IDEAS IN FOOD

Sweet Maine Shrimp

Every time we see sweet Maine shrimp I am taken back to cooking with Madhur Jaffrey during a cooks and books event when we were at Clio. Madhur sent up pamphlets of recipes ahead for us to begin preparing, some of the condiments needed time to develop. The condiment which stood out in my mind was fermented jalapenos, a recipe which took me years to find after the dinner. Somehow, let's call it youthful ignorance, I did not write or obtain a recipe for the time consuming condiment. The only reason I now have the recipe is that we ran into Madhur at Otto and I boldly interrupted her lunch with Lidia Bastianich to ask the for the recipe. She kindly and quickly pointed me in the direction of her book Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. 

The condiment played an integral role in the dressing for a hot and cold sweet Maine shrimp dish. Oil and mustard seeds were heated in a pan with fresh curry leaves. When the mustard seeds started to pop the shrimp were added and lightly salted. The shrimp cooked quickly and were soon reserved on a warm plate. To compliment the shrimp, green mango were dressed with a vinaigrette of lime juice and minced fermented jalapenos. The shrimp were plated and the juices from the shrimp were added to the salad which topped the dish. The flavors were huge and deep and this balance of flavors, techniques and inspirations certainly guides how we cook today.

Greens, Egg and Ham

This dish has been taking its own sweet time getting to the table. It combines the results of our work on staining our five minute and fifteen second eggs, with ham hocks cooked sous vide and the dark horse of the dish, braised collard green sauce. The finishing element is black bean sprouts. The staining of the egg blends a marbled appearance with the flavor of harissa, which we used as the backbone of the staining solution. The hocks yielded gelatinous and decadent nuggets of fresh pork and the collard green sauce has the deeper flavor of smoked ham married to the sweet slow cooked greens. The black bean sprouts add a fresh, green note and textural contrast to the final dish.

Meyer Lemons

Amaya loves her lemons. The first time we watched her grab one and sink her teeth into it we were slightly horrified. "This can't be be good" was the immediate thought that flashed through my brain. Amaya wrinkled her nose and shivered as she chewed on her piece of skin, then she gave us a big smile, spit out her bite, and promptly sank her teeth back into the fruit for more. Such is the power of a Meyer lemon.

When we were living in New York we had a Meyer lemon tree. It flourished for my aunt and sat in the a sunny corner of the dining room. It was much more than lemons, as the glossy green leaves and white flowers were cheerful and fragrant for much of the year. The Meyer lemon tree was originally imported from China and believed to be a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin orange. It is relatively easy to purchase dwarf trees for your home and theoretically they are quite easy to care for. Alex and I have managed to kill both a lemon and a lime tree so we can't honestly speak from experience on that. They are primarily grown in California here in the states and just happen to be in season and available in our neck of the woods right now.

When buying Meyer lemons we look for brightly colored thin skins and fruit that feel heavy in the hand. That's true for almost all produce as a light weight indicates dehydration from a long shelf life and excessive time spent in storage. As Amaya will contest they are on the sweet side with a bright floral flavor that perfectly complements their sunny complexion. It is rounder and smoother than your everyday lemon and on looks alone it will beguile you. The fact that they are utterly delicious and produce large amounts of juice for their size make them that much better.

Now that cold and flu season is in full swing we like to prepare a variation on Laurie Colwin's hot lemonade. Meyer lemon juice, hot water, honey and a cinnamon stick, blended to taste and reinforced with the spirit of your choice. We find that one lemon makes two generous mugs of lemonade. It's our variation on the rock and rye liquor that was mixed with tea and used to ward off the chill in times gone by. These Meyer lemons are just like sunshine in a glass. The drink warms you from the inside out and helps make the world feel like a better place on a damp and chilly evening.

Pearls of Potato

The question is which direction to take these individual bites.

Raclette, Chowder, Gratin...

Parsley and Garlic

When I was growing up I was lucky enough to be taken to the theater more often than most kids. I loved it, absorbing the music and the costumes, getting carried off in a story filled with drama and pageantry. The fact that we always went out to dinner beforehand made the entire evening an event. One of our favorite pre-heater haunts was Victor's Cafe 52.

That restaurant was my first exposure to Cuban food and like the theater that followed dinner, it took me to another place. I loved everything about that restaurant. The fact that most of the diners were speaking another language made it feel exotic and otherworldly. The fact that the food was delicious was an added bonus. Somehow the black beans and rice were unlike anything I'd ever had before and believe me I ate plenty of rice. The ropa vieja was a favorite as was the beefsteak Duran. Suckling pig and savory rice dishes were also delicious. But it was the green sauce that won me over. We started every meal with small, sizzling casseroles of garlicky shrimp and clams in green sauce. The shrimp were delicious, it's just that versions of that particular preparation could be found in many other places. It was the clams in green sauce that drew me in, and stayed with me, prompting me to answer "Victor's" whenever I was asked where to go to dinner before the theater. They were something special. Briny and earthy, they spoke of land and sea, bright blue skies and tropical horizons. I would pry each small clam from it's shell, bathe it gently in the sauce and carefully convey it to my lips. The flavors were bold and soft at the same time, evolving in my mouth as I chewed on the delicate meat. Frankly I could have made a meal of just those clams with good bread and a Shirley Temple or two.

As I grew old enough to ask questions about the food I found out that backbone of that dish was parsley and garlic. It's a simple and stunning combination that finds its voice in cuisines around the world. Earthy, herbal and balanced, that combination can make almost anything not just edible but worth savoring. It's been well over a decade since I last ate at Victor's Cafe. Although I'm sure it has change immensely over the years, as restaurants do, it's comforting to know it still exists there on the edge of the theater district. I like to imagine it filled with the buzz of happy dinners, basking in the scent of parsley and garlic. I like to think of it as a slightly magical combination that brings happiness whenever I employ it in my own kitchen.

Cabbage and Gouda

The cabbage is sauteed in butter and seasoned with Meyer lemon juice and sesame oil. The final grating of aged Gouda demonstrated the old adage the whole is often much greater than the sum of its parts.

Ham Hocks

Potato and Eggs

Monkfish, Gingerbread and Parsley

Sourdough Waffles

When you have a sourdough starter at home you eventually realize that there is only so much bread you can bake. We have enjoyed looking at other uses for "the beast" and breakfast was a good starting point. Make sure your starter is well fed and thick for making this waffle batter. The lactic tang in the first bite jars your taste buds and the last of the sleep left in you departs as your senses demand that attention be paid to the meal at hand. The waffles themselves are a starting point, happily supporting sweet butter, maple syrup, honey, fresh berries, softly whipped cream, dark chocolate, salty caviar, and almost any other ingredient you fancy at your breakfast table.

Sourdough Waffles

 

1000 grams thick sourdough starter

110 grams whole egg

50 grams butter

50 grams maple syrup

5 grams salt

5 grams baking soda

 

Place the butter and the maple syrup in a pan. Put the pan onto the heat on medium to just melt the butter. Wisk the egg yolks together with the salt and then stir them into the sourdough starter. Once the eggs are incorporated stir in the melted butter and syrup mixture. Finally add the baking soda and stir the mixture to combine.

 

Cook the waffles in a waffle iron until golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup.

Cravings

There is nothing like a good steak. My sweet tooth blossomed with pregnancy, and I enjoyed desserts in a way that I haven't in years. I abhorred fish in any form except for a desperate craving for raw oysters and french fries, still unsatisfied as a matter of fact, that I sidestepped with fried oysters because I just wasn't willing to risk raw seafood during gestation. Anyway I digress, I'm talking about cravings and the only constant before, during and after pregnancy is my craving for a good steak. It hits periodically and although the actual steak may change with what's available, the desire for properly cooked red meat never seems to vary.

A great steak needs nothing else. The potatoes, spinach, salad, etc are simply decoration. They may be delicious on their own but beside a beautifully cooked piece of beef they seem to fade into the woodwork, taking up space in my stomach that could be filled with meat. I still stand by a simple cast iron pan, lightly coated with salt and heated till it just begins to smoke. Drop in a thick steak, lower the heat to medium, and turn often. I got this technique (the continuous flipping of the meat) from Harold McGee ten years ago and never looked back. Constant turning not only cooks the meat more quickly and evenly, it helps develop a beautiful, even caramelization on both sides of the steak. Let the beef rest on a warm plate topped with some good butter, pour a glass of decadent red wine, and then enjoy. The meat develops an almost crisp salty crust, giving way to the rich meat and mineral-ly juices. There's nothing else quite like it. The dry aged prime steaks pictured here are from our local Whole Foods (local being a relative term as it's in Princeton, NJ), our most recent go-to butcher, and they were delicious. Take my word for it.

The Teapot

As opposed to the tea kettle. The tea kettle being what you use to boil water for your tea. There's one I have my eye on but I haven't taken the plunge yet. On the other hand I really needed a good teapot. Winter is in full swing and there's nothing like a cup of tea to warm my bones on a chilly afternoon. I had a few requirements. It needed to be insulated so that tea wouldn't cool off before I could drink it and it needed to do its job well and be easily cleaned. The solution was the this teapot from Bonjour. It's not perfect (is anything?) but it does make a damn fine cup of tea. I've only had it for a few days but it has already brewed several cups for me. One of the hazards of having a toddler is that more cups end up cold on the counter instead of warm in my tummy.

The teapot has a stainless steel, perforated well in the center for the tea leaves and a plunger that allows you to stop steeping when the tea is strong enough to suit your taste. The plunger can be a bit awkward and in spite of this, the teapot works beautifully and I have no complaints. It's on the expensive side, as teapots go, although I considered it an investment. If I'm going to spend the money on premium tea leaves I ought to have a proper pot to brew them in. Now I do and not a moment too soon because it's the little pleasures that make my day feel special.

Skate, Smoke, Savoy and Citrus

We brined the skate wing before we vacuum sealed it and cooked it at 55°C for thirty minutes. Then we chilled the fish down in ice water and laid it flat. There was a beauty to the white wing with pockets of savory fish jelly surrounding it.

In our first version of the dish we melted some butter in a pan and slid a piece of the wing and allowed it to brown on one side and heat through. We warmed our smoked clams and cabbage leaves in their mingled juices. A knob of butter, some Meyer lemon zest and a squeeze of the juice finished the ragout. We placed the wing on a plate, folding it over so that the diner could see part of the pristine white flesh and some of the caramelized side. The ragout and the lemony clam juices were spooned over the top.

The dish was delicate, the skate soft and meaty, the clams salty and flavorful like tender bacon lardons, with the cabbage offering a textural crunch paired with a sweet green grassy flavor. The touch of citrus accented the main elements and completed the dish.

Skate Wing

Brined and ready to cook.

The Savoy Cabbage

Savoy cabbage is a distinctive vegetable. Nothing else looks quite like it. It has the advantage of being ornamental and delicious. Its frilly leaves are softer and more pliable than those of any other cabbage. It is tender and sweet and notably lacking the sulfurous undertones that give other cooked cabbages a bad name. When it's cooked the greens deepen and it becomes even more alluring. It is perfect for stuffing and gentle enough for salads. It may not keep as long as other varieties although its versatility makes that unimportant. Savoy cabbage is a member of the Brassica family. It is fat free, cholesterol free, low in calories, and a good source of fiber and vitamin C. Of course we love it because it tastes good and the fact that it is beautiful and easy to use is just icing on the cake.

 

Here we have some Savoy Cabbage that has been brined and blanched sous vide. It's been prepped for a skate dish with smoked clams and gruyere cheese although truthfully it's ready for just about anything we can think of.

Flavor First

Compound or flavored butters are a staple in kitchens around the world. Keeping a knob of garlic butter on hand just makes life easier. You can make it yourself with your favorite butter, raw or cooked garlic, salt, cayenne pepper and fresh chopped parsley. It will make a quick pasta sauce, garlic bread, or baked potato. It can be used to baste fish or meat in the pan adding flavor and creating a wonderful pan sauce. It can be whipped and added as a finishing touch to clam chowder or any number of soups. It can garnish a risotto or make scrambles eggs something special. This is why we love flavored butters.

Today Alex decided to flavor the cream that he made butter from. He had a craving for XO sauce and mixed it into his heavy cream and let it infuse in the refrigerator for several hours before making it into butter. It's a small adjustment with great rewards. I can't imagine why we didn't think of it sooner. Instead of just butter, we ended up with flavored butter and buttermilk. Gotta love it.

Smoked Clams

Time to make some dip.

Corned Beef Croquette Revisited

We talked about these croquettes earlier this week. To make the corned beef hash Alex ground the corned beef with the slow roasted potatoes and onions that had been sweated down in with a pinch of smoked paprika. He formed the hash into roulades, sliced them into pieces and breaded them with flour, egg, and potato flakes. They were deep fried and paired with our 13 minute egg, powdered raclette cheese, and smoked ketchup. It was a fair amount of work for what was essentially a simple breakfast. Totally worth it though. That's why most people go out to breakfast after all, because even the simplest seeming meal requires a strict attention to detail that many are not capable of first thing in the morning. Pictured here, corned beef hash and eggs, Ideas in Food style.

Isomalt

Isomalt is one of those ingredients that has been around long enough for everyone to be familiar with the name and still not necessarily know what exactly they are dealing with. It’s gone mainstream with the advent of Ace of Cakes and the Cake Boss. If you watch either of these shows you can't help but be familiar with the terms “dirty ice the cake” and “I used isomalt for…” We were starting to get more questions about isomalt and we knew it was time for us to take a closer look at what we were working with.

Isomalt is a sugar alcohol. Contrary to what you may think, a sugar alcohol does not contain alcohol, its structure simply has many of the chemical attributes of both sugar and alcohol. Isomalt is derived from beet sugar. The sucrose is treated with an enzyme to become isomaltulose. Then it is hydrogenated and converted into two different disaccharide alcohols: gluco-mannitol and gluco-sorbitol. The chemical changes make the isomalt more stable than sucrose. It is approximately half as sweet as sugar with a very low level of hygroscopicity, meaning that it doesn’t absorb water in the same way that sugar does.

 

Isomalt is commonly used as a sugar replacement. It can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio with sucrose although the isomalt recipe will be less sweet than the original. It is often combined with sucralose or other intense sweeteners and provides the bulk and texture of sugar while simultaneously masking any bitterness from the other sweetener. Isomalt is resistant to acid and enzyme hydrolysis. It has good solubility and melts at temperatures from 140-150°C. Isomalt has good flavor release, dissolves slowly, and holds color well. It is often used in baked goods, sugar free jams and jellies and candy making. Isomalt is also popular for sugar art; it is often used to make display pieces, candy jewels and cake decorations.

According to the manufacturer there are four types of isomalt. Isomalt ST, which is their all purpose product, used at a 1:1 ratio with sugar and considered especially good for baked goods and hard candies. Isomalt GS is designed for use in coatings and other applications requiring solubility in the finished product. It is used for chewy candies and other soft sweetened products. Recipes made with GS have a good spreading texture with little syneresis or browning.  Isomalt LM is designed to work with chocolate to preserve the products melting properties and the snap and texture of tempered chocolate. The fourth product is isomalt DC designed for use in compressed products like vitamins and flavor tablets, which is more of an industrial application than a culinary one. Interestingly most purveyors simply sell isomalt without specifying the type. Isomalt ST seems to be the one most readily available.

Isomalt is popular because it has a very low calorie value, only 2 per gram.  It is not easily digested and passes through the intestines like dietary fiber. For this reason it can cause some gastric upset, much the same way that beans or other high fiber foods can inspire gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Studies have shown that if isomalt is consumed on a regular basis a tolerance can be built up in the system. Generally speaking it is recommended that people keep consumption to a minimum and do not overindulge until they know how well their systems handle isomalt and any other sugar alcohols.

Isomalt is low on the glycemic index making it a good sugar substitute for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.  In general sugar alcohols convert to glucose more slowly than sugars, don't cause sudden increases in blood sugar when consumed, and require minimal amounts of insulin to be metabolized by the body.

Isomalt does not promote cavities because plaque bacteria do not break it down into acids in the mouth. It encourages the release of salivia in the mouth, which reduces acid levels in the mouth and increases the presence of calcium on the surface of teeth.

To be sure isomalt does not behave exactly like sugar. No substitute can be expected to have all the same properties as the original. In fact the reduced sweetness is a major selling point for chefs because sometimes desserts can be too sweet when you add the amount of sugar needed to provide moisture and body to a specific application. The most common application is to use isomalt to make croquants, either on its own or in combination with other sweeteners. It's reduced sweetness allow chefs to make savory croquants in flavors that were not possible in the past. A quick google search will yield countless recipes from chefs around the world. Isomalt is a versatile ingredient definitely worth exploring.

Fresh Ginger and Milk Chocolate Biscotti

Ginger is one of those ingredients that occasionally inspire actual cravings. It is floral and fragrant with a subtle heat that warms a body from the inside out. It is a rhizome, which is an underground stem that is capable of producing both the shoot and the root system of new plants. Fresh ginger can be beautiful with its silky texture and gnarly appearance. Good ginger is heavy for it’s size, indicating a high level of moisture and knobby-looking with a satiny mauve skin. It can be purchased in many different forms but the two most common are pieces of the fresh root and small jars of dried, ground ginger.

 

It is well known as an herbal remedy for nausea and upset stomach. Ginger ale and saltines are a standard remedy the world over for sick and queasy patients. Ginger candies can be very helpful during bouts of morning and motion sickness. For aches and pains my mother always recommends tying slices of fresh ginger in cheesecloth and submerging the package in your bathwater at home. A hot soak yields clear sinuses and loosened muscles. Pickled ginger is served with sushi for its antimicrobial and digestive powers in order to help counteract any ill effects that may occur from the raw seafood. For all its homespun magic, studies show that ginger can inhibit blood clotting in cancer patients. It’s potency and efficacy should not be underestimated by anyone with a compromised immune system.

 

In the wintertime when the weather is raw and damp, ginger root calls to me, begging for a place on the table.  Alex made his gingerbread sauce and I went with something sweet. Fresh ginger biscotti with chunks of milk chocolate.  These cookies are delicious and surprisingly addictive. Even if you manage to control the impulse to eat more than one at a time, the beauty of biscotti is their keeping qualities. A large batch will live happily in a cookie jar on the countertop for as long as you are able to keep them around. These cookies crumble nicely, making them baby friendly unless you can't stand the sight of crumbs. Of course if that’s truly the case these cookies won't be to your liking anyway. You’ll just have to find some other ginger recipe to play with…

 

Fresh Ginger and Milk Chocolate Biscotti

230 grams/8 ounces cold sweet butter

35grams/ 1 ounce peeled and sliced fresh ginger root

100 grams/1/2 cup sugar

100 grams/ ½ cup light brown sugar

100 grams/1/2 cup dark brown sugar

4 large cold eggs

510 grams/18 ounces AP flour

11/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons baking powder

120 grams/4 ¼ ounces AP flour

230 grams/8 ounces milk chocolate chunks (Valrhona Tanariva Lactee Callets)

 

Combine butter, ginger and sugars in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is fully blended and looks like wet sand. There should be no visible chunks of ginger let. Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing to blend in each egg before adding the next. Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder until well blended. Add all of the flour mixture to the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together.

 

Sprinkle the counter with the remaining 120g of flour and turn the dough out onto the flour. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chocolate onto the dough and use a bench scraper to fold the dough around the chocolate. Add the next third and fold it into the dough. Add the final third and fold it until the dough is smooth and the chocolate is incorporated. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 325°F convection. Line two half sheet trays with parchment or foil.

 

Divide the first piece of dough in half and gently roll it out into a log approximately 10”x2” and place it on one of the prepared sheet trays. Do the same with the remaining half of the dough and place it on the other side of the sheet tray, leaving equal amounts of space between the two logs and from each side of the sheet tray. Do the same thing with the second piece of dough. Bake the logs for 23-28 minutes until the log are golden brown and cooked through. Slice each log on an angle into 1-inch thick pieces. Set the end pieces aside for snacks. Lay the slices out on the sheet trays and return them to the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the slices are golden brown and dry to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the sheet trays before serving.

What's in a Croquette?

cro·quette (krō ket′)

noun

a small, rounded or cone-shaped mass of chopped, cooked meat, fish, or vegetables, coated with egg and crumbs and fried in deep fat

Growing up both my aunt and my mother were fond of croquettes. My mother's version was a mixture of meat and potatoes, coated with panko bread crumbs and served with a dark, tangy, slightly sweet sauce usually eaten out in a casual Japanese restaurant. My aunt's version was also a mixture of meat and potatoes, dredged in bread crumbs and fried, served with a choice of two vegetables at an Amish restaurant off the PA turnpike that we frequented on the trip back home from Pittsburgh after a holiday pilgramage. Two very different cultural experiences that emphasized the same basic type if dish.

The other day Alex was muttering about corned beef hash made with salt roasted yukon gold potatoes. Today he was happily making...croquettes. (Don't tell him I said that.) Okay these looked like tater tots and were stuffed with an incredibly delicious corned beef hash. Still it was a variation on a very popular theme. It's kind of a beautiful thing. No matter where you come from or what you love to eat, chances are someone has made it into a croquette. It's the perfect balance of textures and flavors (when done well) and no matter how many people tell us it's unhealthy we all secretly or openly love our fried foods. They say that nothing fried can taste bad, and I can tell you that's absolutey untrue. At the other end of the spectrum though, something fried well can be something to remember for years.

A Small Indulgence

Three ingredients. Osetra caviar, butter from the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company and salt roasted, organic yukon gold potatoes. Ok, actually four, thee sliced stem of parsley was also included. It may not sound like much, let me assure you that when you spoon each bite into your mouth the experience is pure indulgence. Osetra caviar fit the bill this evening. Tomorrow it may be scrambled eggs and buttered toast. All it takes to make a moment feel special for me is sharing something delicious with the two people I love most in the world. It's a small yet necessary indulgence that we can make happen every day. Dinner is over and as I write this Alex and Amaya are dancing to Tchaikovsky in preparation for bedtime. Lucky doesn't begin to describe the feeling. Small bubbles of happiness are softly overflowing. Take nothing for granted because these are the moments that make life special.

Another Look

When we first started to create the taste of something in another form we always went about making the original and then changed its form. The results were good, unfortunately the process began to not make any sense.

For instance, if we wanted to make toast soup to serve with eggs and bacon we would first make bread, then toast that bread, then dry the toast further and use that to make a toast soup, perhaps enriched with some butter and maybe a toast stock made from toast steeped in water. The results were good. After we followed this process and applied it to multiple dishes we began to wonder about a better way. We know what toast tastes like. Why not use the knowledge to just make something which tastes just like toast? It can contain toasted elements and butter elements and pieces which complete the flavor profile without making the original. This process allows us to focus and fine flavors so that we can create more than just a representation of the original rather something which is greater than the inspiration.

We have made gingerbread soup. We used it to glaze squab and contemplated pairing it with lobster. The soup was good. Unfortunately it was heavy, a bit rich and lacked a clarity which we are constantly searching to achieve. We have revisited this preparation and focused on a gingerbread concentrate which uses toasted milk solids as its backbone. The results are amazing and bracing. The sauce is more of a concentrate which can be used as a stepping stone or a pillar for a dish.

Pastry Cream Improved

Francisco Migoya, author of Frozen Desserts and the The Modern Cafe, shares an incredible technique he recently learned for making pasty cream. I read his post several weeks ago and have been talking about the technique with anyone willing to listen. Somehow I overlooked writing about it until now. It brings the idea of the classic and somewhat tedious pastry cream back from retirement. Perhaps some stuffed croissants are in my future.

In looking at the process involved I am now wondering if we can apply this to a number of other applications?  That is for the time in the kitchen tomorrow.

*Francisco shares his working recipe here.

Convenience Food

As parents of toddlers, the word convenience food has new meaning. When Amaya is hungry, she wants food RIGHT NOW. This is not always easy or convenient although it suddenly becomes clear why one of her favorite outings is to Whole Foods. When I was younger I disparaged people who let their kids eat food that had yet to be paid for and now I am one of those people. Thank goodness for their fresh Challah bread, it has tamed the ravening beast on more than one occasion.

I now understand the lure of the McNugget. Kids around the world love them, because they are tasty and child sized, never mind the wallop of fat and salt that comes with them. Fortunately there are alternatives. For us convenience came in small blue box in the frozen food section. Bell and Evans Chicken Nuggets are a kid and parent friendly alternative to the drive through and they cook up in the same amount of time as it takes to drive anywhere and wait in line. It's the foundation of a quick lunch that makes everybody happy. Even chefs occasionally require a pinch hitter at home.

PS: Yes we buy them ourselves, no hidden advertorials here.

Paris Patisseries

This book just arrived on our doorstep. Less of a cookbook, more a book of ideas and inspirations, Paris Patisseries: Histories, Shops, Recipes will make you want to hop on a lane to Paris. French pastries, to my mind, are an acquired taste. As a child they always seemed too creamy and complicated for me. I much preferred classic American desserts, layer cakes, cookies and brownies. Still do, truth be told. I loved the idea of Napoleons and eclairs so much more than I loved the actual pastries. Somewhere along the way I grew up and met a few major patisserie aficionados. I learned that all French pastries are not the same and some are in fact incredibly delicious. As a turning point I can remember going to Payard in New York with a few friends. It had recently opened and we walked out with two boxes of assorted pastries. We sampled them all and proceeded to finish only our favorites. It was quite an experience and one that finally convinced me that I do like French pastries. Admittedly I bought the book for Alex, although I have to admit that I was drawn in by the beautiful creations and their accompanying descriptions. Maybe someday we'll make it to Paris...until then I have my books. 

Parsley Puree

An essential element in our repetoire.

Simple and striking.

I am amazed at how this picture can bring such a smile to my face and remind me how much fun cooking well can be.

Broken Beet Salad

Broken Beet Salad

Beet marinade

115 grams pure cranberry juice

80 grams Vin Cotto

50 grams soy sauce

 

Blend the ingredients together and reserve.

 

Broken Beets

450 grams peeled red beets

2 liters of liquid nitrogen

 

Beet marinade

 

Pour the liquid nitrogen into a Styrofoam cooler. Put the beets into the nitrogen and allow them to freeze solid. When the beets are frozen and beginning to crack apart from the extremely cold temperature, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the nitrogen into a large stainless steel bowl. While the beets are still rock solid, use a meat mallet to break and fragment the beets into chunks ranging in size from 1-3cm. When the beets are broken, pour the marinade over the beets and place the entire container in the refrigerator to thaw out. The beets will thaw and slowly blend their own juices with the marinade. When the beets are completely thawed, put them and the marinade in a vacuum bag and seal on high pressure. Place the sealed beets in a water bath set at 83 degrees Celsius. Cook the beets for one and a half hours. When the beets are cooked, remove them from the water bath and place the sealed bag into an ice bath to cool the beets. Once the beets are ice cold, cut open the bag and pour the beets and the marinade into a shallow pan.

 

Glazed Beets

250 grams beet cooking liquid

0.5 grams xanthan gum

 

Strain the beets in a fine mess strainer. Reserve 250 grams of the beet liquid and discard any extra. Place the beet liquid in a blender and turn it on low. Increase the speed until a vortex forms in the blender. Sprinkle the xanthan gum into the vortex in order to evenly disperse it. Once the xanthan gum is dispersed, turn the blender off and pour the thickened beet liquid into a shallow pan, which will fit in a chamber vacuum sealer.

 

To remove the air incorporated by blending the beet liquid, place it in a container so that it comes only one third of the way up the sides. Place the container in the chamber of the vacuum machine and close the lid.  The vacuum pulled on the chamber will begin to pull the air bubbles out of the beet liquid. The liquid will begin to climb the sides of the container and when it comes to just below the edge of the rim, shut the machine off. The chamber will then fill with air again and the beet liquid will shrink back down in the dish having dispelled many of its air bubbles. This process should be repeated until the beet liquid loses 95% of its air bubbles and changes from pale purple to an intense concentrated purple-red. Pour the beet liquid back over the broken beets and stir to cover evenly. The thickening of the liquid allows the pieces of beet to be uniformly covered in their own flavorful juices. Reserve the dressed beets in the refrigerator.

 

Black olive crisp

300 grams oil cured olives

 

Place the olives in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the olives and water to a simmer and turn off the heat. Pour the water off of the olives, and then pat the olives dry on a paper towel. This process will remove the excess oil coating the olives, as well as some bitterness and salinity.

 

285 grams blanched olives

205 grams cranberry juice

110 grams glucose

90 grams isomalt

 

pan spray

8 pieces of acetate 5 cm wide and 15 cm long

 

Place the ingredients into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup and glazes the olives. Turn the heat off and pour the hot olives and the residual syrup into a blender. Turn the blender on low and increase the speed. Puree the olives until they are completely smooth. During this process use a rubber spatula to scrape the olive puree down the sides of the blender so that everything is equally pureed. Once the olive puree is smooth, scrape it out of the blender top and into a fine mesh strainer. Press the olive puree through the strainer to remove any coarse pieces of olive. Place the olive puree into a container and reserve in the refrigerator until cold.

 

Spray the acetate sheets with pan release and then use a paper towel to wipe off the excess spray leaving a fine film. Lay the sheets on a flat counter and then use an off set spatula to spread a fine layer of the olive puree on the sheet. The layer should be just under a millimeter in thickness. Once all the sheets are evenly coated, place them in a dehydrator on medium and let dry until the surface is completely dry to the touch. When the top of the crisp is dry, peel the acetate from the back of the olive sheet and place the crisps back in the dehydrator to dry completely. The olive crisps will be flat, dry and delicate when they are done. Remove them from the dehydrator and let cool on a counter top for a minute, then place them in a container with several silica gel packs to prevent the crisps from getting soggy. Reserve the crisps.

 

Cashew Yogurt

225 grams raw cashews

400 grams filtered or spring water

 

375 grams swollen cashews

200 grams spring or filtered water

25 grams of agave nectar

2 grams salt

 

cheese cloth

 

In a bowl, cover the raw cashews with the water. Cover the bowl with plastic and place in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, strain the water off of the cashews and rinse the nuts. The swollen cashews should now weigh substantially more having absorbed the water. Place 375 grams of swollen cashews in the blender. Add the water, salt, and agave nectar. Turn the blender on low and slowly increase the speed. Puree the mixture until it is smooth and homogenous. Turn the blender off and pass the mixture through a fine mess strainer. Line another strainer with two layers of dampened cheesecloth and place the cashew puree in cheesecloth. Place the strainer in a bowl so that the cashew mixture in the cheesecloth is suspended and any extra moisture will drain out of the puree. Lightly cover the strainer with plastic wrap and place the cashew into the refrigerator to drain overnight. The following day, remove the thickened cashew yogurt from the cheesecloth and place in a squeeze bottle. Discard any drained liquid.

 

Cranberry Jelly

150 grams dried cranberries

130 grams dark rum

30 grams dark muscovado sugar

2 grams salt

 

245 grams cranberry base

150 grams cranberry juice

150 grams water

1.1 grams high acyl gellan

1.1 grams low acyl gellan

 

Put the dried cranberries, dark rum, muscovado sugar and salt in a pot and bring to a simmer. Tilt the pot to flame the rum and turn off the heat. When the flame subsides, place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer pressing on the solids with a ladle to extract as much cranberry as possible.

 

Weigh the cranberry base. It should weigh 245 grams. If there is extra base, subtract that amount from the water required in the recipe and if the weight is less than 245 grams add extra cranberry juice to supplement the missing cranberry puree.

 

Combine the cranberry base, cranberry juice and water in a blender. Turn the blender on low and increase the speed until a vortex forms. Sprinkle both types of gellan into the vortex and let blend for five seconds. Turn off the blender and pour the cranberry mixture into a pot. Cook the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches ninety degrees C. When the mixture reaches ninety degrees C the gellan will be properly hydrated and the mixture may be poured into a 20cm by 20cm square Pyrex pan. Pour the mixture from pot to pan quickly and smoothly because the presence of the gellan in the mixture causes the cranberry jelly to set very quickly. Place the pan in the refrigerator to cool.

 

When the jelly is cold, remove it from the pan and cut it into 32 rectangles 2cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Reserve these jellies on a tray in the refrigerator. There will be more cranberry jelly than is needed for this dish and extra may be reserved for another use.

 

To Assemble

 

Glazed Broken Beets

Cashew Yogurt

Cranberry Jellies

Olive Crisps

40 small purslane sprigs

 

Place a spoonful of glazed broken beets, 5-7 pieces depending on their size, in the center of a plate. Squeeze five dollops of cashew yogurt at 2, 4, 6, 10 and 12 o’clock positions in the crevices between the beets. Arrange purslane sprigs on the 10 and 4 o’clock dollops of cashew yogurt. Place one broken beet at the 12 o’clock position 6 cm away from the center. Squeeze a dollop of cashew yogurt on the far side of the beet, place a purslane sprig on top of the yogurt and lean a fragment of olive crisp on the right hand side of the beet piece. Place a second broken beet piece at the 2 o’clock position 3 cm away from the central pile of beets. Squeeze a dollop of cashew yogurt to the outside of the broken beet. Place a third broken beet at the 3 o’clock position 8 cm from the center pile of beets. Place a fourth broken beet at the 8 o’clock position 5 cm away from the central pile of beets. Squeeze a dollop of cashew yogurt on the lower side of the beet and top with a sprig of purslane. Place a cranberry jelly at the 6 o’clock position 4 cm away from the center pile of beets. Place a second cranberry jelly at the 3 o’clock position 2 cm away from the center pile of beets and top with a piece of olive crisp. Place a third cranberry jelly at the 10 o’clock position, touching the center pile of beets and just above the cashew yogurt in the 10 o’clock position. Place a medium sized olive crisp at the 12 o’clock position nestled into the pile of broken beets. Take a large piece of olive crisp, irregularly shaped though roughly 8 cm long and 4 cm wide, and top it with a cranberry jelly. Squeeze a small drop of cashew yogurt to the left of the jelly and top the yogurt with a sprig of purslane. Place this crisp on top of the pile of broken beets. Repeat with the other plates.

The Details

 

I'm sipping a 2002 Pride Syrah. We decanted the bottle because we know from experience that a Pride Syrah will have sediment, be a little tight, and need some time to warm up from cellar temperature to reach its full potential. It's a beautiful wine, nuanced and rich, it brings to mind dark chocolate, not just any old dark chocolate but high end, high percentage dark chocolate. The wine and the chocolate can have many of the same notes, truffles, olives, earth, velvet, blackberries, smoke, and leather. All of which can be easily missed by someone who's not focused on the experience. Good food and beverages are like that. Easily dismissed but absolutely amazing if you only take the time to appreciate the nuances. Great books, beautiful music, fine art, these experiences are all similar and yet very different. It's all about how you approach the experience. When I was in culinary school I went through phases when I took my classes seriously and when I did not. Afterwards I realized the truth in the statement that the return of any educational experience is all about what you put into it. I would argue that's true about any experience at all. My resolution for 2010 is to live consciously and in the moment in order to extract every bit of knowledge and pleasure from my life's experiences. They may not all be good, although there is always something to be gained if I remember to pay attention.

Sourdough Cavatelli

Sourdough Starter+Semolina+Salt

The first bites of this tasty pasta were adorned with butter and aged pecorino. I was going to share with Aki, except she was not in the room and by the time I found her the bowl was empty. Now we begin work on the application process where we search for the right match for this new kitchen staple.

Butter Burger Benedict

Happy New Year!!!

New Years brunch is often hectic, scrambling to drink champagne and make Eggs Benedict at the same time. Also, brunch is a balancing act between breakfast dishes and lunch. Benedict is usually consumed by me while Aki longs for something more lunch-like. When I suggested Butter Burger Benedict with Brown Butter Hollandaise for brunch, Aki raised her eyebrows, as only she can do, and said "sounds a bit heavy."

 

Fast forward to this morning. I set about cleaning a first cut chuck blade roast, adding the butter and onions and grinding the mixture for the burgers. Aki was willing to humor my vision and even began to encourage my Burger Benedict. Once the burger mixture was prepared I set about making brown butter blender hollandaise which I then placed in an insulated ISI canister. This allowed us to keep the hollandaise on hand while we cooked burgers and eggs. Normally poaching eggs for a group is not always an easy task. To solve that balancing act we prepared our 13 minute eggs, cooked to order. Once the eggs were cooking, Aki took over the cooking and fired up the griddle for the English muffins and the cast iron skillet for the burgers.

When the burgers were finished they were placed on top of the griddled English muffins. I cracked the eggs and nestled them in place and topped each one with the aerated hollandaise sauce. The benedict provided a happy medium for Aki and myself. Everyone else enjoyed them too.

A perfect way to start the brand New Year.