No, I haven’t lost my marbles. And yes, I realize that the chocolate chip cookie dough balls are rather close together. But I’m not baking them now. I’m making my own “IQF” cookies. I put the cookie sheet in the freezer. When the dough balls are frozen, I’ll transfer them to a Ziploc bag.
Then, whenever I want cookies, I can pop just two in the oven. Fresh baked cookies on a whim… limit temptation by only baking a few at a time. What could be better??
This recipe, when normally prepared, bakes for 10 minutes at 375F. When the cookie dough balls are frozen, I bake them for 12-14 minutes at 350F instead.
Potatoes vary in water and starch content, making some varieties better for baking and others better for roasting.
The high-starch potatoes, like russets, also oxidize quickly making them a challenge. And if you’ve made latkes with this variety, you know what I mean. By the time you have the potatoes grated, you have a bowl of black shreds. Soaking them in water, rinses away the starches that make them oxidize and also what crisps them up.
New potatoes, like red bliss, have a higher water content and lower starch. This makes them better for roasting, and making potato salad (when holding the shape is important.)
I tend to use Yukon gold potatoes for most all potato recipes; they are sweet and creamy, and work well for mashers and roasted.
Perhaps they don’t crisp as much as Russets when roasted due to the lower starch content. To help them develop a crust when roasting, I toss them in olive oil and corn starch. This additional starch clings to the potato and browns in the olive oil
For an added touch, I toss them with parsley and lemon zest just before serving. This brightens the flavor.
Roasted Potatoes with Lemon Zest and Parsley
4 medium sized yukon gold potatoes
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. corn starch
zest from 1 lemon
1 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut into 6th.
3. Toss potatoes with oil, corn starch, salt and pepper. Make sure potatoes are evenly coated.
4. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
5. Toss potatoes with lemon zest and parsley.
Joel Robuchon is famous for his mashed potatoes which have almost as much (if not more) cream and butter as potatoes. Perhaps there was a time when I would have enjoyed these, but now-a-days all that excess fat makes me a little queasy.
Yukon Gold potatoes have a wonderful sweet creaminess to them that makes them ideal for a healthier version of mashed potatoes. And to get them really smooth, I use a potato ricer. It looks like an extra-large garlic press.
Some home cooks have been known to whip their potatoes to make them airy, smooth and light. But all the mixing actually activates the glutens creating an end-product that simulates wall-paper paste. But, after passing the potatoes through the rice, they only need a few quick stirs with hot cream or milk and a generous seasoning of salt. No fear of making gluey potatoes.
These potatoes make a perfect side to steak with sauteed spinach. A classic steak-house dinner.
Potato Puree
4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup cream
salt
1. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Place them in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt.
2. Bring the potatoes to a boil, and cook until they are tender. Depending on the size of the potato chunks, this could be 5 – 20 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes well. While they are still hot, put mash them through the potato ricer.
4. Stir in cream. Season to taste with more salt.
I was browsing the spice aisle at a local gourmet shop and noticed all the different varieties of salt – sea salt, pink salt, black salt, smoked salt. Even Himalayan salt that’s purported to be thousands of years old. And they had Maldon Smoked Sea Salt. Salt? Smoke? Could anything be better?
I discovered Maldon Sea Salt when I was working at Biba restaurant. The salt hails from Essex England, but can be found in stores throughout the US. I’ve always loved the pyramid shaped crystals, with its wonderful texture, and clean, almost sweet, mineral flavor. The makers claim its unique flavor comes from the relatively low rainfall and environmental conditions of the local estuaries. The sea water is collected during high tide and then evaporated in clay pots leaving the crystals behind. I could practically snack on it like popcorn. And, in fact, as the kitchen manager at Biba would walk by my station, he’d take a pinch of salt and pop it in his mouth.
The crystals are immediately recognizable when served. At Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo, if you ask for salt, they will bring a small dish of Maldon’s.
As much as I love this salt, it’s not the best choice for cooking. First, it’s expensive, $15/pound as opposed to $2/pound for Diamond Kosher Salt. And even if I had unlimited funds, I still wouldn’t cook with it. What makes the texture so special and wonderful also prevents it from dissolving easily.
Unlike most other spices, salt reacts chemically with food, and is absorbed in a way that is critical for seasoning. For example, when grilling steak, you want to season it with salt before you cook it. Before the proteins have coagulated in the cooking process, they can absorb the salt and the meat will be seasoned through. If the steak is salted after, it will just taste salty as opposed to well-seasoned. Grain for grain, the steak will taste better if seasoned with salt before cooking, rather than after.
Because Maldon’s crystals are so large, they do not dissolve easily, and as such is better used as a finishing ingredient – a little sprinkle on top of steak or fish before serving. Not only will it bring extra flavor to your dishes, you will have extra texture from the crunchy flakes.
Seared Steak with Red Wine Reduction
2 rib eye steaks
1 tbs. plain oil
1 small shallot, peeled and diced fine
1 cup red wine
1 cup veal or chicken stock
3 tbs. butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice
Maldon Sea Salt
1. Season steak generously with salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes to give the steak a chance to dissolve and absorb the salt.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sear steak on both sides.
3. Continue roasting in 375F oven for 5 minutes, or until desired doneness.
4. Let meat rest.
5. To the pan the steak was cooking in, pour off any excess fat. Add the shallots and deglaze the pan with the red wine. When the red wine has reduced by 3/4 (so that 1/4 cup is left) add the stock. Let reduce again by 3/4. Remove pan from heat, and let bubbling subside. Swirl in butter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
6. Serve steak with potatoes, spinach and sauce. Sprinkle sea salt on top.
My friend Steve Dunn started a new blog, Oui, Chef about 6 months ago – about teaching his kids to cook. I have enjoyed his blog for many reasons, but I think top on my list is his photography. His photos are clean, crisp and always make the food look mouthwatering. After receiving an “Honest Scrap” award, he admitted that his plating skills are lacking, so he uses a macro setting on his camera to compensate, or hide, for his perceived deficiency.
I have the opposite problem. I’m actually pretty good at plating. I just can’t take a good photograph. The photos always look a bit out of focus – I’m sure my number one problem is lighting. Number two: I need to learn more about the settings on the camera, so I can use them to my advantage.
Case in point: This picture.
I had wanted to share with you a great technique for creating a beautiful presentation for salads.
With a vegetable peeler, shave long slices of English cucumbers. Be sure to get the entire width of the cucumber so there is peel on both sides. From a single cucumber, you should be able to get a dozen or more slices – so you have plenty to practice with enough leftover to still serve to your guests.
Line the inside of a ring mold with the cucumber. Make sure the ends overlaps by at least one inch. The cucumber has enough moisture that it will hold its shape when unmolded. With the cucumber still in the ring, fill the inside of the cucumber ring with dressed mesclun greens. Be sure to tuck any ends into the cucumber, letting only the leafy greens poke out. You can fill it pretty tight. To remove the ring, gently hold the cucumber in place and pull the ring off.
This salad was served with seared foie gras and paired with a 1986 Chateau Climens Sauternes.
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Thank you, Steve, for the Honest Scrap award. I’m honored to receive it and flattered to know that you’ve been inspired by my blog. The feeling is mutual: I think your design and photos are clean and beautiful. And I’m always interested in hearing about the stories of you and your kids in the kitchen. They are so fortunate to have you as their dad.
I, too, have been inspired by many blogs, and would like to recognize just a few here. T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types for being a wonderful story-teller. Dan at Casual Kitchen for culling out such interesting stories and resources about the way we eat. Lydia at the Perfect Pantry for being a wonderful friend and mentor. And I always learn interesting tidbits form her posts. Melissa at Alosha's Kitchen — your style of cooking is just a few degrees off what I cook for myself, and you always inspire me to try new dishes.
In my first year of business school, we were presented with the following problem (slightly modified):
A farmer in Iowa owns 45 acres of land. She is going to plant each acre with corn or potato. Each acre planted with potato will yield $200 profit; each with corn yields $300 profit. Each acre of potato requires 3 workers and 2 tons of fertilizer. Each acre of corn requires 2 works and 4 tons of fertilizer. One hundred works are available and 120 tons of fertilizer are available. What is the optimal mix of potato and corn that the farmer should plant to maximize profits?
I plugged all the numbers into an excel spreadsheet, opened the solver box, and clicked “solve”. The computer spit out the answer, 20 acres of each.
The computer modeling fascinated me. The following week, during spring break, I headed down to Even’ Star Farm. I wanted to utilize this new tool to see if I could help Brett maximize his profits. During the week, we calculated all the costs to get crops into the ground, out of the ground and to market. We then calculated the annual yields (based on previous years) and the profit. I wrote up the “case study” and submitted it to my professors.
They liked it! So much so, that they paid me retro-actively for my work; got the paper presented at the “American Accounting Association-Management Accounting Section International Case and Research Conference”; and now use the case-study in the MBA curriculum.
It was through this case-study project, that I was offered the opportunity to teach accounting at Babson, and begin the transition from chef to accountant/consultant.
A few weeks ago, I was in a Chinatown market, stocking up on pantry supplies. Looking for corn starch, I grabbed a bag and threw it in my shopping cart. I wonder if this came from that fabled farmer in Iowa??
After I write an exam for my freshman accounting class, I take the test myself. My goal is to finish in 20 minutes – a good gauge that it will take the students an hour. Similarly, when I’m cooking dinner, I know that I can accomplish in 20 minutes what will take the typical home-cook an hour. With 15 years of professional cooking under my belt, I chop faster, and can attend to several pans on the stovetop while doing other prep or clean-up.
I realize that what I define as “quick and easy,” may not be for others. I try to reconcile this difference when friends and family call or email for recipe suggestions.
Last weekend, I prepared hors d’oeuvres for a dinner party, and wanted to keep it simple since I knew the meal preparation would be more elaborate. As I started to write up my blog-post, I read noble pig’s post about a “quick and easy” appetizer: bacon-peach pinwheels. Though, they sound *delicious*, they did not seem “quick and easy” even to my standard. They require several components, some stove top cooking followed by some baking.
For me, quick and easy are recipes that require little or no cooking, and can be made with a few ingredients.
One of my favorites is cucumber slices topped with broiled eel or smoked salmon.
How do you define “quick and easy”?
Cucumber with Broiled Eel and Green Apple
1 English cucumber 1 package broiled eel (available at Japanese or Korean markets in the freezer section) 1 green apple Radish and/or scallion to garnish.
1. Slice cucumber into ¼ inch rounds. 2. Slice eel filet in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2 inch strips. 3. Put eel pieces on a cookie sheet and warm in a 400F oven for 5 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, slice green apple 5. Top each cucumber slice with a slice of green apple and a piece of eel. Garnish with radish slices or scallions if desired.
Risotto is one of those exceedingly flexible dishes. Now, I haven’t read Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, but I’m guessing that risotto would be in there.
The basics are simple, the adaptations are infinite. Let me rewrite the ingredient list a little differently:
3/4 cup arborio rice ½ cup aromatics 1/4 cup alcohol 3 cups liquid 1/3 cup grated or crumbled cheese 4 tbs. whole butter garnish lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
Depending on the “garnish” you put in your rice, whether it’s shrimp, mushrooms or duck confit, you can adapt the other ingredients to fit. For example, the aromatics can be onions, shallots, garlic or any combination. The alcohol could be cognac (for shrimp), sherry (for mushrooms) or red wine for beets. The cheese could be Parmesan, goat or smoked Gouda. And for the liquid – any combination of water, chicken, lobster of vegetable stock. Heck, you could use apple juice if you wanted…. Though I wouldn’t recommend it.
Conventional wisdom dictates that risotto should be stirred continuously while the rice is cooking.
But Lydia Shire is not a conventional chef. As a line cook at Biba, she taught me how to cook in her style… risotto, for example, was cooked in a large, 3 gallon rondeau pan. The large surface area allowed for even cooking, and easy pan-shaking. Lydia did not stir her risotto; rather she’d shake the pan occasionally just to make sure it wasn’t sticking on the bottom. After cooking the risotto ¾ of the way, it was spread out on sheet trays to cool quickly (and prevent over cooking). During dinner service, we (the line cooks) would finish the risotto by stirring in butter and cheese. The final stirring was just enough to coax out the creaminess while keeping the grains of rice separate.
I didn’t think much of this technique, one way or the other… until I was cooking with my brother-in-law. As we divvied up the cooking responsibilities for dinner one night, he offered to take on the risotto – an old friend had taught him how to make it, and he felt confident in his technique. I watched him stir and stir the risotto, just as his friend had taught him, slowly adding hot liquid. I didn’t question his technique – though different than mine, I knew this was traditional.
But as we sat down for dinner that evening, the risotto seized up into a glomy mound. All that stirring produced too much “creaminess” to the point of starchiness that glued the rice grains together.
To my taste, I prefer shaken, not stirred, risotto. And now I know why.
Risotto
Leftover duck confit makes a wonderful additional to risotto.
3/4 cup arborio rice 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup white wine 1/3 cup parmesan 4 tbs. whole butter lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Keep hot while making the risotto.
2. Heat large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add butter. When it is melted, add shallots, and sweat for 2 minutes. Add rice, stirring to ensure each grain is coated in butter.
3. Deglaze with wine. When the rice has absorbed the wine, add 1/3 of the liquid. Gently stir, to ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 of remaining liquid. Cook rice, uncovered and without stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add remaining liquid and continue cooking in the same method.
4. Test risotto to ensure that it is cooked almost completely. If not add more hot water, and continue cooking. Otherwise, season with salt and pepper. Stir in parmesan and butter. Adjust seasoning with fresh lemon juice, if desired.
Roasting the bird whole is perhaps the easiest way to contend with it. The perennial problem with this method is that the breasts cook quicker than the legs. And legs need to be cooked through, whereas the breasts are best medium or medium rare. If you break down the bird you can give each part its proper attention. Consistent in the cooking methods of each part of the bird is rendering the fat. This extremely fatty bird can render as much as 2 cups of fat.
I butcher the bird into 4 parts – the breasts, the legs, the carcass and the excess fat.
I reserve the carcass for duck stock. But before I even think about the stock, I shove it in the oven at 350 for an hour. The bones roast golden brown, which will add depth of flavor to the eventual stock, and the fat that coats the bones renders away. The stock will be much leaner for this extra step. I then throw the bones into a pot with a carrot, onion and celery stalk; a few sprigs of parsley, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. The whole thing is covered in water, and back into the oven for several hours. The stock can be used to make a sauce, soup or even to make risotto.
My favorite way to prepare duck legs is to confit them. If I’m organized, I start the process at least 1 day in advance. Classically, confit means “to cook in its own fat.” Chefs have taken liberties with the word to mean, braised in fat. If you’ve even seen “tomato confit” on a menu you can see what I mean. Obviously, a tomato doesn’t have its own fat, so in order to confit it, it is slowly roasted in olive oil. For duck legs, the long, slow cooking tenderizes the meat, melts away the excess fat, gives the meat a chance to absorb the flavors of the marinade and keeps it moist and succulent. The legs get rubbed with salt, plenty of garlic and warm spices, including cinnamon, cumin and ground ginger. I place them in a pyrex dish, skin side up, and put the excess fat on top. After 24 hours, of marinade, I cook them slowly in a 250F oven… at least 3 hours, but 6 hours is better. The fat melts away and creates a broth in which to braise the legs.
The breasts get broken down further, separating the skin from the meat. The skin goes into the oven at 350. This renders out the fat, leaving crackling, crisp skin. After a little marination in soy sauce and vanilla, I sear the breasts to medium rare, a process that takes only ten minutes.
A single bird is enough to serve four people a gracious meal of “Duck Three Ways”
Duck Confit This recipe is adapted from Madeleine Kamman's recipe 4 Duck legs 1/2 tsp. each cumin, coriander, cinnamon 1/4 tsp. each allspice, dried thyme pinch cloves 1/4 tsp. each cardamom ginger nutmeg lots of garlic, chopped half "a lot" of shallots, chopped salt and pepper duck fat (or fat trimming from whole duck)
1. Combine spices.
2. Season duck generously with salt, pepper and spice mix on the flesh side.
3. Toss with garlic and shallots.
4. Let sit for at least 24 hours.
5. Cook duck legs in 250 oven covered in duck fat for 2-3 hours, or until meat is very tender, and skin pulls away from the tip of the leg bone.
, but I’m guessing that risotto would be in there.
recipe