IDEAS IN FOOD: Approach to Cooking

Doughnut Bread Pudding Doughnut

It has taken years and many iterations to get to the doughnut bread pudding doughnut. Actually it took a leap of faith in hoping the doughnut molds from JB Prince would be the right size for baking our bread pudding. They were perfect and now we can serve doughnuts in a new way. Some breading and frying may be seen in the eventual future, but for now, we are quite happy with these individual puddings just as they are.

Years Past

February 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 February 02, 2019 at 05:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Black and White

Wouldn't be nice if every choice was this easy? Chocolate or vanilla? Either answer is a win. How often can you say that in life?

Years Past

February 1, 2008 (2)

February 1, 2007

February 1, 2006

February 1, 2005

February 1, 2005 (2)

February 1, 2005 (3)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on February 01, 2019 at 03:23 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lemon Meringue-ish

We were talking lemon meringue at the shop. I wondered why we hadn't tried adding aromas and flavors to meringues on demand (marshmallows) before. I dressed the miniature marshmallows with lemon oil and the quickly absorbed the aroma. A bit of citric acid would complete the transformation.

Years Past

January 31, 2007 (2)

January 31, 2006

January 31, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on January 31, 2019 at 07:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cooked Fresh Coppa

The fresh coppa, often labeled the pork collar, is a cut we have used in the past. It is mostly seen in restaurants This is the first time we carved it out of a fresh pork shoulder to play with at home. We cooked the coppa from our pork shoulder for 24 hours at 57°C. The meat remained juicy and the connective tissue broke down and converted into gelatin.

The next day we sliced it, seared it, and thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

Years Past

January 30, 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 January 30, 2019 at 03:42 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cake Frosted Cake

We have a love for starch pastes. We have used them in doughnuts, pasta, pie fillings and breads. A while back I tried making frosting with vanilla pudding. It was good but not special. As Aki was reading Marbled, Swirled, and Layered by Irvin Lin, discussing ermine frosting and this sparked the idea of using cake trimmings as a thickening substrate and flavor base for frosting.

We happened to have some freshly baked chocolate cake on hand for me to play with. How often does that magically happen? Since Aki was planning on making cookies there was soft butter on the counter. I was able to steal her butter and use it for my frosting inspiration. I pureed cake pieces, butter, powdered sugar and salt together to make a rich, creamy, decadent frosting. Now the cake scraps always have a home and our frosting gets a delicious upgrade.

PS: Marbled, Swirled, and Layered is a fabulous book. It is smart, creative, and well written, all the things we love in a cookbook combined with recipes that will make you want to get into the kitchen. If you like to bake you should definitely check it out!

Years Past

January 29, 2006

January 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 January 29, 2019 at 03:31 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pork Shoulder Parts

We have been looking at the useful parts of a pork shoulder. Of course useful to me is not useful to everyone. Recently we cleaned up the cap of the shoulder which resembles a skate wing. We trimmed up the muscle used for coppa. The rest of the shoulder we reserved for making chili. (This time.) We vacuum sealed the pieces and cooked them sous vide at 57°C for 12 and 24 hours respectively. This initial cooking allows us to tenderize the meat in preparation for dishes to be determined.

Years Past

January 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 January 26, 2019 at 06:45 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Racked Bacon

We have found that bacon, particularly thick cut bacon, cooks more consistently and uniformly flat on a rack. The fat drips and renders off the strips and allows the bacon to cook cleanly, becoming brown and crisp. It's a small adjustment, a reminder really, that cleaning the rack is worth the effort because the bacon tastes better.

Years Past

January 25, 2009

January 25, 2008 (2)

January 25, 2007

January 25, 2006

January 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 January 25, 2019 at 05:44 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tinker, Tinker, Tinker

Every time I think we are done, I realize we are beginning again. I want to get to a place where there is no more room for improvement. At least, sometimes I do. For a brief moment I want to sit back and be happy with the results. Occasionally this happens. But, from what I have seen, learned and been taught, there is no such thing as perfection, there is only continual development. Resting on my laurels will never get me where I want to go. But today was a good day and these Super Cakes were worth the efforts.

Years Past

January 24, 2007 (2)

January 24, 2006

January 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 January 24, 2019 at 02:20 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

The idea of a carrot cake doughnut has been on our to doughnut list for several years. We finally put the pieces together to make it happen. We make our glaze with reduced carrot juice. We make the crumbs with roasted doughnuts, white chocolate and carrot cake spices. For our first incarnation we used our vanilla yeasted doughnut as the base.

Years Past

January 21, 2008 (2)

January 21, 2007

January 21, 2006

January 21, 2006 (2)

January 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 January 21, 2019 at 06:46 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Canned Corn Polenta

What do you do when you open the pantry and discover that you don't have quite enough polenta left to make for dinner? You pull out a couple of cans of canned corn and puree them in the blender. Then you use them for the liquid in your polenta and suddenly "not enough" becomes plenty of delicious, sweet, creamy (without cream) polenta. This technique was born of necessity but we will continue to play with it because it's delicious.

Years Past

January 20, 2006 (2)

January 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 January 20, 2019 at 04:53 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

French Fry Philosophy

I was standing in line at BJ's and there was a display of books right next to me. Of course I went for the only cookbook in the group. It was Craft Burgers and Crazy Shakes from Black Tap by Joe Isidori. I've never been there (it's in NYC) but now I'm intrigued. I started reading the essay pictured above and I got sucked right into the book. Oddly I had just been talking about how good frozen fries are so much better than bad hand cut fries, so I was in exactly the right mindset to receive this. If you like it too, go check out the book. Good writing should always be appreciated.

Years Past

January 18, 2009

January 18, 2007 (2)

January 18, 2006

January 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 January 19, 2019 at 02:02 PM in Approach to Cooking, Books | Permalink | Comments (2)

Original

In order to be original you must be confident in your ability to copy.

Years Past

January 18, 2009

January 18, 2007 (2)

January 18, 2006

January 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 January 18, 2019 at 06:33 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rugelach Unrolled

Okay, technically this is not rugelach. It's shortbread trimmings, rolled thin, and then covered with things that I would use in rugelach. In this case I've spread half the dough with home made cranberry-meyer lemon marmalade and then sprinkled it all with bittersweet and milk chocolate chips and chopped pistachios--roasted and salted, of course. After I baked the dough, we cut it with a bench scraper while it was still warm. Hence we had a 100% yield on our shortbread dough and a small variety of yummy cookies.

Years Past

January 17, 2008 (2)

January 17, 2007

January 17, 2006

January 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 January 17, 2019 at 02:26 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Home Made Shortbread

...is always better than store bought because you can caramelize it to its maximum flavor potential.

Years Past

January 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 January 16, 2019 at 03:26 PM in Approach to Cooking, Bakers Dozen | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blood Orange Rings

A refreshing hit of citrus to brighten up these chilly winter days.

Years Past

January 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 January 15, 2019 at 03:45 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Red Wine Miso

I have been planning to combine red wine and miso for years. This afternoon I finally did. I am frustrated it took me so long to make the idea happen. I am thankful that I finally did. The simple combination is a flavorful powerhouse destined to disrupt our kitchen protocols.

Years Past

January 14, 2007 (2)

January 14, 2006

January 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 January 14, 2019 at 04:27 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pounded Thin

The veal chop is first Frenched. It is cleaned up and the fat pockets are removed. The chop is pounded super thin and wide. (My hand is used to show the size.) It is floured, egged and crumbed. The pounding with the resulting size and thinness is an extreme look at a pounded veal chop. It is a beautiful foundation. With the model we can begin to look at the parts: chop, seasoning and crumbs. Is the chop smoked, brined, aged? What underlying seasonings can we use in the flour or eggs: tea, tandoori, lemon pepper? What kind of crumbs are we using: rye, garlic bread, tortilla chips?

The extreme is where the ideas grow.

Years Past

January 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 January 13, 2019 at 05:39 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Leftover Rib Eye

There's cheese steak on the menu tonight. Alex kind of laughs at me as I carve up the leftover rib roast, carefully removing all the fat and gristle from the cap and the center cut before handing them off to him so he can slice it and do his thing. Totally worth it though. I hate biting into a great sandwich and snagging my teeth on unpleasant, chewy bits. It ruins the whole experience. If you're going to do it at home, you have the opportunity to do it right. That way you can savor each bite.

Years Past

January 8, 2018

January 8, 2017

January 8, 2016

January 8, 2015

January 8, 2012

January 8, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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Posted on January 08, 2019 at 05:58 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brookies

Because sometimes two things are better than one.

Years Past

January 5, 2018

January 5, 2017

January 5, 2016

January 5, 2015

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

Slap Noodles

Slap Noodles

350 grams flour
3 grams salt
20 grams sunflower oil
180 grams water

Mix the flour and salt. Add the oil and evenly coat the flour with the oil. Add the water and knead into a silky dough, 3-5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough again. Repeat twice more and finally let dough rest an hour or more. Cut the dough into pieces. Flatten the pieces on a lightly oiled counter. Use a pulling and slapping motion stretch into noodles. Adhere the noodles in place with pressure on the end of the noodle strands. Allow the noodles to rest as you stretch the remaining noodles. Cut the noodles in half and stretch them further, about another doubling in length. Use pressure on the noodle ends to secure them to the countertop. Trim the ends and boil for 2-3 minutes.

Years Past

January 4, 2018

January 4, 2017

January 4, 2016

January 4, 2015

January 4, 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 January 04, 2019 at 05:51 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steps For Salt Searing Steak

Heat the cast iron on medium high heat.

(Hopefully) remember to turn on the exhaust hood.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with salt.

Once the pan is just smoking, add the steaks.

Flip the steaks, often, every 30 seconds or so.

Marbled steaks will render enough fat to cook the steaks in.

Leaner cuts like filet mignon need the addition of a little extra fat to the pan, we use bacon fat.

When the steaks are browned, crusty and cooked almost to the desired temperature (rare, med-rare, medium, etc.) we add butter (and occasionally herbs) and baste and flip the steaks.

Let the steaks rest on plates for 5 minutes.

Indulge in a special meal.

Years Past

January 3, 2015

January 3, 2012

January 3, 2006 (2)

January 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 January 03, 2019 at 04:37 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chocolate + Pistachio Dirt

Amaya and I agreed on ice cream sundaes as an appropriate New Year's Eve dessert. Festive and relatively easy, right? Well not quite as easy as I was imagining. Though we did use store bought ice cream, we needed home made whipped cream and sauces. The final flourish was the cookie crumbs. You can't have a sundae without something crunchy to pull everything together. Fortunately we had salted pistachios and Newman's Own chocolate sandwich cookies in the pantry. Alex heckled me as I scraped out all the filling but it was a necessary step. The finished crumbs were sweet, salty, and very similar in appearance to the dirt in my garden. A touch of green makes all the difference.

Years Past

January 2, 2018

January 2, 2017

January 2 2016

January 2, 2015

January 2, 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 January 02, 2019 at 04:51 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Filet for the Finish

The secret is in the salt sear and the bacon fat-butter basting to finish.

Happy New Year!!!

Years Past

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

December 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2009

December 31, 2008

December 31, 2007

December 31, 2006

December 31, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on December 31, 2018 at 04:35 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Persimmon Inspiration

Finding an ingredient, that normally takes time to be ready to use, ripe and fragrant is magical. Yesterday we picked up a flat of hachiya persimmons. They were wrinkled, ripe and ready to eat and create with. We have a running list of persimmon potential projects.

Persimmon

puree
powder
freeze dried
relish
hot sauce
jelly
steamed pudding
dried
crispy
tempura
bbq sauce
glaze
jelly/chaud-froid
vinaigrette
pudding
sorbet/sherbert/ice cream
roasted
smoked
grilled
juiced
pickled
cake
syrup
miso
yogurt
marinade
kosho

However, with any list there are always a few entries that take precedence. These persimmons are destined to become blended with habanero peppers to become a favorite hot sauce we have not visited for over ten years.

Years Past

December 28, 2017

December 28, 2016

December 28, 2015

December 28, 2014

December 28, 2013

December 28, 2012

December 28, 2011

December 28, 2010

December 28, 2009

December 28, 2008

December 28, 2007

December 28, 2005

December 28, 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 December 28, 2018 at 07:27 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shumai Tempura

Tempura shumai are purely brilliant. Sure, we have eaten shumai before. We have eaten shrimp tempura before. But battering and frying shumai, I had never seen it, heard of it or tried it. Today that changed. I experienced shumai tempura at Terakawa Ramen in Princeton. They were delicious with a light crispy exterior and the soft juicy dumpling beneath. Of course this then leads me to a number of paths. What other dumplings, gnocchi or small meat(or fish)balls should we be battering and frying?

Years Past

December 27, 2017

December 27, 2016

December 27, 2015

December 27, 2014

December 27, 2013

December 27, 2012

December 27, 2011

December 27, 2010

December 27, 2009

December 27, 2008

December 27, 2007

December 27, 2006

December 27, 2005

December 27, 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 December 27, 2018 at 05:10 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Onions with Olive Oil and Crushed Red Pepper

We were preparing breakfast. I opted to slow down. I sliced onions thinly. I soaked them in cold water to rinse off some of their astringent bite. We patted them dry and dressed the onions with olive oil and salt. Aki asked Amaya if we could add some black pepper. Amaya responded, "Nope, but we can use the fresh red pepper flakes." Amaya does not like the taste or aroma of black pepper and its heat source piperine. She has become a fan of chili peppers and the heat from capsaicin. The small adjustment from black to red was one I would not have explored on my own. I would have just gone without the spice. Amaya's openness to interchangeable parts reminded me that finding the right component can work better than simple eliminations.

Years Past

December 25, 2017

December 25, 2016

December 25, 2015

December 25, 2014

December 25, 2013

December 25, 2012

December 25, 2011

December 25, 2010

December 25, 2009

December 25, 2008

December 25, 2007

December 25, 2006

December 25, 2006 (2)

December 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 December 25, 2018 at 04:34 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scraps Make Good Cookies

Instead of sugar cookies, we do shortbread cut-outs. We roll them out twice and after the second roll, any large pieces of scrap are baked off as they are for tasters and house snacks. The pretty ones go into the gift boxes and the interesting ones are for us.

Years Past

December 23, 3017

December 23, 2016

December 23, 2015

December 23, 2014

December 23, 2013

December 23, 2012

December 23, 2011

December 23, 2010

December 23, 2009

December 23, 2008

December 23, 2007

December 23, 2006

December 23, 2005

December 23, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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Posted on December 23, 2018 at 06:55 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Candy Cane Crumbs and Glaze

The flavor of mint, particularly peppermint, is insanely strong. We have previously tempered its strength on doughnuts by grinding it with white chocolate kit kats. For this years holiday season we bounced the idea of candy canes around and BJ asked about a glaze. Ask the question, make it happen. We integrated candy canes into our milk glaze. The result was a subtle and creamy liquid candy cane. For this years crumbs we pulverized candy canes with vanilla sandwich cookies and white chocolate. The crumbs are a delicate expression of a candy cane.

At the shop we have used both candy cane forms on there own. Together they overlap and increase in intensity, a necessary flavor enhancement on our chocolate glazed super cake doughnuts.

Years Past

December 19, 2017

December 19, 2016

December 19, 2015

December 19, 2014

December 19, 2013

December 19, 2012

December 19, 2011

December 19, 2010

December 19, 2009

December 19, 2008

December 19, 2007

December 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 December 19, 2018 at 06:16 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Boiling Water Extruded Noodles

I have wanted to make boiling water extruded noodles for too long. Fear of the unknown (messing up our extruder) has kept the idea on the sidelines. Thankfully I gathered enough moral fortitude and emotional support to make the idea happen. For our first run I used the smaller Arcobaleno home machine. It is a powerful wonder that facilitates small idea testing. I tried a few shapes: campanelle, lumache, and ridged super thick bucatini. The first two shapes did not extrude all that well. I am not sure if it was there shapes or perhaps I did not allow for enough mixing. But, I did not allow the two failures deter me. The thick ridged bucatini extruded beautifully. I let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before putting it into zip top bags in the refrigerator. The pasta had a visual dryness and durability that we had not experienced with regularly extruded noodles. This morning the pasta held its coil and was nicely dry to the touch. I cooked a few coils for 2 minutes and finished them in butter enriched tomato sauce. The noodles had a bite and a resiliency that was exciting. Now I need to revisit the failed attempts to see if it was patience or process that caused the initial flawed results.

Years Past

December 18, 2017

December 18, 2016

December 18, 2015

December 18, 2014

December 18, 2013

December 18, 2012

December 18, 2011

December 18, 2010

December 18, 2009

December 18, 2008

December 18, 2007

December 18, 2006

December 18, 2005

December 18, 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 December 18, 2018 at 04:23 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Day in Pictures

We take pictures as reminders. Too often we do not go back and look at what we needed to remember. Today I looked back at what I deemed photo-worthy.

Years Past

December 17, 2017

December 17, 2016

December 17, 2015

December 17, 2014

December 17, 2013

December 17, 2012

December 17, 2011

December 17, 2010

December 17, 2009

December 17, 2008

December 17, 2007

December 17, 2006

December 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 December 17, 2018 at 06:41 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Udon Tinkering v3

The outside is silky. The inside is chewy. The noodles are slurp-able and elastic. Three thumbs up for tonight. We are making progress. We ate these in a sauce of broth, butter and soy sauce.

Udon Noodles v3

100 grams AP flour
100 grams durum flour
100 grams water
3 grams salt
0.5 grams baking soda

Dissolve salt and baking soda in water.

Combine the flours in a medium bowl. Add the water. Knead the flour and water together in a bowl into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

Unwrap and knead for 1-2 minutes until the dough is silky. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

Unwrap and knead for another 1-2 minutes. Wrap the dough and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, about an hour. Roll the dough through a pasta sheeter or by hand until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 1/8 inch strips.

Boil the noodles for 7 minutes until they are cooked through and chewy.

Years Past

December 16, 2017

December 16, 2016

December 16, 2015

December 16, 2014

December 16, 2013

December 16, 2012

December 16, 2011

December 16, 2010

December 16, 2009

December 16, 2008

December 16, 2007

December 16, 2006

December 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 December 16, 2018 at 05:44 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gingerbread House Prep

Because toasted marshmallows make everything better. The question is, how many will make it onto the houses and how many will simply disappear?

Years Past

December 14, 2017

December 14, 2016

December 14, 2015

December 14, 2014

December 14, 2013

December 14, 2012

December 14, 2011

December 14, 2010

December 14, 2009

December 14, 2008

December 14, 2008 (2)

December 14, 2007

December 14, 2006

December 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 December 14, 2018 at 02:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blood Orange and Chocolate

Amaya asks questions and tests out ideas freely. Not everything is a success. Not everything is a failure. Today she tested blood orange and chocolate. It looks like we will be borrowing her idea in the near future.

Years Past

December 13, 2017

December 13, 2016

December 13, 2015

December 13, 2014

December 13, 2013

December 13, 2012

December 13, 2011

December 13, 2010

December 13, 2009

December 13, 2007

December 13, 2006

December 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 December 13, 2018 at 05:26 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Improve on the Original

Years Past

December 12, 2017

December 12, 2016

December 12, 2015

December 12, 2014

December 12, 2013

December 12, 2012

December 12, 2011

December 12, 2010

December 12, 2009

December 12, 2008

December 12, 2007

December 12, 2006

December 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 December 12, 2018 at 04:13 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Green Curry Campanelle

The list of noodle ideas and flavors is long. It can feel dauntingly large. I often procrastinate, intimidated by the amount of work and the lack of a consuming audience. It's a form of writers block, one where I create the plan and then choose not to put it into action because no one besides us will eat it. The "why bother?" sentiment tends to scream loudly in my ear. It is in these moments when I realize that in order to create, to get things done, to explore--it is necessary to silence that voice. It is the process and practice of making that allows us to improve, discover, and be delighted.

Today I looked at the flavor list in our American Noodles outline and picked a few to begin working on. The first was green curry. I started with a prepared green curry paste and mixed it with some water to make a flavorful liquid to hydrate pasta. I strained the mixture in order to remove any solids that could clog the pasta die. I mixed the green curry liquid with semolina in the pasta machine. I chose campanelle because I enjoy alliterations. I extruded the pasta and the campanelle curled into aromatic trumpets. I let the pasta air dry for half an hour before I put it into zip top bags in the refrigerator, reserving it for cooking later.

The aroma of the curry is intense. The raw dough captures the essence of the flavor. The cooking will show that the infused flavor will stand up to the dilution of boiling and saucing. For a first version we are on the right path. I believe it's important to force myself to take the steps forward and not just think about where I want to go.

Years Past

December 11, 2017

December 11, 2016

December 11, 2015

December 11, 2014

December 11, 2013

December 11, 2012

December 11, 2011

December 11, 2010

December 11, 2009

December 11, 2007

December 11, 2007 (2)

December 11, 2006

December 11, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on December 11, 2018 at 04:11 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Roasted Pork Shoulder

I ended up not tying our pork shoulder. I put it in a roasting pan with about an inch of white wine and a bit of chicken stock and cooked it at 250°F with convection for 10 hours and 15 minutes. I cooked it until it reached 192°F internal temperature. I was shocked that it took that long to cook. Somehow I thought that a pork shoulder would cook in about 6-7 hours. Fortunately we started early. Once it was cooked I let it rest for an hour before carving.

The roast carved cleanly and was tender. The sausage and meat became one. My critical side has me looking at keeping the meat juicier. The sausage can use some refinement, first off less salt. But as a first run it a delicious start to refining our complete pork shoulder.

Years Past

December 10, 2017

December 10, 2016

December 10, 2015

December 10, 2014

December 10, 2013

December 10, 2012

December 10, 2011

December 10, 2010

December 10, 2009

December 10, 2008

December 10, 2007

December 10, 2006

December 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 December 10, 2018 at 06:21 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Style Develops

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on December 06, 2018 at 03:59 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mustard-Sake

First up, Today Marks 15 Years of Ideas in Food

take a moment and dive into the links below to see what we have been up to on this day over the years.

Now onto the Ideas in Food:

I continue to explore the benefits, functionality and inspirations in using sake to flavor foods. I salted our pork shoulder and let it season overnight in the refrigerator. This morning I combined yellow mustard and sake. I brushed the entire shoulder with the mixture and will now let it infuse and hopefully dry overnight.

The blend of sake and mustard creates an aromatic, savory, slightly boozy mustard. My first application is with the shoulder. But I see many openings in the future from thick cut fish to hangar steak. Time and availability of ingredients will determine our next directions.

Years Past

December 5, 2007 (2)

December 5, 2006

December 5, 2006 (2)

December 5, 2005

December 5, 2004: when it all began

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Posted on December 05, 2018 at 08:01 AM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Corn Nut Condiment

Years ago we used corn nuts as a topping for calamari bolognese, that we spooned over fresh corn polenta. Since then I have quietly forgotten about them. Today Aki picked up a container of salty, crunchy, nutty corn nuts and my eyes were opened again. Funny enough I had already bought a few cans of corn to make a popcorn glaze for doughnuts. The connection was made and I realized the corn nuts would be an insane topping for the popcorn glaze. The finished doughnut will be a corn-Nut.

Of course outside doughnutland these corn nuts will gain some new uses from a pasta to polenta to a crunchy topping for roasted shrimp and grilled beef.

Years Past

December 4, 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 December 04, 2018 at 04:28 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Loud Voice

We have been asked, on occasion, for jelly doughnuts. We used to make thumbprints. But as a whole we have found jelly doughnuts don't sell. Today, we brought jelly doughnuts back. I figured they would fly off the shelf because recently there have been lots of jelly requests. It turns out there were not as many requests as it seemed. There were a few loud requests. The jellies found a few happy homes. They did not grow wings and fly out the door. We will continue down the jelly path and see if the loud voices are joined by other, softer, voices leading to greater consumption.

Years Past

December 1, 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 December 01, 2018 at 05:09 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Notebook Wallpaper

Last night I had the pleasure to eat at. The details were impressively striking. The last one that caught me by surprise and brought a smile to my face was the wallpaper in the bathroom. It was a cooks notebook, blown up on a massive scale. It turns out it is Adam Perry Lang's pastry notes from when he was a young cook. The use of a notebook as decor was brilliant and engaging. I'm now interested in trying out a few of the recipes.

Years Past

November 28, 2017

November 28, 2016

November 28, 2015

November 28, 2014

November 28, 2013

November 28, 2012

November 28, 2011

November 28, 2010

November 28, 2009

November 28, 2008

November 28, 2007

November 28, 2006

November 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 November 28, 2018 at 07:52 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Making Marmalade

Step one: macerate the fruit. We're making Cranberry-Meyer Lemon marmalade to fill doughnuts this weekend at the shop. Right now the fruit is resting with an equal weight of sugar and 0.25% salt. Tomorrow we'll cook it down to a rich marmalade and finish it with a generous splash of vanilla paste. This first step helps draw out the juices and blend the flavors. It's not required but it makes a world of difference.

Years Past

November 27, 2017

November 27, 2016

November 27, 2015

November 27, 2014

November 27, 2013

November 27, 2012

November 27, 2011

November 27, 2010

November 27, 2009

November 27, 2008

November 27, 2007

November 27, 2006

November 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 November 27, 2018 at 04:44 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pressure Cooker Broth

Broth is an important element ingredient in our kitchen. The easy availability of better prepared broths has made us lazier about preparing our own. We easily rely on the pre-made organic broths to kick start a recipe. Thankfully Thanksgiving provides us with a bounty of bones and trimmings that must be converted into a rich decadent broth. Prior to the big day Aki had made a batch of chicken broth. Perhaps we were not as reliant on the prepared broth as I thought. In any case, I took the turkey and pork bones and put them in our new favorite pressure cooker. (It's simplicity, durability and ease of cleaning has won me over. Hopefully I will get the 8-qt for smaller projects soon.) I added Aki's broth and topped the bones with water. I sealed the lid and brought the broth to a boil and cooked it for one hour. I let the pressure dissipate and was rewarded with an intense flavorful liquid. It immediately sparked the need for tortellini en brodo. And that is exactly what we made.

Years Past

November 26, 2017

November 26, 2016

November 26, 2015

November 26, 2014

November 26, 2013

November 26, 2012

November 26, 2011

November 26, 2010

November 26, 2009

November 26, 2008

November 26, 2007

November 26, 2006

November 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 November 26, 2018 at 06:30 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turkey Shepard's Pie

This is not a beautiful dish. It's not meant to be. It is delicious. It's the main reason I agree to mashed potatoes in addition to au gratin, sweet potatoes, and stuffing on Thanksgiving. Mix some diced dark meat chicken, vegetables and turkey broth or gravy to make the base. Top with leftover mashed potatoes and bake until hot throughout and golden brown on top. Forget the sandwiches, this is our favorite Thanksgiving leftovers meal.

Years Past

November 25, 2017

November 25, 2016

November 25, 2015

November 25, 2014

November 25, 2013

November 25, 2012

November 25, 2011

November 25, 2010

November 25, 2009

November 25, 2008

November 25, 2007

November 25, 2006

November 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 November 25, 2018 at 05:31 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table | Permalink | Comments (0)

Barrel Aged Cider Vinegar

Our friends at Blis just came out with an apple cider vinegar aged in rye barrels. They sent us a bottle as a gift and it was so good we had to share the news. The vinegar is surprisingly light and delicate, well rounded with delicate floral notes from the apple and a nice roundness from the barrel aging. It's a fun ingredient and we can't wait to put it to good use in our kitchen.

Years Past

November 24, 2017

November 24, 2016

November 24, 2015

November 24, 2014

November 24, 2013

November 24, 2012

November 24, 2011

November 24, 2010

November 24, 2009

November 24, 2008

November 24, 2007

November 24, 2006

November 24, 2005 (1)

November 24, 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 November 24, 2018 at 05:32 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Ingredients, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rubbing Shoulders

The quality of the spice rub you buy is reliant on the quality of the spices, the blend, and the age. Recently we went Kondo on our spice cabinet. The result was a tidy space with no resources when I wanted to assemble a few rubs for our Thanksgiving pork shoulder and half-cocked turkeys. Instead of restocking our spice drawer at the 11th hour I opted to pick up some fun sounding spice blends.

Since I had already pre-salted the shoulder and the bird I searched out spice blends with little or no salt. I found two that were interesting and rolled the dice. When I got to our kitchen I opened them up. I tasted the blends. Both mixes had some pluses and minuses. They were not horrible (see my opening line), I know a glowing endorsement, and I needed to get these massive hunks of meat seasoned. I picked one for the shoulder and one for half the cocked turkey. The second half I figured I'd season with a bit of maple-soy sauce.

Since the meat was pre-salted and air dried I opted to steal the sake seasoning technique to adhere the spices. I doused the shoulder and the turkey with the sake and liberally applied the spice rubs. I brushed the other half of turkey with the maple-soy sauce and returned the bounty to the refrigerator overnight.

What I learned is that if you are going to start from scratch you must actually start. And if you are going to rely on the work of others you must be able to rely on them. I believe our shoulder and birds will be delicious and open my relatively closed mind to new blends and combinations that I might not have explored on own. It is the absence of choice that forced my hand to try something new.

Years Past

November 22, 2017

November 22, 2016

November 22, 2015

November 22, 2014

November 22, 2013

November 22, 2012

November 22, 2011

November 22, 2010

November 22, 2009

November 22, 2008

November 22, 2007

November 22, 2006

November 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 November 22, 2018 at 01:37 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Be Open

Years Past

November 20, 2017

November 20, 2016

November 20, 2015

November 20, 2014

November 20, 2013

November 20, 2012

November 20, 2011

November 20, 2010

November 20, 2009

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2007

November 20, 2006

November 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 November 20, 2018 at 05:01 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts And Ham

This is a super simple dish. I use "dumpling technique" to cook brussels sprouts with some julienned ham to get them soft and crispy. Clean and split your brussels sprouts. Julienne a few slices of ham. Set a large skillet over medium high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil just starts to smoke, add the brussels sprouts, flat side down. Season with salt. Sprinkle the ham over the top. As soon as the sprouts are sizzling, add water to cover the sprouts by a quarter of an inch and then cover the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, until all of the water has evaporated. Uncover the pan and cook until the brussels sprouts are caramelized on the bottom. Toss the sprouts well and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham has browned too. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately. We tend to eat them straight from the bowl if the rest of dinner isn't ready and usually at least half of them are gone by the time we sit down.

Years Past

November 18, 2017

November 18, 2016

November 18, 2015

November 18, 2014

November 18, 2013

November 18, 2012

November 18, 2011

November 18, 2010

November 18, 2009

November 18, 2008

November 18, 2007

November 18, 2006

November 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 November 18, 2018 at 04:19 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha

When I first arrived at culinary school many, many years ago, I discovered sriracha. There were giant bottles of it on every table in the cafeteria. The first time I tried it was a revelation. It was hot, yes, but also full of flavor. Garlicky and sweet and spicy, it was like no other hot sauce I had ever tried. Nowadays sriracha is everywhere but, since my husband has a distinct prejudice against it, I hadn't had any in years. On a whim I added this Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha to a recent hot sauce order. I wanted to see how the sauce had evolved through the years and I liked their logo and their philosophy. This sauce was only vaguely reminiscent of the sauce I remembered. It is bracing and bright and full of flavor. There's definite heat and sweet and garlic but this sauce has a bit more personality and finesse than the ubiquitous rooster brand. It's going to be a great addition to our pantry. Who knows, I may even get Alex to embrace sriracha for the very first time.

Years Past

November 17, 2017

November 17, 2016

November 17, 2015

November 17, 2014

November 17, 2013

November 17, 2012

November 17, 2011

November 17, 2010

November 17, 2009

November 17, 2008

November 17, 2007

November 17, 2006

November 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 November 17, 2018 at 03:03 PM in Approach to Cooking, At the Table, Balancing Tastes, Ingredients | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sweet and Hot

I thought it was pretty smart to package both the sweet and hot sausages together. Too often we end up having to either buy one or the other or, when we buy both, we end up with an excess. Having both together makes the decision easy and we can actually use all of what we buy.

Years Past

November 16, 2017

November 16, 2016

November 16, 2015

November 16, 2014

November 16, 2013

November 16, 2012

November 16, 2011

November 16, 2010

November 16, 2009

November 16, 2008

November 16, 2007