IDEAS IN FOOD: INSPIRATIONS

New-don Noodles

Years ago we used a starch paste in making our masa cavatelli. For some reason we did not think to make the connection to apply it to long noodles. Until recently. We are currently exploring thick, chewy, and slurpable udon noodles. We make a starch paste with cornstarch and use that paste to hydrate and make the noodles. The results are tender, chewy and crushable. We shall continue to tinker as we work towards a recipe we can leave alone.

Years Past

August 14, 2015

August 14, 2011

August 14, 2010

August 14, 2009

August 14, 2008

August 14, 2007

August 14, 2006

August 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 August 14, 2019 at 04:29 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Perfection and Imperfection

Years Past

August 13, 2012

August 13, 2011

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on August 13, 2019 at 05:41 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Beyond the Kitchen Doors, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Steal and Stack

Years Past

August 9, 2015

August 9, 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 August 09, 2019 at 05:29 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Allowed to Grow

Our volunteer basil plant is representative of a forgotten idea. Its initial appearance brought a smile and some attention. We payed attention to it and even watered it a few times. Then we forgot about it again. The basil developed and matured without us. I looked over at the plant one day and appreciated its beauty and growth. I harvested a few leaves and then left it alone again. It's increased size may catch my eye more often earning a bit more attention now. Perhaps we'll even water and trim it as our desire for basil increases in its presence.

Years Past

August 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 August 07, 2019 at 05:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ripening Under a Blanket

We have found that letting fruit rest under a light cloth at room temperature prevents fruit flies and allows the fruit to slowly become ripe. One unexpected benefit is that when you draw the cloth aside the fruits aroma rushes up at you and makes your mouth water. This is the first summer we have begun using this method. We will continue to test and observe to see if the perceived benefits hold up over the long haul.

Years Past

August 6, 2015

August 6, 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 August 06, 2019 at 05:28 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adventures in Doughnutland

We now have 11 base doughs and 10 additional doughnuts created using the trimmings. You never what you'll find when you come to Doughnutland.

Years Past

August 4, 2015

August 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 August 04, 2019 at 05:56 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cavatelli Clicker

I was first introduced to the cavatelli machine when working at Park Avenue Cafe. A signature appetizer was black pepper cavatelli with a ragout of mushrooms and truffle beurre fondue. Ever since then cavatelli have been part of our playbook. Over the years we have explored numerous ways to shape cavatelli. But over those years we have drifted away from what I know as the classic cavatelli clicker. We have extruded versions of cavatelli as well as shaping them by hand using knives and gnocchi boards. But there is something remarkable about the consistency in size and texture made with the cavatelli clicker.

Years Past

July 31, 2015

July 31, 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 31, 2019 at 05:02 PM in American Noodles, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chowderized

I have come to realize that I do not like most soups. However, if I incorporate some dairy, potatoes and a touch of something smokey I am willing to sit down and crush several bowls of my creation. I made a corn and black cod chowder. I started with diced mirepoix that I cooked in olive oil and seasoned with salt and red pepper flakes. I added potatoes and a blend of liquids. I used white wine, clam broth, cream and milk as the base. I seasoned it with liquid smoke, soy sauce and some hot sauce. When the potatoes were cooked I took most of the broth and pureed it with corn. I poured the corn base back over the chowder and added additional corn and the black cod. Amaya finished the chowder with my odd ball ingredient, sun dried tomatoes. We added these for brightness and added savoriness in the bowl. It was the perfect summer supper, somehow light and hearty and utterly satisfying.

Years Past

July 26, 2015

July 26, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on July 26, 2019 at 06:30 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | 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

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

Resilience

While we often have the best of intentions, for the last couple of years the weed patch has gone largely untended. We happily shell out money in the beginning of the season for a variety of herbs, briefly harvest and enjoy them, and then they languish. We forget to water and trim, heck we forget to use them at all. So this year we decided to let it go. There was a lot going on this summer and we would take a break. Apparently the weed patch decided otherwise. The basil (pictured above) and the chives came back on their own. They are an unexpected gift and just enough to keep us happy. Those herbs are resilient and we are working on being the same. If we can all learn to flourish when neglected or under duress, imagine what we could accomplish.

Years Past

July 18, 2015

July 18, 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 18, 2019 at 03:38 PM in Beyond the Kitchen Doors, Food For Thoughts, Ingredients, 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

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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)

Classic Combinations

Years Past

July 15, 2015

July 15, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

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Posted on July 15, 2019 at 05:18 PM in Beyond the Kitchen Doors, 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)

Blooming Onion

It took me long enough to realized there is world beyond chive blossoms.

Years Past

July 13, 2015

July 13, 2012

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

Posted on July 13, 2019 at 05:42 PM in Ingredients, 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)

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 (1)

Granola Butter

A jar of granola butter led to unleashing a heck of a lot of ideas on butters from cereal to ice cream cone. These butters are not a long stretch from our cookie magic shell and doughnut magic shell. Sometimes it's all in how you look at ingredients and what you are willing to do with them.

Years Past

July 6, 2012

July 6, 2010

July 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 July 06, 2019 at 04:43 PM in CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts, 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)

Happy Birthday America

We hope everyone is spending the day with people they love.

Years Past

July 4, 2015

July 4, 2012

July 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 July 04, 2019 at 04:53 PM in INSPIRATIONS | 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)

How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over

A little inspiration from Mel Robbins on this gorgeous summer Sunday.

Years Past

June 30, 2015

June 30, 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 30, 2019 at 11:54 AM in Food For Thoughts, INSPIRATIONS, Videos | Permalink | Comments (1)

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)

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)

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)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Chocolate chip shortbread took on a life of its own in the digital culinary landscape. I became intrigued by the idea because it became part of the food worlds pop culture. We made our chocolate chip shortbread by combining pulverized masa shortbread with 1/3 the amount of ground dark chocolate. The crumbs have an intense toasty, nutty chocolatey flavor. They are crunchy and decadent. They are destined for doughnuts.

Years Past

June 7, 2015

June 7, 2012

June 7, 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 07, 2019 at 03:12 PM in Balancing Tastes, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | 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)

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)

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)

Doughnut Transport

Today I had to get doughnuts from A to B. A courier was required. I imagined a minivan or something gas fueled to transport the 20 plus dozen doughnuts. When a gentleman dressed like a bike courier showed up I visibly stuttered. I asked him if he was ok transporting the doughnuts. He confidently replied, "I do this for a living." Lots of people do lots of things for a living. But his confidence was soothing. I let him do his job as I had done mine in the making of the doughnuts. I met him over at the venue where I was doing our doughnut presentation. He arrived as pictured. The doughnuts traveled well and the pizza boxes certainly provided support a traditional doughnut box would not have.

Years Past

May 22, 2018

May 22, 2017

May 22, 2016

May 22, 2015

May 22, 2012

May 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 May 22, 2019 at 01:27 PM in Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | 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)

Luchito Butter

It took a delicious dinner out at Charcoal BYOB, where we had Luchito butter brushed shrimp and grits, to kick us into gear to make our own Luchito butter. We made ours with melted butter, soy sauce and Luchito. The result was well worth stealing the idea.

Years Past

May 18, 2018

May 18, 2017

May 18, 2016

May 18, 2015

May 18, 2012

May 18, 2006

May 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 May 18, 2019 at 06:15 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Nitrogen Frozen

Liquid nitrogen is a functional ingredient. What is functional is defined by the doer.

Years Past

May 17, 2018

May 17, 2017

May 17, 2016

May 17, 2015

May 17, 2012

May 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 May 17, 2019 at 06:18 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Importance of Sous Vide

Sous vide cooking brought awareness to the details in cooking. Sure we can dismiss sous vide as soul less and set it and forget it bag cookery. But that, like most monumental ideas, would be missing its impact on the evolution of cooking. Sous vide changed how we cook, really how we observer. Now we look at the impact of temperature and time, actual specifics in the process. Guess-tamations are no longer acceptable. Sous vide cooking initially required expensive equipment. This expense sparked innovation. Cooks developed many work arounds and alternative methods to observe and control temperatures to allow for consistent results. Cooks learned to take better notes. Cooks learned to ask questions. Cooks learned to share ideas and results.

Years Past

May 13, 2012

May 13, 2009

May 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 May 13, 2019 at 05:07 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheeseburger Quesadilla

Last night I had the brilliant idea of making cheeseburger quesadillas. We cooked tortilla size burgers and put them inside corn and flour tortillas with cheese. We served them with salsa, guacamole, ketchup and mustard. They were delicious and I was thrilled with my creation.

At four am this morning I was pumping gas and looked up.

Years Past

May 10, 2015

May 10, 2012

May 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 May 10, 2019 at 06:49 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Reality of Pressure Cooking

We have been pressure cooker fanatics for years. We have stood on soap boxes promoting there efficiency and necessity in the kitchen. In Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work, we had the chapter on pressure cooking cut out. Thankfully Aki was able to weave much of the material back into the book. Most of the material she integrated revolved around using the pressure cooker for cooking broths. In Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook we dove back into pressure cooking. A few examples of its functionality, at the time, were our pork belly and beans and sunflower seed risotto.

But as I have looked at pressure cooking and the results I noticed a pattern. A pattern that made the reasoning for utilizing it in a broth chapter and where foods cooked together could mask the final results. Pressure cooking allows for the great extraction of flavor. Yes, it allows for the tenderization of meats, vegetables, grains and more. But as a whole it is detrimental to cook meats as a fast braise in the cooker. The meats become tender and for the most part flavorless. Even utilizing the idea of a double boiler the end result is a concentrated meat extract, not a better braised meat.

Today our pressure cooker is now our broth maker.

Years Past

April 27, 2015

April 27, 2012

April 27, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 27, 2019 at 04:18 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beef Seasoning

Resources are only useful when put to use. I often forget that point. Years ago, when we were writing Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work, we created our beef seasoning. It was inspired by the Iron Chef Battle where Peter Kelly seasoned his beef with brown sugar and salt. Our beef seasoning has been in our tool chest for years. But we rarely bring it out, especially in its measured proportions. Today I dove into our book and followed the recipe. I seasoned up 2 steaks and will cook them later. I am eager with anticipation, because the beef seasoning is magical. It elevates whatever it is put in contact with.

The beef seasoning is a simple arrangement of ingredients. But its impact is monumental. It, like most of our work, is useful when combined with something else.

Years Past

April 26, 2018

April 26, 2017

April 26, 2016

April 26, 2015

April 26, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 26, 2019 at 04:23 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Draft Day Doughnuts 2019

The only way to really celebrate the official beginning of football season is with doughnuts. Draft day doughnuts are our own special holiday.

Years Past

April 25, 2018

April 25, 2017

April 25, 2016

April 25, 2015

April 25, 2014

April 25, 2013

April 25, 2012

April 25, 2011

April 25, 2008

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 25, 2019 at 07:21 AM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Curiosity Doughnuts, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dreams are Doable

Years Past

April 24, 2018

April 24, 2017

April 24, 2016

April 24, 2015

April 24, 2012

April 24, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 24, 2019 at 07:20 PM in INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

NA IPA

I came across Athletic Brewing's Run Wild NA IPA at our local beer store. I didn't know anything about it and the owner of the store did not know much. He had brought the beer in at the request of his son. However, he made it quite compelling to take the risk and try the beer. If I didn't like it I could return the beer, no questions asked. I bought the beer and chilled it down. The beer is super floral, citrusy and hoppily bitter. It was a full flavored crisp IPA without the alcohol. I was thrilled and I'll definitely be going back for more.

Years Past

April 9, 2018

April 9, 2017

April 9, 2016

April 9, 2015

April 9, 2012

April 9, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 09, 2019 at 05:40 PM in Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Motivation v2

It started here.

Which led directly to our interpretation, thanks to the super talented Airlie Anderson.

Years Past

April 6, 2018

April 6, 2017

April 6, 2016

April 6, 2015

April 6, 2012

April 6, 2006

April 6, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 06, 2019 at 06:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Connect the Dots

In order to connect the dots you must first collect the dots.

Years Past

April 2, 2015

April 2, 2012

April 2, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

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

Posted on April 02, 2019 at 07:16 PM in Balancing Tastes, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thermometers Lie

When the thermometer says 375°F and the biegnets go up in smoke in their normal fry time, something is amiss. My first response was to question my dough. Did I make something wrong? It didn't occur to me that the infrared thermometer could be off. I fried another single doughnut, a different dough, and it too went up in smoke quickly. Only then did I begin to question the thermometer. I shut the heat off and began searching the kitchen for a second thermometer. I was alone, prepping in a strange kitchen, cooking doughnuts in a pot on the stove.

I finally got relief when another chef showed up with a thermometer in their kit. There thermometer registered 475°F. I had the answer to my burnt biegnets. I added additional oil to the pot to cool it down and waited. When the oil reached 375°F I was off to the races.

I re-learned a lesson I thought I knew quite well. Travel with a back up thermometer. Because not all thermometers tell the truth.

Years Past

March 30, 2018

March 30, 2017

March 30 2016

March 30, 2015

March 30, 2012

March 30, 2009