medici bread pudding

When my wife and I visited Seattle, I took Rachel Ray's advice and visited Caffe Ladro (twice). The first time I went, I tried a standard latte -- the coffee by which I judge coffeehouses. It was very, very good -- smooth and sweet with a great mouth feel brought about by an expert barista who really knew how to froth the milk and pull a shot. The second time I went, I took RR's advice again and tried their Medici coffee, which is essentially a mocha spiced up with a bit of orange zest. That, my friends, was ethereal. I don't normally "do" sweetened coffee, but this was harmony in a cup.

So it was with this cup of coffee in mind that I decided to create a bread pudding recipe -- a way for me to both memorialize the trip and re-enjoy the simple but wonderful flavor combination of coffee, chocolate, and orange. A word of caution: if you try this, you may find yourself wanting to hop on a plane to Seattle to try the original. They are both that good.

medici bread pudding
7 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp table salt
6 cups whole milk or half-and-half (I prefer the richness of the half-and-half)
2 tsp powdered espresso (try Medaglia d'Oro brand if you can find it)
12 oz. package of bittersweet chocolate chips (Guittard or Ghirardelli work well)
1 TB finely grated orange zest
1 TB pure vanilla extract
1 1-pound loaf of challah , cut into 1-inch cubes preferably stale)

If your bread cubes aren't stale, dry them out in a 250F oven for 20-30 minutes -- not so much that the cubes turn into croûtons, but enough so that they seem drier and stale. Set aside in a large bowl.

Whisk yolks, eggs, sugar, and salt together until thick and pale and set aside. Warm half-and-half in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling (about 180F). Add chocolate chips, powdered espresso, and orange zest to half-and-half and stir until chocolate is melted and completely mixed with milk.

Slowly whisk the half-and-half into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract. If you have a touch of OCD, you may want to strain the custard at this point, but if you were careful not to add the milk too quickly, you probably don't have to.

Pour the custard over the dry bread cubes, making sure that the bread is submerged as much as possible. Set aside for about an hour to cool to room temperature. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and pour the bread/custard mixture in. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 (but up to 24) hours. This allows the custard to penetrate the bread cubes completely so that you have no dry patches in your dessert.

About two hours before you want to serve it (if you want it served hot), cover the pudding with foil and bake in a preheated 325F oven for 70 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until no liquid is visible when you test with a paring knife (maybe 20-30 minutes).

This can be served hot, warm, room-temp, or chilled -- every way has its own advantages. Its flavor is most intense just a few minutes out of the oven, but the custard is firmest when cooled. Any way you do it, dress it up with some whipped cream and a good cup of coffee.

quadruple dairy noodle kugel

Not being Jewish myself, some of my friends look at me funny when I share my passion for certain Jewish delicacies. Latkes, tzimmes, challah -- this goy loves 'em. It probably stems from my Grandmother growing up in Brooklyn in the early to mid-20th century, where Jews and Italians shared neighborhoods and traditions. So as a nod to my Jewish friends this Hanukkah, I offer my recipe for noodle kugel, a baked custard that is rich and satisfying on its own or as an accompaniment to a holiday meal:

1 12 oz. bag wide egg noodles
2 TB unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 oz. cream cheese
4 TB sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup whole milk
6 large eggs
8 oz. cottage cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a 13 x 9 baking pan with no-stick spray.

Boil the noodles in salted water according to the package directions. Err on the side of underdone, as they will continue to cook in the oven later. Drain and toss with butter to prevent sticking. Set aside.

With a whisk or hand mixture, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and nutmeg until noticeably lighter in texture. Add the sour cream and mix until combined. Add the milk and eggs and beat for another minute or so. Add the drained noodles and stir until moistened. Fold in the cottage cheese.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place on a middle rack in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 325. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center is just set and no longer jiggles. Remove from the oven and serve warm or allow to cool to room temperature.

This dish can be eaten as a side or, if you double the sugar and add some dried fruit (raisins, apples, apricots, etc.), it makes a great dessert. It can be made a bit healthier by using reduced fat versions of the dairy products with no major problems. Happy Hanukkah!

[recipe review] simple, crusty bread from the NY Times

I got a chance to make Jeff Hertzberg's simple bread recipe from his book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day that was shared on the NY Times website. It is billed as being even quicker than Jim Lahey's "No-Knead" recipe that appeared in the NY Times about a year ago and it lives up to that billing -- you can follow this recipe and have a decent loaf of bread in about 3 hours.

But that's just it -- the bread is only passable. I can make very good sandwich bread in three hours. This, however, is supposed to be "artisan" bread. It isn't artisan bread by any stretch of the imagination.

When I think of artisan bread, I imagine a slightly sour, very crusty, open-holed bread with wonderfully chewy insides. This bread is more related to white sandwich bread in texture -- maybe slightly chewier due to the wetness of the dough. The flavor was almost too "yeasty," as the recipe requires quite a bit of yeast (1 1/2 TB) to raise 6 cups of flour in two hours.

I prefer doughs (and the breads that come from them) that use less yeast and more time -- the flavor of bread made in this way is tangy and wheaty instead of having an overly fermented taste and smell. Also, time is necessary in order to truly accomplish the "no-knead" trick.

Kneading bread develops gluten, a protein matrix which acts like sheets of rubber than can be blown up like balloons. Gluten can also be developed by the metabolic byproducts of yeast (gas), which slooooooowly stretches the proteins in the dough. Trying to accomplish this quickly leaves one with an under-developed dough. This, in turn, produces small, dense loaves -- exactly what I got when I followed the recipe precisely.

It seems we are still left with two options for bread -- kneaded sandwich-style bread (which can be quite good) or lightly kneaded, long-rising artisan-style bread. Quick artisanal breads still live in the realm of unicorns and ogres -- fantasy.

One more note -- the recipe says that you can make the dough and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. This option probably produces a bread that is closer to artisan-style in texture. But I imagine the flavor would still be very "yeasty."

Overall, if you have never baked bread before and don't own a stand mixer, give the original no-knead bread recipe a try. If you're also in a pinch and rushed for time, try the Hertzberg variation just for kicks. You'll quickly be swept up in the joyful meditation of baking your own bread and will summarily graduate to recipes where a little (happy) effort is required!

the ny times loves simple bread recipes

This is the second "simple" bread recipe I've seen in the NY Times food section in a year. I've made Bittman's no-knead bread dough with success and look forward to trying this one, too. Both require a bit of special equipment -- Bittman's needs a dutch oven and Dr. Hertzberg's needs a pizza or quarry stone. Anyway, bread can be daunting for some. These recipes help to bring good, simple, home-baked bread to the table of anyone who has five minutes here and there...

Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours’ resting and rising

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.

drying the turkey (but not "dry" turkey)

The turkey, she's a beaut -- 18 pounds of heritage-bred fowl, she's safely tucked away in the refrigerator, air drying in order to ensure crisp skin along with the juicy, flavorful meat that will occur as a result of a day-long soak in brine.

The plan is to slather her in butter and use the roasting method called for by Cook's Illustrated magazine.

We traditionally roast our bird early and let it come to room temperature before we eat dinner. This frees up the oven and gives my mom and I a chance to finish all of the sides. We'll probably have to go that route again, as we don't have two ovens to play around with...

the turkey is in the brine...

I know it's Monday. I know that Thanksgiving is on Thursday. I know you think I'm crazy when I tell you that my turkey, pictured at right, is already submerged in a flavorful brine.

You might ask, "Won't it be too salty?"

No sir, this bird is going to get pulled out tomorrow night, after 24 hours in the drink. Following that, she'll spend a day-and-a-half air-drying in the refrigerator. You see, brining does such a damned fine job of plumping up all of the turkey's protein cells with flavor-infused water that it could make it next-to-impossible to end up with the beautiful, mahogany-colored skin that all of us seek to unveil on Turkey Day. The air-dry enables the skin to dessicate a bit so that it will be beautifully burnished upon roasting.

The long, drawn-out process that I'm willing to go through for my turkey and my family (in that order) requires nothing other than proper planning and the ability to make a lot of space in your fridge.

The brine is easy -- I adapted it from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food. His original recipe called for a quicker soak, but I reduced the salt in my version to allow me to extend the time-in-brine to 24 hours. This was purely for scheduling reasons -- I don't think there is any benefit to the extra-long brine as opposed to say, the 6 hours that Alton calls for. I just knew when I'd be available to pull it out of the giant Ziploc bag.

turkey brine
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
handful of herbs (your choice -- I went traditional and used sage, thyme, and fresh bay)
1 gallon of water
8 pounds of ice

Dissolve the salt and sugar in 1 qt boiling water. Bruise the herbs with your hands, add to the water, and allow to steep for a few minutes. Cool this solution with the remaining 3 quarts of water and then add the ice, bringing the brine to a very chilly temperature (hopefully sub-40 degrees F).

At this point, you can put the turkey and brine in whatever will hold them. I find the XL "Big Bags" by Ziploc can handle an 18 pound turkey and the 2 gallons of brine just fine, but you can get creative, as long as it's clean and capable of some way maintaining temperatures under 40 degrees.

In order to maintain full contact, I assembled everything inside the largest stock pot I own and then tied up the zip-top part of the bag (see the photo). This fully immersed the turkey in the brine and it will stay just like that in my refrigerator until tomorrow night.

Continue on for (cue Paul Harvey voice) "the rest of the story..."

fruitcake for people who hate fruitcake

Fruitcake for people who hate fruitcake? It's possible! Most people hate the candied peel (citron) and fake green cherries. This recipe forgoes those for dried real fruit. You can use whatever dried fruits you want -- just use a variety, chop them to roughly the same size, and don't skimp! It really can handle 2 3/4 pounds of fruit.

Fruit
You'll need a total of about 2 to 2 3/4 pounds dried fruit.
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) dried pineapple
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) raisins
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) dried apricots, diced
1 1/2 cups (7 7/8 ounces) chopped dates
6 ounces dried cherries
1/3 cup 2 1/4 ounces) diced crystallized ginger (optional)
3/4 cup (6 ounces) dark rum or brandy

Batter
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups (15 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons (3/8 ounce) black cocoa (optional - for a darker fruitcake)
1/2 cup (5 1/2 ounces) light corn syrup (or dark if you want a darker fruitcake)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) apple juice, cranberry juice or water
2 cups (8 ounces) chopped, toasted nuts (pecans or walnuts)
rum, brandy, or vanilla syrup, for topping

The Fruit: Combine all of the fruit ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and soak overnight. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap and zap them in the microwave on 50% power for about 3 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature.

The Batter: Cream the butter until soft, then add the sugar, spices and baking powder. Beat in the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and cocoa (if using). Add about half of the flour mixture and all the syrup to the batter. Then add the remaining flour and the juice or water and mix well. Fold in the fruits, any remaining liquid, and the nuts.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease the bottom and sides of the pans or line them with parchment paper. I use disposable aluminum so that I can store the cakes in them and then just give them away. This recipe makes enough for 8 mini-loaf pans or two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Spoon the batter into the pans, filling them about 3/4 full.

Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of a preheated 300°F oven -- about 65 minutes for the mini-loaves and 2 hours, 15 minutes for the large loaves. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven, and brush them with rum or brandy. Let them cool, then remove them from the pans. Brush all surfaces with rum, brandy or vanilla syrup. (If you like just a hint of rum or brandy flavor, add 1 tablespoon of liquor to 3/4 cup vanilla syrup and brush this mixture on the cakes.)

Wrap the cakes in parchment paper, then in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store them in a cool, dry place. Unwrap the cakes every week (for up to 5 weeks) and brush them with more syrup. By the fifth week the cakes will have absorbed as much liquid as they're able. They'll keep for several months this way, as long as they're tightly wrapped. The flavor improves and mellows over time. Yield: a possible plethora of fruitcakes.

orgeat syrup

I had never heard of orgeat syrup before reading this post by Serious Eats' cocktail connoisseur, Paul Clarke. But when he described it as "simply almond syrup with a little orange flower water tossed in for ghostly aromatic effect," my interest was piqued.

I did a little research and found that one could easily make this syrup at home if one had almonds, water, sugar, and orange flower water in one's pantry. Since I possessed all of these things, I decided to give it a go. The syrup is just as Paul described. As a huge fan of the flavor of almonds, I can envision using this in cocktails, coffee, or even sparkling water. It's quite sweet, so a little goes a long way. The recipe I ended up using is a conglomeration of suggestions I found. It includes a bit of vodka to help extract alcohol-soluble flavors, but that's optional if you want a virgin syrup.

orgeat syrup
350 g blanched almonds, chopped (about 12 oz.)
1.5 kg sugar, divided (about 7.5 cups)
1 L water (4.25 cups) (preferably mineral or spring - I used Acqua Panna)
100 mL vodka (about 1/2 cup) (optional)
2 TB "natural" almond extract (made from bitter almond oil)
2 TB orange flower water

In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve 400 g sugar in the water. As soon as the solution reaches a boil, turn off the heat.

Place the almonds in a blender and just cover with some of the sugar water. DO NOT FILL, as the hot syrup will expand when you turn the blender on, causing burns and a sticky mess (trust me). Blend the almonds and syrup until there are no more chunks and the almonds have been pretty well pulverized -- about 4 minutes. Pour the almond mixture into the rest of the sugar water and mix. Allow that mixture to cool to room temperature.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or even coffee filters, pushing on the ground almonds to extract as much liquid as you can. Pour that liquid into a clean saucepan and add the remainder of the sugar. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat, just until you see small bubbles forming on the sides of the pan. There is no need to bring it to a full boil.

Allow this to cool once again and then stir in the vodka, almond extract, and orange flower water. Bottle it (I ended up needing two 1L Acqua Panna bottles, as the recipe makes 1.5 L of syrup) and make yourself a Mai Tai!

surprise ingredients, pt. 2 (brian's hawaiian adventure)

This post comes courtesy of my friend, Brian, and is his entry in our three-way Next Iron Chef challenge:

After receiving my ingredients from Gavin, I initially thought that I had this one in the bag; curry, oyster sauce, cabbage, bacon and water chestnuts can all be found swimming through all kinds of Asian cuisine. However, I decided to rule out dividing my ingredients among two unrelated dishes like curried kale soup (bacon/curry/cabbage) with some kind of weird oyster sauce-glazed water chestnut/pancetta kebab. I also threw out the always-trusty everything-but-the-kitchen-sink stir fry, because that’s grade school stuff, man, and although I was confident that I could have made it taste pretty good, I knew that these ladies would be bringing their A-Game.

That said, I focused on dim sum, those small, delicate plates of appetizers wheeled to your table “to your heart’s content” in Chinese mega-restaurants out in the DC suburbs with names like “New Fortune,” “Fortune Chinese Seafood,” and “Good Fortune.” I’ve eaten dim sum a few times and really enjoyed it, but I couldn’t think of any Chinese dishes which used a combination of all five of my ingredients. So, naturally, I did what any fierce competitor would do in a pinch: I turned to the internet and started cheating…I mean researching. Even after scouring food blogs, ingredient search databases and the hallowed halls of Google, no Chinese recipe out there in cyberspace matched my seemingly cohesive ingredient list. One ingredient would always stick out like a sore thumb. However, I bumped into two Hawaiian appetizers that were just tweakable enough for me to fudge my way to success…

manapua

Manapua is a baked or steamed pork-filled bun similar to what you’d find in a dim sum joint, but with some type of weird Hawaiian edge to it. In certain combinations, Manapua can house all five of my ingredients, although I didn’t see anything online suggesting a simultaneous living situation. Anyway, when I think Hawaiian cuisine, I think Spam and pineapples, and you can guess which one I had laying around in a dark corner of my kitchen. Thus was born my version of Manapua - a doubly-porky, spicy, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink stir fry (hey, wait a minute!) wrapped in a bun and baked in the oven. If my girlfriend ate pork and I had arteries of steel, I’d make these things all the time.

Dough:
1 package dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 parts Bourbon
1 part Sweet Vermouth
Ice

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in flour until a dough forms, then knead on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes. Place dough in a greased, covered bowl and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes. Have yourself a Manhattan.

Filling:
4-5 slices bacon (not smoked), diced
1 small can Spam, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
2 carrots, diced
2 green onions, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 head baby bok choy, chiffonaded
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
1/4 cup sake, mirin or sherry
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine curry powder, oyster sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, ginger, sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. In a wok or skillet over high heat, stir-fry bacon for 1-2 minutes, then add Spam and carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. Add green onions, garlic, bok choy, and water chestnuts, and stir-fry for a few more minutes, until bacon begins to crisp. Deglaze with the sake, scraping the wok, and add reserved ingredients, cooking until mixture thickens.

Preheat oven to 350°. Knead dough for a minute, then divide into 12 balls of equal size. Roll each ball into a 5-inch circle and top with 2 tbsp of filling. Bring up the sides to form pleats around the filling, then twist to seal. Place buns on a baking sheet covered in foil, cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with butter and serve.

rumaki

Next is a great 1970’s Hawaiian throwback dish called Rumaki, straight from the “Man-Pleasers” section of the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library; you’re really missing out if you haven’t seen these monstrosities. Rumaki consists of marinated chicken livers and water chestnuts, wrapped in bacon and skewered into one-bite (dog) treats. They actually turned out pretty good, as the bacon and brown sugar balanced the mineraly taste of the liver, and the heat and tang of the sriracha in the aioli cut through the overly rich porkiness of the bacon. However, if you eat more than a couple of these, you’ll probably need to hang out in a hospital for a while, just in case.

1 small container chicken livers, rinsed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp curry powder
12 canned water chestnuts, drained and halved horizontally
8 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thirds
12 bamboo skewers

Cut chicken livers into 1/2 inch pieces, and combine in a Ziploc bag with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, brown sugar, curry powder, and water chestnuts, and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour while soaking bamboo skewers in water.

Preheat broiler with top oven rack 2-3 inches from heat. Remove chicken livers and chestnuts and discard marinade. Wrap a piece of chicken liver and a chestnut in a piece of bacon, roll tightly and skewer. Arrange on a rack and broil until bacon is crispy, around 5 minutes. Serve immediately with Watercress Aioli for dipping.

Watercress Aioli:
2 egg yolks
2 cloves garlic
1 small bunch of watercress
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp sriracha, or more to taste
1 cup olive oil

In a food processor, combine eggs, garlic, watercress, salt and sriracha, then add oil slowly until the mixture thickens into the consistency of mayonnaise. Or, grind garlic, watercress, salt and sriracha into a paste in a mortar and pestle, then whisk in eggs. Slowly and continually whisk in oil until the mixture thickens.

tropical fried catfish 'n grits

When I first looked at the ingredients I was given by my dear friend Brian for our bit of culinary fun, I was initially a little scared. Smoked almonds, bananas, kale, and catfish (although he initially chose the even scarier gefilte fish) -- I was seriously beginning to question whether these could be brought together into one cohesive dish.

Banana vinaigrette on kale-wrapped catfish filets? Mashed green bananas layered with catfish and kale for a mock-shepherd's pie? What the hell was I supposed to do with smoked almonds? I could work with three of the ingredients, but always had a problem incorporating the fourth. Sometimes it was the almonds that gave me fits, but more often it was the bananas -- their texture when cooked leaves a little to be desired, unless you're eating bananas Foster or banana bread. But in a conversation with my other foodie friend, Gavin, my problem was solved.

"Do you have a dehydrator?" he asked. Um, no. Ron Popeil devotees notwithstanding, who keeps a food dehydrator in their house?

"Because some dried bananas might provide a nice crunch."

Crunch. Catfish. Fried catfish. Traditional, yes, but still -- how about pulverizing some banana chips? Hmmm... and the smoked almonds, too. And mixing them with some breadcrumbs for a slightly sweet and nutty breading? Bingo.

What to serve it with? Grits, duh. Fried catfish and grits are perhaps the pinnacle of what southern cuisine has to offer this great nation. And the kale? Treat it like the über-traditional collard greens, but upscale -- and with the tropical notes in the fish, perhaps a pan-Asian flare?

It all sounds crazy, but it was crazy good. So here's the recipe...the picture will have to get uploaded later since I forgot my camera at work, but I'll definitely make this again:

grits
1 cup grits
1/2 cup water
salt
white pepper
2 1/2 TB quick-cooking grits
2 TB butter

Combine the milk, water, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the grits and simmer until soft (1-2 minutes). Finish with butter. Taste for seasoning and adjust thickness with milk if necessary.

ginger and kale with bell peppers
1 pound kale, chopped roughly
kosher salt
2 TB vegetable oil
1 TB grated ginger
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
3 TB soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of sugar

Blanch the kale in a large pot of boiling salted water (should taste like the ocean), stirring occasionally until the stems are almost cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Drain and dry well (in a salad spinner or squeezed in a clean towel). Set aside until ready to finish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and peppers and sauté until they begin to soften (2-3 minutes). Add the kale and cook until warmed through. Add the soy sauce, pepper, and sugar.

tropical fried catfish
1/4 cup dried banana chips
1/4 cup smoked and salted almonds
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (fresh is preferable)
1/2 cup AP flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 catfish fillets, about 6 oz. each
kosher salt
black pepper

Grind the almonds and banana chips in a food processor until fine (2-4 minutes). Combine with breadcrumbs and set aside. Season both sides of catfish fillets with kosher salt and black pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. Dip each fillet in egg and then bread with the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat with enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan until the oil shimmers. Fry the breaded catfish in the pan, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on newspaper or paper towels when cooked and serve immediately.

plate assembly (serves 4 light eaters or two heavy ones)
Divide the hot grits in the bottoms of four (or two) wide bowls and top each with a fried catfish fillet. Mound the kale and peppers on top of the catfish and serve with several ice-cold beers, preferably from Louisiana.

surpise ingredients...

As mentioned previously, two friends and I have agreed to take part in a Next Iron Chef-style throw-down. Brian, Gavin, and I have chosen ingredients for each other and will be working on our dishes post haste. In addition, you can look forward to them guest-blogging about their experiences as well.

Without further ado, the secret ingredients:

• Brian selected the following ingredients for me: catfish, bananas, kale, and smoked almonds.
• Gavin selected the following for Brian: bacon, curry, water chestnuts, cabbage (any kind), and oyster sauce.
• Finally, I selected the following for Gavin: turkey drumsticks, ricotta cheese, shiitake mushrooms, and semolina flour.

Our agreed upon rules allow for use of standard pantry items (which for us can be pretty off-the-wall), but the spirit of the game asks us to feature our chosen ingredients. It will take us a few days to create our masterpieces, I'm sure, but look for dishes soon, along with photos of our wannabe-haute cuisine.

Until then, eat well!

surprise, surprise, surprise...

This week's episode of the Next Iron Chef America challenged the chefs two ways. First, they got to choose the "secret" ingredients for each other. They could have been really mean to each other, but for the most part the combos that they doled out were not terribly outrageous. After that, they found out that they had to cook outside on grills and with a very limited pantry.

I was thinking about something I might be able to cook that was inspired by this episode when it hit me -- I could invite two friends to join me in choosing ingredients for each other and then we would all share our thoughts and recipes.

Very graciously, my buds Brian and Gavin agreed to join in this fun. We're in the process of selecting ingredients for each other and then will get on to cooking them up.

Check back for the ingredient lists and the follow-up post with a recap of our experiences!

sous vide steak

This week's episode of The Next Iron Chef featured a theme of opposites: the first challenge was all about simplicity and creating the perfect amuse bouche, while the second challenge was about getting downright freaky with food -- the chefs had to produce two dishes using a multitude of "molecular gastronomy" inspired appliances and chemicals.

While neither molecular gastronomy nor its tools are new to the culinary world, none of the chosen chef-testants seemed to be at all familiar with any of it. At all. In fact, the easiest (and most ubiquitous) technique of molecular gastronomy -- sous vide -- seemed almost revelatory for some of the chefs. In this technique, food is placed under a vacuum (the literal definition of sous vide) and then immersed in water or placed in a special oven at a low temperature -- typically the desired temperature of doneness. For steak, that can range from 120-145F, (depending on how you like it), while chicken breasts are typically cooked to 160F. The food is then left for anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days -- the great thing about this technique is that you can't overcook your food, as it will never get hotter than the surrounding air or water.

Danger alert: At temperatures lower than 140F, dangerous bacteria can multiply pretty rapidly, possibly causing extreme gastrointestinal distress, or worst case scenario, death. For this reason, I do not recommend that home cooks utilize this technique for longer than three hours.

OK, now that that bit of scariness is over - I decided to try a hybrid technique that I adapted from British chef (and famous molecular gastronomist) Heston Blumenthal. He suggests slowly cooking a steak in a very low oven (130-140F) for up to 24 hours and then slapping it in a very hot pan for a few seconds to develop a nice crust. My oven doesn't get that low -- 170 is its lower limit. My crock pot set to "warm," however, will hold water at about 125-130F for two to three hours without having to make any manual adjustments. (In testing, I did have to add ice after about 4 hours to bring the temperature back into the correct range.)

Knowing this, I liberally salted and peppered three dry-aged NY strip steaks and then rubbed them down with smashed garlic and a bit of olive oil. Next, I sealed them up, using a recent Christmas present from my wife -- the FoodSaver Advanced Design Vacuum Sealer. I would say that it did a fairly good job of removing most of the air. There was probably less than a quarter-sized bubble left in there -- this showing up only after the bag was heated, which makes sense since even 130 degree air takes up more space than the cool air of my kitchen.

By the way, FoodSaver does not in any way, shape, or form advocate the use of their product for sous vide cooking. Neither does the maker of my Crock Pot, Rival Corp. Both of these companies, when called, said something to the effect of "we do not condone or endorse the use of our product for that purpose." That being said, I didn't feel like I was taking my life into my own hands, as I was keeping everything meticulously clean, etc., etc.

So, I dropped the sealed bag of meat into the lukewarm water and waited. And waited. I knew that our dinner guests would be arriving at about 7 pm, so that gave the steaks about 3 hours in their warm bath. Right before we sat down for dinner, I removed the steaks from the vacuum bag and took their temperature -- Hallelujah! Each one was clocking in at 131F -- perfectly medium-rare. The problem, of course, was that they were 131 degrees through-and-through. There was no crust -- I had a steak that was all "inside."

No problem, of course, as shortly before the company arrived, I fired up my grill and left it on its hottest setting. I took the steaks and slapped them on the ripping-hot grill, leaving them there for 30 seconds before I gave them a 60 degree turn to create some nice hatch-marks. I then flipped them over and did the same thing. Total time on grill -- about 2 minutes. For curiosity's sake, I took the steaks' temperature again and they managed to go up to about 135 -- still in the perfectly acceptable medium-rare range.

The steaks didn't have to rest much, since they weren't subjected to very much intense heat. As soon as I brought them to the table, I sliced them against the grain and served them to my guests. Every one of them commented that these were absolutely incredible -- possibly the best they had ever had -- and I agree with them. They had everything that I look for in a perfect steak -- beefy flavor, well seasoned, nice crust, tender and pink inside, and terrifically juicy.

While you can achieve this on a grill by itself, there is no way that you could get the steak so uniformly cooked -- these steaks had an almost micron-thin outer gray layer, while the rest was juicy, pink perfection. Anyway, if you're up for some food science fun, give this technique a try. You won't be disappointed!

goat milk rice pudding

I watched the premier of the Next Iron Chef on the Food Network this weekend (a blow-by-blow account can be found here). Eight already-famous chefs (at least to foodies) from around the country were invited to compete to become the fifth Iron Chef. Their first challenge was to disassemble several types of protein and vegetation (debone a chicken, fillet a salmon, French a rack of lamb, shuck some mollusks, etc.). This was probably a tough challenge for some, as all of these chefs have brigades working for them whose job it is to prep ingredients -- Chef Traci Des Jardins even admitted as much. Anyway, I initially thought this to be all about speed, but in reality it was about efficiency -- in other words, quality speed. The winner wasn't the first chef (Morou) who finished, rather, it was the first chef who finished everything up to host Alton Brown's exacting standards - Aarón Sanchez.

The second challenge was a bit more difficult for two reasons. First, it was a dessert challenge, -- and if you watch any reality food shows, you know that chefs usually have no dessert chops whatsoever. Second, the Chairman apparently likes weird desserts, because the chefs were required to incorporate some very odd proteins into one of their two sweet concoctions. The other had no requirements, save for using what was available to them. This was made even more difficult because standard dessert components like cream, sugar, or butter were not available. Improvisation abounded and some fairly decent looking desserts were made.

The weirdest thing I noticed, though, was that two chefs -- independent of each other -- made a goat milk rice pudding as their non-weird dessert. The judging panel wasn't exactly wowed by the rice pudding (in fact, one was deemed to al dente) -- but the thought of making rice pudding with goat's milk haunted me (in a good way) all day. I already knew what I would do -- as soon as I got home from work, I would just replace the cow's milk with goat's milk in my favorite rice pudding recipe. Luckily, my grocery store carries Meyenberg Goat Milk (in both whole and low-fat varieties) and I had everything else I needed.

The results? Nothing short of wow. I love rice pudding, but often find that its flavor is kind of one-dimensional -- it usually needs cinnamon, orange zest, or a little rum to wake it up. Not anymore. The goat milk brings a complexity to the pudding that is, to quote the fake James Lipton (played by Will Ferrell), scrumptrulescent. It is grassy and reminiscent of spring, although the warm rice pudding would be a great addition to a cold autumn night.

I urge you to try it -- the sugar kind of tames the "gameyness" normally associated with goat milk. This single substitution elevated rice pudding from stodgy (if not comforting) to sublime.

goat milk rice pudding
2 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c goat milk
1/3 c sugar
1 c arborio rice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
toasted pistachios for garnish

Combine the water, milk, sugar, salt, and rice in a 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low (the mixture should be just barely simmering). Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pudding should be thick but still wet and the rice should be cooked through. If the pudding is too stiff toward the end of cooking, feel free to add water a tablespoon at a time until the pudding is the consistency you desire. Add the vanilla off the heat. Serve warm or cold, sprinkled with pistachios for crunch.

If you are a sweet-n-salty lover and want to get real adventurous, sprinkle some crumbled feta on top as well.

a bit of kitchen alchemy

I was reading this article in the NY Times (written by Mr. Food Science himself, Harold McGee) and was fascinated by the atypical use of gelatin to filter any particulate matter out of a stock or puree, resulting in a liquid which possesses the flavor essences of whatever you happened to be making -- essentially a way to make a consommé of whatever you might want.

That got me to thinking (sometimes dangerous, in this case helpful). One of the things that separate restaurant chefs from home cooks is the chef's access to various stocks -- an ingredient that most home cooks don't have the time or inclination to prepare. As such, we are left with broths in various forms (home made, concentrates, pastes, boullion, and ready-to-use). These are fine products, especially if you have access to quality brands. But they lack one very special thing: gelatin.

Stocks are usually made of the bones of an animal. Either freshly butchered or roasted, they are then slowly and gently simmered, allowing the various proteins in connective tissues (collagen chief among them) to turn into gelatin. Sometimes aromatic vegetables are included, but salt almost never is, as stocks are usually reduced later and would then become too salty. Stocks are then typically clarified by some means and then refrigerated, ready to use at a moment's notice.

Home made broths are usually made from the meat of an animal. While the meat is full of flavor and protein, it's not the kind of protein that will turn into gelatin. This is a problem, as it is the gelatin in a stock that gives it, to quote Alton Brown, "lip-smacking goodness." Essentially, gelatin provides a fatty, unctuous mouthfeel (in a good way) that gives soups and sauces more substance.

My immediate thought was, "Why not add gelatin to a broth?" I tried it and, frankly, it works. One packet of gelatin for every 6 cups of liquid gave it the same texture as long-simmered stock and filled in remarkably well where stocks were called for. So feel free to experiment with this substitution.

If you're in need of a recipe, try this one for mushroom barley soup if you are in an area that is starting to get chilly:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , cut into medium dice
2 medium carrots , cut into medium dice
2 medium celery stalks, cut into medium dice
12 ounces domestic mushrooms or wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup canned tomatoes , cut into medium dice
6 cups chicken stock (home made or a quality store brand)
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, and carrots; sauté until almost soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until softened and liquid almost evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Add thyme, bay, and tomatoes, then broth, gelatin, and barley; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer until barley is just tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

pizza dough - who to believe?

I have made a bunch of pizzas at home and, predictably, some have been better than others. The problem is that most home ovens can only reach 500-550F (on a good day) and you need temperatures in excess of 800F to make a traditional Neapolitan pie (is there really any other?).

I've tried recipes from Alton Brown, Rose Levy Berenbaum, Cook's Illustrated, and several suggestions from the internet. This website has a recipe for pizza dough which takes two days to make. The author writes in extreme detail about every step of the process, up to how he rigged his oven to be able to cook pizzas on the self-cleaning cycle. He insists that good dough needs this kind of time to develop flavor and texture and I tend to agree with him. This leaves me an unfortunate conundrum, however.

I don't want to have to plan two days out to have a slice of homemade pizza. And I certainly don't want to disable the safety locks on my oven so that I can crank it to the extremes necessary for homemade Neapolitan pizza. But I do want that special combination of flavors and textures that you get in a good slice of pizza.

My inspiration for a solution came from making homemade matzo for a friend. Why not -- matzo, pizza, roti, pita -- they're all flatbreads anyway. I altered the aforementioned Rose Levy Berenbaum's recipe for matzo and baked it, topped with a light brushing of tomato sauce and thinly sliced mozzarella cheese. It doesn't produce Neapolitan pizza -- nowhere even close. It does, however, taste really good and can be done in a home oven without any problems.

"pizza" dough
2 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour (13.7 oz - King Arthur brand is my favorite)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (1.25 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
(optional -- up to 1 TB dried herbs or spices such as cracked black pepper, rosemary, or fennel)

Mix all ingredients together until all the flour is just moistened. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Knead by hand on a well floured surface for 1-2 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for an hour at room temperature.

At this point, the dough can be turned into pizza or placed in the refrigerator for up to three days. When you are ready to make pizza, place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat it to as hot as it gets (usually 500F) for an hour. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll two out very thinly. I like to use my pasta roller and take it to setting #4, but you can do it by hand with a rolling pin -- I have and it's turned out fine. The pasta roller gives you long sheets, but you can make circles by hand. Cover the remaining dough balls until you need them again.

Hopefully, you'll have already made:
-------------------------------------------
tomato sauce (adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes (I love Pomi brand -- it's only 26 oz, but that's fine.)
5 TB butter (yes, butter -- I was amazed at how good this made the sauce taste)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, pressed or very finely minced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Remove onion and do with it what you want (You might want to toss it, but I put it on a piece of Italian bread and inhaled it). If you like your sauce smooth, puree it in a blender or hit it with a stick blender until it's the consistency you like.

Serve most of it with pasta and lots of parmigiano cheese. Reserve about 1 cup for pizzas and chill.
-------------------------------------------
On a well-floured pizza peel, place your thin pieces of dough and very lightly brush with sauce (use a pastry brush if you have one). It should be about a tablespoon per pizza, if not even less.

Place a few pieces of thinly sliced (maybe 1/8 inch) fresh mozzarella (it slices easier if it's cold) onto the sauce and drizzle on extra virgin olive oil. All the while, you should be checking that your dough isn't sticking to the peel. If it is, you're working too slowly! Toss more flour under the dough so that it will slide off easily. Bake on the preheated stone for 4-6 minutes -- you should see the cheese melting and the dough make some bubbles that start to brown.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, top with whole basil leaves and eat. You could have rolled out more dough while your pizzas were baking -- just don't top them until just before you put them in the oven, or you'll have a tough time sliding them off the peel.

Enjoy this non-traditional take on pizza with lots of friends and a bottle of wine per person!

[recipe redone] date branana muffins

I have mentioned on numerous occasions that when I'm trying things out, I like to try the Cook's Illustrated version of a recipe first. The food always turns out good and usually gives me a good base for making my own tweaks. In fact, the narrative that comes before the recipe gives great insight into the decisions they made while developing their recipe. So if they say something like "we tried 8 TB butter but found it to be too rich" and you think the recipe could be richer, just use the 8 TB -- it'll still turn out. Baking is more scientific than other types of cooking, but it doesn't have to be as precise as some people would have you think.

Anyway, I digress...I wanted bran muffins last week for breakfast, so I made the Cook's Illustrated recipe entitled "Better Bran Muffins." Using Kellogg's All-Bran cereal instead of wheat bran was supposed to make it easier for people to make -- in their words, "We wanted a bran muffin that didn't require a trip to the health food store." The ingredient list was smaller than that of their "Best Bran Muffins" (and I had everything already) making the choice of "Better" over "Best" an easy one.

I have to say that it was just ok, though. I thought that they miscalculated something -- the muffins tasted soapy! Knowing that too much baking powder can do that to a baked good, I double-checked if I mis-measured...nope. The recipe called for a lot of baking powder -- 2 teaspoons by itself (to be counter-balanced by 1 3/4 cups yogurt). I decided that in my redo, I would reduce the soda by a 1/2 teaspoon and replace it with 2 teaspoons of baking powder, which has the same leavening capacity (1 soda:4 powder) but comes with enough acid to balance itself out. Also, I had one banana that was just about on its way out, so I subbed that for some of the yogurt. Finally, I had some chopped dried dates that I'd use instead of raisins.

The resulting muffins were, in my opinion, much better than the first go-around. Not soapy at all, tasting faintly of banana, and with little pockets of sweet dates to liven up the sometimes-boring bran, this muffin made my mouth happy for almost two weeks.

1 cup chopped dried dates
1 teaspoon water
2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal (5 ounces)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
3 tablespoons mild molasses (or light)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 1/4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine dates and water in small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until dates are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer dates to paper towel-lined plate to cool.

2. Process half of bran cereal in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk egg and yolk together in medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and mashed banana and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold dates into batter. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds.

4. Bake until muffins are dark golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

After they have cooled, muffins can be frozen in a zip-top bag and reheated whenever the mood strikes by using a microwave oven -- zap for 2 minutes at 20% power.

greek-inspired hamburgers

The Greeks have their own version of hamburgers -- depending on their shape, they're called kafta or bifteki and can be found at many Greek restaurants and diners. More like a miniature meatloaf because of the way they are handled (and the inclusion of eggs to bind), they don't really scream "hamburger" to me.

To me, a hamburger is made of some sort of ground meat (beef, lamb, pork, etc.) that is handled very gently and is seasoned on the outside only before being cooked, because kneading seasonings into it changes the texture of the meat (that meatloaf thing). When I was coming up with this recipe, I kept this in mind because I wanted that hamburger texture in addition to the Greek flavors.

I have made this burger with a variety of meats. While it works best with something that has a decent amount of fat (85/15 beef, lamb, or pork), the feta on the inside ensures a juicy burger with even 93/7 lean ground beef or ground turkey breast. Just be careful to handle the meat as gently as possible.

Greek-Inspired Hamburgers
makes four burgers

hamburger patty:
1 lb. ground meat (beef, lamb, pork, or turkey)
4 oz. feta cheese (crumbles or block, reduced fat will work too)

spice rub:
1 TB kosher salt
1/2 TB freshly ground black pepper
1/2 TB paprika (smoked is really good here)
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

If using block-style feta, cut into thin slivers.

Divide meat into 8 equally sized mounds and gently flatten into 1/4" thick circles. Place the slivered or crumbled feta onto four of the rounds (leaving about 1/4" border). Place the remaining rounds on top of the feta and seal the hamburger patty by pressing the edges together. Put a thumb-sized indentation in each burger to keep them from puffing up in the center while they cook.

Mix the ingredients for the spice rub and sprinkle liberally over both sides of the patties.

Grill over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on how you like your burger cooked. Even if you like your hamburger well-done, it will still be juicy from the feta embedded within.

I like to serve these with some thinly sliced cucumber, tomato, and spring greens that have been tossed in a small amount of Greek dressing on either a hamburger bun or inside of a toasted pita.

Enjoy!

"new" spices

I love to try spices out -- my cabinet bulges from the little one to two ounce packets that I buy from The Spice House in Chicago. Since my wife is from Chicago, when we last visited, I had an opportunity to stop by and sample things in their store. These spices aren't new to this world, mind you -- they are, however, relatively new to me.

One of the things that intrigued me most was smoked paprika. I had never been into paprika at all -- didn't really understand what it was for. Smoked paprika, though, is incredibly full of flavor and very versatile. I have used it in any dish that would lend itself to the addition of a smoky flavor. We tend to infuse smokiness by using smoked meats (pork, primarily). If you are a vegetarian (poor souls), that really isn't an option. Try using some smoked paprika instead! I used it in a recipe for black-eyed peas and it was delicious. No bits of meat, but the flavor was there. I've also started using it in homemade barbecue sauce (and rubs) -- instant smoke flavor without having to use "liquid smoke."

Another interesting spice was fennel pollen. I would describe it as a sweeter, more intense version of the traditional fennel seeds. I rubbed a chicken down with this, kosher salt, and olive oil and roasted it at 375 until the thigh read 170 F on a digital thermometer -- everyone raved and was taken by the subtleties of this spice. It's not as pungent as the seed, so food doesn't taste so much like Italian sausage. By baking it into a sweet treat (like biscotti), it brings out some totally different characteristics of the spice...it seemed to have an almost floral essence (which, I guess, is natural since it's pollen).

Do you have any interesting spices or recipes to share? As I use up my stash, I'll post more ideas for what to I've dome with these non-traditional (insofar as America goes) and "new-to-me" spices.

[recipe review] korean-style grilled flank steak

This recipe, from the July 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine, does a really nice job of bringing some simple flavors together to create a wonderful dinner salad that is satisfying, yet light.

First up: flank steak. This is a cut of beef that I really love. It is fairly lean, yet full of flavor. It can be tough if overcooked, but when cooked properly (no more than medium-rare) and sliced properly (thin and against the grain) it is juicy and tender -- requiring no more mastication than a NY strip.

The sauce consists of a mixture of several easy-to-find kitchen staples and Asian ingredients: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and Sriracha (Asian chile sauce). My local grocery store carries all of this stuff, save for the Sriracha. You can find it at Whole Foods or any Asian grocery.

Honestly, I had everything but the Sriracha and didn't feel like making a special trip so I used the same amount of Tabasco. It isn't a precise match, but brought the requisite heat to the sauce. Overall, the sauce seems salty until it is incorporated into the finished dish -- there, it serves to season the steak, rice, and lettuce and comes off as well-balanced and very tasty.

For the rice, I made sushi rice in my Zojirushi rice cooker, which always turns it out perfectly. Rather than make lettuce wraps, I used baby butter lettuce and made it more like a salad. The butter lettuce was a great choice -- it didn't wilt under the heat of the steak or rice and was mild in its flavor, providing a clean palette (along with the rice) for the steak and sauce to shine.

If you need a new way to cook a steak, I highly recommend this easy recipe.

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 to 1 1/4 pound flank steak
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Accompaniments: white rice; soft leaf lettuce

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, sugar, and sesame oil.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat.

Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce, then let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Serve with remaining sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings.

really good madeleines

If you've ever been seduced by a madeleine, you know that the little cookie-esque cake (or is it a cake-esque cookie?) is a tender, buttery pastry that pairs particularly well with a hot beverage. We know that M. Proust waxed poetic about its ethereal qualities, but he didn't leave anyone a recipe. Funnily, people have been chasing the Proustian madeleine for quite some time. I'm not claiming to have found "the" recipe. My only claim is to have added some tweaks to classic madeleine recipes that really jack up the flavor. By using roasted almonds and browned butter, this recipe goes for the flavor jugular -- producing aromas of caramel and spices that aren't in the recipe. If you don't have a madeleine pan, you can spoon the batter out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake it that way -- not quite madeleines, but tasty nonetheless.

1/3 cup whole roasted almonds*, ground fine
3 TB cake flour
3 TB all purpose flour
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
5 TB butter, browned and cooled**

* you can either buy roasted, unsalted almonds or roast your own in a 375 F for 10 minutes and allow to cool before grinding.
** heat butter in a saucepan over low heat until it begins to become very aromatic and you notice it changing color to a medium-brown -- dare to go as far into brown as you want, but be careful not to go too far...you'll end up with black butter!

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the ground almonds and flours in a small bowl and set aside.

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip eggs and yolks for 3-5 minutes, until they become very pale and begin to thicken. Add the sugar, salt, and extracts and beat for 3-5 minutes more -- the eggs should begin to form "ribbons" when you allow some to fall from the beaters back into the batter.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs and follow that with the browned butter, making sure everything is incorporated but be gentle -- don't go any further than necessary.

Spoon the batter into a prepared madeleine pan (use baking spray or butter then flour) and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then gently lift each out of the pan. Enjoy with some tea or -- my favorite -- with a double shot of espresso.

Makes 12 madeleines.

great american bake sale

I can still remember enjoying a cupcake or brownie at school bake sales or church carnivals. I never could decide which one to choose -- everything looks good to a five-year-old kid! I do recall having a soft spot for yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and that soft spot lasts still :-)

Anyway, one of the things that totally breaks my heart is knowing that there are hungry children and families -- especially when I have been blessed with such bountiful plates every day. Below is a snippet from the Share our Strength website. If you feel so moved, click on the icon in the upper-right part of this website to give a little -- it can go a long way toward making a difference!

Hunger is a Reality for over 12 million children in America.

While America doesn't have the kind of starvation that plagues victims of war and famine overseas, and makes for dramatic footage on the evening news, the evidence of significant hunger in our midst could not be more pervasive.

Because of hunger, there are children in America not growing as they should be. They are underweight, and often neurologically and developmentally delayed and impaired. Children who experience hunger get sick more often and have lower academic achievement than their well-fed peers. Many of these children are helped by federal feeding programs. Unfortunately, not all eligible children currently participate in these important programs, leaving them vulnerable to hunger during the summer and after school.

Nationally, 1 in 6 American children live in homes at risk of hunger. Many of these children are helped by federal and state feeding programs, but there remains gaps in their eating during the summer and after school.

Grants from Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale support local organizations that provide children with the nutritious meals they need during the summer and after school.

Together We Can End This

With your help, we can end childhood hunger in America. We want to continue strengthening our communities and working to end childhood hunger in America, but we need your help.

american vs. british chocolate bars

Here's a link to an article in the NY Times about the differences between some candy bars made in the UK and the States. Having eaten a massive amount of the British version of a Cadbury Dairy Milk (thank you Ben Smith!), I can attest that it is indescribably better than its US counterpart.

My favorite chocolate is still Callebaut (from Belgium), but I can only get it in one pound bricks (or larger). This isn't so bad of a problem, save for the fact that I manage to eat the entire pound of it in a day or so. Their milk chocolate has an almost caramel-like undertone that is incredible melted into a ganache and served over vanilla ice cream.

As far as American chocolate goes, no one beats Scharffen-Berger, which has become widely available at Whole Foods or Fresh Market. If you're ever in the San Francisco area, be sure to stop by their factory for a tour and -- even better -- a chocolate tasting!

[video] my next food network star submission video

click image for high-resolution version
click here for low-resolution version

If you'd like to give the video a "thumbs-up," here is a link to the MySpace location.

[video] golden raisin & fennel bread

click image for high-resolution version
click here for low-resolution version

This is my first video - hooray! It is, in my estimation, "ok" -- but you have to understand that this was a one-man show -- I did every bit of this on my own. Anyway, it was a time-consuming recipe to tackle on the first try. I'm probably going to do something quicker for the next one!

By the way, the bread really is good. If you have the time, I'd suggest giving it a try...

16 oz. bread flour (divided) (about 3 1/3 cups)
1 tsp. active dry yeast (divided)
2 tsp. honey
16 oz. water (divided)
1/2 c. golden raisins
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 TB fennel seeds
olive oil for greasing the proofing bowl

In a bowl, combine 5 oz. (about 1 cup) bread flour, 2 teaspoons of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and 10 oz. water. Whisk to combine, cover with plastic, and place in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

Combine the raisins and the remaining 6 oz. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Place in the refrigerator along with the pre-ferment.

After 12 hours, remove the pre-ferment from the fridge and combine with the remaining flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes or until it is just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Add the salt and turn the mixer to medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer). Knead for 8-10 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and knead until they are thoroughly mixed in.

Place the dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free area for about an hour and a half (dough should double in size). After the dough proofs, pull it out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough with your knuckles until it is about a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Drain the raisins well and scatter them over the flattened dough. Make a tri-fold in the dough (like folding a letter) and then do it again. Cover the dough with a dampened kitchen towel and let it rest for ten minutes.

Shape the rested dough into a ball and gently roll it on the counter between your palms until it gets smooth and taut. Place it on a piece of parchment, cover with a moistened towel, and let it rise again for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F with a pizza stone or an unglazed Mexican quarry tile set on the middle rack. After the dough has finished proofing, spritz or brush is with water and slash a square into the top with a sharp knife.

Place the dough (still on the parchment) onto the preheated stone. Bake it for 50-55 minutes. It will be very brown and crisp. Let it rest on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it and serving with butter or olive oil.

videos coming soon!

The newest feature of the zen kitchen will be some cooking webisodes.  I'm sure that they'll start off bad and eventually graduate to mediocre -- I'm hoping to get to "ok" by the end of the year :-)

They'll be quick and feature one recipe.  I'm toying with the idea of taping in high def, but we'll see if storage begins to get tight.

Anyway, check back soon for the first one!

wine jelly

Ever get a crappy bottle of wine as a gift? I'm not a wine snob, but even I hesitate to drink the stuff in jugs. So what do you do? Most people wouldn't advise cooking with it, as whatever makes that wine bad to begin with just gets more concentrated on cooking. There is a solution, however -- wine jelly. The vast amounts of sugar required by the jelly-making process turn wretched wine into just-fine jelly. I have tried making this jelly with drinkable wine (Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Jacob's Creek Merlot) and it has turned out well, but not that much better than with 2 Buck Chuck. If you've never made jelly before, this isn't where you're going to learn all of the finer details of home preservation. There are plenty of websites for that. What you're getting here is the recipe for what goes into the mason jars. So here it is:

1 750 ml bottle of wine (have fun with this)
Enough lemon juice to make 4 cups of liquid (about 1/2 cup)
1 packet of dry pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar (31.5 oz by weight)

Combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam off top, if necessary.

Ladle hot jelly into 7 hot, sterilized, half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Tighten 2 piece lids. Process for 6 minutes in boiling water bath. Allow jars to cool. If any of the lids didn't vacuum-seal, use those jars first (and refrigerate -- they haven't been properly preserved).

Some interesting variations: make a mulled wine jelly by adding in a cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg to a fruity red -- strain out before pouring into jars. Add chopped candied ginger to a white wine to make ginger-wine jelly. Add fresh herbs of your choice to a white wine for a refreshing combination. Add them during the last minute and strain out before pouring into jars. Despite how weird it sounds, the herbs add a touch of elegance. Try basil or sage with chardonnay and use it as a glaze on pork or chicken.

one-skillet, self-saucing pasta

I tried a neat recipe from Cooks' Illustrated that included some instructions for cooking chicken, pasta, and broccoli all in the same pot. Rather than using different pans to steam broccoli, sautee chicken, and boil pasta, you use one 12-inch skillet to accomplish all three things.

Essentially, you boil the pasta in just enough water to cook it with a little left over to build a sauce. The leftover water is very starchy, so it is a great binder for the sauce. The chicken is sauteed before and the broccoli is added toward the end so that it is steamed for just the right amount of time.

It got me thinking...could this technique be applied to any type of pasta dish? The answer is "it depends." After a bunch of tests, I've found that it works best with larger tube-shaped pastas (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.) and not at all with spaghetti or other thin noodles. The other caveat it that it works with up to half a pound of pasta. More than that and the ratios are a little off. Plus, the shape of the pan needed to hold more than that is more "stockpot" than "skillet" and you don't evaporate enough of the water away.

Here's a recipe I came up with using this technique. 8 ounces of pasta is enough for two as a main or 4 as a side. The recipe can be halved (use a 10-inch skillet), but attempts to double have proven difficult.

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
small pinch of dried italian herbs
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. tube-shaped pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 oz. grated Italian cheese of your choice (parmesan, romano, or asiago work great)

1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Sauté the garlic in the oil for no more than 30 seconds. Toss in the herbs for a few seconds before adding the water and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the pasta and stir. Boil for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the macaroni from sticking to each other. You're looking for just a bit of water left -- the pasta should be al dente and have used up most of the cooking liquid.

3. Add the cream and grated cheese and stir until combined. Garnish with chopped parsley right before serving.

Variations: For a pink sauce, add 1 TB tomato paste (I like Amore brand in a tube -- you don't have to open a whole can every time you want to use a bit) to the water and broth. Proceed as directed. There are tons of last-second additions that work: halved grape tomatoes, julienned fresh basil, 1/2 inch chunks of mozzarella, frozen peas -- use your imagination!

european-style cultured butter

Having read about the more complex flavor and health benefits of cultured butter, I decided to look into making some for myself. Researching the subject sent me in two directions. Most authentic: purchase live and active cultures (bacteria) and add it to fresh cream. Allow to "culture" and churn into butter.

Easier option in my town: add a small container of yogurt containing "live and active cultures" to cream and allow to culture. I found Erivan brand to be exceedingly tangy and claiming to have excessive live and active acidophilus bacteria. It seemed to do the trick.

I took a quart of pasteurized organic heavy cream and mixed it with an 8 ounce container of yogurt in a large, sterilized (by boiling water) glass bowl. I left it in my microwave (covered in plastic wrap) for almost 12 hours before refrigerating it. It was noticeably thicker.

After it had chilled for the better part of a work day (about 8 hours) I whipped it in my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment. It quickly turned into soft whipped cream. I continued to whip it until it reached the stiff cream stage. At this point, I mistakenly thought I had made butter, as it was so thick. However, I turned away from the mixer for a second, only to be surprised to find chunks of yellow fat floating in milk when I looked back. That was butter!

I clumped it all together and kneaded it over clean paper towels until all of the liquid had been squeezed out. I then fit as much of it as I could into a 2 cup mason jar and sealed it. I ate the remainder with some sourdough bread. 4 cups of cream (plus the cup of yogurt) managed to make almost 3 cups of butter.

If you like salted butter, I don't know what to tell you -- I think that commercial butter has something like 1/4 teaspoon per stick, so this batch would require 1 1/2 teaspoons of table salt. Your guess is as good as mine as to when to introduce it, although I think just before churning would be best. Earlier and you might kill the essential bacteria required to culture the cream.

The result was absolutely fantastic. The butter was mildly tangy and had a great texture. I'll probably make it often. I'm going to try making shortbread with some of it to see how it holds up in baking.

fudge drops

This recipe is for Pam LaRue, the bookkeeper at my school for the first several years I worked there. It was because of her that I even got the job -- my boss thought he had seen enough résumés before Pam caught mine on the top of the fax machine and insisted that he call me in. As fate would have it, he called and I ended up getting the job.

Here I am, five years later (!) and I have to say goodbye to Pam as she and her husband are retiring to North Carolina. Best of luck to you both! Enjoy these treats -- I dedicate them to you :-)

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons espresso powder (Medaglia d'Oro brand is a good choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt the chocolate and butter together (double boiler or microwave). Stir until well melted.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, baking powder and salt, then stir into melted chocolate, mixing well.

Stir in the flour. Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken; it should be the consistency of thick cake batter.

Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the tops are shiny and cracked. You want them to bake all the way through but just barely; additional baking time will make them cakey and not fudgy.

Remove cookies from oven, slide parchment onto counter (with cookies still attached) and wait for cookies to cool (the cookies come off easier once they're cool). Repeat until all batter is used.

Makes approximately 24 cookies.

chocolate-cherry-almond cookies

I have tried lots of recipes for chocolate chip cookies over the years -- first, of course, was straight off the Nestlé bag. I think I was 8 or 9 when I tried it and the taste of home-baked cookies turned me into an addict. Now that I'm all "growed up" I prefer a little more complicated cookie. After toying with combinations of add-ins for a chocolate chip cookie, I settled on almonds and sour cherries as perfect foils to the sweetness provided by the cookie and chocolate. This is a chewy cookie -- no crisp chocolate chip cookies in my house! The secret to their chewiness is pulling them out of the oven while they look underdone -- slightly browned around the edges but not yet done in the middle.

12 TB unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cups sugar (10 ounces)
1/4 cup light corn syrup (2.5 ounces)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (9.5 ounces)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp table salt OR 1 tsp kosher salt (less even distribution of salt gives the cookies a neat effect)
1 cup slivered almonds (4 ounces)
1 cup dried sour cherries (5 ounces)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips/chunks (I use a mixture of milk and semi-sweet) (9 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream butter, sugar, and corn syrup until fluffy and noticeable lighter in color. Beat in the egg and the extracts.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to ensure even distribution. Add dry ingredients to creamed butter and mix on low until fully incorporated.

Stir in the chunky stuff (nuts, chocolate, cherries) on low speed (or by hand) until evenly distributed.

Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop (regular size - these are big cookies) to dish out 6 mounds onto a parchment covered half-sheet pan. Flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers and bake for 12-14 minutes. Remember to err on the side of underdone.

When the cookies are done baking, slide the parchment off the pan (cookies still attached) and let the cookies cool on the counter. Use new parchment for the next batch. Once the cookies have cooled, they peel off easily. This recipe makes 16 big cookies. If you like, you can use a tablespoon-sized disher and get about 3 dozen cookies -- just don't flatten them. They'll take 11-13 minutes to bake. I like the bigger ones because this cookie is so chunky.

maple cornbread

This is for my sister, who wanted a dense, un-crumbly cornbread similar to what you can get at Boston Market. Here's hoping this lives up to it!

PS - A thousand apologies to all of my southern friends who would scoff at the idea of sweetened cornbread :-)

1 cup (4.25 ounces) unbleached AP flour
1 cup (4.75 ounces) yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1/4 cup (2.75 ounces) real maple syrup
4 TB butter, melted
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease an 8x8 square or 9" round baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid to the dry and fold until just thoroughly combined. Do not overmix!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

chicken marsala

This was a request from my friend Ben. It is really easy and tastes great. You'll get tons of compliments. Serve it with veggies and roasted potatoes or on top of spaghetti tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese (the good stuff, please -- no green cans). This recipe comes courtesy of Cooks' Illustrated Magazine. If you have never checked out that magazine, you should -- it is a wonderful resource.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
table salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), cut into pieces 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide
8 ounces white mushrooms , sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium clove garlic , minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups marsala wine (sweet)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, softened
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Pat chicken breasts dry. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour. Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside. Add oil to hot skillet and heat until shimmering. Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven.

2. Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel--lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta; sauté while stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add Marsala; return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.