IDEAS IN FOOD: 31 entries from March 2015

Feta Brined Cauliflower Cores

After harvesting the scallops from the cauliflower stem we were left with the central core. We sliced it thinly and punched out rounds. We reserved all the trimmings and discarded pieces for another cauliflower preparation. We put the sliced rounds into a vacuum bag and poured feta brine over them. We vacuum sealed them. After letting them sit for about 5 minutes we cut the bag open and tasted. The funky salty flavors of the feta permeated the cauliflower. The simple combination was one that was ended in a bright, crisp, quick cauliflower pickle. And part 2 of our complete cauliflower preparation was complete.

Years Past

March 31, 2012

March 31, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 31, 2015 at 12:55 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cauliflower Bay Scallops

We were in the thick of a 3 day day hydrocolloid workshop. That is a lot of thickening and gelling. We had reached the point where we were exploring the potential of vegetable purees. A cauliflower was our test subject. As we broke down the cauliflower we began seeing the potential in all its parts. And we happily explored.

The end of the cauliflower stalk, where we trimmed off the florets had smaller sub-stalks. These nuggets of cauliflower looked very similar to Nantucket Bay Scallops. We cut the nuggets out of the stalk. Then we simmered them for 5 minutes in a cauliflower cream. (We will address this in coming posts.) We chilled the nuggets of cauliflower down.

When they were cool we seared them in foaming salted butter. When the scallops cauliflower nuggets were nicely caramelized, we squeezed some fresh lemon over the top. The browned butter, lemon and cauliflower together were a delicious combination. The visual similarities to scallops elevated the simple preparation into something to that teased the imagination as well as the palate.

Years Past

March 30, 2012

March 30, 2009

March 30, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 30, 2015 at 01:36 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Cherry Bombe Jubilee 2015

Like the blood orange, the outside view only offers a glimpse of what's inside. Today I'm at the Cherry Bombe Jubilee. I have the pleasure of moderating a panel with some of the country's most fascinating chefs: Dominique Crenn, Iliana Regan, Elise Kornack, and Anjana Shanker. Since not everyone reading this will be able to be at the conference, I thought I would share our twitter feeds. Follow along with each us throughout the day and explore what we discover.

Years Past

March 29, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 29, 2015 at 06:50 AM in Approach to Cooking, Beyond the Kitchen Doors, Videos | Permalink | Comments (1)

Corn Pops Ice Cream

We started with our Cornflake Ice Cream. We have evolved our processes over time. Now we toast our cereal in a lower oven for a longer period of time. For the Corn Pops we roasted them for 2 hours at 250°F. They became darker and the sugar coating slowly caramelized.The flours in the cereal take on nutty notes and overall flavor deepens. This it has us asking, again, why aren't more cereals slow roasted? And since they are not, why don't we just do it ourselves? Those thoughts start us down another path, which we will make time to engage at a later date.

After we slowly toasted the cereal we proceeded with the Cornflakes recipe, substituting one cereal for another. The result was a smooth, creamy, decadent Corn Pops ice cream. It was slightly sweeter than the ice cream made with the cornflakes. Aki immediately added a sprinkling of Corn Pops on top of the ice cream, before consuming her bowl. In retrospect we should have toasted additional Corn Pops to use as a garnish. We will for the next scoops.

We came away with a few thoughts on where to take roasted Corn Pops and the flavor they present: Corn Pops Pastry Cream, Corn Pops Cake, Corn Pops Biscuits, Corn Pops Crepes, Corn Pops Pudding, Corn Pops Polenta, Spicy Corn Pop "nuts"

Years Past

March 28, 2012

March 28, 2009

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 28, 2015 at 08:01 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pepperoni Veal Breast

We started with pepperoni ends, canned tomatoes, red wine, and a rib end veal breast. We cut the veal breast into individual ribs. We hand crushed the tomatoes and added them to the pressure cooker with red wine, water, and a healthy dose of soy sauce. We added the pepperoni ends and the veal breast and cooked everything for one hour at high pressure.

When the pressure dissipated the veal was tender. A thick slick of pepperoni oil was floating on the top of the liquid. The pepperoni itself was soft and succulent. We removed the veal from the pressure cooker and put it into a clean container. We pushed the pepperoni, braising liquid, and tomatoes through a food mill and covered the veal breast in the mixture. Then we chilled everything overnight. The following day we removed the solid cap of pepperoni oil and reserved it for another day. We warmed the the meaty veal ribs in the pepperoni sugo in a 200°F oven. When they were hot we cooked up some fresh noodles and dressed them with the rich sauce, serving the tender, juicy, pepperoni braised veal breast on the side.

Years Past

March 27, 2014

March 27, 2013

March 27, 2012

March 27, 2010

March 27, 2006

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 27, 2015 at 03:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Fried Shrimp

After brining the shrimp we seasoned them with Jeremiah's Chicken Spice. I could tell you what's in it but then he'd have to kill me. So like the Colonel, you are best inventing your own. The spice added a robust savoriness to the shrimp. After coating them in the spice we dredged them in cornstarch and fried them. We served them with schmaltz mayonnaise, charred lemon, and lime pickle honey. It was a fabulous way to start off the dinner.

Years Past

March 26, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 26, 2015 at 04:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Corned Beef Broth

We finally found a point cut of brisket. It was prepared for corned beef. We pressure cooked the point in water with several sliced onions for one hour. The meat was tender and rich, and it was salty. That it didn't stop us from eating some for dinner but we couldn't enjoy nearly as much as we would have liked. The water became a meaty, onion-y, well seasoned corned beef broth with a lot of potential. We took the broth and put it back into the pressure cooker. We added a first cut chuck shoulder and cooked it for 50 minutes. When the shoulder was cooked we tasted the meat. It was seasoned with the flavors of corned beef but without the excessive salt. We pulled the meat and covered it with some of the liquid. We chilled the remaining corned beef broth by itself. The following day we broke the fat cap and tasted a rich, decadent bouillion that we can use yet again. We have a flavorful base to build upon.

Years Past

March 25, 2012

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Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 25, 2015 at 02:48 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Osso Buco

I can't really remember the last time I've cooked or eaten osso buco. We braised the meat in an ad hoc sauce of corned beef stock, chicken jus, canned tomatoes, red wine, soy sauce, and a touch of Rao's marinara. We seared the sliced shanks in olive oil and then added our sauce components. We cooked the shanks for 4 hours at 275°F partially covered. We removed them from the oven and let them rest in the hot sauce. After a 2 hour rest we put them back into the oven, now at 175°F and heated them for an hour. We served the braised meat on a bed of polenta and broccoli rabe sauteed in an anchovy and garlic oil.

The dish was outstanding. It didn't draw on memories. We were inspired by the idea of nostalgia without being hampered by the traditions and obstacles of the way it was supposed to be. Instead we concentrated on creating the tastiest meal we have cooked together. Until tomorrow. It's always important to raise the bar.

Years Past

March 24, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 24, 2015 at 05:50 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

It is with great pleasure that we raise a glass to the official publication of our latest book: Gluten Free Flour Power. The recipes in the book are a true collection. The photographs, taken by Aki, tell the stories. We brought forward some of our favorite foods from maple stroopwafels to seamless ravioli From fried chicken to steamed buns. From carrot cake to coconut caneles. From yeasted chocolate cake to Japanese cheesecake. These are recipes you need to have in your repertoire, gluten free or not. Because even though it's a gluten free cookbook, the recipes also work, gram for gram, with all purpose flour. So it's truly a book for anyone who loves good food. Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table. You definitely want to add this one to your kitchen library.

Years Past

March 23, 2012

March 23, 2010

March 23, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 23, 2015 at 05:33 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Burnt Watermelon Crush

We removed the green skin from the watermelon. We removed the rind with a healthy portion of the flesh for a preserved watermelon component. We took the remaining watermelon flesh, charred it on a griddle, and then put it into a container to steam. We covered the watermelon with a bottle of orange Crush and then let it marinate overnight. The following day we cooked the watermelon down with its charred orange crush infused juices. We added a few pieces of charred tomatillo for acidity. When the melon mixture was almost dry we pureed it into a smooth molasses. We balanced the flavors with salt and sherry vinegar. And we added some viscosity with ultrasperse 3. It gave the burnt watermelon crush body. It allowed the sauce to be treated as a puree. The diner was able to take bites, rather than chase it around the plate. We served the watermelon molasses with whipped taleggio, preserved watermelon rind and julienned watermelon radish for a tangy, creamy, sweet-tart dish.

Years Past

March 22, 2012

March 22, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 22, 2015 at 09:01 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Blistered Snow Pea Salsa Verde

When you start trimming and cleaning vegetables, several parts and pieces develop as you work. First you think about the end goal. And then, as you work with the vegetables, you realize that there are levels of trim and some of them can be put to good use. First we removed the strings from the tips and tails of the snow peas. We threw those away. Then we trimmed the peas into rectangles.

We were left with a mountain of triangular tips and tails, which inspired the sauce. We charred these pieces on the griddle with the idea of creating a variation of salsa verde. We charred some tomatillos too. Then we combined the two charred vegetables in the blender and added salt, soy sauce, and sherry vinegar. The idea for the sauce evolved into a rich and tangy dressing. It was the ideal match for the snow pea rectangles we prepared. And it was a fabulous foundation for exploring spring time flavors. Adding herbs, spices, and flavorful elements like whey and brines will allow us to customize the idea to specific vegetables and evolving dishes.

Years Past

March 21, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 21, 2015 at 05:52 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pig Head Pupusas

We wanted to go over the top. This was the 50th Cobaya dinner. It deserved something special and we wanted to deliver a show-stopping super-delicious piece de resistance. Utilizing the talent on hand helped us realize out goal. Jeremiah is an ace with the caja china. Steve Santana, who got sucked into the culinary world by Jeremiah, is now of Taquiza fame. And I happened to be the guest chef, bringing my own special brand of creativity to the table. Jeremiah sourced some stunning pig heads. Steve is now a masa maestro and was willing and wanting to participate in our vision. The day before the dinner we set about roasting 3 split pig heads in the caja china. When they were brown and crackling, we removed them and picked all the meat. We ran the skin, meat and fat through the meat grinder. We flavored the meat with pepper vinegar and hot sauce, cilantro stems, garlic chives and soy sauce. Then we handed the farce off to Steve. He prepared a batch of blue corn masa and stuffed the pupusas with the pig heads.

For the dinner we roasted another 3 split pig heads and served them hot and crackling straight out off the caja china. A head per table, cut with scissors for ease of devouring. (Thanks to the pig head guru Tony Maws for that trick.) Every guest received a plate of griddled pupusas, charred cherry pepper salsa and kimchi curtido to compliment the freshly roasted heads. The heads were a show stopper. Just before serving they received a last minute blast of blistering heat from the blow torch to ensure optimum texture complemented by the freshly milled masa and our series of cross cultural condiments. The dish was damn delicious. And an amazingly pleasurable feat to achieve. We couldn't have done it without the help of everyone involved from the chefs to the diners.

Years Past

March 20, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 20, 2015 at 04:49 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cola & Tamarind Glazed Beef Tendon

We started with beef tendons. We added tamarind extract, Coke, soy sauce, water, and garam masala. We pressure cooked the tendons for 2 hours. When the pressure dissipated from the pot we removed the tendons and wrapped them individually in plastic wrap to form tendon cylinders and chilled them. We strained the cooking liquid. When the tendons were chilled and set, we cut them into medallions that were 1-cm thick.

We reheated the tendon slices in the cooking liquid in the CVap, letting the sauce softly thicken into a glaze. We served the glazed tendon slices with pickled green papaya and beef salt seasoned shen li hon, otherwise known as daikon leaf. The meat was rich and succulent. The tamarind and cola balanced each other with sweet and tart. The papaya added brightness and the shen li hon added a vegetal, juicy, crispness to finish things off.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 19, 2015 at 04:25 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dry Aged Beef Salt

We were making a beef tartare. We wanted to incorporate the flavor of seared meat into the preparation while keeping it a raw beef course. We took the trim pieces from the tartare and put it through the grinder. Then we put it in a pot with olive oil. We cooked the meat down until the fat rendered out and we ended up with crispy caramelized particles of beef. We made a ton of beef fond. Then we strained the oil from the pot and reserved it. We added salt to the beef particulates and mixed them together in the pot. Then we drained the beef-salt on a paper towel. When it was cool we pulverized it in a blender to fully combine the salt and fried beef.

When we assembled the steak tartare we dressed it with the fried beef oil and seasoned it with the beef salt. The two additional beef elements added the flavor of roasted meat to our uncooked preparation. Now for our next steak preparation beef salt will play an integral role.

Years Past

March 18, 2012

March 18, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 18, 2015 at 03:39 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fermented Black Bean and Chili Sausage

We combined a jar of fermented black beans in chili oil with cut up pig hearts and pork shoulder. We seasoned the mixture with additional salt and soy sauce, and then marinated the cut up meat and offal overnight. Finally we ground the mixture one and a half times to creates a sausage with additional texture, an attribute we were looking for. Once our sausage blend was made, we cooked off a few test bites. We adjusted the salt and added additional heat with the homemade sambal from Chef Jeremiah.

The sausage has a full rounded flavor and a touch of background heat. The black beans amped up our savoriness. The pig hearts added texture and allowed us to utilize more of the pig. The first application of the sausage was in a inspired pasta sauce inspired by the traditional white sausage gravy served with biscuits. There is plenty of sausage left and lots of ideas to explore. We could add some finely sliced cabbage and chives and use it to stuff dumplings, wrap it around spicy Scotch eggs, use it as part of the ragout for dan dan noodles, fold in some black beans and fry it into crispy patties to serve with poached eggs and smoked hollandaise...

Years Past

March 17, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 17, 2015 at 04:50 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lime Pickle Honey

We were looking for a new sauce for our cold smoked fried chicken. We had a collection of ingredients we were working with. Palm sugar and lime pickle were sitting next to each other. At first we thought of just combining the two. We needed a more fluid medium for dressing the chicken. We referenced the delicious Luchito Honey and then combined lime pickle, palm sugar and honey in a pot. We brought the mixture to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. When the palm sugar was integrated we turned off the heat and let the honey cool to room temperature. Then we strained it. It was the perfect sweet-spicy-slightly acidic elixir for gilding the lily.

Years Past

March 16, 2014

March 16, 2013

March 16, 2012

March 16, 2011

March 16, 2011 (2)

March 16, 2011 (3)

March 16, 2010

March 16, 2009

March 16, 2009 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 16, 2015 at 12:55 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brined Shrimp

We soak shrimp in a 5% salt brine for 10 minutes. It removes surface impurities and rinses off residual ocean muck. It's like washing the shrimp with interest. Though I have to admit that sometimes it's a little appalling to see how much dirt and debris washes out into the liquid. The brine provides a light uniform seasoning to the outside of the shrimp. At this point we can take the shrimp in a number of directions, first up deciding whether to cook them in their shells or peel and de-vein (this is usually my first choice).

Years Past

March 15, 2014

March 15, 2013

March 15, 2012

March 15, 2011

March 15, 2005

March 15, 2005 (2)

March 15, 2005 (3)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 15, 2015 at 11:33 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Boneless Chicken Feet

We are comfortable with seeing boneless chicken thighs and skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the supermarket. And yet, when we stumble across boneless chicken feet our minds are blown. From the labor or the machinery needed to de-bone these feet to the possibilities of cooking with them. Puffed chicken feet just became that more do-able. They will perfect for the enrichment of sauces, from the infamous chicken foot sauce to a decadent meaty noodle broth. Braising, stacking, chilling, and chipping chicken feet is an option. Pressure cooking and then grinding the feet into a ragout for pasta. Even smoking, braising, cooling, and frying for a play off of our cold smoked fried chicken is now within reach. Removing a difficult step in a process opens up the possibilities of an ingredient.

Years Past

March 14, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 14, 2015 at 09:29 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bacon and Eggs

Even when the cupboards are (mostly) bare we can still pull off something delicious. It's all in the pantry. Plan ahead and you will never go hungry.

Years Past

March 13, 2014

March 13, 2013

March 13, 2012

March 13, 2011

March 13, 2011 (2)

March 13, 2009

March 13, 2005

March 13, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 13, 2015 at 06:55 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (1)

Corn Candele

We combined 600 grams of fresh milled and sifted corn with 1400 grams of semolina. Then we hydrated it with 600 grams of water in the pasta extruder. We used die #64 to extrude long ropes of tubular noodles. We often cut these into shorter ziti. This time we wanted to keep them long and make candele. The sauce for these long tubes can range from a play off of Mexican corn with cotija, to a ragout of clams and country ham, to veal ricotta meatballs.

Years Past

March 12, 2014

March 12, 2013

March 12, 2012

March 12, 2011

March 12, 2010

March 12, 2009

March 12, 2008

March 12, 2008 (2)

March 12,2007

March 12, 2007 (2)

March 12, 2006

March 12, 2005

March 12, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 12, 2015 at 12:36 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bean Monte

The spark was left-over liquid from cooking beans. The foundation was our bullet proof beurre monte. We took 1000 grams of the flavorful cooking liquid, which had a fair amount of residual bean sediment. We brought it to a simmer and put it into a blender. We turned the blender on low and sheared in 0.15% xanthan gum. Then we added 900 grams of cold butter piece by piece. Finally we added in 9.5 grams salt, 0.5% based on the total weight of all the ingredients. We did not have gum arabic on hand, so we omitted it.

The bean sediment added texture, viscosity and, apparently, emulsifying qualities. The finished liquid was rich and silky. It had the body of a thin custard base. Like our original bullet proof beurre monte, bean monte can be stored in the refrigerator and re-heated. It does not break. Utilizing the bean liquid is exciting. It breaks another boundary of maximizing ingredients and flavor. What other liquids are we discarding that could be formidable kitchen ingredients with a little added texture and body: pickle brine, salt cod stock, pasta water?

And what purpose does bean monte serve? It can be used to reheat and glaze beans. It can be a poaching medium for fish, meat and vegetables. It can be the sauce for pasta. It can take you down the rabbit hole.

Years Past

March 11, 2012

March 11, 2006

March 11, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 11, 2015 at 09:42 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Equal Distribution

Consistently getting an even amount of batter and berries in miniature muffins is not always easy. We used to mix our batter and fold in the berries. Some muffins were chock full of berries and others were shorted. When the berries were mixed into the batter they had a tendency to sink to the bottom and stick to the bottom and sides of the muffin pan.

Aki solved our muffin woes by adding the berries at the end. Four berries per muffin. No more, no less. A solution we can count on.

Years Past

March 10, 2012

March 10, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 10, 2015 at 07:14 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Boiling Water Pasta Dough

During this past years Star Chefs ICC Michael White and his team of chefs demonstrated his signature fusili with red wine, octopus, and bone marrow. What caught my attention was his pasta dough. It was a blend of durum and semolina flours hydrated with boiling water and kneaded in a Kitchen Aid mixer. The problem was the recipe. Michael makes the dough by feel. In fact, even in his tome of a cookbook he does not divulge a recipe, instead fe recommends using dry fusilli. At the end of the demonstration one of his chefs came up to me and said they use about 25% water to the 50-50 blend of durum and semolina. I wrote down the numbers and set them aside.

I was finally able to tackle this boiling water / hard wheat pasta dough today. It turns out that nether eyeballing the dough and nor using 25% hydration were exactly the right to make a beautiful dough. I ended up using 60% hydration. I put the two flours in the bowl of the Kitchen Aid mixer. I started out with 30% water and put it into a pot to boil. I added most of it to the flours and turned the mixer on. I had a dry crumbly mass. I added the remaining water which got me to 30% hydration, but still not to a smooth, cohesive dough. I continued to increase the hydration in 10% increments of boiling water. When I hit 60% we had created an exceptional ball of dough.

I removed it from the machine and then kneaded it by hand for several minutes. I put the still warm dough in a vacuum bag and vacuum sealed it to expedite the hydration of the flours. Then I rolled it out into sheets, cut it into ribbons, and attempted to make the Marea style fusilli. I came close. My ribbons were thinner than Michael's. I can adjust. Or maybe not. I like the the thinner noodles. Some more practice and some fine tuning on the boiling water hydration will improve the results. I believe if we had omitted the vacuum sealing step the hydration would have been right, but if you're going to seal the dough, 55% hydration may be a better ratio. The power of the vacuum sealer allows for a more efficient hydration. Take that into account if you play around with these noodles too.

And with the base dough accomplished, silky hard wheat noodles have exciting new possibilities.

Boiling Water Durum-Semolina Dough

250 grams durum flour

250 grams semolina flour

275-300 grams boiling water

Put the the flours in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low and pour the boiling water into the bowl. Increase the speed to medium low (#3-#4). Knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides and forms a mass around the hook. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it by hand on a counter for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and silky. Put the warm dough into a vacuum bag and vacuum seal to complete the hydration. Or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 30-60 minutes. For best results we recommend using a pasta sheeter to roll out the dough.

Years Past

March 8, 2014

March 8, 2013

March 8, 2012

March 8, 2011

March 8, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 08, 2015 at 05:30 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Basically the Same

Out of curiosity I lined up a bunch of cereals at the supermarket to compare their nutritional value. I discovered they are all pretty much the same. From ingredients to sugar content to calories it's a pretty well-matched set. There a few oddballs at either end of the spectrum but when it comes right down to it, these cereals are almost interchangeable.

It appears that we are better off rebuilding the cereals from the ground up or accepting that they are an occasional indulgence without trying to pretend that some of them are better for us than others. In the end you might as well choose the one you like best.

Years Past

March 7, 2012

March 7, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 07, 2015 at 11:56 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (5)

Kitchen Tip #1

If you want to play with an ingredient, leave it out on the counter to inspire you to use it.

It's easy to forget about items buried on the back of a shelf.

Every so often pull out a few interesting ingredients and put them where you can see them.

You never know what will happen next.

Years Past

March 6, 2012

March 6, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 06, 2015 at 01:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)

American Kaiseki

While researching plating techniques for an online course I'm going to be teaching for NECI, I came across this video. I enjoyed it so much that I knew I had to share it here with you. It's from The Art of Plating. The Chef's Cut: The Art of Kaiseki with Niki Nakayama, the video is a combination of plating and philosophy. I found it inspiring and it's definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

Years Past

March 5, 2012

March 5, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 05, 2015 at 04:58 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS, Videos | Permalink | Comments (1)

Smoked Brie

We started working with an Aladin Smoker that we were given from John Koerner & Company because Aki is going to be using it for a demonstration at the WCR Conference in April. We feel fortunate to have gotten our hands on the Aladin and a few attachments. The cloche with the insert for the smoker is a more elegant solution than the one I made for our smoked coriander. The wide mouth in at the top of the smoker sparked an idea. I used smoking pellets instead of saw dust in the Aladin. They smoldered longer and did not clog up the fine meshed screen in the bottom of the burning chamber.

For our first test with the smoker we smoked brie right on the cutting board. It was awesome. And it has me revisiting the idea of smoking foods to order. Particularly with the cloches and other attachments. Now time will tell how this smoker holds up in our kitchen. If the first trials are any indication, we are going to have a lot of fun with this one.

Years Past

March 4, 2006

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 04, 2015 at 04:47 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Banana de Mie

Amaya has been hounding us for banana bread. Every time we picked up bananas intended for bread we ended up devouring them. Hence no bread. Prior to departing for Costa Rica we had plans for making banana bread. This time the bananas ripened and we ran out of time. The night before leaving I put the bananas in the freezer. I was ready with ripe bananas for the next time Amaya asked for banana bread. Which was the morning after our 21-hour journey home.

Aki pulled the bananas out of the freezer and let them thaw on the cutting board. I took over and began adapting our Bananas Foster Bread from Ideas in Food. The freezing and thawing of the ripened bananas made them even softer. We had only 4 bananas ready for bread. I cut the recipe in half. Mostly. I started making modifications. And I got distracted in the process. I ended up using all 5 eggs that the original recipe calls for. For Amaya I omitted the rum. I added buttermilk in its place.

I also wanted to make the entire bread in the food processor. Banana bread is often tender. The extra working of the gluten in the machine should give it some additional structure. Since I was not going to cook the bananas in rum I added 20 grams of brown butter solids for toasty rich notes. I baked the bread in a pain de mie pan mainly for shape. Because I changed the shape of the pan and added the lid I shortened the baking time. I baked the loaf for 45 minutes. It was 190°F internally. As I removed the lid I made the connection, banana de mie. We let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan. After the initial cooling we removed the pan and let the bread cool on a wire rack.

The structure of the bread is delicate. It is not fall apart tender. The crumb is even and moist. I look forward to making more quick breads even quicker and with more structure in the food processor.

Years Past

March 3, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 03, 2015 at 04:09 PM in Approach to Cooking, Beyond the Kitchen Doors, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vinegar in Pie Crusts

I've been reading The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie: Recipes, Techniques, and Wisdom from the Hoosier Mama Pie Company and it inspired me to play around with using vinegar in my pie dough. Honestly I'm not necessarily convinced that it's making a big difference, but as long as I'm adding vinegar, it may as well be a good one. Here I've used O Ginger Rice vinegar for the crust of a pumpkin pie. I'm not sure how much of the flavor will stay in the pie, but it sure smells good now.

Years Past

March 2, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on March 02, 2015 at 04:51 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Griddled Cheese Buns

We took our idea of griddling cheese into the exterior of grilled cheese and brought it back to our (my) hot dog fetish. We brush the insides of the bun with butter and cook them first on the griddle. Then we add a slice of cheese, pictured here is mozzarella, to the crispy interior and cook until the cheese is golden brown and has adhered itself to the bread. The cheese fuses to the bun and then peels easily off the griddle. The uncooked tops (the outside) of the bun are warm and sweetly soft underneath the crunchy grilled cheese surface. This creates an ideal platform for building a hot dog. Adding ketchup or other saucy condiments softens things up just enough to let the cheese and bread wrap around a dog and some fillings. Every bite is soft and then crunchy, tender and then accented by the snap of a good casing before you hit the tender interior of the the hot dogs. It's a symphony of textures before you've even add the layers of flavor that accompany it.

Years Past

March 1, 2014

March 1, 2013

March 1, 2012

March 1, 2011

March 1, 2010

March 1, 2009

March 1, 2008

March 1, 2008 (2)

March 1, 2007

March 1, 2006

March 1, 2005