Chef Sonya Coté

Sometimes it Hurts

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:13:00 +0000

Im not going to try & catch you up on all events that have happened in the past six months other than the fact that myself & a group of friends physically built & opened a "localvore" restaurant without any financial backing on the east side of austin texas.

Mickie Spencer is the designer, owner & builder/ floor manager. Trudy Spencer is the mother/ owner/ dishwasher/ HR. Mindy Spencer is server. Chauncy James is bartender. And myself the Cook. Mickie rented the place & entirely gutted it. Funded by Trudy's retirement fund. Then rebuilt it with the labor mainly from Mindy, Trudy & Chauncy. Well, and many other friends.

I don't think that the general public understands what it takes to cook good food. My kitchen staff (5 total) have literally been working 12 hour days since before we were open (with zero pay!!) in my tiny (SO tiny) kitchen to source & cook simple REAL local food for your bellies. For example, we will have 6 different farms come in to deliver their weekly meats & produce in a single afternoon (my favorite times!!) & we are the only restaurant that Rain Lily Farms will sell to because of the demand, RL is located literally 5 minutes from us. The veggies we get from them are picked & delivered to me the same day & it becomes the special for service that night. You just can't get any fresher than that unless you eat it from the dirt while it's still alive! This high demand will hopefully encourage other farmers to start raising more organic foods to sell.

It is so important that we change the way we eat & purchase food. If only to improve our quality of life. I truly believe that the food revolution will help our communities & therefor the economy. Mass production of animals & single crops are directly destroying the environment & our families. We are so still at the beginning of making changes & it also feels trendy. Folks come in & explain to me that they are so excited that we feature texas grown product. Then their next sentence is about how they are so disappointed that we are sold out of certain entrees for the day. There is not an endless supply of product from these small farms. If we are truly going to support the "localvore" movement then we will commit to understanding that the demand that to have "everything-we-want, all-the-time" is harmful to the integrity of our food. This is hard for most to grasp. On the other side, we will have TONS of one item, because of our weather mostly. Then you hear folks say that they would gladly receive the "local food basket" from our farmers but it always has the same items in it everyday. Like greens right now or cabbage or cauliflower. The thing to do is to invent new ways of using these ingredients... or just roast em, puree em , stack em, steampunk em, blend em or eat them raw!

It has been rough on us at the East Side Showroom after the Chronicle Review proclaiming that we are a victim of our own success, oh and my noodles were limp. It's frustrating that one single person's opinion can do so much to the place a layer of fog over the kitchen staff that has given up any resemblance of a "life" to cook for you. We are such masochists, us cooks.

Thanks for letting me rant! oh blog in the sky! Now come & eat some local food!!

Hello Rabbit!

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:29:00 +0000

Some of this weeks menu items are all about the mad hare. We have a delicious rabbit sausage with fried sage & mushrooms as the meat of the moment on our charcuterie plate, a rabbit ravioli with rabbit stock consommé & a rich rabbit cacciatore with pilaf.

Our favorite was the rabbit ravioli because it is so super fun to make. If you are lucky enough to have a pasta roller attachment to your kitchen-aid mixer that is, oh and a pastry chef who will make you a dough on the spot. Wow! What a luxury that I never knew existed. The thing costs a pretty penny (Thank you Showroom!) but well worth it. After years of use my handheld crankin' lil Italian baby finally bit the dust. God bless it's soul.

Misto Fritto of Offal

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Last Night we did a special that sort of freaked people out but it was so delicious. Rabbit kidneys, rabbit livers (so fresh from countryside farm), veal sweat breads (humanely raised) http://www.ecosalon.com/is-veal-ethical-and-eco-friendly/), quail livers & duck liver fried n cornmeal with cajun spices. These fried bits if yummy-ness sit on top a bed of "crazy" lettuce. We call it crazy lettuce but what it is a delicious blend of wild lettuces that include succulents that we get from Farm to Plate.

The sauce for this dish consisted of beef demi with grape jam finished with butter, grape vinegar (we made this from summer red grapes that we got from rain lily farm. hello!) & a dash of pink salt.

I ate tis for my dinner.

East Side Showroom flooded!

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:45:00 +0000

Yes, it's true! We were going to move all the small wares into our beautiful golden kitchen to prepare for the opening of the showroom. ... it hasn't rained in a month until today.

We have a leak. Again we will have to wait to open the new restaurant.

www.eastsideshowroom.com

Little Birds

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Solstice was quite a celebration with dinner for thirty five at the Rockin' Y Ranch (where apparently Cote Catering has their own room!).

The band was perfect. Eight piece acoustic complete with accordian & washboard who describe themselves as "your favorite band of gypsies from Austin Texas" http://winovino.com/
This very rich menu included:

fresh goat chevre with spicy peach preserves | chicken & duck sausages with shaved fennel | quail liver mousse with sherry | squab paté with chili syrup

Chilled Sweet Corn Bisque with oven dried tomatoes | Marinated Quail on Field Lettuces with blueberry vinaigrette | Pink Pilaf & Mushroom Stuffed Duck with Musketel Pan Ju | Tomato & Chard Gratin | Dark Chocolate Tart with Lavendar Cream | Chilled Zabajone & Fresh Fruit

Hello Halibut Stock!

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Well, right now is the season for Fresh Wild Alaskan Halibut, which is super delicious in my opinion.

Buy this fish (or any wild caught) while it's in season to promote sustainable fishing ( http://www.msc.org/ )

This weeks "Seasonal Bistro" menu:

Shaved Celery & Fennel Salad with Sweet Pickled Radish

Fresh Spinach & Chard Gratin

Nut Crusted Halibut with Spicy Lemon Cucumber Sauce

Puff Pastries with Blackberry Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce

If you have a fishmonger that fillets his own Halibut, ask for the bones, this makes the most flavorful fish stock. Add whatever vegetables (lemons, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion) you desire include lots of herbs (thyme, bay, parsley, peppercorns) & simmer stock for 30 minutes (fish stock doesn't take as long as meat stocks). I like to stain it & then reduce for easier storage. Halibut stock can be used for seafood pies, soups, white wine sauces. For added flavor you can "sweat" the vegetables before you add water. Do not use mackerel or salmon in this recipe; their taste is too strong and heavy.

Halibut Stock
3 c cold water
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
sprinkle of black peppercorns
sprig of parsley
1 bay leaf
sprig of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon
1 lb halibut fish bones

Place water, onion, carrot & celery in stockpot. Tie peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, cloves, and lemon rind in a square of cheesecloth and add to pot. Add rinsed fish bones and trimmings. Heat to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Skim the surface of the soup, strain the stock, and refrigerate or freeze.

Graduation Feast ~ Kleyla Backyard BBQ

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:35:00 +0000

Texas Style BBQ in Rhode Island?

For the sport of it (well, and as a favor to Chris K & money enough for the ride back to Austin) my cousins & I threw a party for one of our favorite families; graduations for two of them, a birthday for Katie, a brand new kitchen for mom & the oldest home for a visit. This definitely calls for celebration, we decided to give them a taste of Texas.

The Menu:

• Slow Cooked Whiskey & Cider Brisket

• Spicy Texas BBQ Sauce

• Barrocho Beans

• Roasted Corn on the Cob

• Cheesy Jalapeño Corn Bread

• Homemade Mac & Cheese

• Sauteed Collard Greens

Slow Cooked Whiskey & Cider Brisket

Ricci Reserve's Feline Wine

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:12:00 +0000

Grandpa Ricci has been growing this garden forever.

It has been located in many different spots around his North Providence backyard, the garden now resides on a dirt patch where the old above-ground pool used to be. It is now a lovely circular garden that has been manicured & tended to so lovingly. What you should know about Grandpa Ricci is that some people like to describe this gentlemen as being a bit particular and he loves cats, a lot. This first quality has helped produce an excellent viniculturist, not to mention his green thumb and of course the beautiful Rhode Island summer weather.

I believe that when "Ricci Reserve" started Grandpa Ricci was ordering his grapes from an

outside source maybe even from Connecticut (no way!), he has since started using his own grapes.

This summer I have had the pleasure of drinking his 2007 rosé; a crisp, high in alcohol, sweet wine, reminiscent of a humid summer night with a note of fresh cut grass and a spicy marinara at the end. And it might remind me of 1965 if I was born.

I designed this wine label for RR's 2001 Rosé. It's pretty 2001 of me.

Here's an unusal recipe that originated in Naples, Italy.

Concord Grape Pie

6 c ripe concord grapes, washed
3/4 c raw turbinado sugar
1 T tapioca
pastry for a 9-inch pie

butter

Directions:

Pop off the skins of the grapes by pinching them at the end opposite the stem; set skins aside. Put the grape pulp into a heavy pan, bring it to a boil, cook for 6 minutes. Then strain grape pulp through a sieve to remove grape seeds. Pour the hot pulp over the skins and let the mixture sit for 5 hours. Add the sugar and tapioca, then pour the mixture into the pie crust and dot with butter.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook 20 minutes more until the crust is browned and the juice begins to bubble up.

(Tapioca is a flavorless, colorless, odorless starch extracted from the root of some sort of plant)

Grandma's Kitchen

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:24:00 +0000

Grandma Coté's kitchen is far from how I remember.

Her refrigerator holds a variety of Little Debbie snacks, off-brand cola, wonder bread (yea! it's true!), margarine, some non-juice "drink" to top it off she has a year old bottle of manischewitz's wine! What I remember are crispy fried paprika potatoes, double yolked farm eggs, fresh New England style chourico & linquica.

Is our culture so removed now from real food that our elderly believe that the future eat like this? Or is it simply convenient? Is it less expensive to eat a prepackaged life or to buy fresh ingredients at the farmer's market? Or maybe we just give in to child like indulgence in late life. After all, she is adorable, perfect and 88 years old... thoughts?

Greek Biker Day in Coventry, Rhode Island

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:43:00 +0000

The Menu:

• Roasted Gold Potatoes & Marinated Artichoke

• Fresh Parsley Tabouli

• Zatar Grilled Chicken

• Mini Sheep Feta & Spinach Lamb Burgers (I'm resisting the urge to use the term "slider")

• Creamy Hummus

• Kalamata & Toasted Feta Salad

• Shaved Cucumber & Yogurt Dip with Lemon

Our second day back in the hood was mostly preparing this Greek style feast for the party that my cousin through for the family to gather in one location. This was a challenge because we are not greek & this style of food is not very common in this area of Rhode Island. The cousins were very nervous about pulling this off.

Is it because we're in an Italian part of town with mostly Harley riding biker dudes? I was determined to prove that if you make delicious food that is perfectly cooked, they will eat it. And they did. All of it.

Zatar Grilled Chicken Thighs

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any extra fat

4 T zatar (a middle eastern spice blend consisting of thyme, sumac & whole toasted sesame seeds)

2 T canola oil

kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

directions: Heat grill. Then toss all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl using your favorite tongs (we should all have our favorites!). Grill on high heat turning twice until chicken is cooked through. About 4 minutes per side.

The Best Corn Beef Hash In the Whole State of Rhode Island

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:35:00 +0000

First day home we always try & visit Ed's Roost in East Greenwich Rhode Island. This restaurant is walking distance from Elderidge Elementary , a school that I attended a LONG time ago. Break dancing was really hot and Jason Shepherd could do a head spin therefor the most popular kid in class.

Anyway, my dad loved this place. The same guy has been cooking here for decades, he is very strange; a giant of a man with long scraggly white hair sporting a white-ish sweatband. He lurches about shocking people that happened to experience a sighting, but HOLY CRAP the hash is amazing. I have only recently enjoyed the pleasurable sin that is eating pork (and chicken & beef & duck & quail & lamb). I have long watched in silent "aw" of other's piling this delicacy into their mouths while I had the usual dry toast with tomato.

I've had it twice now & pepé cote would be proud. I think about it often.

A Grilled Lamb Chop Homecoming

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Lamb is pretty much my favorite animal to eat and this chop was truly delicious, cooked to perfection by our memé (aka Eleanor Ricci/ Mom). Our first meal in Rhode Island was very relaxing, thoughtful & flavorful; quite the home coming . I could have sat on that peaceful screened pouch all night, absorbing the crispy summer night that can only be felt in the woods on the ocean at home (or near the woods, near the ocean...) surrounded by fresh garden flowers. I'm not quite sure what to say about the corn yet. I'm still trying to find words to describe the flavor of this flawless, farm fresh, sweet & buttery treat that is Rhode Island's summer corn. I will be talking more about this. I am slightly obsessed with this corn.

Pizza from "Heaven" or...

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:25:00 +0000

... Park Slope, Brooklyn. Our very own sweet baby Angelica got her start right here in this neighborhood.

You can't get this in Texas. I'm sad to say that the reality of our situation is that you CAN NOT get a good pizza in the entire state of Texas. That is, unless you have a vacuum. Now, this might be a controversial subject so please, if you disagree make it known. I believe it has something to do with the air & humidity. Maybe even a yankee wild yeast strain that lurks through the window cracks to bless the dough all over new england, sound about right.

This was the sexiest, most divine pizza ever to enter my body. Thin Crust or Die!

When in Brooklyn, EAT HERE: http://www.lavillaparkslope.com/

And their menu:

/LVPSTakeout.pdf

Brooklyn Breakfast in a Half Pan

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Prospect Heights ~ Brooklyn ~ Our Destination.

In order to honor our host Senior Ricc Sheridan ( brother Dean's drum teacher & mentor http://www.earlgreyhound.com/ ) we felt that a bone-in rib eye was in order. Granted, Ricc's on the road a lot with the band. Therefore, he lacks in the kitchen department aka no pots or pans. Thank god we brought the traveling kitchen (will post that soon!).

I thought that I had packed my La Cruset grill pan & a hotel half pan. Unfortunately, I forgot the grill pan & that was the entire reason that I even bought this amazing steak. Let me just say also that the tiny neighborhood market was full of the freshest, highest quality meats & produce that I have seen, which is probably one of the reasons people love this town.

Oh well, we just cooked everything in our half pan. it was a challenge but we were able to get a beautiful sear on the steak, then wilted the spinach in the tiny amount of rendered fat. Eggs were last & we added some fresh sheep feta at the end to round out the breakfast. Then used the Mexican hot sauce that we brought from austin as a condiment. Yummy town, USA.

Uncle Andy's Lickin' Chicken

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Our second meal of the trip happened to be Uncle Andy's Famous Split Roasters; brined, rubbed & slowly smoked over a banked fire. This recipe has been perfected over the last year and Wow! what a treat. The chicken was paired with some fresh maryland produce picked that day from Uncle Andy's backyard garden. Patty-pans, tomatoes & summer squash. Hot Mama!

A simple brining recipe for chicken consists of :

1 gallon water

1 cup of kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

In medium saucepan on medium high heat, stir sugar & salt until dissolved. Cool & cover whole chicken with liquid. Refrigerate for up to two days.

You can add delicious other ingredients based on the season. For example: ginger, peppercorns, maple syrup, apple cider, cinnamon, lavender.

Glidden Point Oysters

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:24:00 +0000

Our next stop was Uncle Andy's home in Frederick, Maryland. Perfect timing on our part because Uncle Andy just got back from a fishing trip in Maine were he found these delicious Glidden Point monster Oysters. They were harvested on the Damarscotta River. Amazing, delicate flesh with concentrated flavors, tasting all of the sweet sea simultaneously. Wow. I floated around in an ethereal haze for days dreaming of the perfection. Go head & check them out at http://www.oysterfarm.com/

Soul City's Greatest Hits

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:27:00 +0000

With clever food expressions such as "Love, Peace & Chicken Grease"& "Let's all get Sancti-Fried" we felt that this Beale's Street Cafe was the perfect spot to begin our culinary/ rock & roll adventure. The chicken was fried, the mac & cheese was creamy & the greens were porky. Just the way soul food should be.

Miss Polly's also had some unusual local flavors that I will be sure to taste the next time I'm in Memphis.

Black & Blue Salad (which is pretty much a raw beef & lettuce)

Chicken & Waffles (Holy Crap what a delicious fried Treat!)

BBQ Spaghetti (??? totally goes against anything Italian)

My recommendation is to avoid anything food named after Elvis. The corn will kill you.

Delicious!

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Delicious! This-morning's fresh eggs ready to scramble for our guests. The color and texture of these eggs are truly amazing. Deep orange, rich velvety yolks.

Tiny egg

sonya@cotecatering.com (Chef Sonya Coté) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:45:00 +0000

This tiny little egg was laid by one of our Rhode Island Reds this past week. I've never seen a chicken egg this small. Does it have a yolk? Is it edible? Would it hatch a tiny little chick?

Funny thing happened. The usual crowd of random out-of-townies came to stay & eat at the foodie farm which gave me the guts to crack it open for a little entertainment. Sadly, there was no yolk, it was simply a small amount of egg white. I was reluctant to waste the egg so one of the house guests swallowed it down raw! It made me feel weird but he lived so we called it the magic egg. It now gives Adam special powers but we are not sure what.