Chang's Momofuku restaurants (my husband has though!) but I've been dying to get to Momofuku noodle bar and try out the fried chicken and other dishes there.  It's pretty high up on my list of pricy New York restaurants to try, or to fucking try, as Chang would say (he swears quite a bit as noted in this humorous Huffington Post article). Anyhow, I decided to try making Chang's Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette, from the Momofuku cookbook to see how it stacks up next to Thomas Keller's buttermilk fried chicken from Ad Hoc at Home.  I've got to say, this might be my new favorite fried chicken recipe ever. They way I followed the recipe, it is fried, but not as deeply fried, which is just perfect. Plus, the octo vinaigrette that goes on top of Chang's chicken might just be the most delicious chicken dressing ever! The brine here is key with both recipes - it gives the chicken the most moist, succulent flavor ever. This was a winner with my whole family and I plan to make it again next week.

One thing i should note that I did differently. Chang calls for steaming the chicken then deep frying. I really wanted to do this, but my steamer was too small and I would have been cooking the chicken in batches until about midnight the night I made this. So, we would up baking at a low temperature, and then frying the chicken. I was worried it would not be as juicy if I did this, but my husband insisted because he was hungary and low and behold it was still amazing. So read on for the full recipe!

David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinagirette

4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
One 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 4 pieces - (I used a four pound whole chicken cut into eight pieces, but you can also use all wings and legs if you prefer)

4 cups grapeseed or other neutral cooking oilOcto Vinaigrette

David Chang's Octo Vinaigrette

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 fresh bird's eye-chili, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce) - I substituted light soy sauce
2 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
1/4 tsp Asian sesame oil (this makes the dressing what it is!)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
Fresh ground black pepper

First, brine the chicken. Combine the water, kosher salt and sugar in a large pot with a lid and dissolve the ingredients in the pot. Add the chicken pieces and brine in a refrigerator for at least one and no more than six hours. I found that 4 hours was perfect. 

Set up a steamer on the stove. Drain the chicken and discard the brine. Put the chicken in the steamer basket. Turn the heat to medium and set the lid of the steamer ever so slightly ajar. Steam the chicken for 40 minutes, then remove it from the steamer and put it on a cooling rack to cool. Chill it in the refrigerator, preferably on the rack, for at least 2 hours or overnight. I must add that I instead baked the chicken at 300 degrees instead of steaming, and it worked out just fine, so don't be afraid to do this if you need to. 

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow to set for thirty minutes before frying.In a deep skillet, heat enough oil for the chicken to be submerged to 375 degrees. Fry the chicken in batches, turning once, until the skin is deep drown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. I fried the chicken in grapeseed oil, as recommended, which was lovely!

Combine the ingredients for the Octo Vinaigrette in a bowl. Make sure the garlic and ginger are chopped or pureed finely (I bought them pre-chopped).  Top the chicken with this delicious vinaigrette and enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: David Chang's Momofuku Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette

Sasha's Kitchen: Ad Hoc's Cream of Cauliflower Soup With Red Beet Chips

I recently realized that not a single Thomas Keller recipe has been featured on this blog yet.  It's certianly time to change that!  Keller, the renowned celebrity chef and owner of a number of world famous restaurants, including The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon and his newest restaurant, Ad Hoc, which opened in 2006.   I have been to Bouchon and hope to make it to Ad Hoc on my next trip to Napa Valley.  I have not been to Per se or the French Laundry, as reservations there will set you back quite a few pretty pennies, but they have earned their reputations as some of the best restaurants in the world according to my friends who have dined there.  I am very excited about Thomas Keller's new cookbook, Ad Hoc At Home which brings Thomas Keller's celebrity kitchen to the everyday chef in a more accessible manner.  Sure, the French Laundry cookbook looks absolutely amazing, but even I was too intimidated to make the $70 investment in the book and the time investment required to make any of the recipes inside.  Never mind - Ad Hoc At Home  makes Thomas Keller accessible to the proletariat.  My first recipe from the cookbook, the Cream of Califlower Soup With Red Beet Chips was a huge success.  I plan to make his caramelized scallops next.  Please note that I am posting the full soup recipe, but I halved the recipe to serve two, which was perfect for our dinner!

Ad Hoc At Home's Cream of Cauliflower Soup With Red Beet Chips
2 heads of Cauliflower
4 T butter
3/4 cup chopped leeks
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 tsp curry powder (Keller only uses 1/4, but I like a bit more curry)
kosher salt
2 cups milk (I used skim milk)
2 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
canola oil for deep frying the beets
1 tsp white vinegar
croutons (I didn't make my own like Keller suggests, I just used Mrs. Cubbison's store bought croutons)
1 medium red beet
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

First, remove the leaves from the cauliflower and cut out the core.  Coarsely chop the cauliflower.  Reserve about two cups of the florets for the garnish and place aside.  Coarsely chop the leek and onion.

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large pot or Dutch Oven.    Add the onion, leek, curry and cauliflower to the pot and season with 2 tsp of salt.  Cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium heat for twenty minutes until the vegetables are almost tender.

Add the milk, cream and water and increase heat to medium high.  Then reduce to a simmer, and simmer the contents for thirty minutes, skimming off the foam occasionally.    Then allow the soup to cool for about five or ten minutes, and puree in the blender.

To prepare the beet chips for the garnish, fill a pot with an inch of canola oil.  Slice the beet super thing with a mandolin and fry for a couple minutes in the oil.  The place the fried beets on a paper towel to allow the oil to run off.  The beets are absolutely necessary to make the soup work, so don't skip this part, even if you are wary of beets (like my husband was).  The purpose of the beets is threefold - they add texture, color and a bit of sweetness.  Yum!

To prepare the reserved cauliflower garnish, take the cauliflower you set aside and boil in some water with salt for five minutes until the florets are tender, along with a teaspoon of vinegar.  The vinegar will allow the florets to retain their white color.  Then, drain the florets and saute in a tablespoon of butter.

Serve the soup with the florets, croutons and beet chips, and season with pepper.  This recipe was fabulous!

Sasha's Kitchen: Ad Hoc's Cream of Cauliflower Soup With Red Beet Chips

Kelly's Kitchen in Chicago: Sprout Restaurant

I just had the chance to go to Sprout Organic Restaurant- a new Chicago restaurant run by celebrity chef Dale Levitsky (Top Chef season 3) and sous chef Sara Nguyen (also from Top Chef season 3)

Sprout is a cozy and intimate restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago. The menu is centered around an affordable prix fix 3 course menu.

We had reservations for Friday at 6:15. While it was a little bit of a rush, the atmosphere was warm and relaxing on a snowy 20 degree evening. Steve and I enjoyed some fantastic cocktails while waiting for our friends to arrive. I particularly liked the "Gingerdale" which was ginger and bourbon.

Here's the quick rundown:
At $60 for the courses, it's not outrageous but it also is more than we usually pay for a normal dinner.

The menu focuses on updating classic meat and potatoes with a playful touch.

For the main course- I enjoyed the lamb with potatoes and anchovies. Steve had a delicious short rib with truffled dumplings. Both were exquisitely well prepared and quite enjoyable.

The service was fantastic all the way.

The kicker- we even got to meet Dale!

You may ask why I don't have a picture with him . It's not because I'm shy. It's because I'm too polite, compassionate or something.

We asked if we could meet him before dinner. At the end of dinner the server said "he has like 5 tickets in front of him but he'll be out in a minute".

When he came out a few minutes later, he looked like he was working his butt off.

To that I say- Good job Dale! It's inspiring to see someone who obtained celebrity on TV bring it on in real life through hard work and creativity. The restaurant works and I'm excited we got to try your food! I can't wait until your patio opens in the spring!

Kelly's Kitchen in Chicago: Sprout Restaurant