#aspiringchef

[vaniaphanphan]

Sunday brunch... Yes the egg is a bit dark bc I used bacon fat. #sunday #brunch #baconbaconbacon #pancakes #egg #culinaryarts #cheflife #chef #aspiringchef #homecooking #tasty #foodphotography #beginnerphotography #beginnerphotographer #amateurphotography #amateurphotographer (at Bandung) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSBCccKHjyB/?utm_medium=tumblr

[chef-boy-dee-blog]

Blackened Shrimp & Salmon Over Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi With Spring Peas. Yum! #yum #yummy #aspiringchef #foodies #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodstagram #foodporn #instagood #instafood #salmon #shrimp #gnocchi #parmesan #nycfoodie #explorepage #follow (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3sVlBRFe2N/?igshid=hj0ct0qch4de

[euphoric-blasphemy]

Decided to make a flower design for my fruit tart.

[loveleejasfit]

I was awake at 2 AM making cinnamon rolls. Kneading to relax... As I was kneading the dough, it brought back memories of watching my aunt @justpeachysweet bake her breads and cakes. She didn't even know, I was watching intensely with enthusiasm... I remember loving her desserts like 'it can't get any better than this' and trying to recreate them. Her and my granny have a gift and I guess I can say they're my influences in the culinary world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #AspiringChef #CulinaryStudent #FoodPics #FoodPorn #mua #BakingAndPastry #Homemade #CinnamonRolls #iLoveToCook #Baking #Seattle #Tacoma #Family #2AM #ootd

[chef-boy-dee-blog]

Spicy Vegetable Dumplings🤤 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #YUM #yummy #yummyfood #explore #aspiringchef #foodies #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodstagram #foodporn #instagood #instafood #yum #yums #yumyum #dumplings #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #veggies #vegetable # (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzeQBIaFBMY/?igshid=1bk1258jpujw1

[chef-boy-dee-blog]

Flaming Dorito Crusted Seitan Strips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #yum #yummy #aspiringchef #foodies #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodstagram #foodporn #instagood #instafood #seitan #vegetarian #vegan #vegetarianrecipes #doritos #seitanstrips (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0MXfgzl92a/?igshid=iyww9t9b1uwm

[thebutlerspottery]

This winter I made several colours of these garlic rub plates. This on is a seafoam bluish-green #seafoamgreen #garlicgrater #aspiringchef #grategarlic #potteryplate #thebutlerspottery #handmadeincanada #mothersday #etsymudteam #etsyfinds #etsyseller https://etsy.me/36mWfR8 (at The Butler's Pottery & Photography) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNoJg-r99k/?utm_medium=tumblr

[hughbereats]

Something I had been curious about but never tried before was chicken hearts. It’s not that I didn’t want to, it’s just that I had a roommate who was a bodybuilder and while I live to eat, he would eat to live. His diet mostly consisted of minced chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli and chicken hearts all fried, often in the same pan. It was something.

Anyway, I was turned off the idea of chicken hearts but realized that if you cook anything right, it can taste good. I went to my local butcher, The Meat Department on the Danforth, and picked up a half pound of frozen chicken hearts. I spoke to one of the butchers, who told me they were from Traynor Farm in Peterborough which, when I looked into it seemed reputable enough.

500g/20 chicken hearts came to $3.35. I ended up trimming about 175g of fat and other undesirable pieces off so was left with 325g (approx $0.01/g = $4.55/lb). Considering that if I were to be serving them as an appetizer, I could get six skewers with three hearts/skewer and charge $5-6/skewer depending on the seasoning and labour. All that being said, chicken hearts are a highly cost effective if they sell. 

For mine, I decided to marinate them in a rehydrated pepper mixture (guajillo, piquin and arbol), roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions, achiote paste and adobo chipotle peppers. I also threw in a healthy spoonful of my homemade chocolate habernero hotsauce because a) I’m a hedonist and b) the vinegar content works to tenderize the meat along with the tomatoes.

After I marinated them for two hours and I then I skewered them and seared them in a cast iron skillet. Unfortunately I lost focus at that point and stopped taking pictures but I assure you...they looked great. The taste however, did not live up to the look. They were incredibly tough and chewy which tells me that I didn’t marinate the hearts long enough for the meat to fully tenderize. However they were a massive leap forward from eating unseasoned even tougher and chewier chicken hearts sitting next to a shirtless bodybuilder and I will definitely try making them again.