HIP HOP N LOBSTER

I began my journey with food in the Florida Keys, and as everyone who reads my blog knows, I hold it dear to my heart. I tend to add a flare to all my cuisine with that Floridian essence. On a side note I was listening to some hip hop form circa 98 and I was thinking they don't make 'em like that no more! Growing up on that music style instilled a passion in me. Life seemed so simple and obstacle free at that time: music on blast, brew in the cup, gutting blunts, riding with my boys... Back to the food! I was always around great quality ingredients, learning from my pops and the "locals" about all the options available. Seafood is something I know better than anything else in this world.

I woke up this morning tired and homesick, so naturally I turned Outkast up loud on Pandora and went in on some seafood. I started by making a seafood stock with a lobster base and set that aside to simmer. While that was going, I cooked some lentils, summer squash, zucchini and roasted shallots to add to my stock. I sautéed some minced lobster meat with garlic as the final touch to my soup. Topping it with wine and butter sautéed clams with fresh arugula. To finish I hit it with fresh lemon zest to add a mild citrus accent.

There's a lot of things they don't make the same anymore. I'm all about the evolution of this art but sometimes you gotta take it back on 'em. Cause a ruckus and whatnot! So I'm gonna try and stay "cooler than a polar bear's toenails." Until the next time, my food friends and hip hop heads, say it with me: If you love fish and grits and all that pimp shit, everyone let me here you say Oh Yeah!! Food is love, stay up! Thank you to all the keys kids and keys in general for making me a monster!

Who doesn't love a well balanced brunch dish! I decided to take mine up a notch with a modern flare, so to speak. I love the idea of brunch because it's not limited to just eggs, bacon and a ladle of hollandaise.  It helps that I don't care for breakfast foods on that championship level of Wheaties.  When you crack open one too many brews before noon and you want something to absorb that hops goodness. Your hoping to hit levels of saltiness, mildly sweet and savory for that overall feeling of angels panties dropping, golden gate shattering, the world singing on key full of flavor. I started with braising ribs in a chipotle honey barbecue sauce.  I proceeded to start sautéing mushrooms with shallots, while cooking my stone grits mixing it with a 50/50 blend of Parm And Cheddar as well as the mushrooms and shallots . i topped that with a fried egg, then the braised ribs with a drizzle of a coffee glaze and sautéed arugula. The combination of flavors wasn't over powering, it was very complimentary. The Brunch Bowl is complete all you need is some hip hop, Or Miles Davis and a Bloody Mary and you've built a classic!

Each one teach one

eat free live free

Stay tuned for more blogs, more events, more footage! 2013 District Dine!

01.22.2012

Cooking With My Father

If I could travel to any destination in the world right now, I would choose Thailand.  The levels of patience and tolerance in the culture impress  me. There way of life  is simplistic, moderate, resourceful.  Typically in Thai cuisine they blend sweet, spice, sour, bitter and salt.  This is a powerful blend of flavors that  I always try to embrace on a personal level because of the beliefs and culture my father gave me, bringing me up in the Florida Keys

So today I'm blending my love for seafood, and bold Thai flavors, deep rooted and instilled with my father's style of life. I'm using shrimp with a mixture of seasonal and year round ingredients to influence and create a dish based on pieces of my heart.

I start by pre steaming some brown rice, than let it cool while I sauté my vegetables. Then I add my shrimp and cooled rice and continue to sauté, finally adding some farm fresh eggs and my lemon,orange, honey firecracker sauce, until the eggs are cooked through.   I personally love the depth of this dish it has its own flare and style but has the essence of Thailand layered in every bite.

Live Free Eat Free
Chef Jacob Lyons

More Rustic Passion From Chef Jacob

10/3/2012 

If you look up the word rustic in the dictionary, it is related to or suitable for the country (farmland).  I spoke on this before and I feel we should get back to growing and purchasing local.  And continue to cook brilliantly with what we get and maintain from the earth.  Stylistically speaking, every region and country has it's own soul and technique in regard to their rustic beginnings and on a plate it is pure beauty anywhere.  It's been heavy on my brain for days so I took some time to create a rustic dish using some of my favorite earthy ingredients.

I started by breading my boneless chicken breast, then marinated in a roasted garlic and buttermilk mixture, coated with Panko and flower, flash fried and then finished baking in the oven.  While they were resting I blanched the asparagus, let it cool in an ice bath and wrapped it in bacon ind into the oven it went.  I steamed the potatoes at the same time, pulled them out of the pot and sauteed them with smoked ham, shallots, mushrooms, arulula, yellow pepper and tomatoes, creating a hash.  I started plating, letting the chicken rest.  I made my spinach pesto to finish the dish.

 I wanted the south rusticness to show and still be creative art.  This is at the forfront of the culture and movement I love.  I hold it dear to my heart.  I'm going to continue my mission to profile the earthiniss in bite form to keep us as close to balance as possible.  Live free, eat free, Bon Appetite!

Chef Jacob

Heavenly Sandwich

  9/4/2012  
      I love the culture: I don't know when it actually hit me hard that I love everything about the Asian culture and cuisine. It was probably around the time my father introduced me to Buddhism. So it was no surprise to me yesterday as I stood in the kitchen, talking with my pops about my canned pickles, that I went deep into thought of childhood flashbacks of stir-fry with my father, my first time using chopsticks  the essence of pureness he instilled in me.  My brain was in rotation of building ingredients to the medley of Chinese flavors that we all love: In sandwich form! 
     I started with  chopped cabbage and julian yellow peppers and started my sauté with a little butter.  As they both started to Caramelize I added my sweet and sour sauce till it was a slow simmer and removed the mixture from the heat.  To my next pan a little ginger with thin sliced pork loin beginning the stir fry process till almost cooked through and added my teriyaki glaze and stir fried till done. Now I started to assemble my sandwich. I took my thick pieces of sourdough bread, placed provolone on them, added my pork and scallion mixture and topped that with my sweet and sour cabbage, then finished it with my house pickles.  Grilled till done, this dish hit on all cylinders!  With bold flavors in every bite, it was a Chinese filled feast. 
     I appreciate my father for all the inspiration he has and will continue to give me. There is something to be said about the cultur,e the way of life, the simplistic beauty we all could learn from no future nor past.  We should  just be.... Thank you for the read stay tuned for more Bon Appetite!  

 "To the ruler, the people are heaven; to the people, food is heaven."

(ancient Chinese proverb)

Chef Jacob