IDEAS IN FOOD

Quality Inspires

Signs of spring are starting to emerge. When we came across some miniature morels at the market we smiled because with them in our kitchen the quantity of snow outside ceases to matter. The change in seasons has begun. What was particularly striking about these morels was their perfect appearance and heady aroma. The small honeycombed fungi smell of earth and forest, conjuring images of damp trees and moist soil. It's easy to picture small green shoots appearing nearby and imagine that fiddle head ferns and ramps are not far behind this first offering of Spring.

Rays of Sunlight

Endive Kimchee

My current endive fixation was sparked by my trip to Brussels.  Backstage at the Flemish Primitives were several flower boxes planted with endive. The endive was beautiful breaking free from the soil and the sight prompted immediate scribblings and sketches. I returned home and quickly forgot about that stream of inspirations. A trip to the store and a bounty of endive reawakened my new found interest in endives. Endives are interesting vegetables. They have several textures and possess a variety of flavors.

An issue I have had with endive is the difference between the feathery tips and the denser core of the leaves. When we were working on our fluke dish we cut the endive in a new way for us. We separated the stalk from the lighter feathery tips and created two exciting textures. What is interesting is that the core of the endive was sweet and delicate while the feathery tips contained the bitter notes commonly associated with endive. In separating the endive into textures we were able to look at the traditional spears in a new light. The center stalks take well to bolder flavors and marination while the feathery tips add light crisp bitter notes. The butchery of the endive inspired the direction of the fluke dish and the subsequent idea of endive and pear kimchi. 

In thinking about the endive flavored with kimchee we began looking at complimentary flavors. Somehow pears jumped out. We made a puree of kimchee and and used that to dress the endive stalks and pear slices. We added a splash of lemon juice a bit of salt and some minced parsley. To bring the salad together we reached for some Cabot Clothbound cheddar and the endive feathers. 

Upon reflection the salad as we prepared it could be part of a larger dish, as an accompaniment to several other small plates, an accent of sorts to support a few other ideas and directios.

Print Gallery

Our print gallery is now open. After several requests for print copies of our photos we've made the leap and created an online gallery where you can check out some of our favorite images and purchase these large prints if they inspire you. It's been a fun project for us, choosing the prints was a lot harder than you may think. We plan to change them periodically as new and interesting photos catch our fancy. We hope you enjoy this new aspect of Ideas in Food as much as we do. There are new projects on the horizon and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Cooks Withought Knives

John Sconzo has taken the reigns of organizing the fund to get the devasted cooks the money to replace their knives which were engulfed in flames the tragic fire at Mugaritz. They were working for free to gain experience and knowledge. Now they are without a kitchen and the essential tools of their craft. Give what you can to help these young cooks get back in the kitchen with the tools they need to succeed.

Fluke and Endive

This dish is still a work in progress. It started with a bounty of chicken backs, which is really code for chicken tails. The backs became the base for an intense lemon chicken jus which we in turn cooked shaved endive.

To get started, we were able to remove the tails from the backs with a bit of quick scissor work. The tails were then cooked separately from the backs so that we could cook them in the intense cuisson. The cooked tails were then de-boned and wrapped into small parcels. The fish was cooked in the Cvap and then coated with sliced parsley stems dressed in olive oil. The chicken tail packets were sauteed quickly in their own fat and the feathery tips of the endive accented the fish and added a crispness to the dish. 

We came away from this first run with a number of new thoughts and are looking forward to working with them as we tweak this dish and look at other possibilities.

Just Add Water

We know that in order to cook beans we must hydrate them first to cook them well. We know that we must do this even when we plan to use a pressure cooker. We have cooked many nuts, seeds and spices in the pressure cooker to achieve wonderfully tender and tasty results. Until today we had yet to hydrate these ingredients prior to cooking them.

Our lives have now changed. The simple principle of hydrating the ingredients before cooking them has shaved three quarters of the time off of cooking. It also allows us to impart a flavor into the ingredients: for instance pine nuts in rosemary tea and almonds in smoked water.

Points of Interest 2/21/10

Greg Kuzia-Carmel recounts the horrific fire at Mugaritz from the viewpoint of an enthusiastic cook ripe with passion.

John Sconzo understands the world of cooking and expresses the hardships of cooks who have lost their knives.

High Pressure Processing in action. (This is the same video we were shown in Brugge at the Flemish Primitives to compliment the presentation.)

Team Alinea makes edible tea.

Who is making better popcorn?

Coconut and Blueberries

Coconut Custard

 

 

Toasted Coconut Water

 

250 grams shredded Coconut

500 grams water

3 grams salt

 

Spread the coconut on a sheet pan and toast in a 176 degree Celsius oven.  Stir the coconut occasionally so it toast evenly.  The coconut is done when it is a dark golden brown.  Remove from the oven and place in a pressure cooker.  Add the water and salt, cover with the lid and cook on high pressure for thirty minutes.  When the pressure releases, strain the water through a fine mesh conical strainer and cool down.

 

Coconut Custard

 

395 grams coconut milk

150 grams toasted coconut water

 

3 grams salt

 

1.35 grams agar agar

0.15 grams Locust bean gum

 

200 grams white chocolate

 

Place the coconut milk and toasted coconut water in the blender.  Turn the blender on a create a vortex in the machine.  Sprinkle the salt, agar agar and locust bean gum into the vortex and blend to evenly disperse the ingredients.  Pour the blended ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  When the mixture reaches a simmer, continue to cook for five minutes.  While the mixture is simmering, chop the white chocolate into pieces smaller than a centimeter.

 

When the coconut milk mixture has simmered for five minutes, strain it into a clean blender.  Turn the speed on low and begin to add the white chocolate in six stages, allowing it to melt into the mixture between additions.  When the white chocolate has been fully melted into the coconut mixture, strain it into a twenty by twenty glass pan.  Place the mixture into the refrigerator to cool.

 

Infused Blueberries

 

320 grams blueberries

145 grams blueberry juice

35 grams yuzu juice

10 grams agave nectar

3 grams salt

 

Mix the blueberry juice, yuzu juice, agave nectar and salt together.  Pour the blueberry blend over the blueberries and place the ingredients into a vacuum seal bag.  Place the bag in a vacuum sealer and seal the blueberries and juices on a liquid setting.  Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for several hours.  Remove the blueberries from the bag.  Strain the blueberry juice and reserve.  Set aside 28 infused blueberries to finish the dish and coat with a light dressing of the infusion juice.  Lay the remaining blueberries on a plastic tray and place into the freezer.

 

Blueberry Spheres

 

295 grams infused frozen blueberries

185 grams infused blueberry juice

 

1.6 grams agar agar

0.18 grams locust bean gum

2 grams salt

 

115g diced cold whole butter

 

Place the frozen blueberries and the blueberry juice in the blender.  Let the berries thaw for five minutes in the juice, then turn the blender on low.  Increase the speed as the berries become pulverized and a smooth blueberry puree is formed.  While the blender is running and a vortex has formed in the center of the mixture, sprinkle in the agar agar, locust bean gum and the salt.  When the ingredients have been evenly dispersed in the mixure, pour the blueberry puree into a pot.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for five minutes.  After the mixture has cooked for five minutes, turn off the heat and pour the mixture into clean blender top.  Turn the blender on low and start adding the cold butter in four additions.  When the butter is fully emulsified into the blueberry mixture, strain the base through a fine mesh conical strainer into a bowl.  Allow the mixture to cool to seventy degrees Celsius, then fill a squirt bottle with the mixture.  Reserve extra puree in the bowl and fill the squirt bottle as needed.  Spray the interiors of a two piece, 32 cavity chocolate sphere mold with pan release and wipe out any excess spray.  Close the mold and then fill each cavity with the blueberry puree.  Once all the cavities are filled pour the remaining puree into a container to cool.  Place the sphere molds and the excess puree into the refrigerator to set.

 

Blueberry Puree

 

Reserved blueberry base from making blueberry spheres

 

Place the reserved blueberry base from the blueberry spheres into a blender.  It will have set into a solid mass and will need to be broken apart in the blender.  Once the set puree is broken, turn the blender on and let the mixture puree for five minutes.  The mixture will take on a granular look part way through the blending though the continuous blending will smooth the mixture back out.  When the mixture is smooth and glossy, turn the blender off and pass the puree through a fine mesh conical strainer.  Reserve in the refrigerator.

 

 

To Assemble

 

Coconut Custard

Blueberry Spheres

Blueberry Puree

Infused Blueberries

Bush Basil

 

Slice the coconut custard into 4 strips 2cm thick.  Cut each strip into 8cm lengths.  The coconut custard yields more custard than will be needed.  Unmold the blueberry spheres.  Place a spoonful of the blueberry puree in the center of each plate.  Use an off set spatula to spread the puree in a twenty degree angle towards the top of the plate.  Place one piece of custard straight up and down on the plate, just touching the spread of blueberry puree.  Place the second piece of custard on the left had side of the spread puree at a 45 degree angle laying on its wider side.  Place one blueberry sphere on top of the angled coconut slice.  Place one sphere 2cm below the straight up and down slice of custard.  Place the third sphere to the top right of the up and down slice of custard.  Arrange the blueberries: place one on the angled slice of custard opposite the sphere, one on the top of the straight slice of custard, one between the straight slice of custard and the blueberry sphere, one in the center of the blueberry puree and one a cm below on the plate, the final berry to the right of the sphere below the straight slice of custard.  Arrange bush basil leaves and small sprigs on the blueberries and one on the corner of the angled slice of custard.  

Points of Reference

Here at the resort where we're staying we've learned that menu descriptions are interpretive. It's an interesting twist that tends to throw people off because what you order may not be what you get. At dinner one night when someone was asked what he had gotten for dessert he replied "I have no idea." This is sometimes good and sometimes not. On the other hand as long as you know what you're getting into you can approach each meal with an open mind and a sense of adventure. You never know when you're going to stumble across something great.

 

As we were discussing the broad interpretations of the menu descriptions I realized that it wasn't so different from what many chefs in the States do. We ourselves are often knocked for our tongue in cheek menu descriptions that can seem disrespectful, if not downright sacrilegious, to others. We defend our right to creative expression but catch ourselves occasionally raising our eyebrows at others, especially when we don't enjoy the food offered. It's an interesting double standard and one that I hadn't realized that I possessed. The words "you can't call that a cannoli." came out of my mouth one night. But the truth is they can and they did. Certainly we've stretched classic culinary descriptions much further than that slightly soggy confection that resembled a taquito stuffed with barely sweetened cream cheese. Does being delicious make it any less disrespectful? And is it even about respect at all?

Philosophy at the table. I don't suppose there are any concrete answers although it did give me pause. We defend our use of classic culinary terms because they are a point of reference, giving the diner a sense of what they are about to receive even when what is on the plate is far removed from the original intention. In many cases we are paying homage to a well loved creation. If we lose the original definition then we also lose the analogy. On the other hand classics change with the times. Today's confit is not the same one that was created to preserve meat through the winter in France so many years ago. We can't shy away from evolution. Acceptance of change means acknowledging that everyone has a right to employ it.

Endless Guacamole

One of the nice things about being in Cabo is the seemingly endless supply of guacamole. It is a favorite of ours and one that tends to be doled out in somewhat stingy and expensive portions in restaurants back home. When made with spicy jalapenos, ripe fruit, sharp lime juice and a judicious amount of salt, guacamole can make many things better. It's like Mexican butter except that I can tell myself that its made with a fruit and eat as much as I please.

Avocados are a shippers favorite type of fruit because they are picked hard by necessity and only soften after harvest. Like pears they must be mature before they are picked if they are to ripen into something delicious. Interestingly the oil content of the fruit increases with maturity, which is why some avocados still taste grassy and watery and soften without developing the smooth, supple texture of a mature avocado. As oil volume increases, water content decreases changing both the texture and the flavor of the developing fruit. Once it has been harvest the avocado will soften but it will no longer mature. The easiest way for growers to measure the maturity of the avocado is by determining the percent of dry matter. The dry weight is determined by weighing the fruit and then removing the water content and reweighing, this second number is considered the dry weight of the fruit. Growers have minimum dry weight standards that must be reached before they can be sold. These are generally measured by standard size and weight requirements which vary based on the variety.

Although there are well over twenty different cultivars, by far the most commonly found avocado in the United States is the Haas. They are popular for their smooth, creamy flesh. They change color from green to black as they ripen, making it easy for home cooks to identify ripe fruit. They are easy to peel with a small to medium-sized seed. They are grown in California, Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and New Zealand, ensuring that they are available year round in the United States. Although avocados are relatively high in calories with 250 calories per medium sized fruit, they are rich in unsaturated fats and contain many different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients vital to human health. They also help the body absorb fat soluble nutrients.

Frankly the best thing about avocados is that they taste good. I remember the first time I had a really ripe avocado sandwich. It was in the summertime at a cabin with friends. The sandwich was made with homemade white bread and the avocado slices were liberally salted and spiked with lime juice. There was a thick slice of ripe tomato and a touch of mayo to hold everything together. I had been a bit skeptical when my friends came back from shopping with nothing but bread, avocados and tomatoes. I had always though avocados were kind of boring and bland. I was proven wrong. That sandwich was delicious in the way that fresh seasonal produce can be when the stars are all in alignment. After that avocados joined my list of favorite foods and I've never looked back. Admittedly a bad avocado is a sheer waste of calories. A good one...I'll leave that to your imagination.

Quandary

The terrine itself has a beautiful aesthetic. The shrimp and fennel flavors go wonderfully together and the harissa spice blend in the mix makes eating the terrine a delight. The issue arises when we look at serving the shrimp. A large block of shrimp is just not that easy to eat and certainly not something we want to serve. Consequently, we have hit a road block. The key is finding the proper balance between shrimp and the rest.

Often times stepping away from the subject and writing about the issue will spark ideas and reveals pathways. A salad of ripe and green mango and a puree of pine needle yogurt is one interesting avenue.Thinly slicing the the terrine like traditional charcuterie and serving it with a touch of mostarda fruit is another. Cutting the terrine into a large dice as the foundation for  small bite is an intriguing idea. The more we ponder, the further we get.

Sea Urchin Ice Cream

Often times when working with sea urchin there are pristine tongues and slightly beaten up or irregular shaped pieces. We believe in highlighting the beautiful seafood, sometimes lightly smoked, although the irregular pieces are often an after thought. When we were working with a large supply of sea urchin we started looking into finding ways to highlight the after thoughts. One delicious result is our sea urchin ice cream. It goes wonderfully well with soups as well as the base for raw fish preparations.

Sea Urchin Ice Cream

220g whole milk yogurt

165g Santa Barbara Sea Urchin

130g cream cheese

110g liquid glucose

3.5g salt

1 scraped vanilla bean

 

Puree all ingredients in a blender. Strain through a fine meshed strainer. Freeze the mix in a paco jet canister and then process or freeze in an ice cream maker.

Under (a Heck of a lot of) Pressure

When I was in Brugge, speaking at The Flemish Primitives, I became re-energized in my pursuit for exploring the uses of high pressure in cooking today (Download HPPFactSheet) . I have had conversations with a number of individuals prior to this event. My initial thought was using pressure as a cooking method for fruits and vegetables. We were only able to speculate on the topic and soon the idea grew dust on the shelf.  In Brugge I was finally able to eat the results first hand backstage and as part of the opening presentation. The seafood tasted, all raw, was plump and vibrant. The cockles were amazing while the mussels left me a bit hesitant. I had never eaten raw mussels before so that may have had something to do with squeamish feeling I got. High pressure processing is not new, what we can do with it is.

Currently we know of some folks using high pressure machines to remove the shells from King crabs and lobsters to produce an ingredient with more viable paths. One hesitation about high pressure processing is the results. The technology has been around for a long time although the refinement of it and the desired applications: from texturization, to infusing aromatics to enabling control in an exact cooking method are now not just coming into play. These reasons and results are some of the driving force sbehind creativity and execution in the kitchen.

Happy Valentine's Day

How do you show people that you love them? Alex does it by walking tirelessly up and down beside the pool where we are on vacation while Amaya sleeps peacefully on his shoulder. We're not much for Valentine's Day in terms of gifts and spending lots of money. Instead we simply take a breath and a moment to appreciate the ones we love. Less marketing and more communion makes Valentine's Day a holiday worth marking on the calendar.

The Simplicity Factor

There is an opportunity in every ingredient used and in each step along the way to heighten or diminish flavor. Making informed and calculated decisions in the processes, preparations and presentations allows for the seemingly simple and incredibly delicious to magically appear. In order to express any given flavor at any given time we must focus on what we are doing and why we are doing it. 

The programmed answers of intuition, inspiration and creative impulses are no longer adequate. Now we must have concrete knowledge to truly excel. Sure, at times it feels like we are just bringing ingredients together effortlessly in the same way that musicians appear to perform on stage. There is a feeling of wonderment when something comes together before our eyes. We forget how much time and effort goes into creating that experience. In most cases the simpler a great dish or an experience feels, the more work went into editing and refining to achieve that harmonious end.

Sweet Maine Shrimp and Potato Tapioca

Wall Space

In the digital world, everything changes, evolves, and transforms. We have been taking pictures of food for over five years now and have only occasionally taken the time to print them out and experience them on a wall. There is something evocative about the transformation from computer screen to reality. The idea of bringing tangible versions of our work to the table has been on our minds. Recent requests have spurred us to take things to the next level.

There is often the question, what should we put on our walls? What is artwork, what captures a feeling and inspires thought? We have created a gallery of our favorite images that will found inside the egg. We've received our copies of each print to check out the quality and clarity and they will be available for perusal and for purchase in about a week.

If you are in the Philadelphia area and are interested in obtaining one of the pre-release copies of these photographs e-mail us.

Daikon Radish Greens

A pile of greens is a great inspiration. There are many approaches to dealing with an ingredient, or part there of, which is often discarded. Today we looked at the bush of greens and stripped through the excess. The result was a crisp stem with a flag of leafy greens which can be taken in a number of directions. Originally we worked on a complete daikon centric dish. That much daikon just does not come together properly. Tomorrow we shall take a closer look at which direction we shall go with these beautiful greens.

Edible Alcohol

From these classics where can we go?

A Walk Through Brugge

Milk Solid Miso

It may not have been the next, but it sure was close to the front of the line. What we have that is amazingly different when cooking the milk solids in the mason jar in the pressure cooker is that the toasted aroma is much stronger and prominent and the taste of the caramelized solids seems fuller and richer. In fact, the rich aroma of the solids had us first looking into cupcakes (go figure) and blondies (which were amazing). Once my sweet tooth was calmed the savory arena opened again.

The toasted solids blended incredibly well with blond miso creating a decadent seasoning which can go in a number of directions. The first was a quick brine for meat and seafood which alternatively may be used to hydrate and cook noodles. Speaking of noodles we may just have to make some milk solid- miso noodle soup. The blending of these flavors has created a wonderful base which now joins our ever growing pantry of necessities.

Shrimp Salad

We have taken to using our Cvap for cooking Maine shrimp. We cook them for twenty minutes at 55°C. The delicate moist heat allows the shrimp to be just set and easily peeled in their warmed state. The addition of aromatics to the shrimp is the next step to perfume them with delicate and dish specific notes. The shrimp are almost custard like in texture and in this dish are balanced by quick pickled onions, apples and parsley stems.

We're waiting for the snow to start here at home and Alex is on his way to Brussels for a speaking engagement at The Flemish Primitives. Much as Amaya and I wish we could be there but we have some other traveling to do this month and a whirlwind trip to Europe did not work easily into our schedule. This time we'll be living vicariously through Daddy. Hopefully soon we'll all be traveling together again for work.

Anyway since he's traveling & Amaya is a bit under the weather tonight we're sending you some interesting reading that we've found around the web.

Here's an interesting piece on hydrocolloids in prepared foods.

An older and still relevant article on working with food gums.

How to make your own white chocolate.

Mind-controlled lights at the Olympics.

A thought provoking piece on innovation.

Roux in a Jar

We actually cooked flour in the pressure cooker before we tried milk solids. Our first run had us cooking flour in a bag and the results were riddled with failure. The key being that the flour did nothing, it stayed a lovely white to cream color with no visible toasting or caramelization. With the initial failure we shelved the idea until recently. We were working on bridging the similarities between classic techniques and ones that are apparently but not actually new (like pressure cooking and sous vide) and decided a roux would be a fine point of illustration. To add fuel to the fire we were determined to make roux in a new way to us. We added flour and oil to a mason jar and placed it in a pressure cooker. We cooked the mixture for ninety minutes at high pressure and the results were a delicious peanut butter flavored blond roux. With the success of oil and flour we tested flour and butter. The results were equally positive and even more delicious because I like butter. It is the addition of fat that makes all the difference in cooking the flour. Using a pressure cooker allows for uniform, consistent results without having to stand over the stove. Progress is a beautiful thing.

Toasted in a Jar

The trouble with cooking milk solids in butter or other fats is the fat. Sometimes we are looking for just the roasted and caramelized flavors and aromatics. We have toasted milk solids in the oven and the results were good if not a bit uneven. Today we employed our pressure cooker to toast some milk solids. We filled a mason jar with the solids and closed it tight. We placed the jar in a pressure cooker with some water and cooked the milk solids for ninety minutes. The results were wonderful: an even toasting with a dark rich flavor and aroma. The results also have us wondering about toasting and infusing other ingredients from seeds and nuts to spices and aromatics to be infused in fats.

Perfect Pearls

We decided to pair the potato pearls with actual tapioca. Alex wanted to try out a technique he found in Francisco J Migoya's new book The Modern Cafe. We've been fans of tapioca for years. As a child I loved bubble tea and the slippery, chewy texture of the pearls. Later we took the method that we learned for finishing rice pudding back in the day from Ken at Clio. This involved having a cooked rice base that was finished a la minute with creme anglaise and whipped cream. When applied to tapioca the results are spectacular especially since the anglaise and the cream can be flavored in any number of different ways. As always it is one small step from sweet to savory and in this case we liked the idea of juxtaposing the large potato pearls with small tapioca ones.

 

The technique in question involved adding the tapioca to cold water and bringing it to a simmer, rinsing the pearls under cold water to remove any tapioca slime and repeating the process four times. It worked beautifully and is just one more reason to take a closer look at The Modern Cafe. (We were lucky enough to get a review copy.) The book is about opening a modern style cafe and is as thoughtful and well researched as one would expect from a book by Francisco.

Sugar + Sunshine

The best bakeries are happy places. How could they not be, people come to them when they are in celebratory moods, to order cakes or share some brownies and coffee. Even those who come in sad are there because they believe on some level the sugar will brighten their mood. How they feel afterwards depends on how much sugar they actually ingest. Alex had a craving for cupcakes and a little research sent us to Plainsboro, NJ to a bakery in a small retail strip. Upon entering the pink decor and happy staff were instantly welcoming.

 

The store itself was clean and homey and the baked goods arranged in the glass case were tempting. So much so that Alex returned to car with a dozen cupcakes and a cinnamon roll for the two of us and Amaya. Fortunately she had woken from her slumber so we took the warm cinnamon roll and his coffee back inside and added a lemon peel + ginger Mash soda and eventually a brownie. We ate and drank and Amaya happily wandered throughout and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. When we got home we discovered that the strawberry cupcakes were made with strawberry cake and frosting, which made us wonder why more places don't flavor their cakes, and their frosting was not as heavy as it looked, which was a good thing. The butter cream had the flavor of real butter and the chocolate frosted white cupcake was pretty darned edible. They were hands down the best cupcakes we've eaten in quite a while. The strawberry ones actually have us thinking about the perfect banana cupcake. Would the frosting be chocolate, caramel or peanut butter? In the meantime we've found a new bakery relatively close to our favorite Whole Foods and that is a very good thing.