You can ABSOLUTELY use hot cocoa mix in a cake. There are several recipes for “cake in a mug” where you use the hot cocoa mix as the dry base to a batter and bake (or even microwave) it into a cake. Let me know how it turns out :)

sometimes, I crave this more than anything. 

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite thing to eat is, one thing that always pops in my head is sole meunière - a classic French dish. 

I first had sole meunière in culinary school - it was one of the first things we learned how to make, and it has remained a standby in my arsenal ever since. 

Ironically, it was also my Grandmother’s favorite dish. Pretty cool, huh?

When I tell you that this is LITERALLY, the easiest thing you will ever make - I’m serious. Also, when I tell you that this is LITERALLY, one of the most delicious fish dishes you will ever taste - I’m serious.

It’s one of those dishes that you can make in 10 minutes, in front of your girlfriend or boyfriend, and impress them with your old school French cooking technique.

Let’s do this thing:

Sole Meunière

AP Flour - 1/2 Cup
Salt & Pepper - To Taste
Sole filets - 4 (3-4 ounce is ideal)
Butter (unsalted) - 6 tablespoons
Lemon zest (grated) - 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 6 tablespoons
Parsley, fresh (minced) - 1 tablespoon 

Method:

1. Combine the flour, salt & pepper on a large shallow plate. Pat the sole filets dry with a paper towel.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown slightly.

3. Dredge 2 sole filets in the seasoned flour on both sides, then place them in the hot butter.

4. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal (fish) spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the 2nd side is cooking, add lemon zest & juice to the pan.

5. Carefully place the sole filets onto a (warmed) plate and pour the butter/lemon sauce over them. Garnish with parsley.

TIP: Keep the first 2 sole filets in a 200 degree oven on an oven-safe plate while you cook the other 2.

6. Serve immediately.

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This meal is a first class ticket to France. Pair this with a nice Chardonnay and you’re in business, and if you cook this for a date, you’ll probably get the business, if you know what I mean.

Until next time,

Copyright 2012, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.

CELEBRITY EATS! is my latest online blog dedicated to the food-related lives of celebrities and folks in the public eye. Nowadays, our media is so celebrity-obsessed, I figured I’d like to stray away from their ultra personal lives, and see what’s on their plates instead. I’m always intrigued by what people eat, and what food means to them. 

The first edition of CELEBRITY EATS! features a young, up-and-coming talent that you may have seen on RuPaul’s Drag Race (airing Mondays on LOGO TV at 9pm EST) - he’s a member of Ru’s Drag Race PIT CREW, Mr. Jason J. Carter.

1. What is your earliest food memory?

My mother always cooked breakfast. To me that was so comforting and special.

2. What was your favorite food / meal as a child?

It’s always been Chinese. Still to this day my absolute favorite.

3. Who did the majority of the cooking in your home growing up?

My mother for sure. She said the way to show love is through food.

4. Are there any foods that you really dislike?

I hate tofu anything. With a passion.

5. Currently, what is your favorite restaurant?

Cici’s Café in Encino, CA. Best Tiramisu pancakes… EVER!

The spot.

The pancakes.

6. What is your ‘signature dish’?

I make an amazing omelet… Seriously I’m the worst cook, but I try.

7. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

Butter Pecan.. Addicting.

8. Favorite type of cuisine?

Chinese all day, every day.

9. Do you have a favorite grocery store / Farmer’s market in your area?

Whole Foods. Best produce.

10. What is a typical breakfast for you?

Eggs, spicy sausage, grits, toast & potatoes.

11. If you were opening a restaurant, what would you name it? Why?

I would name is Bliss because eating and sharing time with family and friends is bliss. That first date, the memories… All so blissful.

12. Finally, what are you working on right now?

I’m currently on the hit reality series RuPaul’s Drag Race. Follow me on Twitter (@jjcforever) and on Facebook.. Jason J. Carter for updates to check out what I’m up to.

Big thanks to Jason J. Carter for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer these pressing culinary questions. Follow him via social media on his journey to super-stardom.

Stay tuned, next week we’ll have v. 2 ready for you.

Copyright 2012, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.

The first thing most people say when they find out I’m a Chef is, “oh, [whoever you’re romantically involved with] must be lucky!” - translation, whoever I’m dating has lucked out by dating a Chef. 

Is food a major part of love & romance? Some say definitely.

Food can be sexy, sensual, playful, flirty, even erotic. It just depends on the ingredients & preparations.

Valentine’s Day, perhaps the most romantic day of the year, is upon us - and I’m providing you with a 3 course menu to surely impress your new boo, enjoy the evening with your current love, and even reignite the flame with your limbo love.

On a personal note, 2 years ago, shortly before Valentine’s Day, I met the love of my life. So, the day is very special to me - I’m also one of those who subscribe to the fact that food IS sexy.

The aesthetic value of Valentine’s Day food is as important as how good the food tastes. For that reason, you’ll see a lot of red, because let’s face it: red = passion.

THE DINNER

As far as the meal goes, for an appetizer - I love sea scallops. They’re so delicate, but they can hold up to some pretty substantial flavors. 

Sea scallop w/ strawberry relish & basil.

This is a very, very simple dish to create. Here’s the breakdown:

Sea scallops - 6, large
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup 

Strawberries - 1 pint, small dice
Balsamic vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Black pepper - pinch 
Fresh basil - 3 leaves, cut into ribbons 

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the diced strawberries, balsamic vinegar & black pepper.

2. Pat the scallops dry and season with a pinch of salt & pepper. Heat vegetable oil in pan.

3. In a hot pan, sear scallops on one side for approximately 2.5 minutes until you achieve a caramelized surface, repeat on the other side. Only flip once. 

4. Place 3 scallops on a plate, and spoon the salsa on top. Garnish with basil.

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Second course, I gotta go with a filet of beef. It’s tender, almost buttery, and definitely easy to eat.

Filet of Beef

Looks good enough to eat, huh? Here’s how you do it:

Beef filets (from the tenderloin) - 2, at room temperature
Pepper
Olive oil - to coat the pan

Method:

1. Pat dry, and season the steaks liberally with pepper.

2. Heat oil in pan. Preheat oven to 375.

3. In a hot pan (max. heat), sear the filet for approximately 2 minutes per side until perfectly caramelized on both sides.

4. Place the entire pan in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until the center of the filet reaches 120 degrees.

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I like to finish my steaks off with a little bit of robiola or goat cheese - your favorite blue cheese would also be a great addition. Be free to make any sides you think would compliment. I generally like the filet to stand alone. To serve it, I cut it in half length-wise, and stack it, so you see the beautiful pink center, topped with the cheese. Wilted spinach & mashed potatoes are always a welcomed addition next to a steak.

So, what’s for dessert? I’m going to revert to my old recipe for cheesecake. It’s probably the best thing, in my humble opinion, to follow this meal. Plus, cheesecake can be really sexy. It’s cold, velvety, and smooth - like slipping into a bed with satin sheets for the first time. 

http://briangriess.tumblr.com/post/1662701186/cbgs-favorite-cheesecake 

I genuinely hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, and don’t forget - even if you don’t have a special someone now, this is the perfect date night meal - so go out there and meet your soulmate, and remember to cook this for them when the time feels right.

Until next time,

Copyright 2012, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was the one holiday where everyone in the family was sure to get together and feast upon courses and courses of food. I can remember waking up in the morning, already smelling the aromas of the stuffing and turkey cooking. Throughout the day, I would sneak tastes of everything. Time seemed to go so slowly, the anticipation building until I could finally sit down and dive into the spread that was sure to make sure anyone wearing pants that buttoned regret it later.

Thanksgiving, traditionally, is the one meal that rarely changes. It includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries in some form, and then, depending on where you live, there are other staples like yams, ham, corn, collard greens, or green bean casserole. 

As I’ve gotten older, and gotten more involved in my career, Thanksgiving has taken on a bit more adventure, and has been less about sticking with the decades-old staples and more about “hmm.. how can I tweak this..” or “what can I replace this with?” - I can’t help it, it’s my job. I try to stay true to the roots though.

I’ve come up with a really cool Thanksgiving menu this year, and I’d love to share it with you. First, let’s talk about the Turkey:

The biggest worry when cooking a turkey is that you will overcook it. Here are three secrets to a perfectly roasted bird.

1. Pay ZERO attention to the directions on the package, and completely disregard the plastic pop-up thermometer that comes with it. They will make you overcook your bird, guaranteed. Invest in a meat thermometer. They’re cheap, and they will save you from overcooking your meat. The termperature of the inner part of the turkey (where the thigh meets the back) should never reach higher than 140.

2. Cover the breast meat with a triple layer of aluminum foil for half of the roasting time. This slows down the cooking and prevents the meat from drying out.

3. Do not stuff the turkey. I know, I know. How can I say that? Here’s why.. If you stuff the turkey, you will be obliged to cook the bird long enough to heat the stuffing through, which means the meat will overcook. Stuffing also absorbs precious juices that are better suited to make a pan gravy.

Unfortunately, a properly cooked bird doesn’t release a lot of juices for making gravy. If you do end up with enough juices, skim off the fat and thicken them with a roux (1 tablespoon each of flour & butter per 1 cup of juice) to make a gravy. Then, if you like, supplement the gravy with giblets cooked in the roasting pan with the turkey.

Another good tip is to take the bird out of the refrigerator 3 or 4 hours before it is scheduled to go in the oven. A room-temperature turkey will roast more quickly and evenly. 

Here is my recipe for a perfect roasted turkey (makes 12 main course servings + leftovers):

Turkey - 1, about 20lbs, at room temperature
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Flour - 3 tablespoons
Chicken Broth - 3 cups

Method:

 1. Season the turkey on the outside with salt & pepper and place it, breast side up, in a heavy roasting pan large enough to accommodate it. Arrange the liver, neck, and gizzard around the turkey. Rub softened butter evenly on the entire bird. Fold a sheet of aluminum foil to create triple thickness, making it just large enough to cover the breasts.

2. Slide the bird into the oven and turn on the oven to 350 degrees (there is no need to preheat your oven here). Roast for about 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to roast the turkey for about 1 and a half hours longer, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the space between the thigh and the breast without touching bone reads 140 degrees. Transfer the turkey to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest in a warm spot for at least 20 minutes before carving.

3. To make the gravy, remove the liver, gizzard & neck from the roasting pan. Remove the meat from the neck and discard the bones. Place the neck, meat, gizzard, and liver in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Do not process to a paste. Set to the side.

4. Check the juices in the roasting pan. If you have a lot of juice, transfer them to a glass pitcher, skim off the fat with a ladle, and return 3 tablespoons of the fat to the pan on the stove top, boil down the juices until they are caramelize on the bottom of the pan and separate from the fat. Add the flour to the fat in the pan over medium heat and stir together for 1 minute to cook the flour and form a roux. If you have degreased juices, add broth to the measuring pitcher to total 3 cups. Gradually stir in the broth or broth-juice mixture and continue to stir over medium-high heat until the roux and the caramelized juices dissolve into the gravy and the gravy is smooth and has thickened to a nice consistency. Add the ground giblets, stir well, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the gravy into a warmed sauceboat.

5. Carve the bird and serve with the pan gravy.

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So now you need some side dishes. This is one I made last year that really went over well:

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables, and I’m confident that if people dislike them, they just haven’t had them prepared MY WAY :-)

This is a great fall dish that I thought of during my “what else can I do with Brussels sprouts?” phase.

Brussels Sprouts w/ Cranberry-Balsamic Dressing
(makes 8 servings) 

Balsamic vinegar - 2 tablespoons

Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons 
Water - 1 tablespoon
Cranberries, dried & sweetened - 3 tablespoons
Salt, kosher - 2 teaspoons
Pepper, black - 2 teaspoons
Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed & quartered - 2 lbs 

Method:

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, water, olive oil & cranberries in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until it is emulsified.

2. Spread Brussels sprouts out on a lightly greased sheet pan, season w/ salt & pepper. Roast until golden brown on the edges, in a 300 degree oven.

3. Once cooked, toss dressing & Brussels sprouts together. Add a few more dried cranberries to the mix, and serve.

** Try adding bacon for a salty contrast.

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One big debate in my family has been whether or not to include cranberry sauce or not. I, personally, am not a fan of cranberry sauce (canned log or freshly made, I just don’t dig it.)

This recipe for roasted pear & apple sauce is my ideal substitute for cranberry sauce. It’s sweet & super cozy - it is awesome served as a side dish, but it’s also good served warm for dessert with a drizzle of half-and-half or a scoop of vanilla ice cream:

Roasted Apple/Pear Sauce

8 of your favorite kind of apple (I like Pink Lady)
7 of your favorite kind of pear (I prefer Bosc)
Light brown sugar, lightly packed - 1/2 cup
Unsalted butter - 2 tablespoons
Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
Zest & juice of 2 large oranges
Zest & juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Place the zest and juice of the citrus in a nonreactive Dutch oven. Peel, quarter, and core the apples & pears and toss them in the juice. Add the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon and cover the pot. Bake for 1 and a half hours, until the apples and pears are tender. Mix with a whisk until the applesauce is smooth, but still a little chunky. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit, the apples will likely fall apart and the pears will break up but stay chunky. Serve warm or at room temperature.

**For a fun remix, try swirling some raspberry (or even cranberry) puree into the sauce. It will make it visually stunning, and add a really great flavor.

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Mashed potatoes were probably one of the favorite things at the table growing up. The best mashed potatoes are made with Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes. YG’s are more practical because they’re bigger and you will have fewer to peel. Let’s go:

Mashed Potatoes
(makes 6 side-dish servings)

Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled - 6
Butter - 1/2 cup
Half-and-Half, heated - 1-to-2 cups
Salt
Pepper (preferably white, simply for aesthetics)

Method:

1. Cut large potatoes into quarters. Put the potatoes into a pot and add water to reach halfway up their sides. Cover the pot, bring to a gentle simmer, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes (or until the potatoes are falling apart). Check the potatoes every 10 minutes to make sure the water is not running dry, and if it threatens to, add a little more.

2. Drain the potatoes in a colander over a bowl to save the starchy cooking liquid. Work the potatoes through a food mill, ricer, drum sieve over a bowl, or mash the potatoes in a bowl with a potato masher. Work in the butter with a whisk or wooden spoon until it melts and then add enough liquid, including some of the cooking liquid, until the potatoes are the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper.

** To kick it up, throw some celery root (or any other root vegetable) in with the potatoes and treat exactly the same. Also try adding roasted garlic. 

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To me, stuffing is the quintessential Thanksgiving side. I can remember waking up the day after Thanksgiving and rushing to the fridge to make little turkey-and-stuffing sliders with the biscuits left over. Hell, I still do that the day after. Stuffing can vary from basic bread stuffing to oysters, mushrooms, sausage, apples, onions, and just about anything else you could imagine.

For me, the bread needs to be either cornbread or sourdough bread, but stuffing can be anything you can dream up. So get to dreaming.

Here’s my favorite:

B.A. Stuffing

1 large onion (diced small)
3 ribs of celery (diced small)
Spicy sausage, casing removed - 1 pound
Garlic cloves, diced - 3
Sage - 10 leaves, finely chopped
Cornbread, cut into bite-size cubes - 10 cups
Chicken stock - 3 and a half cups 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions & celery and saute over medium heat. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage begins to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the sage, cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

4. In a large bowl mix together the cornbread and saute mixture and knead with your hands until the bread is very moist, actually wet. Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

5. Bake the stuffing until it is hot all the way through and a crust has formed on top - about 30 to 35 minutes.

** You can absolutely add bacon, dried cranberries, more herbs, or anything else you’d like! Play around with this one!

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Dessert is one of those things that I’ve never gotten into on Thanksgiving. I’m all about the savory on this day. However, during my tenure as Executive Chef at the now defunct Lavender House, my Pastry Chef Hollie created some of the most amazing seasonal desserts, and she got me to wholeheartedly embrace this Thanksgiving / fall dessert into my arsenal. 

This pumpkin mousse is something special. It’s gourmet pumpkin pie in a champagne flute. The perfect end to a cozy meal:

Pumpkin Mousse
(serves 6) 

Pumpkin (you can use “pumpkin pie filling”) - 1 can
Heavy Cream - 2.5 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cinnamon - 1/3 teaspoon
Nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
Vanilla - 1 tablespoon
White Chocolate & Ginger Snaps - For optional garnish

Method:

1. Combine pumpkin, 1.5 cups of heavy cream, spices & sugar in a medium saucepan and heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, allow to completely cool.

2. Using a whisk or mixer, whip the remaining heavy cream with the vanilla until you acheive ‘soft peaks’.

3. Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture. Store this in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before you intend to eat it.

4. When ready to serve, pipe or spoon the mixture into a champagne flute (or any attractive glass with a stem for dramatic presentation) and garnish with crumbled ginger snaps & a some white chocolate shavings.

** To switch it up, you could alternate layers of pumpkin & sweetened whipped cream to form an awesome pumpkin parfait. You are virtually unlimited here with your presentation, and your utilization of this mousse. You could put this mousse into a crust as a lighter alternative to the sometimes heavy pumpkin pie.

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I hope I’ve given you some ideas to kick up your holiday. As always, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and I’m always up for answering questions.

Happy Holidays everybody!

Copyright 2011, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.

Hey guys,

Since I’ve last updated this blog, I have wrapped my project with the Varsity Club. Like many goodbyes, it’s bittersweet, but mostly sweet. I had a great time showing the benefits of local, seasonal, fresh cooking. We went from a frozen-to-fryer system, to a prep-heavy, fresh-made-daily, small-batch system. We also went from a tri-fold menu featuring 68 items, to a bi-fold menu featuring 34 items.

I will say I had the most waitstaff resistance this go-around, and it was a hurdle that I had not encountered before. It was hard for me to think that anyone could contest the improvements I was trying to make - but what do you do when a client doesn’t mind unhealthy food? What do you do when the customer rejects the healthier alternative? It all comes down to staff training - and tools that I left behind so they can always demonstrate the pros, and get away from the cons.

With a food cost 4% lower than when I arrived, and a 10% increase in revenue expected - I feel like the CBG/VC partnership is something we can all be proud of. Management will be the deciding factor in whether or not we continue on the path we’re on now. I sincerely hope we continue on the right track.

As of right now, I’m sticking around DFW and meeting with other restaurateurs in the forthcoming days to see about another consulting gig down here.

I will also be presenting monthly live stand-up comedy shows at Varsity Club. I will post more about our upcoming October 5 event in the next few days.

I’m so ready for fall to be here for good, how about you guys?

Until next time,

Chef Brian Griess

Hey guys,

I had the most incredible date last night. My dear friend Marianna was in town from Chicago - we went to the Westin Galleria hotel’s 2nd Floor Bistro where we were greeted by a private room, “chefs table” atmosphere where I proceeded to have one of the top 5 greatest meals of my entire life.

We were greeted with an amuse bouche of confit grouper with a bay leaf cream, and a piece of shaved carrot. It was ice cold, and the perfect thing to wake your taste buds up.

The sommelier chose a great Sauvignon Blanc from Australia.

For our first course we had a cider poached foie gras tourchon with vanilla-infused apples, and pistachio pancakes - as well as some gently fried calamari with a tomato fondue, and gribiche (which is like a mayonnaise but with hard-boiled eggs & mustard being emulsified with oil.)

The foie was very creamy, and the vanilla gave it an almost dessert-like feel - very similar to Graham Elliott’s Foie-Pop. Foie gras coated in pop rocks. Eek.

The combination of the foie gras spread on the pistachio pancake with the diced apple on top had a completely satisfying mouth-feel. The resistance when you bit into the pancake, the tender apple, and the creamy foie gras - it all made sense, kudos to the Chef for that.

The calamari was very good. Perfectly cooked, and the tomato fondue was delicious - but the gribiche was the star for me. I could not stop eating it. Addictive.

Onto the next course, we were brought 3 diver’s scallops, atop an English pea puree with goat cheese ravioli. This was the highlight of the meal for me (or so I thought) - the scallops were a little undercooked (no shame in that, I eat them rare). We also had some potato gnocci with smoked duck breast & stilton blue cheese that was out of this world.

Dessert came around, and the Chef gave us a complimentary tasting of his incredible creations. We had a chocolate ice cream bombe, with the. most. incredible. brownie. i’ve. ever. had. - Excuse the periods, but you have to pause when you say it so people think you’re serious. There was also a marscarpone & toffee cheesecake.

Epic.

The Chef came out and talked to us, we all introduced ourselves and of course Marianna had to go with the, “Brian’s a Chef too” - and it turns out Chef and I know some of the same people. Small world. 

I don’t rant and blog about my food excursions many times, but this one was worth it. If you are in Dallas, go valet your car at the Westin Galleria, take the elevator to the 2nd floor, and walk into http://www.thesecondfloorrestaurant.com 

You will not be disappointed.

Aside from that, we are working hard to get the Varsity Club project done. Going live very soon. Stay tuned to see what happens next :-)

Until next time,

Chef Brian Griess

Hey guys,

Yesterday, I was privileged to be part of the Varsity Club family as we put on a parking lot party for our loyal family of customers, and the city of Frisco, TX.

I’ve done my fair share of catering, and seen quite a few parties in my career, but I have to say that the level of effort, love, and comradery I witnessed last night completely blew me away. I’ve heard the term “well-oiled machine” used in a lot of different circumstances, but last night, that’s the only phrase I can use to describe the passion, and work ethic of the Varsity Club staff.

I had my tag team partner and fellow Le Cordon Bleu alum, Chef Craig assisting me in the back of the house, as we prepared samples of our new Varsity Club summer menu - and the kitchen ran as smoothly as a busy kitchen can run on a Saturday night, with an additional monster party happening outside and a new menu being implemented simultaneously.

The samples were incredibly well received.

I’ve never shaken more hands, and received more genuine compliments about my food (or an establishment I’ve worked in) than I did last night. It was a truly humbling experience.

I’d like to give a big, warm ‘thank you’ to Eduardo, Ken, Sal, Trent, the entire wait-staff, and the incredibly talented kitchen crew, who have welcomed me with open arms during this transitional process. I want to thank my buddy, and badass Chef, Craig for assisting me last night, and last but never least, the wonderful, loyal, ravenously hungry customers of The Varsity Club. Thank you for making me feel like a member of the family. You guys are incredible.

Chef Brian Griess

Okay, guilty pleasure time - I love fried food. I have the love handles to prove it. There are two schools of thought when it comes to frying food. Breading, or batter?

I’m a batter guy, and I’ve come up with probably the best beer batter I’ve ever tasted. It works on chicken, shrimp, white fish, onions, pickles, jalapeños, zucchini.. and it will work on anything you wish to fry. Here’s the recipe:

CBG’s Beer Batter

A.P. Flour - 1 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Cornstarch - 1/2 Cup
Beer (I use ZiegenBock, but any Amber beer will work) - 1 Cup
Salt (kosher) - 2 Teaspoons
Pepper - 1 Teaspoon
Sugar (white) - 1 Teaspoon 
Oil - 1 Teaspoon 

Method: 
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until there are no lumps.

Now you’re all set to coat anything you want to fry - simply dredge the item in flour, and completely coat it in the batter, then immediately place it in the hot oil and begin frying anything you’d like - and please feel free to go nuts here.

Copyright 2011, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.

In my career, I’ve cooked using just about every cooking vessel you can imagine. Most “new age” appliances are useless, silly, and just gimmicks to make money.

I was skeptic when my Dad told me that he purchased a Big Green Egg. The level of enthusiasm in his voice was enough to make me at least want to give it a try.

Now after weeks of seeing what the Egg can do, I’m a believer.. an egg-head, if you will.

It’s an impressive vessel - it is a smoker, a grill, and an oven. All in one egg-shaped package. You can literally cook ANYTHING on this thing. 

Read more about it @ http://www.biggreenegg.com/

Chef Brian Griess

Hey guys,

A few cool things going on. 

Beginning this week, I will be consulting with some great people in Frisco, Texas. I’ll tell more about the project as time goes on, but we’ll bang out a new menu, and a well-trained kitchen staff in 2-3 weeks. 

I’m amped up about the potential of the place. Great neighborhood, enthusiastic owner, and a staff that isn’t just about a paycheck. That’s a dream come true for someone in my position.

Wednesday, I’ll be reuniting with my Pastry Chef, Hollie. We have a special kind of chemistry, and I always have a ton of fun (and even better dessert) when I’m in the same kitchen as her. It’s been 2 years since we’ve worked together. 

I hope everyone had a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. It’s feeling like summer in Dallas, Texas already.

Until next time, 

Chef Brian Griess

Bread pudding is one of those trendy desserts that has been done a million ways by a thousand Chefs, and continues to find itself donning new accessories and flavor profiles.

I can honestly say, I’ve had every kind of bread in my bread pudding.. I’ve had some truly incredible attempts, and I’ve had some truly atrocious concoctions that disgrace the name.

This recipe is straight forward, not a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s GREAT! 

Let’s start with the basics, what are the components of bread pudding?

Well, there’s BREAD:

What kind of bread should you use? Well, the floor is truly yours, but I love brioche in bread pudding. Other favorites would be croissants, challah, French, or Italian bread. 

The second part of this 2-part equation is the CUSTARD:

What is a custard? In its simplest form, it’s the cooked mixture of eggs & milk or cream (or in our case, half & half with butter)

Here’s the recipe:

BREAD PUDDING
(serves 8-10 people, prepare in a 9x13 baking dish) 

Bread cubes - 10 cups
Eggs - 4 large
Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1.5 teaspoons
Cinnamon, ground - 1 teaspoon 
Butter, melted - 4 tablespoons
Half & Half - 4 cups

Optional: Add a couple handfuls of dried cranberries & golden raisins in with the bread. You can mix it up with chocolate chips, nuts, or diced apple. You are unlimited here.

Method: 
1. Place the cubed bread (and optional accessories) into a 9x13 baking dish.

2. For the custard, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla & cinnamon together in a bowl until thick and lemon colored (5 minutes). 

3. Add in the melted butter, and half & half. Whisk to incorporate. 

4. Ladle the custard over the bread until bread is covered. Press down on bread to ensure complete submergence.

5. Bake 1 hour in a water bath (set the baking dish in a larger vessel of water to ensure gentle cooking.)

How do you know when it’s done? Gently press on the top, if custard comes to the surface, give it 5 more minutes.

Serve it warm, room temperature, or chilled, and always with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. 

Looking for a dessert for a dinner party? You can dress it up by individually portioning each serving in a ramekin.

For fun, try using leftover cinnamon rolls, banana bread, or pumpkin bread. Bread pudding lends itself to TONS of holiday interpretations!

Copyright 2011, Brian Griess, All rights reserved.