IDEAS IN FOOD: Approach to Cooking

Marshmallow Madness

I have been working on bringing homemade marshmallows back to the shop. In the past we have used a variety of recipes, most recently cribbing the work of Stella Parks, from her incredible book Brave Tart: Iconic American Desserts. I started there again, but wanted a recipe with fewer ingredients. I did not want to have to buy corn syrup in order to make marshmallows. I draw the line in the sand in many weird places. My first version was a crystallized mess. As was my second, third and fourth versions. Finally I realized I needed a bit of invert sugar, corn syrup, to prevent crystallization. Since I was not planning on using corn syrup I figured I could invert the sugar by adding acid to the sugar syrup. Version 6 was a failure as the excessive amount of acid I added interfered with the gelling of the marshmallow. I made sour marshmallow fluff. (Perhaps an idea for the future.) In version 7 I cut the amount of acid I used, citric, and achieved marvelously light and delicate marshmallows. Tinkering is a process.

Years Past

July 22, 2015

July 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 July 22, 2019 at 06:25 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Strawberry Custard

The summer heat has focused our attention on our filled doughnuts. Cynthia mentioned that the Boston Cream was not selling like it used to. She wondered about a fruit flavored custard to take the doughnut in a new direction. Her initial idea was raspberry. Ryan heard strawberry. The result was delicious. We modified our custard recipe. Instead of dairy we used strawberry and passion fruit purees. We kept the rest of the recipe the same. We The lightened the cooled custard with sweetened whipped cream to make an ethereal filling. We topped the doughnuts with our vanilla buttermilk glaze and roasted doughnut crumbs. We topped the strawberry custard with a sprinkle of strawberry crumbs. Summers heat showed us the path to take to beat it.

Years Past

July 21, 2015

July 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 July 21, 2019 at 05:43 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chasing Childhood

One of my favorite sandwiches was a peanut butter and jelly spread onto a toasted English muffin. The hot bread melted the peanut butter and the jelly remained a touch cool. The sandwich crackled and oozed as I ate it. Recently I had the chance to share the idea with Amaya. I spread peanut butter and jelly between two slices of bread. I refrigerated the sandwich. Later in the day I put the sandwich in the toaster. The bread toasted. The peanut butter warmed. The jelly remained slightly cool. I let Amaya have the first bite. I let her have the second and third bites as well. She was lost in the sandwich. When she paused, I distracted her long enough to get myself a bite of a memory. It was fantastic.

Years Past

July 19, 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 July 19, 2019 at 05:15 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Playing With Pierogi

It is difficult to begin tinkering without a strong point of reference. I have eaten pierogi in modern American restaurants and purchased frozen pierogi to cook at home. But I do not have an authentic experience to copy and build upon. I started with a sour cream based pierogi dough. The dough was extremely tender and doughy. It had a dumpling like quality that I wrapped around a horseradish cheese filling. I used our pot-sticker style cooking method. The top was soft and the bottom was crispy.

But really, the whole thing from was a nightmare. The dough was too tender and while it kept the filling in place it did not make for an enjoyable eating experience. And my "on the fly" horseradish cheese filling was a creamy disaster with too much heat and an overly fluid cheese.

Now that I have my own baseline, I have a point of reference to build upon.

Years Past

July 17, 2015

July 17, 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 July 17, 2019 at 04:39 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Own Your Point of View

Years Past

July 16, 2015

July 16, 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 July 16, 2019 at 06:15 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Salsa Simmered Scrambled Eggs

I had never had scrambled eggs simmered in salsa before. I watched in amazement as the eggs were hard scrambled. When all the eggs were scrambled they were put into a pot of spicy simmering salsa. The eggs were cooked a second time, absorbing the salsa and becoming moist and juicy. The eggs were served with grilled tortillas for a delicious make your own breakfast taco.

It turns out we have explored simmering eggs in sauce before, only in a completely different context.

Years Past

July 14, 2015

July 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 July 14, 2019 at 05:55 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blueberries Dressed in Syrup

I had never thought of storing blueberries, destined for topping yogurt, in a flavored simple syrup. Then I watched our good friend Anthony Goncalves' team putting together yogurt parfaits for an event. I actually thought they were pulling the berries out of water, which I thought was washing the fruit. I was puzzled at first. I asked about the wet fruit and was corrected on my assumption. The water was a simple syrup flavored with cinnamon and orange zest. The syrup coated the berries and dressed the fresh fruit with a flavorful accent. The simplicity of the idea has me asking what other fruits and vegetables we should be lightly dressing.

Years Past

July 12, 2015

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 July 12, 2019 at 06:28 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doughnuts Now On Saturdays at Princeton

We are thrilled to announce that beginning this weekend (July 13) we are adding Saturdays to our doughnut pop up schedule in the Whole Foods Market in Princeton, NJ. Doughnuts will be available from 9:15am until we sell out, generally by 1:00pm. Come and get your doughnuts!

Years Past

July 11, 2015

July 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 July 11, 2019 at 04:53 PM in Approach to Cooking, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yuzu Kosho: We Put That S..t on Everything

Whether you make your own or discover a brand you enjoy, having yuzu kosho in your pantry is essential. I think my only limitation in using it is when I see we are getting low and am unwilling to run out. That's when I hold back when really I should use it up and make sure to better stock our pantry.

Years Past

July 10, 2015

July 10, 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 July 10, 2019 at 06:05 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I'm Reading

It's that time of year, well, honestly, it's always time for ice cream at our house. Due to the limited number of ice creams available in our area the debate between Haagen Daaz (me) and Ben & Jerry's (Alex) is always in play. Amaya has favorites from both categories and those who know us will confirm that there is always a minimum of eight flavors in the freezer at any given time. Unfortunately both offer favorite brands seems to have changed their formulations. Neither of them has been living up to their expectations in recent months and so I've been delving into the ice cream section of our library. The situation is dire so I reached for David Lebovitz's book: The Perfect Scoop, rather than one of the many other books on our shelves. Because even though he doesn't specialize in ice cream, as many others do, his recipes always work. I don't say this lightly. I have never tried a recipe of his that failed or failed to be delicious. That's pretty much the biggest compliment I can give to any food writer. So as the temperature ratchets up, I'm settling down with a good book and trying to decide which flavor to use to break in my ice cream machine.

Of course I've just noticed that there's a revised and updated version of this book out. I'll have to stretch my budget so I can add it to my collection. Something to look forward to, in the very near future.

Years Past

July 9, 2015

July 9, 2012

July 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

Posted on July 09, 2019 at 02:54 PM in Approach to Cooking, Books, From the Bookshelves, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Fascinated By The Flavor of Butter

For years we have been making the Butter Burger. For years I have scoffed at the idea of serving burgers on brioche buns. Tonight we made burgers, seasoned only with salt. We topped them with smoked cheddar cheese. (The importance of smoke is a whole other rabbit hole.) We served the burgers on brioche buns.

As I ate, the tender bread barely holding up to the cheese-laden patties, I had an epiphany. It is the butter in brioche that makes it a desirable burger bun. The butter flavor enhances the meat and adds another level of savoriness to the sandwich. Now it looks like we need to explore a butter-centric burger bun with substance that can handle the juiciness of a few griddled burgers.

Years Past

July 7, 2015

July 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 July 07, 2019 at 06:34 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pot Sticker Style Pierogies

The steam saute is our go to method for cooking dumplings. We have applied the approach to tortellini. It only made sense to cook pierogies the same way. We melted butter in the pan and added frozen pierogi. When they started to sizzle we added a half a cup of water and covered the pan.

We removed the lid after 5 minutes and let the rest of the water cook away. The steamed pierogi where then able to finish sauteing in the butter. The tops were tender and the bottoms crispy.

Years Past

July 5, 2018

July 5, 2015

July 5, 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 July 05, 2019 at 07:32 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Four Minute Steaks

These were an unexpected find in the local supermarket in the Poconos. They were thin and cooked quickly on the grill. Each steak was a perfect serving for one, rich, flavorful, meaty and delicious. Sometimes a quick cooking method is all you need.

Years Past

July 3, 2015

July 3, 2012

July 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 July 03, 2019 at 07:58 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shoulder Chops

These are the hidden gems of the meat department.

Years Past

July 1, 2015

July 1, 2012

July 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

Posted on July 01, 2019 at 07:00 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doughnut Parts and Pieces

chocolate yeasted, cruller, vanilla yeasted

sourdough, spiral, not quite vegan

new fashioned apple cider, potato, angel

not pictured: supercake

We produce 10 different doughnut doughs daily. Nine are pictured. The cuttings and leftovers allow us to produce nine spare parts doughnuts, eight of them are pictured. The variety allows me to harness my crazy. It allows me, on any given day, to have the doughnut I am in the mood for.

angel pillow, cider stick, potato twist

cluster, thumbprint

doughnut bread pudding, beignets, marble

not pictured: sourdough bar

Years Past

June 28, 2015

June 28, 2012

June 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 June 28, 2019 at 05:39 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vegan Huney

It's not funny, it's apple syrup.

Years Past

June 26, 2015

June 26, 2012

June 26, 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 June 26, 2019 at 06:41 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dry Heat

Observing the process of the reverse sear has me wondering if low temperature cooking could be improved by using low temperature dry heat. The low temperature oven allows the meat to cook slowly and the exterior to dry. The dried exterior, a pellicle, sears quickly and evenly. It dawned on me that the greatest improvement to low temperature cooking might be removing the moisture, rather than confining it.

Years Past

June 25, 2015

June 25, 2012

June 25, 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 June 25, 2019 at 05:39 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (3)

Grilled Cheese

Bread

Cheese

Fat

Three ingredients with a limitless upside. There is no right nor wrong. But there are as many opinions on the proper arrangement of the ingredients as there are ways to combine them.

Years Past

June 24, 2015

June 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 June 24, 2019 at 06:05 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Repetition

Years Past

June 23, 2015

June 23, 2012

June 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 June 23, 2019 at 05:52 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Strawberry Lemonade Twists

It's officially summer. That means we are busy transforming iconic summer inspirations into doughnuts. This week we coated our potato twists with lemon glaze and strawberry crumbs.

(Potato chips washed down with strawberry lemonade.)

Years Past

June 22, 2015

June 22, 2012

June 22, 2006

June 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 June 22, 2019 at 06:00 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Phyllo Crusted Doughnut

I like doughnut fusion. From our initial successes with the marble doughnut and into the doughnut clusters we have seen that doughnuts have the ability to bond together and to other ingredients. Our Tiger Crunch was created because we knew we could stick cornflakes to a doughnut. I have tried sticking other ingredients to the outside of our doughnuts but have not been enamored with any of the results, besides the cornflakes. Today we started to entertain my newest fascination, phyllo crusting. Years ago we crusted artichokes with smoked phyllo dough. In our current playground I started crusting the doughnuts with ribbons of phyllo and topping them with our honeycomb crumbs. The doughnut and its crust will continue to evolve.

Years Pasts

June 21, 2015

June 21, 2012

June 21, 2006

June 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 June 21, 2019 at 05:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Magic Mustard Sauce

The blend of habanero peppers and yellow mustard is a flavor base I would not have originally considered. After having "Lottie's" in our kitchen I can't figure out how we had gone so long without it.

Years Past

June 20, 2015

June 20, 2012

June 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 June 20, 2019 at 08:16 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everything Furikake

Proximity leads to breakthroughs.

Years Past

June 19, 2015

June 19, 2012

June 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 June 19, 2019 at 04:10 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Garlic Rice

Too often I dither about the perfect way to cook and feature a seasonal ingredient. The inspiration comes from action.

Years Past

June 18, 2015

June 18, 2012

June 18, 2006

June 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 June 18, 2019 at 04:00 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cut, Trimmed and Discarded

If the most delicious parts are the ones that are either cut, trimmed or discarded perhaps we need to change our approach.

Years Past

June 17, 2015

June 17, 2012

June 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 June 17, 2019 at 06:26 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paying Attention to Our Process

We salted the steak 24 hours in advance and let it air dry on a rack in the refrigerator.

We cooked the steak on a wire rack in a 200° oven until it reached 110°F.

We let the steak rest for longer than you think, an hour this time around.

We seared the rested steak in sunflower seed oil in a cast iron pan turning it often.

We let the steak rest for 10 minutes on the cutting board before carving it.

How was it?

Tender, flavorful, juicy and delicious.

Totally worth the effort involved.

Years Past

June 16, 2015

June 16, 2007

June 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 June 16, 2019 at 04:18 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Preparing the Twist

We roll our potato dough into a rectangle. We cut it into 1 inch wide pieces. We cut each piece 7/8 down the middle. From here we can fold the dough over itself and create the classic twist. This process appears simple. It is. But it took us too long to finally get here. I even went so far as to buy a twist cutter before we got to where we are today.

Years Past

June 15, 2015

June 15, 2012

June 15, 2006

June 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 June 15, 2019 at 05:52 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sake e Pepe

Our sake strozapreti take time to cook. They took a good 13 minutes in this shape. To me that was too long. I need to roll the dough thinner to shorten the cooking time. But when they were cooked they had a fragrant aroma and delicious chew. I dressed them with salted butter and black pepper. The combination of the three was delicious. So delicious that I didn't even miss the cheese.

Years Past

June 14, 2015

June 14, 2012

June 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 June 14, 2019 at 05:09 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Banana Yuzu Crackling Clusters

Today we put our doughnut poprocks into play. The poprocks have a toasted doughnut flavor, reminiscent of nilla wafers. Cynthia connected the dots and said we should do a banana cream pie style doughnut. We coated our cluster doughnuts with our Banana-Yuzu glaze and sprinkled the doughnut poprocks on top. The doughnut coating adds flavor and protects the candy from crackling until you bite into the doughnut. The doughnut delivers a smile with the first bite and is crushworthy to the last.

Years Past

June 13, 2015

June 13, 2012

June 13, 2008

June 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 June 13, 2019 at 05:09 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sake Strozapreti

Sake Strozapreti

450 grams durum flour
6 grams salt
230 grams sake

Put the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Pour the sake into the flour and use your fingers to disperse the water and bring the flour into a crumbly mass. Keep working it with your fingers, squeezing the flour into a rough and shaggy ball. Fold the mass onto itself, beginning to knead the dough. It will feel both dry and moist. Keep kneading the dough until it forms a ball and all of the flour is absorbed. Put the ball on the counter and continue to push, pull, and rotate the dough. It will resemble a rough semi-smooth pasta dough. Put the pasta dough into a vacuum bag and seal on high pressure.
When the dough is vacuum sealed it becomes fully hydrated and ready to roll.

Years Past

June 12, 2015

June 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 June 12, 2019 at 04:39 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Doughnut Poprocks

I coated blank poprocks with our doughnut magic shell. The magic shell coats the rocks and keeps moisture at bay. This is both a doughnut and frozen custard topping.

Years Past

Posted on June 11, 2019 at 05:45 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Angel Pillows

I have spent a fair amount of time tinkering with the trimmings from our Angel Doughnuts. The babka was delicious but frying it destroyed our oil. We started rolling the trimmings into large squares, then rolling them around cannoli tubes and frying them. They were named "Holey Rollers," thanks to a bit of help on Instagram. The second day we fried them one roller came unwound and fried flat. I glazed it and topped it with crumbs and brought it to Aki. I explained what our process was. She loved the un-roller and asked why we didn't just fry them as squares and be done. I did not have a clever response. The next time we were making the Holey Rollers I decided to try Aki's idea. The Angel dough puffed into giant pillows. We glazed them and topped them with a secondary fruit glaze and doughnut crumbs. The giant angel dough pillows were incredible. They were also insanely delicious. The simplest solution is often the smartest. So holey rollers are on hold and Angel Pillows are in the rotation.

Years Past

June 10, 2015

June 10, 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 June 10, 2019 at 06:24 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sourdough Bars

Today we started serving our sourdough bars. To make them we fold and then roll the trimmings from the sourdough doughnuts into a wide strip. We cut the strip into bars. We are still working on the bar sizing. Today they were small so in doughnutland 2 bars equaled a doughnut. We topped them with maplecomb crumbs and chocolate chip shortbread, allowing guests to mix and match flavors.

Years Past

June 9, 2015

June 9, 2012

June 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 June 09, 2019 at 05:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earl Grey with Strawberry Shortbread Crumbs

A year ago we introduced the Earl Grey Glazed Doughnut. When I was tasting the glaze the other day it reminded me of Fruity Pebbles. We recently brought strawberry crumbs back into the rotation. The two pieces clicked. The strawberry would amplify the fruity cereal notes of the Earl Grey. Today we unleashed the not Fruity Pebble doughnut into the world.

Years Past

June 8, 2015

June 8, 2012

June 8, 2006

June 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 June 08, 2019 at 04:52 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Masa Shortbread

I have been looking for a corn-centric topping for doughnutland. We have made a popcorn glaze and a corn chip and white chocolate crumble. Both were exciting, delicious and fun in the moment. But they didn't stick. I'm not sure if it was convincing customers that corn belongs on a doughnut or that the actual audience was too small. In reflection I wonder if we could have improved the delivery. Today we adapted Aki's home version to make masa shortbread. The masa is nutty, toasty and corny. As a shortbread it is delicious. At first I thought we should add more masa to the recipe because in doughnutland we make our toppings with a combination of white chocolate and crumbs. But then it occurred to me. We don't have to make every crumb with white chocolate. Pulverized masa shortbread is the simplest answer and most flavor forward. The answer is to eliminate the white chocolate for this topping. The shortbread stands on its own.

Years Past

June 6, 2015

June 6, 2012

June 6, 2008

June 6, 2007

June 6, 2006

June 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 June 06, 2019 at 06:50 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sourdough Waffles Revisited

We have not made sourdough waffles in years. How many years? Since we wrote our first book. But with sourdough on my mind and abundant in the kitchen it was worth revisiting. We modified our original recipe utilizing the feeding method Ken Forkish outlines in his book The Elements of Pizza. The point was not the adaptation. The point is if you are making sourdough, sourdough waffles should be in your arsenal.

Years Past

June 5, 2015

June 5, 2012

June 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 June 05, 2019 at 07:41 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sourdough Pan Pizzas

I was certainly overzealous with the toppings. The dough held up to my heavy handed approach. The bottoms and sides were crispy. The interior was light and fluffy. The tops were, as I noted and can be seen, over the top.

Years Past

June 4, 2018

June 4, 2017

June 4, 2016

June 4, 2015

June 4, 2012

June 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 June 04, 2019 at 05:06 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Impromptu Pizza | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sourdough Squared

I opted to use our 100% hydrated pizza dough as the framework for a sourdough square pie. I have been using the feeding model for sourdough that is outlined in of Ken Forkish's brilliant book, The Elements Pizza. I doubled our pizza recipe, mostly, cutting the water by 100 grams. I added 500 grams of sourdough base to the dough. I hand mixed the dough and let it rise throughout the day, folding occasionally. I shaped the dough 4 hours before cooking and let it rise to fill the pans. I baked the dough on a baking steel for 10 minutes and raised it off the steel for 5 minutes. I topped the par-baked pizzas and finished them under the broiler for 5 minutes. My achilles heel is too many toppings. I was overly generous on these pizzas. They did not deflate. They dough with its delicate network of bubbles supported my toppings. The pizzas were delicious, messy and over the top. The sourdough added character to the dough and enhanced the pizza experience. Now I need to show some restraint as we tinker through the variations in search of dough nirvana.

Years Past

June 3, 2018

June 3, 2017

June 3, 2016

June 3, 2015

June 3, 2012

June 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 June 03, 2019 at 06:37 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Impromptu Pizza | Permalink | Comments (0)

Starter Projects

Pizza and Pasta

Waffles and Pancakes

Batter for Frying

Cakes and Pastry

Crepes and Popovers

...

Years Past

June 2, 2018

June 2, 2017

June 2, 2016

June 2, 2015

June 2, 2012

June 2, 2008

June 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 June 02, 2019 at 05:13 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beginning to Understand the Skewer

It has taken me too many years to appreciate and begin to understand the skewer. It has allowed us to increase surface area, create bite size pieces, decrease cooking time and allow for more flavor coverage. We should have been skewering for years. Thankfully we are open to daily learning and realizing that what we don't know is a vast playground for ideas.

Years Past

June 1, 2018

June 1, 2017

June 1, 2016

June 1, 2015

June 1, 2012

June 1, 2006

June 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

Posted on June 01, 2019 at 05:42 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maplecomb

The honeycomb crumbs sparked my need for maplecomb crumbs. We substituted maple syrup for honey in our honeycomb recipe. The candy foamed and aerated. I took the delicate crunchy sweet and pulverized it with white chocolate and vanilla shortbread. The result was a toasty, malty, maple crumb with a hint or caramelized pretzel flavor. Today we used the crumbs on some of our sourdough-nuts. The two played very well together.

Years Past

May 30 2018

May 30, 2017

May 30, 2016

May 30, 2015

May 30, 2014

May 30, 2013

May 30, 2012

May 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 May 30, 2019 at 05:31 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hot Dog Situation

The dogs are butter basted in the style of Nick's Nest. The buns are slices of bread griddled in butter. The situation is all good here.

Years Past

May 29, 2018

May 29, 2017

May 29, 2016

May 29, 2015

May 29, 2012

May 29, 2006

May 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 May 29, 2019 at 06:33 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Morel Mania

When I was in San Francisco I had time for a few meals. One such meal was dinner at Cotogna. I was there for pasta. The question was which ones? When I heard the cordonetti described, I knew I had to have it. When it arrived it didn't disappoint. The hand cut whole wheat noodles had a solid bite and a deep wheat flavor. The morels were earthy, mushroomy and buttery. They were the reason I ordered the dish. The morels were the stars and they were abundant. Too often dishes with seasonally luxurious ingredients are all about the name dropping, with very little in the dish. My beautiful bowl of pasta was all about spreading morel mania.

Years Past

May 28, 2018

May 28, 2017

May 28, 2016

May 28, 2015

May 28, 2012

May 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 May 28, 2019 at 08:22 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lime Pickle Ribs

I took the second rack of ribs and seasoned them with lime pickle powder, from The Cultured Pickle Shop, mixed with our meat seasoning. The funky acidic spice blended with the sweet salty heat of the meat seasoning. The ribs had tang and a crunchy crust. These ribs too, need to be tinkered with. But we have a starting point and some exciting possibilities.

Years Past

May 27, 2016

May 27, 2012

May 27, 2006

May 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 May 27, 2019 at 05:22 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everything Crusted Ribs

We crusted a St. Louis rack of pork ribs with everything spice blend. We cooked the ribs on a rack for 3 hours at 300°F. We let the ribs rest for 15 minutes and then carved them. The crust browned and became a crunchy exterior for the juicy ribs. The seasoning was tasty. It was not perfect. It shows promise. It needs refinement, perhaps some finer grinding. It needs some spice and acid. A brushing of a mustard-habanero hot sauce would provide the balance and a glue for the seasoning. The first run shows the path. The tinkering is where delicious is discovered.

Years Past

May 26, 2018

May 26, 2017

May 26, 2016

May 26, 2015

May 26, 2012

May 26, 2010

May 26, 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 May 26, 2019 at 07:30 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Free Marshmallows

When I was in San Francisco I visited Dandelion Chocolate. I ordered a hot chocolate and a tiramisu. To the right of the counter was the coffee and hot chocolate accompaniments. There was a container of homemade marshmallows, free for the taking. In every other place I have been, marshmallows are an additional charge, usually a substantial one in comparison to the cost of the drink. I added one to my chocolate beverage and let it happily melt into it. I would not have bothered to buy a marshmallow for my beverage, but because I could it add it guilt free I did. I wonder what else could benefit from this idea of free?

Years Past

May 25, 2018

May 25, 2017

May 25, 2016

May 25, 2015

May 25, 2012

May 25, 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 May 25, 2019 at 05:38 PM in Approach to Cooking, Beyond the Kitchen Doors | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bubble Over Pie

No matter how long the recipe says to cook, if the pie is not bubbling over it is not done. If the crust and crumb appears to be getting dark before the fruit bursts and bubbles use an aluminum foil shield to extend the cooking time. If the pie is not bubbling, it is not done.

Years Past

May 24, 2018

May 24, 2017

May 24, 2016

May 24, 2015

May 24, 2012

May 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 May 24, 2019 at 07:00 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sourdough-Nuts

When we wrote Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work we had no vision of having a doughnut shop. Fast forward 10 years and it seemed only appropriate to revisit the Sourdough Doughnut recipe to integrate into the line up at Curiosity Doughnuts. Like the original recipe, our retooled formulation, relies on a commercial yeast assist to leaven the doughnuts. Hopefully as this new starter gains strength and life we will be able to dial back the additional yeast. For now the doughnut is light with a sourdough chew. It is our most robust doughnut. It will be fun to explore its place among our daily doughs.

Years Past

May 21, 2018

May 21, 2017

May 21, 2016

May 21, 2015

May 21, 2012

May 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 May 21, 2019 at 10:22 PM in Approach to Cooking, Bakers Dozen, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Braised Greens Grilled Cheese

I have never had a grilled cheese loaded with braised and tender greens. The bread was buttery and crisp. The cheese was melty, almost like a bechamel. The greens were tender and spiked with herbs. Sure, we have made kimchi reubens. But straight up tender cooked greens pressed in the sandwich have somehow escaped us. The sandwich was consumed hungrily at the bar at Tartine Manufactory. As I ate I wondered how many braised greens and cheese combinations we could begin exploring. The first, the iconic, broccoli and cheddar.

Years Past

May 20, 2018

May 20, 2017

May 20, 2016

May 20, 2015

May 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 May 20, 2019 at 08:02 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Skewered Shrimp

Grilling individual shrimp is inconvenient. We finally picked up some skewers and have reaped the benefits. We loaded pairs of skewers with shrimp. We were able to grill them easily and consistently. We brushed them with Luchito butter, which found its way into the many nooks and crannies in them. They were sweet and tender, kissed with smoke and spice, and quickly devoured by all.