This is one of those dishes that will knock your tastebuds out of the back of your head, only to have them scurrying back to your tongue to get another taste. It's a well balanced blend of sweet, sour, salt and savory. Be sure to give the prosciutto time to get crispy.
Part 1
Part 2
4 split boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
2 Tbs olive oil
12 large sage leaves, 8 of them minced
6 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto (8 total slices)
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 finely minced shallot
1 cup white wine (I prefer Chardonnay for this recipe) or replace with 1 1/4 cup of orange juice (omit lemon juice if using orange juice).
Juice from 1 lemon (roughly 1 teaspoon)
4 Tbs butter cut into small chunks
Salt to taste
Lay the chicken breast on the cutting board, and slice them into two large cutlets
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Place 4 sage leaves in the olive oil and let fry for 25-30 seconds.
Combine flour and black pepper
Dredge the chicken cutlets in flour, then sprinkle sage over the top, cover with a slice of prosciutto.
Place chicken, prosciutto side down into frying pan, turning when chicken is cooked halfway through. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to repeat this 3-4 times until all the cutlets are cooked.
When chicken is cooked through, place in an oven safe dish, and keep warm in oven.
Add minced shallot to your frypan, stirring till the shallot becomes translucent and starts to brown.
Add wine and lemon juice to your frypan, stirring to remove all the brown bits off the bottom of your pan.
Add butter, 1 chunk at a time, whisking vigorously with each addition, not adding another until the previous chunk is completely melted.
Salt sauce to taste.
Serve chicken over rice or noodles, topping with beurre blanc and fried sage leaf.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A Word on Pasta - White Vinegar
Living in Utah presents some challenges with pasta making. Because a large portion of our water makes its way through limestone deposits as it meanders into our water supply, it tends to have a higher pH. This presents an issue when it comes to making pasta.
Basic(higher pH) water attacks the outer walls of pasta, causing excess starch (mainly amylose) to make it's way into the cooking water. When you pull the pasta out of the water, the amylose starch in the water sticks to your pasta, causing your pasta to turn into one big lumpy mess.
While it's always possible to either rinse the pasta, and/or cover it in oil, that washes away starch from the pasta and/or adds additional calories, without adding much extra flavor.
If you're making your own pasta, the trick to fix this is add additional eggs to your pasta batter. The protein in the egg will do a better job holding the amylose starch in the pasta. However, there are very few nights when making my own pasta is feasible.
Instead, try adding 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to every gallon of pasta water. This will lower the pH of the water enough that the amylose starch won't make its way into your pasta water. You'll end up with a much better noodle!
Basic(higher pH) water attacks the outer walls of pasta, causing excess starch (mainly amylose) to make it's way into the cooking water. When you pull the pasta out of the water, the amylose starch in the water sticks to your pasta, causing your pasta to turn into one big lumpy mess.
While it's always possible to either rinse the pasta, and/or cover it in oil, that washes away starch from the pasta and/or adds additional calories, without adding much extra flavor.
If you're making your own pasta, the trick to fix this is add additional eggs to your pasta batter. The protein in the egg will do a better job holding the amylose starch in the pasta. However, there are very few nights when making my own pasta is feasible.
Instead, try adding 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to every gallon of pasta water. This will lower the pH of the water enough that the amylose starch won't make its way into your pasta water. You'll end up with a much better noodle!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Fat = Flavor?
I've been hearing this phrase a LOT these days. And although I appreciate the amazing alliteration, the hair on the back of my neck bristles whenever I hear it.
Let's break it down into a mathematical formula.
In the equation 3 X 5 = 15, at no point does 5 = 15. 5 is but a component of the equation.
It's the same way with fat, although, the equation is a little more complex.
Flavor is a combination of fat and water soluble flavor compounds, mixed with the 5 scientifically approved tongue sensations: sour, salt, bitter, sweet, and savory (I personally believe there are quite a few additional tongue sensations, such as spicy, and acerbic, but that's a topic for another time).
First, let's talk about fat and water soluble flavor compounds, we'll use the tomato as an example.
A vine ripened/home grown tomato is one of the things in this world that money can't buy. The delicious richness that can only be achieved by picking it at its peak is unparalleled.
Tomato's are also FULL of the antioxidant lycopene, a fat soluble compound that does contribute flavor. In addition, they are full of ascorbic acid, a water soluble compound. Since tomatoes already have quite a bit of water, it's easy to taste ascorbic acid's contribution. However, have you ever noticed that by drizzling a little oil over tomatoes, they taste completely different? The fat soluble flavor compounds now have an easier way to find their way to your nose, which makes the flavor more intense.
So while it's true that fat increases the amount of available fat soluble compounds, thereby increasing the overall flavor, it doesn't equal flavor. It is but a component in the equation.
Let's break it down into a mathematical formula.
In the equation 3 X 5 = 15, at no point does 5 = 15. 5 is but a component of the equation.
It's the same way with fat, although, the equation is a little more complex.
Flavor is a combination of fat and water soluble flavor compounds, mixed with the 5 scientifically approved tongue sensations: sour, salt, bitter, sweet, and savory (I personally believe there are quite a few additional tongue sensations, such as spicy, and acerbic, but that's a topic for another time).
First, let's talk about fat and water soluble flavor compounds, we'll use the tomato as an example.
A vine ripened/home grown tomato is one of the things in this world that money can't buy. The delicious richness that can only be achieved by picking it at its peak is unparalleled.
Tomato's are also FULL of the antioxidant lycopene, a fat soluble compound that does contribute flavor. In addition, they are full of ascorbic acid, a water soluble compound. Since tomatoes already have quite a bit of water, it's easy to taste ascorbic acid's contribution. However, have you ever noticed that by drizzling a little oil over tomatoes, they taste completely different? The fat soluble flavor compounds now have an easier way to find their way to your nose, which makes the flavor more intense.
So while it's true that fat increases the amount of available fat soluble compounds, thereby increasing the overall flavor, it doesn't equal flavor. It is but a component in the equation.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Ultimate Butter Caramel
Part 1
Part 2
This is a recipe that has taken quite a few holiday seasons to develop, but I guarantee that you'll NEVER be satisfied with another caramel again. It was developed at an elevation of 4500 feet, so add 1 degree of cooking temperature for every 500 feet in elevation drop (IE: 244 degrees at sea level, 240 degrees at 2000 feet).
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter cut into small chunks
2 cups DARK brown sugar (light brown sugar doesn't work)
2 cups light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
Combine corn syrup and dark brown sugar in large saucepan (I use a 6 qt pan). Place on medium heat and stir till dissolved. Then increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 2-3 minutes, keeping sides of the pan clean (this is important as dirty pan sides cause sugar chunks in the finished product, and the boiling creates a darker, more flavorful caramel due to a chemical process called Maillard reaction that takes place between the milk fat (protein), and the lactose, fructose and glucose (carbohydrate).
Add butter, one chunk at a time, stirring constantly. Add salt. Keep stirring as you slowly pour in cream so mixture does not stop boiling. STOP STIRRING after the cream is completely incorporated. Cook without stirring to 236 degrees (see note above about changes to final temperature based on elevation) and take off the heat. Add vanilla. Without scraping the pan, pour into a generously buttered 9"X12" pan (I use Pyrex as it makes it easier to remove the next day). Put the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 12+ hours. I usually cover the pan with plastic wrap after 1-2 hours of cooling.
Turn the pan over onto a cutting surface and the caramel block should slowly fall on to your surface. If not, you may try heating the bottom of the pan in hot tap water, or if all else fails, gently help it out with a rubber spatula.
Cut caramel into squares and wrap in waxed paper.
Part 2
This is a recipe that has taken quite a few holiday seasons to develop, but I guarantee that you'll NEVER be satisfied with another caramel again. It was developed at an elevation of 4500 feet, so add 1 degree of cooking temperature for every 500 feet in elevation drop (IE: 244 degrees at sea level, 240 degrees at 2000 feet).
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter cut into small chunks
2 cups DARK brown sugar (light brown sugar doesn't work)
2 cups light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
Combine corn syrup and dark brown sugar in large saucepan (I use a 6 qt pan). Place on medium heat and stir till dissolved. Then increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 2-3 minutes, keeping sides of the pan clean (this is important as dirty pan sides cause sugar chunks in the finished product, and the boiling creates a darker, more flavorful caramel due to a chemical process called Maillard reaction that takes place between the milk fat (protein), and the lactose, fructose and glucose (carbohydrate).
Add butter, one chunk at a time, stirring constantly. Add salt. Keep stirring as you slowly pour in cream so mixture does not stop boiling. STOP STIRRING after the cream is completely incorporated. Cook without stirring to 236 degrees (see note above about changes to final temperature based on elevation) and take off the heat. Add vanilla. Without scraping the pan, pour into a generously buttered 9"X12" pan (I use Pyrex as it makes it easier to remove the next day). Put the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 12+ hours. I usually cover the pan with plastic wrap after 1-2 hours of cooling.
Turn the pan over onto a cutting surface and the caramel block should slowly fall on to your surface. If not, you may try heating the bottom of the pan in hot tap water, or if all else fails, gently help it out with a rubber spatula.
Cut caramel into squares and wrap in waxed paper.
Improved Chicken Noodle Soup
I've always been proud of my homemade chicken noodle soup. But something was missing. I wanted something with a velvety texture, filled with a rich broth, and just the right amount of salt and savory. The trick is a little unflavored gelatin, and mushrooms. The gelatin significantly improves the mouthfeel, giving this soup a smooth texture, while the mushrooms contribute umami, turning an ordinary bowl of soup into a culinary experience fit for a king.
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken cut into 3/4 or smaller cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced into small chunks
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup diced crimini mushrooms (also known as baby bellas)
3 peeled whole carrots, chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 leek, sliced into circles, and then rinsed after chopping (leeks tend to carry a LOT of dirt, so rinsing after chopping is crucial.
2 qts chicken stock (or use water and chicken meat base)
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 bunch of cilantro, minced
1 tsp freshly ground coarse black pepper
Homemade noodles (see below)
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Place a 6 qt stockpot over high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the unflavored gelatin to 1/2 cup cold water in a separate dish and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and fry until the exterior of the chicken starts to brown. Add onions, ginger garlic, and mushrooms and continue to fry until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrots, and leeks and cook until veggies start to sweat. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the unflavored gelatin.
Add the noodles, black pepper and salt to taste. Cook until noodles are tender.
1-2 minutes prior to serving, add the cilantro and stir well.
Homemade Whole Wheat Noodles
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 Tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Combine the salt, flour and eggs in a mixer. Mix well. Once all ingredients except water are incorporated, add water a little bit at a time until the dough ball is slightly tacky. You may end up using less water than the recipe calls for. If you add too much water, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels just tacky.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then dump onto a floured surface, roll out into a long piece, about 1/8 inch thick.
If you have a pasta roller, make the dough into 1/4 inch wide noodles, then cut into 2" lengths before adding to the soup.
If you don't have a pasta roller, slice the noodles by hand, taking care to maintain an even width.
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken cut into 3/4 or smaller cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced into small chunks
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup diced crimini mushrooms (also known as baby bellas)
3 peeled whole carrots, chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 leek, sliced into circles, and then rinsed after chopping (leeks tend to carry a LOT of dirt, so rinsing after chopping is crucial.
2 qts chicken stock (or use water and chicken meat base)
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 bunch of cilantro, minced
1 tsp freshly ground coarse black pepper
Homemade noodles (see below)
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Place a 6 qt stockpot over high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the unflavored gelatin to 1/2 cup cold water in a separate dish and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and fry until the exterior of the chicken starts to brown. Add onions, ginger garlic, and mushrooms and continue to fry until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrots, and leeks and cook until veggies start to sweat. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the unflavored gelatin.
Add the noodles, black pepper and salt to taste. Cook until noodles are tender.
1-2 minutes prior to serving, add the cilantro and stir well.
Homemade Whole Wheat Noodles
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 Tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Combine the salt, flour and eggs in a mixer. Mix well. Once all ingredients except water are incorporated, add water a little bit at a time until the dough ball is slightly tacky. You may end up using less water than the recipe calls for. If you add too much water, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels just tacky.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then dump onto a floured surface, roll out into a long piece, about 1/8 inch thick.
If you have a pasta roller, make the dough into 1/4 inch wide noodles, then cut into 2" lengths before adding to the soup.
If you don't have a pasta roller, slice the noodles by hand, taking care to maintain an even width.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Perfect Pot Roast
Pot roast can be absolutely delicious or absolutely dreadful. It all depends on the preparation. When cooked properly, it is a moist and delicate entree.
To understand the challenge in cooking proper pot roast, one must consider two components that makeup the roast: meat fibers, and glycogen.
The meat fibers start to lose their moisture at approximately 140 degrees, expelling all of it by 180 degrees. But glycogen, also known as connective tissue, starts to breakdown around 150 degrees, but doesn't REALLY turn to gelatin until the internal temp of the meat reaches 200 degrees, and not breaking down the glycogen creates a TOUGH pot roast.
Herein lies the problem with most pot roasts. If you don't cook it long enough it's tough, but if you cook it too long, it's dry.
The trick, is to cook the muscle fibers long enough that they even though they've given off all their moisture, they breakdown and allow the reintroduction of liquid. Cooking the roast in a flavorful stock allows the infusion of delicious flavors once the roast hits this phase.
The breakdown of muscle fibers requires cooking the roast a full hour with the internal temperature at 200-212 degrees -a temperature easily maintained by keeping the roast immersed in water. So don't skimp on stock, and be sure the roast stays in the oven for the full 3 1/2 hours.
Part 1
Part 2:
The ingredients:
3-4 lb roast - preferably Chuck
2 Tbs olive oil
3 medium diced onions
2 stalks celery - chopped
3 carrots - peeled and chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 bottle red wine
5 sprigs thyme
5 bay leaves
2 Tbs anchovy paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325.
Trim the roast of any excessive "fat cap" fat.
Preheat a 5-6 qt oven safe cooking vessel with a well fitting lid (enameled dutch oven preferred) over the stove.
Add olive oil to pan.
Brown both sides of the roast in your cooking vessel
Remove the roast from the pan.
Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pan, cooking until just slightly brown.
Add roast back to the pan.
Whisk flour and chicken stock together, add to the pan
Add the bottle of wine to the pan
Add thyme, bay leaves and anchovy paste to the pan
Cover the cooking vessel with aluminum foil, put lid of pan over the top of the foil.
Place in oven for 3 1/2 hours
After removing the cooking vessel from the oven, skim liquid fat off the top of the cooking liquid.
Using a soup ladle and a sieve, remove at least 2 cups of the cooking liquid, run through a sieve into a saucepan.
Place the saucepan over medium high heat and reduce cooking liquid by 1/2.
To understand the challenge in cooking proper pot roast, one must consider two components that makeup the roast: meat fibers, and glycogen.
The meat fibers start to lose their moisture at approximately 140 degrees, expelling all of it by 180 degrees. But glycogen, also known as connective tissue, starts to breakdown around 150 degrees, but doesn't REALLY turn to gelatin until the internal temp of the meat reaches 200 degrees, and not breaking down the glycogen creates a TOUGH pot roast.
Herein lies the problem with most pot roasts. If you don't cook it long enough it's tough, but if you cook it too long, it's dry.
The trick, is to cook the muscle fibers long enough that they even though they've given off all their moisture, they breakdown and allow the reintroduction of liquid. Cooking the roast in a flavorful stock allows the infusion of delicious flavors once the roast hits this phase.
The breakdown of muscle fibers requires cooking the roast a full hour with the internal temperature at 200-212 degrees -a temperature easily maintained by keeping the roast immersed in water. So don't skimp on stock, and be sure the roast stays in the oven for the full 3 1/2 hours.
Part 1
Part 2:
The ingredients:
3-4 lb roast - preferably Chuck
2 Tbs olive oil
3 medium diced onions
2 stalks celery - chopped
3 carrots - peeled and chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 bottle red wine
5 sprigs thyme
5 bay leaves
2 Tbs anchovy paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325.
Trim the roast of any excessive "fat cap" fat.
Preheat a 5-6 qt oven safe cooking vessel with a well fitting lid (enameled dutch oven preferred) over the stove.
Add olive oil to pan.
Brown both sides of the roast in your cooking vessel
Remove the roast from the pan.
Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pan, cooking until just slightly brown.
Add roast back to the pan.
Whisk flour and chicken stock together, add to the pan
Add the bottle of wine to the pan
Add thyme, bay leaves and anchovy paste to the pan
Cover the cooking vessel with aluminum foil, put lid of pan over the top of the foil.
Place in oven for 3 1/2 hours
After removing the cooking vessel from the oven, skim liquid fat off the top of the cooking liquid.
Using a soup ladle and a sieve, remove at least 2 cups of the cooking liquid, run through a sieve into a saucepan.
Place the saucepan over medium high heat and reduce cooking liquid by 1/2.
Friday, December 4, 2009
It's Official
The paperwork has been signed. The videos have been submitted. Now, fans of Cook With Tom with Comcast Digital Cable can watch it the old fashioned way.
In order to view the videos, go to On Demand, click "Utah on Demand," "Life & Home-UT," and then "Cook with Tom."
The videos are up and running now!
In order to view the videos, go to On Demand, click "Utah on Demand," "Life & Home-UT," and then "Cook with Tom."
The videos are up and running now!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Grown up Sandwich Cookies in Salt Lake Tribune
Those of you that follow this site probably remember the recipe in the video below from August of this year. I'm happy to report that the Salt Lake Tribune will be doing a cookie feature on December 6th that will include this recipe. I'm going to a photo shoot tonight, and was instructed to bring along a batch of these cookies, as well as the Orange Meringues. They'll be taking pictures of both me and the cookies. Who knows if they'll use the pictures they take or not but hey, there will be at least one food writer there, and it never hurts to spend some time with a food writer.
I made a few edits to the recipe to make it a little easier, as well as improve the overall results based on differences by brand in dutch cocoa powder and white chocolate chips.
To quote Navin R. Johnson, "Things are going to start happening to me now."
Part 1
Part 2
Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder - you can always use a "dark cocoa" blend if pure dutch is unavailable.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and cream together until light and fluffy, and the egg and mix until it is incorporated. Add the cocoa and mix until consistent.
Add the flour and mix in by hand. You want to mix the minimum amount and still get the flour incorporated.
Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and place in the fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
After removing the plastic wrap, sprinkle confectioners sugar on rolling surface. Turn the dough onto the sugar and then roll the dough into a consistent 1/4 thickness. Using a 2-3 inch wide circular cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Place the circles on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Take the unused dough, and reroll it to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut more circles, each time putting them on the parchment covered cookie sheet. Continue the process until all dough is used.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-12 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to a wire cooling rack.
Let cool completely before filling.
The Filling:
1/4 cup plus 1 TBS heavy cream
1/4 stick butter (2 Tbs)
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate chips (try to get ones with at least some cocoa butter)
Place the chocolate chips in a stainless steel mixing bowl.
Combine the cream and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted.
Pour the cream/butter mixture over the white chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes.
Mix until all the white chocolate chips have completely melted, and then let it rest until room temperature.
Using a whipping attachment on your mixer, whip until medium peaks form.
Place a reasonable amount of filling between two cookies and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to give the white chocolate a chance to set.
I made a few edits to the recipe to make it a little easier, as well as improve the overall results based on differences by brand in dutch cocoa powder and white chocolate chips.
To quote Navin R. Johnson, "Things are going to start happening to me now."
Part 1
Part 2
Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder - you can always use a "dark cocoa" blend if pure dutch is unavailable.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and cream together until light and fluffy, and the egg and mix until it is incorporated. Add the cocoa and mix until consistent.
Add the flour and mix in by hand. You want to mix the minimum amount and still get the flour incorporated.
Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and place in the fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
After removing the plastic wrap, sprinkle confectioners sugar on rolling surface. Turn the dough onto the sugar and then roll the dough into a consistent 1/4 thickness. Using a 2-3 inch wide circular cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Place the circles on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Take the unused dough, and reroll it to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut more circles, each time putting them on the parchment covered cookie sheet. Continue the process until all dough is used.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-12 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to a wire cooling rack.
Let cool completely before filling.
The Filling:
1/4 cup plus 1 TBS heavy cream
1/4 stick butter (2 Tbs)
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate chips (try to get ones with at least some cocoa butter)
Place the chocolate chips in a stainless steel mixing bowl.
Combine the cream and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted.
Pour the cream/butter mixture over the white chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes.
Mix until all the white chocolate chips have completely melted, and then let it rest until room temperature.
Using a whipping attachment on your mixer, whip until medium peaks form.
Place a reasonable amount of filling between two cookies and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to give the white chocolate a chance to set.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
So decadent it should be illegal chocolate chantilly pie
We'll be breaking all the rules today.
If you've ever worked with chocolate, the two rules most commonly mentioned are don't EVER add even the tiniest droplet of water, and NEVER heat it directly over the stove. Chocolatiers take great pains to create barriers between their double boilers and chocolate to prevent even the smallest drop of water from entering their melted chocolate.
However, I've been doing a lot of study on molecular gastronomy lately and came across a chemical formula for making an egg less chocolate mousse, called a "Chocolate Chantilly" by the book author. His philosophy was that the rules we know about chocolate can be broken, if done with proper care. The trick, Mr. Herve This claims, is to use the three fatty acids in chocolate to your advantage. -use them to create an emulsion of fat molecules trapped between water molecules.
Mr This (pronounced Thees) gives a basic ratio of 3 to 4 by weight, and mentions in passing that gelatin may help thicken the mixture. This ratio, combined with strong agitation creates "tensoactive molecules" within the chocolate that hold the water in suspension. Instead of harming the chocolate, the water based flavoring enhances it.
So, armed with 5 lbs of chocolate, a massive box of gelatin and various water based flavorings (various fruit juices, espresso, and chipotle puree) I spent time playing Mr Science.
I found that no gelatin is great for a standard parfait type dessert, but doesn't set up well in a pie.
However, 2 Tsp of gelatin for every 16 oz of chocolate did the trick to create a light and airy, yet easily slice-able pie. I also added a little corn starch and sugar to improve the overall mouth feel -it enhances silkiness of the pie.
This pie is R-I-C-H. During taste testing with my guinea pigs, I observed that the significant amount of chocolate (2 oz) in each piece created a much stronger chocolate flavor than most of my tasters were used to eating. There is more chocolate in a single slice of this dessert than is commonly found in an entire chocolate cream pie. If Hershey's Dark is too bitter for you, this recipe may not fit your pallette. If, however, a Scharffen Berger Nibby Bar is your idea of a great treat, you'll love this.
I should mention that this pie is best if kept refrigerated until immediately before serving.
The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of your favorite liquid (I like using fruit juice concentrates such as orange or cranberry but other liquids such as berry or chipotle puree makes a great,and interesting, pie!)
2 Tsp Gelatin
2 Tsp Corn Starch
1/4 cup sugar
16 oz semi sweet chocolate that is at least 33% cocoa butter by weight, cut into small pieces.* I used "Baker's Chocolate" brand, because of the cost vs quantity.
1 graham cracker pie crust
Dissolve the gelatin and corn starch in your liquid, whisk well and then let it sit for 1-2 minutes.
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, making sure that all corn starch and gelatin is completely cooked (the mixture will turn from opaque to clear).
Add sugar to the liquid and dissolve.
Add chocolate pieces directly to the liquid, reduce heat to medium and stir until all chocolate is melted.
Take one large bowl and fill it halfway full with ice, add water to fill in all the voids, but not so much that you raise the level of the ice.
Pour your chocolate/liquid mixture into a metal bowl smaller than the bowl that you filled with ice/water.
Place the metal bowl into the ice/water mixture.
Using electric beaters, whip the chocolate taking care to make sure that no chocolate sits on the sides of the bowl. If chocolate starts to build up on the side of the bowl, stop mixing and scrape the sides of the metal bowl.
Continue to whip the chocolate until it increases in volume, and changes color from dark to a blond chestnut. -The color change will seem to happen almost all at once as the cocoa butter turns from a liquid to a solid. The change in color is a result of tiny air bubbles being trapped in the mixture.
Pour into your graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least two hours to set.
*The way to tell the amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate is by looking at the nutritional information on the back of the packaging. If the serving size is 15 grams, the total fat should be at least 5 grams.
If you've ever worked with chocolate, the two rules most commonly mentioned are don't EVER add even the tiniest droplet of water, and NEVER heat it directly over the stove. Chocolatiers take great pains to create barriers between their double boilers and chocolate to prevent even the smallest drop of water from entering their melted chocolate.
However, I've been doing a lot of study on molecular gastronomy lately and came across a chemical formula for making an egg less chocolate mousse, called a "Chocolate Chantilly" by the book author. His philosophy was that the rules we know about chocolate can be broken, if done with proper care. The trick, Mr. Herve This claims, is to use the three fatty acids in chocolate to your advantage. -use them to create an emulsion of fat molecules trapped between water molecules.
Mr This (pronounced Thees) gives a basic ratio of 3 to 4 by weight, and mentions in passing that gelatin may help thicken the mixture. This ratio, combined with strong agitation creates "tensoactive molecules" within the chocolate that hold the water in suspension. Instead of harming the chocolate, the water based flavoring enhances it.
So, armed with 5 lbs of chocolate, a massive box of gelatin and various water based flavorings (various fruit juices, espresso, and chipotle puree) I spent time playing Mr Science.
I found that no gelatin is great for a standard parfait type dessert, but doesn't set up well in a pie.
However, 2 Tsp of gelatin for every 16 oz of chocolate did the trick to create a light and airy, yet easily slice-able pie. I also added a little corn starch and sugar to improve the overall mouth feel -it enhances silkiness of the pie.
This pie is R-I-C-H. During taste testing with my guinea pigs, I observed that the significant amount of chocolate (2 oz) in each piece created a much stronger chocolate flavor than most of my tasters were used to eating. There is more chocolate in a single slice of this dessert than is commonly found in an entire chocolate cream pie. If Hershey's Dark is too bitter for you, this recipe may not fit your pallette. If, however, a Scharffen Berger Nibby Bar is your idea of a great treat, you'll love this.
I should mention that this pie is best if kept refrigerated until immediately before serving.
The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of your favorite liquid (I like using fruit juice concentrates such as orange or cranberry but other liquids such as berry or chipotle puree makes a great,and interesting, pie!)
2 Tsp Gelatin
2 Tsp Corn Starch
1/4 cup sugar
16 oz semi sweet chocolate that is at least 33% cocoa butter by weight, cut into small pieces.* I used "Baker's Chocolate" brand, because of the cost vs quantity.
1 graham cracker pie crust
Dissolve the gelatin and corn starch in your liquid, whisk well and then let it sit for 1-2 minutes.
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, making sure that all corn starch and gelatin is completely cooked (the mixture will turn from opaque to clear).
Add sugar to the liquid and dissolve.
Add chocolate pieces directly to the liquid, reduce heat to medium and stir until all chocolate is melted.
Take one large bowl and fill it halfway full with ice, add water to fill in all the voids, but not so much that you raise the level of the ice.
Pour your chocolate/liquid mixture into a metal bowl smaller than the bowl that you filled with ice/water.
Place the metal bowl into the ice/water mixture.
Using electric beaters, whip the chocolate taking care to make sure that no chocolate sits on the sides of the bowl. If chocolate starts to build up on the side of the bowl, stop mixing and scrape the sides of the metal bowl.
Continue to whip the chocolate until it increases in volume, and changes color from dark to a blond chestnut. -The color change will seem to happen almost all at once as the cocoa butter turns from a liquid to a solid. The change in color is a result of tiny air bubbles being trapped in the mixture.
Pour into your graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least two hours to set.
*The way to tell the amount of cocoa butter in the chocolate is by looking at the nutritional information on the back of the packaging. If the serving size is 15 grams, the total fat should be at least 5 grams.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Delicious Short Ribs
This is a similar recipe to the "Pot Roast Nicoise" but includes a few tweaks to better take advantage of the flavors of the short rib.
4 lb rack of short ribs, cut into 3" widths by your butcher (roughly 4 - 1 lb racks)
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 lb pearl onions
1 lbs peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 cup all purpose flour
8 baby bella mushrooms cut into 1/4ths
3 cups low sodium beef stock
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
Zest from 1/3 of an orange
1 Tbs anchovy paste
5 sprigs thyme
4 bay leaves
1/4 cup nicoise olives (pitted is preferred but not necessary)
Preheat oven to 325. Carefully remove the fat side off of the short rib, being careful to leave enough connective tissue around the bone. Add cooking oil to an enamel coated dutch oven and warm over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) add each rack of short ribs individually and brown just the meat side. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook until onions turn transluscent.
Arrange the short ribs back in the pan, with the bone pointing towards the sky. Add the 1/3 cup flour to the chicken stock and mix well. Add the mushrooms, beef and floured chicken stock. Bring to a strong simmer. Add orange zest, anchovy paste, olives, thyme, bay leaves and olives. Add additional water, if necessary, to bring the liquid level even with the top of your short ribs.
Cover the dutch oven with a sheet of aluminum foil, and then place lid on dutch oven. Place in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
Remove the dutch oven from the oven, and remove the short ribs, wrap loosely in foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Remove as much rendered fat as possible off the top of the remaining liquid. Place the meatless dutch oven over high heat and reduce remaining liquid by 1/2. Plate by making a bed of carrots, mushrooms and onions, and carefully place the short rib, meat side up on top of the vegetable bed. Place a thyme sprig and bay leaf on top of the short rib, and then ladle some of the reduced pan gravy over the top of the meat. Top with a few olives.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Root Vegetable Bisque
With fall upon us, root vegetables are available in the height of their freshness. In this recipe, ingredients such as turnips, long since thought of as working mans' cuisine are transformed into a rich and delicate palette pleasing bisque.
Ingredients:
2 lbs turnips
2 lbs yams
1 qt of low sodium chicken stock
2 shallots - chopped
3 cloves garlic - rough slice
3 tbs olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and cut into circles, some for the bisque, some to garnish.
5 bay leaves
1 sprig of tarragon, plus some additional for garnish
1 tbs maple syrup
Salt to taste
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 lb pancetta
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and slice yams and turnips.
Toss yams and turnips on 2 tbs of olive oil.
Place on sheet pan and place in oven until they start to brown
In a large stockpot add 1 tbs olive oil, shallots, and garlic over medium high heat, cook until the onions turn translucent.
Add yams, turnips, and chicken stock. Bring to a high simmer.
Add 1/4 cup of leeks, bay leaves, and 1 sprig of tarragon.
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until the middle of your largest root vegetable is tender.
Remove from heat and add the mixture to a Food Processor in increments. It will probably take 3 to 4 rounds to puree all the ingredients.
Add the puree back to the stockpot.
Add maple syrup and salt.
In a frypan, add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove from heat and place pancetta on a paper towel to dry.
Add the remaining leeks to the frypan, turn the heat to medium/low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until leeks are tender.
Crumble the pancetta.
Finely chop any remaining tarragon
Just prior to serving add the yogurt to the bisque and stir well.
To serve, add the bisque to your bowl, top with leek rings pancetta crumbles, and finely chopped tarragon.
Notes/Variations:
Any starchy vegetable will work well with this recipe, be it potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, beets, or parsnips. However, if you use parsnip, be sure to trim out the core of larger roots, as they tend to be overly bitter.
Nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon, in small quantities, can turn this particular dish into a pumpkin pie flavored soup.
In order to be a traditional bisque, it is ideal to use fish, lobster, or clam stock. However, it is not readily available in low sodium varieties. Feel free to substitute ocean based stock if desired.
Ingredients:
2 lbs turnips
2 lbs yams
1 qt of low sodium chicken stock
2 shallots - chopped
3 cloves garlic - rough slice
3 tbs olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and cut into circles, some for the bisque, some to garnish.
5 bay leaves
1 sprig of tarragon, plus some additional for garnish
1 tbs maple syrup
Salt to taste
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 lb pancetta
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and slice yams and turnips.
Toss yams and turnips on 2 tbs of olive oil.
Place on sheet pan and place in oven until they start to brown
In a large stockpot add 1 tbs olive oil, shallots, and garlic over medium high heat, cook until the onions turn translucent.
Add yams, turnips, and chicken stock. Bring to a high simmer.
Add 1/4 cup of leeks, bay leaves, and 1 sprig of tarragon.
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until the middle of your largest root vegetable is tender.
Remove from heat and add the mixture to a Food Processor in increments. It will probably take 3 to 4 rounds to puree all the ingredients.
Add the puree back to the stockpot.
Add maple syrup and salt.
In a frypan, add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove from heat and place pancetta on a paper towel to dry.
Add the remaining leeks to the frypan, turn the heat to medium/low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until leeks are tender.
Crumble the pancetta.
Finely chop any remaining tarragon
Just prior to serving add the yogurt to the bisque and stir well.
To serve, add the bisque to your bowl, top with leek rings pancetta crumbles, and finely chopped tarragon.
Notes/Variations:
Any starchy vegetable will work well with this recipe, be it potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, beets, or parsnips. However, if you use parsnip, be sure to trim out the core of larger roots, as they tend to be overly bitter.
Nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon, in small quantities, can turn this particular dish into a pumpkin pie flavored soup.
In order to be a traditional bisque, it is ideal to use fish, lobster, or clam stock. However, it is not readily available in low sodium varieties. Feel free to substitute ocean based stock if desired.
Sour Creme Brulee
I've always had a love/hate relationship with Creme Brulee. Most restaurants make the same version with little or no creativity. It always ends up a rich vanilla custard covered in burned white sugar. In a nutshell, it's boring. However, by introducing a little sour cream to the custard, it adds an exciting flavor profile brought on by the fermentation of the sour cream.The trick to making a perfect dessert is using a water bath surrounding the custard and cooking at a lower heat. Experiments have shown that cooking custard at lower temperatures creates a margin of error of almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas custard heated quickly only has a 5 degree margin of error before curdling. Cooking it slow is like trying to stop a car on a dime while driving at 10 miles per hour instead of 60 MPH.
1 3/4 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
6 tsp Sugar
7 egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
6-8 tsp Turbinado/Raw sugar
1 - Preheat oven to 325 Degrees.
2 - Combine vanilla, orange zest and 1 cup cream in a saucepan over medium high heat.
3 - Combine sugar, egg yolks and remaining cream and whisk well. Bring vanilla/cream mixture to a boil.
4 - Slowly add hot cream mixture to cold egg mixture, starting with a small amount of hot mix whisking well and then gradually adding more hot cream, until the two are combined.
5- Add the sour cream to the custard mix and whisk well.
6 - Place 4 ramekins of at least 1 cup in volume each into a larger baking pan. Pour the custard through a sieve into ramekins, filling no more than 2/3rds of the way full.
7- Add water to the larger baking pan, filling until the water level is 1/2 of the way up the ramekins.
8- Bake for 25-40 minutes, until the middle of the custard reaches a temperature of 175 degrees. The edges will be set, but the center will be just slightly jiggly. There is a HUGE difference in time baking as the amount of water added to the pan, and the volume of each ramekin will cause cooking times to vary greatly. On this recipe, "doneness" is more important than the actual time in the oven.
9- Transfer ramekins to a cooling rack for 1 hour, then cover with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least 4 hours for custard to set. You can keep the custard in the fridge for up to 4 days.
10- Prior to serving, gently blot up any condensation from the surface of the custard with a paper towel, sprinkle 2 tsp of turbinado/raw sugar over each ramekin and then turn the ramekin, making sure the an even layer of sugar is distributed evenly across the top of each custard. Clean the edges of the ramekin of any excess sugar.
11- Using a either a butane "creme brulee" torch or a propane blowtorch (the kind you find at your local hardware store, and also my preferred method) apply heat to the sugar in a circular motion until the sugar is bubbly and brown. Once the sugar is browned, the custard can be stored in the fridge for up to 45 minutes, but best served immediately.
12 - Garnish with chocolate shavings and berry fruit.
Notes: Egg proteins have a very narrow window between setting and curdling, be very careful not to overcook the custard (you'll know it if you do it as the custard will be far from smooth.)
The 1/4 cup of sour cream lowers the pH of the custard, making the cream more likely to curdle, so it is extremely important that your whipping cream is extremely fresh. Fresh cream has a higher pH, and is not affected as much by the sour cream. However, if you have old cream the sour cream will cause your custard to curdle at a much lower temperature.
If you choose to make regular creme brulee, omit the sour cream and increase whipping cream to 2 cups.
Variations include:
Date Creme Brulee:
Use 5 Tbs of date sugar instead of white table sugar. Omit sour cream.
Agave Creme Brulee:
Use 5 Tbs of Agave Syrup instead of white table sugar, Reduce 1/2 cup of tequila by 3/4ths and add during step 5. Omit sour cream.
Almond Creme Brulee:
Reduce 1/2 cup Amaretto by 3/4ths add in step 5. Omit sour cream.
Orange Creme Brulee:
Increase orange zest to 3 Tbs, after bringing cream/vanilla/zest mixture to just boiling, remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes prior to adding to egg mixture. Garnish with orange segments with skin, pith, membranes, and seeds removed (Orange Supreme). Omit sour cream.
Lemon Creme Brulee:
Replace orange zest with 3 Tbs lemon zest, after bringing cream/vanilla/zest mixture to just boiling, remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes prior to adding to egg mixture. Omit sour cream. Garnish with twisted lemon peel and mint leaf.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee:
Add pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and pinch of ginger powder to cream/vanilla mixture After bringing mixture to a boil, let sit for 15 minutes and then strain into egg mixture. Whisk in 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin in step 5 and don't strain the custard mix into the ramekins. Omit sour cream.
Cherry Chocolate Creme Brulee:
Combine 1/4 cup Kirsch (or any cherry liqueur) and 1/4 cup Creme de Cocoa, reduce by 3/4ths. Add in step 5. Omit sour cream.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Pot Roast Nicoise
I LOVE the flavors of a good pot roast. The trick is to let the roast sit at roughly 210 for an hour or so. At this temperature the connective tissues (glycogen) transform into gelatin, coating the long protein strands of normally tough meat, and turning them into tender morsels of deliciousness.
This version calls on French methods to produce an outstanding overall meal.
3 lb pot roast, preferably "chuck" in nature, trimmed of outside fat, reserve the fat for popovers.
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 lb pearl onions
2 lbs peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 cup all purpose flour
8 oz crimini/baby bella mushrooms cut into 1/4ths
1 bottle dry red wine (Cabernet, Zin or Syrah) (use 3 extra cups chicken stock if you choose to omit wine)
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
Zest from 1/3 of an orange
3 Tbs anchovy paste
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup nicoise olives (kalamata will work too)
2 bay leaves
Preheat oven to 325. Add cooking oil to an enamel coated dutch oven and warm over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) add the roast and brown on all sides. Remove the meat. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook until onions turn transluscent.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions/carrots, and stir to combine, making sure that no flour chunks form. Add the mushrooms, red wine, chicken stock and water. Bring to a strong simmer. Add orange zest, anchovy paste, olives, thyme and bay leaves.
Cover the dutch oven with a sheet of aluminum foil, and then place lid on dutch oven. Place in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
Remove the dutch oven from the oven, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Carve the pot roast, and plate with carrots and onions, and cover with the remaining pan gravy.
This version calls on French methods to produce an outstanding overall meal.
3 lb pot roast, preferably "chuck" in nature, trimmed of outside fat, reserve the fat for popovers.
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 lb pearl onions
2 lbs peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 cup all purpose flour
8 oz crimini/baby bella mushrooms cut into 1/4ths
1 bottle dry red wine (Cabernet, Zin or Syrah) (use 3 extra cups chicken stock if you choose to omit wine)
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
Zest from 1/3 of an orange
3 Tbs anchovy paste
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup nicoise olives (kalamata will work too)
2 bay leaves
Preheat oven to 325. Add cooking oil to an enamel coated dutch oven and warm over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) add the roast and brown on all sides. Remove the meat. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook until onions turn transluscent.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions/carrots, and stir to combine, making sure that no flour chunks form. Add the mushrooms, red wine, chicken stock and water. Bring to a strong simmer. Add orange zest, anchovy paste, olives, thyme and bay leaves.
Cover the dutch oven with a sheet of aluminum foil, and then place lid on dutch oven. Place in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
Remove the dutch oven from the oven, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Carve the pot roast, and plate with carrots and onions, and cover with the remaining pan gravy.
Prosciutto and Sage Popover
This is one of those happy surprises I discovered while playing around in the kitchen. I've always been a big fan of popovers, but struggled to create the right flavor balance. When I add nothing, I get bored. But I didn't want a full meal either. I had some leftover prosciutto from another recipe, and I have a sage plant in the back yard. Voila!
Pop these in the oven about 45 minutes before your guests are set to arrive. They'll have a few minutes to cool, but still possess that fresh baked warmth.
1 1/2 cup flour
1/12 cup milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs rendered beef fat from pot roast (optional)
3 oz prosciutto, chopped into small chunks
10 sage leaves
Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, milk, salt, eggs and beef fat. Stir till just combined. Refrigerate batter.
Heat a shallow frypan over medium heat. Add sage leaves, and roast until nearly dehydrated, remove. Add prosciutto chunks and fry until meat starts to crisp, transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Mince sage.
Add a small pat of butter to each cup of a 12 cup popover pan (or cupcake pan) and place in oven for 1 minute, until butter just starts to sizzle. Divide the sage and prosciutto evenly in the 12 cups, and then pour batter 2/3 of the way up the pan.
Place in oven for 18-20 minutes. When popovers appear brown, turn off oven, and let popovers sit for 5-10 minutes in oven.
Enjoy!
Pop these in the oven about 45 minutes before your guests are set to arrive. They'll have a few minutes to cool, but still possess that fresh baked warmth.
1 1/2 cup flour
1/12 cup milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs rendered beef fat from pot roast (optional)
3 oz prosciutto, chopped into small chunks
10 sage leaves
Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, milk, salt, eggs and beef fat. Stir till just combined. Refrigerate batter.
Heat a shallow frypan over medium heat. Add sage leaves, and roast until nearly dehydrated, remove. Add prosciutto chunks and fry until meat starts to crisp, transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Mince sage.
Add a small pat of butter to each cup of a 12 cup popover pan (or cupcake pan) and place in oven for 1 minute, until butter just starts to sizzle. Divide the sage and prosciutto evenly in the 12 cups, and then pour batter 2/3 of the way up the pan.
Place in oven for 18-20 minutes. When popovers appear brown, turn off oven, and let popovers sit for 5-10 minutes in oven.
Enjoy!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Easy Peasy Caprese Salad
One of my favorite food experiences is picking and eating a ripe tomato right off the vine in the warmth of the afternoon. Tomatoes in the store are normally picked ahead of their peak, and then ripened with chemicals like ethylene. In addition, store bought tomatoes are usually refrigerated in transit, causing the tender flesh to develop a mealy consistency.
If 4 months ago you had enough foresight to plant tomatoes, this is a great way to use the multitudes of fruit hanging on the vines. For an absolutely delicious treat, pick, chop, and eat as quickly as possible.
Ingredients:
2 large fresh picked tomatoes.
1/4 lb fresh mozzarella (get Mozzarella di Bufala Campana if possible, but cow's milk mozzarella works well too)
1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar, reduced over low heat by three fourths and then chilled to room temperature
4 basil leaves, cut into long thin strips ( chiffonade)
1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Coarse Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
1 Wash and chop the tomatoes into bite size pieces.
2 Cut the mozzarella into small bite size chunks.
3 Combine the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, reserving a few basil strips for garnish
4 Coat with balsamic reduction
5 Drizzle olive oil over salad
6 Sprinkle salt and fresh cracked black pepper
7 Garnish with remaining basil strips
Notes:
-Although the traditional Caprese salad doesn't include Balsamic Vinegar, it really helps call out the sweetness in the fresh tomatoes.
-Local farmers markets are usually a good source of fresh tomatoes. I really like making this with Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Yellow Pear heirloom tomatoes.
-If you don't have fresh mozzarella, you can always use homemade ricotta (see recipe below). I like to create a bed of arugala lettuce, top with tomatoes, then the ricotta, balsamic, basil and olive oil.
-Tomatoes are FULL of lycopene, an oil soluble antioxidant. Studies have shown that a small amount of oil with tomatoes makes the lycopene much easier for your body to absorb.
Homemade Ricotta
Although traditional Ricotta is made from the whey leftover in the cheese making process, this cow's milk version creates a rich and sweet version guaranteed to please. -Makes about 1 cup.
Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp coarse salt (I prefer sea salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1 Combine the milk, salt, and cream in a saucepan and place bring to a simmer over medium/high heat, stirring to prevent scalding.
2 Cover a colander with cheesecloth, and place over a large bowl.
2 Add lemon juice and stir quickly (but gently) to blend.
3 Turn heat down to medium/low and watch until all the ricotta curds have separated from the whey (about 1 minute)
4 Pour the curd/whey mixture into the cheesecloth covered colander and let drain
5 If you won't be serving immediately, refrigerate in a covered container.
Notes:
The age of your milk will have a big impact on when the milk starts to curdle. Older milk that has started to sour will curdle without the use of lemon juice or vinegar. Not a problem, if that happens, just omit the lemon juice/vinegar.
Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp coarse salt (I prefer sea salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1 Combine the milk, salt, and cream in a saucepan and place bring to a simmer over medium/high heat, stirring to prevent scalding.
2 Cover a colander with cheesecloth, and place over a large bowl.
2 Add lemon juice and stir quickly (but gently) to blend.
3 Turn heat down to medium/low and watch until all the ricotta curds have separated from the whey (about 1 minute)
4 Pour the curd/whey mixture into the cheesecloth covered colander and let drain
5 If you won't be serving immediately, refrigerate in a covered container.
Notes:
The age of your milk will have a big impact on when the milk starts to curdle. Older milk that has started to sour will curdle without the use of lemon juice or vinegar. Not a problem, if that happens, just omit the lemon juice/vinegar.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Concord Grape Sorbet
With the grape harvest rapidly approaching, it makes sense to find a use for these delicious grapes, commonly referred as "Foxy", due to their musky flavor, particularly in fermented products. If you're planning on making grape preserves, it's best to start this recipe at the very beginning of the day, and update it as you go along. When all the mason jars have been pulled from their water bath, you'll have this delicious frozen treat waiting for you after a long day's work.
Ingredients:
2 quarts concord grapes, stemmed
1/2 cup sugar
Juice from one lemon
1 Tbs white rum (Optional)
After washing and de-stemming all the grapes, separate the grapes into 2 or 3 batches, and add each batch to blender. Blend each batch at high speed until broken down, pour the mixture through a strainer, removing all the grape solids. Repeat for all batches. You should have about 2 cups of raw grape juice.
Add sugar, lemon and rum (optional) to the grape juice, mixing well until the sugar is dissolved.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Add the grape mixture to a 2 quart ice cream maker, and mix according to the manufacturers instructions.
Once the sorbet has properly set, remove from the ice cream maker, and transfer to a freezer safe vessel. Cover, and let freeze for at least 2 more hours.
Notes:
Although this recipe is designed for a 2 Qt ice cream maker, it only makes about 3/4 of a quart of sorbet, -a larger cooling surface is required to quickly freeze the juice, and reduce the formation of ice crystals, resulting in a silky smooth mouth feel. If you have a larger ice cream maker, feel free to increase the recipe accordingly, remembering that your final product should be no more than 1/2 the capacity of the ice cream maker.
The rum's sole purpose is to lower the freezing point of the sorbet, thereby improving the texture.
To make Grape Lime Ricky Sorbet, eliminate lemon, but increase to juice from 3 limes.
Grapes are FULL of pectin, so the time in the fridge is absolutely necessary. The sugar will bind up some of the water, and allow the pectin to create a stiffer grape gel. This helps to create a smooth sorbet.
Chocolate Gelato
In late summer, nothing beats cooling off after a hard day's work with a thick chocolate gelato.
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Sugar
6 egg yolks
12 Oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Tsp Vanilla
Combine the Milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks in a small bowl, and place the place the chocolate chips in a large bowl (you'll be adding all the ingredients in this recipe to this bowl down the road).
Bring the milk just shy of boiling (scald), take 1/2 cup of the milk and add to the egg yolks. Add another 1/c cup of milk to the chocolate chips.
Whisk the eggs well. Once the milk is incorporated into the eggs, slowly drizzle the milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking the milk while drizzling. Don't allow the milk to boil, your goal is to keep the milk between 150 and 160 degrees F. A candy thermometer helps a LOT here. Once the eggs are completely incorporated, and the milk/egg has reached a temp higher than 150, but not higher than 160, add vanilla, and remove from heat.
Mix the chocolate chips and milk mixture well, all the chips should be melted.
While mixing the chocolate chips, slowly add the egg/milk mixture to the chips. Mix well.
Cover the gelato base, and put in the fridge until the base is cooled throughout.
Add to an ice cream maker, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Once the gelato starts to set up, place in freezer for two more hours to solidify.
Notes:
The egg/milk/custard mixture is commonly referred to as "Creme Anglais." It's a light pudding usually used as a sauce. The egg yolk proteins thicken the milk. In this recipe, the thickened milk makes for a decadent ice cream base. You could skip the chocolate, and go for strawberries, peaches, cherries, raspberries.... any fruit flavor you desire, just follow the preparation steps up to the point that you start adding the milk/egg mixture to the chocolate. Hold off on adding your fruit to the mix until after the custard has a chance to cool.
This will freeze up the best (and fastest) if you put it in a 4 qt ice cream mixer. A 2 qt mixer takes too long, and ends up creating ice crystals, so your gelato is less than smooth. If you have a 2 qt mixer, just cut the recipe in half and you'll be VERY pleased.
-For extra chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the milk/cream mixture prior to heating. Chocolate and coffee share a LOT of similar flavors, and a tiny bit of coffee tricks your mouth into thinking the chocolate is MUCH more prevalent.
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Sugar
6 egg yolks
12 Oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Tsp Vanilla
Combine the Milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks in a small bowl, and place the place the chocolate chips in a large bowl (you'll be adding all the ingredients in this recipe to this bowl down the road).
Bring the milk just shy of boiling (scald), take 1/2 cup of the milk and add to the egg yolks. Add another 1/c cup of milk to the chocolate chips.
Whisk the eggs well. Once the milk is incorporated into the eggs, slowly drizzle the milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking the milk while drizzling. Don't allow the milk to boil, your goal is to keep the milk between 150 and 160 degrees F. A candy thermometer helps a LOT here. Once the eggs are completely incorporated, and the milk/egg has reached a temp higher than 150, but not higher than 160, add vanilla, and remove from heat.
Mix the chocolate chips and milk mixture well, all the chips should be melted.
While mixing the chocolate chips, slowly add the egg/milk mixture to the chips. Mix well.
Cover the gelato base, and put in the fridge until the base is cooled throughout.
Add to an ice cream maker, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Once the gelato starts to set up, place in freezer for two more hours to solidify.
Notes:
The egg/milk/custard mixture is commonly referred to as "Creme Anglais." It's a light pudding usually used as a sauce. The egg yolk proteins thicken the milk. In this recipe, the thickened milk makes for a decadent ice cream base. You could skip the chocolate, and go for strawberries, peaches, cherries, raspberries.... any fruit flavor you desire, just follow the preparation steps up to the point that you start adding the milk/egg mixture to the chocolate. Hold off on adding your fruit to the mix until after the custard has a chance to cool.
This will freeze up the best (and fastest) if you put it in a 4 qt ice cream mixer. A 2 qt mixer takes too long, and ends up creating ice crystals, so your gelato is less than smooth. If you have a 2 qt mixer, just cut the recipe in half and you'll be VERY pleased.
-For extra chocolate flavor, add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the milk/cream mixture prior to heating. Chocolate and coffee share a LOT of similar flavors, and a tiny bit of coffee tricks your mouth into thinking the chocolate is MUCH more prevalent.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Peach and Apple Chocolate Tart
When tree fruit season hits, this little recipe makes an amazingly decadent dessert.
1 ½ cups of crushed Graham Crackers
6 Tbs melted butter
¼ cup of sugar
6 Tbs of Heavy Cream
1 Tbs of Butter
¾ cup of Semisweet chocolate chips
2 ripe apples, cored and sliced
2 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
¼ cup of orange juice concentrate
¾ cup water
4 Tbs of Cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Combine the graham crackers, butter and sugar and mix well. Press into a 9” spring form pan. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Put apples and peaches into orange juice/water mixture immediately after slicing and let sit.
Put chocolate chips in a stainless steel bowl. Add cream and butter to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour cream/butter over chocolate and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Whisk mixture until all chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate mixture over the top of the graham cracker crust and spread evenly.
Remove the apples/peaches, being careful to keep as much OJ as possible. Push the fruit with skin side up in the chocolate mixture. Mince any remaining apples/peaches, and add back to the OJ.
Add OJ and water mixture to a saucepan over high heat, reserving ¼ tsp of liquid. Add cornstarch and egg yolk to the reserved ¼ tsp of liquid. Once the OJ starts to boil, take a ladle of hot OJ and add to the cornstarch/egg/reserve mixture and mix well.
Slowly add the cornstarch/egg mixture to the boiling OJ, mixing well as you add. Bring to a boil one last time, remove from heat, and pour over the top of the chocolate/fruit/graham cracker.
Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to cool. When it’s time to serve, place the pan on a plate larger than the pan, remove the outer ring of the spring form pan, the OJ glaze should fall down around the tart. Cut into pieces, and top with whipped cream.
Quantity vs. Videos
You may have noticed I've been a little short on instructional videos lately. There is a project I've taken on that requires 30 original recipes by the middle of October. Unfortunately, I'm spending all my time developing recipes, with no time to shoot videos. The good news, is that you're getting the benefit of all the dishes. The bad news, you have to READ how to make them (Rough, I know).
Don't worry, once the project is over, I'll resume my regularly scheduled video tapings!
Don't worry, once the project is over, I'll resume my regularly scheduled video tapings!
Olive roasted Almonds
The initial roasting of the almonds in the pan does a great job browning the exterior. When followed up by the slow oven roast, it reduces the moisture content of the almonds to almost zero. When that is combined with the warm olives the fried rosemary, and the dried flavor from the juice the olives were stored in - WOW... It's like eating a grown up version of popcorn.
This makes for a great appetizer, as you can make it ahead, and then just pop it in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes prior to serving.
2 Tbs Olive Oil
3 inch sprig of Rosemary
8 Oz Raw Whole Almonds
1 Tbs Sea Salt
4 Oz of assorted Greek Olives in red wine vinegar
¼ cup of “olive juice” from the Greek olives
Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.
Preheat olive oil in an oven safe frying pan over medium/high heat until the oil starts to shimmer.
Remove leaves from rosemary, and place leaves in oil, tossing until all leaves are coated.
Reduce heat to medium
Add almonds and salt and toss in oil, let roast for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes (almonds will start to make a popping noise.
Add olives and olive juice to the almonds.
Transfer entire mix to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve while still warm.
The trick to this dish is getting the almonds nice and brown before putting them in the oven. The heat of the pan while on the stove causes all sorts of chemical reactions, creating some pretty great flavor compounds. However, if you were to keep the almonds on the stove, they would burn before the moisture in the middle was gone. By using a two step browning/roasting strategy, you get the intense flavor of the browning process, with the light texture that comes from evaporating off the moisture in the oven. This is a GREAT appetizer that will go fast. Make extra.
This makes for a great appetizer, as you can make it ahead, and then just pop it in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes prior to serving.
2 Tbs Olive Oil
3 inch sprig of Rosemary
8 Oz Raw Whole Almonds
1 Tbs Sea Salt
4 Oz of assorted Greek Olives in red wine vinegar
¼ cup of “olive juice” from the Greek olives
Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.
Preheat olive oil in an oven safe frying pan over medium/high heat until the oil starts to shimmer.
Remove leaves from rosemary, and place leaves in oil, tossing until all leaves are coated.
Reduce heat to medium
Add almonds and salt and toss in oil, let roast for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes (almonds will start to make a popping noise.
Add olives and olive juice to the almonds.
Transfer entire mix to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve while still warm.
The trick to this dish is getting the almonds nice and brown before putting them in the oven. The heat of the pan while on the stove causes all sorts of chemical reactions, creating some pretty great flavor compounds. However, if you were to keep the almonds on the stove, they would burn before the moisture in the middle was gone. By using a two step browning/roasting strategy, you get the intense flavor of the browning process, with the light texture that comes from evaporating off the moisture in the oven. This is a GREAT appetizer that will go fast. Make extra.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Orange Creme Eclairs with a Bittersweet Ganache
I have yet to shoot the video for this recipe, however the results are SOOOO excellent that I couldn't wait to post the recipe. The richness of the orange pastry creme, combined with the bitterness of the ganache make for a decadent treat that will leave your mouth watering for more!
Pate Choux/Eclair Dough
1 cup milk
14 TB unsalted butter
1 TB Sugar (for sweet éclairs)
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
5-8 large eggs
Preheat oven to 425 F
Combine milk butter in a saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Bring mixture to a full boil.
Keep milk and butter over heat and add sugar, salt, and flour, continuously mixing (a wooden spoon works best)
Continue stirring over heat until dough forms ball and sticks to the wooden spoon. At this point, if you sample the dough, there will be no flavor of starch. If there is still a starchy flavor to the dough, keep cooking.
Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let cool to below 120 F.
Combine eggs one at a time, incorporating each individual egg before adding the next egg using a paddle or wooden spoon (don’t use a whisk). Keep adding the eggs until the dough adheres to the beater, pulls away back into the bowl and forms a slouching peak. The amount of eggs that need to be added will depend on the size of the egg, and the relative humidity of the room.
Transfer the entire dough into a pastry bag equipped with a ½ inch nozzle.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pipe 2” long dough for cream puffs, or 5” long for éclairs onto parchment paper.
Place baking sheet into 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes Рuntil the puff/̩clair has risen and started to turn brown. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Pastry is done when it turns a light brown, and feels hollow.
Transfer parchment and pastry to a cooling rack and let cool before filling.
Orange Pastry Cream
3 cups milk
4 TB unsalted butter
8 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
½ cup corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp Orange Oil (If orange oil is not available use 4 tsp orange extract)
2 drops red food coloring
4 drops yellow food coloring
Add 3 cups milk to a saucepan and place over high heat. While this is heating, combine egg yolks, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, and ½ cup cornstarch and whisk well until completely combined/smooth.
Once the milk/butter mixture comes to a boil, temporarily pull the saucepan off the burner and slowly add ½ of the egg/milk mixture, mixing well while adding. Return the saucepan to the burner and slowly add the remaining egg/milk mixture, stirring the entire time. Cook the mixture, taking great care to stir throughout the cooking process. Be sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the saucepan to prevent scorching. Once bubbles start forming in the pastry cream, remove from the heat, add vanilla, orange oil, and food coloring. Mix WELL to combine.
Pastry cream should be cooled before piping into éclairs/puffs. To cool, transfer cream from saucepan into fridge worthy bowl and place piece of cling wrap directly on the surface of the cream.
Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
4 Oz Bittersweet Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) (or 3/4 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips)
1 TB Butter
1/4 cup plus 2 TB heavy cream
Chop the chocolate into ½ inch or smaller pieces and transfer to a stainless steel bowl.
Combine butter and cream in a saucepan and heat until butter is melted, and mixture comes to a boil.
Pour the butter/cream mixture over the chocolate pieces and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture well, making sure that all chocolate is melted, and no chunks remain.
If any chocolate remains unmelted, put 2” of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Rest stainless steel bowl over saucepan and stir the ganache until all chocolate chunks are melted.
Eclair Bread Pudding
Éclair Bread Pudding
It’s inevitable when making éclairs to have a few that don’t rise. This easy recipe is a great way to use up the rejects.
4 cups of reject éclairs, torn into ½ inch or smaller pieces
4 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 whole peaches chopped into bite size pieces
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine milk, eggs, cardamom, salt, sugar and vanilla and mix well – until the egg is well incorporated into the milk.
In another bowl, mix peaches and lemon juice.
Generously butter/grease an 8” X 12” baking pan
Layer ½ of the reject éclairs onto the bottom of the pan.
Add ½ of the milk and egg mixture, pressing down on the éclairs to make sure they are saturated with the liquid.
Layer the entire peach mixture over the top of the éclairs.
Add the remaining éclair rejects over the top of the peach mixture.
Add the remaining milk/egg mixture, and press down on the éclairs, making sure they are soaked.
Place the baking dish inside a jelly roll/cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Add hot water halfway up the side of the cookie sheet so that the bread pudding pan is resting in water. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding comes out clean.
Top with caramel ice cream topping.
A few notes on this recipe:
Egg custard is notoriously famous for overcooking, and the egg yolks turning into a rubber, curdled mess. Therefore, it's usually better to cook it low and slow, thus the need for the double boiler. The double boiler method doubles the temperature window before your bread pudding starts to curdle. -from a 5 degree window to a 10 degree window (seriously!) The pudding should thicken at 180 F. Whatever you do, don't let the bread pudding exceed 190 F, or you'll get curdled custard. You might lose some crunchiness on the surface of the bread pudding due to the lower heat and higher humidity, but it's a small sacrifice to pay for a rich, creamy custard!
Some great variations include:
-Substitute the peaches for 1 cup of dark chocolate chips.
-Use day old croissants, or crusty french bread instead of eclairs.
It’s inevitable when making éclairs to have a few that don’t rise. This easy recipe is a great way to use up the rejects.
4 cups of reject éclairs, torn into ½ inch or smaller pieces
4 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 whole peaches chopped into bite size pieces
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine milk, eggs, cardamom, salt, sugar and vanilla and mix well – until the egg is well incorporated into the milk.
In another bowl, mix peaches and lemon juice.
Generously butter/grease an 8” X 12” baking pan
Layer ½ of the reject éclairs onto the bottom of the pan.
Add ½ of the milk and egg mixture, pressing down on the éclairs to make sure they are saturated with the liquid.
Layer the entire peach mixture over the top of the éclairs.
Add the remaining éclair rejects over the top of the peach mixture.
Add the remaining milk/egg mixture, and press down on the éclairs, making sure they are soaked.
Place the baking dish inside a jelly roll/cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Add hot water halfway up the side of the cookie sheet so that the bread pudding pan is resting in water. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding comes out clean.
Top with caramel ice cream topping.
A few notes on this recipe:
Egg custard is notoriously famous for overcooking, and the egg yolks turning into a rubber, curdled mess. Therefore, it's usually better to cook it low and slow, thus the need for the double boiler. The double boiler method doubles the temperature window before your bread pudding starts to curdle. -from a 5 degree window to a 10 degree window (seriously!) The pudding should thicken at 180 F. Whatever you do, don't let the bread pudding exceed 190 F, or you'll get curdled custard. You might lose some crunchiness on the surface of the bread pudding due to the lower heat and higher humidity, but it's a small sacrifice to pay for a rich, creamy custard!
Some great variations include:
-Substitute the peaches for 1 cup of dark chocolate chips.
-Use day old croissants, or crusty french bread instead of eclairs.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Although "hate" is a strong word, I really hate most sandwich cookies. The filling is usually sweetened shortening and vanilla. This white chocolate filling really improves the overall flavor and makes for a much better dessert! The cookies in this recipe are delicately crunchy, and the whipped white chocolate is outstanding!
Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and cream together until light and fluffy, and the egg and mix until it is incorporated. Add the cocoa and mix until consistent.
Add the flour and mix in by hand. You want to mix the minimum amount and still get the flour incorporated.
Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and place in the fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
After removing the plastic wrap, sprinkle confectioners sugar on rolling surface. Turn the dough onto the sugar and then roll the dough into a consistent 1/4 thickness. Using a 2-3 inch wide circular cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Place the circles on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Take the unused dough, and reroll it to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut more circles, each time putting them on the parchment covered cookie sheet. Continue the process until all dough is used.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-12 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to a wire cooling rack.
Let cool completely before filling.
The Filling:
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS heavy cream
1/4 stick butter (2 Tbs)
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate chips
Place the chocolate chips in a stainless steel mixing bowl.
Combine the cream and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted.
Pour the cream/butter mixture over the white chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes.
Mix until all the white chocolate chips have completely melted, and then let it rest until room temperature.
Using a whipping attachment on your mixer, whip until medium peaks form.
Place a reasonable amount of filling between two cookies and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to give the white chocolate a chance to set.
Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and cream together until light and fluffy, and the egg and mix until it is incorporated. Add the cocoa and mix until consistent.
Add the flour and mix in by hand. You want to mix the minimum amount and still get the flour incorporated.
Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and place in the fridge for two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
After removing the plastic wrap, sprinkle confectioners sugar on rolling surface. Turn the dough onto the sugar and then roll the dough into a consistent 1/4 thickness. Using a 2-3 inch wide circular cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Place the circles on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Take the unused dough, and reroll it to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut more circles, each time putting them on the parchment covered cookie sheet. Continue the process until all dough is used.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-12 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to a wire cooling rack.
Let cool completely before filling.
The Filling:
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS heavy cream
1/4 stick butter (2 Tbs)
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate chips
Place the chocolate chips in a stainless steel mixing bowl.
Combine the cream and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted.
Pour the cream/butter mixture over the white chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes.
Mix until all the white chocolate chips have completely melted, and then let it rest until room temperature.
Using a whipping attachment on your mixer, whip until medium peaks form.
Place a reasonable amount of filling between two cookies and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to give the white chocolate a chance to set.
Orange Meringue Cookies
Delicious!!! This cookie is light and airy, with just a hint of orange.
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
2 drops of orange oil (or 1/4 tsp of orange extract)
Make sure your mixing bowl is absolutely clean.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Beat egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until mixture forms soft peaks.
Add the sugar in small batches, beating till stiff peaks form
Add orange oil (or extract) and mix using a rubber spatula
Place on a parchment covered baking sheet using a rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until firm, and the bottom is lightly browned.
Transfer parchment paper to a cookie rack and let cool.
Makes about 15 cookies.
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
2 drops of orange oil (or 1/4 tsp of orange extract)
Make sure your mixing bowl is absolutely clean.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Beat egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until mixture forms soft peaks.
Add the sugar in small batches, beating till stiff peaks form
Add orange oil (or extract) and mix using a rubber spatula
Place on a parchment covered baking sheet using a rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until firm, and the bottom is lightly browned.
Transfer parchment paper to a cookie rack and let cool.
Makes about 15 cookies.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Grilled Pork Tenderloin in a Cherry Chipotle Cabernet Reduction
This is by far my favorite way to eat pork. The cardamom and cocoa powder really accentuate the delicate flavor of the tenderloin, when it's combined with the bold flavors in the Cabernet reduction, it completely knocks your socks off.
Ingredients:
The meat:
1 Pork Tenderloin
1 TB Kosher salt (Sea salt works too)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cocoa
The sauce:
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon - unsweetened grape juice, or "Fre - Premium Red" will work if you would like an alcohol free version. If you do go the alcohol free route, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to lower the PH of the sauce.
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup diced cherries - you can use any dark colored fruit such as boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries (my personal favorite) or cranberries. Frozen works too.
1/4 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce (if this isn't available add 1/8 teaspoon dry chipotle powder
1 Tablespoon of butter
Ground Peppercorn to taste
The steps:
1 - Trim all the silver skin off the pork tenderloin, and pat it dry using a paper towel.
2 - Sprinkle the salt, cardamom and cocoa liberally on all sides of the whole tenderloin and let sit for 30-60 minutes.
3 - Grill over medium flame until internal temperature of the meat reads 145 Degrees F when measured at the thickest part of the meat.
4 - While the meat is grilling, preheat pan and add enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan. Add shallots and fry until tender.
5- Add the Cabernet, cherries, and chipotle to the pan and cook until the sauce has reduced to approximately 1/4th of its original volume.
6 - Add the butter to the sauce and whisk briskly until the butter is incorporated into the sauce. Then whisk some more!
7 - Grind peppercorns to taste.
8 - Once the meat reaches 145 degrees, pull it off the grill, and cover with one piece of a tin foil "tent" over the top (don't wrap it, just slightly fold the foil so that it looks like a pup tent over the top of the tenderloin.)
9 - Let the meat rest for 10 minutes under the tin foil tent, and then cut into 3/4" pieces.
10 - Top with the Cabernet Reduction, and enjoy the boldest flavors you'll ever experience!
Notes:
I can't express enough how important it is to really whisk the butter when it goes in. The acids in the sauce cause the proteins in the butter to tighten and contract. If you whisk the butter through this process, the proteins in the butter will capture little air pockets and help thicken the sauce.
In the video I mentioned that I put in whole peppercorns. I REALLY like pepper. However, after others have tried the recipe, (People that don't like pepper as much as I do) they indicated they preferred freshly ground pepper to taste.
I'm currently trying to tackle my nemesis - Pate Choux (AKA: Cream Puff/Eclair dough). Ever since I was 12 and tried to make the Better Homes and Gardens recipe for Eclairs, Pate Choux has been my enemy. I have yet been unable to create a consistent recipe. Sometimes they fall flat, sometimes they're perfect. Be patient as I work to correct this challenging pastry, it may take a while! I've already figured out the recipe for a sweet citrus filling (it tastes like a dreamsicle), with a bittersweet ganache topping. If I could only get the pastry dough to cooperate!
Ingredients:
The meat:
1 Pork Tenderloin
1 TB Kosher salt (Sea salt works too)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cocoa
The sauce:
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon - unsweetened grape juice, or "Fre - Premium Red" will work if you would like an alcohol free version. If you do go the alcohol free route, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to lower the PH of the sauce.
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup diced cherries - you can use any dark colored fruit such as boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries (my personal favorite) or cranberries. Frozen works too.
1/4 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce (if this isn't available add 1/8 teaspoon dry chipotle powder
1 Tablespoon of butter
Ground Peppercorn to taste
The steps:
1 - Trim all the silver skin off the pork tenderloin, and pat it dry using a paper towel.
2 - Sprinkle the salt, cardamom and cocoa liberally on all sides of the whole tenderloin and let sit for 30-60 minutes.
3 - Grill over medium flame until internal temperature of the meat reads 145 Degrees F when measured at the thickest part of the meat.
4 - While the meat is grilling, preheat pan and add enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan. Add shallots and fry until tender.
5- Add the Cabernet, cherries, and chipotle to the pan and cook until the sauce has reduced to approximately 1/4th of its original volume.
6 - Add the butter to the sauce and whisk briskly until the butter is incorporated into the sauce. Then whisk some more!
7 - Grind peppercorns to taste.
8 - Once the meat reaches 145 degrees, pull it off the grill, and cover with one piece of a tin foil "tent" over the top (don't wrap it, just slightly fold the foil so that it looks like a pup tent over the top of the tenderloin.)
9 - Let the meat rest for 10 minutes under the tin foil tent, and then cut into 3/4" pieces.
10 - Top with the Cabernet Reduction, and enjoy the boldest flavors you'll ever experience!
Notes:
I can't express enough how important it is to really whisk the butter when it goes in. The acids in the sauce cause the proteins in the butter to tighten and contract. If you whisk the butter through this process, the proteins in the butter will capture little air pockets and help thicken the sauce.
In the video I mentioned that I put in whole peppercorns. I REALLY like pepper. However, after others have tried the recipe, (People that don't like pepper as much as I do) they indicated they preferred freshly ground pepper to taste.
I'm currently trying to tackle my nemesis - Pate Choux (AKA: Cream Puff/Eclair dough). Ever since I was 12 and tried to make the Better Homes and Gardens recipe for Eclairs, Pate Choux has been my enemy. I have yet been unable to create a consistent recipe. Sometimes they fall flat, sometimes they're perfect. Be patient as I work to correct this challenging pastry, it may take a while! I've already figured out the recipe for a sweet citrus filling (it tastes like a dreamsicle), with a bittersweet ganache topping. If I could only get the pastry dough to cooperate!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Seared Scallops in a Basil and Citrus Beurre Blanc
This super easy recipe creates an outstanding meal. The total cooking time is less than 15 minutes, and is guaranteed to knock your socks off!!!
Ingredients:
8 oz Sea Scallops
Light flour for dusting
Salt
Cracked black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons of chopped basil
1. Rinse the scallops in cold water, and then pat dry, getting as much moisture off the top of the scallops as possible.
2.Preheat pan over medium-high heat
3.Add roughly 3 tablespoons of oil to pan
4.Lightly dredge the scallops in all purpose flour
5.Season with salt and black pepper
6.Immediately place the scallops in the pan, spacing 1-1 1/2 inches apart.
7.Cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip, cooking for 2-3 minutes more.
8.Remove the scallops and place on serving plate
9.Add Orange Juice and water to the pan, turn the heat to high.
10.Whisk the OJ until all the brown bits left on the pan are incorporated into the sauce.
11.Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until incorporated.
12. Add the fresh basil and cook for 10-15 seconds.
13. Pour the basil and citrus beurre blanc over your scallops and you're ready to eat!
Notes:
Be careful to thoroughly dry the meat. Any excess water will cause extra flour to stick to the meat.
This dish can also be made with chicken, pork or white fleshed fish (like halibut or tilapia). In the case of the chicken or pork, 1/2" thick cuts or less work best.
For some extra kick, add 1/2 teaspoon of minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (The whole pepper can be found in the mexican food aisle of your local supermarket)
Join me soon as I create another signature dish - Cardamom Pork Tenderloin.
Ingredients:
8 oz Sea Scallops
Light flour for dusting
Salt
Cracked black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons of chopped basil
1. Rinse the scallops in cold water, and then pat dry, getting as much moisture off the top of the scallops as possible.
2.Preheat pan over medium-high heat
3.Add roughly 3 tablespoons of oil to pan
4.Lightly dredge the scallops in all purpose flour
5.Season with salt and black pepper
6.Immediately place the scallops in the pan, spacing 1-1 1/2 inches apart.
7.Cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip, cooking for 2-3 minutes more.
8.Remove the scallops and place on serving plate
9.Add Orange Juice and water to the pan, turn the heat to high.
10.Whisk the OJ until all the brown bits left on the pan are incorporated into the sauce.
11.Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until incorporated.
12. Add the fresh basil and cook for 10-15 seconds.
13. Pour the basil and citrus beurre blanc over your scallops and you're ready to eat!
Notes:
Be careful to thoroughly dry the meat. Any excess water will cause extra flour to stick to the meat.
This dish can also be made with chicken, pork or white fleshed fish (like halibut or tilapia). In the case of the chicken or pork, 1/2" thick cuts or less work best.
For some extra kick, add 1/2 teaspoon of minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (The whole pepper can be found in the mexican food aisle of your local supermarket)
Join me soon as I create another signature dish - Cardamom Pork Tenderloin.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Quick Coq au Vin
Although traditional Coq au Vin uses a chicken that lived well beyond the age of tender meat, and therefore requires hours of slow cooking to break the connective tissue down (gourmands will claim the rooster will have better flavor), this recipe is more about ease of preparation. using a broiler or fryer chicken will eliminate the need for a long cooking process.
2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts, split with the middle cartilage removed.
1/4 cup of flour for dusting the chicken
6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch wide pieces
Olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan
1 crushed clove of garlic
8 oz mushrooms
1 medium white onion, cut into long strips
1 peeled carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cups of red wine (pinot noir works well with this chicken).
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs of butter
Salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the pan, and add the bacon. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Add the chicken to the pan, being careful not to cover the bacon with the chicken. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, turning only once during the process. Watch the bacon carefully and remove if it appears it is starting to burn.
Remove the chicken and bacon. Place the chicken inside an aluminum foil tent and set the bacon aside.
Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan, once the mushrooms start to shrink in size, add the onion and carrots, cooking until the onion turns translucent. Add the wine and thyme and simmer until the wine is reduced by 1/2 of its original volume.
Add the butter in 4 chunks, whisking vigorously with each addition. Don't add another butter chunk until the previous chunk is completely incorporated.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
At this point, the sauce should be relatively thick, due to the flour left in the pan from the chicken. If, however, it remains thin, combine 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 tablespoon butter and knead together (chefs call this beurre manie). Break the dough up and whisk it into the wine reduction to thicken. Continue making and adding more beurre manie as necessary until desired thickness is achieved.
Pour the reduction over the top of the chicken, garnish with the bacon and serve.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Cilantro Watermelon Salad
This is by far the most refreshing mix of summer flavors you'll ever experience. The crispness of the watermelon, combined with the richness of the fig vinegar, balanced with the sharpness of the cilantro make for one amazing culinary treat!
If you need to make this in advance, prepare all your ingredients, but don't combine until just before serving. Once the vinegar hits the watermelon, it starts a pickling process.
1/2 of a watermelon, cut into 1" or smaller pieces and seeds removed (seedless watermelons are easiest)
1 cup of Fig Infused White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 bunch of minced cilantro leaves with stems removed.
Put the chopped watermelon in a bowl.
Combine the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt and mix well.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the watermelon.
Sprinkle the cilantro over the watermelon, and then mix well.
If you need to make this in advance, prepare all your ingredients, but don't combine until just before serving. Once the vinegar hits the watermelon, it starts a pickling process.
1/2 of a watermelon, cut into 1" or smaller pieces and seeds removed (seedless watermelons are easiest)
1 cup of Fig Infused White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 bunch of minced cilantro leaves with stems removed.
Put the chopped watermelon in a bowl.
Combine the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt and mix well.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the watermelon.
Sprinkle the cilantro over the watermelon, and then mix well.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tom's Chicken Noodle Soup
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken cut into 3/4 or smaller cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced into small chunks
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup diced shitake mushrooms
3 peeled whole carrots, chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 leek, sliced into circles, and then rinsed after chopping (leeks tend to carry a LOT of dirt, so rinsing after chopping is crucial.
2 qts chicken stock (or use water and chicken meat base)
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 bunch of cilantro, minced
1 tsp freshly ground coarse black pepper
Homemade noodles (see below)
Salt to taste
Place a 6 qt stockpot over high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the unflavored gelatin to 1/2 cup cold water in a separate dish and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and fry until the exterior of the chicken starts to brown. Add onions, ginger garlic, and mushrooms and continue to fry until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrots, and leeks and cook until veggies start to sweat. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the unflavored gelatin.
Add the noodles, black pepper and salt to taste. Cook until noodles are tender.
1-2 minutes prior to serving, add the cilantro and stir well.
Homemade Whole Wheat Noodles
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 Tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Combine the salt, flour and eggs in a mixer. Mix well. Once all ingredients except water are incorporated, add water a little bit at a time until the dough ball is slightly tacky. You may end up using less water than the recipe calls for. If you add too much water, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels just tacky.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then dump onto a floured surface, roll out into a long piece, about 1/8 inch thick.
If you have a pasta roller, make the dough into 1/4 inch wide noodles, then cut into 2" lengths before adding to the soup.
If you don't have a pasta roller, slice the noodles by hand, taking care to maintain an even width.
1 medium yellow onion, diced into small chunks
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup diced shitake mushrooms
3 peeled whole carrots, chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 leek, sliced into circles, and then rinsed after chopping (leeks tend to carry a LOT of dirt, so rinsing after chopping is crucial.
2 qts chicken stock (or use water and chicken meat base)
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 bunch of cilantro, minced
1 tsp freshly ground coarse black pepper
Homemade noodles (see below)
Salt to taste
Place a 6 qt stockpot over high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the unflavored gelatin to 1/2 cup cold water in a separate dish and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and fry until the exterior of the chicken starts to brown. Add onions, ginger garlic, and mushrooms and continue to fry until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrots, and leeks and cook until veggies start to sweat. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the unflavored gelatin.
Add the noodles, black pepper and salt to taste. Cook until noodles are tender.
1-2 minutes prior to serving, add the cilantro and stir well.
Homemade Whole Wheat Noodles
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 Tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Combine the salt, flour and eggs in a mixer. Mix well. Once all ingredients except water are incorporated, add water a little bit at a time until the dough ball is slightly tacky. You may end up using less water than the recipe calls for. If you add too much water, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels just tacky.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then dump onto a floured surface, roll out into a long piece, about 1/8 inch thick.
If you have a pasta roller, make the dough into 1/4 inch wide noodles, then cut into 2" lengths before adding to the soup.
If you don't have a pasta roller, slice the noodles by hand, taking care to maintain an even width.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
This dough is one of the most difficult to work with, with a 90% saturation rate, you end up with a very sticky dough that bakes into a deliciously crusty bottomed focaccia. I like to top it with rosemary and sea salt. For a fun variation, try topping it with tomato sauce and pizza toppings.
Video One:
Video Two:
The recipe:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups flour - bread flour is preferred, but if using all purpose flour, make sure it has at least 4 grams of protein for every 30 grams of flour
1 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cups American style lager
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Kosher or Sea Salt
6" long fresh rosemary sprig, washed and diced
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar, and yeast, in water.
2. Wait 10 minutes until all yeast is dissolved/proofed
3. Add flour, lager and salt
4. Mix on low speed, stopping as necessary to scrape the sides of the bowl until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Mix on high for 6 - 10 minutes, until gloss forms on dough, and dough starts "grabbing" the dough hook.
6. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into a separate bowl, spread around with a rubber spatula, coating both the bowl and the spatula.
7. Move dough from mixing bowl to oiled bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of dough.
8. After oiling your hands, gently turn the dough ball over in the oil, making sure all sides of the dough are coated.
9. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft free location for 2-3 hours. (until has grown 2 1/2 times it's original size).
10. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
11. Cover baking stone with parchment paper
12. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil over parchment paper and spread until paper is covered.
13. Dump dough on to parchment paper, carefully forming the dough into a circle.
14. Let rise for 15-30 minutes
15. Using a fork, poke 30-40 holes in the dough to relieve surface bubbles
16. Sprinkle sea salt over the top of the dough
17. Place in 450 degree oven and set timer for 20 minutes.
18. With 5 minutes left on the timer, sprinkle diced rosemary liberally over the top of the bread.
19. If you're feeling brave, remove the parchment paper from underneath the bottom of the dough.
20. Bake for at least 5 more minutes, or until top of the dough is golden brown.
Notes:
This dough can also be used as a base for a pizza. Instead of placing on a stone, bake on a greased 10" X 15" cookie sheet. After the dough has risen, dump it onto the cookie sheet, and spread the dough with your hands. Add pizza toppings of your choice. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough is dark brown.
If you choose to omit the lager, increase water by 2/3 cups.
Video One:
Video Two:
The recipe:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups flour - bread flour is preferred, but if using all purpose flour, make sure it has at least 4 grams of protein for every 30 grams of flour
1 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cups American style lager
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Kosher or Sea Salt
6" long fresh rosemary sprig, washed and diced
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar, and yeast, in water.
2. Wait 10 minutes until all yeast is dissolved/proofed
3. Add flour, lager and salt
4. Mix on low speed, stopping as necessary to scrape the sides of the bowl until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Mix on high for 6 - 10 minutes, until gloss forms on dough, and dough starts "grabbing" the dough hook.
6. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into a separate bowl, spread around with a rubber spatula, coating both the bowl and the spatula.
7. Move dough from mixing bowl to oiled bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of dough.
8. After oiling your hands, gently turn the dough ball over in the oil, making sure all sides of the dough are coated.
9. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft free location for 2-3 hours. (until has grown 2 1/2 times it's original size).
10. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
11. Cover baking stone with parchment paper
12. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil over parchment paper and spread until paper is covered.
13. Dump dough on to parchment paper, carefully forming the dough into a circle.
14. Let rise for 15-30 minutes
15. Using a fork, poke 30-40 holes in the dough to relieve surface bubbles
16. Sprinkle sea salt over the top of the dough
17. Place in 450 degree oven and set timer for 20 minutes.
18. With 5 minutes left on the timer, sprinkle diced rosemary liberally over the top of the bread.
19. If you're feeling brave, remove the parchment paper from underneath the bottom of the dough.
20. Bake for at least 5 more minutes, or until top of the dough is golden brown.
Notes:
This dough can also be used as a base for a pizza. Instead of placing on a stone, bake on a greased 10" X 15" cookie sheet. After the dough has risen, dump it onto the cookie sheet, and spread the dough with your hands. Add pizza toppings of your choice. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough is dark brown.
If you choose to omit the lager, increase water by 2/3 cups.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Margherita Pizza
New York style pizza can be a real challenge for a home cook - the biggest challenge being the crust. Most traditional ovens lack the horsepower to properly develop the crust. On this episode, you'll learn tricks to a crunchy crust that doesn't sacrifice the ooey gooey topping.
Video Part one:
Video Part two:
The recipe:
* 1 cup warm water (8 oz) (100 - 110F)
* 1/2 cup American lager (4 oz)
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (19.75 oz)
* 1 tablespoons of olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
* 2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of yeast
* Extra flour for rolling out the crust
Toppings
*28 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil added (San Marzano DOP preferred).
*5 sprigs of fresh basil - sliced into shreds
*1 lb of fresh mozzarella, preferably from buffalo's milk.
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar, and yeast, in water.
2. Wait 10 minutes until all yeast is dissolved/proofed
3. Add oil, vinegar, lager, salt and flour and stir in a mixer until incorporated. Mix on a medium speed for approximately 5 minutes until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
4. Cover with a damp cloth and store in a warm humid place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Divide dough into 4 equal portions.
6. Roll each portion into a ball. You want a dough ball without visible seams on top.
7. Put pizza stone on middle rack in 500+ degree oven to "preheat." The hotter your oven can get, the better.
8. Place dough ball on lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top. Using rolling pin, roll out a thin circle, using lots of flour on both sides to prevent sticking.
9. Top with tomato sauce and thinly sliced mozzarella.
10. After topping the pizza, carefully slide the pizza into the oven.
11. Bake in a 500+ degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until bottom of crust is golden. To check doneness, gently lift the the pizza using either a fork or a spatula/pancake flipper to reveal the underside of the crust. The pizza is done when the underside has considerable browning.
12. Top with a generous amount of sliced fresh basil.
Notes:
Simmer tomatoes for over low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour to remove as much liquid as possible
A word of caution on working with the pizza stone. It should be HOT in order to appropriately sear the bottom of the pizza. When you're done working with the stone, let it cool to the touch before attempting to wash. If you try to wash it too soon the cold water will shock the stone, causing it to crack. Further, don't use anything other than water to clean the stone. Soap will work its way into the stone, and make future pizzas taste like Palmolive.
"Baker Percentage:" traditionally, bread is rated by it's rate of water saturation, based on weight. 1 lb of flour is approximately 3 3/4ths cups, and 1 lb of water is 2 cups. At this ratio, bread dough is considered 100% saturated. Good pizza dough typically sits around 60% saturation.
If you choose to omit the beer, increase water to 1 1/2 cups.
Video Part one:
Video Part two:
The recipe:
* 1 cup warm water (8 oz) (100 - 110F)
* 1/2 cup American lager (4 oz)
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (19.75 oz)
* 1 tablespoons of olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
* 2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of yeast
* Extra flour for rolling out the crust
Toppings
*28 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil added (San Marzano DOP preferred).
*5 sprigs of fresh basil - sliced into shreds
*1 lb of fresh mozzarella, preferably from buffalo's milk.
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar, and yeast, in water.
2. Wait 10 minutes until all yeast is dissolved/proofed
3. Add oil, vinegar, lager, salt and flour and stir in a mixer until incorporated. Mix on a medium speed for approximately 5 minutes until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
4. Cover with a damp cloth and store in a warm humid place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Divide dough into 4 equal portions.
6. Roll each portion into a ball. You want a dough ball without visible seams on top.
7. Put pizza stone on middle rack in 500+ degree oven to "preheat." The hotter your oven can get, the better.
8. Place dough ball on lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top. Using rolling pin, roll out a thin circle, using lots of flour on both sides to prevent sticking.
9. Top with tomato sauce and thinly sliced mozzarella.
10. After topping the pizza, carefully slide the pizza into the oven.
11. Bake in a 500+ degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until bottom of crust is golden. To check doneness, gently lift the the pizza using either a fork or a spatula/pancake flipper to reveal the underside of the crust. The pizza is done when the underside has considerable browning.
12. Top with a generous amount of sliced fresh basil.
Notes:
Simmer tomatoes for over low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour to remove as much liquid as possible
A word of caution on working with the pizza stone. It should be HOT in order to appropriately sear the bottom of the pizza. When you're done working with the stone, let it cool to the touch before attempting to wash. If you try to wash it too soon the cold water will shock the stone, causing it to crack. Further, don't use anything other than water to clean the stone. Soap will work its way into the stone, and make future pizzas taste like Palmolive.
"Baker Percentage:" traditionally, bread is rated by it's rate of water saturation, based on weight. 1 lb of flour is approximately 3 3/4ths cups, and 1 lb of water is 2 cups. At this ratio, bread dough is considered 100% saturated. Good pizza dough typically sits around 60% saturation.
If you choose to omit the beer, increase water to 1 1/2 cups.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Basic Artisan Bread
It's important to start with the basics. And since bread is foundation of life, it's important to understand how flour, water, sugar, salt, and yeast work together to create a sustaining, not to mention DELICIOUS food. This recipe stays true to pure leavened bread, but adds a few tweaks to create a more flavorful final product.
Video Part One:
Video Part Two:
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (between 100 - 110 Fahrenheit)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons American lager (think Budweiser, or Miller)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Notes:
If you want to add "inclusions" (nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, olives, cheese...) add them between steps 5 and 6.
Video Part One:
Video Part Two:
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (between 100 - 110 Fahrenheit)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons American lager (think Budweiser, or Miller)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Mix sugar, water and yeast together, let rest for 10 minutes
- Add salt, flour, lager and vinegar
- Mix on low speed until all ingredients are incorporated
- Mix on high for 5 - 10 minutes, until dough forms a wet ball
- Cover with damp cloth, and set in a warm and humid location for 1 1-2 to 2 hours. (Yeast LOVES a temperature between 85 - 110 degrees)
- Remove from oven and knead for 5- 10 minutes more
- While the bread is kneading, place baking stone in oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Form dough into a ball with no visible seams. Let rise for 30 minutes.
- Remove baking stone, and cover with a circle of parchment (not wax) paper.
- Place dough ball on top of stone, and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 425 degrees
- Spray dough with a good blast of water from a squirt bottle.
- Put dough in oven, and bake for 15 minutes, and then reduce oven temp to 350.
- Bake for another 15-30minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads 210 degrees
- Remove from oven, remove the bread from the stone, and let cool to room temperature.
- This bread is best if served the same day.
Notes:
If you want to add "inclusions" (nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, olives, cheese...) add them between steps 5 and 6.
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