Lunch with my sister in law:

I have been reading about the resurgence of the "whole beast," head to tail cooking.  Some say it's dead but I personally don't think so.  Pigs feet is something I've wanted to experiment with for some time. So all week I've been telling my sister-in-law  "It's pigs feet ravioli for lunch one day!"  That day was today.  

I started the braising process yesterday, light seasoning and low and slow cooking. Pulled and diced it up mixing it with blue cheese crumbles.  Then I rolled out my pasta dough, cut out circles and filled them with the mixture, folded them over  and pinched them shut while I brought my lightly salted water to a boil.  I cooked them off for roughly 5-7 minutes than drained them well.  I then started my sauté and sauce with spinach,mushrooms, diced onions as tomatoes. I added some merlot and a knob of butter and slow simmered and cooked out and melded the flavors.  I added the ravioli to the pan and sautéed till well mixed.  Garnished with some fresh shredded fontina. 

 Most of you are probably thinking he must hate his sister-in-law , but it's the complete opposite.  She is an adventurous eater like myself. It's just me sharing my passion to the people I love.  Good eats world, and stay tuned for more blogs, updates and events! Food is love, buy local, eat local, an don't be afraid to use the whole animal! 

Chef Jacob 

End Of Summer Soup

Well the kids are back to school, which means for me the summer is over. So today I decided to say farewell with my ode to the dog days! I went into my cooler and thought refreshing. I grabbed fresh berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, And Raspberries) and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I washed the berries thoroughly, added to my pot with the Sauvignon Blanc  and a few drizzles of honey and grated ginger and let them meld together over a slow simmer. Then removed the pot from the heat and emulsified until smooth. You can feel free to add a cup of plain or vanilla yogurt to add a different texture in the last step. I plated it in a bowl with fresh berries and zest for garnish, though playing with plating using a shot glass or goblet could work just as well! I'm gonna miss the summer air, and the cool/chilled dishes as the one I made today.
But the fall brings a different variety of dishes that I can't wait to unleash for your viewing pleasure! Stay tuned for more dishes and blogs this week as well as video. Subscribe at jjacecatering on YouTube  and Bon appetite!

RUSTIC SENSIBILITY

I personally love the rustic aspects of a dish, more than that, the down home feeling and nostalgic sense of perfect clarity.  For me it's the earthiness, solidity of flavors. The beauty in the holistic approach of food taking from the earth and creating a life in meal proportions playing creator is a heavenly bliss so to speak. It adds layers and layers of complexity. I admire the depth of Greek cuisine and there usage of flavors. It inspired me to make a roasted eggplant, asparagus , and mushroom risotto finished with a pan seared cod fillet with a caper and tomato tapenade. Absorbing that rustic sense, getting down the ingredients so close to the earth is purity of love in the simplistic form. Respect the ingredient and the culinary Gods will respect you!

Chef Jacob

Nowadays mixologists are the buzz, creating fun ways to pair booze with cuisine.  They are inseparable; adding alcohol with cooking is a technique to utilize natural and added flavors. This is true whether it be sauces, marinades, braising liquids, down to the saute' methods. I personally love the pairing in the dessert course for numerous reasons.  It's a wake up of refreshments after a meal adding flare to the composition.

Layers of complexity, the smoothness, the desire of the food, it's the perfect balance of sweet and savory aspects! So today I wanted to make banana fritters with a whiskey sauce. I wanted to be playful and use great bold flavors as my inner mixologist comes out of the darkness to create a refreshing dessert with my new mantra, alcohol=flavor. Everyday I enjoy the creation and melding of flavors. It's education at its finest and I encourage everyone to try it.

So as I leave for the day I say cheers and salutations my friends. Thanks for following.