/blows dust off blog
For christmas I got Ruhlman's book Ratio, the premise of which is that most culinary ventures can be broken down to ratios. For example, most doughs, be they cookie, bread, muffin, whatever, are just different ratios of flour to water to other ingredients. It gives ratios for a lot of basic things and then elaborates them, like given a bread dough ratio, small changes can give you pizza dough, foccacia, or whatever. One of the advantages of this approach is that it pares recipes down to their core ingredients, and encourages tweaking.
Pancakes. I've always used the Joy of Cooking recipe, which isn't terribly different from this one. The recipe is (in terms of lowest common denominator, the egg):
4 oz milk (6 oz if buttermilk) (4 oz ~ 1/2 cup, 6 oz ~ 3/4 cup)
4 oz flour (~3/4 cup)
2 tbs melted butter
1 egg
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
I found the as printed in Ratio (4 oz) worked pretty well with skim milk, but was too dry when I tried it with buttermilk. Increasing the amount of liquid for a higher fat liquid keeps the batter nice and thick and gives big fluffy pancakes. The instructions are simple. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another (sugar is dry, but it doesn't really matter). Once your pan or griddle is hot (medium low heat), combine (I like dry into wet) and fold the dry and wet together, taking great care to be gentle and not over mix. Pour or spoon out onto the pan, flip when there are little bubbles, throw it on a plate in a warm oven until you've used all the batter.
As an aside, I use vanilla paste for this, and I think it's one of the places it really shines.
Edit: Further experimentation shows that sugar really should go with the wet ingredients, as it makes for slightly fluffier pancakes and seems to keep the butter from clumping back up.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, March 14, 2009
quiche, upgraded
I've previously posted about the simplicity of making quiche, and some variations we tried for a party we had. Earlier this week I dropped a carton of eggs and half of them cracked, but I was able to salvage the insides. Since it's six eggs to a quiche, it was the logical thing to do.
Typically my quiche involve rolled out puff pastry, since it is easy, requires no extra prep, and it makes a nice flaky crust. Six eggs, glug of half and half, fillings and cheeses of choice, layer fillings and cheese, whip eggs and half and half, pour over fillings, bake at 350 for 45 min or until it's not so wiggly. I tried a different crust, one made from potatoes, because potatoes are both awesome and typically on sale around St. Patrick's day. I grated about a pound of potatoes, brought them to a boil, and then let them drain and cool a bit. I mixed them with a handful of parmesan and a tablespoon of melted butter, and then patted the mixture into place in a pie plate. I baked it at 425 for about 25 minutes, until it was brown and places and seemed cooked through.
For fillings, I got some baby bella mushrooms, some proscuitto, grape tomatoes, and chives. For cheeses, some good parmesan, some okay mozarella, and some fresh mozarella to cover it with. So the parmesan and normal mozarella went in like normal quiche, then I poured in the egg mixture as above, and then put a layer of fresh mozarella slices on the top.
It is really, really good.
On an unrelated note, I also got corned beef and cabbage, and then chuck roast was on sale, so I got stuff for beef stew as well. I also noticed that they had really nice cuts of brisket, not amazingly huge, for sale. Not sure if that's a St. Patrick's Day thing or regular, but I may have to get some and see what I can get it to do with just an oven.
Typically my quiche involve rolled out puff pastry, since it is easy, requires no extra prep, and it makes a nice flaky crust. Six eggs, glug of half and half, fillings and cheeses of choice, layer fillings and cheese, whip eggs and half and half, pour over fillings, bake at 350 for 45 min or until it's not so wiggly. I tried a different crust, one made from potatoes, because potatoes are both awesome and typically on sale around St. Patrick's day. I grated about a pound of potatoes, brought them to a boil, and then let them drain and cool a bit. I mixed them with a handful of parmesan and a tablespoon of melted butter, and then patted the mixture into place in a pie plate. I baked it at 425 for about 25 minutes, until it was brown and places and seemed cooked through.
For fillings, I got some baby bella mushrooms, some proscuitto, grape tomatoes, and chives. For cheeses, some good parmesan, some okay mozarella, and some fresh mozarella to cover it with. So the parmesan and normal mozarella went in like normal quiche, then I poured in the egg mixture as above, and then put a layer of fresh mozarella slices on the top.
It is really, really good.
On an unrelated note, I also got corned beef and cabbage, and then chuck roast was on sale, so I got stuff for beef stew as well. I also noticed that they had really nice cuts of brisket, not amazingly huge, for sale. Not sure if that's a St. Patrick's Day thing or regular, but I may have to get some and see what I can get it to do with just an oven.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
tuscan kale and cara cara oranges
The farmer's market here is open year round, but it gets a little spotty this time of year, apparently. There's one guy who's there, rain or shine, first to arrive, last to leave. During the fall he had the pluots. Now he's got some nuts and dried nectarines as well as a whole lot of citrus. All of it is local, organic, and the most expensive is about a dollar a pound. The blood oranges have been a regular purchase and I've been eating them as dessert, since the tart and sweet is a really nice finish to a good meal. I also have been getting a variety called Cara Cara (named apparently for the area it originated from, in Venezuala), which have a reddish tinged flesh and are extremely sweet and less tart then standard navels.
I also picked up some Tuscan kale, which is long and skinny kale without a lot of curl to it. It was recommended in the latest issue of Bon Appetit, but I didn't figure that I'd be able to actually find it. The recipe they used to highlight suggested basically roasting it, much the way I approach aspargus, saying it would turn sweet and nutty. I may still try it, but this is what I did.
In a non stick everything pan, I put some thick sliced bacon, got it somewhere close to crispy, but more importantly, the pan full of bacon grease and bits. I then put a few leaves of the kale in there, treating them basically like bacon. Finally, I turned the heat down a bit, and fried two eggs (also from the farmer's market, the color and flavor of the yolk is out of this world). Then I made it all into a sandwich. Wow. The kale really is amazing, if you can find it, get it. Then an orange and some tea to finish it all off. Mmm.
I still have raddicio (two varieties), which I think is going to go into a risotto with the dried nectarines and some smoked gouda (no smoked mozarella at the store, sadly).
I also picked up some Tuscan kale, which is long and skinny kale without a lot of curl to it. It was recommended in the latest issue of Bon Appetit, but I didn't figure that I'd be able to actually find it. The recipe they used to highlight suggested basically roasting it, much the way I approach aspargus, saying it would turn sweet and nutty. I may still try it, but this is what I did.
In a non stick everything pan, I put some thick sliced bacon, got it somewhere close to crispy, but more importantly, the pan full of bacon grease and bits. I then put a few leaves of the kale in there, treating them basically like bacon. Finally, I turned the heat down a bit, and fried two eggs (also from the farmer's market, the color and flavor of the yolk is out of this world). Then I made it all into a sandwich. Wow. The kale really is amazing, if you can find it, get it. Then an orange and some tea to finish it all off. Mmm.
I still have raddicio (two varieties), which I think is going to go into a risotto with the dried nectarines and some smoked gouda (no smoked mozarella at the store, sadly).
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Making my own
One of the wonderful things I got for christmas this year was a food processor. A full on, 14 cup capacity cuisinart. I used my moms for the period we overlapped at the Storrs house, and it is an incredibly versatile piece of equipment. What this has prompted me to do is to start making things that I would ordinarily buy.
First up was hummus. I've been eating a lot of celery with peanut butter because organic celery was on sale for a dollar a bunch or something ridiculous and peanut butter is delicious. So I figured I'd mix it up with some hummus. I tried a variant Alton Brown suggested, using peanut butter and sesame oil as a substitute for tahini, since the only tahini I could find locally seemed very overpriced. Not the same, but definitely edible.
I also made salsa, which is not a new thing for me, but something I've been craving to supplement breakfast burritos.
I keep meaning to make bread, since I have all the necessary tools and ingredients, but keep putting it off because I had other things to eat and take for lunch. Tomorrow is another possibility.
A post at the Homesick Texan has me considering making my own chorizo, as while it's very easy to come by here, making it from scratch gives me a lot more control over the ingredients and thus quality.
First up was hummus. I've been eating a lot of celery with peanut butter because organic celery was on sale for a dollar a bunch or something ridiculous and peanut butter is delicious. So I figured I'd mix it up with some hummus. I tried a variant Alton Brown suggested, using peanut butter and sesame oil as a substitute for tahini, since the only tahini I could find locally seemed very overpriced. Not the same, but definitely edible.
I also made salsa, which is not a new thing for me, but something I've been craving to supplement breakfast burritos.
I keep meaning to make bread, since I have all the necessary tools and ingredients, but keep putting it off because I had other things to eat and take for lunch. Tomorrow is another possibility.
A post at the Homesick Texan has me considering making my own chorizo, as while it's very easy to come by here, making it from scratch gives me a lot more control over the ingredients and thus quality.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
kolaches
Kolaches are a Czech pastry. They are soft, buttery little thumbprints filled with jam or cheese, or apparently, sausage. I tried recipe from a site called homesick Texan. The dough ended up being not quite as sweet as the ones I'm used to, and I messed up the amount of butter and the brushing with melted butter. I'm not sure if the ones I'm used to are a variant, but for sweet fillings I'd probably double the sugar. For savory fillings it was probably just right and would make for some awesome pigs in a blanket.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Fettucine with radicchio and lemon
I mentioned that I picked up a couple of radicchio at the farmer's market on saturday. I poked around for a few recipes and came up with one that looked good from Mario Batali. The gist of it is wilt the radicchio with some shallots, add cream, reduce, add fresh pasta, add lemon zest and juice, add asiago, enjoy.
It's brilliant. The bitterness of the radicchio with the tangy lemon against the saltiness and creaminess is just amazing. It'll end up being about three or four meals worth for me, so it's a good thing. I substituted two little meyer lemons for one of the lemons, and it's noticeable. I don't think I'd do more than that, and you probably can't get meyer lemons for twenty cents each where you are.
I struggled with the pasta. It's really difficult to make it in quantity. I got in a little fight with my pasta roller, had to step back, take some deep breaths, toss out some dough, and keep going. I need some better strategies for doing it in steps. The stand mixer worked fantastic for making a big batch of the dough, but I found I needed more liquid than the recipe called for, despite measuring the eggs as liquid, not numerically. It's still better than anything I can buy at the store, but I think I may get some dried pasta for when I'm feeling lazy, because it's a pain to clean up. For this dish, though, I wouldn't use anything other than fresh.
It's brilliant. The bitterness of the radicchio with the tangy lemon against the saltiness and creaminess is just amazing. It'll end up being about three or four meals worth for me, so it's a good thing. I substituted two little meyer lemons for one of the lemons, and it's noticeable. I don't think I'd do more than that, and you probably can't get meyer lemons for twenty cents each where you are.
I struggled with the pasta. It's really difficult to make it in quantity. I got in a little fight with my pasta roller, had to step back, take some deep breaths, toss out some dough, and keep going. I need some better strategies for doing it in steps. The stand mixer worked fantastic for making a big batch of the dough, but I found I needed more liquid than the recipe called for, despite measuring the eggs as liquid, not numerically. It's still better than anything I can buy at the store, but I think I may get some dried pasta for when I'm feeling lazy, because it's a pain to clean up. For this dish, though, I wouldn't use anything other than fresh.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Onigiri and rice
I've mentioned here and there that I've been making onigiri. Now, I haven't had authentic onigiri, which is something I'll remedy once I'm a bit more settled. Apparently there's some good places in the Bay area to get Japanese cooking supplies, and some of those places also have foodstuffs. My other option is to make onigiri for the group that went to Japan last summer, and use their experience to guide my own. Or both, since the latter is likely to happen regardless. Onigiri for all!
I've been following the tips and instructions over at Just Hungry, which is a really useful blog for people attempting to cook Japanese food outside of Japan. It's a good read, too, so check it out. Rice is very important. I've got ready access to a variety of rices, and I've come to really like the Japanese short grain rice, which is actually a medium grain. It takes a bit of extra prep work. You need to rinse it thoroughly, rub the grains of rice together, keep rinsing, and then let it dry for 20-30 minutes. You cook it like any other rice, start high, go low, tight fitting lid, but with a bit less water than a long grain rice might use. Package instructions are your friend. After the water is gone, let it rest with a damp towel over it for 10-15 min, and it's just a different class of rice. It coheres and is sticky, but each grain is distinct. It's firm but still soft, and has a great flavor. I've been eating it just as rice, or even in place of long grain.
Onigiri are basically balls of rice with filling. They usually end up in a triangular shape for ease of eating and carrying, but that shaping takes practice and my attempts at it have thus far ended up with fillings poking out. I'll keep trying it though. The simple way to make them is a combination of plastic wrap and a teacup (I use a ceramic dish lifted from a chem lab in some distant past that's been in our family for ages, they're the perfect size). The description on justhungry is better than anything I'd be able to do here. I still find these to be a bit big and the ratio of rice to filling isn't quite right. They're still completely edible, but either I need a smaller cup or I'm not doing it quite right. I'll keep messing with it. My other problem is that they seem to dry out pretty quickly, possibly because I live in a very low humidity environment. Dried out rice is not good eats. I have some ideas to solve this, mostly they revolve around eating them faster, but that doesn't help me with packed lunches.
Fillings are the easiest and probably the funnest part. I did a simple tuna with soy sauce filling the first time, and it was okay. Next time I'd use more soy sauce and some ginger and possibly chili sauce too. I sauted some onions and mushrooms with a bit of soy sauce and black pepper, this worked out brilliantly and was delicious. I mentioned I want to try some braised radiccio, since I think the bitterness will contrast nicely with the rice.
I've been following the tips and instructions over at Just Hungry, which is a really useful blog for people attempting to cook Japanese food outside of Japan. It's a good read, too, so check it out. Rice is very important. I've got ready access to a variety of rices, and I've come to really like the Japanese short grain rice, which is actually a medium grain. It takes a bit of extra prep work. You need to rinse it thoroughly, rub the grains of rice together, keep rinsing, and then let it dry for 20-30 minutes. You cook it like any other rice, start high, go low, tight fitting lid, but with a bit less water than a long grain rice might use. Package instructions are your friend. After the water is gone, let it rest with a damp towel over it for 10-15 min, and it's just a different class of rice. It coheres and is sticky, but each grain is distinct. It's firm but still soft, and has a great flavor. I've been eating it just as rice, or even in place of long grain.
Onigiri are basically balls of rice with filling. They usually end up in a triangular shape for ease of eating and carrying, but that shaping takes practice and my attempts at it have thus far ended up with fillings poking out. I'll keep trying it though. The simple way to make them is a combination of plastic wrap and a teacup (I use a ceramic dish lifted from a chem lab in some distant past that's been in our family for ages, they're the perfect size). The description on justhungry is better than anything I'd be able to do here. I still find these to be a bit big and the ratio of rice to filling isn't quite right. They're still completely edible, but either I need a smaller cup or I'm not doing it quite right. I'll keep messing with it. My other problem is that they seem to dry out pretty quickly, possibly because I live in a very low humidity environment. Dried out rice is not good eats. I have some ideas to solve this, mostly they revolve around eating them faster, but that doesn't help me with packed lunches.
Fillings are the easiest and probably the funnest part. I did a simple tuna with soy sauce filling the first time, and it was okay. Next time I'd use more soy sauce and some ginger and possibly chili sauce too. I sauted some onions and mushrooms with a bit of soy sauce and black pepper, this worked out brilliantly and was delicious. I mentioned I want to try some braised radiccio, since I think the bitterness will contrast nicely with the rice.
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