INFUSED CAPRESE

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:02:29 -0700

I've always liked surprises, particularly with food. Tasting something that's not there, completely imagining something because of a unique combination is one of cooking's most amazing alchemies. Often, someone will just come up with a novel idea - a 'Pollack' I call it, named after the people that walk into the Guggenheim and look at a Jackson Pollack and say "well, I could have done that." Of course, the immediate retort should be, 'well, why didn't you ?" My response is usually, "why didn't I think of that.?"
I was perusing on of my favorite blogs, Ideas in Food from Aki and Alex, and he was remarking about the intrinsic properties of whippers. When you make whipped cream you're basically infusing the cream and agitating ( Boyles Law ). What would happen if you didn't agitate and just took advantage of only the pressure. You could even increase or decrease the pressure depending on how many canisters you use. You're creating a mini-vacuum chamber of sorts. That's the general idea.
I thought the more porous the substance in relation to the pressure, the greater the infusion. As a matter of fact, Aki and Alex's first experiment was with Mozzarella. You may need to experiment if you're looking for something specific, you just don't want your target to turn to mush. The only limitation I can see is the size, or mouth of the whipper. I think they're all pretty standard 2 inch openings, so just keep that in mind.
I used the larger balls of homemade mozzarella and cut them so they would fit. Another point about geometry here. Obviously, the smaller your target, the more surface area is exposed - hence, greater the exposure to your infusion. Depending on your infusion and the nature of your material, there is no clear instructions here - you're just going to have to experiment.
I filled my whipper with the portions of mozz, some peeled pears, fresh basil chiffonade and infused basil in some hot water. In the initial experiment they could only keep the combination under pressure for 20 minutes. I kept mine for 4 hours. What turned out were beautiful pieces of cheese, brightly colored, while maintaining their texture.
I used these to put together a 'deconstructed caprese' of sorts. Take fresh early girl tomatoes, stack with a piece of pear, mozz, small piece of basil and sprinkle with black truffle salt. There are more than likely a dozen variations of this. For example, I used the leftover cheese for a more traditional caprese with fresh bread ( pictured on top )
The possibilities for this are endless. Post your favorites if you try it.
Mange.

BURGER HEAVEN

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:45:16 -0700

"My favorite animal is steak"

- James Joyce

Are you ready for for multiple summer orgasms right in your back yard in complete view of your crotchety neighbors ? Well, my dear, fasten your seat belts, 'cause this is going to be bumpy ride.
If you're not familiar with the technique, you can reference the post on sous vide here at Wonderkitchen on the sous-vide post from a few weeks ago. Proteins are jumping in the deep end - but that's cool - we have plenty of life guards.
The idea here was simply an extension of the sous vide techniques combined with Maillard from the grill. I have never had a burger like this before - a crisp flavorful crust with a medium rare texture and temp from floor to ceiling. If you could cross a steak sandwich with a great tartar - there you go. Here's the play by play.
I riff off a Paul Bertolli's recipe for ragu, balancing different meat for texture and effect. I use fresh whole chuck, hanger steak and skirt. It's really important you get these fresh and whole if possible because were going to grind our own - fresh. I won't talk about this at length but in general it's important that you buy your meat whole and grind fresh. When you buy whole cuts like shoulders, you're reducing the amount of surface area that is exposed to air, and hence exposed to pathogens and bacterias that could be a factor in certain preparations.
Start with 3 pounds of chuck, one pound of skirt and one pound of hanger. The chuck, or shoulder, provides the tooth and body and a mellow flavor ( what most folks associate with a traditional burger ) , the skirt will add a buttery overtone to the mix while the hanger provides a deep, intense base to the burger while not becoming overly rich.
Start with refrigerating your equipment that you will use for grinding. I use a standard KitchenAid mixer with a grinding attachment. They are relatively inexpensive and are easier to clean than metal stand-alones. I refrigerate my attachment because during grinding you want to keep the meat as chilled as possible. There are fat molecules that are used in binding meat, and if they get too warm you will wind up with a sloppy mess - not what we want. You'll see the same with sausage making, if the fat gets too warm you get a mealy, non-structured sausage.
Grind all the meats quickly and refrigerate while you get the mix ready. Ideally get the mix ready before-hand. There are thousands of variations to hamburger mix, but I would encourage you to be subtle and let the meat come through. Heres what use :
1 Tbs Dijon 1 Tbs Worschestshire  1 Tbs crushed capers 2 eggs 1 Tsp garlic salt 1 Cup homemade breadcrumbs 1 tsp anchovy paste 1 tsp Siracha
Make patties about1" thick and keep them very cold, without freezing. There is no need to indent them like many previous professional mags suggest, as we're not putting them on extreme heat to 'bulge' and spill off toppings. Put them in a sous vide bath for one hour at 62°C or 126°F for a medium rare. Here are some other basic temps for you :
Rare: 120F/49C Medium Rare: 126F/56C Medium: 140F/60C Medium Well: 150F/65C Well: 160F/71C 
If you insist on making your burger thicker than 1", you're going to have to increase your sous vide time - consult charts on cooking and pasteurization with Baldwin's treatise on Sous Vide Cooking Basics. Flip them on the grill at the highest temp you can muster - if it's not high enough, see my post on 'Pimpin Your Grill' to reach temps exceeding 800°F. Crisp and get ready for the bizarre, amazed looks from all your guests.
Don't forget to toast your buns - Enjoy.

P.S. What you have left-over, make into meat balls and freeze, then vacuum pack and use with another incredible sous vide recipe ( 57°C for 53 minutes for MR ). Flash deep fry - Ikes.

48 HOUR SHORT RIBS

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:18:37 -0700

"One who is addicted to meat-eating and intoxicating drink, leading a sensuous lifestyle is a demonic being. Such a person is intensely selfish and has no regard or sensitivity for others."

- Sri Satya Sai Baba

Baba-gi obviously has never had my short ribs.
This will be a fairly short post as it appends the sous-vide post from yesterday. This was our first foray into protein and it couldn't of played out better.
Since this was an experiment I try to limit my liability and only work with small portions of meat. In this case, it was a pound of traditional short ribs on the bone - not Flanken-cut, but what they call Kosher 'on the bone' ribs. They have the feel of pork belly, with a good stack of meat and adequate fat.
I picked this primer first as short ribs are notorious for being difficult. They are a tough cut and take a long braise or wet method to bring them home. I was inspired by ex-Jardiniere star Douglas Keane now at Cyrus, plating a 36 hour short rib with a bone marrow flan. Very good indeed, but it didn't have the acid that I was expecting, something to cut through the richness of a good short rib. I also wanted a little variation, as the texture in short ribs can be monotonous and intense.
Prepare ribs in vacuum pack with hoisin, rice vinegar and salt - ratios at your discretion. Set your sous-vide for 60°C and let go for 48 hours.
  The Four-Way Finish
Lemon and Salt.  My friend Russ nailed this, as the lemon cuts through the fat and salt brings it right up, like a carpaccio on steroids.
Mounted Jus Take the cooking liquid, mount with butter and reduce to a demi or thick pour. Decadent.
Deep Fry Speaking of decadent - coat with evaporated buttermilk and flash fry - my insurance card is in my wallet, front left pocket.
Torch All in , this was my favorite, and I believe because it instantly gave Maillard and variety to the texture, not to mention exploding proteins into an array of crazy flavors while the interior remained a variation of silk.

BOUILLABAISSE de CARDEN

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:15:43 -0700

"... all the charming and beautiful things, from the Song of Songs, to bouillabaisse, and from the nine Beethoven symphonies to the Martini cocktail, have been given to humanity by men who, when the hour came, turned from tap water to something with color in it, and more in it than mere oxygen and hydrogen."  H.L. Mencken

Bouillabaisse de Cardin 
1/2 cup olive oil
3 large onions
4 large leeks
10 large shallots
25 cloves of garlic
6-8 quarts H2O, boiling
1 bulb fennel
1 head celery
6 large carrots
8 medium tomatoes
2 lemons, halved, crushed....juice, flesh, skin, and all
1 whole perch - ~1.5lbs – gilled and gutted, head and fins on
Shells from 1lb medium-sized raw shrimp
1/2 bunch parsley
1 bunch basil
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup shaoxing rice wine
Peeled zest of one orange
3 bay leaf
Salt to taste  Separately : 
2-3 Red or Yukon Gold potatoes per serving, Vegas-dice-sized chunks
Cod filet, 1/4 lb per serving 
Medium sized shrimp, shelled and deveined, 1/4 lb per serving
Chives or scallions for garnish    

This dish requires a lot of prep and process time, but it is so very worth it. My recipe is slightly influenced by the local Chinese market. While a classic French bouillabaisse might use dry sherry or cognac, I use ShaoXing rice wine. Classic = chili flake, I use Sriracha. And how could I resist the slight addition of fish sauce to a classic peasant dish like this. Good lord, I love that stuff.
This recipe is at its base a celebration of the genus Allium. Onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, chives, scallions. What a family.
Before beginning, start a large pot of cold water (at least 4-5 qts) on a back burner, max flame, covered, add nothing. BTB and RTS (ahem....bring-to-boil, reduce-to-simmer). This will be the water you’ll add to make the broth. Never add cold water to a bouillabaisse -always boiling or nearly boiling.
Even before that you probably should have started peeling the raw shrimp. Devein the flesh and put it in the fridge. Reserve the shells for the stock.
Rough-chop the onion, shallots, and leeks (watch for dirt in the leeks!)....and crush the whole cloves of garlic with the side of a chef’s knife but do not chop.
1/2 cup olive oil in the bottom of a BIG pot. Make it really hot. Add onion/shallot/leek/garlic. Stir. Do not cover. Keep it hot. Stir at least every 3 min or so.
While the various species of Allium caramelize in the pot, rough chop the fennel, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. When the pot starts to gather brown gook on the bottom and everything in the pot is soft, add the celery/carrot/fennel/tomato and a cup or two of the boiling water. Juice the lemons and throw in the peel. Cover, do not reduce heat.
Hack the whole perch into 6-7 pieces and toss it in the pot along with the shrimp shells.
Add the rest of the plain boiling water. Refill the plain boiling water pot with more cold water and put back on full flame, covered. The water added was already boiling, so the pot should be at a rolling boil straightaway.
Toss in rough-chopped 1/2 bunch parsley and 1 bunch basil. Add 2 tbsp Sriracha (the cock brand is my favorite), 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 cup ShaoXing rice wine, 3 bay leaves, and sea salt to taste (about 15-20g). Don’t forget the peels of orange zest.

Boil that pot at least 4 hours....at least. Add plain boiling water as necessary for consistency. Don't let it get too thick. Make sure the boil is always at a medium roll, and otherwise try to ignore it. Stirring is not necessary.
 Consistency should be soupy....never let it get too thick
When you feel the time is right, strain the contents of the pot. Start with a slotted spoon and work your way down to fine steel mesh strainer. I start with the slotted spoon, then to a steel colander, and a medium-fine Chinoise as the final step.
 Use a silicone spatula to stir the liquid in the colander.  Final strain....I use a 2-layer system with a rough screen on top and a medium-fine Chinoise below
Once you have thoroughly strained the broth into a large pot set it aside. Unless you are preparing a meal for 12-15 people there will be lots of stock left over. Refrigerate if you plan to eat it within a few days, or freeze in plastic containers where it will keep for some time.
In a separate clean pot add the dice-sized potatoes and cover with broth. Cook for 25-30 min, never bringing it to a boil (185F for those of you with a thermometer, vigorous steam but no bubbles for those of you who are eyeballing it). When the potatoes are tender turn off the heat, and add the sliced cod and shrimp. Poach very briefly and serve. The fish and shrimp will continue to poach after plating.  Cut the cod into pieces slightly larger than the shrimp so they will poach in about the same amount of time....literally 1-2 minutes
Garnish w chives or scallion. Serve in a large bowl w grilled bread, olive oil and sea salt..
Serve immediately. Yum.

CHICKEN PRIMER

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:35:21 -0700

"This is a dog, not a chicken. Chicken's don't look like dogs. Who told you this was a chicken, son? Nice boy, but doesn't listen to a thing you say. You got a bum steer, son. I'm a chicken, not a schnook."

-Foghorn Leghorn

It's inevitable that once you start to read a lot about cooking, you're going to start scratching your head over the different types of chickens. Let's start with the basics.

In the US, male chickens are known as roosters ( which irony would have the traditional 'coq-au-vin' requires an old rooster ). Females are known as 'Hens' while the young chicks are called 'pullets'. I'll rank them from largest to smallest and give a brief description of their uses and characteristics. In general, the older the bird, the more red muscle fiber, the more flavor and stronger the taste. Hope this helps.

ROASTER These guys will be a bit larger as they're harvested 12 - 20 weeks, and the meat has time to bulk and mature. Roasters will weigh in at 4 - 8 lbs ( about twice the weight of your typical Broiler). This makes them tastier than Broilers but also more expensive. To put the lifespan into perspective, with commercial intensive farming, a bird is slaughtered at 6 weeks.

CAPONS are basically male castrated roosters, which is becoming more and more rare in West. They are under 10 months and will range between 4 - 8 lbs generally, which puts them close to a Roaster. Capons are popular in restaurants as they have a higher fat / meat ratio, which makes them hard to overcook and really tasty.

BROILER / FRYER The largest and most ubiquitous is the Broiler,sometimes called a Fryer. These are the chickens that are primarily raised for their meat. You will most commonly see these in the markets under both names and will be 2 - 5 lbs. The nomenclature is derived from when they were slaughtered and according to the NAMP Meat Buyers Guide, the terms Broiler and Fryer are used interchangeably in the industry. Broilers are harvested between 7 - 13 weeks. You can use a Broiler for just about anything your doing.

FRENCH 'LABEL ROUGE' is the European equivalent of 'free range'. They are slaughtered at 11 weeks and range from 2 - 5 lbs. What is impressive here is the effect organic production has had on the French culture - LR has captured over 30% of their total market ( as compared to 2% in North America ).

STEWING 'SOUP' HENS Any chicken that is processed over 10 months is considered a Stewing Hen. They are usually predominantly hens that have passed their peak egg laying days and are either sold for fertilizer or the stock pot. It's meat is a bit tougher and should be used for braises and moist heat methods.

CORNISH HENS are often referred to as Rock Cornish Game Hens. They are a young cross- breed chickens that were developed in the '50's and are more popular in Europe. They are a bit older and larger than Poussins but are often confused. They are slaughtered at 5 - 6 weeks and normally only available as full birds.

POUSSIN or also called a 'coquelet' are very small immature birds and again are only available as full birds. They are less than 28 days old and weigh only 450 grams up to 750 grams. If it exceeds 750 it is called a 'Spring Chicken'.

Here are the classifications from NAMP to raising methods.

NATURAL is a term used by the USDA which pretty much means nothing these days. Technically, 'natural' chickens should be free from any synthetics, including GMO's, or preservatives. Keep in mind that this only refers to processing and not raising techniques. So you're 'natural' chicken could be so pumped up on antibiotics and growth hormones it wouldn't know the day of the week.

CONVENTIONAL meat is still unfortunately the majority of what is available the farther east you go. I could write pages about 'intensive farming' of chickens in the USA, but in short they are raised under confined overcrowded conditions ( so much so they actually commit a type of suicide, see McGee OFAC ), pumped with growth hormones to get them to slaughter as soon as humanly possible, which weakens their bone development, which in turn cripples them. I could on and on. Unfortunately, According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry meat, and 68 percent of eggs are produced this way. If you're going to eat chicken, send the extra money and make sure it was treated humanely. If you're interested in learning more about 'intensive farming, Google 'Smothers','Hock Burns','Ross Cobb', and 'breeder chickens' - that should get you started.

ORGANIC is the big one. In a nutshell, this term varies from state to state, but the core is that livestock are feed grains grown from soil, without cross-contamination from dead stock, pesticides, fertilizers or steroids. They are also required to meet the 'free range' requirements in California.

FREE RANGE is another one of those tricky loaded terms. All the USDA requires to be 'free range' is that there is 'access' to the outdoors. This could be a small door that the chickens never use because they suffer from ammonia burns on their unused legs from the growth hormones, but hey - they're 'free range'. I don't think this classification has anything to do with flavor, for me its more of an ethical play. If you're unclear - go visit your farm- see for yourself.

KOSHER is still preferred by many even outside of Judaism. These are birds that are raised under Rabbinical supervision and guidelines, packed with detailing ethical concerns for living animals. They are 'free range' and 'organic' although the bylines differ from state to state. Any chicken in terms of type can be organic. I find the main difference is the stock are 'brined' in a pure salt solution before sale which significantly affects its meat structure and flavor.

Here are some interesting facts that you can throw out at dinner parties, or just assist you flirting with the Butcher.

• The chicken was domesticated in 10, ooo BCE in Thailand, well before the original Roman version of Gallus Gallus hit Europe. Check out some other fun chicken facts here. 
• Chickens that are not labeled could be 'hard-chilled' which means that they were cooled rapidly between 0 - 26° F. They are not considered fresh or frozen, so they simply don't label them. 
• 'Air- Chill' is exactly that, and it will give a slightly yellow hue to the skin as it oxidizes. Do not be alarmed, it's natural and wont affect the flavor in any way. 
• About 90% of the chicken meat that makes it to market through commercial channels is so bland, they inject it with 'beef extract' to compensate.  
• Your poultry check list should be something like the following  Free Range  Organic  Grain Fed  GMO Free  Slow Growing Breed ( Not Ross Cobb )  Mobile Housing ( promotes natural foliage )  Dry Plucked ( non USDA certified )  Long-legged Hang ( non USDA, only in Europe ) 

There is so much more to discuss about the 50 billion birds we put away each year, but I need to keep this piece contained. I also didn't note popular game ( Duck, Geese. Quail, etc ) - perhaps a different time.
I hope this was of value - leave a comment or q and i'll hop right on it.