Mr. Bijoy Writes

Tony is a well-respected restaurateur in St. Louis. He’s hosted presidents and dignitaries in his fine establishments. Yet, even with all this notoriety, he has remained humble and kind. His friendly nature surprised me at first, but I soon found him to be a man worthy of all that he had earned. I named this rich, hearty salmon dish in his honor. This dish is sure to be a favorite to many. The mild flavors coupled with the crisp essence of this salmon are a happy addition to any meal. Ingredients: 1 2lb. salmon filet 3 shallots 1 clove of garlic 1 ½ cup of fresh basil, chopped ¼ cup of fresh parsley, chopped ¾ cup of dry white wine ½ cup of light cream 1½ tablespoons of unsalted butter (make sure it is unsalted) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (bottled juice may be substituted, but not recommended) ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper (black pepper is a suitable substitute) ¼ teaspoon salt (or modified to taste) Ok, so: Cut the salmon filet into 6 equa...

Ever wonder how restaurant macaroni and cheese always seems to taste different? It's because of what you can call an easy-ratio recipe. This means that if you double the ingredients in this recipe, you get double the product. This will only work for a few multiples, but it's a handy recipe. What ya need: 1 1/2 cups macaroni 6 ounces colby cheese, shredded 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons heavy cream salt to taste Ok, so: Get a big pot of lightly-salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Then drain the water from the pot and put the pasta back in the pot. Set the heat at low and then add the cheeses and the cream into the pot. Lightly stir this until well-incorporated. Add salt to taste. Boom. Done.

I slipped a leaf from the very dead pepper plant on my porch into my book as a makeshift bookmark. Now, just watching the ribbon of smoke loft from my cigar, I am reminded of what got me into the world of fermented, cured, and rolled tobacco. I've spent some time working in cigar shops, pairing whiskey and rum with cigars. I've been to an IPCPR show, learning more about the business end than I had ever really cared to know. I've written to senators and congressmen about cigar-based legislation, taking what may have been my first real political stand on anything. So as I sit here, I think about that first cigar. It was a chilly April morning years ago as I sat with my friend behind the coffee shop we used to frequent. He pulled two cigars from his topcoat with this grin that can only really be explained as pure bliss. He handed me this short cigar (Arturo Fuente Short Story, for those wondering) and handed me a punch cutter. I messed that cut up, somehow. Don't ask, I do...

So some folks put cheese on their broccoli. A lot of people put cheese on macaroni. Why not put it all together? Ok, so this idea came from a conversation I had last night, the mac & cheese part, not the broccoli. I just happen to like broccoli. Judge me, if you like. Also, I had a friend supply me with this one. 1 small winter (butternut, acorn) peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks olive oil 1 bunch of basil, stems removed 2 slices good brown bread, stale or dried out in the oven 1/2 a small head of broccoli roughly chopped 4 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream 1.75 cups grated white cheddar cheese 1.75 cups grated gruyere cheese a large handful of yellow cherry tomatoes 3 cups macaroni elbows Ok, so: Preheat your oven to 400ºF with a rack in the middle. Then get a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Now arrange the squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the squash. Then bake for about 25 minutes until nice and gold...

I know that steak tartare gets a really bad rep these days. I understand why. I really do. But I don't think people should fear tartare. Yeah, it's uncooked, but hey, so is celery. Ok, that's a bad analogy. Let's just get to making food. What ya need: 1 Asian pear, cored, quartered 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 garlic clove, grated 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 8 oz of high quality filet mignon, cut into 1/8" cubes Kosher salt 2" pieces of chives Ok, so: Peel one pear quarter and cut it into tiny cubes. Throw those in a bowl and toss with 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice. Cut the remaining pear quarters into thin slices and toss those with one teaspoon of lemon juice and set aside. Now take the scallions, the soy sauce, one teaspoon of the sesame seeds, the sesame oil, garlic and pepper and put them in a bowl. Whisk that all toget...

I'm in a pretty good mood today, despite how terribly gloomy it is outside. So, for this bit of happiness, I'm going to give you a recipe that one of my dear baker friends gave to me. It's tasty, especially if you enjoy coffee. 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate 2 tablespoons instant-espresso powder 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt Get a rack set to the middle of your oven, then preheat it to 350°F. Grab yourself a 13x9-inch baking pan. You know, the "brownie pan." Butter & flour that pan. Now get yourself a heavy saucepan and put it over low-heat on the stove. Melt down the butter & chocolate with the espresso powder. Once it's smooth, remove it from heat and let it cool until just slightly warm. Now whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and eggs, in that order. Be sure to add the eggs one at a time until the mixture has become smooth and e...

In 2009 I wanted to own a clothing line. A cool line that made really cool t-shirts. Honestly though, I had no idea what I was doing. But hey, I've made leaps before, so why not, right? Yeah, that's how it started. 4 shirts, 2 online shops, and a spokeselephant (we'll get to that some other time). I was going to do this. It was going to be cool. Over the course of two years, the line grew. Loophole Clothing Company was growing. However, it wasn't selling. I was the line's biggest customer. That wasn't hard to do, seeing as if they were only four customers. Ever. Total. Yeah, I failed. I refused to recognize it. I refused to say that my little baby was a failure. The one company that I really never wanted to lose was going to fail. It was a hard pill to swallow. Now I must say one thing here- this isn't the first company I built that didn't work. It's happened before. I've dealt with it. It happens. However, I didn't want to lose Loophole. Loo...