Conscientious eating: Baby Cows and Donuts.

I don't know what my problem is - Why I've been so vacant. I've been hyper social lately, but don't feel like I'm all there. Most of the time I'm thinking of my house. My cat. My kitchen. My apparent boringness. I admit it, I either want to be a homebody or in some exotic location 99% of the time. Middle ground has never been my forte, but lately I can't seem to be satisfied by my favorite local hang outs. I see the same people in every bar and the urge to punch douchebags never seems to dissipate.

Admittedly, I did have a lovely evening last night at Sawyer Park, of all places. I visited an old friend, Evan, who is going off to law school in DC. Between telling him how much he was going to hate his life and drinking Jamesons, I had a great time. I miss being around people who "get" me, or if not me, at least my humor. My group of friends in Houston is great and I know we'll be friends for years to come. But most of the time there's a feeling of stagnation and listlessness that drags everyone down, even if they don't know it. I'm probably just projecting, but that's generally how I feel by the end of the night.

So, food. Right, this is a food blog. A month+ ago, I had the pleasure of dining on an entire meal of Thomas Keller knock offs from The French Laundry and Ad Hoc. Below you'll find the other two courses, Slow-roasted veal shank and "Coffee and Donuts".

Slow Roasted Veal Shank
adapted from Ad Hoc [Thomas Keller]

• 2 Large Veal Shanks, around 2# or more each (the recipe calls for 2 whole shanks aroung 4# each, but Central market didn't have them whole and there were no baby cows around to slaughter so I went for the cut version)
• 1 large onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 large carots, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 Large celery stalks, cut into 1" pieces
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• Canola Oil
• Gremolata (see below)

Let shanks come to room temp for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275F.

Toss the onion, carrots, and celery together and spread out in a small roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold the shanks. Season the shanks generously on all sides with the S&P.

Heat the canola oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the shanks on all sides. Places on the vegetables and transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 3-4h (7-8h if using a whole shank), turning the shanks 3 or 4 times during the cooking to brown evenly. Cook until the meat is extremely tender and can be pulled off the bones with a meat fork. Remove from the oven and let rest in a warm spot for 30m. Sprinkle with gremolata at the last minute and serve.

Gremolata
From Ad Hoc [Thomas Keller]
This is actually a slightly unusual preparation of gremolata. Usually the process is a bit more slapdash and does not include bread crumbs, but this is careful and every step has a purpose. Would you expect anything less of Sir Keller?

• 1/2c Dried Bread crumbs (cut away crusts from a loaf of country bread, pulse in a food processor, spread on a cookie sheet and toast in a 250F oven for 30m. Toss the crumbs on the sheet and bake for an additional 30m. Or if you don't want to deal with an additional 1h process, just toast them on 350F turning often and watching them carefully)
• 1-2t Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Lemon
• 1 medium garlic clove, or to taste
• S&P

 In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with just enough olive oil to lightly coat. Toss in the Parsley. Using a microplane, grate the lemon zest and garlic into the bowl. Season witht he S&P to taste. Serve soon after made, otherwise the bread crumbs become soggy and the lemon/herbs lose their punch.

My Grade: B+. I should've found a way to get primal cuts.
Recipe Grade: A.
Diagnosis: Don't bother unless you're going to make this with a whole veal shank. If the shank is cut, braise that puppy and send me pictures.

Note: when eating a cut shank, please for the love of all that is good and greasy in the world, don't miss out on the marrow. Spoon it out onto a piece of toasted bread, sprinkle with either gremolata or coarse sea salt and noms down.

The shanks are also best served with the garlic marble potatoes from Ad Hoc. Too bad I'm tired of typing and I have faith you all in cyberspace can roast a decent potato without a 500word explanation. Here's a picture to taunt you though:

And for dessert:
Coffee and Doughnuts: Cappuccino Semifreddo with Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts
Adapted from The French Laundry [Thomas Keller]

Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts (cake donuts)
Part 1

• 1/4c + 1T water, at room temp
• 1/4 oz compressed fresh yeast
• 1/2c ap flour

Place the water in the bowl of a mixer. Crumble the yeast into the water (can sub dried yeast) and crush the yeast with a spoon to dissolve. Add the flour to the bowl and using the dough hook, mix slowly until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. transfer this sponge to a bowl, cover, and let proof at room temp for 1-2h, until it has doubled or place the bowl in the fridge to proof overnight.

Part 2

• 1/4 oz compressed fresh yeast
• 2T milk, at room temp
• 1c + 2T AP flour, or more as needed
• 3T sugar
• 1t Kosher salt
• 1/4c egg yolks (about 3 large yolks)
• 2T (1oz) melted unsalted butter, cooled
• canola oil for deep frying
• Cinnamon sugar: 1/2c sugar mixed with 1 1/4t ground cinnamon (or more)

  Crumble the yeast into the milk in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Place 3/4c of the flour, the sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mixing on low speed, pour in the milk and yeast mixture, followed by the egg yolks and butter. Mix for a minute to combine.

Add the proofed sponge and the remaining 1/4c + 2T flour. Continue to beat at low speed until combined. Turn up the speed slightly and knead the dough for 4-5m, or until it has formed a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems wet, it may be necessary to add 1-2T of flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof overnight in the fridge.

To Shape the doughnuts:
Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2" thickness. It's a very stiff dough so this is not as easy as it seems. Cut out the doughnuts using a 2" doughnut or biscuit cutter (and a 3/4" cutter for the hole if using a biscuit cutter). Place the doughnuts and their holes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

At this point, the doughnuts can be frozen for several days, refrigerated, or allowed to rise at room temp. If they're frozen, defrost and then allow them to rise at room temp for 1-1.5h. They can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, to rise slowly. When you remove them from the fridge, uncover them and let them finish proofing in a warm spot for 20-30m. If they have not been refrigerated or frozen, they should rise at room temp for 15m. Once proofed, they will have risen to apx 3/4".

To Cook the doughnuts:
In a heavy saucepan large enough to hold half the doughnuts and holes at a time, heat canola oil to 325F. Add half the doughnuts and holes, cooking for apx 30s on the first side. Flip them and fry for about 1m on the second side, tehn turn back to the first side to cook for an additional 30s, or until a deep golden brown. Remove the doughnut, drain briefly on paper towels, and toss them in the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with remaining.

Cappuccino Semifreddo

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split
• 2T espresso extract
• 1/2c heavy cream
• 1/2c milk, if you want the steamed milk on top of the semifreddo, but I didn't do it and don't think it's necessary other than for the overall cappuccino look

Place the egg yolks and 1/4c + 2T sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the bowl. Whip for about 12m at medium speed, or until the mixture has lightened and tripled in volume. Beat in the espresso extract. Transfer the mixture into a bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice water to maintain its consistency.

In a mixer bowl or metal bowl, whip the heavy cream with 3T of the sugar until it holds its shape when the whisk or beater is lifted. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture and return the bowl to the ice.

Whip the egg whites in a mixer bowl or metal bowl until they are frothy. While whipping, add in the remaining 3T of sugar and whip the eggwhites just until they hold soft peaks, being careful not to overwhip them. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until they are completely combined.

Spoon the semifreddo into six 8-10oz coffee cups, leaving at least 1/2" at the top for the steamed milk. This stuff is very fluffy, but super rich. If I made it again, I would fill the cups half way. Gently tap the cups against the counter to level the mixture. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer until frozen, at least 6-8h or overnight. These will keep for up to 3d in the freezer. After that time, they will start to deflate.

To Complete (finally, I know you're hungry now):

Remove the semifreddo from the freezer a few minutes before serving to soften slightly. Steam the milk using a a cappuccino machine (that we all have lying around) or frothing machine (that too). Place a cup of semifreddo and doughnut on each of six plates. Top each doughnut with a hole. Spoon the steamed milk over the semifreddo and serve immediately.

My Grade: B+. The doughnuts were a bit heavy, though TK indicates a fondness for heavy, cake donuts so perhaps that's the way they were supposed to be.
Recipe grade: A. This man explains things TOO much.
Diagnosis: Semifreddo is going in permanent rotation, but the donuts are a bit too much hassle for the outcome.

Thomas Keller Weekend - Salmon tartare "Cornets" with sweet red onion creme fraiche

Prize: I will make this recipe for anyone who buys me 5+ cornet molds. It's a win-win, right?

These are difficult. They were annoying and fickle. But they were some of the best bites of food I've made at home in the past year. You don't plan on making a Thomas Keller dish because it's convenient. You make it because you want to be wowed - He doesn't fail to deliver here. The other three Keller dishes from this past weekend were good, but these cornets took the cake. If you're sadistic and overindulgent like me, you'll need the recipe:

Cornets
1/4c + 3T AP flour
1 T + 1t sugar
1t kosher salt
8T unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
2 large egg whites, cold
2 T black sesame seeds

These are a pain to make. I’m not sure if I have fingerprints after making only 8 of them. The cornets must be formed while the dough is still hot i.e. while you can still see the butter bubbling and still smell your skin roasting. Fun, right?

They also take extremely specialized cookware, which is less than preferable in my cramped kitchen. In the end (the very end, unfortunately) aluminum was discovered. You can crumple and form aluminum foil into cones instead of rushing out to sur la table to pay $4 for each cornet cone. They should look something like this.

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until completely smooth and mayonnaise like in texture. Beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and w/o any lumps. Transfer the batter to a smaller container as it will be easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 400F

Make 4 inch hollow circular stencil (can be done with a compass, cardboard, and a steady hand). Place on a silpat or parchment on the counter first b/c it’s easier to work with. Use the stencil to spread 4in, thin rounds of dough on the silpat. After you bake the first batch you’ll get a feel for how thick it should be. Repeat as necessary. Sprinkle each with black sesame seeds. Put the silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4-6m or until batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. You don’t want to see much color on them at this point, lest they become unrollable.

Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door so the cornets stay warm as you roll them. Flip the cornet over on the sheet pan, and place a 4 ½ inch cornet mold (size #35 if you decide to buy them) at the bottom of the round. The tip of the mold should touch the lower left edge of the edge of the cornet. Fold the bottom of the cornet up and around the mold and roll the cornet tightly around the mold. This is not as easy as it sounds, and when I read it, it sounded really difficult. Leave the cornet wrapped around the mold and continue to roll the cornets around molds, leaving them seam side down on the baking sheet. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until browned. Allow to cool slightly after removing from the oven before removing from the molds. Put on paper towels to cool. Allow the baking sheet and silpat to cool before repeating. Store the cornets for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

Salmon tartare
4oz salmon filet, finely minced
¾ t extra virgin olive oil
¾ t lemon oil (or extra olive oil and some lemon zest)
1 ½ t finely minced chives
1 ½ t finely minced shallot
½ t kosher salt
a little pepper (white preferable)

Finally something I know how to do. Cut the salmon carefully, and try not to handle it too much – your hands are hot and can ruin the texture.

With a sharp knife, finely mince the salmon fillet (NO food processors) and place in a small bowl with all the other ingredients. Taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30m.

Sweet red onion crème fraiche
1 T finely minced red onion
1/2 c crème fraiche
¼ t kosher salt
a little pepper (white)

Place the red onions in a small strainer and rinse them under cold water for several seconds. Dry them and put in a small bowl with the crème fraiche. Whisk it together until the crème fraiche is fluffy. Add the other ingredients and mix. Put into a piping bag or Ziploc bag and refrigerate – this will make it easier to pipe later.

To finish:
Fill the cornets up to ½ in of the top with the onion cream leaving the bottom of the cone empty (but you don’t have to, the crème is so good). Spoon the tartare on the top and fashion into a ice cream cone like shape. Keller recommends putting a chive tip on the top, but I like the look of finely minced chives better. Your choice.

Also, if you don’t care about cornets/don’t want to mess with it, then just bake them flat and pile the stuff on top. Alternatively, you can mold them into mini muffin cups so they’re like mini tartlets. Tartlets of JOY.

Really though. Just get them in your mouth.

Still to come: "Coffee and Doughnuts" and Slow roasted veal shank + garlic potatoes, all compliments of Sir Keller himself.

Recipe: A+. Can't argue with it.
My Grade: A-. Wish I had some cornets.
Diagnosis: Beware your fingertips and waist line.

Lamb Shahi Korma and Naan

Lamb, as I've noted before, is my favorite meat. I know pork brings bacon and chops, and chicken offers versatility and economy... but lamb still wins. If you weren't sold on the braised lamb shanks presented in exhibit A, turn your attention to Exhibit B: Lamb Shahi Korma.

Just to put it out there: This is a rich, fattening dish. Don't make this if you're on a diet. Or if you're vegetarian. Or if you're allergic to nuts. Or if you're lactose intolerat. Or if you don't like spicy food. Basically, if you have some hang ups about eating - this dish might not be for you. If you're everyone else, set aside 3 hours (+1 day because it's better after it sits) of your weekend to make this dish.

Okay, so this isn't the most approachable meal, but it's really wonderful and worth the effort. And if you don't want to go through the trouble, please eat mine. I probably don't need to down thousands of calories of curry at every meal. Probably.

Lamb Shahi Korma
Adapted from Tigers and Strawberries

Step 1
2T light oil
1 pound boned leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1″ cubes
1 pound boned lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1″ cubes
2 bay leaves
1 2” stick cinnamon
1 cardamom pod
4 whole cloves
water as needed

Step 2
4 T light oil
4 c thinly sliced peeled yellow onions
1 t salt
2″ cube fresh peeled ginger
6 cloves peeled garlic
1″ stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 t black peppercorns
2 dried Indian chilies
6 whole green cardamom pods
1 t fennel seeds
2 t pepper flakes
1/2 t cumin seeds
2 t coriander seeds
1 cup toasted almond butter, creamy
1 cup toasted cashew butter, creamy
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full fat or greek yogurt
salt to taste
toasted sliced almonds, cashew halves and pistachios for garnish
roughly chopped cilantro and mint for garnish

Step 1:
Add 2T to a heavy bottom pot on medium high. Sear the lamb in batches. After all pieces are appropriately brown and crusty, add the spices from step 1 and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30-45 minutes, or until the meat it is tender, but not totally falling apart tender. This will continue to cook in the sauce later so you don’t want it to disintegrate.

Step 2:
In another deep Dutch Oven, put the second measure of oil, and heat it on medium high heat. Add the onions, and spread them out into as thin a layer as possible, and sprinkle the salt evenly over them. Cook, stirring until the onions turn a deep reddish brown. Meanwhile, grind the spices in a spice grinder/coffee grinder until fine. If you try to grind everything together you will end up with big chunks of spices which is not delicious. When the onions are brown, scrape them out of the pot into a food processor and grind. Add to them the ginger, garlic, and spices, and grind into a thick paste.

Skim most of the fat from the lamb broth and strain it to remove the whole spices. Discard the spices.

Put the pot you cooked the onions in back on the stove on medium heat and deglaze with one cup of the lamb broth. Add the spice paste, and cook, stirring, until it is fragrant. Add the nut butters, and continue cooking, stirring, for another couple of minutes. Stir about two cups of lamb broth, and simmer to reduce by half. Add the cream, and the lamb, and cook, stirring, until the lamb is heated and the sauce is thick. Add the yogurt, in two tablespoon increments, stirring thoroughly between each addition. Allow each addition of the yogurt to incorporate fully into the sauce before adding the next addition.

You might want to give it a taste, if you haven't already licked every spoon that's gone into the pot, to test the consistency. It should be creamy. Like, a heavenly, thick puddle of flavored cream. If there are errant chunks of spices and nuts, you can remove the meat and puree the sauce in a food processor. I ended up doing this and my curry was better for it. You can hold the korma at serving temperature (141 degrees F) for several hours before serving to let the flavors meld, or you could cool it, and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two before reheating it to serve.In either case, it will taste lovely, though it will be best after a day in the fridge.

My Grade: A+. I am so smug.
Recipe grade: This recipe is heavily modified because I went through many additional steps to fix the original. The recipe itself isn't that different, but the differences are key. I'd give this one a B+, mostly because I haven't made it exactly according to what's written yet.
Diagnosis: Best served with basmati rice or...

Naan
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3T  sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour (maybe an extra 1/2 c but probably won't need it)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (or more)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2.  Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4.  At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a (very!) thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned.

Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.


















My grade: B, it really should've been thinner.
Recipe grade: as modified, probably a B+. The original was shit though.
Diagnosis: this is something that you have to work at perfecting. It's just probably not something you're going to get right the first time. But who wouldn't keep trying to eat fresh naan all the time. Even mediocre naan is still naan.

Chickpeas

Who’s shucked a fresh chickpea? Who’s eaten one? I’d venture to guess no one, and I’m kind of baffled as to why; they’re delicious! Someone from the chickpea marketing team really slipped up in not promoting them as a fresh vegetable. I just had my first (of many, hopefully) fresh chickpea experiences this past weekend. They come in a little green jacket, like an English Pea, which is peeled away to reveal one (sometimes two, if you’re lucky) bright green chickpeas.

Apparently they come in both a green and white varietal, but the green is the easiest to find fresh. Though they look like peas, it is in fact a legume. In their fresh state chickpeas don’t take much in the way of preparation and actually don’t taste half bad raw. Lightly steam them and drizzle with a touch of sea salt and super fruity olive oil and you’ve got an interesting and easy side dish.

My Grade: A
Recipe Grade: A, it's not even a recipe really.
Diagnosis: MUST try.

Christine had a little lamb...

I have a slight obsession with lamb. Whenever there’s an occasion to celebrate or some excuse for an ornate meal, I turn to lamb. Whether it’s shanks, rack, loin, shoulder, leg… I love it all! I think my love of lamb has stunted my culinary growth a bit though. When faced with the choice of the choicest meats, I can’t help myself. Why would I make a three-bone prime rib roast for $100 when I can make rack of lamb for 8 for $60? Serving lamb reaps a level of impressiveness that plain ol’ filet mignon will never attain.  Plus, it objectively tastes better. Because my taste is the true measure of good taste, obviously.

Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks

So here is my latest rendition of braised lamb shanks. I think I’ve made braised lamb shanks more than any other meat dish. In Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller expounds on the virtues of perfecting a recipe through repetition. If you make a dish over and over, you know the ins and outs of the ingredients and can actually tweek it rather than wholly categorizing the recipe as good or bad then moving on. I have to say, this is one of the first complex recipes I've ever developed by repetition. Diners always rave about it, even my ex-roomie who is generally a vegetarian will eat it. Though it takes 3 hours, it’s not a difficult dish to make. If you have a big pot and some time, you can do it.

3-4 large lamb shanks
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic confit (regular fresh garlic would be okay, but maybe just 2 cloves)
S & P
1 bay leaf
3 T flour
2 T olive oil
½ bottle of dry red wine
2 T Pomegranate Molasses
3 c chicken broth
1 small can of tomatoes (San Marzano, please)

Season and sear the shanks on all sides in a large heavy pot (like a le Creuset). It will take at least 5 minutes on each side on medium heat to appropriately brown each side. Meanwhile, clean all vegetables and cut into roughly 3” pieces (just to make it easier to blend). Process in a food processor with the flour until finely minced (almost to the point of baby food, but still confetti like).

 

Remove the shanks from the pot and sauté the processed flour and vegetables until lightly browned. Deglaze with the wine, add the stock, bay leaf, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, and seared shanks. Season with salt and pepper (but not too too much because the sauce will reduce down). Bring to a simmer, cover, and stash in your oven at 225F for three (3!) hours, turning and basting it at least every hour.

At the end of the cook time, either remove the shanks from the pot if you dare (because they will crumble into a tender mass of meaty perfection at the slightest touch of your tongs) or take the lid off and simmer on the stove until the liquid has reduced by half. You may want to baste the shanks often to ensure maximum moistness.

Serve with only a fork and you will be very happy. Serve with baba ghanoush and fresh chickpeas doused in your finest olive oil, and you will be unnaturally happy – the kind of happy that usually only comes in pill form.

Recipe Grade: A
My Grade: A+ (my first!)
Diagnosis: Good for special occasions.

Eclairs

Central Market loves me. I don’t mean they give me lots of samples (which they do) or that they are nice to me, etc… I mean I am on a first name basis with all employees and 90% of my money goes in their pocket. When I’m lazy I turn to CM for prepared foods – especially their éclairs. Eclairs are a headache to make. You have to plan ahead so the pastry cream has time to chill, the pate a choux though easy to make is hard to tell when it’s done, you have to deal with piping bags… it’s generally a pain. Thus, I usually buy a CM éclair a week to forego the 6 hours it takes to make them. However, at $3.99 a pop, our éclair addiction is fast becoming somewhat like a costly smoking habit. Last weekend I sucked it up and made éclairs. Lots of them. About 40 miniature éclairs, actually. The mini éclairs are the perfect bite size party food and they're so small no one feels guilty about eating just a few of these morsels. The minis did not last a single night amongst friends; they were that good!

Éclairs

Make the cream first:
Lightened Pastry Cream
(from The Joy of Cooking)

1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. corn starch
4 large egg yolks
1 1/3 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream (not needed until ready to fill pastries)

Chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Beat the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and egg yolks on high speed until thick and yellow, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk and vanilla bean over medium heat. Remove the vanilla bean. Gradually add 1/3 of the milk to the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Add the egg/milk mixture back to the pan and remaining milk. Cook while whisking constantly. Scrape the corners and bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. Once custard begins to thicken, continue to cook for an additional 45 to 60 seconds. Add vanilla extract, if a vanilla bean was not used.

Pour custard into a clean bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap or waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Refrigerate until cold--up to 2 days. At this point, check on your custard. It should be the consistency of pudding. If it’s not, put the pastry cream back in a pot, add a little cornstarch (1 t or so) and cook slowly over medium heat until it thickens. Cool in the fridge.

Before filling eclairs, beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the cold custard.

Choux Pastry
(from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup (100g) butter
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 1/4 cup flour
* 4 eggs, plus 1 egg white if needed

Preheat oven to 340°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine 1 cup water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Stir in flour. When flour is combined, return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes. It is ready when it pulls away from the sides and a film forms on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on low speed, until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, on medium speed, letting each one incorporate completely before adding the next. Add final egg a little at a time until the batter is smooth and shiny. Test batter by touching it with your finger and lifting to form a string. If a string does not form, the batter needs more egg. If you have added all the eggs and the batter still doesn’t form a string, add the extra egg white, 1 tbsp at a time, until it does.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round or star tip with pate a choux batter; pipe out oblong shapes, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, onto prepared baking sheets at 2-inch intervals.

Bake until golden (this took a while, maybe 30 minutes. For crispier eclairs, which I prefer, poke a little hole in the side of the eclair 10 minutes before the end of the baking. Make sure the eclair shells are very brown and sound hollow when tapped.). Let cool on wire racks.

The pastries can be kept in airtight containers for 2 days, without filling.


When the eclair shells are completely cool, cut in half and pipe the custard cream in the middle. You can at this point put some berries in with the cream, or replace the top on the eclair and top with chocolate ganache (8 oz. chocolate, 1/2 cup heavy cream, melted together slowly over a double boiler until just melted).





My grade: A
Recipe grade: A- (it's hard to know when the eclair shell is baked enough)
Diagnosis: Worth making, though a multi-step process.

Ka-ree

Korean (or Japanese, whichever) curry is not the prettiest dish. It's generally brown and gloppy looking with no hints of verdant green freshness in sight. Despite the plebeian gruel look, Korean/Japanese curry will have you salivating. It's in the realm of cheeseburgers and pizza - it's that level of cravability. It's a bastardization of a bastardization - heavy with thickeners and mild spiciness only vaguely reminiscent of Indian Curry. Curry came to Japan via the British during the Meiji era (think British Imperialism). Since then, the Japanese style of curry has become almost the national dish of Japan. There are restaurants that specialize only in this type of curry. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite kind of curry, but this version has a shot at #1.




AND it's probably one of the easiest things you'll ever make. I consider it a more involved ramen on the scale of ease of preparation. All it takes is a box of "S&B Golden Curry", some onions, carrots and meat (beef, chicken, shrimp, etc.), water, and a pot. Cut up some veg - I go really basic like the ka-re of my childhood, but the sky's the limit on what you can add. Then boil it all up, eat, repeat.

There are more complicated homemade kinds (my favorite being the kind that is stewed for 24 hours with apples and Daikon), but comfort needs to come quickly these days (law school *shakes fist*) so I have no problem with the boxed kind. People who know me are very confused right now.

Japanese Ka-re

1 large onion
2 carrots
2 yukon gold potatoes
3ish cups water (enough to cover the veg and meat)
1 box S&B curry (hot version please)
1 ribeye steak or chuck (or about 1 lb of whatever meat – if beef is desired, do NOT use NY strip b/c it's too dry, and if you're using shrimp add them during the last 3-5 minutes so they don't overcook)
1 T oil (canola or veg oil is fine, even preferred here)

Cut meat and vegetables into 1” pieces. Sauté in a pot with a tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes. Pour over enough water to cover. Bring up to a boil on high heat. Break up the curry concentrate into smaller pieces and melt in the pot. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until everything is soft and tender (beef takes a bit longer, I’d say about 30 minutes).

Serve over rice and grub down.

There is this weird phenomenon of restaurants in Japan that are themed like bathrooms - toilets specifically. You sit on toilets, eat out of mini toilets, the light fixtures are modeled after urinals. It’s a chain and people eat that shit up (pun SO intended). Curry is one of the most popular dishes to order and you can see why…


My grade: A- (used NY strip this time b/c it was all I had)
Recipe grade: A+
Diagnosis: Must try.

Say...

Cheesemaking might be the most infuriating food project I’ve ever undertaken. I thought it would be so pastoral, even poetic to find farm fresh milk, apply a little know how and make a product that was arguably 1000% better than its parts. What a crock. It turned out to be a hair puller – like the nervous, pissed off pull-out-your-eyebrow-hairs-with-your-fingernails psychotic kind of irritated. The box (“Home cheese making” by Ricki Carroll) proclaimed five year old children could be parma prodigy and anyone could make cheese the first time and every time like a pro. This is in fact a damn dirty lie.

I consider myself a decent cook. I like to cook and do it often. Some dishes come out far better than others and I will reflect this variance in the “my grade” report on every recipe (based on my opinion and diners’ opinions). I don’t know why the hell I’m making myself worry about yet another GPA-esque number, but I guess I’m a glutton (for pun-ishment ahahaha, no.). The first time I tried my hand at this recipe, the curds didn’t properly form and I was left with murky green Bayoubend like whey and barf like strands of curd. YUM!

No whey.

I think this picture was supposed to make Houston look good.

The second attempt almost got there. The curds formed and I got to the stretching phase of the process. Then everything disintegrated into an overheated mass of grainy goo. This was salvaged in a strainer and became a sort of ricotta cheese. Tasty, but not mozzarella. Still, the show had to go on and I used it on my pizza dough. (recipe follows)

Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto, oven roasted tomatoes in garlic, mozz/ricotta disaster, fresh basil

The next day true frustration set in and I found another recipe online. Unwittingly thinking this was a totally different recipe, I went ahead with it. Later I discovered it was developed by the same folks that provided my two prior fails. This recipe makes a harder/firmer cheese. The prior recipe supposedly makes a softer, more pillowy cheese, but I wouldn’t know from personal inspection. This cheese was indeed rather hard as far as fresh mozz goes, but retained the gooey soft melting texture so sought after.

EZ Cheese
* 1/2 rennet tablet
* 1/4 cup cool, chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are chlorine-free)
* 1 gallon milk (2%, 1%, or skim)
* 2 teaspoons citric acid
* Salt, optional

Preparation:
Crush the rennet into the water and stir to dissolve. Pour milk into a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron). Place over medium heat. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. Heat milk to 88 degrees F. Milk will begin to curdle.

At 88 degrees F, add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees F. Turn off the heat. Large curds will appear and begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).

With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass bowl. (If it's still too liquid, let it set for a few more minutes). Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as possible. Microwave curds on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey. With a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool. Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and continue to drain the whey and work cheese into a ball. In the meantime, place the whey over medium heat and let it heat to about 175 degrees F.

When cheese is cool enough to touch, knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds to make it warm and pliable. Then pick it up again and stretch it into a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Dip in hot whey as needed to make the cheese pliable.

When the cheese is smooth and shiny (this takes just a few minutes), it is ready to eat. Shape it, then store in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water.

Shapes:
To form the traditional ball shape: Fold the cheese into itself, tucking the loose ends into the bottom. This will create a smooth and tight surface to work from. Section a desired piece/size from the smooth mass and pinch it off by squeezing your fingers together around the base. Ta Da!

To fill with things: Roll the cheese out like a piece of dough to desired thickness in a vague rectangular shape. Fill with sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, prosciutto and fresh basil (shown), fresh thyme, jalapenos, anything your heart desires. Roll, slice and eat.


H8 U Cheese
Yield: ¾ pound Mozzarella Cheese

1 Gallon milk (not ultra pasteurized)
1¼ c cool water (chlorine-free, if you want to be sure it’s chlorine-free, use distilled water)
1½ t citric acid
¼ rennet tablet (¼ tsp. if using liquid)
1 t cheese salt

1. Dissolve ¼ rennet tablet into ¼ c of cool water. Stir and set aside. Wrap the remaining pieces of tablet in plastic wrap and store in the freezer
2. Mix 1½ t citric acid into 1 c cool water until dissolved.
3. Pour 1 gallon of milk into your pot and stir vigorously while adding the citric acid solution
4. Heat the milk to 90°F while stirring
5. Remove the pot from the burner and slowly stir in the rennet solution with an up and down motion for approximately 30 seconds
6. Cover the pot and leave it undisturbed for 5 minutes.
7. Check the curd. It should look like a custard, with a clear separation between the curd and whey. If it is too soft or the whey is milky, let set for a few more minutes. The curds never set up hard for me, but did come together in step 9.
8. Cut the curd with a knife that reaches to the bottom of your pot. Try to make little 1”x1” squares if your curd is firm enough.
9. Place the pot back on the stove and heat to 110° while slowly moving the curds around with your spoon.
10. Take off the burner and continue slowly stirring for 2-5 minutes depending on how firm you want your cheese.
11. Pour off the floating whey.
12. (waterbath method) Heat a pot of water to 185°F.
13. Ladle your curds into a colander, folding the curds gently as you drain off the whey. Dip the curds in the colander in the colander into the hot water. After several times take a spoon and fold the curds until they start to become elastic and stretchable. DO NOT let the cheese exceed 135° or you will be left with something like this:


Instead of something like this:

I would recommend using a thermometer in the whey and in the cheese, just to make sure you aren’t overheating either.

14. When it is stretchable remove the curd from the liquid and pull like taffy. This stretching elongates the proteins. If it does not stretch easily, return it to the hot water for more heat.
15. Add some salt to the cheese and work it in. Stretch until smooth and shiny.
16. Form into different shapes and store in ice water immediately and leave for 10 minutes

Three attempts at 2 different recipes and 3 gallons of organic milk later, I was left with a hardened mass of mildly delicious mozz. Someday I will break out the rennet and citric acid once more, but I have to let my eyebrows grow back first.

Recipe grade: D
My grade: C+ for effort
Diagnosis: LAME.





My Favorite Thin Crust Pizza Dough Recipe
(I stole this recipe from a blog awhile back and don’t remember which, opps. Props to you, whoever you are)
makes 2 pizzas, 12 inches each

about 400grams of flour, just shy of 2 cups, Plus more for kneading
1 package of dry active yeast (7 grams)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
200ml (7 oz) of warm water.

Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and the warm water and bring it together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached and knead for about 4-5 minutes on low speed. Dough will still be quite wet when done, but it will look smooth. The dough must be moist before baked to be soft and moist after baking. Dry dough = dry crust = yuck. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled clean bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let it rest for about 1 hour in a dry, warm spot.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with the pizza stone placed in the middle rack.
Punch down dough with your fist (flour your hands first). Transfer dough to a well floured surface and knead lightly, adding flour as necessary just until it comes together in a ball.
Cut dough in half, wrap excess dough if not using it right away and store in the refrigerator.

Prepare the pizza peel by sprinkling it with some flour and/or cornmeal (it'll make it nice and crispy)

The easy way to make ensure the pie won't stick to your peel is to use a piece of parchment paper like the original recipe instructs. I like to live dangerously and just throw the pizza straight onto the pizza stone from the floured peel. It works well and you don't have a singed mess of parchment paper to deal with in the end. However, if you feel more comfortable with the parchment method:

Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough just to cover the pizza peel. Dust it with lots of flour.

Roll pizza dough on a floured surface or directly on the parchment paper into a 12 inch round.

Top pizza as desired.
Using the pizza peel, slide the parchment paper into the pizza stone. Bake it for about 10 minutes or until dough is browned and topping is cooked. You'll know when it's done by how stiff the pizza is. If you can lift it like a piece of thick cardboard, it's done.

To remove the pizza from the oven, use a tong to pull the pizza back into the peel. You can bring the parchment paper with it or not, just remember to remove it from the oven.

Pizza Margherita (looks exactly like the other pizza, don't it?)

Recipe grade: A+
My grade: A- (I let the dough rise for a little longer than normal and the crust was a bit thicker than I usually do it)
Diagnosis: Delicious, but even shitty delivery pizza is tasty so this is not such a feat.

And just because he's adorable:

I have many photos from my dinner party this weekend (Roasted beet salad with horseradish and chive goat cheese, Brined pork with green peppercorn sauce, turnip/potato puree, beet greens with golden raisins, and mini chocolate eclairs), but I am far too behind on my crim law homework to spend another hour updating tonight. Formatting on blogger is a nightmare - shouldn't google know what's up by now? I mean, the photo posting is just ridiculously annoying. And why isn't this text input window larger? Why can't you post photos where the cursor is currently standing? For shame, blogger. For shame.