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.