Joe Squared Gives Pizza a Name in Baltimore

David and I

Not too long ago I ventured through Baltimore, MD after getting picked up by my good friend Caroline at the BWI airport.  We were on our way to Williamsport, PA for a week of catching up, eating out, and an adventure to the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York.  Before getting out of the city, Caroline and I made a stop at Joe Squared, a pizza joint where David Mathie Bersch, a friend that I had met while filming Season 2 of Masterchef in Los Angeles, works and plays.

I'm usually in awe of David's facebook postings, finding ways to create flavor combinations with miraculous beauty and composition on a plate.  I'm well aware that I lack his finesse when it comes to cooking, but I still get inspired by it.  Joe Squared isn't really where David does his artistic cooking though. It is more of a working-class pizza joint with beer and wine, and one Hell of a selection of rum.  I liked it because of its uniqueness.  Who has a rum collection like that?  And who drinks all those rums?  Well, I for one, wanted to try some just because I could, and my not ever get the chance to again!

Joe Squared

The inside flap of Joe Squared's menu had an insert for weekly specials.  I knew I liked the place just from reading some of it.  First, just the attention to detail to constantly challenge one's self in the kitchen and to continue to create great specials on a weekly basis instead of simply relying on the standbys is great.  Secondly, a special of the day just doesn't cut it anymore.  I'm not looking for one special dish.  I'm looking for a whole menu.  For some actually thought, creativity, and pairings.  Some of the items on Joe Squared's weekly menu were a Spinach and Lamb Soup, Gorgonzola Dulce and Toasted Pistachio Risotto, draft beer and wine specials, and Raspberry Mole Chicken Wings.  I got the chicken wings.  I rarely pass up a mole.  And I'm glad I didn't.  The wings were fried to a nice crispiness on the outside and tossed in a spicy and earthy chocolate mole sauce sweetened with the fruity notes of the raspberry.  They were messy, but I ate the heck out of them!

Raspberry Mole Chicken Wings at Joe Squared in Baltimore

Since Joe Squared had a risotto menu in addition to a pizza menu, I couldn't help but get one for Caroline and I to try.  I wanted something different, and they had about 20 options to choose from on the menu.  I kinda wanted to go with the weekly special but if memory serves me correctly Caroline picked out the sausage and carrot risotto with Gouda and roasted fennel seed.  Either way, I applauded the decision as the risotto delivered a creamy texture full of flavor.

Sausage and Carrot Risotto

For the pizza we went a little outside the box compared to normal toppings as well.  We ordered a large pizza, which of course is square shaped.  On one half we got the Chicken, Corn, and Apple and on the other I demanded the Cumin Braised Lamb pizza with roasted eggplant, mozzarella, Romano, parsley, and mint.  Both sides were certainly worth eating.  If I had to knock anything, it would be the corn.  The whole kernels tasted like they were just straight out a can or the freezer.  And the apple flavor didn't really come through.  I liked the creativity of it as a whole though.  The lamb pizza, on the other hand, had every element working from crispy crust to succulent lamb.  The mint even added the right touch of uniqueness without being overpowering.

Square Pizza

After the meal and a few rum drinks and brews (for me, Caroline was driving!), we bid David adieu and took off for Pennsylvania.  I definitely enjoyed meeting up with a fellow Masterchef contestant once again though.  And I'd gladly go see him again at Joe Squared!

Three Gluttonous Sins Class: Bacon

Seared Sea Scallops, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Maple Bacon Relish, Balsamic Reduction

As part of the recent cooking class I taught at Fresina's Pasta Company in Baton Rouge, I incorporated bacon into a dish as my second gluttonous food sin.  Bacon is fondly known to me as the candy of all meats.  It can be sweet, smokey, spicy, salty, savory, and more.  It is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.  It pairs with beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, or anything else.

Had long been conjuring up a dish similar to this with sweet potatoes and seas scallops when I saw a post from fellow Master Chef contestant David Mathie Bersch that included a maple bacon relish over sea scallops with sweet potato gnocchi and a balsamic reduction.  Inspired, I decided to do my own version.  The following recipe is adapted from David's recipe, so I can't take all the credit... or I'm at least willing to share the credit with him!

Course 2: Seared Sea Scallops, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Maple Bacon Relish, Balsamic Reduction

(Inspired by my fellow MasterChef contestant David Mathie Bersch)

SCALLOPS:

20 U10 Sea Scallops
Bacon Fat Reserved from Relish (below)
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Italian Parsley (or Oregano as pictured above) for Garnish

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI:

5 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Cup Grated Romano Cheese
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Unbleached AP Flour plus more for Rolling
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

MAPLE BACON RELISH:

8 Strips of Bacon, Chopped
1 Yellow Onion, Finely Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, Julienned
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, Julienned
2 Serrano Peppers, Stemmed, Seeded, and Diced
8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Fresina’s Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Maple Sugar
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

BALSAMIC REDUCTION:

1/3 Cup Fresina’s Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Wrap sweet potatoes in foil.  Roast for about an hour or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Seared Sea Scallops, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Maple Bacon Relish, Balsamic Reduction

While potatoes are roasting, place a large sauté pans over medium high heat.  Render the bacon 3/4 of the way cooked.  Remove the bacon from the pan and transfer to a bowl, leaving as much bacon fat in the pan as possible.  Transfer half the bacon fat to another pan and reserve for the scallops.  In the first pan with the other half of the fat, add the onions and fry them until translucent.  Add all the peppers and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes until the peppers soften.  Add the garlic and the reserved bacon back to the pan, cooking for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and reduce.  While reducing, add the maple sugar and season with salt and pepper.  Set the relish aside until needed.

When the sweet potatoes are fork tender, take off the skins and let cool to the touch.  Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and mash them extremely well.  Fold in the Romano cheese, then season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Add eggs, and then add the flour a little at a time while mixing until it forms nice dough that’s not too sticky but just right.  Roll the dough into a ball.  Cut into quarters.  Dust a board or table with flour and roll the dough into snakes followed by cutting the snakes into one inch pieces.  Make indentions in the gnocchi with the prongs of a fork or roll them on a gnocchi board.

Place balsamic, sugar, and cayenne in small sauce pan over medium heat.  Allow to simmer and reduce by half until it has a syrupy consistency.

Boil the gnocchi for about two to four minutes till they float.  Remove from water.  Re-season with salt pepper. Reheat relish and place the reserved pan with bacon fat over high heat.  Dry scallops, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sear in batches for about two minutes on each side or until a golden brown crust develops on the outside.  Add more reserved bacon fat for additional batches or use canola oil.

Place three scallops on a plate in a triangle.  Add a handful of gnocchi to the middle of the triangle.  Top each scallop with maple bacon relish.  Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the gnocchi and around the scallops.  Garnish with Italian parsley or oregano.

Eleven Amazing Happenings of 2011

While I'm not one to follow the trends all the time, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the past while looking forward to the future.  I know "top 11 of 2011" lists and "12 things to look forward to in 2012" lists are all over the place right now, but this ain't my first rodeo.  Last year I came up with a top 10 list of items that I ate, drank, or blogged about during 2010.  Then I followed that up with 11 things I wanted to eat and drink more of in 2011.  Some of them I succeed, some proved to be impossible, and some I just didn't really do.  This year I decided to change it up a bit.  I tried to recall the top eleven memories or amazing things that happened to me over the past calendar year.  Somewhat in order of importance, though certainly not by scientific or well thought out criteria, here is my list that counts down from eleven:

11.  Victory at the Frankie's Dawg House 4th of July Hotdog Eating Contest

Winner, winner, hot dog dinner!

10.  KingCakeBR

Visit Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Social Media Association, and TommysTV collaborate with me on this project and it turned out to be a huge success!

9.  Emeril's Blogger Party and the start of Virtual Potluck

Calandro's Supermarket helped me out with a lot of the ingredients and I successfully cooked 9 recipes from Emeril's new book over a three week period this past Fall.  It also introduced me to the other bloggers who were selected that have now formed the Virtual Potluck!

8.  Viking Cooking School Outdoors

Photo taken on film, courtesy of Frank McMains

I got to help open the first ever Viking Cooking School Outdoors at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.  It was a fun and challenging month watching the school go through construction, dealing with logistics and equipment orders, all the way to the helping teach the opening class!

7.  Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde...

I had the pleasure of being a headliner and filming a segment for the TV pilot in 2010.  In 2011 I got to serve as a red carpet host and emcee for a couple shows and have submitted an entry for the coffee table book.  I'm so proud to be a part of what Peggy has built from this food monologue show!

6.  Eat St. on the Cooking Channel

Eat St. came to Baton Rouge to film three episodes for the Cooking Channel (and the Food Network in Canada) and I got give an interview for the show about Taco de Paco!

5.  Raise a Glass

"Raise a Glass" is a weekly radio show about the history, traditions, culture, production, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.  I host it with my brother Eric Ducote from BR Beer Scene.  The show airs on Fridays at 6 pm and replays Sundays at 4 pm on 96.9 FM WHYR Baton Rouge Community Radio.


4.  LSU Press Bite and Booze Cookbook Contract

Although it won't come out until 2013, signing my contract for the "Bite and Booze Cookbook" is certainly worthy of being on this list.  Now all I have to do is write it and wait!

3.  Forty Under 40

I had the extreme honor of being recognized as one of the Baton Rouge Business Report's Top Forty Under 40 recipients for 2011.  My mom and dad joined me for the awards banquet, which was also quite an honor!

2.  The Bite and Booze Radio Show

The Bite and Booze Radio Show on Talk 107.3 FM started in April 2011 and has been a consistent fixture in Baton Rouge's Saturday talk radio lineup ever since.  I actually just signed a contract for all of 2012 as well, so the Bite and Booze Radio Show is here to stay!  Get ready for more interviews with local chefs and some great food and drink talk radio!

1.  MasterChef

The audition process started in 2010, but I actually spent 10 days in Los Angeles in February of 2011 filming the first four episodes of MasterChef on Fox.  I didn't get a whole lot of air time out of it, but national television exposure is better than none!

Here's to an even better 2012!!!

Bite and Booze Two Year Update

A little over two years ago I started a blog about everything I eat and drink.  The whole idea of it was to give me a creative writing outlet that somehow, someway, made my food and beverage expenditures more productive.  I took a look at my credit card statements in September 2009 and said, "man, I spend a lot of money eating and drinking... why don't I write about it?"  The rest is history, and it has been one heck of a ride.  This blog led to other freelance food writing, lots of press and media attention, cook offs and barbeque competitions, two national television appearances (MasterChef and Eat St.), two local radio shows (Bite and Booze and Raise a Glass), and now to be recognized as one of Baton Rouge's Forty Under 40 for 2011.  It is quite an honor!



Plenty more has been going on in the Bite and Booze world.  I helped open up the first ever Viking Cooking School Outdoors from July to October.  I recently spoke with Chef John Folse in New Orleans along with Wendy Waren from the Louisiana Restaurant Association, Chef Patrick Mould, and Visit Baton Rouge's Paul Arrigo.  The panel on culinary tourism seemed to be a real hit!  Chef Folse also appeared on the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket recently and I'm going to record an episode of his show, Stirrin' it Up, really soon.  WBRZ also recently came to my house to film a Thanksgiving cooking segment.  Look for that to air the night before turkey day at 10 PM.

In October I emceed the return of the food monologue show "Meanwhile, Back at Cafe du Monde..."  We had an amazing cast and the show was a lot of fun.  I also recorded a TV pilot with them at the end of 2010 and will be published in the Meanwhile coffee table book!

There are a whole lot of projects on tap for the future as well.  I can't really reveal all of them right now, but let's just say that blogs, magazines, and radio can lead to books and more video.  Bite and Booze is going strong.  Based on where the previous two years have brought me, I'm really excited to find out where the next two years will lead!  Thanks to everybody who is reading this or has ever read my blog or listened to my radio show or watched one of my TV appearances whether local or national.  I couldn't do this without your support!  And if you happen to want to lend additional support, Bite and Booze cups, koozies, and shirts are available in the Bite and Booze store!

Happy Holidays and cheers!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

I came up with this recipe on the fly while walking around Rouse's Supermarket in Lafayette prior to doing a Louisiana MasterChef cooking demo.  I really wasn't sure what I wanted to cook, but all of the sudden it hit me: pork, fruit and booze.  I've seen that combination play out well for me before! Walking through the store I found some lovely peaches and some amazing thick-cut pork chops.  I just went with it from there.  Here is the recipe of what turned out to be a great dish.  I'd make that spicy peach chutney again any day!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney 

6 bottles of slightly fruity wheat beer (I used Bayou Teche's Grenade)
2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp Allspice
2 tbsp Cinnamon

1 bay leaf
4 thick cut pork chops
1 stick of butter
2 shallots
2 jalapenos
1 garlic clove
2 peaches 

Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Step 1: Make a beer brine. 

Pour 2 bottles of beer into a grill-safe pot. Heat the beer until simmering or slowly boiling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of allspice, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp ground black pepper. Heat keep over heat until all ingredients have dissolved into the beer and come together as one. Remove from heat and chill.

Once at room temperature, add the pork chops to the brine and allow to soak for at least an hour or two.

Step 2: Drink a beer while the brine is cooling and the pork chops are in the brine. Okay, drink two beers. 

Step 3: Prepare spicy peach chutney. 

Once the pork is getting close to coming out of the brine, finely chop the shallots, jalapenos, garlic and peaches. Melt some butter in a pan over the grill. saute the shallots in the butter. Once soft, add in the jalapenos and garlic. Saute until cooked down and soft, then add the chopped peaches. Continue to cook down. Add about half of a beer (drink the other half), the 1/2 cup of brown sugar that remains, and Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend to taste. Continue to cook it down while moving on to step 4.

Step 4: Cook the pork chops. 

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Place on the grill over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chop and temperature of the grill. Probably 5-10 minutes per side. Cook to a medium temperature.

Remove the pork chops from the grill. Allow them to rest for just a few minutes. Top each chop with the spicy peach chutney, and enjoy with your last beer from the six pack.


And in case you missed it, here is the little video I put together of the cooking demo with myself, Brant Langlinais, and Jason Broussard... all in the Top 100 on MasterChef Season 2!

Bite and Booze's MasterChef Season 2 Journey

Ever since I started the whole MasterChef process people have wanted to know some things that I haven't been allowed to say.  Since we filmed in February, every contestant had to sign rather strict confidentiality agreements with FOX and the production companies to not divulge anything that happened on the show before it aired.  That being said, now that I've aired and did not receive an apron, I'm allowed to offer my commentary about a few things!

First things first, let's talk about what actually happened to me on the show.  Each chef had one hour to prepare their dish before going into the judges room where they got an additional 5 minutes to chat with the judges, finish cooking, and plate their dishes.

My hour went by really fast, but for the most part I was completely on pace.  I got my herbs chopped up and marinated the venison (recipe to come in a later blog post).  I then started working on the stuffing for the bell pepper.  All in all, things went exactly as planned.  Half an hour in I had both the venison and the bell pepper in the oven, so I turned my attention to the bourbon cream sauce.  Yes indeed, the bourbon.  While making the sauce, I most definitely did take multiple shots and flambéed some bourbon multiple times for the cameras.  After I toasted a friend and took one shot, the producers came up to me and asked if I could take another one on camera.  Of course I obliged.  Really, what were a couple shots going to do at that point?



Here is what they actually showed of me on MasterChef:

So that leaves a lot to the imagination.  I know my plate was a little sloppy, but the venison was cooked exactly how I wanted it to be!  I ended up waiting over an hour between when I finished cooking and when I went into the judges room.  A lot of people had to wait that long, but still, it seemed excessive.  Nothing I made held any kind of temperature, but the producers assured us that temperature would not be factored into the judges' decision.

The walk to the judges was even longer than it looks on TV.  It took a good stroll with that cart to get to them, and then we had to start plating our dish and talk to them simultaneously.  I introduced myself as I put the bell pepper back in the oven, put the sauce on the stove, and moved the venison to a cutting board.  Chef Gordon Ramsay told me "You look like a chef, you move like a chef, let's hope you cook like one."  I told him "Thanks Chef" and continue my prep work.  They asked me a little about my back story and why I was cooking the dish I had chosen.  I told them that it represented me on a plate because I grew up deer hunting with my dad, my Granny made my favorite cornbread stuffed bell peppers, and now, well, bourbon just made sense to use as an ingredient!  Bite and Booze, baby!

Then came the conversation that made the TV show.  What ACTUALLY happened is that Graham Elliot asked me if I had any more bourbon with me after I flambéed some.  I said yes, put the handle of Knob Creek on the counter, then asked Graham if he wanted a shot.  He replied with "No thanks, I'm driving."  Hahaha... very funny!  Then Gordon asked me if I had been drinking it, and I told him "I had a couple shots while I was cooking!"  Graham never told me anything about being scared to see what would happen next.  That comment came from a completely different clip with someone else in the kitchen.  Oh well, I guess it still made good TV!

I got rushed for time at the end as I was told my 5 minutes had expired so I just kind of threw the sauce on my plate and threw my hands up.  Graham Elliot asked me if I wanted to put the parsley that I had chopped on the plate too, and I felt a little silly.  I told them I didn't have to because time was up, but they insisted that it was my plate, so I put a little bit of parsley randomly over the top.  The time crunch certainly attributed to my lack of plating prowess.

When tasting my dish, Gordon Ramsay went first.  He and Graham Elliot both made comments about the venison looking like it had been cooked perfectly as I was cutting the chops.  The first thing he did was tear into the bell pepper and get a fork full out of the middle.  He tasted it, then promptly handed me a fork.  I tasted it for myself and knew right away it was bad news.  I said, "It needs more salt, Chef."  Chef Ramsay looked at me and claimed "It needs more everything!"  He then tasted the venison and stuck the back of his fork in some of the bourbon cream sauce and tasted that as well.  He seemed to like the venison, but as he walked away he said something along the lines of "What a shame.  The venison was nice, but the bell pepper was bland.... what a shame!"  Graham and Joe followed suit.  Their messages weren't much different other than Joe making a comment about the venison being cold.  I responded that its because I had been waiting for over an hour, but it didn't matter.  Gordon and Graham both said no and Joe didn't have to vote.  I told them thanks and turned to walk away.  After a few paces, I realized that I had forgotten my bourbon.  I turned back around, said I'm going to take this with me, grabbed the bourbon, and left the judges' room.

Despite not getting an apron MasterChef was still a great experience.  I had a blast, met some amazing people, and really had quite an enjoyable experience.  I was honored to be one of the 100 amateur chefs that they chose to go on the show.  I do have a couple regrets about my dish, but you live and you learn.  Next time I'll be ready!  Thanks for all the support from my Bite and Booze fans!

Any other questions about the show?  Post them in a comment and I'll answer what I can!!

MasterChef on FOX: Bite and Booze Style

So by now I'm sure you've heard that I am one of the "Top 100 Amateur Chefs in America" competing for the title of MasterChef on Season 2 of FOX's hit reality show.  Indeed, that is true.  I had the opportunity to go out to Los Angeles and film the show with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay as well as the other judges Chef Graham Elliot and Restaurateur Joe Bastianich.  Here I am on the set of MasterChef, preparing my signature dish for the judges:

Jay Ducote prepares his rack of venison on the FOX reality TV Show MasterChef

My signature dish featured a fresh herb roasted rack of venison with a Cajun shrimp and cornbread stuffed bell pepper.  I finished it off with a bourbon cream sauce because, well, I wouldn't be Bite and Booze without cooking with some sort of alcohol!

I'll post more about my MasterChef experience as well as the full recipe for my dish at another time!

Below is a video about Season 2 of MasterChef on FOX.  If you pause the video you can see me at two different points.  My face sticks out above the crowd at 0:27, and you can see my back very well at 1:30.

Needless to say, I am very excited to watch the show.  The whole journey was incredible and it is going to be fun to see how they edit all the footage they got and turn it into a television program.  Tune in to FOX on June 6th at 7 PM CT to see how I do.  If you don't see me then, the second episode airs the following day, June 7th.  The show will continue with the first round on Monday, June 13th and will move to the elimination rounds on Tuesday, June 14th.

MASTERCHEF Season 2 Premiers June 6th!!

So why should you or I care?  Well, today FOX announced the contestants from around the country that got invited to Los Angeles and cook for Chef Gordon Ramsay, Restaurateur Joe Bastianich, and Chef Graham Elliot.  Out of over 20,000 that auditioned, I was one of the 100 hopeful amateur chefs!!  You can find the complete list on FOX Flash.

It might be a little difficult to tell, but that's me below!

Tune-in to watch me on MASTERCHEF Monday, June 6 8/7c on FOX! 

Here is the press release from FOX:

“MASTERCHEF” GETS COOKING MONDAY, JUNE 6, ON FOX

NATIONWIDE SEARCH BRINGS 100 AMATEUR COOKS

TO LOS ANGELES TO VIE FOR COVETED TITLE

Top 18 Revealed Tuesday, June 14

Famed chef Gordon Ramsay is back for Round Two of his culinary smash hit and last summer’s highest-rated new series, MASTERCHEF, Monday, June 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. After conducting a nationwide search, 100 of the best amateur cooks in America, including a police officer, an oil rig engineer, an interior designer, a forklift operator, a professional poker player, a classical pianist and a tattoo shop owner, were flown to Los Angeles in the hopes of becoming the next MASTERCHEF and walking away with the life-changing grand prize.

In the premiere episode, the hopefuls will prepare their signature dishes and present them to the renowned MASTERCHEF judging panel: Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay; restaurateur and wine maker Joe Bastianich; and the youngest four-star chef in America, Graham Elliot. The judges are looking for presentation, flavor, originality and creativity, but most importantly – to have a chance – every contender must possess an immense passion for food. The amateur cooks will be put through the paces, and only the most deserving among them will win the coveted white apron and move on to the next round of the competition. One thing is certain in MASTERCHEF: Winning will be no piece of cake.

On Tuesday, June 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and Monday, June 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the judges will continue to winnow down the Top 100 and ultimately reveal the Top 38. The competition heats up as more hopefuls are eliminated until the Top 18 are announced on Tuesday, June 14 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).