IDEAS IN FOOD: 31 entries from October 2014

Add an Egg

After cooking up tons of pasta at Star Chefs, we headed over to Roberta's for dinner. I was unprepared for the chaos that is Roberta's, with its many nooks, crannies, bars, and shipping containers. After we paid penance at the cold table, we were graciously seated inside, where we went to town on the menu. And our greatest discovery was the ability to add an egg to any pizza. It is no easy feat to cook a perfect egg on a pizza, to do it repeatedly, in an insanely busy restaurant is even more impressive. The pizzas were amazing. The eggs, an added luxury that made them unforgettable.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 31, 2014 at 03:45 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Puzzle Pieces

Extruding Gluten Free

Lacto Lemons

Bulletproof Beurre Monte

Sea Truffles

Charred Rosemary Oil

Charcoal BYOB

Arcobaleno Pasta Extruders

Star Chefs ICC

I love it when a plan comes together.

Years Past

October 30, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 30, 2014 at 02:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Patience

Teaching Amaya to cook is teaching me how to take things slowly in the kitchen. After years of professional cooking it's second nature to do everything as quickly as possible and still do it to the best of my ability. Amaya, on the other hand, is cautious in the kitchen. She likes to do everything herself and at her own pace. It requires a real effort for me to resist taking over and finishing everything for her. It's worth it though because she enjoys spending time in the kitchen. Speed will come later because I realize that if I ruin her pleasure in the process then I've ruined everything.

Interestingly, after she spent so much time making and decorating these cookies, she decided they were too sweet, and then apologized for not eating them. Next time we'll try a different recipe...

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 29, 2014 at 08:22 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Importance of a Ladder

When we relocated to NH, we were fortunate to have a few apple trees on the property. On the morning of the actual transfer of deed we did a walk through of the house and workshop to make sure everything was in order. In the middle of the yard was a neglected (really overgrown and under-pruned) apple tree. Leaning against it was a worn wooden ladder, presumably for climbing into the branches and escaping the chaos of life. Amaya immediately saw the ladder and wanted to climb into the tree to explore. We were pressed for time and assured her she could climb the ladder after we signed the papers and owned the house. After we left, one of the owners returned for one last look.

After signing the papers we returned to our new home and all Amaya could talk about was climbing into the apple tree. We raced out to the yard and 10 feet from the tree we both stopped in our tracks. The ladder was gone. They had taken it with them. Amaya was devastated. I was even more so. She looked at me and said, "Dad, you promised I could climb the ladder."

I had no ladder and no excuse.

It took several months for me to find the right ladder for the apple tree: worn but not broken, aged but still sturdy, tall enough to climb into the branches but not dangerously high. In the interim we pruned the tree with hopes of bringing it back to its former glory. Amaya now has her apple tree and a ladder. The tree feels more complete now and next year we will use the ladder to harvest our fruit.

Years Past:

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 28, 2014 at 12:54 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tube Smoke

When I was down in Naples teaching, I was introduced to a tube smoker. It is a smart product. It uses wood pellets for fuel and then all it needs is a heat source. It slow burns, smolders, for several hours producing a consistent smoke in almost any space. It opens up the idea of what a smoker can be. We now have the ability to mix herbs, teas, coffee, spices, and more in with wood pellets, put them in the tube smoker, and let them smoke and add flavor anything we want, anywhere we go.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 27, 2014 at 12:50 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ramenized

Daniel Gritizer explored the idea of boiling traditional dried noodles in water spiked with baking soda. The idea was to mimic the alkaline texture of ramen quickly and efficiently in the kitchen. His one hangup was the flavor of the baking soda sticking to the noodles. We took the idea of boiling in baking soda water and applied it to our pre-hydrated noodles. The results were incredible. We were able to make noodles with the bouncy texture of ramen in 31 minutes. Though we want to play with hydrating them for even less time in the next go-round. Thirty of those those minutes are inactive cooking time, simply soaking the noodles.

We put 1% baking soda and 0.5% salt into 2000 grams of water. Then we added 450 grams of capellini to the water and let it hydrate for 30 minutes. When the noodles were was pliable we drained off the soaking water and quickly rinsed them in cold water. Then we set the noodles into a pan to hold in refrigeration until ready to cook.

These noodles are extremely flexible when hydrated. They want to clump together a bit but in the short term this is not a problem. Our first test had us boiling them immediately after soaking. They cooked in less than a minute. They were springy, chewy, and resilient. They were ramenized.

After letting the hydrated noodles sit in the refrigerator overnight we found that the bottom layer of the noodles was lying in a thin layer of starch and had stuck together. After dropping them into boiling water they did separate after stirring them for about a minute, but some of the noodles were torn in the process and they were still slightly clumpy. Maybe storing them in a perforated pan set over a regular pan, which would allow the liquid starch to drip down and out would alleviate this problem. What was interesting was that even though noodles stuck together a bit, they cooked up nicely, and still had a springy texture. Perfect for breakfast noodles.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 26, 2014 at 08:20 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (7)

Roasted Parsnips

Sometimes the simplest approach really does work the best. I had a large bunch of parsnips leftover from a workshop and I wanted to use them up. I peeled them, sliced them into sticks, tossed them with olive oil and salt, and roasted them at 425°F. After thirty minutes I stirred them and returned them to the oven. FIfteen minutes later I did it again and in another 5-10 minutes they were done. Deeply caramelized and sweet, they were slightly chewy at the tips and tender and creamy in the centers, with a rich earthy flavor. These were quite possibly the best parsnips I had ever eaten. The best part is that they are so versatile. They could take any number of seasonings or sauces, although in the end they were pretty darned great all on their own.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 25, 2014 at 01:07 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Crab Cake Royale

One of the many directions we explored with crab cakes was the royale. The idea blossomed from wanting to lighten up the crab cake and the fact that I was surrounded by quiche. We took the idea of a classic crab cake: Dukes mayonnaise, Ritz cracker crumbs, and mustard, added eggs and heavy cream, and then pureed the base. We folded in lump crab meat, dill, and bacon and then steamed the cakes in flexipans for 30 minutes at 82.5 C in the CVap.

When the cakes were set, we chilled and froze them in an Irinox blast chiller. When they were rock-solid, we breaded them with smoked Ritz Cracker crumbs. The breaded cakes could thaw slowly, in refrigeration, before finishing them à la minute.

Finally we deep fried the cakes to develop a uniform crust and then finished heating them through in a 350°F/ 176°C oven. The finished crab cakes had a crisp, rich crust. The inside was silken and tender, bursting with crab flavor. A lighter and more intense version of the original was born.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 24, 2014 at 08:15 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tape Your Plates

As we mentioned it was cold and blustery day for Meatopia. I was thankful to have the chefs from Charcoal BYOB braving the weather to lend multiple hands and minds to the cause. We were given paper plates to use for serving the crowds of people wandering through the event. To combat the winds they suggested running lines of inverted duct tape down our plating table. The bottoms of the plates would adhere to the tape and allow us to begin plating dishes ahead to accommodate the crowds. The tape worked like a charm. Only occasionally did a giant gust of wind send a plate or two flying. So here's a tip, for your next outdoor event, remember to bring tape.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 23, 2014 at 05:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wood Oven Seared Steaks

(photo by Mark Plescha)

During Meatopia X we were fortunate to be positioned right next to a wood fired oven. It was not intended to be used. The ovens on site were there because of a pizza event earlier that week as part of the NYC Wine and Food and Fesitval. But when you are next to a wood fired oven, how can you not fire it up? We set about fighting the blustery winds on the roof of Pier 92. We got the oven hot and cooking consistently.

Our original (improvisational) plan was to use the oven to heat our flavored fat. To prepare the steaks we cold smoked them sand then cooked them at 54°C in tallow for 3 hours. Then we seasoned the meat with our beef seasoning from Ideas in Food. To finish the meat we would sear it on a grill and then dip them in flavored fat: tallow, lard, brown butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, shallots and smoked paprika.

As we prepared to cook for 1000's we played around searing a steak on the oven floor. It worked out wonderfully. The beef seasoning from Ideas in Food caramelized and the meat browned. The steak was delicious. But we were here to grill meat. Fate chose a different path. Early on, we refueled our grill, and then the wind struck and our heat source rapidly lost the power to sear. So we improvised and started cooking 4 steaks at a time in the mouth of the wood oven. We didn't miss a beat as the grill regained it's heat and used both fires to finish cooking our smoked strip steaks.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 22, 2014 at 03:40 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dripping Dressed

I dragged this slice of smoked strip loin through the pan drippings from a roasted suckling pig. Steak had never tasted so good. A new horizon dawned for capturing and consuming more flavor.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 21, 2014 at 07:33 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have You Got Grit?

A Ted talk from Angela Lee Duckworth on what it really takes to succeed.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 20, 2014 at 05:54 PM in Approach to Cooking, Beyond the Kitchen Doors, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stroganoff Ravioli

We were looking at Club Classics. Beef stroganoff fit the bill. We were also looking to upgrade the ubiquitous filet mignon. I believe we took care of that. Then we decided to pair it with beef stroganoff. Instead of dressing egg noodles with the sauce, we inverted things and put the sauce on the inside. We cooked down shredded short ribs with minced king trumpet mushrooms. We folded in demi glace and finished it with creme fraiche and fine herbs. We dressed the ravioli with butter steamed honshimeji mushrooms and topped it with a rich, bone marrow-beef sauce. It was not quite wine-y enough to be a Bordelaise, though it was luxurious and flavorful, so we accented the dish with a red wine parsnip puree. Each element was tasty on its own and everything came together in a delicious riff off the original.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 19, 2014 at 12:10 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Spiced Pumpkin

We are putting the finishing touches on our dish for Meatopia X. While meat is the focus, the condiment had better have the character to showcase the meat. We have created a pumpkin yogurt that we flavored with Gran Luchito. We folded in honey and salt to fine tune the flavors. When it was fully combined and tasted right, we pureed it. We did not strain it because we wanted to retain some of the texture of the Gran Luchito. It does a great job complementing the smoked strip loins we have prepared for tomorrow's event.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 18, 2014 at 01:29 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sandy Fermented Black Beans

We were tasting ingredients. As we popped fermented black beans in our mouths, we perceived flavors of chocolate, or cocoa nibs to be exact. We took the connection and explored it. We cooked the fermented black beans in a palm sugar syrup. When they became sticky, we removed them from the pan and dusted them with granulated sugar. The black beans resembled the sandy nuts and other sugared ingredients we have played with in the past. These were chewy and tender. They made a delicious garnish for butternut squash soup, adding a funky chocolate note with a sweet bite. For other ideas we may put them in the dehydrator to firm them up even further.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 17, 2014 at 01:07 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deep Fried Filet

We started by cutting a filet mignon in half. We scored it and seasoned it with salt. We cold smoked it for an hour. Then we rubbed it with a paste of fermented black beans, gochujang, garlic and oil. We wrapped the meat up and marinated it for several hours. Then we removed the wrap and froze the seasoned meat.

When it was rock solid we deep fried it to brown it evenly. Then we put them in the CVap set at 55°C for 3 hours. Right before serving we fried the filets one more time to further crispify the exterior. We let them rest and cut the meat into thick slices. The meat was extremely juicy and beefy. The crust was crunchy and flavorful. And we will happily repeat the process again.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 16, 2014 at 07:21 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oyster Cracker Pasta Dough

A chef wanted to make a clam chowder ravioli. Specifically a New England chowder ravioli in a Manhattan clam chowder sauce. This idea blossomed in the recent workshop where we (12 chefs and I) took a good hard look at Club Classics: from chowder to crab cakes. After establishing the filling and sauce, we looked at the pasta dough to continue the theme. We flavored it with roasted oyster crackers and Old Bay. The aroma of the crackers permeated the dough and the traditional soup garnish tied the dish together.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 15, 2014 at 06:52 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Microwave Rocky Road

We are very excited with our microwave rocky road cake. It omits the need to use an ISI siphon. And because we challenged ourselves to create the cake without one, we were able to enhance the end result. The rocky road has small inclusions of walnuts and marshmallows adding texture to the rich fudgy cake.

Take a look at our process and get the recipe over on Serious Eats.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 14, 2014 at 11:59 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Smoked Ritz Cracker Crumbs

The breading station just got an upgrade.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 13, 2014 at 12:28 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Syrup, Finding Flavor

Culinary bias is interesting. It is often a result of how you sell your story. Lychees in syrup have gained a cult like support base. Pear halves in syrup are viewed as inferior. One is exotic, the other is cafeteria fodder. We are looking for flavor. The syrup from canned pears has a similar quality to that of the canned lychees. It is heady and musky. It is sweet and decadent. It is often discarded. And that is what makes it even more exciting. We can use it in sauces, vinaigrettes, as a base for poaching more pears, as a stock syrup for sorbet, or a flavoring for a cocktail. It's also a great starting point for vinegar and kombucha. What have you overlooked in your kitchen because of the stories you've been sold?

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 12, 2014 at 12:04 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

First of the Season

This year we're playing with Buttermilk Pumpkin Pie. Rich and creamy with a hint of tang and a kiss of vanilla. Who needs spice when you've got this much flavor?

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 11, 2014 at 02:16 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meat Sauce Under Pressure: make your noodles happy

When you make noodles you want sauce. We started with salted and overnight air dried boneless short ribs that were in the refrigerator overnight. (I hijacked them from another project.) We grilled the short ribs to brown and flavor the meat. We put the short ribs in the pressure cooker with ground butternut squash, ground onions, hand crushed Cento San Marzano tomatoes, soy sauce, fish sauce, red and white wine. We cooked the mixture for 45 minutes on high pressure. When the pressure had dissipated we used a fork to shred the meat into the sauce. We used the meaty ragout to dress freshly extruded pappardelle noodles. I and the noodles were very happy.

Years Past

October 9, 2011

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 09, 2014 at 08:33 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Moule-Sel

I love the flavor of cooked mussels. It is the texture of cooked mussels that is bothersome. Occasionally a cooked mussel will be tender, soft, juicy and full of the sea. This is the exception. Most mussels are a bit chewy, a little ropey, and easily stuck in my teeth.

So we cook mussels for their stock. But it kills me that we couldn't better utilize the cooked mussel meat. Then I wondered if we applied the idea of smoking and drying them, as we do with scallops, would render us an intense, dried oceanic ingredient. I shot a quick note to Gerard to see if he had tried this. Remember, Gerard is who introduced us to the Sea Truffle Technique. It turns out he had. Of course he had. Fortunately, being late to the party doen't mean you can't still enjoy it.

During a recent workshop we we working within a set time period so we skipped the smoking step. We steamed open mussels with vermouth. We reserved the stock for other applications. We laid the cooked mussels out on a dehydrator tray and dried them overnight. The following morning we checked them. They were crispy. They smelled cleanly of the sea. We grated the mussels with a microplane and Moule-Sel was born. It's an amazing seasoning. Time to slow down and get a fresh batch smoked first. I can hardly wait.

Years Past

October 8, 2013

October 8, 2012

October 8, 2011

October 8, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 08, 2014 at 07:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Cross Pollination

Bringing together species that are similar but not the same,

makes both of them better,

creating results that benefit us all.

Photos taken at Mack's Apples in Londonderry, NH.

Years Past

October 7, 2013

October 7, 2012

October 7, 2011

October 7, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 07, 2014 at 07:49 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Skewer Insight

One of the issues we have faced with cooking in the CVap is that ingredients often end up being coated in their coagulated proteins. In our workshop today, with the insight of chef Neall, we re-thought the idea of skewering, balance, and intent. The result was simple and obvious. It took fresh eyes to see the answer.

Really we should have set up this rig the night before as we were marinating the meat overnight. But we hadn't gotten there yet. We seasoned the pork chops with mustard, brown sugar and salt. Then I precariously tried to balance the chops on a cooling rack in the refrigerator. I placed skewers through the rack and tried to pinch the chops in place. This worked poorly and in the morning the chops had fallen over.

As we arranged the chops in a hotel pan to cook them in the CVap, once again I struggled with the balance thing. Neall saw the picture differently and suggested just skewering the fat tip on the chop to grab a hold of it, allowing the skewer to rest on the sides of the hotel pan. This worked beautifully. The chops cooked and the coagulated proteins dripped underneath. We were then able to easily remove them from the pan, lightly salt them and fry them in butter. Problem solved. New doors opened. Improved cooking to follow.

Years Past

October 6, 2013

October 6, 2012

October 6, 2011

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 06, 2014 at 07:49 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Butternut Boursin

The idea stemmed from seeing the ingredients next to each other on the counter-top. We blended the pulp leftover from juicing butternut squash with Boursin cheese. The mixture resembled a cheese ball but the butternut flavor was faint, overpowered by the garlic and herbs in the cheese. When we added some salt the mixture became more seasoned but not more squashy. So, the concept is interesting. Now we need to work on amplifying the squash flavor while retaining the spreadable texture of Boursin. And then transform it into ravioli filling.

Years Past

October 5, 2012

October 5, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 05, 2014 at 07:26 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wall Nuts

Our giant black walnut tree has a large fan club of squirrels. They use the wall behind our barn as the buffet table. And now I understand. Sometimes an idea needs context for it to make sense.

Years Past

October 4, 2012

October 4, 2008

October 4, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on October 04, 2014 at 07:43 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cold Curry Leaf Explorations

We found bags of curry leaves at our local Market Basket. We were surprised and giddy at the same time. I quickly picked up two bags. Aki balked at the quantity and scoffed at my ability to actually use them all. And the challenge flag was thrown. As soon as we returned home I set about a few cold infusions. I took 1200 grams of water and vacuum sealed it with 40 grams of curry leaves. I have it now in the refrigerator. The next step will be to make noodles, rice, and grits. I used the second bag of leaves to make a cold simple syrup. I vacuum sealed 45 grams of curry leaves, 600 grams of water and 600 grams of sugar. I shook the bag until the sugar dissolved. Then I put the bag in the refrigerator to infuse overnight. The syrup is destined for cocktails, poaching pears and apples, yogurt sherbet and glazing chicken wings. As we work with them I'm sure more ideas will blossom.