Crispy Leeks Fail

I kind of enjoy blogging about these kitchen failures. Maybe because I like laughing at myself while cleaning up the mess I inevitably make.

This particular attempt at deliciosity was sparked by a wonderful lunch I had at McKinley's Grille in Pomona. They have their own farm on-site and Chef David Teig prides himself on a primarily farm-to-table menu.

While there, I was treated to tasting plates of Japanese lantern scallops with citrus ponzu, gorgonzola-stuffed dates with chestnut oil, Angus beef sliders with caramelized Maui onion and sriracha aioli, all mouth-watering. But my favorite was the crispy leeks with truffle salt. Truffle salt! You know I saw that item on the menu and couldn't resist it. Look at it!

Crispy yummy goodness.

I should have asked the chef for his recipe. I stood there, shook his hand, thanked him for the meal, and didn't ask about my favorite dish? Clearly I'm a dummy.

(And he was so nice, too. I like nice chefs.)

So I had to wing it. Google gave me two options: flour and bake or fry in a pan. I had two good looking leeks, so I figured I'd try both. One of them had to work out, right?

Wrong.

My impatience got the best of me, I'm sure. This is what mine looked like:

Not at all like Chef Teig's. Nope. These are limp. Flaccid. Crummy. The very opposite of yummy.

Look at them, sitting in my new wok, sad and pathetic. The baked ones were over-floured, the fried ones were...well, they sure were crispy. And tasted like crap.

Failure. Plain and simple. No amount of truffle salt was going to save this. Not that I was going to waste truffle salt on burnt food.

I might be a dummy, but I'm not a complete idiot.

More Romanesco Love

I'm still eating my Romanesque veggies (maybe I should've called this Green Food Week). Like its cauliflower cousin (brother, mother, uncle?) it really is better roasted. Though steamed isn't so bad either. It turns a bright green when you steam it. Pretty!

And perfect for Martha Stewart's puree recipe. Steamy veggies, heavy cream, and cheese! We know how much I love cheese. Like bacon, it makes everything better.

Add sautéed leeks, some roasted cauliflower (the white kind), a shallot or two, then serve it with some cheese, and damn.

The curious vegetable plays nicely in a puree. A bright green mixture of veggies and cream and stuff. Come to think of it, I should've added bacon. Next time...

Broccoli Romanesco Puree
Yields 2 servings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups Romanesco broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 leek, chopped into half-inch rounds
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the cauliflower into 1-inch florets, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and paper. Spread the cauliflower over a foil-covered baking pan and roast for about 20 minutes. Cauliflower should begin to look burnt (that's when you know it's REALLY good).

2. Chop the broccoli into 1-inch pieces and steam over boiling water until brightly colored (about 8 minutes). Or for a deeper flavor, roast it with the cauliflower.

3. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and shallots, cook until they begin to turn golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic in the last minute.

4. Add water, the teaspoon of salt, sauteed vegetables and half the roasted/steamed vegetables to blender (reserve half the broccoli and cauliflower for garnish). Blend until smooth. Do this in batches if necessary.

5. Bring milk and cream to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. Add milk-cream mixture to blender with puree, and pulse to combine. Stir mixture into first batch of puree.

6. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with reserved vegetables.

Martha's recipe calls for Parmigiano-Reggiano, but I don't like it. I simply added a few cubes of Italian truffle cheese and called it heaven. But the more I think about it, yeah, that bacon would have been a nice addition.