Adventures in Doughnutland.
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Chauhan, Maneet: Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India: A Cookbook
McDermott, Kate: Pie Camp: The Skills You Need to Make Any Pie You Want
Lee, Lara: Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen
Kimber, Edd: One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns
Clark, Letitia: Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia
McDowell, Erin Jeanne: The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies
Michael Solomonov: Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story
Chris Cosentino: Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart, with Guts
Deb Perelman: Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
Samin Nosrat: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
Michelle Tam: Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
Lee Brian Schrager: America's Best Breakfasts: Favorite Local Recipes from Coast to Coast
Jacqueline An: An: To Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen
Carolyn Phillips: All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China
Alexandra Stratou: Cooking with Loula: Greek Recipes from My Family to Yours
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We have begun making Meyer lemon vinegar. We started with cut lemons, water, sugar and yeast. After a few days, the vat was bubbling. We removed the lemons for another purpose. We will let lemon wine fermentation continue in the open air. The alcohol will continue to increase. In time the open air environment will be a welcome landing zone for acetobacters. They will happily digest the lemon wine into indispensable vinegar.
Years Past
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Show and tell is here again. The weekly letter keeps us on our toes teaching Amaya how to make something new in the kitchen. This week is marshmallows, recipes for which are a dime a dozen, a quick Google search yields several reputable variations. The trick here is the coating. We ground up freeze-dried raspberries with powdered sugar and then cut the mixture with 50% cornstarch before coating the marshmallows. The raspberries add their own wonderful flavor and a hint of tang to cut through the sweetness. Best of all they make everything pink, which makes Amaya happy.
Years Past
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We have been working with Activa for years. The biggest issue has been the size of the package. It is traditionally used by larger companies. The kilogram bag it comes in illustrates this. The bag size becomes a hindrance in restaurant applications because we use much smaller quantities. Once the shelf stable bag is open it should be vacuum sealed and kept in the freezer. This keeps the enzyme alive and inactive. Unfortunately, the bags are not always sealed well. The bags are left out on shelves and counter tops. There is a greater chance of cross contamination because people are not scrupulous about taking Activa from bag and using it in smaller quanities for different proteins.
When we first started working with Activa we received sample sizes, 100-gram pouches to work with. These were the optimum size for most restaurants because they could use them up before the enzyme expired. To put this in perspective we use between 0.5-1% Activa by weight. So 100 grams of Activa is enough for 10,000 grams or roughly 22 pounds of protein. For years now, I have been trying to convince the good folks at Ajinomoto to sell these smaller, more functional bags for restaurant use. Yesterday I found out my badgering had not fallen on deaf ears. Restaurants can now by 10 packs of Activa RM and GS. The 100 gram bags are shelf stable until opened and then you vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer. No longer will $80 bags of Activa "go bad" due to user error. The catch is that the smaller bags are more expensive. The 10 packs cost $105 for the RM and $115 for the GS. The individual packaging, smaller footprint in the freezer, reduced product waste, and functionality make them worth the premium. To order the Activa, register on their website www.ajiusafood.com. It took 24 hours for our registration to process. Be more patient than we were. Hopefully if this goes well they will add the Ti and YG to the program.
Years Past
January 29, 2006
January 29, 2005
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We love the idea of the braised pork chop. We took an end rib pork chop and pounded it flat. We layered ham and prosciutto on top and rolled it into a tube. The bone lays right on top. We wrapped the meat parcel in plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight. Today we removed the plastic and seared the meat. Then we put it into a quick chicken jus we made in the pressure cooker. The jus was stabilized with some xanthan gum to keep the fat in suspension. We cooked the chop for 2 hours in the Cvap at 55°C. Then we sliced it, snapped a picture and devoured it. The chop was firm and juicy. The meat was semi-cured by the salty salumi. The pork chop, stuffed and rolled with the bone, is now on the must work a lot more with list.
Years Past
January 28, 2005
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You'd laugh at us if we said it was necessary to mix, portion, shape and cook meatballs one at a time. Take a look at what you do and how you do it. Are you making meatballs one at a time?
Years Past
January 27, 2005
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We seasoned a maple cube with our kimchi flour. It was a no-brainer: sweet, spicy, sour, salty, fermented. The difficulty is figuring out what we won't be shaving this on.
Years Past
January 26, 2005
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Oatmeal lace cookies are some of the easiest and most delicious cookies you can make at home. The whole grain makes you feel virtuous. The toffee-like crunch of butter and sugar is addictive. They are delicate, like lace, and full of flavor. We made them because it's "L" week for show and tell at Amaya's school. There were plenty for her and us. We'll definitely make them again. All we have left are crumbs.
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart
12 ounces/ 340 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 cups/ 300 grams old fashioned rolled oats (we like Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tablespoons / 14 grams AP flour
1 teaspoon / 6 grams fine sea salt
1 3/4 cups/ 350 grams sugar
2 teaspoons/ 10 grams vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325°F / 165°C
Put the melted butter, oats, flour, salt, sugar and vanilla in large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to blend well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well to fully combine each one. Use a small sorbet scoop to form tablespoon-sized balls of dough and lay them out on parchment lined sheet pans, leaving 2-inches of space between each ball. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown on the bottoms. Let cool for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
Years Past
January 25, 2009
January 25, 2005
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We had never made yogurt biscuits. We had yogurt on hand. We adapted our favorite stirred biscuit recipe. The dough was denser. It took more yogurt than buttermilk and cream. (An obvious result in hindsight. In practice it was interesting to observe.) The biscuits were richer. The tang of the yogurt resonated throughout. We brushed the biscuits with a honey-bourbon-butter for the last 3 minutes of baking. The glaze added a complex sweetness to balance the yogurt. We will be making these again.
Years Past
January 24, 2005
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Guessing is for the carnival. When you want every dish to be the same it is essential to limit the chances for error. Proteins, the expensive stuff is weighed when portioned. In practice all ingredients should be. It adds consistency, efficiency and cost effectiveness to the cooking process.
Years Past
January 23, 2005
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We often pair yogurt with grilled ingredients. We have also flavored it with grilled ingredients. When we cooked at Suna we captured the idea and flavor of the grill. We drained thick yogurt overnight hanging it in cheese cloth. Then we dumped the yogurt into a flat pan and charred it with a butane torch. We stirred the yogurt and charred it some more. We seasoned it with 7.5% sugar and 0.5% salt. The yogurt with the flavor of char blended in was really tasty. It may not technically be grilled, but it sure tastes like it is.
Years Past
January 22, 2005
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I began with the idea of an uncooked lemon curd. Blending sugar into eggs "cooks" them. Blending lemon into eggs "cooks" them. Blending them all together to see what would happen was a no-brainer. We put the lemon juice, sugar, eggs, salt and cayenne into a bowl, stirred them together and refrigerated the mixture overnight. The next morning our ideas proved wrong. The mixture was more liquid than what we started with. No problem. I put the lemon mixture in a blender. I put butter into a pot set over medium high heat. I let the butter melt and then brown. I turned on the blender and drizzled the hot butter into the cold lemon mixture. The butter emulsified into the mixture but failed to "cook" the curd. Undeterred I divided the lemon base between two quart containers, covered them, and put them into a Cvap Cook and Hold set at 64°C. I set my timer for 1 hour. When it sounded the curd was just beginning to set. I added another hour and waited. This time the curd was perfect. It jiggled just a bit when I shook the containers. It was definitely cooked. I put the containers into an ice bath. When the curd was cold I tasted. Wow. I smiled. It is something special. This curd is rich and spoonable. The lemon flavor is fresh and uncooked. It has a lightness and brightness that you simply don't find in traditional lemon curd. It just took some time and thought to figure out how to "cook" it.
Brown Butter Lemon Curd
400 grams Meyer lemon Juice
400 grams sugar
400 grams whole eggs (8 large)
4 grams salt
0.75 grams cayenne450 grams butter
Preheat a CVAP to 64°C/147°F with "0" browning
Put the lemon juice, sugar, eggs, salt and cayenne in a blender and blend them together. Dice the butter and put it in a pot set over medium high heat. Once it melts, stir constantly until the the butter is a golden brown and has a nutty scent. Turn the blender on low, remove the top and slowly drizzle in the butter until it has all ben absorbed and emulsified. Divide the mixture between two heatproof quart containers and put them in the CVap for 2 hours, or until the curd is cooked through and jiggles slightly in the centers when you shake the containers. Transfer them to an ice bath and cool completely. Lemon curd will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Years Past
January 21, 2005
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You never know what you're going to come across on YouTube. This video for making fresh rice noodles is smart and definitely worth watching.
Years Past
January 20, 2005
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I came to kettle corn late. Although I had tried it a few times in the past I never embraced it until this summer when friends of ours brought a bag when they came to visit. They left the bag behind and I happily finished the entire thing in one afternoon, thereafter branding myself as "the one who ate all our popcorn" in their young son's eyes. Never-mind that they had already left and the popcorn was officially mine at that point, in Antonio's mind I will forever be the one who ate all his popcorn. Oh well.
I knew that keeping kettle corn at home was a very bad idea. Nevertheless a few months later I was on the hunt and bought a bag of kettle corn from the supermarket and a microwave version to try at home. Needless to say both of these were terrible. You cannot make kettle corn in the microwave, it is impossible. I have no idea what went wrong with the pre-made version though because it would seem to me that kettle corn would be even easier than say, Smartfood, to bag and sell commercially. (In creating that link I discovered that Smartfood makes Kettle corn. Who knew?) Real kettle corn is characterized by the fact that sugar begins to melt and caramelize on the corn so that when it's done the flavor is somewhere between a golden popcorn ball and caramel corn. Sprinkling sugar over popped corn creates a pale, sad imitation of the real thing. No cooked sugar means no complexity, no little burnt bits or toffee-like bites, no super crunchy goodness where every salty sweet mouthful is slightly different from the one before. Clearly it was time to hit the kitchen.
I read a variety of recipes online and the proportions and instructions are all pretty much the same. You start with 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large pot, 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, 1/3 cup sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Put three popcorn kernels in the pot with the oil, cover and set it over medium high heat. Make sure it's not too noisy in the kitchen so you can actually hear when the kernels pop. Once this happens add the remaining popcorn and pour the sugar and salt over the top. Cover the pot and begin to shake, keeping it over the heat as you do so. Once most of the popcorn has popped, pour it out into a bowl and serve. Sounds simple right? In reality not so much.
Let's start with the popcorn. The type of kernel matters. Bigger kernels mean a better bite. Mushroom and butterfly varieties are recommended. I use the mushroom myself because that's what I can get at my local Amish market but plain old white popcorn kernels will do in a pinch. Better to use what you have than go without. Speaking of kernels, they may look and feel dry but there must be moisture inside them in order to pop. So once you open a bag of kernels you are supposed to keep them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It's a good idea to pull them out early and let them come to room temperature before you put them in the pot with the oil or you will be shaking your pan for quite some time before your kernels start to pop. It's not a bad workout but things move much more quickly if cold kernels don't drop the temperature of your oil.
Once the popcorn starts popping, shake harder. Do not attempt to get every kernel to pop. This results in burnt caramel popcorn, which I can tell you from experience is not delicious. Have a sheet pan lined with parchment paper nearby and once the popcorn slows down, remove from heat and immediately pour it out onto the sheet pan. Spread it out on the pan and let it cool for at least 5 minutes. If you the pour the popcorn out quickly, any burnt pieces will end up on top of the pile and are easily removed without contaminating the rest. The kettle corn crisps up as it cools and the flavors come together. While you may not be able to resist tasting it right out of the pot, I guarantee it will taste better once it cools. Break it up and serve. Kettle corn will keep in an airtight container for a few days. I've never had a batch last longer than two days but I feel certain that with that protective layer of sugar on the outside it will keep for up to a week. Now go and make your own. You'll never buy the fake kind again.
Years Past
January 18, 2009
January 18, 2005
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I wanted to know if there was a fermented condiment similar to kimchi in Italian cooking. I asked the question, did some research and came up empty. The idea sat on the shelf for a long time. Then we received some delicious escarole kimchi from the folks at Cultured Pickle Shop. As we were eating it on top of hot dogs it clicked. Escarole is a staple ingredient in the Italian kitchen. We could season the escarole with Italian seasonings and let it ferment. The result would be kimchi. Italian kimchi. We blended the smoked anchovy salt with garlic powder, Korean red pepper flakes, fennel seed and salted capers. We seasoned sliced onions and garlic chives with Red Boat fish sauce. Then we layered the ingredients together. We packed and weighted down the kimchi base. It is fermenting in the workshop.
Years Past
January 17, 2005
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Cakes are usually quick to make. As long as your ingredients are all at the right temperature it is generally a simple measure and mix procedure before pouring the batter into the pan(s) and baking. Slowing down the process allows flavors to develop. This concept has inspired our exploration of yeasted cakes. In these instances ingredients are forced to mingle. Flours have time to hydrate, fats and sugars absorb aromatics. Leavening with yeast adds its own particular flavor and lift to the mix. We mixed this particular chocolate cake dough by hand and let it rise for 12 hours at room temperature. Then we mixed the dough again, divided it between 2 bundt pans, and let them proof for 12 hours more. We baked the cakes for 1 hour at 350°F. Once finished, we let them cool completely. We left one whole and cut the other into slices. We drenched all of the cake and cake pieces in brown butter and then coated them with powdered sugar in the style of Stollen. The whole cake is being aged for a few days to see what new flavors develop. The slices on the other hand are disappearing quickly.
Years Past
January 16, 2005
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We used to have a bunch of partially finished bottles of wine on hand. Life has changed. Cider is the drink of choice. Cider, when forgotten, quickly ferments. And when the fermented cider is exposed to the air, acetobactors take hold. We have allowed the last 1/3 of our cider jugs to take part in this fermentation two step. The result is an intensely apple cider vinegar with a strong mother. It is an essential building block and canvas in our kitchen.
Years Past
January 15, 2005
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These noodles are destined for the diners of Suna on Wednesday. We have reworked our gochujang pasta recipe. Now we use red pepper juice instead of water. We blend the gochujang (smoked in our world) with the pepper juice. We strain the mixture to remove any coarse solids. We add the amplified pepper liquid to our semolina-baking soda-wheat gluten blend in the extruder. If you don't have an extruder, try using the same liquid with AP flour and a touch of semolina for bite. We have found that flavored noodles benefit from a few days rest for optimum flavor development. These should be eating wonderfully by Wednesday.
Years Past
January 14, 2005
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One of the byproducts of making fish sauce is the salt which settles in the bottom of the barrels. The folks at Red Boat have saved that salt and washed it. They sent us some to work with. Our first idea was to smoke it. The moist salt absorbs the smoke. The smoke tames the funk. The salt becomes delicious.
Years Past
January 13, 2005
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It started with the flavor profile of the Dabob Bay Oysters. We shucked them and cooked them at 48°C for 20 minutes. We cooled the oysters down and blended them with yogurt, cucumber, fresh horseradish and 0.15% xanthan gum. We strained the mixture and gently warmed it. We took our glazed potatoes and grated fresh horseradish over them. Then we put the potatoes and soup into bowls and dug in.
Yeasr Past
January 12, 2005
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We glazed the boiled, dried, and cooled potatoes in a bacon broth. The potato skins absorbed the broth. The interiors softened. They are potato "ravioli."
Years Past
January 11, 2011
January 11, 2005
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Replicating observations is not easy. Aki has recently been boiling peeled potatoes before roasting them under a chicken. One evening the potatoes developed a ravioli like skin around them allowing the center to be soft and creamy. These potatoes were outstanding. The memory of them has been haunting me. The idea of a potato ravioli in its own skin fascinated me. Yesterday we boiled small potatoes in their skins. Then we peeled them and put them in the dehydrator for a few hours. The potatoes developed a skin and the insides stayed soft. We crushed a number of them straight from the dehydrator. Restraint saved a few for further explorations.
Years Past
January 10, 2007
January 10, 2005
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Connect experiences.
Change textures.
Add flavor whenever possible.
Years Past
January 9, 2005
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One of our downfalls in working with the pressure cooker has been using too much liquid. We have started cooking with less liquid, really the right amount. We are also looking at using complete entities as our cooking medium. Today we combined our seasoned short ribs with a jar of Rao's sauce. We added a hefty splash of red wine and a pinch of julienned kombu. We cooked the meat for 45 minutes on high pressure. The meat became melting and succulent. The sauce is perfect "gravy" consistency. We are serving them on a fresh batch of amori. New doors open up with a fresh perspective.
Years Past
January 8, 2005
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We recently worked with Daniel Gritzer and Food & WIne Magazine on an article about how to Train Yourself To Be A Better Cook. We had a lot of fun putting the exercises together and while not all of them made the cut, one of our favorites was the one about salt. For the magazine we used a pork chop, determined the right amount of seasoning for it, and then had cooks apply the salt to the meat in three different ways to see how the results would differ. Our greatest take away from this particular exercise was the realization that salting meat or fish in advance and then leaving them in the refrigerator uncovered for at least a few hours and up to two days makes a huge difference in flavor. This is not dry-aging, this is seasoning and air-drying. The process helps concentrate natural flavors and the salt has a chance to penetrate the meat so that it is seasoned throughout. It has become a common practice in our kitchen.
The technique has evolved. Now we use the Beef seasoning from our book. When we come home from the store we lay proteins and vegetables on a rack. We do this even before we decide what to do with them. The application of salt, sugar cayenne* and air makes them taste better. That's what good cooking is all about.
*when cooking with Amaya in mind we omit the cayenne like in the above picture of strip steaks and boneless short ribs.
Years Past
January 7, 2009
January 7, 2007
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When we unmolded this cake it stuck horribly. The cake fond gave us a sneak preview. It was delicious. The newly revealed topography on the cake was not that appealing. But when we dusted it with powdered sugar the divots became accents. The troughs faded and captured light. The look of this cake is not one we could have imagined. And now we are looking to replicate the results. Smooth is fine but texture tantalizes.
And this chocolate cake is gluten free. It is made with our Batch 2 flour blend.
Years Past
January 6, 2005
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It was a treat to be able to stand around shucking and eating. We had not tried Dabob Bay Oysters before. Looking at an oyster list they sounded interesting. We picked them. The shells are delicate. The lips tended to flake into the cup on shucking. Their flavor is rich. The finish is salty. The middle is reminiscent of cucumber-yogurt soup. Moving forward I would not order them again. There are many incredible oysters out there to try. If it is not mind blowingly delicious we like to lift other rocks.
Years Past
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Toad in a hole meets ham, egg and cheese. The two dishes never had it so good. We use thinly sliced ham, pepper jack cheese, country bread and sweet butter. We punch out holes for the eggs. We cook it all on a flat sandwich press. Play with the parts. Let breakfast treat you right.
Years Past
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We did not set out to make gluten free gnocchi. We were looking at the process of gnocchi making. We wanted to streamline the entire process. We peeled the potatoes and pressure cooked them for 20 minutes. Then we put them through a food mill and kneaded in cornstarch. We pinched and rolled the dough into gnocchi. Each dumpling resembling a small potato. When they were all rolled we refrigerated them allowing the potato starch to gelatinize. Once they were cold we boiled them in water and finished them in sauce. These gnocchi are different. The usual expectation of gnocchi is light and fluffy or gummy and gluey. The first bite has you looking for a gummy mess. But it never arrives. You bite cleanly through them. They are full of potato flavor. And then you go back for more.
Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi
1150 grams Peeled russet potatoes
8.75 grams fine sea salt
130 grams cornstarch
Put the potatoes in a bowl that fits inside a pressure cooker. Season the potatoes with the salt. Put 1 inch of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker and put the bowl inside. Cook the potatoes on high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the pressure dissipate naturally. Remove the potatoes from the pressure cooker and press them through a food mill or potato ricer. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the potatoes and fold it into the mixture. Knead the cornstarch into the potatoes until a homogeneous dough forms. Pinch the dough into marble size pieces and roll them into marbles. Put the dumplings onto a parchment paper lined pan. Refrigerate the gnocchi until they are cold. Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and finish in sauce.
Years Past
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This winter we've become addicted to a lavender scented neck and shoulder wrap. We love it so we're sharing it with you. Amaya has dubbed it the "warm and cozy." The one we use is from Herbal Concepts (photo via Amazon). It has a small flap that is designed to wrap around the neck attached to a small cape that drapes over the shoulders. We warm it up in the microwave and, depending on who is using it, drape it over the shoulders, wrap it around the lower back or belly or blanket it over feet and legs. It's a wonderful all purpose soother for kids and adults. It's perfect for long hours hunched over a computer or simply watching movies on the couch. Amaya takes hers to bed with her and it replicates the hot water bottles of old, warming chilly sheets with the added benefit of a soothing fragrance. It's an affordable luxury that makes our day a little bit better.
Years Past
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