new website!

Hello All,
I just got a new website up and running I'm so happy! I told you all that i was going to get a Not-for-profit set up and i have! I met with the lawyers last night to finish getting the paperwork set to go to the state! looks like we will open the first of 2011.
go check out: http://www.justachef.org/

Fruit Carving

Lets talk Thai

Pad Ga Pow"- (Stir fried basil with meat)
"Ga Pow" is the Thai word for basil. This dish is basically stir-fried basil with the meat of your choice.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 jalapenos\
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 cup basil leaves (or mint leaves)
1/2 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 teaspoon peppercorns

Directions:
Grind the garlic, shallots, and peppercorns into a paste. Put the paste into a medium sized skillet, and stir-fry the paste for about 15 seconds. Add in the chicken and the remaining ingredients, and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Serve either over rice, as a meal - or by itself

"Pad See You" - Thai Soy Sauce Noodles

This is a delicious stir-fried Thai noodle dish. It is basically noodles stir-fried with soy sauce- sounds kind of plain, but it is truly delicious.

Ingredients:
8 oz of meat (beef, chicken, pork, or seafood)
8 oz noodles of your choice (normally fresh rice noodles are used)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar (or substitute regular sugar)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup broccoli cut
Additional Ingredients for marinade of meat:
1 egg
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon black pepper.

Preparation:
1. Slice the meat into bite sized pieces then marinade it in recipe described above for 1 hour.
2. Prepare your noodles. If they are fresh, you do not need to do anything, but if you are using dry noodles, you will need to soak them in water for 15 or so minutes until they are soft.
Directions:
You will need a medium to large sized skillet. Grease the skillet with the oil of your choice, and then cook the meat until it is almost done. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

"Pad Thai"

Ok. Here it is. Hands-down the MOST popular Thai dish known to mankind. It is served in almost EVERY Thai restaurant.

Ingredients:
1 pack dried rice stick noodles or "sen lek"
1/2 cup dried shrimp
1/2 cup baked tofu cut into small strips
1/2 cup ground peanut
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup chives cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound chicken meat cut into small bite-sized pieces
6 eggs
2 teaspoons pepper powder
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons smashed garlic
2 tablespoons smashed onion
1/2 cup of water
Preparation:
1. Soak the rice stick noodles in tepid water for roughly 15 minutes. Then cut the noodles into 4-inch pieces. Strain the noodles, then set them aside.
2. Using a large skillet (preferably a wok) heat the vegetable oil and add in the garlic, onion and tofu.
3. After stirring for 2 minutes, add in the dry shrimp, and stir. Then, one at a time add in the peanuts, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, pepper and chicken, stirring the mixture the entire time.
4. Add the eggs and continue to stir the mixture. Then add in 1/2 cup of water.
5. Add the noodles, and be sure to stir! The noodles tend to burn if not continuously stirred.
6. Check to see if the taste of the dish is suitable to you, if not, then add in either fish sauce (salty), sugar (sweet), or soy sauce (salty). Here is where a matter of preference comes into play.
7. The final step is to add in the bean sprouts and chives, just before turning off the burner.
Pad Thai is normally garnished with a heaping portion of uncooked bean sprouts on the side as well as a sprig of cilantro on top.

"Tom Yum Goong" - Spicy Shrimp Soup

This is a hot and sour Thai soup that is great as an appetizer or as a main dish when served with rice. Its robust fragrance is sure to tempt your tastebuds.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1/2 pound peeled shrimp
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon chili oil
10 lime leaves (kaffir leaf)
3 tablespoons lime juice
4 stalks green onion
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 cup whole straw mushrooms
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
6 fresh Thai chilies (prik kee noo)

Directions:
1. Prepare the chicken stock in a medium to large sized pot, and then bring to a boil.
2. Add the lime leaves and lemongrass stalks to the pot, and reduce the heat to simmering. Cook for five minutes.
3. Remove only the lemongrass, and turn the heat to high. Add in the shrimp, mushrooms, chili oil, and the Thai chilies. Boil until the shrimp are done (about 2 minutes)
4. Remove from stove, you're almost done!
5. Add in the fish sauce and limejuice, and stir. Some like it more sour, others more salty. You decide on what makes you happy.
6. The most important step!!! Enjoy.

"Khao Soy" (Chiang Mai Noodles)

This is the fettuccini Alfredo of Thailand!
It consists of a creamy curry sauce that is served over egg noodles. This particular dish is named after the Northern Thai city from which it was created: Chiang Mai.

Ingredients:
4 ounces fresh egg noodle
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 cup of coconut milk
4 ounces of ground pork
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 pinch of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice

Note:
The egg noodles should be fresh. If you cannot find fresh egg noodles, you may substitute almost any other noodle you desire. However if you intend to use dried noodles, remember to soak them first for 20 minutes.

Directions:
Here is the two step plan. You should be doing these simultaneously.
Step 1
Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.
Cook the noodles for roughly 20 seconds.
Strain the noodles, and put them on your plate
Step 2
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat, and slowly stir in the curry paste. When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining items, except for the pork. Wait about 1 minute, then add in the pork, and cook until the pork is done (not pink in the middle)
Pour the sauce over the noodles, and voila!

Pineapple Fried Rice

This is an all-around favorite. You will find this dish on almost every Thai restaurant's menu.
It is also fun to make, because you can actually serve in the pineapple!

Ingredients:
1 pineapple, medium sized
4 oz. sliced chicken
3 tablespoons of chopped shallots
1/2 tablespoon ginger, ground
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons of dried shrimp
3 tablespoons of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups steamed rice

Directions:
1. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, and scoop out the fruit. Cut the fruit into bite sized chunks.
2. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil, and fry the dry shrimp until crispy. Set it aside, and drain the skillet.
3. Add one more tablespoon of oil, and fry the garlic until its becomes golden brown. Turn to medium/high heat Add in the rice, and stir.
4. Add in the fish sauce and sugar; continue to stir for about a minute. Add in the pineapple and the shrimp that you set aside earlier, and continue to stir for about another minute.
5. Put the contents into the halved pineapple, and serve. Garnish with some fresh cilantro and / or sliced beets.






"Goong Gah Tee-em" (Garlic Shrimp)

Goong Gah Tee-em is a fairly basic dish. It is easy to prepare, and almost always comes out delicious, no matter who cooks it! This dish is usually served with rice. It is not a meal in itself per say, but it is normally served as part of a typical Thai meal, alongside several other dishes.

Here's what you need:
8 cloves of garlic, crushed to release their flavor
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons coriander root, minced
1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 - 2 pounds shrimp (you can use any size you desire)
Vegetable Oil

Here's how to do it:
First you are going to need to make a marinade. Combine the garlic, coriander root, fish sauce, brown sugar, and pepper. Add in the shrimp and let it sit for half an hour.
When your thirty minutes have passed, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium sized frying pan. Toss in the shrimp, and stir-fry them until they turn pink. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the mixture, and serve garnished with some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

Let me know how you like these!
Eat, Love and enjoy,
Chef Brandon Bretz

new pics from this weekends event

for fish

I got asked for a fish dish so here you go!

Soak your fish in lemon wine. save 1c of this mix for later.mix 3c white wine with 1c lemon juice for a 1/2hr. while that sits mix 2c sour cream with lemon juice and wine mix fresh dill. you want the sour cream to be loose but not runny. place fish in a pan and cover fish with sauce. pour rest of wine mix in pan. place pan in 375F oven for 20min. it will brown and be lovely.

Apple Galette

Hey Guys,
This is my Apple Galette recipe:
Makes 8-10
Ingredients
1 3/4c all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (chilled), cut into 1/2in cubes
2 tablespoons chilled H2O (or more)

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, corded, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices.
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons cinnamon
 1stick unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cup brown sugar.
1 egg wash

Preparation.
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend until dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry Gather dough into a ball; flatten into disk. Wrap plastic and chill one hour. You can make this dough, two days in advance. Keep it chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Roll out dough between sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick round,14 inches in diameter. Remove top parchment.Easy bottom sheet as aid, transfer dough on parchment to large unrimmed baking sheet.Chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F. combine apple slices, Brown sugar cinnamon in a mixing bowl; toss and blend. Overlap apple slices in a circular motion from center. Leave a 2 inch border. Fold plain crust over apples, make sure to pitch any cracks in crust. Brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle crust and apples with remaining sugar. Pinch bits of butter over apples.

Bake Galette 20min. reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Slide long thin knife between parchment and Galette. Let stand a least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Live, love and enjoy,
Chef B.

Steak

Steak is a great thing! Let’s make it better!

So get a squeeze bottle

Fill it with 2 tablespoons kosher salt,

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

Now fill bottle with H2O (water)LOL!

Shake well.

Put your steaks on the grill and spray steak with mix. Keep it moist with mix till cooked to your liking.

Now you must at all times let it REST! For 5min. and enjoy!

Chef B.

Elite Chefs

Hello Chefs,
I would like to invite you to join my new facebook page : elite chefs
Thanks Chef B.

Lets make it Hot!

Wings!!!!!!!!
You like it hot try this sauce.

Chef B's hot sauce,
First get some milk this is for you later! LOL
2 lb salted butter softened
1 cup Dunkees pepper sauce
1 cup Sambol hot sauce
Blend all ingredients together and then your done.
Now go cook some wings then while the wings are hot take some sauce and toss the wings around to coat.
Now get that milk for your face is on fire!
Eat, love and enjoy life,
Chef B.

Rice pudding

Let's go with something most of us can just whip up with what we have around.
Rice, milk, sugar, and vanilla.

Rice Pudding
feeds 4-6
1 cup rice
5 cups milk (whole milk it just taste better LOL)
1 cup sugar (to your own taste)
1 teaspoon fake vanilla
OR
1 vanilla bean (cut in half and scrape out seed, save pod)
That's it!
So, get a pot with a lid (plate) put rice in pot add milk, and everything else mix it around. Put on med high heat bring to a slow boil. Turn temp down to low lid it and let it go for 20-30min. or to the thickness you like. If it gets to tight just add some more milk.
Then let it sit for a few min. so you don't melt your face off.
Hey that vanilla bean pod if you had one take it and chop it up and add it to some sugar now you got vanilla sugar. You will love it!
Eat , Love and enjoy life!
Chef B.

Ok,Ok Food

Well lets get to it. you follow this so you can find cool things to cook. So, here you go.

Tempura,
1/2c Flour
1/2c cornstarch
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3c ice water
yellow food coloring
OK, you can use this on anything! A shoe a Twinkie what ever. LOL
Eat, love and enjoy.
Chef B.

Just a Chef Brandon Bretz: Let's get the Ball Rolling

Just a Chef Brandon Bretz: Let's get the Ball Rolling: "Hey all, So what this is all about. I'm trying to put together a non-profit for young folks to learn that there are people that are out ther..."

Let's get the Ball Rolling

Hey all,
So what this is all about. I'm trying to put together a non-profit for young folks to learn that there are people that are out there that willing to help them and teach them. So, we will help them get involved in there communities and give them life skills. They will be trained in the culinary arts and restaurant management.
This will be a evolving program were the senor students will train the incoming students. We will take these student on a all encompassing journey from farm to table. Are goal is that this experience will help them to have skills and the confidence they need to have for life.
I will also be working with victims if domestic violence. I will be helping them with there family skills. This will be on the side of culinary, the basics of cooking, shopping and good nutrition.
So, I need your HELP to get the word out! Please help me to make this real if you all just spread the word we can get the funding to make this happen. I will be recruiting the best of the culinary world to teach and make this all happen.

goals!

Remove

Brandon Bretz Hey guys,
So i got together with Jon about the TV show we are going to start filming. He is fully onboard! This man is great with film. Check out some of his stuff!
thank you for all your support! we are going to be setting up a non-profit to help kids learn to cook and that is what the TV show will be about plus great ...food!
Hey just got off the phone with a sauce bottling company to make my dressing and BBQ sauces and the profits will go to the non-profit so we are on the right path. lets keep the ball rolling!
Eat, Love and enjoy life,
Chef B.

See More

Woodland Park

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F&h=9a43d

start them right

Taste, sometimes your just born with it. That's my Boy!
(ya the wine is mine LOL)

New updates

I'm doing some really cool stuff on my new website justachef.com .
Come check it out. Sign-up as a follower on my blog. Come, help get this revolution going.
Much love,
Chef B.

Vinaigrette

Let's talk Scallion vinaigrette

Chef B.'s scallion vinaigrette

let's start:
6            bunches of scallions.
1.5lb      chopped garlic.
2          bunches parsley
2Qt.      Rice wine vinegar.
2Qt.      Red wine vinegar.
1.5lbs   chopped shallots.
1/8c.     salt.
1/16c.   Black pepper 

1/2gal.  canola oil
slice scallions, add remaining ingredients except canola oil
mix ingredients until smooth, add canola oil using a small mixer to incorporate. Add water if necessary to thin out adjust seasoning to taste.

This vinaigrett is the bomb. Life needs a kick so kick it up!

Eat well, love much and enjoy life,

much love,
Chef B.
The rule is 3/1 3 parts oil 1 part vin. for 4ppl. I would use 1 shallot, 1 clove garlic,1tbl. parsley,1/4c vin split by 2, 3/4c oil and S&P to your liking.
I forget sometimes i'm not feeding 1000's. LOL
Enjoy

FOOD

Food is about fun love and a way to enjoy life!
Chef B.