Andy's Pies..Fresh From Stuy Town NYC

This post is dedicated to one of the best chefs, and all around person, I know - Andy Duong. An inspiration in the kitchen and a solid friend, this world is lucky to have him. I met Andy my sophomore year in college, and I'm pretty sure our cooking and eating adventures began then and only became more exciting as the years progressed. Even though we live on separate coasts he still keeps me in the know with his cooking adventures. Photo texts from Andy are THE BEST! I like to think I'm one of the first to see his magnificent creations fresh out of the oven. This is what Andy made this month:

Apple Pie with Pecan Streusel topping using a brand new tart pan!

Lemon coconut custard tart with brown sugar whipped cream....um YES PLEASE!

Grapefruit curd pie with caramel meringue...

...sounds like something out of a high end restaurant huh? Nope, it's just Andy's Kitchen which is pretty much the same thing.

And a pic he took at one of my favorite restaurants ever, Fette Sau

 I realize this picture makes it look like gross cafeteria food - but I can promise that it is anything but that!

A Birthday S'more Insantity Pizza!

For my sister's 28th birthday, she had a pizza party with an array of homemade pizzas made by yours truly and Andy! Yes - we flew him in from NYC to assist with the pizza making. At the end of the evening, Andy and I had one dough left and it was clear that the guests were satiated and about to go into food comas so instead of making another savory pizza - we got creative with the ingredients my mom has in her semi-lethal snack cabinet and made a s'more pizza! A S'more Pizza - has all the beauty and simplicity of the classic American dessert and the addictive addition of peanut butter and we just threw in bananas because wherever there is chocolate and peanut butter, you gotta put in some bananas. This pizza is sure to be a crowd pleaser and it's fun to make - don't hold back!

Birthday S'more Pizza

Ingredients:

1 white dough

Nutella

Peanut butter

Mini marshmallows

Gram crackers, crumbled

Mini chocolate chips

Mini white chocolate chips

1 Banana, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out the white dough with a little flour, place on a pizza pan, poke holes with a fork, spread very lightly some melted butter, cook for about 7 minutes.
3. Spread a generous layer of nutella on the pizza
4. Spread a generous layer of peanut butter on top of the nutella
5. Sprinkle on the crumbled gram cracker pieces
6. Slice one whole banana evenly across the pizza
7. Put the mini marshmallows on the pizza
8. Sprinkle the mini chocolate and white chocolate chips on the pizza
9. Bake in the oven for about 7 minutes
10. Turn the broiler on high and broil the pizza for about 30-45 seconds (watch closely, you want to create a nice golden crust on the mallows but you don't want to burn the mallows!)

Enjoy!

Andy's Proscuitto, Apple, Pesto Pie

It's been way too long since my last post - and so much good food has happened since! On January 18th, we celebrated my sisters 28th birthday with a pizza party - AND, Andy was visiting from NYC! So I quickly employed Andy to be my co-pilot for my sister's pizza party. We made 10 pizzas (maybe 11) and had quite the little system set up in my mom's kitchen. One of the most popular pizzas was Andy's divine prosciutto creation. We pre-cooked all the crusts (we got the dough from our local pizza shop, always 10x better than store bought), and prepped all the topping items, so we were able to pump out three pizzas at once. It got me thinking that we really could open up an inventive pizza shop one day!

Andy's Prosciutto, Apple, Pesto Pie

Ingredients:

Pesto sauce

1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

Prosciutto

Marscapone cheese

Rosemary

Walnuts

Pizza Dough

Directions:

Pesto - marscapone - apple slices - prosciutto -walnuts - rosemary, you know the drill.

Andy & Yihsin's Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I recently made summer rolls for dinner and while they were yummy, they were not even close to Vietnamese spring rolls. My first encounter with Vietnamese spring rolls was when I went to Hanoi, Vietnam while studying abroad in Singapore. Every little nook and alley was jam packed with small plastic tables and colored chairs, the kind you used in Kindergarten while doing art projects. Women were crouched down with large flat pans and mounds of lightly fried Vietnamese spring rolls oozing with delicious aromas and flavors. Throughout the night markets and at little cafes, you would have the option of fried or fresh spring rolls. I loved the crispy outside of the fried ones but in the hot and humid weather I nearly always opted for the fresh spring rolls. On a recent dinner gathering, my good friends Andy and Yihsin teamed up to make and roll  the most delicious spring rolls I've had since the alleys of Vietnam. Here is a picture of Andy and Yihsin, working a filling and rolling assembly line to make their own mound of delicious spring rolls:

They served their spring rolls with a delicious fish sauce pictured here:

Ingredients:

Rice papers

Rice noodles
Shrimp
Bean sprouts

Cilantro

Beets, thinly sliced like matchsticks
Mint
Peanuts, crushed
Carrots, shredded

For sauce:
Fish sauce
Vinegar
Sugar
Jalapenos, diced

Directions:
1. Stir sugar and salt in a pot of boiling water until it dissolves.  Pour it into a large boil filled with ice. Put in the raw shrimp and let it sit in the brine refrigerated for 20-60 minutes. Remove from brine and drain and rinse it thoroughly.
2. Cook the rice noodles according to directions.
3. Mix all the ingredients for the fish sauce, cover and refrigerate.
4. Working with one wrapper at a time, place the wrapper in a shallow pan of room temperature water, about 7-10 seconds per a side. Then place the sheet on a plate, fill it with all  the ingredients and wrap into a summer roll. Enjoy!

Andy's Strawberry Millefeuille

My good friend Andy is a huge fan of the Top Chef show. So as you can imagine, he was really excited when he got to go to the Top Chef's, Anita Lo's, restaurant, Annisa. He got to have the special Chef's tasting menu with 7 courses! For the dessert course he had a strawberry millefeuille with ricotta, pink peppercorns and a balsamic reduction. I did some research on this dessert and it turns out Annisa doesn't even have a pastry chef, Anita Lo does it all herself! I also learned that "Mille-Feuille" is French for "a thousand leaves." I guess that is where the

Last Sunday evening I had Andy and Yihsin over for dinner and they had constructed their own version of the strawberry millefeuille in Andy's kitchen. He adapted his strawberry millefeuille from this recipe from Anito Lo in Self magazine. It was so delicious that even though Andy and Yihsin brought a full plate of them over, I had them all that night! They had delicious layers of buttery phyllo with a creamy ricotta filling and a touch of lemon and layers of strawberries. This was a wonderful wonderful dessert!

Andy's Strawberry Millefeuille
(Adapted from Anita Lo's millefeuille)

Ingredients:

4 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
4 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups ricotta

1/4 cup sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

Fresh lemon juice
Strawberries, sliced

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325°. Phyllo: Brush a large, shallow baking sheet with some butter and lay 1 phyllo sheet on top. (Cover remaining phyllo with a damp cloth.) Brush phyllo with butter and sprinkle on 1 tsp sugar. Layer another phyllo sheet on top and press down. Repeat layering until you use all sheets, ending with 1 tsp sugar on top. Cut phyllo stack into 32 equal squares. Bake until squares are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes.
2. Mix ricotta, sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of salt; add lemon juice to taste.

3. Place a dab of ricotta mix on a plate. Top with 1 phyllo square, 1 tbsp ricotta and fig slices. Repeat for a total of 4 layers.

Andy's Cioppino

Another delicious meal by my good friend, Andy. This was also my first time ever having seafood stew! This was chock full of mussels, shrimp, squid, scallops, halibut and carrots, celery, tomato base and a tinge of fish sauce as a secret ingredient! Here is an interesting fact about Cioppino, or Italian seafood stew: it originated in San Francisco as a compilation of foods consumed at sea. It was developed in the late 1800s by Italian fisherman who settled in the North Beach section of San Francisco. It is a hodge podge of various regional Italian fish soups and stews.. Unfortunately I do not have an exact recipe - only photographs to drool over.

Calamari Competition: Lugo Caffe vs. Andy's Homemade

I first fell in love with calamari in 2006 when I began waitressing at an Italian restaurant in the West Village and we would constantly serve baskets of warm calamari with lemon and marinara sauce. My good friend, Andy, is also a huge calamari fan and has a favorite place to go for the city's best. It's called Lugo Caffe. Earlier in the week, Andy made his own calamari which was delicious and flavorful. The batter wasn't sticking as well because it was difficult to get the oil as hot enough. He fried the calamari in oil with garlic pieces and parsley, definitely a great addition. I really enjoyed the fleshiness of Andy's calamari and I actually prefer less batter. Here is a picture of his calamari on the rack as it is drying:

A couple days later, I met Andy for an dinner at Lugo Caffe. This restaurant is unassumingly delicious and nice. It is awkwardly located right by Penn Station so you would never think to hang around there for such a great meal. The restaurant is nice and airy, the service is excellent and the food is great! We ordered a few different items to share but the main thing was the calamari (pictured above). This was definitely delicious calamari with a proper appreciation for the batter. I can't say that it was better than Andy's because it was a different type of calamari all together. They were both really delicious but since most of you will not be going to Andy's for calamari, go to Lugo Caffe for a comparable substitute. In addition to our calamari we ordered a delicious robiola pizza. It was essentially flatbread with truffle oil, sea salt and preserved truffles. It was delicious. We also ordered three sides of cooked vegetables: brussle sprouts, portabella mushrooms and eggplant. Here is a photo of all the delicious food. The pizza is on top :)

Marvelous Monday Meal at Andy's

Baked tilapia, roasted brussel sprouts, sweet potato fries. Healthy, delicious, and I truly appreciate when someone else cooks a good! The tilapia is baked with a little olive oil, pepper and fresh dill and lemon juice. The brussel sprouts are roasted, then sauteed with honey, apple cider vinegar, chopped apple pieces and pecans. The sweet potato fries are sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper and roasted. Thank you Andy for this delicious meal! Next one is one me :) What's more, his delicious dinner was followed by a divine German Chocolate Cake. Inspired by the Bobby Flay throw down with Harlem institution, Make My Cake, Andy went at it and prepared this magnificent masterpiece. I'm not even a huge fan of German chocolate cake, but this was honestly the best cake I've had since his carrot cake.

Andy's Divine Carrot Cake

Andy made an incredible carrot cake. When he asked that I come over to try some after dance class I had no idea I was in for something that was beyond professional in appearance and freshly and deliciously moist in texture. It was perfect. Sorry I don't have a recipe to share! He created this from a combination of various carrot cake recipes online. Good luck!

Andy's Squid Ink Pasta with Sauteed Shellfish

My good friend Andy has been on a mission to cook with squid ink after seeing it on an Italian cooking show about a Christmas feast of the 7 fishes. In the Mediterranean, squid and cuttlefish ink is prepared in dishes such as risotto, paella and pasta. It's a pitch black sauce and usually made with onions or tomatoes. Andy prepared his with onions. Squid ink has to be carefully extracted from the ink sac in the squid. It's a pricey purchase, but well worth the flavors. It tastes a little salty, but it's a mild flavor that is very accommodating in pasta. It tends to stain everything from your teeth to your lips. Here is a picture of the bottle of squid ink that Andy picked up at the Italian grocery in the Chelsea Market.

                           

Andy's Squid Ink Pasta with Sauteed Shellfish

Ingredients:
Spaghetti
Squid ink
1 onion, diced
Scallops
Shrimp
Calamari
Olive oil
Thyme
Dried chili pepper flakes
Pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced

Directions:

1. In a bowl marinate the scallops, shrimp and calamari in olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, pepper and dried chili flakes. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.

2. Prepare the pasta in a large pot with boiling water.

3. In a pan over medium heat, saute the onion and add the cooked pasta. Gradually add the squid ink, stirring to incorporate.

4. In a separate pan, saute the scallops, shrimp and calamari with a bit of their marinade just until cooked.

5. On a plate put the pasta, followed by the shellfish and sprinkle with the diced red pepper. Enjoy!!

Andy's Proscuitto Wrapped Halibut with Paprika

This was another incredibly delicious meal by Andy that could have been at a fancy restaurant. He took two ingredients that normally you wouldn't think go together and made them work fantastically. The ingredient list was simple and the tastes were wonderfully complimentary. Inspired by nothing more than the contents of his refrigerator, he used the prosciutto to add a whole new flavor to the tender and thick halibut.
Ingredients:
2 halibut filets
4 strips of prosciutto
Chili powder
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Sprinkle chili powder on both sides of the halibut filets. Wrap the fillets in one layer of prosciutto.
2. Broil the filets for a few minutes. Remove and put in a pan on a medium high flame with a bit of olive oil for a few minutes. Viola.

Andy's Cod in Chowder with a Bread Salad and Roasted Corn Topping

Sunday night dinners with Andy are always a  delicious and impressive surprise. I'm often awed when I learn how he re-created an elegant meals just by reading about it! This evening's meal was a succuluent and buttery cod that was placed in a bowl of chowder and topped with a crunchy bread topping and roasted corn. Served with a slice of toasted sourdough, this meal really hit the cold-winter-day spot!

There are three main parts to  this meal: the chowder, the fish and the topping. The fish cooks fast so the other two parts can be prepared ahead and just before you are ready to eat you can cook the cod. While I wasn't there for the cooking process I can provide all the ingredients and because it's a rather simple dish, the chowder can be made just as any one would.

Andy's Cod in Chowder with a Bread Salad and Roasted Corn Topping

For the Chowder:

Leeks

Onions

Potatoes, cut into small cubes

Thyme

Fennel

2% Milk

For the Cod:

Heat a cast iron skillet in an oven at 500 degrees. When you are ready to eat the cod, put the skillet on the stove top on medium high heat and cook the cod for aout 4 minutes.

For the Bread Salad:

Panko, toasted

Parsley

Shallots

Celery

Lemon Juice

Smoked Oysters

Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and just before serving, dollop the salad on the cod.

1 Roasted Corn, remove the kernels and sprinkle them on top of the dish. Enjoy.

Andy's Gourmet Open-Faced Steak Sandwiches

Here he is sporting his new hair cut and his tray of soon-to-be-devoured sandwiches! Every dish Andy has ever tried to make turns out absolutely delicious. He is fearless in the kitchen, mixing savory with sweet. Andy is a natural. He made these delicious open faced sandwiches for an impromptu dinner gathering. These were packed with flavor -wait till you see the ingredients. He used a secret sweet ingredient (pears!) that really tied the whole sandwich together. The fresh flavors of the pear were a perfect contrast to the rich flavors of the gorgonzola cheese. These sandwiches, with a bit of greens on the side, are delightful. All of them were finished and the last one had to be split so multiple people could each get a bite!

Andy's Gourmet Open-Faced Steak Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 loaf Italian bread

Garlic infused olive oil

Gorgonzola cheese

Yellow onions

Steak

1 pear (Yes, a pear!) cut into thin slices

Directions:

Andy caramelized the onions with olive oil until they were brown and fragrant. He pre-toasted the bread slightly, and prepared the steak, letting it cool before cutting it into squares to prevent running. Then he placed the cheese on top of the toasted bread, followed by the pear slices and caramelized onions and finally the steak pieces. He then toasted the whole sandwich until the cheese melted, the pears turned a slight golden color and all the flavors were blended.

Andy's Delicious White Chocolate, Raisin Oatmeal Cookies with Extra Cinnamon

My good friend Andy is one of my biggest cooking inspirations. He has been making incredible dishes long before I knew how to use a kitchen knife. I'm lucky that he lives so close because when he goes on baking/cooking I usually get to sample most of his delicious creations and every time I'm over I learn some new cooking technique; there will be plenty of his meals and desserts on a regular basis. Here is Andy holding three of his home-made cookies: one is for me, one is for my roommate and one is for Andy. Somehow I ended up having them all....it's a good thing he only brought over three!

These cookies were perfectly chewy and the raisins were plump and the white chocolate chunks were large. Andy is a big cinnamon fan, so the flavors of the cinnamon and oatmeal with the white chocolate make these cookies honestly irresistible. This is the first of many Andy-Makes-Irresistible-Food-Posts.