IDEAS IN FOOD

Happy Halloween

We celebrated the holiday and a very belated birthday by going to see the matinee performance of Young Frankenstein on Broadway. It was simply delightful. The cast was amazing, the writing was laugh out loud funny, the music was absolutely spot on, and the sets and special effects were fantastic. Roger Bart was Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, although Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor almost stole the show. Rounding out the leads were Sutton Foster as Inga, Andrea Martin as Frau Blucher, Megan Mullally as Elizabeth, Shuler Hensley as the Monster, and Fred Applegate as Inspector Kemp. It's rare to see an ensemble that works so well together. The casting was first rate. It was an inspired afternoon. Alex loved it, and if you know Alex, you know that he doesn't love many musicals at all. All I can say is if you can get your hands on some tickets that you should definitely go. Young Frankenstein is everything that a Broadway show should be, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

The Experience?

For those who are wondering how the food actually tastes, John wrote up last weekend's experience from a diner's perspective over on eGullet. He's a very honest and engaging writer and we appreciate both the feedback and the perspective. Now that we are better acquainted with his palate, the next dinner, whenever it may be, will be even better. Part of the fun is building relationships with your diners. Knowing who you're cooking for makes everything that much better.

Adding Seasoning

We have been making crisps, tuiles, crackers, ribbons and crunchy toppings for some time.  And today was the first time that we added additional seasoning to the base as a sprinkling on top before the to be crunchy item went in the dehydrator.  Why have we not added such sprinkles of flavor until today?  I am not sure, though I am quite pleased at the possibilities.  Today we took our dried apricot puree and dusted it with a finely sieved version of our grains of paradise and bee pollen spice blend.  The marriage of the spice blend and the crisp base is really quite special.  And I believe the textural element of the spice on top of the crisp adds another depth of textured flavor to the overall crisp.  Similarly, the topping of the crisp with a spice blend keeps flavors both separate and united.  This is enforced by the fact that the spices are on only one side of the crisp.

The addition of sprinkled spice blends and flavors opens up a damn of ideas and pairings where unity and opposition can be seamlessly combined.

Milk

I really enjoy milk.  While shopping today at the store I began to consider the flavors of milk, the varieties and derivatives and what we could do with them.  I started adding ingredients to our cart and was finally stopped by Aki, who asked "What the heck are you doing?"  I responded as though we had had several conversations on the subject, although we had not, "I am working on a milk dessert."

What was even more bewildering and thrilling was that she did not skip a beat as she immediately started gathering more milk ingredients and adding them to my growing pile.  When you start down the path of being inspired by milk a thousand doors begin to open.  We now have a good, though not extensive, milk stockpile with which I will begin culling through ideas and approaches.

My list:

Clear Jelly
Caramel/caramelized
Terrine
Pudding
Crispy
Creamy
Chewy
Tangy
Spicy
Crunchy
Cake
Streusel
Melting
Encapsulated
Crumbs
Smoked
Infused
Bendable and brittle
Skin
Filaments
Whipped
Powdered
Puree

I have to say that I was immediately intrigued by Alex's inspiration. One of my favorite pies was a milk pie, set with gelatin in a flaky crust. It was sweet and clean tasting with that indefinable "milk" flavor. I only made it once but I always think of it when I think of great desserts. As a child I never liked drinking milk, unless it was chocolate skim, although Fujiya Milky candy was one of my all time favorites. It was a white chewy candy that acted like a caramel and tasted like sweet milk. One of the first desserts I taught myself to make at home was a Southern cornstarch pudding. I never used vanilla and so the flavor profile there was also primarily of milk and sugar. With these taste memories it was easy to imagine an entire dessert based on that memorable flavor and a variety of temperatures and textures. To Alex's list of elements to consider I would add:

Warm
Cool
Icy
Soft
Firm
Liquid

Let's Talk Turkey

Whenever we roast chickens I reach for the wings first.  I am a wing man.  Hence it was with great pleasure that we found some beautiful turkey wings at the store last week, which we then developed into a course for the dinner we cooked this past Friday evening.  We cooked the wings sous vide for in butter after seasoning them with hot sauce and salt.  When the wings were cooked we removed the bones and rolled the meat into a tight parcel.  After the wings were wrapped we compressed them underneath a weighted sheet pan to emulate the original shape of the wings.  Once the wings were re-shaped we pan roasted them in butter to crisp the skin and warm them through.  We then glazed the wings in a sauce made with beach plum jelly, soy sauce and lime juice.  We served the wings on the bones with carrot-ketchup and compressed cilantro stems.  Compressed cilantro stems are literally just that.  We season the stems with a bit of salt and then vacuum seal them to break down the cell walls.  The stems look cooked though they are raw, seasoned, juicy and crisp.  In fact, we applied this same technique to parsley stems which we sliced into perfect little wheels and served with the pumpkin pumpkin dish.

I am actually looking forward to working with other herb stems in the future, from basil to lovage.  I believe this use of the stems captures flavor and allows a sturdy and dynamic means to utilize bright flavors via an oft discarded medium.

An Oyster

Last evening's dinner was truly remarkable.  From the hospitality of the guests enjoying the dinner to the vast array of exciting wines poured, this dinner epitomized the reasons why we love to cook.  Our role was the creation of the food.  What I found most satisfying was that at the meal's end I could easily relax and smile. We were very pleased with the results of our meal.

As I continue to reiterate, we have slowed down our creative process.  In doing so we are utilizing our notebooks as evolutionary and inspirational tools, which we can use to support our continued culinary growth.  While I state the fact that we have slowed down our creative process, I do not believe that is the most accurate description of what is happening. We are becoming more thoughtful in our choices and we are editing more easily as time goes by. We are learning to be more flexible with our building blocks and to listen more openly to each other's reasons to change and rearrange elements with less ego throughout the process.

I want to comment on the results.  We are achieving a greater clarity in the flavors, the dishes, the progression of food, and the process of development and refinement.  This meal started with an oyster.  We served it with brown bread, cauliflower and mustard. 

The dish's ultimate simplicity speaks of the process.  The oysters were shucked and poached in their own juices at 48 degrees Celsius for twenty minutes and chilled.  This firms the flesh of the oyster while reinforcing the briny taste of the liquor.  The crunchy brown bread is a pumpernickel, raisin and eggplant puree which is then dried in a low oven to yield a wafer thin crisp.  The cauliflower is made into a puree with hard cider and enriched with yogurt and whole grain mustard.  We then set the puree with carrageenan to form small custard rectangles.

To serve the dish we add the oyster back to its shell and top it with a spoonful of the poaching liquor, a concentration of the oysters essence.  We add the cauliflower to the lip of the shell and topped it with the brown bread.  The diner is encouraged by the presentation to explore the contrasting textures and flavors, both singly and as a group. The different notes harmonize together beautifully.  The high note though is simply the oyster.

October 26, 2007

Dinner by the Lake

Island Creek Oyster
cauliflower, mustard, brown bread

Wild Brook Trout Roe
smoked maple and cayenne-cashew ice cream, cranberry brioche

Zucchini-Cheddar Soup
black squid

Hot Chestnut-Ginger Knot
parsley, apple-jalapeno

Turkey Wing
carrot-ketchup, cilantro, soy-lime

Pumpkin Pumpkin
Benton’s smoked bacon

Turbot
golden beet, passionfruit, horseradish

Coffee Cavatelli
salt seared scallops, cucumber-walnut, gruyere

Braised Lamb
pretzel spaetzle, Tuscan kale

Hangar Steak
cherry-lime leaf kohlrabi, parsnip-juniper puree

Stilton Cheese
Asian pear apple, minus 8 vinegar, bee pollen-grains of paradise

The Color Orange
apricot, squash, tangerine

Here is this evenings menu, a catered dinner in upstate New York.

Apple-Jalapeno

Sometimes keeping things simple yields great results.

Mutsu apple, jalapeno, citrus vinegar, and salt.

building blocks

Today we were quite busy working on a number of new dishes for an upcoming dinner.  These are the pieces we added to the puzzle today.

black grains of squid
compressed cucumbers
chestnut knot
confit of turkey wings
lamb breast and neck terrine
apricot-almond crumbs
cranberry-brioche
coconut-tangerine sorbet
apricot crisps
chocolate-coffee cake
ricotta-orange marmalade
golden beet-passsionfruit- horseradish pudding
passionfruit golden beet ribbons
cauliflower hard cider puree
cherry-lime marinated hangar steak
parsnip and juniper puree
turbot block
cheddar stock

To Do

zucchini cheddar soup
sunchoke sunflower seed risotto
parsley syrup
glaze squash-pork cake
glue hangar steaks
clean and poach oysters
brine scallops
bone turkey wings
eat chocolate-coffee cake
set cauliflower as blocks
bacon bits
persimmon chutney
compress Asian pear apple
dry horseradish
apple-jalapeno relish
shaved mushrooms
coffee cavatelli
carrot ketchup
marble potatoes
cashew-smoked maple ice cream

Squash and Pork

Recently we made a squash puree enriched with pressure cooked country ham skin instead of butter.  The rich decadence of the Benton's ham took the squash to an ethereal level of decadence.  We initially used the puree to complement a version of our sunflower seed risotto.  And still I believed we could do more with this puree.

Along the lines of inspirations the color orange, the tint which  is slowly accenting the leaf tips around us, has sparked a recent dessert.  The other elements, yes orange, are still in the works.  The base of the dessert is this squash and pork cake.  The cake is quite simple: some flour, the squash and county ham puree, brown sugar, smoked paprika, a bit of butter and creme fraiche, eggs and some chemical leaveners.

The resulting cake is light, moist, screaming with squash, accented with spice and enriched with a distant and familiar flavor, a taste which is on the tip of your tongue yet unable to be released--the flavor of Benton's country ham.

While my initial idea is the color orange, we may opt to just serve this cake.  It is that good.

Cooking with Salt

I just got off the phone with Mark over at The Meadow and I am now spilling over with ideas and uses for the salt blocks.  It turns out, despite my own misguided thoughts, that the salt blocks can take direct heat from either gas flames or an electric source.  I also believe that using them on a French flat top will work quite well.  My initial thoughts about using the blocks to cook on or to cool on revolved around heating them in an oven.  Yet, my conversation with Mark broke down those barriers.  By being able to directly heat the salt blocks means we can directly cook on them.  We now have a salt griddle.  And what does one cook on a griddle?  Eggs of course.  We put the salt block over a medium heat and let it get nice and hot.  Then, we added a pat of butter to the block and once it was melted Aki cracked an egg on top of the pool of sizzling butter.  Viola, we were cooking on a block of salt. 

The direct application of heat opens a huge portfolio of possibilities.  As for the cold side of things, we have a block in the freezer to serve raw fish, vegetables and meats on, although I'm not sure exactly what yet.  For those out there with liquid nitrogen on hand, think about the possibilities.  Salt frozen fruits and vegetables.  Salted raw fish in frozen and semi frozen states.  The ideas are just beginning to blossom.

Oh yeah, and if the cost of the salt blocks was a bit too much for you before, it turns out new sources have allowed the prices to drop substantially. They are now quite a bit more affordable than they were just last week.

Pretzel Spaetzle: after it rested

After we let the pretzel spaetzle dough rest, it was time to cook it.  We cooked the dough in boiling salted water with the aid of a spaetzle maker.  Once the dumplings were cooked we iced them down in cold water, patted them dry and sauteed them in butter.  Delicious.

Everyday Celebrations

Even when your sick or stressed from dust and construction and your palate isn't at its best, sometimes you open up a nice bottle of wine (or two) anyway, to treat yourself. We've started construction on the basement. For those of you who are new, there was a flood in the basement that rainy day in August, which has since been declared and actual disaster in Queens. We need to replace all of the flooring and paneling and while we're at it, they're putting up a new ceiling too. The guys are fitting us in, so it's mostly a weekend a project, which began last Saturday. Unfortunately during the demolition stage, where they were yanking down all of the old paneling, unbeknown to anyone the tarp separating the basement from the rest of the house fell down. So there was a fair amount of dust flying about the main floor. I was just getting over an annoying bout of something flu-like and the allergic reaction that ensued set me back quite a bit. There was so much dust that even Alex had a reaction and he's not one to have allergies of any kind. On the bright side, we've cleaned up the mess and work is progressing in the basement.

Since we had to move everything stored in the basement out, our modest wine collection is now spread out between the dining room and our bedroom. It's new home will be in a wine storage unit in the basement, for now though it's on display upstairs. On the bright side, we're becoming a reacquainted with our liberated cachet of bottles. It's depth tends to be more vertical than horizontal, relying heavily on a number of wineries where we are on the mailing lists, rounded out by strategic purchases here and there.  We know what we like and so if we choose to invest in a few bottle worth saving, we want to know that we'll enjoy them upon opening.

One of the things that we're realizing is that special bottles can make an occasion. They don't always need to be saved for the "right moment" because it may never come. Instead they should be utilized whenever you'd like to make a moment special. To kick off our dinner party with the readers, we cracked open a magnum of Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut to ease everyone into the evening and create an air of festivity. The Italian bubbles took us from cocktails to the table. This was followed by the  Hall Sauvignon Blanc, which we discovered last year at Taste3 when we had dinner in their amazing cellar. It's become a house favorite, surprisingly lush and juicy against the mouthwatering acidity inherent to Sauvignon Blanc. The next wine was a magnum of 1999 ZD Pinot Noir which we purchased at the winery many years back. We were saving it for a special occasion and this one fit the bill admirably. It was delicious, it's dark brambly flavors of roasted raspberries and sweet spices pairing equally well, yet to different effect with the cock's combs, veal breast, and the burrata. We finished up with a Jackson-Triggs Vidal Ice Wine. Although we did not pair wines with every course for this meal, we did choose ones that we felt matched well with our food and utilized some large format bottles for their spirit of generosity and their convivial air. 

The beauty of wine is that it is meant to be drunk and to be shared. Pulling dusty bottles out of the cellar reminded us that they were meant to be savored with good company. Last night we celebrated a Sunday evening at home by opening a 2004 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc and a 2003 Ramey Diamond Mountain District. Perhaps it was foolish to open such bottles when our noses and palates were not at their best. I can firmly say that it was worth the experience. We still swirled and sniffed and luxuriated in each small sip. If we missed a few nuances so be it. We had the bottles in our collection, simply waiting to be tasted. Now I realize that not everyone has a closet full of wines to choose from. On the other hand, most of us have a bottle or two or three stashed away for that perfect occasion. That moment is sooner than you think. The wines last evening made a simple dinner something special and there is no price tag for that.

Pretzel Spaetzle

Aki is a pretzel fiend.  Potato and corn chips are fine though it is the pretzel which she reaches for to quell a pang of hunger or just a nibble alongside a piece of chocolate in lieu of dessert.  For Aki, the pretzel is the it snack.

As for me I like the idea of pretzels, though I do not reach for them on a regular basis or yearn for them to satisfy a craving.  I suppose it must have been Aki's influence on me which inspired this most recent pretzel extrapolation; that and my fondness for culinary alliterations.

The dough is made with ground pretzels and bound with buttermilk, eggs and ricotta cheese.  A splash of Madiera and a dusting of flour round out the flavor and structure of the mixture.  We blended the ingredients together and now the dough is resting to allow the gluten to relax a bit before we poach the dumplings.

Now with the spaetzle dough secure we need to figure out what we are going to pair it with.

Sardine

Here is the evolution of a sardine.  We started with the most pristine sardines I have had the pleasure of working with.  We cleaned the fish and then marinated them in a bath of citrus vinegar, Madeira, salt and agave nectar.  Once the sardines were cured, we dried the fillets and glued them together, courtesy of Activa. 

Once the sardine fillets were joined we had an excellent starting point for the dish. The marinating of the sardines acted to both season the fish and break down the minuscule bones which run through the flesh.  The other elements which we added to balance and accent the sardine's rich flesh are our green almonds, yuzu-juniper  mayonnaise and a sheet of Asian pear apple.  We were able to concentrate the the flavor and texture of the paper thin fruit through the application of vacuum compression. The juniper in the mayonnaise acts to punch up the inherent pine-y notes of the yuzu. The green almonds incorporate both a clean herbal element and a nutty crunch to the finished composition. 

As we wove together the components of this dish we began to give more consideration to the importance of timing and execution in the assemblage of ingredients.  While a spontaneous inspiration is rich in creative juices, its very impulsive nature means that it often falls short in the execution of technical skill and finessed preparation.  This awareness has forced us both to slow down the final steps in the creation of a dish, while continuing to search for and develop the ideas and elements necessary to execute our end results.

Red Wines For Your Turkey

In my experience the majority of people tend to fall into one of two camps when it comes to pairing wine with their Thanksgiving dinner. The choices tend to be either a a very light, young wine or something a bit darker and more mysterious. Surprisingly the lighter choice is often Beaujolais Nouveau, while the more substantial partner for turkey is frequently American red Zinfandel. In restaurants and in wine shops around the country, these two wines fly off the shelves in November. Although both pairings work, in my humble opinion there is a better choice. That choice would be Pinot Noir.

Beaujolais Nouveau is released for sale on the third Thursday in November. Although it can be shipped prior to that date, it cannot be sold until 12:01am on that third Thursday. This unusually early release date for a wine has been exploited to its full potential, with release parties scheduled around the globe each year. The date's proximity to Thanksgiving combined with the wine's fruity, easy-drinking nature and relatively low price point, is probably a large part of why it has become a standard Thanksgiving wine. It is fermented from 100% Gamay grapes from the Beaujolais region of France. It's early release date is due to it's fermentation process known as carbonic maceration. The grapes are placed in stainless steel tanks and covered with a layer of carbon dioxide and allowed to ferment naturally. As fermentation occurs, the grapes swell and burst their skins, releasing their juice. The wine that is produced from this style of fermentation is light and fruity, with low tannins and a faint hint of nail polish. It is a frivolous wine, meant to be consumed within a year and suitable for friendship, laughter, and easy drinking.

The next obvious choice for turkey day is red Zinfandel. I myself drank it for a number of years and sold it to many happy customers for their holiday celebration. The Zinfandel grape, known in Italy as Primitivo, has been documented in the United States as early as 1834. Originally prized for it's ability to produce easily and in quantity, in the last few decades it has developed into a major varietal in the California wine scene. Although it was more commonly known for producing White Zinfandel, the last twenty years has seen a major rise in the production of quality red Zinfandel wines, with higher levels of acidity, firm tannins and rich, earthy, jammy flavors. These flavors actually bring to mind the famous pairing of turkey and cranberry sauce, with some deep herbal notes that could echo those found in the stuffing. It's a combination that is popular because it works. Some notable producers of red Zinfandel include Ridge, Turley, Elyse, and Seghesio. The very best Zinfandels have a restrained, elegant style and intense flavors, rather like a trained military combat assassin in a designer tuxedo at a fancy dress ball. Just a few weeks ago we opened a bottle of 2003 Aida Zinfandel. It was a major splurge and so amazingly delicious that we actually postponed dinner so that we could fully savor a glass before pairing it with food. It had that crushed velvet mouth-feel that I tend to associate with Vineyard 29.  Although still very young, it was very approachable in the glass with dark fruit, brambles, marjoram, licorice and a hint of dark chocolate. In short, it was a beautiful representation of what this grape can be when it reaches its full potential.

Of course, after a glowing review like that, how could I possible suggest something else? I do love my red Zin., it's just that I prefer something a bit leaner and more elegant with my bird.  Hence my choice of Pinot Noir. The very best ones are full of lush berry flavors, dusty low notes, firm yet soft tannins and nervy acidity.  They can be savored on their own or bring out the natural meaty essence of the turkey and the green, herbal notes of the vegetables without stealing the show completely. California makes some beauties, these are big intense Pinots that are impressive young and also develop and mature as gracefully as Paul Newman or Clint Eastwood. Some of our favorite American Pinot Noirs are produced by Papapietro Perry, Hartford,  Ken Wright, and Williams Selyem. 

 

Wild Brook Trout Roe

Speaking of seasonal ingredients, October marks the return of Steve Stallard's wild brook trout roe.  Steve, as many of you know, is a passionate and driven chef and an individual set in providing excellence.  Years ago he started by curing wild brook trout roe with fleur de sel.  No one cures roe with fleur de sel.  Over the years Steve has integrated more roes into his repetoire and of course there is his bourbon barrel aged syrup.  Yet, I am just happy that October is here and that new roe available, particularly the wild brook trout roe which is always in limited supply and gigantic demand.

If you are able to get some of this roe, I highly recommend it.  If it disappears fret not, because wild char roe is right around the corner.  While the roe is not quite as small as the trout roe it is equally as good, in fact, it may be my favorite.  Though, this years run of wild brook trout roe just raised the bar, so we will just have to do more eating and tasting to decide.

Vegetable Marrow

Today was great with discovery.  I have wanted to figure out the functional viability of brussel spout stalks.  Aki has cooked up broccoli stems and has me trained not to get rid of them no matter what.  I have seen cauliflower stems used in dishes at Alinea and McCrady's.  Yet I was curious about the large stalk which brussel sprouts grow from.

I spent the morning in the city at the green market.  I picked up a number of great ingredients from sunchokes and wild watercress, which I have somehow lost, to brussel sprouts sold on the stalk, my initial reason for going to the market.  When they sell the sprouts on the stalk, there are some beautiful specimens as well as a number of sprouts which have gone past their prime.  The variety in quality did not deter my want and need for procuring the brussel sprout stalk.

When I returned home I trimmed the sprouts off the stalk and then watched my knife bounce off the stalk itself.  What the heck had I gotten myself into?  I then pulled out a serrated knife and tried to cut through the stalk.  When I was halfway through the stalk I tried to break it.  Silly me.  Now my leg is bruised.  I used the knife to cut all the way through the stalk and what I found was well worth the effort.  The center of the brussel sprout stalk is tender and a mirror image of bone marrow.  As it turns out I was cutting through brussel sprout bones.  So, we cut the stalk in several different ways and then pressure cooked the pieces to tenderize the vegetable marrow.

After ten minutes in the pressure cooker what I imagined as vegetable marrow had the silky rich decadence and texture, without the fatty quality, of true bone marrow.

I am not sure how we will use this marrow, though a dousing of anchovy butter and some grilled toast would not be a bad place to start.  I suppose we will also look at traditional methods of serving and preparing marrow and adapt them to our brussel sprout marrow.

Tutorial

If you are wondering about how those liquid alcohol centers are put in chocolates and used as fillings, take a look at Chadzilla where he has put up a step by step procedure in a twenty four hour time line.  I was first introduced to this technique in the incredible cookbook by Paco Torreblanca.

Green Almonds

What if we could make green almonds?  That is where I started.  Sure, green or young almonds are available in the Spring, their tender juicy core balanced by the astringent and bitter tender shell.  I wanted really green almonds.  I felt we could blend the nutty notes of an almond with herbs to create a unique and familiar condiment.  In looking back at what we have done it is just a simplified dried pesto.  I made an intense parsley puree and blended it with blanched slivered almonds.  I then took this green almond paste and dried it in the oven to create a crunchy green almond crumble.  These green almonds will accent a sardine dish we are currently working on. 

The basic outline for making these green almonds may be applied to many other nuts and many more herbs.  As I stated, we have just made an ultra dry pesto, though its use in dishes changes because now we can add a unique texture to dishes along with nuttiness and herbal accents.

McCrady's

If you remember Sean Brock from our culinary conversations you definitely want to check out this recent photo collection of a dinner he cooked over the weekend.  And if you have not heard of Sean Brock then go twice as quickly because your missing out on a culinary genius. 

Steak and Eggs, darn near edible

The steak and eggs cooking class proved to be quite inspiring.  With ingredients like pork porterhouse, cod steak, zucchini steak, rib eye in multiple parts, chicken eggs, quail eggs, and fish eggs; and cooking methods from sous vide to oven roasting to a controlled evaporation (C-Vap) to simply raw and uncooked we proved that improvisation in the kitchen produces stellar and often times unexplored or unexpected results.

We made:  Rib eye in four parts--basil-soy infused, truffle scented, tartare with tequila roe and a pan roasted cap; cod steak larded with jalapeno and galangal; pork porterhouse with butter roasted apples and dill; fillet mignon carpaccio with egg yolk-walnut sheets, jalapeno and Parmesan; Onsen eggs with squash blossoms and smoked roe; fluffy scrambled eggs and custard eggs (both with minced onions); smoked cheddar cheese omelet souffle: compressed zucchini steak with basil, tequila roe and butter steamed quail eggs.

While we left steak and egg sauces for another day, we were able to flesh out numerous techniques during the class and expand upon what is possible with ingredients that are often considered ordinary. Our students learned that it takes just a small adjustment to make the leap from ho-hum every day preparations to extraordinary ones.

Hydrocolloids at Home

Due to popular demand, we have added a second hydrocolloid class on Sunday, November 11, 2007.  The Saturday class is now full, although if you are unable to attend on Sunday we can put you on a waiting list for the Saturday class.

Salt Blocks

Ideas and approaches are often like a new car.  At first you think you are the only one on the block with the new ride, then as you drive around, everyone seems to have the same ride.

I had plans of writing about our newest kitchen acquisition, Himalayan salt blocks, this morning when I noticed that Sean had pressed his own salt blocks into service over the weekend.  These salt blocks are incredible in their size, weight and presence.

We picked up two larger blocks for cooking with and using as tools and presentation pieces.  Yet, if these hold up and prove promising we are looking at getting smaller slabs which we can use for individual serving pieces.

Now, with the salt in the kitchen it is up to us to see what exciting and interesting dishes we can develop.

Walnut

I did not set out to make a walnut dessert.  Really, who sets out to make a dessert about a nut, particularly a walnut?  It turns out I did.  Parts and pieces of this dessert have been tweaked, removed, refined and eliminated as it has come from concept to plate. 

I started with the streusel.  I think streusel coffee cakes were invented just for me.  As it is now autumn, maple came to mind and I began work on a maple streusel.  The next component for the dish is our white chocolate and yogurt ice cream.  While the ice cream was churning I began work on some apples.  I poached these apples in Madeira flavored with candied ginger.  The parts for the dessert were coming together, revolving around the feeling of fall.

I wanted a nut component for the dessert and walnuts, while not Aki's favorite, came to mind.  And in this case were a perfect fit.  At first I had plans of making a walnut and yogurt puree to balance the dish.  That idea was fleeting and was replaced by a walnut terrine.  I started with street vendor style sandy walnuts perfumed with ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.  When the nuts were toasty and the kitchen smelled a childhood walk down a Manhattan street on the days before Thanksgiving I pulled them off the heat and let them cool.

I reserved some of the toasted nuts and ground them to a medium crumb.  Now I really had sandy nuts.  The rest of the toasted nuts were pressure cooked with half and half.  The resulting tender nuts were pureed with some skim milk to make a toasted walnut cream.  We then thickened the cream with carrageegnan and set it as a terrine.  The texture and taste is of silken walnuts married to pumpkin pie filling.  I was really amazed at how good this filling was and how it made me want more. 

While I was working on the walnut base I had some golden raisins being glazed in hard cider and glucose.  Once again, I reserved some sticky raisins and then pureed the rest.  My original plan was to make a raisin crisp though its part in this dish seemed inappropriate.  Instead, I tamed the sweet richness of the raisin puree with yogurt, borrowing the tang from the ice cream in a fluid preparation.  The final element to the dish was simple, a reduction of the apple poaching liquid, a concentrated application of Madeira, apple and ginger.

This dessert took much longer to come together than I initially had planned.  As I noted, I did not know it was going to be about the walnut, yet that walnut terrine steals the show with all the other components piquing and complementing its flavors and texture.

November Classes

Benton's Ham
Saturday November 3, 2007
10am-1pm $125 per person

Old fashioned cured hams and bacon from Benton's Smokehouse in Tennessee. These products are the real deal, incredibly rich and flavorful, and a wonderful addition to any kitchen. We'll be using them in a variety of ways from simply sliced to crispy, from salads to grits. If you love smoky, salty hams, this is the class for you.

Hydrocolloids at Home
Saturday November 10, 2007
10am-1pm $125 per person

There's been a lot of talk about food science and hydrocolloids in the food world. This class will act as a primer for people interested in using commonly available hydrocolloids in their home kitchens.

Pasta
Saturday November 17, 2007
10am-1pm $125 per person

This will be a hands on class exploring a variety of pastas such as cavatelli, ravioli, and pappardelle. We will make the different pasta doughs using both traditional and modern recipes. In addition we will create seasonal accompaniments for each pasta using a variety of different cooking mediums.

Classes are limited  to six students. Private lessons for groups of 4-6 may also be arranged. Please email us at akiandalex(at)ideasinfood(dot)com if you would like more information or to make a reservation.

White Chocolate and Yogurt Ice Cream

White chocolate is both sweet and rich.  It requires balance.  When we made our white chocolate consomme last year we tempered it with buttermilk to produce a broth which highlighted balanced decadence.  In some ways I believe white chocolate embodies overindulgence in the sweet world.  It is almost pure fat, actually fat and sugar, and was my favorite chocolate as a child.  These days our use of white chocolate ebbs and flows, mostly ebbing with the passage of time.

This week has been difficult, the guiding light being an autumnal dessert I have been working on.  The ice cream for the dessert needed to be both comforting and bracing.  Here is where I turned to white chocolate.  Yet, as I noted, its richness needed taming.  While buttermilk may have worked in the broth, its thin nature was not what I wanted in an ice cream.  Instead, I turned to non-fat Greek yogurt.  It is pre-drained which results in an extremely thick non-fat yogurt.  I also used a bit of half and half in the base and a pinch of salt to complete the ingredient list.

As for the process, I heated the half and half and salt together to just below a boil and slowly poured it over the chopped white chocolate and then stirred it to melt it and make it into a silken emulsion.  I then folded the drained yogurt into the white chocolate emulsion until it was completely incorporated, strained the mixture and let it chill.  When the mixture was cold I sent it for a spin in our ice cream maker.  While the base is delicious in its chilled state, it takes on a whole different nature when frozen as ice cream.

The ingredients:

250g half and half
4g salt
225g chopped white chocolate
300g non-fat Greek Yogurt

Control

We have begun work with our newest kitchen appliance, the  CVap cooking drawer.  We have coveted this piece of equipment for some time, and through good fortune and my belief in the barter system we now have one in our kitchen. Currently we are working through testing a number of cooking processes where we have already have proven results so as to test its ability against our benchmarks.  From there, the sky is the limit.  Then we shall really be able to see what kind of control and precision we can get with a uniform moist heat environment.  Yesterday's test was the onsen egg.  The drawer proved just as efficient as using a circulator, though here we could pull put in and pull out hotel pans full of eggs or grab them individually rather than bobbing for eggs in a circulating water bath.

Beyond Nose to Tail

I just started reading, skimming, bouncing through and thoroughly enjoying Beyond Nose To Tail, by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly.  The book is not large in size though its content and character enormous.  It certainly inspires and requires thoughts about food.  From the simply brilliant rhubarb mother to the brown bread and Armagnac ice cream to the infamous Trotter Gear this book is the one that no one should wait to buy. 

It amazes me the constraint, thought and energy it takes to assemble recipes and pictures in such a way that you can actually feel the beliefs and visions of the chefs, the restaurant and the passion behind the project.

A Test For Super Taste

If you do not trust your own taste buds or want to prove to the world what kind of taste buds you have, check out Supertaster.com and order a few tests.  We have not ordered any ourselves, though I just read about them over at Serious Eats. 

Science and Technology

Here is a link to a great article in Popsci.com about Dave Arnold and his passion for science, technology and his quest for the machinery to solve our (chefs, cooks and food dreamers) culinary short comings.  Take the time to read the article.  It is well worth it.

And an equally enticing article, really photo and information montage is here.  That should get just about any kitchen up and running.

Start drooling now, I am.

Wow!

I just stumbled across this this photo set on flickr of two meals at Per Se and just had to share the link.  Enjoy, it is truly inspiring on many, many levels.

The Pear Vinegar Project

Several years ago we made a pear infused tequila.  It was a cordial which I felt was so good, I did not want to drink it.  I wanted to save it, cherish it, hold onto it.  Well, it is gone.  It was consumed and happily I may add, as a digestif at the end of several dinners we cooked when we were in Colorado.  We sent it out as a way to soften the arrival of the bill.

Today rain is in the air and Aki's dreams of fall weather are looking promising.  Our kitchen is slowly coming together and the flavors and aromas of fall are in my mind.  Yesterday yielded a maple streusel and this rain flecked morning  triggered the memory of our pear tequila.  That memory in conjunction with my want to make our kitchen both more efficient and user friendly led me to infused-vodka.com, where they sell an array of glass jars perfect for the storage of cordials, infusions and vinegars.

And as quickly as I do childhood math, two and two became four.  I am about to order my first bottle from infused-vodka.  When the bottle arrives I will have some pear cider on hand that we can blend with fresh pear juice and then with our other live vinegars about hopefully have a pear vinegar start.  If this fails, I may have to add some of our tequila vinegar to the pear base to kick start the action.  In fact, I may do that just for flavors sake.  As I noted the pear tequila was amazing, pear-tequila vinegar could not be that bad.

*As I get ready to start this project, many more vinegar ideas are pouring through my mind so I thought I would share:  bacon, toasted almond, pistachio, walnut, peanut, ginger, pumpernickel (I'm sure you saw that coming), rye bread, blood orange, vanilla-rum, pumpkin, honey-lime, yogurt....

Tomato Infusion

I put the tomato and mozzarella infusion through its paces and am quite happy with the results.  As a side note of the infusing process, the mozzarella water took on a nice tomato flavor, something I did not consider, though its emergence shows promise for a stock of tomato and mozzarella for dressing pasta, making risotto or perhaps poaching fish.  Yet, that is a separate path we will travel.  The following pictures show the tomato transformation.

About Food

Lately I'm sensing a trend that is slowly coalescing around us. People are starting to associate us with a narrow focus on scientific ingredients and techniques. This particular pigeonhole has surrounded us several times in the last few weeks and I'd like to take a moment to clarify our approach to cooking. I'm the first to admit that we like to experiment and to play in the kitchen. It's the backbone of our philosophy, creativity in the kitchen. There is an underlying foundation to our improvisational outlook and that is the quest to create amazing food. Food that excites the palate and the eye, that teases the senses and makes you want to come back for yet another bite.  Food that leaves you staring at an empty plate wishing for just a bit more. This cuisine can be innovative and modern, it can also be creative and very rustic. It depends upon the ingredients available, our mood, our guests, the season, the weather, and a myriad range of ever-changing variables too fleeting to detail here.

We love the range of new ideas and ingredients that constantly pass through our horizon. Like many chefs we use them to improve our food and calibrate textures and flavors to our specifications. Never forget that they are a means to an end and not the reason for cooking. There are many chefs who use them to spectacular effect because they suit their individual styles. Things like sous vide cookery, transglutaminase, and hydrocolloids can be found in a surprising number of kitchens, where they play a supporting role and are simply used to help focus that particular chef's personal vision of their food.

For whatever reason science in the kitchen  is now either revered of villified, according to personal philosophies. Instead it should simply be acknowledged and accepted as useful information for any kitchen. New ideas, cooking methods and ingredients are simply building blocks to help us understand how things happen and to improve our culinary abilities. They are not a world unto themselves.

As chefs, we should not underestimate how much we can learn by asking questions and trying new things, nor should we feel obligated to focus solely on the cutting edge. Our points of view are ever-evolving as is our culinary style. Science is an important part of what we do, although it's not everything. There is great pleasure to be found in simplicity and science can help us to achieve that. In the end it comes down to flavor, texture and presentation. It comes down to beauty on the plate that will be pure enough to last from the moment you smell it coming towards you to the lingering effects of satisfaction and comfort at the end of your meal. That's our philosophy and that's what we strive for with every dish we create.

Is it Fall Yet?

Seriously. This unseasonable weather is getting to be a drag. I'm ready for thick-skinned crackling roasts and crunchy roasted potatoes with soft fluffy interiors, braised meat paired with silky root vegetables slow-cooked with a drizzle of brown butter and garnished with fried sage leaves. I'm dreaming of delicate ribbons of pasta, golden with egg yolks, cuddled in a shallow bowl with foraged mushrooms and sautéed hazelnuts. Visions of creamy brandade, glasses of dark smoky syrah, and decadent cassoulets dance before my eyes. I need a little cool weather though, so that I can actually cook and eat these sumptuous specialties. Can someone please tell me where it is? I love cold salads and tomatoes and hot weather dishes as much as the next person, but it is October now. I'd really like to apply heat to my food without feeling as though I'm cooking myself in the process. It's time for warm cider and wood smoke, boots and turtleneck sweaters. They say the weather may break this weekend and I've got my fingers crossed that the weatherman is true.

Lost and Found

We have used the process of vacuum sealing meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and more to shape, form, infuse, marinate, compress, preserve and pickle.  Something we did when we were solely using a FoodSaver was to vacuum marinate strawberries in a hard sided container.  The pulling of a vacuum on the berries allowed the fast infusion and transfer of flavors without compressing the natural shape of the fruit.  As time goes by we let this approach go.  Why?  I am not sure.  It really was a great way to flavor berries in their apparently natural form. 

I was reminded of this technique when we watched Andoni Luis Aduiz of Mugaritz restaurant use a Gastrovac to pull a vacuum on tomato slices sitting in mastic-tomato consomme.  The release of the vacuum allowed the tomato to act as a sponge, drawing in all the flavor from the consomme while allowing a compression of cell walls, an intense color shift from raw to that of a cooked tomato and the complete retention of the tomatoes original shape.  And yet no heat was applied.  I sat in the audience watching this both dumbfounded and smiling.  It took another passionate chef to reintroduce me to an approach we had all but forgotten about. 

Currently we do not have a Gastrovac.  Though we are able to replicate the process with our vacuum sealer.  We can place fruits, vegetables--wonder about seafood as well-- in a high sided container in our vacuum sealer and then cover the ingredients with a flavorful liquid.  At this point we just turn the machine on and draw a large vacuum on the ingredients in the chamber.  When the vacuum is complete, the ingredients inside act as the sponge, sucking in all the flavors.

While my first attempt with this new old technique is planned with tomatoes and mozzarella water, I can foresee a new approach to transferring flavors while retaining shapes.

A Head in the Kitchen

My first exposure to working with the head of an animal came from the pictorial technique shown in The Good Cook: Variety Meats.  Soon after reading this book and pouring over the pages for offal techniques, I heard about a braised pigs head dish done by Thomas Keller at The French Laundry.  However, it was several years between hearing about this remarkable dish and seeing the recipe and the steps taken in The French Laundry Cookbook.  These in between years allowed me to think about a pigs head and other heads for that matter and what I would do with them. 

Since reading and admiring the techniques and approaches  in both books I became equally obsessed with the head.  Yesterday during the class I was able to share my obsession.  We (I say we as in the class) used the suckling pigs head and one of its bellies to make a relatively uniform meat sheet.  We then seasoned the meat with hot sauce and salt and stuffed the head with bacon, apples, prunes and slices of the pigs ears.  After the stuffing was in place we rolled the head in cheesecloth to make a uniform meat roulade. 

And this is where it gets exciting.  We were able to cook and eat this preparation during our three hour class.  How so?  The pressure cooker.  The braised pigs head was perfectly cooked after one hour in the pressure cooker.  We let the meat rest in the broth and then untied the cheesecloth and sliced the head.  Yes, the head could be more polished if we re-wrapped it and let it rest overnight.  In that case we could then bread and fry slices of the head or glaze them to a rich and sticky shine.  The point is that we were able to, with stellar results, take a pigs head from body to belly in a three hour window with only one of them being used for cooking.

And this was only one small part of our jam packed pork and apple class.  We have now set our own bar high.  I am quite excited with our plans for next Saturday's Steak and Eggs class.

Reflections

Our first cooking class has concluded.  The faint smells of roasting pig and the bouquet of excess apples are all the signs that remain of our class this afternoon.  It was quite exciting sharing ideas with new and familiar faces.  A fresh viewpoint can spark new thoughts and approaches to food and life.

Now is the time to reflect upon what we learned and were taught in the process of sharing ideas and good food with a small group of passionate individuals.

A Modern Pastry Chef

"I think I'm modern in that I want you to taste what you're eating in an elegant, reverent way."

Shuna has an essay over on her blog that I found quite inspiring. It is a mix of observation and philosophy with a healthy dose of her own creations, so that you really understand where she's coming from. I have never tasted her desserts, although I would very much like to one day. She is thoughtful and passionate and seems to have a real sense of herself that is uncommonly shared in a very open manner. Take a peek and see if she inspires you too.

Apple Picking

It has been years since I have been apple picking.  Today we stole away from the city in search of apples for this Saturday's cooking class.  Let me tell you, apple picking is really inspirational; especially when you are the only ones in an orchard with over eight varieties to choose from.  And pick and choose and taste and enjoy and smile.  And what is really amazing is that while apple picking I thought only of apples.  How they taste, how they grow, how they ripen.  I experienced sounds and textures and did not think of anything related to cooking.  I was absorbed by the apple experience.  Now, back home, with bags of apples perfuming the kitchen like Bouley's entryway I can reflect and think about what is next.  What will we do with all these apples?  Will they be cooked or shaved, pickled or pureed?  A bit of time, a bit of input and plenty of improvising will guide the way.

Though, something is quite alluring about the apple on its own.  I guess Eve knew something.

Another Consomme

Harold McGee has just printed another great recipe for a gelatin clarified consomme on his site, curiouscook.com.  This recipe, a pumpkin and brown butter consomme, comes from Chef David Kinch, of Manresa restaurant.  What is truly exciting about this consomme is that it marries the flavor of brown butter, an absolute favorite of mine, with the autumnal touchstone of sweet sugar pie pumpkins.  So, if you are looking for another recipe to wow a few people or just want to catch a bit of inspiration, check it out.

Ron Zacapa Centenario

This rum is one of my favorites. Confession time, I ripped this photo off of their website because I wasn't happy with an of my pictures. So, hopefully they won't mind because part of its charm is the straw basket wrapping. It's a totally superficial element and it doesn't let you see how much rum is left in the bottle, but what it does do is remind me that I'm savoring something that reminds of summertime, relaxation and the Caribbean--even if this particular rum is produced in Guatemala. It's a state of mind, reinforced by it's rich scent of brown sugar and it's deep amber hue. This is a rum to savor and not meant for the blender.

I was first introduced to the idea of a sipping rum many years ago on my honeymoon. We had a beautiful meal at Gramercy Tavern, at the end of which, the sommelier recommended some aged rum as an after dinner drink. I was intrigued, rum to me meant pina coladas, daiquiris and rum punches. Meyers rum had long been a secret bar weapon of mine, floating on top of a juicy pink punch it gave the rink that special something that elevated it into something a bit more complex and savory than your average light and dark rums.

So I was ripe for his suggestion that evening. He delivered a deep amber liquid in a crystal snifter and when I swirled and took my first sniff I was hooked. The first sip burned like a good cognac although the flavors were vastly different. Redolent of burnt sugar and spice, it was lighter, fruitier, and more floral than I expected. It reminded me of a thunderstorm on the beach, the smell of the rain and the smoke from a wood fire. I have been a convert ever since.

My current staple at home is the the one pictured to the left. The Ron Zacapa Centenario is aged for 23 years and it's slightly sweet flavor makes it perfect for the end of a meal. So this chilly October evening, I'll be sipping some dark rum for dessert and remembering hot summer days and clear blue water, lightning storms and campfires near the water. It's not just the flavor, it's the whole experience.

Bananas

This morning as I was eating a banana and drinking coffee. I was suddenly struck by the fragrant sweetness of my fruit. It’s a tropical ingredient that we all take for granted because we see them every day. They have become ubiquitous and perhaps we have all forgotten why they became popular in the first place. They transport well and ripen easily off the tree. They also have a wonderful texture. Underneath their smooth thick skins, they are soft and almost fluffy against you tongue. As you sink you teeth into them, they yield gently to the pressure to reveal a smooth, almost creamy interior. Their scent is delicate and tropical. As you chew there is a clean sweet flavor like no other, with a slight hint of muskiness, the riper the banana, the stronger the hint, and that unique banana flavor that is reminiscent of vanilla without containing any actual vanilla flavors at all. It is the perfect foil for all manner of seasonings, pairing beautifully with chocolate or coconut, jalapenos or oranges, manzanilla sherry or rum. It can stand alone or play the wing man with grace and style. It can add richness and texture to many compositions without additional fat. It has a healthy measure of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. It can be dressed as sweet or savory with equal aplomb. It is often overlooked and almost always available.

Bananas and plantains were one of the earliest fruits to be cultivated by man. They were relatively easy to propagate and could be harvested year-round. There is evidence that they were produced in China as early as 200 AD. Bananas were discovered by Alexander the Great in India in 327 BC and he is credited with introducing the fruit to Western countries. Africa and India were both important producers of bananas and it is believed that several mutations occurred in these countries, which produced many new varieties of the fruit. From Africa, the banana traveled to the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, and finally into Latin America. From China, bananas traveled to England where the variety now known as the Cavendish was developed and became popular. It was modified to increase resistance to insects and disease, and to create a thinner skin, slightly smaller shape, and a creamier texture than it’s predecessors. This variety, along with many of its offspring, accounts for a large percentage of the commercially grown bananas today.

It was not until the mid-1800s that bananas were brought to modern America. It was originally introduced as an exotic dessert. Today bananas are the number one fruit in America. They are not produced in this country, although on average, Americans consume over 28 pounds of bananas each year. Quality is determined by size, both length and thickness, evenness of ripening, lack of blemishes and the shape of the clusters. There are three classes, from the highest to the lowest: Superior, Class One and Class Two. Cosmetic defects in any of the classes may not affect the flesh of the fruit, although they will certainly affect the price of the bananas.

In many countries, including America there is a growing demand for organic and fair-trade bananas. Commercial production of the fruit and it’s intensive planting practices can lead to pollution to the land and the water of surrounding areas from the use of agro-chemicals and pesticides, and deforestation. Conditions for laborers can be very poor combined with minimal wages and the inability to bargain collectively for better conditions. Today, organizations like the Rainforest Alliance have helped to ensure that over 15% of all of the bananas available internationally adhere to the standards of responsible banana production, which were developed in1991. Chiquita Bananas and the Favorita Fruit Company's bananas come from plantations that have 100% certified by Rainforest Alliance for sustainable agriculture.

So grab a banana and enjoy. It's good for you and if you choose carefully, it can be good for someone else too.