See shot-by-shot commentary of photos that led up to the money shot.

Rock Star Chef Kerry Simon

A couple of weeks ago during a trip to Los Angeles, I bumped into rock star chef Kerry Simon at every kitchen fanatic’s dream bookstore, The Cook’s Library. What elevates Kerry to rock star status? Well, how about the fact that Rolling Stone tagged him with the unofficial title “Rock ‘n’ Roll Chef.” OK, that reason ALONE is enough for me to swoon all over him.

Chef Kerry Simon

My brother Jay and I met up with one of Jay’s friends, who has a Hollywood job so bizarre HE HAD TO WHISPER IT IN MY EAR, and so our hodgepodge group – a food writer, a cardiologist and a … um … let’s call him a “gay reality show researcher,” dined at Simon LA, Kerry’s signature restaurant.

I have a love-hate relationship with restaurant reviews. I love it when it’s a great restaurant and the critic’s eloquent trail of words tickles my taste buds and seduces me onto the plate. But you know what? It’s like the biggest frustrating tease when the restaurant is 2,471 miles away, and there’s no way to actually enjoy the meal in person!

I’m not going to tantalize you with play-by-play of my four-course meal, which would be cruel because it was totally rock-star phenomenal. Instead, I’m doing one better. I called Kerry up and asked for a recipe. He obliged and sent along his Lamb Chops with Curried Pears.

One thing about restaurant chefs giving you recipes is that they normally feed, like, 50 people, and some of the cooking techniques may be a bit difficult for home cooks. So, I’ve simplified his recipe and scaled it down so you’re not inviting all the families within a 2-mile radius to dinner.

I think you’ll really enjoy it. Chef Kerry is a master of taking a few simple ingredients and coaxing the flavors and textures into something so sublime, surprising and sexy.

To core a pear, lop off the top and the very bottom of the pear. Cut the pear in half, starting from the top at the stem end. Since I don’t have a melon baller, I used my measuring spoon – the 1-teaspoon spoon was the perfect size and shape to remove the core. Cut cored pear into wedges, lengthwise. You can cook with apples instead of pears; just increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.

The jalapeno pepper is to flavor the butter so that you get a subtle, spicy tingle on your lips instead of a jab-in-the-mouth type of spicy. If you want spicy, add another jalapeno.

***

***

Food Styling and Photography

I have more posts where I show slideshows of food styling and photography

I’ve been on an Indian food kick lately, as a friend of mine sent me a goody box full of Indian ingredients to experiment with.

I’m new to the cuisine, intimidated by the long list of unfamiliar spices in recipes. How do I pronounce badi elaichi or hara dhaniya without sounding as if I’ve slammed five shots of tequila for breakfast? If I ask for methi seeds at the market, will the shopkeeper flip out and push the police button hidden under the cash register? Surely, very suspicious.

So, rather than risk sounding stupid, I’ll order Indian food at restaurants, where I can read and understand the English description of the dish and point out my selection for the waiter without oophhinen mhyyy moufff.

But then I’m reminded by my friends that they feel the same way about common ingredients used in East and Southeast Asian cooking, such as nam pla, dong-gu and naganegi. My advice to friends who yearned to learn was to start with just one dry spice blend, such as five spice powder, and sparingly sprinkle on roasted vegetables. It’s inexpensive, simple and a great way to be introduced to Chinese flavors without having to invest in a cupboard full of one-hit wonders.

It was time to follow my own advice and venture into the world of Indian cooking.

My friend Sowjanya suggested I start with garam masala, a dry-spice mixture very popular in Indian cuisine. It’s a warming, aromatic blend of cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and black peppercorns, and it goes well with anything, especially vegetables. Garam masala is the type of spice that when you hold the bottle anywhere close to your face, you’ll collapse in ecstasy and moan loudly right there on your kitchen floor. Steamy kitchen, indeed.

Green beans go from everyday to exotic with just a bit of this magic spice blend. Also try garam masala on roasted cauliflower, grilled fish or add to plain yogurt for a wonderful chicken marinade. But only use a bit at a time, as too much of this highly fragrant spice can be overwhelming. Find garam masala at Whole Foods or local shops such as E&S West Indian Market, Ganesh Market & Chaat Cafe and Kiran Indian Grocers in Tampa. You also can buy it online at www.penzeys.com or www.spiceappeal.com.

For this recipe, you can substitute almonds or even pistachios for the hazelnuts. If the nuts are salted, make sure you cut back on the salt in the dish.

***

Photo setup

Those of you interested in how I shot this photo, here is my setup. 2 Lowel EGO lights, a reflector thingy and a tripod (because I’m too clumsy and can’t keep still while taking a photo). Looking back, though, I would have ditched the cardboard reflector thingy and opted for a smaller piece of styrofoam to reflect the light. I didn’t have one handy, was too lazy to go find it, so the photo could have been lit a little better. As you can see, the thingy was too big, bulky and my table was too small to balance everything well. See how it needed more light on the front right?

I could have also arranged the lights differently, but I really only had 60 seconds to take the shot as my guests were waiting for their supper.

***

Cooking Light Cookbook

I forgot that I had mentioned a free cookbook giveaway in my last post! EEEEEK!!! Okokokok, next post, I promise!!! Been busy unpacking and sorting.

Or better yet, if you help me do 3 loads of laundry and ironing, I’ll post the cookbook giveaway faster than you can say, “IHATELAUNDRYBECAUSEITSUCKS!”

Damn. I really hate laundry.