tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32859226009563102342023-11-16T07:30:20.449-05:00Hungry GhostAn underground restaurant, musings about food science, a documentary of an auto-didactic cook.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-11693724108974053152012-09-01T00:48:00.002-04:002012-09-01T00:48:38.778-04:00I will not abandon this blogWow...It has been a long time since I wrote anything. What a slacker I am, right?<br />
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Wrong.<br />
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So much has happened. Shortly after my last post, I walked into the kitchen of one of Charlotte, NC's fine dining restaurants and asked to work for free. Six months later, I'm on salary and helping to run the kitchen. <br />
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I took a break from the restaurant 4 months in and toured Europe and Israel this summer. I ate ridiculous food that inspired me. I cooked a little (I had loads of fun finding ways to get a friend's daughters help me prepare meals). <br />
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In any case, this post has little substance except for a promise not to abandon it. I need an outlet. The pressure of cooking professionally has been intense, so letting out some frustrations and sketching ideas should help. And, even if I don't have as much time to put my ideas into practice or to practice the ideas of the masters, I won't abandon this blog; I want it to be a helpful tool.<br />
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...<br />
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So, I'll try to write something at least a few times a week. Could be a new recipe, an experiment, a copy, scenes from the kitchen, self-doubts (there are many) or encouragement (also many of these).Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-3503560958929116782012-02-12T21:59:00.000-05:002012-02-12T21:59:38.147-05:00Dinner 02-12-2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Monkfish was being sold at the grocery story. That meant opportunity to try this (as it turns out) slightly sweet, mild, and meaty fish. Not knowing about it, I turned to Thomas Keller for guidance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnEAx0e6V0ViOWvKTz1oxjUwz7ki8_LXUvjBRxpiiQi32AJk1AUdozxE9PQhUo7nzsG-yGfu9JwgqT4l6VXTAvOY6N1DhiS1r33hRo2umdFO3hy2JPPXkhNRmWpFBE5CTTzYIiEivXHKF/s1600/DSC_1066.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnEAx0e6V0ViOWvKTz1oxjUwz7ki8_LXUvjBRxpiiQi32AJk1AUdozxE9PQhUo7nzsG-yGfu9JwgqT4l6VXTAvOY6N1DhiS1r33hRo2umdFO3hy2JPPXkhNRmWpFBE5CTTzYIiEivXHKF/s400/DSC_1066.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The French Laundry Cookbook has a dish pairing the fish with a braised beef cut (oxtails). Wow...fish and a rich braise. This must be some fish, I thought. Sure enough, it really holds its ground and pairs well with the sauce. A lot of earthy flavors in this dish, with the salsify (another new ingredient for me), and porcini mushrooms. All in all, pretty easy to do, and worth the effort since I had a lot of sauce left over and enough fish for a second meal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj6Wh5zZi7HRpE4jPSNTiLSWEMOt9Z2LHSniboSe_9BwVNPqF3O4uPv9g0O73IDOBkwpjtarvuPCypfygl9aYA_7X3z8wpoh74kFQ8lzCN9f0dNDsj-MoDnzcOddE1TO593PDxczrwArf/s1600/DSC_1067.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj6Wh5zZi7HRpE4jPSNTiLSWEMOt9Z2LHSniboSe_9BwVNPqF3O4uPv9g0O73IDOBkwpjtarvuPCypfygl9aYA_7X3z8wpoh74kFQ8lzCN9f0dNDsj-MoDnzcOddE1TO593PDxczrwArf/s400/DSC_1067.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also have been trying to play with sugar decor. I haven't gotten the results that I wanted (not pictured), but I did something simple, which you can see above. This is simply a caramel drizzled onto a silpat in a pattern and then folded over on itself.<br />
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I whipped up a simple chocolate cookie wafer and had some pistachio gelato in the freezer, which I framed with the caramel decoration. Fun stuff.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-71759670900271403892012-02-12T21:49:00.002-05:002012-02-12T21:49:41.986-05:00Marshmallows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3BhwjYxbvFoKN8HZPEl9M5Ma3gSNykHGruvUZGHr6RsGvjJMKeVMfWm-jhGqPPAS_KzkuBuv7gUJTA6-Bm5D4DDFwHKYywf-FyaRhqbhaUy4S9h7vgxsEmGznxGp1p8YHaV-n0iN3z_W/s1600/DSC_1078.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3BhwjYxbvFoKN8HZPEl9M5Ma3gSNykHGruvUZGHr6RsGvjJMKeVMfWm-jhGqPPAS_KzkuBuv7gUJTA6-Bm5D4DDFwHKYywf-FyaRhqbhaUy4S9h7vgxsEmGznxGp1p8YHaV-n0iN3z_W/s400/DSC_1078.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Making use of gelatin. 100 grams Sugar and 30 grams corn syrup melted with 15 ml water and 6 grams of gelatin. Then whipped until fluffy and dusted with powdered sugar and corn starch.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-20845087425450528382012-02-12T12:34:00.001-05:002012-02-12T12:34:49.791-05:00Gelatin Conversion FactorsOne of the things I'm frequently having to do is figure out how much gelatin to use to get some effect. Complicating this is that gelatin comes in different bloom strengths, which correspond to their setting power. Many recipes implicitly are based on "silver" strength gelatin. I believe the powdered stuff you can get in the grocery store is silver gelatin.<br />
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If you have a gelatin of a certain strength and need to know how much to multiply the amount in a recipe calling for a different strength, you need to use a little formula to convert:</div>
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M_b = M_a * (B_a/B_b)</div>
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Where M represents mass, B is bloom strength, the b subscript the bloom strength you want to convert to and a subscript the one you are called to use.</div>
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To simplify this, I made a table of conversion factors, since the ratio of bloom strengths doesn't change, but the masses do. To use this table, multiply the mass of the original amount of gelatin by the conversion factors below to get the mass of the gelatin you want to use. First, choose the row. This is the strength of gelatin you want to convert from. Then, go right across the columns to find the gelatin strength you're converting to.</div>
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<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="5" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="143"></col><col width="125"></col><col width="124"></col><col width="125"></col><col width="124"></col></colgroup>
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<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="143"><i>Name (Bloom)</i></td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="125">Bronze (125-155)</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="124">Silver (160)</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="125">Gold (190-220)</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000;" width="124">Platinum (235-265)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="29" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="MIDDLE">Bronze (125-155)</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">--</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.96" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.96</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.65" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.65</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.53</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="30" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="MIDDLE">Silver (160)</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.28" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.28</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">--</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.84" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.84</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.68" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.68</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="28" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="MIDDLE">Gold (190-220)</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.52" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.52</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.18" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.18</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">--</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.81" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">0.81</td>
</tr>
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<td align="LEFT" height="29" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="MIDDLE">Platinum (235-265)</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.88" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.88</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.47" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.47</td>
<td align="CENTER" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.2</td>
<td align="CENTER" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">--</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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For example, suppose I have a recipe calling for 21 grams of Platinum strength gelatin, but I have Silver strength. To find out how much gelatin I need, I find platinum on the left most column, then I move across the table to find silver. The gelatin conversion factor is 1.47. Amount I need is equal to 1.47 times 21. I need 30 grams of silver strength gelatin.</div>
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Occasionally you'll see the bloom strength given directly. Then you can use the formula above.</div>
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Also, you may see sheets of gelatin rather than weights. In this case, use the table below to calculate the amount of gelatin per sheet.</div>
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<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="2" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="126"></col><col width="110"></col></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="126">Strength</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="110"> g/sheet</td>
</tr>
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<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Bronze (125-155)</td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;" sdval="3.3" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">3.3</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Silver (160)</td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2.5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2.5</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Gold (190-220)</td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Platinum (235-265)</td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.7" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.7</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
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I'd like to thank Martin Lersch of khymos.org for publishing a guide to hydrocolloids. Please visit his site.</div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-15797278870721628942012-02-07T21:27:00.001-05:002012-02-07T21:27:56.938-05:00Prune, Blue Cheese, Preserved Meyer Lemon<br />
While working with the blue cheese, I thought I felt something "pruney" about it. I happened to have a jar of prune juice waiting for use. <br />
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I mixed 250 grams prune juice with a 100 gram simple syrup and 8 grams of methylcellulose (F450). One of methylcelluloses' neat tricks is that you can make heat stable foams out of them, which I did. You simply whip as you would if you were making a meringue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVccyudLucFinsu8yXclnVTQUuJwjHc0jcKTaA_gcPBI9a7fyWKg3-OWjRkz0GOlyF1hqcpLWDMvtw2IZd8T1w1LDAKgW97-wo4xEtzRdhtJLawjsNrKD-HIRIsEgZQgOhdfSsehgynJbZ/s1600/DSC_1022.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVccyudLucFinsu8yXclnVTQUuJwjHc0jcKTaA_gcPBI9a7fyWKg3-OWjRkz0GOlyF1hqcpLWDMvtw2IZd8T1w1LDAKgW97-wo4xEtzRdhtJLawjsNrKD-HIRIsEgZQgOhdfSsehgynJbZ/s400/DSC_1022.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I then dehydrated piped puffs of MC-prune juice mixture until they were crispy.<br />
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To incorporate the blue cheese, I used the left over Carrageenan mixture from the toasted walnut oil experiment (see previous pictures). One of kappa carrageenan's neat properties is that it will release its liquid when agitated (syneresis). So, I blended my left over blue cheese custard, pressed through a chinois twice, and and filled the prune juice puffs with a smooth "blue cheese pudding"<br />
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To add another dimension I broke into one of my jars of preserved meyer lemons and sliced a piece thinly.<br />
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You get a burst of intense salty-citrus flavor right off the bat. This seems to come from nowhere, as though it burst through out of nothingness. Then, crispy crunching and sweetness from the prune, which disappears very quickly. This disappearing act is one of the nice features of the methylcellulose "meringues." And slowly mingling and then shining through is the piquancy and saltiness of the blue cheese.<br />
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A nice experience, and sure to be refined in the future. Any ideas?<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-92028941991930107432012-02-05T17:24:00.002-05:002012-02-05T17:29:33.430-05:00Walnut Oil and Danish BlueI spent part of today working on an idea that came to me while falling asleep last night. This is destined to be a component rather than a main ingredient. Its hard to recall exactly the train of thought, but I was thinking about yogurt covered raisins at first.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTDINFZBEBMEbgxuUBr93Bn2eQ9oi8mgJWLXttGJSWdH3hW709j4O-lGP-ezj4weS0AC2Em3hKqPjyOKeyWV7XrBCBxCoOz5GaKpT2ne8pLuJTRs82kVrChlDlr1fhverIuuemk3SiUXe/s1600/DSC_1017.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTDINFZBEBMEbgxuUBr93Bn2eQ9oi8mgJWLXttGJSWdH3hW709j4O-lGP-ezj4weS0AC2Em3hKqPjyOKeyWV7XrBCBxCoOz5GaKpT2ne8pLuJTRs82kVrChlDlr1fhverIuuemk3SiUXe/s400/DSC_1017.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In my first attempt I used the following proportions:<br />
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Walnut Oil Pebbles:Tapioca Maltodextrin at 100:24<br />
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Milk:Blue Cheese:Kappa Carrageenan at 100:20:1<br />
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There were two problems I needed to deal with. First, the walnut oil pebbles did not crisp in the pan, but would stick and lose outer layers of malto. Second, when coated with the blue cheese mixture, the malto balls would simply release the oil and melt away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1HkIJ0Qooa5hmK-YDxxJoC22h7iAyj6_pRDJ9rsXRfpnf9fQXeXjB5BPWPfc9Gmvd9eCMBzpY8EFgGP25PucCbYM2S0IhQ0r7j2llg2_Rs4UljoLPXvC8gCvdwjot0XlCXhhDUoa6Tni/s1600/DSC_1019.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1HkIJ0Qooa5hmK-YDxxJoC22h7iAyj6_pRDJ9rsXRfpnf9fQXeXjB5BPWPfc9Gmvd9eCMBzpY8EFgGP25PucCbYM2S0IhQ0r7j2llg2_Rs4UljoLPXvC8gCvdwjot0XlCXhhDUoa6Tni/s400/DSC_1019.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I tried increasing the ratio malto to 40%. This worked much better when heating the malto balls. They held together much nicer, and started to brown a bit. I'm still having trouble getting a blue cheese coating, however, since the malto would absorb the extra liquid before the kappa had a chance to set.<br />
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Ok, maybe I need to make the malto balls crispier by heating over higher heat. This seemed to form a protective shell around the balls. This worked a little better. <br />
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Still more playing needs to be done. I'd like a firmer set, so I may mix in iota carrageenan and/or locust bean gum. Also, I don't like handling the malto balls because they're quite fragile, so I think I'll try to crisp them in a hot oven next time.<br />
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The ratio in the end was this, which still needs to be tinkered with:<br />
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Walnut Oil:Tapioca Maltodextrin at 100:40<br />
Milk:Blue Cheese:Carrageenan (Kappa:Iota):Locust Bean Gum at 100:10:1 (50:50):1<br />
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Tasting notes: the crispy exterior of the maltodextrin gave way to a creamy toasted walnut flavor. Of course this works well with blue cheese, which was only hinted at, but that should be able to be rectified in future iterations of this.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-91416895766163946492012-02-05T12:36:00.001-05:002012-02-05T12:36:10.769-05:00Bagels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When we lived in Houston, we had the fortune of living around the corner from a great little (I do mean little) bagel shop. They made bagels fresh every day, and many days the line would double over itself and go out the door. Standing room only. </div>
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Well, since we moved to the Davidson/Charlotte area we haven't had really good bagels. As with many things these days, I thought, "why not make them myself?" The recipe came from the CIA's textbook, so that's handy<br />
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A jar of diastatic malt syrup (diastase enzymes FTW), and a quick trip to the grocery store for garnishes got me all set to go.<br />
<br />Bagels are garnished with minced onion & garlic, salt, sesame seed, fennel seed, caraway seed, and poppy seed.
With smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion, capers, and cream cheese.<div>
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<br /></div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-6998642701986755982012-02-05T12:22:00.002-05:002012-02-05T12:23:10.775-05:00Coq au Vin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another post involving a braise. This time its the classic Coq au Vin. Braises are great because they create a warming rich sauce packed with flavor. This one has wine and stock as its base. I'm not going to say much about this because there are 1001 recipes online.</div>
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My chicken was served with potato puree (just how much butter can YOU pack into a pound of potatoes?), halved baby carrots, and haricots vert, both blanched in salted water, and sauteed mushrooms.</div>
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The only thing I'll mention is that I was happy with my technique on this one. Fluting mushrooms is much easier. Also, I'm always happy when vegetables are cooked properly. I hate under/over cooked veggies. I don't know why, but it really makes me sad to see poorly cooked veg.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvjREwNg6Uh2K_dbqvSHHoawWiQOSSgqpC3kzGaQCAzL3uumzCw1neg9mcTsZcr0rlpTMUYYQ7YSCZtG614xlgx8Vc5ecFg-QMRfwWXFIuplRIhhUzDarsdth_NWvraz8xquJFjFhpcNu/s1600/DSC_0984.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvjREwNg6Uh2K_dbqvSHHoawWiQOSSgqpC3kzGaQCAzL3uumzCw1neg9mcTsZcr0rlpTMUYYQ7YSCZtG614xlgx8Vc5ecFg-QMRfwWXFIuplRIhhUzDarsdth_NWvraz8xquJFjFhpcNu/s400/DSC_0984.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-37766535767898195892012-02-05T12:04:00.000-05:002012-02-05T12:14:33.203-05:00Dinner 01-20-2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Roasted beet salad, marinated in grapefruit juice and red wine vinegar, with chopped tarragon, chives, shaved red onion, and a drizzle of olive oil. Sweet and refreshing as always. </div>
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I think braising is my favorite technique. Makes a great sauce, and tenderizes cheap, tough cuts of meat. Beef short ribs pan seared then braised. Braising liquid starts with sweated bell pepper, jalepeno, onions, garlic. Then added san marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cups of strong coffee. Sauce is finished with a cup of unsweetened chocolate. Garnished with chopped cilantro.<br />
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This dish was great. I like things that really concentrate their effects on the nose rather than fooling you into thinking tastes are on the palate. The coffee and chocolate give this dish a mysterious aroma that pairs extremely well with the browned meat. The red bell pepper you don't taste directly, but I think it adds a very subtle sweet highlight, which accentuates the chocolate aroma. The cilantro and jalapeno give this dish an earthy/spicy balance.<br />
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Gateaux aux amandes. So tender and light in texture. Elegant flavor of almond. Served with a spoonful of a strawberry-rhubarb compote like thing, and whipped cream (siphon method).</div>
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<br /></div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-11201667726400571392012-02-05T11:49:00.003-05:002012-02-05T11:49:57.212-05:00Merveilleux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I do love to make (and eat, of course) desserts.</div>
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<br />Merveilleux, a French confection. Two sweet meringue cookies with a layer of chocolate mousse, then covered with vanilla flavored whipped cream and shavings of chocolate.<div>
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Start by forming a french meringue. I used two egg whites, a quarter teaspoon of citric acid, and about 200 grams of sugar. In the mixer, I whipped the eggs and acid to a froth, then added the sugar all at once. I then let the mixer go on high speed until stiff peaks. Once the meringue reaches the right consistency, I put it into a piping back with a 1 cm plain tip. </div>
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The whipped cream is made in similar fashion, but no acid. I put a cup of heavy cream with a half teaspoon of vanilla extract and maybe a third of a cup of sugar. I let this whip until stiff peaks as well.</div>
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The chocolate mousse I made by melting chocolate in a steel bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. I added some cream and whipped like mad over an ice bath. </div>
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Now that the components are made, time to bake. The meringues were piped into 4 cm disks on parchment paper and baked at 195 F (90 C) for 1 hour, then 185 F (85 C) for another hour. I cut one open to make sure the centers were baked through. If not (mine were not since I made them a little thick), bake for 10-20 minutes more. Let cool completely<br /><br />
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To finish, I spread chocolate mousse on one disk and placed another disk on top. I covered the meringue sandwich with whipped cream using an offset spatula. Finally, roll in chocolate shavings. </div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-41542926153948763742012-01-30T11:07:00.000-05:002012-01-30T11:07:01.342-05:00StrivingSometimes inspiration comes from areas far outside one's area of study (in my mind we are all students in one way or another). I just wanted to share a couple of things that have been on my mind.<br />
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First, a post from <a href="http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/professionalism/">The Incidental Economist</a> on what it means to be a professional (something I've thought about as I try to reconcile multiple definitions of the term "chef"):<br />
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My views on professionalism are highly influenced by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4906574289/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theinciecon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=4906574289" style="color: blue;">Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go</a>, by Toshiro Kageyama (1978). Kageyama was a professional Go player who reached 7-dan in 1977.</div>
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Each spring sees the opening of another baseball season. This is one of my favorite spectator sports, but every year there is one thing that bothers me about it. That is the way that semi-professional, university, and sometimes even high-school stars enter the [Japanese] professional leagues and immediately display a skill that puts their veteran teammates to shame. There hardly seems to be any difference at all between amateurs and professionals. Amateurs play for pure enjoyment, while professionals play to make a living. The difference between them ought to be much greater.</div>
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In every confrontation with a real American professional team it seems that what we need to learn from them, besides their technique of course, is how uniformly faithful their players are to the fundamentals. Faithfulness to fundamentals seems to be a common thread linking professionalism in all areas. If we consider the American professionals as the real professionals in baseball [circa 1978], then I think we have to consider their Japanese counterparts, who tend to pass over the fundamentals, as nothing more than advanced amateurs.</div>
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The reason for the lack of polish in Japanese baseball is probably just the short history it has in this country. [...] I feel certain that no racial physical inferiority consigns us to second place. [...]</div>
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A professional has undergone elite training in competition from childhood; [...] His mental, physical, and emotional strength all have to be fully developed. If he lets up anywhere, it will show in his performance. [...]</div>
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No professional regrets the time he has to spend studying. [...]</div>
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Professionals do this unquestioningly. Even a gemstone has to be polished. ‘A man is always moving either forward or backward,’ says Kano, 9-dan. ‘He never stands still.’ [...]</div>
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[T]he fundamentals have to be handled subconsciously. For example, if you watch the way a star infielder moves in baseball, you will observe that no matter how difficult the bounce or how hard the line drive, he meets it frontally, faithfully following the fundamentals. The ball comes at him in a fraction of a second. The question is not how well he understands the fundamentals intellectually, but whether or not his body can respond instantly. What you are seeing is the result of long days of practice and effort. [...]</div>
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You have to soak up the fundamentals as you practice on your own, studying them until they become part of your very being. If the fundamentals do not operate subconsciously [...] you have not mastered them yet.</div>
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And so it is, in baseball, Go, and all things. I think of these words often when I observe the pinnacle of performance in any field and when I see amateurs striving for professional-level performance.</div>
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Second, a post from <a href="http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2012/01/30/rule-of-the-last-inch/">John Cook</a>, a programmer based in Houston (I think):<br />
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From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061479012/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theende-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0061479012" style="color: #2361a1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The First Circle</a> by Alexander Solzhenitsyn:</div>
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Now listen to the rule of the last inch. The realm of the last inch. The job is almost finished, the goal almost attained, everything possible seems to have been achieved, every difficulty overcome — and yet the quality is just not there. The work needs more finish, perhaps further research. In that moment of weariness and self-satisfaction, the temptation is greatest to give up, not to strive for the peak of quality. That’s the realm of the last inch — here, the work is very, very complex, but it’s also particularly valuable because it’s done with the most perfect means. The rule of the last inch is simply this — not to leave it undone. And not to put it off — because otherwise your mind loses touch with that realm. And not to mind how much time you spend on it, because the aim is not to finish the job quickly, but to reach perfection.</div>
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Via <a href="http://sue-still-i-am-one.blogspot.com/2012/01/rule-of-last-inch.html" style="color: #2361a1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Still I Am One</a></div>
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It can be hard to know when something deserves the kind of polish Solzhenitsyn talks about. Sometimes you’re in the realm of rapidly diminishing return and it’s time to move on. Other times, the finishing touches are everything.</div>
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I like both of these posts because they deal with something I struggle with daily and seem to fit nicely together. At the start of any endeavor, you must struggle with the fundamentals by learning to accomplish the most basic tasks with excellence. You also must push your boundaries and get that extra 1-3% of refinement. That extra push at the end that is referred to in John Cook's post is a moving target. As a novice you learn fundamentals and the last inch is about something different than if you're Thomas Keller and at the top of the game. While the same terms may apply (finesse, refinement, ???), the first post addresses that it isn't until that last inch towards unconscious skill at a task is achieved that you have a new last inch to push towards.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-5299592358446473192012-01-30T10:36:00.001-05:002012-01-30T10:47:36.280-05:00Olive Oil Gel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It has been a while since I've written anything in this space. It isn't that I've been completely inactive, just lazy about updating the blog. There is some catching up to do. Regular posting commences...now.</div>
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One of the things I'm committing to is work on creating new dishes. To this end, I started a tastes diary of sorts where I write down ideas for things that I come across by accident (soy sauce/toasted walnut oil, granny smith apple/roasted garlic/white chocolate...etc.) and tastes I enjoy in dishes I've attempted.</div>
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As a further step in this development is learning to create new textures and flavor combinations with techniques I have learned. That is what is below, as a test. </div>
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I took some olive oil and made a gel out of it. This isn't an invention of mine, but something I wanted to add to my repertoire. It is really quite easy, if you've made gelatin before. I made a couple of shapes. First were cubes, which I think mimic croutons. Second, I made a thin sheet, which I then cut up into strips and rolled. </div>
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The manipulation of ingredients into different textures and shapes often brings excitement to a plate. I've experienced this. I'm not sure why, but these sorts of things do have an effect on the taste. At least a partial explanation might be that we (I, at least) pay more attention to the taste of the food when it is presented in an unusual way. Whereas something like olive oil might pass nearly unnoticed, the fruity mouth coating deliciousness of a piece of this gel is quite prominent. The gel helps, too, keeping the oil on the palate for a longer period of time. (As a side note, <a href="http://www.molecularrecipes.com/molecular-gastronomy/shapes-impact-flavor/">interesting research into this topic</a>.)</div>
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I'm looking forward to refinement and learning how to make more components of dishes like this. Time to let the creative juices flow.<br />
<br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />water 100 ml<br />glucose 25g<br />sugar 80g<br />isomalt 100g<br />olive oil 200 ml<br />5 sheets gelatin (silver strength, so I think I used about 15 grams)<br /><br />1. heat/dissolve sugar, glucose, isomalt in the water<br />2. At around 90C, add in bloomed gelatin<br />3. Add olive oil and blitz in blender/immersion blender/food processor<br />4. Pour & set</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: xx-small;">(Recipe adapted from khymos.org)</span></div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-47582351974263408582011-12-22T23:55:00.001-05:002011-12-22T23:55:48.703-05:00Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Posts will be light to non-existent while I'm away at my mother's for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Back in early January, with new challenges in cooking and new adventures to come.</div>Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-24810183484819599402011-12-18T11:15:00.002-05:002011-12-18T11:24:48.059-05:00Dinner 12-17-2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think this may be the last dinner before the new year. We had another old friend visiting and the wife decided to invite some people over. So I was cooking for 6 guests plus myself. One was the former head of her department at the college, now retired, and his wife. The other is a current professor in the same department, and his wife. Both couples are experienced travelers and eaters in Europe. I know they've been to some fine restaurants there, and here in the U.S. It would be fun to cook for them. <br />
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I decided to go with a little tour of French cookery. Mostly to get their impressions given I have no reference point for what most things ought to be like. (Impressions were favorable...whew!)<br />
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First up was a little charcuterie plate with cornichons and dijon mustard. I served fennel salami, smoked prosciutto, and rabbit pâté. The only part of this I made was the pâté. Lacking a meat grinder, I put the meat and fat through a food processor several times. This was a fun one to make. After cutting up the carcass of the rabbit, I deboned it and let it marinade with thyme, salt, bay leaf. Then this is ground up with some pork fat back and pieces of bread soaked in milk. The last touch before cooking is the addition of some mustard with cognac. This is wrapped in bacon and then baked. Once cooled, it is compressed with weights and left to chill, sliced, and served.<br />
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With the charcuterie I served two breads that I've made before: a sourdough baguette and brioche. I need to work on my shaping skills....I'm masterful at making exploding baguette, which is caused by the loaf splitting at invisible seams in the dough rather than the scores I make. The brioche was probably the best I've made so far. This is Keller's recipe in Bouchon.<br />
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For a first course, I decided to do a "fruits de mer" platter. I like this because the food is cooked simply, with finesse, and presented in a way that signals abundance and festiveness. <br />
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A few of the items are poached in court bouillon. This poaching liquid consists of water, veggies (leeks, onions, carrots), herbs and spices (bouquet garni), dry white wine, lemon, and vinegar. The lobster, crab, and shrimp are all poached for a few minutes in the liquid before being chilled. The PEI mussels are cooked simply in a thin layer of boiling water before also being chilled.<br />
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I had fun with the oysters and clams, having never shucked either before. It turns out to be pretty easy, and there's something gratifying when you feel the shell first pop loose. These were served raw with three sauces.<br />
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Starting at the top image, a cocktail sauce (easy: ketchup, worcestershire, mustard, horseradish), a mignonette (red wine vinegar, shallot, black pepper), and dijon mustard mayo (egg yolk, oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mustard)<br />
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The next course was a meat. I love duck so much that I made it yet again. I switched up the spicing and used finely ground coffee, salt, and pepper. I made the port wine-sherry beurre monte again to sauce the meat. This time served with sauteed spinach. The other side with this was a red rice cooked in chicken stock with chestnuts and garnished with thinly sliced burgundy truffles. This clearly isn't presentation for haute cuisine, but my oh my did the red rice-truffle-chestnut combo work, especially with the duck and the sauce.<br />
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Dessert came in two stages. Again, not winning any awards for presentation, but still...so delicious. First was a plate with baked balls of pate a choux, a pastry dough that we've seen before in the form of gougeres and eclairs. This time is a form of 'profiterole' where vanilla ice cream is sandwiched between the two halves of the hollow ball of dough. Topping this, admittedly somewhat haphazardly, was a simple chocolate sauce. </div>
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On the side of the dish were poached prunes. These were so so flavorful, and sweet, so meltingly tender, that I am sure to do this again with other fruits. The prunes are left to marinate in red wine (cabernet sauvignon), with cinnamon sticks, star anise, and honey. I added thai long peppercorns and some nutmeg, which I think are complementary flavors. After sitting in this mixture overnight, the prunes and liquid are brought to a simmer only briefly to soften them, and then left to sit and chill at least for a day. </div>
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After dessert, we had some digestifs. Available were cognac, scotch. We also had some coffee. Along with these, I made a strawberry-rhubarb tart and a cocoa flavored cookie topped with chopped walnuts.</div>
<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-32882538704752067602011-12-14T19:20:00.003-05:002011-12-14T19:31:36.912-05:00Salmon, Ponzu Udon, Pears, Oranges, Hot Peppers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think one of the benefits of cooking every day is that you can begin to see possibilities when you have an unconnected assortment of ingredients and need to come up with a plan for them. In other words, time to see what's hiding out in the fridge.<br />
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In this dish I combined some fruit, peppers (habenero and jalepeno) in the style of the salsa that went with the red snapper a few dinners back. The salmon was fresh and I decided to cook it in the style of a salmon-leek beurre blanc dish I made for my birthday. The noodles were marinated in ponzu and kimchi juice after a ginger-scallion noodle dish served at momofuku.<br />
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I can't say I was surprised the flavors went well together. I think this should inspire further thinking using these same core ingredients, although not all of them. I particularly liked the salmon-pear pairing (both were soft and melded together nicely). The flavor of the peppers served as a nice accent to them. The citrus was also a good combination with the salmon, and of course worked nicely with the ponzu flavored udon noodles. The nicest bites put all of the ingredients on the fork to make a combination of citrus, and crispy/fatty salmon skin with a hint of soy sauce and the pear rounding out the flavor.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-61399893389682124742011-12-12T20:56:00.003-05:002011-12-12T20:57:36.279-05:00Braised Pork Belly, Coffee, Orange, Chocolate, Black Pepper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have an old friend visiting for a few days, so posting has been light. Tonight we collaborated on a dish and produced a nice outcome. <br />
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Here we have pork belly, which was brined overnight in whisky, maple syrup, and dijon mustard. Then braised for 6 hours in orange juice. The meat itself is finished with a saute. I added half a cup of additional orange juice and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar to the braising liquid and reduced to just a sauce consistency. The acid and syrupy-citrus sweetness really helped cut some of the richness. The dish is garnished with a coffee-chocolate fondant tuile made from isomalt and glucose, which is also dusted with fresh ground black pepper.<br />
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Every aspect of this dish supports the rich succulence of the pork belly, which has been infused with the flavor of oranges. I really need to comment on the use of coffee and chocolate though. Not only do these flavors pair well together, but the black pepper on the tuile is complementary as well. The really great part is how the coffee melds with the meaty aspects of this dish without clashing with the sweet/acid/floral flavors brought by the use of oranges. I think that while coffee is often associated with the sweet/cold side of things, it has a tremendous potential in savory/hot dishes as well. Some ideas are to use coffee as a braising liquid, or to cook something like short ribs en sous vide with coffee grounds, letting the natural juices of the meat infuse the coffee into the flesh. Another idea would be to use a pressure cooker so to preserve the coffee's flavor with a shortened cook time. I think the chocolate needs to play a background role in all this, if it is used at all, but it is a really nice touch that served to highlight the coffee. Also, like in some hot chocolate preparations, the pepper works nicely to add a spicy kick to the whole thing.<br />
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I'm sure I'll be playing with this dish in the future, trying to bring forth the flavors more clearly, and balancing out the flavors as well. As it stands, I think this dish is a nice start.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-17971761570524663692011-12-08T14:56:00.000-05:002011-12-08T14:56:04.175-05:00Apple Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-22573819134302091262011-12-06T17:58:00.001-05:002011-12-06T21:45:55.690-05:00Lemon Meringue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we lived in Houston, there was a 24 hour pie shop nearby. Any time of day or night you could get delicious pies. One of the best there was lemon meringue. So, when I was choosing what pie to make, this was natural choice.</div>
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There's nothing particularly complicated about making a pie like this. I did this to get some practice. The meringue is fairly labor intensive if, like me, you don't have an electric mixer. Come to think of it, I don't have electric devices in the kitchen besides a blender. Anyway, the pie dough is made first. A simple mixture of flour, butter, and water (dash of salt for flavor). The ratio seems simple enough, but I'm not completely sure whether it scales well. 3:2:1 is the ratio, by weight for flour:butter:water, at least in US measures. Since I like using metric in the kitchen, the ratio is still roughly the same, but with small adjustments 2.88:1.88:1. This is something I'm noticing more and more, but the ratios seem to be more often nice and neat (i.e. rational) with "US" measures (pounds and ounces) than when using metric. I'm not sure why this is.</div>
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<br />The dough is chilled so the butter can firm up again, it is scaled to about 284 grams per crust and rolled out into a rough circle.</div>
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If you've made any sort of custard or pastry cream before, the filling is pretty much the same sort of thing. Instead of a cornstarch thickened milk/cream mixture, you have cornstarch thickened lemon juice, zest, and water, egg yolks, and sugar.</div>
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The topping is a basic sweetened meringue. A little more sugar than I'm used to using (e.g. for macarons), but still the same sort of thing. For this, it is 2:1 sugar:egg whites. </div>
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I had a little trouble getting mine to stiff peaks. It seemed to want to stay in a ribbon stage after getting opaque and silky, almost like a cooked italian meringue. I think I still got decent results, though.</div>
<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-34413815792422875572011-12-06T16:34:00.001-05:002011-12-06T18:10:20.033-05:00Deboning a ChickenMy first attempt at deboning a chicken. I've never done this before, so like most other things, I turned to Jacques Pepin for advice. He says one should be able to do this in about a minute. Yeah, maybe after you've deboned hundreds of chickens. Still, this isn't a difficult animal to break down. Maybe someday I'll get a whole side of a pig or cow.<br />
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I used this to make a roast chicken. I tourned some carrots, quartered some red potatoes, sliced some onions and seasoned them all with salt/pepper, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Tossed with some vegetable oil. I then salted/peppered both sides of the chicken and laid it, skin side up, over the vegetables. Seasoned with thyme, and a little extra salt (I love crispy chicken skin)<br />
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I then used a kitchen torch to pre-crisp the skin a bit just enough so that the skin contracted. Then I put the whole thing into a 475 F oven until the vegetables were about half done. I then took the chicken off the veggies and let them finish at 450 while the meat rested.<br />
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To finish, I put the chicken on a baking sheet under a broiler for a few minutes, until the skin was crispy all over and nicely browned.<br />
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In between these steps, I browned the giblets, neck, and wing tips in butter and let the chicken fat render. I then strained the chicken fat into a sauce pan and made a roux with all-purpose flour. Meanwhile, I deglazed the pan and simmered the chicken giblets and wingtips with 2-3 cups of water and a sprig of thyme. Then I thickened the "quick stock" with the roux, and continued to simmer. After straining, I had a flavorful gravy to go with the roast chicken.<br />
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To plate, I made a pool of gravy and spooned veggies over that, then laid a half chicken on each plate. You'll have to believe me when I say this, but I'm not prone to hyperbole. That said, this was the best roast chicken I've ever had.<br />
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Step 1: Sharpen your knives.</div>
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Step 2: Cut out the wish bone by scraping and cutting the meat around it. Once you got it cut, pull it out with your forefinger and thumb.</div>
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Step 3: Flip the bird to expose the back. Slice a seam down the bird, careful not to cut into the meat.</div>
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Step 4: Find the articulation point for the shoulder. Twist and push up to expose it.</div>
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Step 5: Cut through the joint. Do the steps 4 and 5 for the other side.</div>
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Step 6: Grab the shoulder, lift, twist toward breast and pull down to strip the meat off the bird. This takes some force.</div>
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Step 7: Stop about 2/3 the way down. The bit of meat called "the oyster" should be exposed. Cut around it so it remains attached to the skin. </div>
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Step 8: Continue to pull the flesh off the carcass.</div>
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Step 9: Now find the articulation of the hip. Life, twist and the ball joint will pull out of the socket.</div>
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Step 10: Cut through the joint and pull the body off the carcass completely.</div>
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Step 11: Find the tenderloins on the carcass. They're located where the breasts used to be.</div>
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Step 12: Using your thumbs, push the tenderloin off the carcass. You may have to cut some silverskin.</div>
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Step 13: Lay the bird flat.</div>
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Step 14: Make slices around the thigh where the hip was.</div>
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Step 15: With the side of your blade, scrape down the bone, don't slice.</div>
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Step 16: Once you reach the "knee", slice around the top of the leg drumstick and continue to scrape down the bone.</div>
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Step 17: Break the leg and pull out the bone.</div>
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Step 18: Repeat steps 14-17 for the wings</div>
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Done</div>
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<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-29740336035842832542011-12-04T19:13:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:34:14.621-05:00Cream of Tomato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cream of Tomato Soup; chicken stock, mirepoix (small dice), mushrooms (small dice), blonde roux, sachet d'epices, canned san marzano tomatoes, salt/pepper, heavy cream. Sweat mirepoix in fat, add flour and cook roux. Mix in chicken stock, tomatoes, simmer 30 minutes. Add sachet, season, simmer. Blend until smooth. Strain. Finish with hot cream.<br />
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Croutons; homemade sourdough, olive oil, salt/pepper. Toss, toast.<br />
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Felt like being brief today. I just want to note that I am really starting to get a sense of how to do things, without reference to recipes. Many of the basic techniques are repeated over and over. Most importantly after execution is how to get flavor into the product. For instance, this soup would not be nearly as tasty without the chicken stock, the making of a sort of chicken veloute, for the base of the soup.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-42282165803119892282011-12-04T19:12:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:26:26.108-05:00Red Snapper, Parsley Potatoes, Tomatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdoWtY1oQJu3QOnfDn2jQsFxHoALgeMIjhU2eaVBsci27KPt-84jrYsBCdCyXuGXMPMJRJc5pDGK49fXaIislo6YinB78YYWvIu2uzckYNjQ88qdsTptZXqZ44xD89RwDmytBm3r8lpPl/s1600/DSCN0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdoWtY1oQJu3QOnfDn2jQsFxHoALgeMIjhU2eaVBsci27KPt-84jrYsBCdCyXuGXMPMJRJc5pDGK49fXaIislo6YinB78YYWvIu2uzckYNjQ88qdsTptZXqZ44xD89RwDmytBm3r8lpPl/s400/DSCN0292.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is a pretty simple dish, recipes drawn from CIA's textbook. Red snapper with grapefruit-habenero salsa (red onion, grapefruit, habenero, minced parsley and cilantro). The filet was dredged in flour before frying for a couple minutes on each side. Had it with parsley potatoes. Boiled "eighthed" potatoes, seasoned with salt/pepper, then sauteed with parsley and butter until cooked through.<br />
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I love simple dishes like this, which gives me an opportunity to taste new things and practice basic techniques like saute, boiling, knife skills like dice, mince, and supreme. Good times.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-73787142747284055642011-12-03T20:48:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:33:45.517-05:00Étouffé<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Gkqu4K3W2VHGPpjiiC-q7gqVQPVsBYnWdLJSxq8STeywp8Hi7RpN11ruKHCiluEITUYCJCX-sGIFdFI9BVbEc_mHni22nmi6RbAlWG1d6amx8P1XVcWch3BQ19Z_ixo8hke_WXmv57sN/s1600/DSC_0834.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Gkqu4K3W2VHGPpjiiC-q7gqVQPVsBYnWdLJSxq8STeywp8Hi7RpN11ruKHCiluEITUYCJCX-sGIFdFI9BVbEc_mHni22nmi6RbAlWG1d6amx8P1XVcWch3BQ19Z_ixo8hke_WXmv57sN/s400/DSC_0834.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Chicken and Shrimp Étouffé. This is something packed with flavor. Pretty easy to make since it involves basic techniques. The base of this is a shellfish stock thickened with roux. Brown roux. It is amazing the complexity of aromas cooked flour and butter can produce. The color and smell was of caramel, peanut butter, toffee, and maybe a little coffee.<br />
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<br />Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-84298762723049031102011-11-26T21:18:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:33:13.335-05:00Moules au Safron et à la Moutarde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTxWdblZ0EIXN4qOBF0UfSojh-h3RnsBg5kJV2yWBcxE_QBRO0FXNKkgzurSXQ7YlXKDhKQ2uFQIbgYDJA5ckmIosF5rnLoPK7BxeuCrQ__4N3GTa4pWFpD_Ln7AON_9DwR1XC5M4kmqG/s1600/DSC_0800.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTxWdblZ0EIXN4qOBF0UfSojh-h3RnsBg5kJV2yWBcxE_QBRO0FXNKkgzurSXQ7YlXKDhKQ2uFQIbgYDJA5ckmIosF5rnLoPK7BxeuCrQ__4N3GTa4pWFpD_Ln7AON_9DwR1XC5M4kmqG/s400/DSC_0800.NEF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Butter sauce made with garlic confit, minced thyme and shallots, sauvingnon blanc, and saffron. Cook mussels for a couple minutes in the sauce.<br />
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Served with "aligot" potatoes, with modifications. First boil and rice the potatoes, then mix in butter until the potatoes can't hold any more. Then mix in shreds of mozzarella until the potatoes are stringy and sticky.<br />
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Also had lightly sauteed spinach, simply seasoned with salt & pepper.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-13743352407391035982011-11-26T21:16:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:32:34.090-05:00Isomalt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I received a shipment of goodies today, among them Isomalt. Isomalt is an alcohol sugar made from beets. It is half as sweet as sucrose, table sugar. It also has some neat properties, one of which I played with tonight after dinner.<br />
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I took 1 cup and melted it in a sauce pan. I formed a ring with some metal wire I had laying around and decided to make some "glass".<br />
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This photo is of a bit of cranberry left over from making the cranberry stock for "Cranberry Frozen & Chewy" encapsulated in a thin membrane of melted isomalt. Like blowing bubbles with a ring, what I did was melt the isomalt to 240 F or so, and then dip the ring in the liquid sugar. I dropped some of the cranberry through the center of the ring. When the isomalt cools, it becomes brittle, like glass. You can pop it in your mouth and get a fun texture with the flavoring you use.<br />
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This is an extremely difficult technique. The fine cooks at El Bulli manage to do this perfectly. They have better equipment that keeps the isomalt at the perfect temperature, and with a better method of creating the shell.Spycookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449493642070408613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285922600956310234.post-30880586178724236872011-11-24T11:54:00.001-05:002011-12-06T17:35:38.946-05:00Macarons<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VkZHUlHMPXkJNkTpcEmc7cOJEQN1M_hNHnMKP12MtA7ZH9h37KyWuTn_rF2SzZBbgR3r3kWpb-zJ7VdSBZuK4HjJO3nPeO9Po5cQuPJ_zv6YPtIQ1i_5XTIXJAjPbt_7WZV4Acih0Dkl/s1600/DSC_0795.NEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VkZHUlHMPXkJNkTpcEmc7cOJEQN1M_hNHnMKP12MtA7ZH9h37KyWuTn_rF2SzZBbgR3r3kWpb-zJ7VdSBZuK4HjJO3nPeO9Po5cQuPJ_zv6YPtIQ1i_5XTIXJAjPbt_7WZV4Acih0Dkl/s320/DSC_0795.NEF.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My latest batch of macarons, with framboise pastry cream</td></tr>
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It is really hard not to succumb to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/dining/reviews/airy-macarons-nyc-review.html?_r=1">macaron madness</a>. They still cross my mind every other day--should I try to make more, will this time mean days or weeks of confectionary torture?<br />
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I caved a couple days ago. I had 7 egg whites left over from <a href="http://spycook.blogspot.com/2011/11/dinner-11-19-2011.html">the dinner last Saturday</a> (they freeze well). Since my brain has been rewired to equate egg white with macarons (these are infectious confections), what else could I do?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMF8hyheP76uuOHiICxgPmZOmp4XpTXqOeUIVEZge_9N3siap2r6Je72Q-8ESpvIVebD8X8FibyiQzT_v37qk03DiY7slv1BqVvBxLuv-SYfYTFzhLWaIVhs-N85xFyOIil5M8IliZMVh/s1600/DSC_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMF8hyheP76uuOHiICxgPmZOmp4XpTXqOeUIVEZge_9N3siap2r6Je72Q-8ESpvIVebD8X8FibyiQzT_v37qk03DiY7slv1BqVvBxLuv-SYfYTFzhLWaIVhs-N85xFyOIil5M8IliZMVh/s320/DSC_0429.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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I first attempted these a while back. On my first attempt ever, I was stunned they turned out so well. Macarons have a reputation for being extremely difficult to do. I did 3 batches in the oven and they all had 80-90% success rate. A few lumpy ones, a few oblong, but all had a shiny shell and well developed foot. That said, here is some evidence of what can go wrong. What a massacre. Thankfully, this doesn't happen anymore. That day was humid and I did not adjust my recipe for this fact. Now I know better.<br />
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The recipe is simple, involving a few ingredients. The execution is not so simple. These are delicate confections, and they will test your mettle.<br />
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The recipe is:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">100% Egg White</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">140% Almond Flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">140% Confectioner's Sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">140% Granulated Sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> 33% Water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Preparation</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You'll need a couple bowls, and a small sauce pan. A thermometer and a kitchen scale.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Divide your egg white into two equal parts, e.g. if you have 100 grams of egg white, separate them into 2 small bowls 50 grams in each.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper or silpat</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The sauce pan should be very small because you have very little water.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Steps</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1. Combine Almond flour and Confectioner's sugar and pulse in a food processor to mix and mill them to a fine powder. Set aside in a medium sized (1-2 liter non-reactive bowl...steel or glass)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2. Set Granulated sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat, stir only once or twice to help dissolve the sugar. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">3. Meanwhile, whip half the egg whites to firm peaks.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">4. When the syrup reaches 245 Fahrenheit, take off the heat and, working quickly pour it in a thin stream into your meringue. Whisk constantly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This cooks your meringue and turns it into a opaque white mixture that should be silky and fall like ribbons.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">5. Add the remaining egg white to the almond flour-sugar mixture and then fold in the cooked meringue. You can add flavorings (extracts of vanilla, almond, etc) or food coloring.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Stir to incorporate. Don't overstir, just enough to remove lumps</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">6. Put the batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain half inch opening.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">7. Pipe 3/4 inch mounds of batter, separated by 1.5 inches.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">8. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 285 F.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">9. Bake for about 20 minutes. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">10. Let cool completely before you try to remove them.</span><br />
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