IDEAS IN FOOD: 30 entries from April 2017

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30 entries from April 2017

Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit

At first glance it may appear that my fetish in the world of doughnuts has taken over my thought process and our digital notebook. What that assumption misses is the process, the dive, the drive, the examination of ideas, discoveries and failures can, and should, be integrated to the foodstuffs outside doughnutland. The failure to do so means missing the opportunities that arise from each new discovery.

When we take an observation and refine it, that is where the opportunities and challenges lie. Here we are exploring our knowledge of the benefits of LM pectin in two glazes: milk chocolate and passion fruit white chocolate. The pectin allows for a faster set and a tender flexible crust. The difficulties become apparent as the wide world of ingredients are employed. When we create and overcome new obstacles, the possibilities become endless.

Years Past

April 30, 2012

April 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 April 30, 2017 at 08:27 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Explosive Mix

The combination of hot chiles, presumably Calabrian, and minced vegetables balanced with oil and vinegar creates an indispensable condiment. Originally I purchased the jar of hot spread sauce as a quick upgrade for sandwiches. Upon tasting it I became enamored and have now been integrating it into everything: from pasta sauces to braises to quick pan sauces for meats and dressings for vegetables. From the jar comes the inspiration. Now with the condiment on hand I am faced with two paths. The first is to continue to lean on the jar and utilize the flavorful ingredient to enhance and excite dishes spoonful by spoonful. The second it to begin creating our own explosive mix that we may then rely upon as a building block. Both paths are worth walking down. Some days we need a short route, while on other days the long walk is essential.

Years Past

April 29, 2016

April 29, 2015

April 29, 2012

April 29, 2007

April 29, 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 April 29, 2017 at 04:45 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Shio Koji Seasoned Meatballs

We've finally returned to tinkering with shio koji in ground meat applications beyond the burger. I set about making meatballs with pork, beef, and veal. We added 1% shio koji, eggs and Parmigiano Reggiano. We refrigerated the mix overnight. We shaped the meatballs the following afternoon. I roasted them at 425°F for 30 minutes. When they were cool enough to handle and still ripping hot we dug in.

The shio koji enhanced and deepened the browning in the meatballs. They were savory, rich and tasted of shio koji, which I consider an overall flaw. The goal is to make something more delicious not make it taste like what you seasoned it with. For this trial we used our temaki gold shio koji. We cooled the meatballs and then looked at them as a potential flavor enhancer themselves. We combined crushed tomatoes, white wine, and a bit of cooked tomato sauce in a pot. We added the meatballs and let them simmer for hours. The meatballs and the sauce shared flavors, each improving in the process. Cooking with shio koji is a learning process, creative tinkering.

Years Past

April 28, 2016

April 28, 2015

April 28, 2012

April 28, 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 April 28, 2017 at 08:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bloody Butcher Red Grits

We were lucky enough to receive a gift package from Castle Valley Mill. One of the items in the box was Bloody Butcher Red Grits. They were something new to us, so of course they were the first thing I had to make. We don't make grits as often as we should. Everybody likes them and the leftovers always disappear within a day. Perhaps we enjoy them so much because we don't make them enough. It's an unconscious balance of things. Funnily enough I had seen these grits on their website and forgot to ask Alex to pick some up the last time he was at the mill. When I discovered them in the box I pounced on them. These speckled grits were simply irresistible.

I'll be the first to admit that I made that first batch a little thin. They were still delicious. They had a faintly pinkish hue and rich nutty texture that made them a pleasure to eat. Still creamy but with a bit of a chew, these grits had a heartiness to them that I appreciated. They were lovely with a nub of butter and a hint of Parmigiano cheese. They are my new favorite grits and I'm already contemplating some (slightly thicker) risotto-style preparations that I think would be delicious.

Years Past

April 27, 2015

April 27, 2012

April 27, 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 April 27, 2017 at 11:46 AM in DISCOVERIES, Ingredients, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Slicing Coppa

The pleasure comes from quite a combination: developing the idea in a workshop, curing the meat, being patient, and then having a stunning slicer to shave the meat into melt-in-your-mouth thin slices. (Yes, that makes a huge difference in the way that salumi tastes.) Each element is exciting on its own. Bringing them all together makes the experience unforgettable.

Years Past

April 26, 2016

April 26, 2015

April 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 April 26, 2017 at 12:14 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blood Orange and Vanilla

Citrus doughnuts can be a tough sell. There are some people who are instantly excited about them. They love the sweet-tart, fragrant flavors of these fruits. Other people make "the face." The "Why would you put that on a doughnut?" face. But if we can put the flavor into context for them, in this case by likening the flavor to a Creamsicle, suddenly the doughnuts become much more appealing to a wider audience. There is something special about the combination of citrus and vanilla. Take a crisp-tender cake doughnut that you can sink your teeth into and add some creamy vanilla and blood orange glazes and you have something pretty special. It's the layers that make the difference.

Years Past

April 25, 2016

April 25, 2015

April 25, 2014

April 25, 2013

April 25, 2012

April 25, 2011

April 25, 2008

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 April 25, 2017 at 05:06 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (1)

Spring Flowers

I was out walking with WIllow the other day when we came across this patch of tulips. The flowers were arranged in a profusion of color around the base of a tree. The yard is right next to one of the pathways that lead into the neighborhood park, so it sees a lot of foot traffic. The tulips were arresting on that particularly gray morning and I was struck by the care that went into planting them in the ground. Most people who garden do it either because they love it or because they want a tidy yard. These tulips felt like a labor of love. They seemed to appear out of nowhere simply to brighten the day. I didn't see anyone planting them and I felt lucky to be able to enjoy them. Willlow and I will wander by them, for as long as they last, and as they blossom and bloom the tulips will bring color to our daily journeys. It was a timely reminder that the things we do can have a spiraling effect on our environment. When we nurture our passions and share them with the world at large, they ripple outwards to affect many others whom we will never see.

Years Past

April 24, 2016

April 24, 2015

April 24, 2012

April 24, 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 April 24, 2017 at 12:51 PM in Beyond the Kitchen Doors, Food For Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Layering Glazes

We layered a cinnamon glaze on top of our vanilla glaze. In terms of looks, the cinnamon and vanilla fade together. As we eat the doughnut we have the reverse effect. The cinnamon stands out and the vanilla becomes the canvas. The next steps are focus and refinement in flavor and aesthetic.

Years Past

April 23, 2016

April 23, 2015

April 23, 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 April 23, 2017 at 09:52 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Playing with Pizza

Pizza has become a Friday night ritual. A habit in our weekly routine. It is a dependable constant in a world of what's next. It was with great fear and frustration that I was greeted with an altered pizza dough last night. I had grown comfortable in the rut of consistency and sureness that comes with habit. Thankfully, Aki had not. She looked at pizza night as an opportunity, a chance to change, explore, and improve. She made the dough with a blend of King Arthur all purpose flour and Castle Valley Mill's bolted soft wheat. Visually the dough looked different and caused me to say "What have you done to the dough!?" I sounded like Linus in desperate need of his blanket.

When I touched the dough I felt its soft supple texture. Heck, it felt pretty good. I shaped the dough and let it continue to rise. I stretched and made the first pizza. The dough was tender and unfolded easily. It was pretty nice. I made a plain cheese to calm the madness and act as a benchmark for flavor and texture. The pizza was solid. It had a background nuttiness and the dough was flexible, tender, if a bit dry. The flaw, or perhaps the difference, was its ease of stretching. The dough had a tendency to pull too thin. But that is an adjustment that I could learn to make. The following pizzas were stretched and built by Amaya and her friend. They came out beautifully in looks and flavors. My frustration for being forced out of my rut transformed into pleasure in exploring and experiencing the unexpected.

Years Past

April 22, 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 April 22, 2017 at 04:56 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glaze On, Pectin Power

After making our banana glaze on our banana bread doughnuts I was intrigued by the viscosity, structure and creamy texture. It appeared that the pectin in the bananas was giving me extremely appealing results in the glaze. I wondered if I created a glaze, using LM pectin and milk, if I could reproduce the texture and look. I set about tinkering in the kitchen, relying on our work with the calcium dependent pectin to create a gel in the glaze system. We tested the first glaze: milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, LM pectin, salt and powdered sugar on Aki's newest chocolate-einkorn cake. The combination of the creamy glaze on the moist tender cake was addictive. And the pectin structured glaze is set to make an appearance in Doughnutland soon.

Years Past

April 21, 2016

April 21, 2015

April 21, 2012

April 21, 2009

April 21, 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 April 21, 2017 at 05:00 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hand Pulled Noodles V.2

The sauce is as important as the noodles. When I made our first run of hand pulled noodles, I put no thought into the sauce. I figured I'd magically create one and I did. The noodles were good, but when I asked Aki what she thought of them, she explained that she didn't really like the sauce, so it was hard to evaluate. Upon reflection, what I really wanted was to pair the noodles with spicy beef and ginger and garlic and a ton of herbs. So, the very next day we made another batch of pulled noodles. I went shopping for ingredients to make the sauce, and I didn't get everything I wanted. The herbs were sad so I got baby kale instead. The results were richer and more satisfying, but still they fell short.

Thankfully I enjoy pulling noodles and tinkering with sauces. For the next version of noodles I will get the ton of herbs I was looking for, along with the sliced jalapenos I felt were needed to accent the flavors. I need to adjust the noodles a bit. They have a wonderful spring and chew, though I want to make them thinner, a result I may be able to achieve by reducing the baking soda in our recipe. Good thing I am game for V.3 and beyond.

Years Past

April 20, 2016

April 20, 2015

April 20, 2012

April 20, 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 April 20, 2017 at 06:45 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hand Pulling Noodles

We started our foray into the world of hand pulled noodles. The initial takeaway is they are super simple to make, they are immediately engaging, Amaya (and I) loves the process and we need a lot more practice. We served our first run of noodles with an avocado pan sauce: white wine, butter, soy sauce, avocado and Parmigiano Reggiano. The noodles have an amazing chew and luxurious silkiness. The avocado added a rich coating to the noodles. Now begins our need for repetition and refinement.

Years Past

April 19, 2016

April 19, 2015

April 19, 2012

April 19, 2006

April 19, 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 April 19, 2017 at 04:29 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beautiful Berry Pie

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows that Easter means Grandma Kitty's Strawberry Pie. We celebrate the holiday with a family dinner on Saturday night and that pie is what we serve for dessert. This year Amaya asked me if I would put raspberries in the pie. I knew better than to mess with tradition for that meal but on Sunday, when I realized that the two pies had been almost totally demolished, I happily whipped up this berry pie. I added raspberries to the original recipe to fill up the pie pan but I didn't change any of the other measurements for the strawberry pie. The cooked berries were entirely strawberry (although I subbed cranberry-cherry juice for the cold water) and the ratio of berries was probably 2:1 in favor of the strawberries. It worked out beautifully. Every stray raspberry burst across the palate with it's more acidic berry zing to contrast the gentler sweetness of the strawberries. Add a little whipped cream and it's total indulgence. It's definitely a combination that I'll be making again.

Years Past

April 18, 2016

April 18, 2015

April 18, 2009

April 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 April 18, 2017 at 05:01 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Overlapping Ideas

Years Past

April 17, 2016

April 17, 2015

April 17, 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 April 17, 2017 at 02:16 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Amaya picked out this Neon Molten Magic egg coloring kit. Unfortunately we didn't think to read the directions before buying the kit. Once we got home we discovered that there were neon crayons inside that needed to be shaved over hot eggs so that the wax melted and coated the eggs with their neon colors. The tiny pencil shaver included made the task of shaving the crayons tedious and Amaya was dismayed to realize that coloring eggs wasn't going to be much fun at all. Then Alex got out the blow torch and the rest is history.

Years Past

April 16, 2016

April 16, 2015

April 16, 2011

April 16, 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 April 16, 2017 at 04:10 AM in Approach to Cooking, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blueberries and Strawberries, Sugars and Spice

When we were working on the original R&D for Curiosity Doughnuts we played around more with flavored sugars. Now with the integration of the Super Cake Doughnut we have a delicious canvas for these bright and intense flavors. We put together a new blueberry sugar. It is freeze dried blueberries, citric acid, nutmeg and sugar. We brought back our strawberry sugar, a blend of freeze dried strawberries, citric acid and sugar. The inconspicuous and intensely flavored sugars are an ideal combination for our small and mighty cake doughnuts. Now we are faced with the challenge of creating more flavors and increasing there impact.

Years Past

April 15, 2016

April 15, 2015

April 15, 2012

April 15, 2010

April 15, 2006

April 15, 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 April 15, 2017 at 10:34 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Super Cake Doughnuts

The origin of an idea is built on the foundation of our experiences. Several years ago, before there was even a thought of Curiosity Doughnuts, there was my doughnut fetish. That fetish led to creation of our Everyday Doughnut, a cruller-cake doughnut hybrid. Since its creation I had forgotten about it. Until recently when I came back upon it, finding an old friend, as tinkerers often do.

I became fixated. I needed to bring this doughnut back to life and share it with the world, well at least with everyone that comes to Doughnutland. Once again, because apparently I have some deep rooted fear of copying other people's work or perhaps it is of repeating--even my own work, I needed to start from the beginning. I used our original recipe as a starting point but wanted to apply our current recipes and new observations, to this doughnut. I used our Curiosity Cruller and Sourdough Stick, which grew out of our original cake doughnut, recipes as my building blocks. Then I set about tinkering, mixing, frying, crying, and repeating. What has been eye opening is that every time we improve on an idea we realize how much better we can be. That means getting a doughnut from tinker to table is a heck of a lot harder than it was before we knew any better. It shows we are improving. The Everyday Doughnut has evolved into our Super Cake Doughnut. It is smaller than our yeasted and new fashioned doughnuts. It is moist, tender and crush-able. Meet the newest member of our doughnut family.

Years Past

April 14, 2016

April 14, 2015

April 14, 2012

April 14, 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 April 14, 2017 at 08:45 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (2)

Large Format Pork Chops

We salted 3 inch thick pork chops and refrigerated for 24ish hours.

We covered the salted chops in a BBQ spice rub and refrigerated for another 8 hours. We could have let them sit on the rack even longer but I was not patient.

We cooked the seasoned and rubbed chops in the CVap for 4 hours at 57°C.

We grilled the chops to caramelize the exterior and add rich toasty notes to the meat and the rub.

We let the meat rest for 10 minutes and then we sliced one of the chops and allowed the other to rest longer. The meat was juicy and tender, with a rich pork flavor and a BBQ-seasoned exterior. Two large chops were too much for us, but made some delicious leftover sandwiches.

Years Past

April 13, 2016

April 13, 2015

April 13, 2012

April 13, 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 April 13, 2017 at 10:10 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

55° C Lamb Shoulder

We have cooked a lot of lamb shoulder. We have tinkered with timing, temperatures, bone in and bone out, whole shoulder and chops. Recently we looked at our past experiences and made some adjustments to prepare boneless, rolled and tied, whole lamb shoulders. We lowered our go to temperature to 55°C and kept our timing of 24 hours. We cooked the shoulders sous vide in a flavorful concentrated marinade in the bag. The result was an incredible lamb shoulder that was succulent and juicy with a tender chew. These results are an improvement on juiciness and overall lamb flavor and texture than our previous explorations.

Years Past

April 12, 2016

April 12, 2015

April 12, 2012

April 12, 2006

April 12, 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 April 12, 2017 at 10:07 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (3)

Adventure TIme In The Koji Kingdom

An inspiring and informative TedxCLE talk from Jeremy Umansky. Thanks to Rich for sending it our way.

Years Past

April 11, 2016

April 11, 2015

April 11, 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 April 11, 2017 at 02:42 PM in Approach to Cooking, Food For Thoughts, FOOD SCIENCE, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)

FYI Philly

FYI Philly came to Stockton Market and, among other things, tried Curiosity Doughnuts (and fried chicken).

Years Past

April 10, 2016

April 10, 2015

April 10, 2012

April 10, 2006

April 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 April 10, 2017 at 03:15 PM in Approach to Cooking, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)

Banana Glazed Banana

We have been tinkering with our banana bread doughnut. What kind of tinkering? Adjusting the hydration and changing how we treated the bananas. Both of these ideas are intertwined. When we stopped cooking the bananas, the hydration for the dough dramatically changed. We needed substantially less water. We slowly stepped down the water in the dough, batch by batch until we reached a delicate and pliable dough that did not need additional folding and flour additions, besides bench flour, when we rolled and cut the doughnuts.

The dough took longer than I anticipated to dial into a place of happiness. (No real surprise there, most ideas in doughnutland have been taking longer than I hope/believe because of my lack of patience and the want and need for instant improvements. Of course those issues deserve there own deep dive.) As I worked on dialing in the doughnut I kept the coating simple to allow me to analyze the dough, I used our cinnamon cardamom sugar. Once the dough was dialed in I wanted a glaze with more substance, more uniqueness, more impact. I wanted a banana glaze for our banana bread. To make the glaze I cooked bananas with water, sugar, salt and vanilla. I pureed the bananas with powdered sugar and a bit of citric acid to make the banana flavor pop. I dipped the doughnuts in the glaze and rolled the holes in the remainder. The banana glaze set up beautifully and provided an intense sweet and creamy banana exterior to the yeasty banana bread beneath. A side effect of this creation is the use of banana with its thickening potential rekindled my want to explore the use of pectin in some other glazes.

Years Past

April 9, 2016

April 9, 2015

April 9, 2012

April 9, 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 April 09, 2017 at 10:40 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

To Infinity and Beyond

I wondered aloud if an infinity pasta could be made. I sketched the number 8 turned on its side, snapped a pic and texted it to Maja. She liked the idea and sent it along to Italy, home of the bronze dies, to see if it could be made. In a month, give or take, I got word that the shape was possible and it would be arriving shortly. I received my die in the mail and was giddy with pleasure and possibility.

I set up the machine and started to make pasta. It was wild seeing an idea come to life. I cut the noodles an inch and a half long. The shape, infinity or perhaps crazy 8's, is a pleasure to eat. The walls have substance. the tubes hold their shape and capture sauce. In many ways it is the ideal bite of pasta, a tubular platform designed to carry delicious.

Years Past

April 8, 2016

April 8, 2015

April 8, 2012

April 8, 2005

April 8, 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 April 08, 2017 at 10:38 AM in American Noodles, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Smoked Cherry Butterscotch

We tasted a prototype run of a smoked maple cherry preserve from eat this. It was delicious and in there world not right for retail. I happily bought the run. I knew we could put it to good work in Doughnutland.

My first idea was to use it as a topping for our frozen custard. I mixed it with our betterscotch sauce. And smoked cherry butterscotch was born. And our custard experience became even better.

Years Past

April 7, 2016

April 7, 2015

April 7, 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 April 07, 2017 at 06:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

We Choose Both

I make a lot of chocolate chip cookies. Ever since our Keyah Grande days they've been my go-to dessert. Alex and Amaya love them. I like to bake them just before dinner so by the time we get to dessert they are cool enough to have set up but they are still warm with gooey chocolate chips that coat your palate with sweet goodness. Pair them with a little ice cream and suddenly everything is right with the world. I finally added chocolate-chocolate chip to my repertoire. I have no idea why it took me so long. The other day I was making dough and decided to go chocolate. Instead of using 2.25 cups of AP flour I went with 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cocoa. It was that easy. I added three kinds of chips. Guittard is my new favorite for cookies. Their chips are all different shapes and sizes according to the style of chocolate. The semi-sweet "super cookie chips" are wide, flat and thin. The bittersweet chips are minis and the milk chocolate chips larger and thicker. The combination of all three makes for a great cookie, whether you choose vanilla, chocolate, or both.

Years Past

April 6, 2016

April 6, 2015

April 6, 2012

April 6, 2006

April 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 April 06, 2017 at 04:19 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Asparagus Au Jus

Sometimes the best thing to do with the copious juices from a roast (in this case roasted pork shoulder) is use them to cook your vegetables. We found some beautiful fat, juicy asparagus at the local market and tossed them in the plentiful meat juice. Then we roasted them at 425°F. for about 20 minutes until they were tender. We let the vegetables rest in the juice as we carved the meat and by the time we ate them, they could easily have been, and for some of us were, the center of the plate.

Years Past

April 5, 2016

April 5, 2015

April 5, 2012

April 5, 2006

April 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 April 05, 2017 at 04:48 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mini Crullers

We were helping out with an event and were asked if we could bring some Curiosity Doughnuts. I knew the timing would be off for our yeasted or even the apple cider doughnuts. But I could fit our crullers into the the crunch of prepping and make the doughnuts happen for the event. The twist, I had to make them small. Thankfully we had explored miniature crullers on occasion when we were finishing a batch and did not have enough dough for a full size. I observed these minis cooked up beautifully and ate deliciously. I set to work. We finished the miniature doughnuts with a modified version of our yuzu glaze, using lime juice and making a buttery buttermilk lime glazed cruller.

Crunchy, creamy, tangy bliss.

Years Past

April 4, 2016

April 4, 2015

April 4 2012

April 4, 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 April 04, 2017 at 10:25 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three Finger Cavatelli

Yesterday at the market I was introduced into a new way of making a cavatelli style noodle by our friends at Lore Pasta. I made our base cavatelli dough for Mario, his A.D.D., and occasionally idle hands. He quickly set to work and within no time had rolled a beautiful pile of pasta. The dough was cut into longer pieces than we traditionally use for cavatelli. It was then rolled on a pasta board (the Cavarola board) with 3 fingers to produce a longer noodle that was both elegant and rustic. I enjoyed its slightly thinner walls against my teeth and the length was excellent for catching a bit more sauce. The cavatelli was beautiful and made me look at this type of pasta in a new way.

Base Ricotta Cavatelli

250 grams all purpose flour

1.25 grams baking soda

1.25 grams salt

250 grams ricotta cheese

Put the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium size bowl and stir to combine the ingredients. Add the ricotta cheese and use your fingers to break the cheese into the flour mixture. Continue to work the cheese into the flour, creating a uniform dough. Knead the dough in the bowl or on a counter top for 1 minute. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, to allow the flour to hydrate. The dough may also be vacuum sealed to expedite hydration and rolled immediately.

Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into 8 slices. Roll the slices into ropes, about 1-cm thick. Cut the ropes into pieces 4-cm in length. Use 3-4 fingers to press and pull the dough pieces on a gnocchi board or cavarola board, pulling the pieces toward you and allowing it to fold over your fingertips and itself to create each individual cavatelli. Continue with the remaining dough.

Years Past

April 3, 2016

April 3, 2015

April 3, 2012

April 3, 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 April 03, 2017 at 10:43 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shio Koji and the Flavor of the Grain

The reason that everything tastes like shio koji, a fundamental sameness, is because for the most part the shio koji being created is based upon a singular grain. The sameness of the koji results in the sameness in the seasoning.

During the Shio Koji Burger Explorations we observed a magical experience. When we seasoned the meat with shio koji made from a variety of grains, the flavors that developed were unique. The grain plus the koji plus the seasoned medium resulted in creating the flavor. The grain, and thus the need for a variety of shio kojis, is essential in elevating flavors and developing unique experiences. It is with the ability to make our own shio koji that we can unlock its seasoning potential.

We started two new shio kojis. The first is made with emmer that we innoculated with koji, the other is tamaki gold rice. We grew both kojis in the workshop and are now turning them into the powerful seasoning shio koji. We used equal parts water and kojified grain topped with 10 percent salt. It is interesting to observe the difference in what that means when looking at the two different grains. The emmer appears much dryer even though the amounts are the same. We will observe the shio koji over the next week as it develops into shio koji.

The one hang up I have is whether or not it is necessary for this secondary fermentation of shio koji when we are working with fresh koji. I can understand the need to hydrate a dried version of koji on a grain. But with the fresh kojified grains I am wondering its necessity. I will observe and compare.

Years Past

April 2, 2015

April 2, 2012

April 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 April 02, 2017 at 10:41 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Resilience

I thought spring arrived in early March. I snapped a picture of our lovage breaking through the soil, ready to get to work in our kitchen. Then winter arrived in fine fashion with heavy snow and biting cold. I figured our lovage, in its delicate stage, was a goner. I was wrong. I looked in our herb pot yesterday and our lovage continuing to grow larger. It faced the adversity and was able to continue to grow. Being able to spring back after the hardship is essential to growth.

Years Past

April 1, 2016

April 1, 2015

April 1, 2012