A Legacy of Soul

There are people who try to make the world a better place through good works or kindness or the creation of fine art. Chef Randy Hoffman did all three of these things through the medium of chili. Randy was the Owner of Chili My Soul, located in Encino California. He created over forty different chilis which were featured at Chili My Soul on a rotating basis. Randy often sat at the back of the restaurant chatting with the customers, expounding the merits of this chili or that. He was a craftsman who cared greatly about his work. Soul was one ingredient you could find in any one of Randy's chilis. Randy once told me that he was offered a lucrative contract to start a franchised restaurant, but he turned it down when he found out he would not be able to hire his own people or exercise control over the quality of his chilis.
As a gem in a mountain of rocks, Chili My Soul was one of the real inspirations for this blog.

Sadly, Randy Hoffman unexpectedly passed away on June 18th and the restaurant is currently closed.

We reviewed Chili My Soul in 2007 (Post).

Dad's Knife

Father of Food (that would be my dad) has pretty good knife skills, which I suppose he learned from his mother and improved a bit in a Chinese cooking class he took some 38 years ago, around the time he bought this Henckels 8-inch chef's knife from The Pampered Chef in Miami. We replaced this old, worn knife with a new Henckels 8-inch chef's knife on his birthday several years ago, but on our recent trip to Las Vegas, I found the old one in a drawer, and as you can see from the photo on top, it had been oversharpened so that a hollow had formed in front of the bolster, which is the thick part of a forged knife where the blade meets the handle. Periodically the bolster needs to be ground down to prevent this, but sometimes even professional sharpening services don't do this. The wooden handle has held up surprisingly well without splitting or cracking. I remember Grandmother of Food used to use ancient butcher's knives that probably belonged to her mother and had rubber bands to keep the handles from falling off. I grew up with this knife, and when I went to college some twenty-odd years ago and needed a knife of my own, I bought one just like it in the Henckels Four-star line with a molded polypropylene handle, which I still use every day.

I've been working on refining my sharpening technique and trying a few more advanced projects like grinding bolsters and reshaping worn out knives, so I thought I had nothing to lose by taking this knife back to New York with me and seeing if I could turn it into something usable again. I've reshaped a few old Sabatier carbon steel chef's knives successfully, but they are fairly easy to work. They are thinner than German style knives, so there isn't as much metal to remove, and carbon steel is easier to sharpen than stainless steel like Henckels "Friodur." It turned into a two-day project, and I still consider it a work in progress.

I started by grinding off most of the excess metal at the heel of the blade with a Dremel, cooling the blade in water as I progressed to avoid losing the temper of the steel. When it started looking like a knife again, I switched to a file, refining the curve to get back the characteristic bounce of a good chef's knife, and restoring the bevel along the edge. Then I continued sharpening and refining the edge first on a double-sided coarse/medium oilstone, and finished on a Japanese 1000/6000 grit waterstone. I tried chopping a bit and wasn't getting a good rock. The heel of the knife was striking the board too soon, so it was back to the file, and then another round of sharpening on both double-sided stones, and the result is what you see in the bottom photograph. The profile is narrower like a French-style chef's knife, but it's still got most of the heft of a German-style knife.

I used it to chop some carrots and garlic for dinner, and it felt like meeting an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time. It's not perfect yet, but it's not too bad for a knife that's pushing forty. I think I've got one more curve adjustment to get the rocking motion just right and a couple of more sharpenings to go to get the edge sharp all the way back to the heel of the knife, but except for the last inch or so, the blade is sharper than its been in years. If it turns out that the back part of the blade is too thick to hold an edge, I can still use it for heavy work like chopping through bones. When the edge is right, I'll probably shave a bit off the end of the handle to move the balance forward a bit, and then maybe I'll buff out the scratches on the blade.

Dad's old knife won't replace my newer knives that are in better shape, but my new knives won't take the place of this old friend either.

My Attempt at the Most Dangerous Dessert

All week I had an urge to try my brother's recipe for his fruit tatin found here in this post: Mango Strawberry Upside Down Tart. We had some very ripe peaches about to turn bad and a box of plums following close behind, so this seemed like a perfect time to try this recipe out with the fruit on hand.

The carmelization process went beautifully. As you can see in the leading picture, deliciousness was sure to ensue. I made the crust ahead of time and got it atop the fruit mixture intact, and it baked beautifully in the pan.

The transfer process, the part that makes this the most dangerous dessert, didn't go as perfectly. Thank goodness for the part of the recipe that said "Toddlers out of the kitchen." My husband and I had to chant this over and over to keep the little ones out. We added a "Dogs out of the kitchen!" chant to the song, too. I wore plenty of protection, silicone gloves and my heavy apron, but I could still feel the heat of the molten sugars in the pan as I took it out of my 425 degree oven. I chose a heavy bowl just bigger than the pan to flip my dessert into, since we had none bigger, and it made me perhaps too cautious.

I ended up with a crumble, a crust, not on the bottom tart. A mush perhaps? Wait... I made a cobbler! Yeah, a cobbler. A pretty tasty cobbler, in fact. Why, that's what I was planning the whole time.

Thankfully, no dogs or children were harmed in the making of this dessert.

Father of Food

Dear Family of Food Readers,

You may have been wondering, where is Father of Food? Back in January we posted some updates, but he has been in a long term care facility since. Recently, he had a bad setback and is now recovering in the hospital, but he is not going to be able to be as active as even in recent months. His mobility is severely limited. He has been progressively losing muscle function which the doctor called today a dystrophy. What I am extremely saddened by today, the thing that I am reluctant to write, is the distinct possibility that Father may need to eat through a feeding tube. This would be very sad indeed. Father of Food without Food? It would be quite a loss of joy in his life. I would like any of you who know Father of Food or who have ever read any of his articles or tried one of his recipes to send him a nice word or two. If you know Father personally, send this to anyone else who knows him. If I get a bunch of comments I will bring them to him and read them to him for comfort and support. It really helps. If he can not have Food, at least he will have Food for the soul.

Thanks very much,
Daughter of Food

Tub's Fine Chili & Fancy Fixin's

Tub's Fine Chili & Fancy Fixin's is the kind of hidden treasure I try to find for the blog. Hidden is no understatement, though, Tub's is located in a small strip mall in Culver City and as of yet has no big sign over the establishment. It is tough to spot even when you are looking for it. The only sign I saw was on the window blocked by cars parked out front. Luckily, we knew it was next to Comics Ink, a nice little comic book shop in the area. If you're having trouble spotting it, think like a geek, and you'll find it in no time ;)

Inside, the shop is a little taste of cowboy with old westerns on the TV and saddle stools, all to enhance the big taste of chili. The chili is spooned into a pita like tub supported by a woodedn bowl.

Get your scoop or two topped with a Tub Topper (Pictured below), sour cream, diced onions, and cheese, or "Gunsling It" to get the whole bunch of fixin's including the delicious potato chips also pictured below.

I tried the Turkey Chili, the original recipe that inspired the restaurateur, and found it flavorful, but without much heat. If you're looking for a little bite, add a few drops of the atomic sauce kept by the register and you'll get your spice. Tubs is only a couple of months old, but if it keeps making up the good chili, it will be around for years.

Thanks to Yongwoo Cho for additional pictures for this post (he took those pretty close ups). You can see more of his work at http://www.shutterform.blogspot.com/.

Tub's Fine Chili & Fancy Fixin's
4263 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230
(310)559-8827(TUBS)
www.TubsChili.com

The last ice cream cone

Here you see evidence of the last ice cream cone. This is the last from a batch of home made chocolate chip vanilla ice cream made by Husband of Food about a month ago. It was sweet and creamy like a good ice cream should be, but here's what I learned from watching him make the ice cream. Real ice cream is NOT good for you. It is almost entirely heavy cream (fat) and sugar. For some reason I had always thought of it as a more ice and calcium laden treat. So much for thinking it is a good way to get my dairy. A glass of skim milk is much healthier, but this last ice cream cone is well... much, much more delicious.

They said it couldn't be done; Pie-Cake!

Cake or Pie?
It's a question that comes up over and over again. You may have chosen sides long ago, ready to fight for your chosen dessert, "Give me Pie or give me death!" or "You can take my cake when you pry it out of my cold dead hands!"

No more, I say!

Cake or pie...They're both so delicious, so why choose? Why can't we all just get along? Why not make a Pie-Cake?


This is a first exploration into this new topsy turvy melting pot of a world. I have created a Banana Cream Pie-Cake. I recreate the method here. This recipe will make 2 pie cakes, so get two pie pans greased up, because here we go...

I wanted a heavier cake with some substance that would support a creamy pie filling, so I chose my favorite banana bread recipe for the cake base. This recipe is from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, one of the best cookbooks I have ever known. I print a version of the recipe here to show the modifications I made to make this Pie-Cake. If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace...

OK

2 cups or 3 Large well-mashed overripe bananas

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (the original recipe calls for 2, but I got carried away)

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 Tablespoons of buttermilk (or a mixture of 3 Tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar set out for 1 hour) - Note: I use the milk and vinegar mixture. I tried the buttermilk once, but decided it wasn't worth buying the extra buttermilk.

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, dry roasted. (I used a half cup)

In a large bowl combine the bananas, sugar and eggs with a spoon until well blended. Gradually add the butter, mixing well. Stir in the flour and baking soda until well mixed and creamy. Stir in the buttermilk, then fold in the pecans.




(This next part veers from the original recipe)

Spoon batter into 2 greased pie pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 60 minutes until dark brown.

Allow to cool.

While the cakes are cooling, it's time to make the pie filling. I chose a recipe from Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking for my filling. I figured I'd stick to the region from where the cake recipe came from. I modified this recipe as well so I will write it up as I made it, if you want the real recipe, buy the book ; ).

2 Cups Whipping Cream

1 Cup Milk (the book uses 3 cups heavy cream, but I was out so I made do.)

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

3/4 Cup Cornstarch

2 1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

5 Large Egg Yolks

4 Ripe Bananas

Heat the cream in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir in the vanilla and the butter and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the milk with cornstarch and stir until thoroughly blended and smooth.

When the mixture in the saucepan begins to boil, stream in the cream (milk)/cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until all is thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl combine the sugar and salt, and whisk this dry mixture vigorously into the saucepan until the cream is thick and the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Over low heat, whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Remove from the heat and whisk the pastry cream until smooth and creamy.

Take the bananas and slice them into 1/4 inch slices, set aside.

Now that the cakes are cool, take a long sharp knife and carefully cut off the tops of the cakes. Set tops aside.

Scoop a bit more of the cake out to make more room for pie filling.

Pour about 1/6 of the pie filling mixture into each cake shell. Layer 1/4 of the bananas into each of the shells.

Cover with 1/6 pie filling in each shell, layer the rest of the bananas (saving a few for garnish) onto the filling and top with remaining pie filling.

Place the cake tops you set aside onto the cake and garnish with a few banana slices.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. You may cover your pie cakes in the fridge... it just wasn't as pretty that way.

I enjoyed this first pie cake, but I found that I wanted more. I may try an crumb cake apple pie or a chocolate cake pudding pie. If I do, I promise to report my findings. Until then, enjoy your new world... one in which pie and cake no longer have to be separate.