Adventures in Doughnutland.
akiandalex@ideasinfood.com
© 2005-2021 Ideas in Food
Writing and Photographs by Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot
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To Be Read
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
Tal Ronnen: Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine
Spiralized Cookies
I took the sfogliatella dough and cut it into disks. I rolled each disk granulated sugar. I baked the cookies until they were caramelized, about 18 minutes. The cookies unwind in crisp delicate threads. They are addictive and crushworthy. Though the process to make them makes them a cookie worth making when time is not being counted.
Years Past
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Sfogliatella
Actually, what I made is closer to a lobster tail. Rather than filling the layered dough with a ricotta custard or a pate choux I opted for a quick biscuit. The layers of dough provide a crisp exterior and the biscuit is moist and tender inside. I baked our first version to see how the components came together. It gave me a general idea on the processes needed to create the pastry. It also alleviated my impatience. I have a base to tinker with as we transform the classic pastry into a doughnut.
Years Past
February 3, 2005
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Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
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Ricotta Ravioli
I am now tinkering with our yeasted dumpling dough.
I rolled the dough out into a thin sheet. I spread a mixture of ricotta and cream cheese over half the dough and folded the dough over the top. I punched the dough into ravioli.
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
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Yeasted Dumplings
I have become smitten with yeast leavened filled dumplings. In Chinese they would be sheng jian bao. A yeasted dumpling dough adds flavor, lightness and substance to the dumpling. There is an excitement surrounding this dumpling. There is the potential for variety in flavoring the dough. There is the need for mastery in folding the dumpling. There is the insane potential for fillings.
Years Past
January 29, 2006
January 29, 2005
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Chocolate Caramel Brownies
I have needed to have chocolate and caramel together. The chocolate highlights the caramel. The caramel highlights the chocolate. They make each other better.
Years Past
January 28, 2005
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Seasoned Shoulder
I cubed up the remaining meat after I removed the coppa from the pork shoulder. I seasoned the meat with 0.75% salt and 0.25% gochugaru, Korean chile flakes. I refrigerated the meat for 48 hours to allow the salt and chile to penetrate the meat. I ground the meat, twice, through a 1/4 inch size meat grinder die. The meat is now ready to be put to use.
Years Past
January 27, 2005
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Oven Broth
I enjoy the deep rich flavor of a roast chicken. I appreciate the gelatinous mouth feel that a pork shank can add to a broth. I do not enjoy de-glazing roasting pans to capture the fond for making broths.
I coated chicken bones and pork shank with a mixture of sunflower seed oil and soy sauce and roasted them in a deep roasting pan for 2 hours. I added water and cooked the broth for 3 more hours. The result was a clean and rich broth that was made in one vessel.
Years Past
January 25, 2009
January 25, 2005
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Pork Shoulder Roast
I cut the coppa off of a bone in pork shoulder. I seasoned it with salt and refrigerated the shoulder overnight. I roasted the shoulder roast for 4 ish hours at 300°F. I cooked the meat until it was tender but not falling apart. I sliced it and served it along cream smashed potatoes and a crisp salad.
The roast tasted of pork. It was caramelized, juicy and rich. The shoulder roast was a first step in maximizing the eating experience of a pork shoulder and utilizing the entire shoulder.
Years Past
January 24, 2005
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Braised Beef Ribs
Years ago we made beef rib ramen. I wanted to revisit the element of the beef rib. We salted racks of ribs and cooked them in a chicken and pork broth. We cooked the ribs at 300°F for 4 hours. The meat was tender with a juicy bite. I let the ribs cool for 30 minutes in the broth and then cut the meat free from the bones. It is destined to be folded into a rich bowl of noodles.
Years Past
January 23, 2005
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Drying on Racks
Brandon, the chef of Curiosity Doughnuts in Tyson's Corner VA, made a small adjustment in drying doughnut biscotti. He put them on racks. The small step shortened the drying time and made the overall drying more consistent. A brilliant adjustment.
Years Past
January 21, 2005
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The Want and the Ability
Years Past
January 18, 2009
January 18, 2005
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Pastrami Benedict
Upgrading an icon.
Years Past
January 18, 2009
January 18, 2005
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Stuffed Ricotta Dumplings
I do not have a ton of sauces on hand. And frankly, since I do not have a pasta project, currently, I tinker when time allows. Our newly developed ricotta dumplings are special. Their full body and lightness make them crushworthy. But I did not want to leave them alone to my laziness and eating them with a browned butter sauce.
I took the dumplings down to our friends at Charcoal BYOB. They have an insane pasta program and plenty of sauces to play with. On the drive I started thinking more about our dumplings. I figured their texture would easily allow for me to stuff them. This was a thought I most likely would not have tripped over had I not had time to ponder during the drive.
When I arrived we started cooking the dumplings and I set to stuffing a few with a delicious nduja. The dumplings behaved wonderfully and perfectly resealed around the filling. We ate the stuffed dumplings with a coarse red sauce. The other tests, beautiful plates of pasta, were equally delicious, thanks to the synergy of the sauce and the dumplings.
Years Past
January 17, 2005
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Doughnut Biscotti
I love looking for delicious outlets for doughnuts. This week I have been tinkering with biscotti and using them as a vehicle for unsold doughnuts. The biscotti incorporates the doughnuts and captures their flavor. And they go great with a cup of coffee.
Years Past
January 16, 2005
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Sweet Hawaiian
What is sweet Hawaiian style? Is there a technique to sweet Hawaiian something? Is there a sweet Hawaiian extract? And how do you sweet Hawaiian a flaky biscuit?
Years Past
January 13, 2005
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Ricotta Dumplings
Most ricotta gnocchi are so light they have no structure. I wanted to create a ricotta based dough that had structure and some substance. In my mind and in my mouth I needed to differentiate what we were making. I blended ricotta, cream cheese, non-fat milk powder, flour and salt into a wet dough. I scooped the dough and rolled the scoops in flour to create a presentable shape.
The dumplings cook in 3 minutes. The have a light spring and a tender bight. They are not clouds. They are ricotta dumplings.
Years Past
January 12, 2005
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Repair the Existing
How we make the repairs is where we like to explore.
Years Past
January 10, 2007
January 10, 2005
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More Mix Ins
Cookies are vehicles for mix ins. Knowing that, I don't think enough about the layering of flavors in the inclusions in cookies. I rely on the dump it all in there mentality. Aki was making biscotti. She was being thoughtful as she was creating new flavors. She started with a lemon scented dough. She added milk chocolate, pistachios and white chocolate to humor me. She was concerned and aware of how the cookies would come together. It's remarkable what we pay attention to and what we gloss over. Watching someone else's process is enlightening.
Years Past
January 9, 2005
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Perfecting Pate Choux Gnocchi
Years ago, for our book Maximum Flavor, we created a BBQ potato chip gnocchi, built on the foundation of pate choux. We used the same model for our smoked masa gnocchi with oat mole. In recent years my connection to pate choux has been tied to our insanely delicious Curiosity Cruller.
What we learned from these experiences is that pate choux is a fantastic model that consistently can be built upon. Today we revisited our pate choux gnocchi, using semolina as the flour. I borrowed the idea of piping the gnocchi onto a sheet of parchment paper sprayed with pan release as we do in the doughnut shop. I chilled the strips of dough and cut them into gnocchi. I then went to our cream cooking crutch and cream seared the gnocchi, finishing them with some stock at the end to enrich the glaze.
Years Past
January 8, 2005
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Store Bought Smoked Burrata
We have been smoking burrata for years. Today I came across smoked burrata for sale. What I found interesting is the burrata is drained and not stored in brine. The exterior is firm and not nearly as delicate as traditional burrata. The draining has me intrigued on the manipulation of the burrata and how perhaps some draining and drying may improve the burrata eating experience. I had never thought of draining the burrata. Seeing a different way creates potential.
Years Past
January 7, 2009
January 7, 2007
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Elevated Burgers
We cooked thin flattened burger patties in stages and assembled them in a pan that had an elevated sloping center. The burgers rested there as we completed the cooking. Juices drained away from the burgers and were captured in the trough. This resulted in burgers that did not soggify the buns.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Everything Braised Wings
I have been craving braised chicken wings. I wanted to cook the wings in chicken broth to amplify their flavor. I quickly modified my initial straightforwardness. I added ginger, garlic, onion and soy sauce to the pot. With the aromatic base building I thought of adding sesame. Except the only sesame seeds I had were in the form of everything bagel mix. I don't think I would have initially reached for the everything seasoning had I not drifted onto an Asian profiled flavor spectrum. But once I needed sesame and all that was available was the mix it became a greater idea I wish I had thought of. Instead I happily accepted dumb luck. I finished the braising liquid with some crushed red pepper flakes. I cooked the wings on the stove at a low simmer until they were tender, about 45 minutes. The broth and the wings were both savory and satisfying.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Crinkle-doodles
We rollled our snickerdoodles first in granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar. It creates a beautiful crinkle effect on the cookie. The first run was simple. I am looking forward to exploring the idea from flavoring the cookie, the sugar and the powdered sugar to create an array of delicious crinkle-ized creations.
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
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Feeling Blue
Blueberry doughnuts have been on our to do list for about a year. We finally put it to the top of our list and have it ready to debut this weekend.
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
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Slap Noodle Prep
I love slap noodles. But the seemingly essential last minute slap, stretch and cook and assembly process has had me avoiding them. The other day I saw a picture or slap noodles stretched and arranged on a sheet pan. The noodles were prepared in advance. Today I tried it out. Having the noodles stretched and ready to go allowed me to have the slap noodle experience on demand. I was not struggling to slap stretch and cook. The fresh noodles were still precarious to work with. They needed to be dropped into the water one noodle at a time. The noodles ate wonderfully. Though, I really need to work on my slap noodle sauce game. One step at a time.
Years Past
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Change the Form, Keep the Experience
Ice cream is an excellent canvas for creativity. I came across Apple Cider Donut ice cream at Millie's in Pittsburgh. Seeing the name of the ice cream I became flooded with my own experiences of apple cider doughnuts from making them to eating them in apple orchards. The idea of an apple cider doughnut is transferred to the ice cream. If we are able connect with an experience and change its form we have the potential to create something remarkable.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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All Gone!
I was hoping All Gone! was a cleverly delicious ice cream flavor. I tried to order it. Unfortunately is was not a flavor, yet.
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
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Cream Seared Steak
We seasoned a thick cut rib eye with salt and put it in a 200 degree oven. We inserted a thermometer into the meat. When the steak reached 100°F we removed it from the oven. We put our cast iron pan on the stove and added a layer of cream. We put the steak into the pan and turned the heat onto medium high.
We cooked the steak flipping it every 30 seconds or so. The cream eventually boiled off and cooked into fat and milk solids. We continued to cook and brown the steak. When the steak was evenly browned we removed it from the heat. We let it rest for 10 minutes and sliced it. The steak was medium rare. The outside was browned and flavored with bits of toasted milk solids.
The ongoing joke in our kitchen now is making sure the refrigerator has a full container of cream.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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BBQ Sauce
I am confused. There are tons of BBQ sauces available. But, if you listen to any diehard BBQ fanatic the sauce is unnecessary. The sauce supposedly detracts from the long slow smoking and the flavor developed. But these same fans make and create an array of custom sauces to be served with the meats.
To sauce or not to sauce, that is the question.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
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I Don't Know
As I get older, have experiences and acquire knowledge the phrase I Don't Know becomes more difficult to use. But it is those three words that enabled me to search out experiences and look for learning.
It is not always the fear of saying I don't know. What is harder is realizing that I do know and am too afraid to look at what I find.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
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Caramelized Cream Cooked Eggs on Elbows
We needed a quick and hearty breakfast. I found some leftover elbows in the refrigerator. I put heavy cream in the pan, added the elbows, a pinch of salt and a heavy sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. I cracked two eggs on top and turned the heat onto medium. The cream boiled and eventually broke apart into fat and milk solids. The eggs steamed and the pasta browned along with the egg whites that trickled through the noodles. It was a beautiful decadent and simple breakfast. Caramelized cream cooking strikes again.
Years Past
December 5, 2004: when it all began
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We Don't Cook Enough Duck
Duck, particularly the legs, have a sweet spot in my mind. While they fill my mind with joy I do not go out of my way to source and cook duck. Part of that is laziness. Part of that is duck is not always on my mind. But when I stopped by Inferno the other day and they were preparing duck legs for braising I made a point to stop, inhale and reflect on the pleasures of rich and succulent duck. I realized it is time to start cooking more duck.
Years Past
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Dump Your Dough Hook
We have found that the paddle attachment rather than the dough hook mixes and kneads dough more efficiently and more consistently. That is all.
Years Past
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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
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Moments of Connection
We need to create moments. Lots of them. Then we step back and see what we can connect.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Obsessed
It is wonderful to indulge in the obsessions of others.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
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Turkey Time
Making it simpler allows us to enjoy more.
Years Past
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