Category Archives: Meat

Part Asian, Part Italian — Momofuku Milk Bar’s Chinese Sausage Focaccia

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Focaccia gets a wonderful Chinese twist.

New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar bakery is famed for its playfully delicious “crack pie,” “compost cookies” and “cereal milk” ice cream.

But when a review copy of  the cookbook, “Momofuku Milk Bar” (Clarkson Potter) by Pastry Chef-Owner Christina Tosi landed in my mail, it was a more savory-spicy concoction that caught my eye.

“Chinese Sausage Focaccia” is a delightful mash-up of Chinese and Italian all in one bite.

It’s focaccia studded with garlic slivers and sweet Chinese sausage slices — with a veneer of Sichuan chile oil baked into it.

How’s that for breathing fire into this new “Year of the Dragon”?

The book offers a range of sweets and desserts sold at Milk Bar and plated up at the various Momofuku eateries started by the often off-color Chef David Chang. They range from the easy (peanut butter cookies) to the quite ambitious (“Tristar Strawberry Sorbet, Macerated Strawberries, Lovage, Ritz crunch and Celery Root Ganache”). The focaccia falls in the middle of those two extremes.

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Black Pig Meat Co. Bacon — Oh, Yeah!

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Meaty, sweet bacon.

Mario Batali is a fan, as are his fellow chefs, Traci Des Jardins, Suzanne Goin and Tom Douglas.

After all, what’s not to like about artisan bacon from heritage pigs that’s dry cured with brown sugar for up to 21 days, then smoked with applewood for 12 hours — and made by talented Sonoma chefs, husband-and-wife, John Stewart and Duskie Estes.

You may know them from their Zazu Restaurant + Farm in Santa Rosa and Bovolo cafe in Healdsburg, as well as Estes’ appearance on “The Next Iron Chef” in 2010.

But you ought to get to know them for their bacon, too.

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Bringing Home the Bacon (Of A Different Sort)

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Smoky and sweet cottage bacon.

It looks a little like pastrami, but has the texture of ham.

It’s Lobel’s of New York’s new Cottage Bacon.

I recently had a chance to taste a sample of this marbled, center-cut pork butt that’s cured and smoked, and has less fat than traditional strip bacon.

It’s like an artisan version of Canadian bacon with a wonderful sweet and smoky flavor that’s far more pronounced than your regular supermarket variety. It’s great for sandwiches or with scrambled eggs. I used mine to top grilled pizza with mozzarella and tomato sauce.

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Hankering for Juicy Steaks? A Food Gal Giveaway

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How's this for a meal? And it can be yours. (Photo courtesy of Snake River Farms)

Then, you’ve come to the right place.

Wouldn’t you love to sink your teeth into a meltingly tender Wagyu sirloin from Snake River Farms? Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about — deeply marbled American beef that’s like buttah.

You can. Here’s how:

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a free “Steak and Espresso Brava Salt” holiday package, courtesy of Snake River Farms. Valued at $100, this gourmet gift comes complete with six hand-trimmed, 4-ounce Wagyu petit sirloin steaks, a 4-ounce container of Espresso Brava salt (a mix of sea salt and espresso), and cooking directions.

Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Dec. 17. Winner will be announced Dec. 19. How’s that for a holiday present?

How to win?

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Red Pepper Jelly Pork Chops

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Juicy pork chops with sticky red pepper jelly.

With a couple of jars of red pepper jelly in hand, I couldn’t help but dollop some over soft cream cheese for the old-school cracker spread we all adore.

But I wanted to do something beyond that with the rest, something a little more out of the norm.

I found what I was looking for in this wonderful recipe for “Pepper Jelly-Glazed Boneless Pork Chops with Steamed Baby Bok Choy.” The recipe is by Sara Foster of North Carolina’s Foster’s Market and can be found in the cookbook, “A Twist of the Wrist” (Alfred A. Knopf) by Los Angeles Chef Nancy Silverton of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.

We all know how pork takes to sweet, spicy and fruity in great Southern barbecue. It marries as beautifully with pepper jelly’s sticky goodness.

Good on almost anything.

I got my pepper jelly as a parting gift at the conclusion of a cookbook party at San Francisco’s Town Hall. But you can find pepper jelly in most well-stocked supermarkets.

The pork chops are marinated in pepper jelly whisked with red wine, rosemary, red wine vinegar, garlic, orange zest and orange juice. You can marinate the chops for an hour just before cooking them. But to do them real justice, marinate them overnight for a bigger boost of flavor.

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