Featured Guests

Recipe courtesy of Sharone Hakman

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle (750 ml) good bourbon
• 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar, loosely packed
• 2 oranges, for zest only
• 2 strips bacon, cooked crisp

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 140F/60C.
2. Put all ingredients into a large (gallon/3.8 liter) food-grade cooking pouch and vacuum seal in a chamber vacuum sealer or use a food-grade, zip-closure cooking pouch and the Archimedes’ Principle to remove the air and seal.  (If you are using a standard cooking pouch, press as much air as possible from the pouch with your hands and seal only.  Do not attempt to seal liquids using a suction vacuum sealer.)
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Strain the infusion into a clean bottle, stopper, and chill.  It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
5. Serve chilled.

Every March, the world of housewares suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers gathers together to strut their stuff. This year’s show was the SousVide Supreme’s second trip to this mammoth event and since our last visit, my how the SousVide Supreme family of products has grown. The single model water oven (our award winning original SousVide Supreme SVS10L) a suction vacuum sealer, and quart and gallon vacuum pouches at last year’s show were joined at this year’s show by the SousVide Supreme Demi water oven in five fun colors, the SousVide Supreme for the Home Cook cookbook; a new series of 5 topical sous vide cookbooks; economical roll vacuum pouches; and an affordable chamber vacuum sealing unit, called VacMaster.

And the family continues to grow with the addition of soon-to-be-released new family members, including: the commercial grade SousVide Supreme Chef water oven, available May-June 2011; the SousVide Supreme Zip Sealer, a hand held vacuum sealer and food grade valve bags, available May-June 2011; zipper cooking pouches for liquids and one-pot meals, available April 2011; and a prototype enamel series of the original stainless steel model water oven,

Trade show attendees from across the globe came to see what was up at the SousVide Supreme show kitchen and throughout the day were treated to some exquisite sous vide creations–courtesy of Chef Richard Blais on Sunday and Monday and food tv star Sharone Hakman on Tuesday.

We thought we’d share some of the recipes enjoyed by the crowds there and a few shots of the fun!

Here’s Sharone flaming a pan of Tequila Chicken…

and here’s a plate of perfectly medium rare steak just waiting for someone to take a bite…

and believe us, there was a crowd of folks, hoping to do so!  The food was just fantastic!  Hats off to Blais and Sharone for a job well done!

Recipe courtesy of Sharone Hakman

Serves 4 as a entree; 8 as an appetizer

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 pound flat iron steak
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 6 ounces blue cheese crumbles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 131F/55C.
2. Season  the steak lightly with salt and pepper, put into a food-grade cooking pouch, and vacuum seal.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for at least 1 hour. (If you have time, do this the night before and, after cooking, quick chill the steak submerged in its pouch in an ice water bath (half ice/half water) for 30 minutes and refrigerate overnight. Bring the steak to room temperature while you continue with the recipe.)
4. Put the olive oil into a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
5. Add the brown sugar to the onions and stir to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Just before serving, deglaze the pan with the bourbon, scraping up all brown bits of flavor.
7. Transfer the onions to a platter and keep warm.
8. Wipe out the pan and return to the medium high heat.
9. Remove the steak from the pouch and pat it dry with paper towels.
10. In the hot skillet, sear the steak for color and to warm slightly, about 1 minute a side.
11. Slice the steak against the grain and arrange on serving plates.
12. Top with caramelized onions and blue cheese crumbles and serve.

If the hustle and bustle of last minute holiday shopping, baking, wrapping, and shipping has left you so frazzled you’ve been opting for dinner from the drive through lane, let the SousVide Supreme lend a hand! While you’re out hustling and bustling, the SousVide Supreme quietly cooks your food to perfection and has it waiting for you when you arrive!

We asked stand out MasterChef contestant, Sharone Hakman to share with us a few of his secrets for keeping things simple and home cooked during the holidays.  He was happy to oblige with a pair of ultra simple (but ultra yummy) recipes for this busy season:  Sous Vide Leg of Lamb and Buttered Brussels Sprouts…a la Sharone!  And here’s the man himself with a little holiday greeting.

October 8 was the scene in San Francisco as Master Chef’s Sharone Hakman treated the 250-plus BlogHER conference attendees to a luscious short rib and golden beet appetizer. The hunky food tv celeb asked us to share his recipe with the sous vide faithful, so we could all enjoy a taste of what was on the menu. We’re happy to oblige!

Sharone Hakman’s Porcini Encrusted Braised Short Ribs with Golden Beets and Pearl Onions

Time: 48 Hours
Serves: 8-10
1 pound (0.45 kg) of trimmed boneless short ribs
2 packages (1 ounce/ 30 g each) dried porcini mushrooms
4 whole garlic cloves
1/8 cup (125 ml) decent cabernet sauvignon
1 package (about 3/4 ounce/ 22.5g) fresh thyme, leaves stripped and minced
4 tablespoons (60 g) cold butter, diced into cubes
2 -3 golden beets, well-scrubbed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound (0.45) red pearl onions peeled and cut in half
4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cracked pepper
Kosher Salt
A bunch or bag of fresh arugula
Coarse sea salt for finishing (Maldon preferably, but can use an alternative)
Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
Aged balsamic vinegar for finishing

For the Short Ribs:

1. Pre-heat the SousVide Supreme to 134°F/56°C
2. Put the short ribs, garlic clove, half the cubed butter, 3 dried porcini mushrooms, 2 to 3 sprigs of the thyme, 2 tablespoons cabernet, salt and pepper to taste into a cooking pouch.
3. Evacuate as much air as possible from pouch without drawing fluid up into the vacuum sealer and force seal. (Vacuum seal and then press Seal Only on the Sous Vide Supreme Vacuum Sealer.)
4. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 24 to 48 hours.
5. Remove and quick chill in an ice bath (half ice/half water) for at least 30 minutes and refrigerate for use once the vegetables have finished cooking.
6. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind remaining dried mushrooms to a fine powder; put onto a large plate and set aside. This will be used to dust each short rib before searing.

For the Golden Beets and Pearl Onions:
1. Pre-heat the SousVide Supreme to 185°F/87°C
2. Peel the beets and slice them into 1/8-inch (0.3 cm) thick circles. Put the sliced beets into a bowl of cold water with the juice of 1 lemon for about 5 minutes to prevent them from browning. Drain them well.
3. Season beets with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and 2 tablespoons of the fresh thyme.
4. Put them into a quart/liter cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
5. Peel the onions and slice them in half.
6. Season onions with 2 tablespoons of the butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Put them into a quart/liter cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
8. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 1 hour.
9. When the vegetables are just about done, remove the short ribs from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
10. Remove the ribs from the pouch and roll them in the porcini dust. Season them lightly with pepper, sugar and salt, covering all sides.
11. In a medium skillet, heat a little olive oil and butter together at medium / high heat and sear the ribs for about 20 seconds per side.
12. Remove the vegetables from the water bath, open the pouch, and drain off all excess liquid. The onions can be sautéed, if desired, to caramelize the surface, but it’s not necessary.
13. Arrange the vegetables on separate plates for easier assembly of the individual appetizers.
Assembly:
1. Center a small bed of arugula on a plate.
2. Add 1 or 2 slices of golden beet at the edge of the plate
3. Add 1 or 2 halves of the pearl onion along with a nice bite size short rib on top.

To Finish:
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic over the appetizer and sprinkle on a bit of coarse sea salt (Maldon preferably, but can use an alternative)

At SousVide Supreme, our philosophy is that making great food should not be difficult or require hours and hours of your time. In fact, it’s our goal to make the entire culinary experience easy, convenient, and foolproof–something so simple anyone who can push a button can do it!

We’re proud that our simple technique is inspiring cooks in all shapes and sizes, from young to old, novice to professional to explore the delights of sous vide cooking!

Take a look as aspiring young chef Tyler Whitman demonstrates the push-button simplicity of vacuum sealing. If Tyler can do it, so can you!

Although he had a little trouble using the suction vacuum-sealer on Episode 6 of Fox’s Master Chef series, Sharone Hakman has studied up and will demonstrate his sous vide vacuum-sealing prowess at the BlogHER conference October 8 in San Francisco!

Take a look at his clock-ticking, vacuum-sealing struggle in this video clip from the Master Chef Season 1, Episode 6…

The pressure of the chef competition must have really been great, because nothing could be simpler to operate than a SousVide Supreme Vacuum Sealer.  Yet, under the gun, both Sharrone and even Chef Gordon Ramsey somehow missed the obvious: the open end of the pouch goes inside the clamshell!

If you are attending the BlogHER conference, be sure to stop by the SousVide Supreme booth and see Sharrone demonstrate correct vacuum/seal technique in person!