Pink tonic water, that is tart, refreshing and so delicious.
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
Adventures in Doughnutland.
[email protected]
© 2005-2022 Ideas in Food
Writing and Photographs by Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot
Search
Affiliate
- All Amazon links on this website are part of an affiliate program. Ideas in Food will earn a small percentage on any purchases made by visiting Amazon through our links. Thank you for supporting Ideas in Food by making purchases through our site.
To Be Read
Martin, Melissa M.: Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou
Lee, Lara: Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen
Chauhan, Maneet: Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India: A Cookbook
McDermott, Kate: Pie Camp: The Skills You Need to Make Any Pie You Want
Lee, Lara: Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen
Kimber, Edd: One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns
Clark, Letitia: Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia
McDowell, Erin Jeanne: The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies
Michael Solomonov: Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story
Chris Cosentino: Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart, with Guts
Deb Perelman: Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
Samin Nosrat: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
Michelle Tam: Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
Lee Brian Schrager: America's Best Breakfasts: Favorite Local Recipes from Coast to Coast
Jacqueline An: An: To Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen
Carolyn Phillips: All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China
Alexandra Stratou: Cooking with Loula: Greek Recipes from My Family to Yours
Meathead Goldwyn: Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling
« February 2019 | Main | April 2019 »
31 entries from March 2019
Thermometers Lie
When the thermometer says 375°F and the biegnets go up in smoke in their normal fry time, something is amiss. My first response was to question my dough. Did I make something wrong? It didn't occur to me that the infrared thermometer could be off. I fried another single doughnut, a different dough, and it too went up in smoke quickly. Only then did I begin to question the thermometer. I shut the heat off and began searching the kitchen for a second thermometer. I was alone, prepping in a strange kitchen, cooking doughnuts in a pot on the stove.
I finally got relief when another chef showed up with a thermometer in their kit. There thermometer registered 475°F. I had the answer to my burnt biegnets. I added additional oil to the pot to cool it down and waited. When the oil reached 375°F I was off to the races.
I re-learned a lesson I thought I knew quite well. Travel with a back up thermometer. Because not all thermometers tell the truth.
Years Past
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
| |
|
The Power of Practice
We learn to see with practice. We see the successes and failures. We see what works and what doesn't. Practice is a time to try, test and explore. It is the place where failure opens doors.
As we practice questions emerge. The biggest challenge I face daily is how to practice better? Are there steps I could be taking? Are there motions I could be eliminating? Are there questions I should be asking?
And as I looked to understand practice I came across these words:
"You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail." -- Charlie Parker (1920-1955) Jazz musician
I think we often forget the first step. The learning. In order to excel, we must be willing to learn. Basics become great through our practice.
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
| |
|
The Science Of Spiciness
A TED talk from Rose Eveleth, because understanding how spice works will makes us better cooks and diners.
Years Past
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
| |
|
Alaskan King Crab Legs
It's extremely hard to find reasonably priced, great seafood around here. So, we're trying out a monthly seafood subscription from a company in Alaska. It's only been a month so we're not ready to weigh in on them yet, but these Alaskan King crab legs were so beautiful that we had to share them. It's a rare day when you can find legs this big outside of a restaurant and they were the main reason why we signed up for this particular subscription. We're going to give it three months and if it's worth sharing, you'll read about it here. If you don't hear about it again, that means it wasn't worth the money. Only time will tell...
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
| |
|
Cinnamon Shortbread Crust
Take your favorite pie crust recipe (ours is in both Maximum Flavor and Gluten Free Flour Power) and add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Then roll out your dough in shortbread crumbs. It's that simple. We're going to use it for the next batch of strawberry pie but it would be equally good with lemon cream pie or banana cream pie or custard pie...hmmm maybe I'll rethink that strawberry filling.
Years Past
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
| |
|
Spring
It's the first strawberry pie of the season. Spring is definitely here.
Years Past
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
| |
|
Two Lime Pie
I was making a lime pie for my mother in law's birthday when Alex wandered into the kitchen. He was watching me make the filling for the baked curd and thought it looked a little bit skimpy.
Then as we debated toppings for the pie he suggested that I adapt my lemon cream pie filling and use it to top the baked lime base, essentially bringing two pies together as one. It worked beautifully with the graham cracker rolled pie crust. The bottom layer was firmer and more intense with a kiss of ginger to highlight the lime, while the top layer was ethereal and bright with a hint of vanilla.
I think my ratio was a bit off and I need a little more of the bottom layer to balance the top, but that's an easy fix. The pie was a huge success and it's making me think about ways to bring more flavor to what I put on top of a pie or a cake or whatever else I happen to be creating.
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
| |
|
Mezcal Cured Roe
The roe is firm with a tender pop. It has a delicate sweetness and a balanced salinity. The mezcal adds a touch of heat and a smokey peppery note to the roe. We have not worked with mezcal cured roe for years. It was wonderful to find out Steve at Blis was making it again. It looks like we may have to revisit our past and begin exploring fresh caviar and ice cream combinations. Although, if Aki has her way fresh noodles and roe are in her future. Special ingredients inspire delicious ideas.
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
| |
|
Kimchi and Coleslaw
A number of years ago we made creamy kimchi. It was delicious. It was great with our hot dogs. But it was not coleslaw and was not kimchi. As a hybrid and for the time it was amazing. But somehow I knew that kimchi and coleslaw were great together but would taste best still in their original forms. In our recent corned beef and cabbage feast we made reubens with both coleslaw and kimchi. The two remained separate and blended together. Bites were varied. The kimchi would dominate one bite, the coleslaw would cool another bite. And together they were a robust version of our creamy kimchi.
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
| |
|
Corned Beef and Cabbage
The tradition is corned beef and cabbage. The twist was eating in the style of areuben. We made the sandwiches with either corned beef or pastrami and added kimchi, cole slaw, Swiss cheese and mustard before grilling them into oozy, melty, crunchy goodness for St. Patty's day. And just like that, a new tradition was born.
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
| |
|
The Graham Cracker Roll
Alex is not a fan of graham cracker pie crusts and always complains when I make one. In The New Pie: Modern Techniques For The Classic American Dessert, they roll a pie crust in graham cracker crumbs to make key lime pie. When we saw it, we were both struck by the simplicity and the possibilities. It was a total a-ha! moment here. I used it to make a Two Lime Pie for someone's birthday here and we both loved the way it worked out. The crumbs added texture and flavor to the finished pie dough, making it more crunchy on the outside and seemingly more tender inside the crust. Now we are contemplating the many different kinds of crumbs we can use to make pie dough. We'll never have to deal with a crumbly crumb crust again.
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
| |
|
It's Cruller Time, Our Process
We make our doughnuts in small recipes. I haven't been happy with how the recipes have scaled. So we make them in the size that makes them great. I increase efficiency by scaling all the ingredients into their steps. It also helps limit measuring errors as we can check the ingredients step by step. By getting the scaling done in one step the process of cooking becomes smooth and efficient.
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
| |
|
Motivation
Clearly I need the doughnut version of this shirt. To go along with the pizza. And a noodle version as well. We have plenty of ideas and they are what motivates us.
Years Past
March 15, 2011
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
| |
|
Pi Day
People are excited about "Pi Day" this year. I didn't even realize that it was a thing until we started seeing pictures of pie all over social media. Fortunately we happened to have a copy of The New Pie: Modern Techniques For The Classic American Dessert by Chris Taylor + Paul Arguin on our kitchen table and it is a great book. It's rare that a book appeals equally to both of us but this one does. It's written by two men who are passionate about pie and it shows. They are not professional bakers or chefs, they are doctors that happen to also be competitive pie makers. It's a smart book, well thought out and immensely readable.
The book was an impulse buy for me. I read a few early reviews online and pre-ordered it. It showed up this week and has taken up a permanent residence in our kitchen. Amaya, Alex and I have all flagged pages that intrigued us. The ingredient quantities are listed in multiple formats and there's a lot of insight into the thought process behind the techniques. There's a lot of love in this book. It's detailed in a way that you don't often see, perhaps because it's a passion project for these gentlemen rather than a career. It's full of whimsical and classic pies. You may not want to make them all (or you may) but no matter what this book will kickstart your desire to make pie.
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
| |
|
Feeling Dippy
We were online at our local Italian market and Alex was eyeballing the groceries in front of ours. He tapped the lady on the shoulder and asked about her "Hoagie Dip." She was very happy to tell him all about it. It is one of her favorite things and she hadn't seen it in years. She explained that it was everything on a hoagie except the bread and you spread it on crackers. Before I knew what was happening I was headed back to the sandwich display case to pick up Hoagie Dip and Buffalo Chicken Dip. Who knew? Fortunately the Hoagie Dip was everything that she said it was. It has: ham, pepperoni, salami, capicollo, american cheese, provolone cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions, oil, vinegar, and seasonings. It's strangely addicting spread on a crispy wheat cracker. A quick snack turned into a mini buffet when we pulled the dips out to try with Amaya. There's always something new to discover at the grocery store.
Years Past
March 13, 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
| |
|
Kimchi in Progress
Salted Cabbage: Seasoning, Tenderizing and Kickstarting Fermentation
Rinsed Cabbage and Scallions
Added Kimchi Marinade
Vacuum Sealed For Dispersion and Simple Fermentation
Years Past
March 12, 2011
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
| |
|
Shrimp Rice
Sometimes you stumble across some shrimp that are so beautiful that you know that you have to use every part of them. So, I took the shells and made a stock infuse with ginger, garlic, tamari, and sake. We began with the idea of shrimp and artichokes. Then I made the stock and rice seemed like a natural accompaniment. In the end we used most of the stock to make the rice and took the remainder to make buerre monte to poach the shrimp and artichokes. We finished the stew with fresh parsley and scallions. I wish I could show you the final results but we took advantage of the moment and simply enjoyed them. Think of this as a very loose recipe, my favorite kind, because you take the ideas and run with whatever you have in your own kitchen.
Years Past
March 11, 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
| |
|
Potato Twists
When we introduced the potato doughnut to the shop we were faced with potato doughnut cuttings. To utilize the trim we stacked the dough into a ball and let it rest overnight. The following day we roll it into a six inch wide strip. We cut the strip into sticks and then cut the strip three quarters of the way through. We twist the pieces together and then press the ends together. We fry the twists and glaze them with our vanilla-buttermilk glaze. Most recently we topped the twists with strawberry crumbs though we have a number of other twists up our sleeves for the coming weeks.
Years Past
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
| |
|
Fried Angel Hair Parm
There are certain meals that are, by necessity, a solitary pleasure. This is one of them. It requires leftover angel hair pasta in red sauce. This no easy feat in our house because Amaya loves her angel hair and usually has dibs on any leftovers. In this case, Alex went to bed early so there was an extra portion in the pot that I was able to hide away in the corner of the fridge. The next day the pasta was seared in a non-stick saute pan, flipped, covered with mozzarella cheese and broiled until it was browned and bubbly. The leftover noodles have a certain bouncy resiliency, in spite of their softness. This is interspersed with crunchy bits, gooey cheesey goodness, and the occasional spark from a red pepper flake. It is comfort food of the highest order and not often indulged in. That may be part of what makes it taste so good.
Years Past
March 9, 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
| |
|
Pan Pizza
Bar pizza is my current fetish. It started a number of years ago when I ate at The Colony Grill. Their thin crust pizza with abundant toppings and fantastic caramelization was an instant addition to to my pizza lexicon. It took me several years to find a pan I wanted to make the pizza in. I finally chose the 13 inch cutter pan from Lloyd's. (The same producer of our favorite Detroit Style Pizza Pans.)
We made our fail-safe pizza dough to test the pans out for the first time. I cut the dough into 300 gram balls and put them on the lightly oiled pans. I covered the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough do its final proof on the pans.
When it was time to cook, we all stretched the dough on the pans and topped the pizzas with both our favorite stand-bys and some new exploratory toppings. We baked the pizzas on our baking steel in the oven until the bottoms browned and the toppings were toasty.
We used our go to pizza cutter, scissors, to slice the pizzas and allow us all to pick and choose amongst the evenings' five variations.
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
| |
|
Organic Ramen
I picked these up on a whim at Wegman's one day. I figured vegan, organic ramen From Japan had to be worth trying. I was pleasantly surprised by these noodles. They have a nice texture, firmer than most mass produced ramen, and a surprisingly flavorful broth. There's nothing unusual or unpronounceable on the ingredient list. They weren't excessively expensive making them the perfect quick lunch with a few added vegetables and an egg. Seriously, if you're going to eat instant ramen, it may as well be a bowl of noodles that you can feel good about. Good and good for you is a phrase that I take much more to heart these days, especially since it's a given that if Amaya's around she's going to steal at least half of whatever I'm eating.
Years Past
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
| |
|
Why Is Ketchup So Hard To Pour?
Hasn't everyone wondered this at least once?
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
| |
|
Chocolate Cloud Cake
Sometimes you feel the need for chocolate and whipped cream. At those times, there's nothing better than a Chocolate Cloud Cake.
It's an easy recipe and as long as you use good butter and chocolate, it yields something rich and luxurious, with multiple textures, to be enjoyed in small bites. I added 1/3 teaspoon of fine sea salt to the sugar that I added to the whole eggs, and I used cookie crumbs on top instead of chocolate shavings. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written. It comes from Richard Sax's book, Classic Home Desserts, which is wonderful. If you like to bake, it is a book worth checking out. It's been a staple in our library for years, one that I return to again and again.
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
| |
|
Persimmon Hot Sauce
Persimmon Hot Sauce
4000 grams ripe persimmons
1000 grams water
400 grams habanero peppers
100 grams salt
I pureed all the ingredients together and then put them in a large cambro and pressed plastic wrap on the surface of the persimmon mash. I covered the cambro with another piece of plastic and let the persimmon mash ferment for about 4 days at room temperature, until bubbles formed in the persimmons and the color first darkened and then returned to its original orange.
The persimmon mash had become slightly acidic. The acidity brought the fragrant heat and sweetness of the hot sauce together. I put the persimmon hot sauce in the refrigerator, covered, for another month. The top oxidized slightly during the aging process. When it was ready to go, I scraped the oxidized surface layer off the hot sauce, stirred the mash together and bottled it up. I have it stored it in the refrigerator ready to be called into action.
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
| |
|
Ric-Cottage Cheese
Adding the cottage cheese to the ricotta creates a richer product with a complex texture. The two together become an exceptional ingredient.
Years Past
March 1, 2011
March 1, 2009
March 1, 2007
March 1, 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
| |
|
Categories
- American Noodles
- Approach to Cooking
- At the Table
- Bakers Dozen
- Balancing Tastes
- Beyond the Kitchen Doors
- Books
- Can You Believe It
- Cookie Counter
- Cooking Classes
- Culinary Conversations
- CULINARY EVOLUTIONS
- Culinary Introduction
- CULINARY REFERENCES
- Curiosity Doughnuts
- DISCOVERIES
- Food and Drink
- Food For Thoughts
- FOOD SCIENCE
- For the Bookshelves
- Fried Chicken Project
- From the Bookshelves
- Icons and Alliterations
- Impromptu Pizza
- Indulgence
- Ingredients
- INSPIRATIONS
- Just Before the Bin
- Katsu Dogs
- Kitchen Tools
- LIBATIONS
- Listen to This
- Magical Mistakes
- Meditations From the Kitchen
- Menus
- Music
- Not Food Related
- Notebooks
- Picture This
- Recipes
- Salumi Sessions
- Someone Else's Kitchen
- Staples We Cannot Live Without
- The 10 Condiments
- The Alchemy of Flavor
- The Art of Improvisation
- Videos
- WELCOME
- What We Learned
