Grilled fennel sandwich

Had an extra bulb of fennel handy...I really like fennel, it's such a great food. Mild licorice flavor, slightly sweet and nicely crunchy raw, even sweeter (but no more licoricey) when roasted, but with a mellowed flavor, akin to caramelized onion.

Grilled Fennel Sandwich

1 fennel bulb, cleaned and tops removed (save tops for fennel oil)

1 tbsp olive oil

Fresh spinach, washed and dried

Green onion, sliced thin

Roasted red pepper

2 tbsp harissa

1 tsp fennel oil (recipe follows)

1 tbsp mayonnaise

Baguette or other crusty bread

Slice fennel, cutting along the widest aspect, including the core

Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper

Grill for 3 minutes per side on hot grill

Remove, and drizzle with fennel oil

Grill bread slices for 2-3 minutes per side

Assemble sandwich: mayo, harissa, fennel, roasted red pepper, spinach, salt and pepper.

Fennel oil

Fronds from 1 fennel bulb, washed and rough chopped

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Blanch fronds and parsley in boiling water for 10 seconds. Submerge in ice bath.

Add to blender. Pulse to chop further.

Add oil and puree until smooth.

Pour solids and oil into glass or plastic container.

Use or cover and refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Floyd Poolish #6

Looks pretty good. Spongy as usual. A lot more whole wheat in this one



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steaks

I read this in an Amazon.com review of a Mark Peel book:

"A good cut of beef demands to be grilled but if you must pan fry - please! use half extra virgin olive oil and butter such as for Steak Au Poivre or just rub the pan with a little fat cut from the steak, sprinkle the pan with a thin layer of salt, place the pan over high heat until the salt starts to brown but not smoking, add the steak and cook for about 10 minutes per 1-1/2 inch of thickness, turn the meat and cook for 10 minutes on the other side. Rare steak but not bloody."

I'll have to try the cast iron + salt technique, sounds interesting!

Floyds #5

20% wheat, 1.5 hour shaped rise on counter (no fridge time). I'm happy with the softness chew and spring. Another nice soft loaf courtesy of poolish.

I use parchment to hold wet doughs, kinda like a couche.




Parchment comes off after 5 min on the stone.

Nice browning and some nice li'l crust blisters.




Very soft chewy crumb. The en pice doesn't do justice to the fluffiness of the crumb. Nice thin crust too although not as thin and leathery as earlier versions.



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Donuts 1 and 2

Made a bunch of donuts yesterday and today.

First ones were ok. I know now what Wayne Schmitt was saying about careful handling. They deflated as I tried to carefully place then in the oil. Surfac got a little wrinkly too, not good. Still tasty despite old-tastin butter in the glaze.





Turned out a bit chewier and not as fluffy as expected. Probably because of bread flour and hydration level. Good browning though and cooked thru, about 365-370 with 30 sec per side.




Today's were better. Leftover dough more than double after 24 hrs in the fridge. Cut into strips, I let them rise about 1.25 hour, on strips of foil as Wayne suggested. Then dropped in oil with foil, stripping it off carefully during the cooking.

Much better result! Fluffier and lighter than #1. However at 370 for 1 minute total, it didn't cook the logs thru, still a tiny bit of raw dough in the middle. Probably needs 355-360 for 1.5 minutes. Glaze was much better: powdered sugar, just a touch of milk and a touch of vanilla. Did firm up nice after it dried.








For the future I'm thinkin higher hydration, gentler handling, longer rise, cooler but longer fry?

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donuts - go nuts

So doing a bunch of doughnut research, compiling a few recipes.

Here's what I learned so far:

1. Original Krispy Kreme recipe had potatoes in it! See "Making Dough" By Kirk Kazanjian; which suggests that cooked potatoes, instant potatoes and/or potato starch would be ingredients to consider adding to the ultimate doughnut
2. Many doughnut makers use pre-made mixes. One example of a mix is Spudos (50lbs for $50). In Spudos case, they don't include the yeast, but probably use powdered egg, powdered milk, potato powder and/or starch, sugar, salt, and flavorings.
   

Anyway, gonna give some a try, will letcha know how it goes.

mushroom risotto

So I've been requested by my old boss to make some risotto for a party that she's hosting for the people in her department. Nice of her to invite me, I enjoyed working for her.

Truffled Mushroom Risotto

Serves 10-12 as a side dish

1 box chicken stock

2 cups water

1 stick butter

1 onion, minced

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cut into wedges

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, carefully rinsed and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp Truffle oil

Kosher salt

Fresh parsley, chopped

1. In small pot, bring broth and water to boil
2. In large pot over high heat, melt 2 tbsp butter and some salt. Cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, cook 15 seconds, remove from pot and set aside.
3. In the large pot, now melt butter 1/2 stick of butter. Add onion and dried porcinis, cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Stir rice into pot, cook about 3 minutes.
5. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes
6. Start adding broth + stirring, one ladle at a time, and cooking for about 17 minutes over high heat.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in cremini mushrooms, Parmesan, and truffle oil. Adjust salt.
8. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Kale and Bread Soup

I bought some kale a week ago, and I wanted to make a hearty and delicious soup, and use up a bunch of leftover bread. I made the garlic confit the night before, and it will last probably a week or more in the fridge, and is great just spread on bread, or mixed in with potatoes or other dishes.


Kale and Bread Soup

1/4 cup Garlic Confit (recipe follows)
2 tbsp oil from Garlic Confit (recipe follows)
2 tbsp caramelized onions*
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale, rinsed well and julienned
1 cup stale bread, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 cups chicken stock
Black pepper and salt to taste.

1. In a large pot, add oil, red pepper flakes, onions, over medium heat for 20 seconds.
   
2. Mash garlic confit, and add, cooking 10 seconds.
   
3. Add kale, and toss to coat, cooking for 2 minutes. Season with black pepper.
   
4. Add bread, and cook for 30 seconds.
   
5. Add chicken stock, turn heat to high, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
   
6. Remove from heat
7. Serve immediately.
   

I had these as a leftover. Made a huge batch, with a lot of butter and some brandy. Froze it, and I use it for flavoring as needed.

Garlic Confit

1 entire head elephant garlic (or 2 large heads garlic), peeled
50-50 olive oil and canola oil to cover

1. Put peeled heads in small ovenproof saucepan. Add oils to cover garlic cloves completely
2. Roast at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours.
3. Let cool, cover and refrigerate. K
4. To use, remove as needed with a clean fork. Use as a spread or mash.

Short ribs

Kalbi! I went to the supermarket Vons today, and there was a clearance meat section with some sad greying filet and steaks. Discounted at 30-50% off...but I beheld some red shirt ribs, 2 packs. Snatched them up for a song...with discount the cross cut ones were $2 for the pack. So I threw them in a marinade:




Soy mirin scallions red pepper flakes Ginger lemon zest salt white pepper sesame oil and canola. Let them marinate from 1230 to 6pm.

Then on the grill over high heat:




After 8 minutes (about 6 on one side, 2 on the other)





From the grill to the plate. With some brown rice and some sugar snaps from the farmar, stir fried in a tbsp or two of the marinade.




Mmm. The taste of short ribs is incredible.


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No knead sour 4

A hint of sourness, seems more noticeable on this loaf than others of recent memory. Good lingering sourdough aftertaste tang.

Crust pretty crunchy but thin, very good.

Crumb is pretty nice and open, soft but fully cooked through, no gumminess






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No knead sourdough #4

Baked this off this morning. Nice browning, but not much oven spring. Need to try handling it with flour OR doing stretch and fold. I think the gluten structure was too loose.




Still I'm sure it'll taste good




I love sourdough! :)

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turkey chili

I've been wanting to make chili again, so here goes. One new technique I learned from watching Food Network was not to brown the meat, but to add it when the liquid is added. This seems to yield a smoother, more homogenous, "meat-paste"-like chili. I miss some of the caramelized flavors you get from browining the meat, but I am happy to trade this off in lieu of smooth texture.

The end result? A smooth textured, well-balanced, mild chili.

Turkey Chili
Makes a good-sized pot (8 cups?)

2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
2 stalks celery, rough chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and rough chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and rough chopped
2 medium onions, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped (or more to taste)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 can tomato paste
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1.5 lbs ground turkey
3 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chipotle en adobo puree (just puree contents of a can!)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp worcheshire sauce
2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp mesquite smoke seasoning powder
2 cups pork stock*, or chicken stock, or water (* leftover from carnitas)

1. In food processor, pulse all vegetables until finely ground (like a sofrito)
   
2. In large pot, heat olive oil over high heat until almost smoking
   
3. Add tomato paste, and stir for 15 seconds.
   
4. Add sofrito, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring only once at 2.5 minutes
   
5. Turn heat to low
6. Process tomatoes in food processor, and add to pot.
   
7. Add turkey at once, and stir/beat to make into a "meat paste".
8. Add remaining spices & seasonings, and stock at once.
9. Turn up heat to high, heat until boiling, and cook over medium heat (bubbling thoroughly) for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
   
10. Adjust seasonings.
    
11. Remove from heat, and serve.
    
12. Once cool, refrigerate. It will taste better the next day!
    

corn dog secrets

I've been wanting to make corn dogs lately. So of course, I set out to find what makes a good corn dog, and recipes to match.

The prototype for me is what I've had at Hot Dog on a Stick (HDOAS). I even had a similarly good corn dog in Mammoth Lakes at the Vons. So here's my criterial for what makes a good one:

1. Should have an fairly prominent corn flavor, and it should be fairly sweet
2. Corn coating is not too thick, no more than 1/4" in thickness
3. Outer crust is crispy, and a little chewy; some pull but not much
4. Fried batter should not be gritty, gummy, gooey or overly thick
5. Fried batter shouldn't be too airy/light, or too heavy; but, erring on lightness is better.
   

So I rounded up 8 recipes...from everything from personal web sites and food blogs to behemoths Cooks.com and Allrecipes.com. I didn't even bother with Alton Brown's version for two reasons: aside from the fact that he bugs me a little, his recipe adds too much junk which is not traditional.

I chose 2 that I were substantially different enough to suggest the right direction to go. Here's what I found out for making a pretty traditional corn dog:

1. More flour less corn: I think the right proportion is around 100:66 flour-to-cornmeal. The one I made with 100:200 flour-to-cornmeal tasted gritty, and not as "corny" to my palate as the one with less corn...yes a bit strange I know! See #2 for more related info.
   
2. Sugar: more appears is better
   
3. Liquid: buttermilk seems to be best. Milk's 2nd best. HDOAS uses dried milk powder and hydrates with water.
   
4. Egg: 1 egg appears universal for 1 cup.
   
5. Leavening: depends on the liquid you're using. Baking powder + a bit of soda is good when using buttermilk; but this makes it pretty fluffy though, good if you want it really light, but . HDOAS only uses baking powder.
6. Oil: maybe 2 tablespoons, I think that's plenty. 4 tablespoos (1/4 cup) just makes the batter taste too oily. You're deepfrying these guys, for chrissakes, why would you need to add that much oil!!
   
7. Weird stuff: if you want to get crazy, try adding some dextrose for sweetening, in addition to sugar; also a small amount of rice flour (maybe 2-4 tbsp per cup of flour?)

I think the leavening and liquid are the main things to tweak. Sugar and flour percentages seem pretty consistent. Based on my tests, I'll take my fave recipe, decrease leavening a slight bit and increase the liquid a tiny bit.

Speaking of scaling, the 1 cup flour quantities really make a ridiculous amount of batter...unless you're making a whole pack of corn dogs for the party, you need barely half.

AND I really like the idea of cutting hot dogs in half for this. AND be sure to use sticks...I like popsicle sticks. It actually make them easier to dip and handle, which is critical when dealing with hot oil.

One last comment: the meat! Of course the hot dog itself is important. HDOAS uses a turkey dog, which is a good option. I really like the relatively new Oscar Mayer Selects Premium uncured hot dogs with no nitrates, nitrites or preservatives. Flavor is great, and I don't have to worry about extra garbage in my hot dogs.

Now go forth and make corn dogs!

KAF best burger buns #2

Slightly more egg and 14min bake time otherwise the same. Better browning, great rise, and fluffy!



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Carnitas #3

Here's the updated version, tweaking somewhat with the spices. I liked the previous one, though, very nice and mild.

Carnitas #3

1 whole pork shoulder, 3-4lb, preferably with bone, trimmed and cut into chunks.
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 onion, rough chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 large orange, sliced in rounds
8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
Cold water

1. To a big stock pot, add all ingredients. Add enough cold water to just cover the meat, bring to a boil (about 12-15 minutes at high heat), reduce heat to simmer.
   
2. Simmer over medium-low heat for 2.5-3 hours, until falling apart.

Results: very good, subtle flavored, very versatile: just as good in a taco as it is in a pulled pork sandwich. The "pork stock" developed as a result has really nice meaty, porky flavors for use in cooking noodles, etc., albeit with a slightly mexican twist.

I wonder if I could do a Chinese style carnitas in a similar way, but with fresh ginger, garlic, scallions, maybe still coriander, etc. I think the stock might be more versatile that way.

Roast Chicken Memorial Day 2010

Nice roast chicken last night. The flavor on this one was much more mellow and subtle than previous, mostly because no rosemary in with the butter. This one is based on Tyler Florence's "Ultimate Chicken" recipe. Skin got pretty crispy, but could've been more. The gravy was very subtle and nice too.

One 6lb. young chicken
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter, room temp, softened
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
2 celery stalks, rough chopped
2 cups water (or some combination of water, chicken stock, and/or decent white wine, like Charles Shaw Sav Blanc)
1 lemon, cut in half
1/2 onion, cut in half
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Combine garlic and butter, set aside.
3. Remove giblets, and place in roasting pan, with onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery and water.
4. Dry off skin of bird with paper tower
5. Separate skin from meat; put garlic butter under skin, work it under the breast and onto leg
6. Season skin liberally with salt and pepper; NO BUTTER ON SKIN, only salt
7. Stuff cavity with half-onion and half-lemon
   
8. Roast for 60 minutes
9. Reduce heat to 375F
10. Roast for about 35-40 more minutes, or until thigh temp reaches 160F.

Pan Gravy

Leftover pan juices
Leftover pan fat
Leftover roasted garlic cloves
1/3 cup flour
1 cup water
1 cup milk
2 tbsp brandy
Salt & pepper

1. Remove giblets and vegetables, leave garlic cloves in pan
2. Pick up chicken with wooden spoon, let juices train into roasting pan.
3. Separate juices and fat, if possible.
4. Mash roasted garlic cloves in pan with oil until they're a paste
   
5. Heat roasting pan over medium-high heat
6. Add flour to pan fat, stir fast, whisk for 30-60 seconds
7. Add brandy, whisk for 15 seconds
8. Add water and milk, whisk, bring to boil. Add more water or milk to adjust consistency.
9. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
10. Strain thru fine mesh strainer and serve.

Common baking measurements - salt

How much does a teaspoon of salt weight?

Turns out, not an easy answer! Here are the results:

1 teaspoon of Morton's Iodized Table Salt =
Lowest: 6.1g
Highest: 8.1g
Average: 6.86g

1 teaspoon of Morton's Coarse Kosher Salt =
Lowest: 4.2g
Highest: 5.2g
Average: 4.766g

How did I get these results?

I ran some tests: 3 different teaspoons (2 plastic, one metal), same scale (the myWeigh 500ZH, which has 0.1g accuracy).

Using each teaspoon, I measured out the salt, using the back of a knife to scrape off. After each weighing, I zeroed (tare) the gram scale. I tested each teaspoon at least 3 times.

Actual Test Results

Here was the range of results I got for Morton Iodized Salt (in grams)

6.5
6.9
6.1
6.7
6.5
7.3
8.1
7.2
6.7
6.6

Lowest: 6.1g
Highest: 8.1g
Average: 6.86g

Ran the same test with Morton's Kosher Salt, here's what I got:

4.8
4.7
5.2
4.9
4.9
5.4
4.5
4.2
4.3

Lowest: 4.2g
Highest: 5.2g
Average: 4.766g

What does it all mean?

1. Different salts have different weights: makes sense, because the salt crystal size is different, not to mention the salt strucure itself (i.e., is it airy or compact?)
   
2. Teaspoon measures vary...not all teaspoons are created equal. This is why measuring by weight is so much more accurate.
   
3. Measuring techniques will give you different outcomes.
4. Variation in measurement using volumetric measurement can be 10-20%, not insignificant (see #4)
5. Translating converting teaspoon measurements into meaningful bakers percentages is tricky. Especially when trying to extrapolate from such small measurements. With 10-20% variation, if you extrapolate a percentage by weight, then scale up, at a large quantity you will experience wildly different outcome.

Daily bread

Acme baguette #2 but first attempt. I used sourdough throughout except final dough

Poolish and scrap dough start




After 15 hours




Then kneaded dough



Shaped





Slahsed





And finally baked








Crumb shot


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BBQ pork pizza

Yeast pizza dough #5, with toppings: leftover room-temp carnitas sauced in bullseye BBQ sauce, jack n mozzarella cheese, extra bbq sauce, onions in balsamic vinegar, more cheese, cilantro,good olive oil.

I think it's key to have meat, sauce and other ingredients at room temp prior to baking, to make sure it bakes evenly and quickly.

Before, shaped, and ready to go in the oven:


5 minutes later after baking at 550F, on pizza stone on middle rack, rotated halfway thru, totally done:


Nice browning of crust. Was easy to shape after 31 hours in the fridge.


Looks like a winner! :) This is a slightly wheatier pizza dough.

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Tamale pie

Made with ATK southern skillet cornbread recipe, topping carnitas with homemade chili sauce, beer braise peppers/onions, with garlic infused cream cheese stirred in with some velveeta!




We'll see how it tastes.

I made chile sauce from 16 guajillos and leftover pork stock from carnitas.