Monthly Archives: January 2011

Under Pressure

28 Friday Jan 2011

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I finally had a chance to use my pressure cooker that I bought about a year ago.  I purchased it for two reasons:  #1 In Heston Blumenthal’s “In Search of Perfection” he suggests using a pressure cooker more often……SOLD! #2 I wanted to do a bunch of canning (never got around to it).

I purchased two 3.5# pieces of pork belly that I brined (one in Chinese 5 spice and the other in a smoked paprika/chili oil blend) then braised, then pressed.  The process when it comes to preparing pork belly is time consuming but with a few different pieces of equipment I was able to do this in record time….for me anyway.

The brining process took me the same amount of time….about 4 hours.  Luckily, Jethro has a vacuum chamber sealer so next time I’ll go that route and save even more time!  The cooking time of the pork belly is what really changed things.   Normally, a 3.5# piece of pork belly would take about an hour to an hour and a half to braise properly in the oven.  I knocked one out in 20 minutes then the other piece in 18 minutes.  The pressing and cooling process took another 45 minutes.

The next time around is what I’m excited about.  Essentially, I could have a piece of pork belly brined, cooked off, and ready for pressing in under an hour.   Time is everything in a kitchen and space is a concern at home.

The great thing is that I was able to dehydrate tapenade ingredients in my oven overnight then cook the pork belly in the pressure cooker. Once all of the tapenade ingredients were ready I placed them in my spice grinder then emulsified them with extra virgin olive oil then slowly worked in tapioca maltodextrin to create that pavement effect you see in the picture above.

After I made the two pork bellies I made a beef stock in the pressure cooker.  Traditional French style beef stock with all the bells and whistles in 45 minutes instead of 8-12 hours.  The only problem I had was that the stock was cloudy but I cleaned it up by cooking some egg whites in the stock which cleaned it right up.  I talked to Jeth and Scott about this and Jeth suggested after I make the stock to use the centrifuge so I will have a super concentrated stock…..genius.

The picture above is the 5 spice pork belly, tapenade “pavement”, and flower.  With a few more adjustments and tinkering I think this will turn out to be a world class dish.

Eric

15 p.s.i. ’til I die!

Cookbook: Herve This-From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism

20 Thursday Jan 2011

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A book from the father of molecular gastronomy.

I’ve been kicking around this whole “molecular gastronomy” thing for quite some time.  When I first heard about it I was reading about at all the cool presentations, shapes, and textures that were being displayed by chefs at numerous restaurants around the world.  I thought, “I want to cook like that one day…..I want to create art through food”.  I didn’t realize what these chefs were actually doing. I just thought it was for presentation purposes only.  I saw a video on youtube that showed Jose Andres hanging out with Ferran Adria and Chef Adria was explaining his spherification of olive puree,  I was amazed.

A few months later I saw Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain talk in Seattle.  Mario Batali called molecular gastronomy fake, I was confused.  I respect all these chefs and what they do. I’m so far down the totem pole in this chef world that I’m a random bush that is hanging out across the field from the chef totem pole.  What to do?

Looking back at the whole thing I realize one thing. Mario Batali wasn’t talking about molecular gastronomy at all. He was talking about the chefs that turned “molecular gastronomy” into elaborate presentations, shapes, and textures. He had no issue with Ferran Adria but he had a problem with the guys trying to be like Ferran Adria without understanding the science behind what Chef Adria was doing.

Heston Blumenthal set me straight when he had Harold McGee on his show, “Kitchen Chemistry”. Harold McGee wrote a book called:

(I have more information on the book coming shortly….not finished yet)

and Heston Blumenthal said that this book changed cooking for him. It was written in 1984, I have the revised version that was written in 2004. This book answered the why’s, how’s, and debunked all those things you have probably heard growing up, “sear the meat it traps in the juices”……these book say, “no, that’s not true”……the books are correct, you are not (I believed the same thing, I suck…haha). Chef Blumenthal listened, learned, and innovated so did Ferran Adria….look where they’re at now.

I did my research, bought my books, and started to read them (I have a lot more on the way). I began reading Harold McGee’s book and then I started doing more research about how the term “molecular gastronomy” came to be.  It was an easy way for Herve This and his science partner to market this science of cooking easily.  What you have probably heard from the mainstream is that molecular gastronomy is the crazy presentations, shapes, and textures of food. The mainstream doesn’t get it…..it’s like Elvis when he first came out.  The teenager’s loved him and parents immediately thought he was the devil. We often shun the things we do not understand or feel uncomfortable with.

My ignorance lead me to this world of molecular gastronomy………OH PRETTY COLORS!!!! My curiosity has lead me to understand and respect it.  Herve This’s book, “Building a Meal from Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism” has broken down all of these things into plain English for me.  Call it stupid, call it ridiculous, call it what you want.  There is a science behind cooking. The days of me looking at something and saying, ‘it’s done”, are over.  The days of believing someone simply because they have been doing it that way forever are over…..if they can’t tell me WHY then I will question them…..woo hooo I’m 4 years old all over again!

Herve This labeled it molecular gastronomy to make it easy to understand and market but he has also debunked over 25,000 culinary beliefs since he has started his research.  This book shows how to boil an egg to perfection, you might say, “well you just boil it for 10 minutes with a soft boil/hard boil/or whatever technique I’ve been using for years”.  Do you want to perfect this process? I do, so I listen.  Chefs have listened to the words of Herve This and they have become extremely successful in the culinary world, I want the same.

Full speed ahead, let’s build a meal “molecularly”!

BUY THIS BOOK…………..now!

Eric

Kitchen Cryogenics: Playing With Liquid Nitrogen

13 Thursday Jan 2011

Posted by in blow shit up, liquid nitrogen

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LN2 Steam

Continuing my free fall into contemporary cooking techniques, I wanted to work with liquid nitrogen for some seriously cold cooking.  Liquid nitrogen is incredibly cold: −321 °F/−196 °C!  As it warms up, it boils away back into a gas, creating the exact opposite of a deep fryer – a deep freezer.  This is the stuff that urban legend says poor Walt Disney is frozen in for possible future reanimation.  My interests, however, are purely culinary.

Grabbing A Cold One

I wouldn’t be able to go to Sur la Table to get what I needed for this round of cooking.  I instead went to my local provider of industrial gases and inquired about purchasing a small amount of liquid nitrogen (also known as LN).  They said I couldn’t do it without the use of a dewar, a container especially designed for carrying and storing LN.  So, I did some research online, waited patiently, and was able to score a small 5 liter dewar for 40% off list price on eBay.

MVE Lab 5 Dewar

I first read Cooking Issues’ excellent Liquid Nitrogen Primer before I got started.  The three main takeaways:

  1. Do not keep LN under pressure in a closed container. It will explode. It can blow your hands off.  Thus, a proper dewar is necessary.
  2. You can suffocate on nitrogen and die and you won’t even know it.  Your body won’t warn you ahead of time.  You must be in a well ventilated area.
  3. It is really, really cold.  Avoid getting burned the same way you’d avoid hot oil.

It was a cold wet day in Seattle when I went to fill my dewar up with LN, but I still drove home with the windows down, the dewar tightly strapped in the back seat surrounded by towels, determined to not get killed before I froze some foodstuffs at home for my amusement.  I made it back safely and got down to some cold cooking.

Deep Freeze Frying

I placed a towel on my kitchen counter and placed a metal bowl inside of a larger metal bowl on top.  This was in case the LN was so cold the first bowl cracked open.  At least I would have a chance to get the thing outside if need be.  The window above the counter was opened for ventilation.  I decided to do a bunch of different things, some successful, others less so.  But it gave me a good insight into what’s possible.

First off was ice cream.  I was trying to make some ice cream bowls as Ferran Adria’s video showed in his talk at Google. At elBulli, they freeze an ice cream base on the underside of a ladle and then slip it off, creating a beautiful ice cream bowl to be filled with other goodies.  I, however, couldn’t get the bowls off correctly from the ladle – they were frozen solid on there, and they would always chip and break.  As my LN quickly evaporated, I decided to forgo that experiment after several tries and keep trying other techniques.

I scooped up some ice cream and threw it in.  It created a delicious little fudgesicle nugget, frozen on the outside but still creamy inside.

Fudgesicle Nugget
Creamy Chocolatey Goodness

Next up was an idea for a frozen spruce meringue.  I beat some egg whites and sugar together until they were fluffy, and then added some spruce spice I made last week.  It turned out great  – cold, crunchy, and creamy.  And forest-y.

Frozen Spruce Meringue
Creamy Frozen Spruce Meringue

Next up – orange slices.  After a quick freeze, I smashed them in a bowl to create an orange risotto.

Orange Risotto

Finally, I messed with some alcohol.  Alcohol doesn’t freeze in the freezer, but LN has no problem with it.  I took plum wine and poured it into a small bowl.  I then stirred in LN to create an Asian alcohol sorbet.

Stir It Up

Plum Wine Sorbet

For the most part, my initial foray into the world of liquid nitrogen cooking was very successful.  And addictive.  With instant fudgesicles, ice creams and sorbets, I can see it being a big hit during summer BBQs.   I know now someday when I get a new home, my kitchen will have a hot station, a cold station, and a very, very cold station.

Sake Sorbet

Sake Sorbet

Jethro

How to make Pacojet-Style Frozen Desserts at Home

09 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by in foams, recipes, thickeners

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pacojet-style frozen dessert
If you’ve ever been in an upscale restaurant and ordered a sorbet or ice cream with a consistency that seemed to defy the laws of physics, it was probably made in a Pacojet.  This $4000 machine is a staple in many restaurant and hotel kitchens for its ability to produce exceptionally smooth and creamy desserts and savory dishes.  However, if I’m going to drop four grand on a kitchen machine, it damned well better take voice commands and wear a skimpy outfit.

My method uses dry ice for instant freezing and Xanthan Gum, a popular soy-based gluten substitute, as a thickener for a more velvety texture.  In addition, I’ve added a small amount of Versawhip, which creates a subtle but stable foam, giving the finished product the unexpected lightness usually associated with mousses.  You can substitute the sorbet base of your choice, following the same basic steps.

Makes: about 6 cups
Total kitchen time: 10 minutes

Shopping list:

  • 20 oz. canned pineapple (crushed, slices, or chunks), including juice
  • 6 oz. fresh raspberries
  • 1 oz. (a small shot) St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (optional)
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tsp. Xanthan gum (also available in the baking aisle at better grocery stores. Look for the Bob’s Red Mill label)
  • 1/2 tsp. Versawhip
  • 1 lb. dry ice, crushed into 1/2” or smaller chunks

 

  1. Combine the pineapple (including juice), raspberries, St. Germain and sugar in the bowl of a large food processor.  Process for one minute or until smooth.
  2. Add the Xanthan gum and Versawhip and process until combined.
  3. With the food processor running, add the dry ice and continue processing another 1-2 minutes, or until the sound of the dry ice cracking has stopped.
  4. Remove from the food processor and serve, or store in the freezer.  Can be made 2 days in advance.

It is true that the Pacojet doesn’t require any added thickeners to achieve its magic consistency.  However, it does require you to freeze your sorbet mix at –20C for 24 hours before churning.  I’d love to do a blind taste test comparison between this method and the Pacojet. As soon as I trip over a pile of cash, I’ll let you know how the test turns out.

Scott

Noma At Home: Spruce Oil, Butter, Vinegar and Spice

07 Friday Jan 2011

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Spruce Ingredients

Clockwise From Top: Spruce Oil, Spruce Butter, Spruce Spice, Spruce Vinegar

Each year more than 100 million trees are produced for Christmas worldwide. Considering that it takes 8 to 12 years to produce a decent-sized tree, it seems pointless simply to discard this bounty after only a few weeks of using it as ornamentation. I don’t mean to sermonize. I want only to point out that food is everywhere, that a tree is more than a symbol or a decoration: it is delicious food.

This year, let’s all butcher the tree.
– René Redzepi

So evangelized Chef René Redzepi in his Christmas Eve Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, giving recipes and ideas on how to use spruce as food.  Now, I realize he wrote that he didn’t mean to sermonize, but with that last sentence, it is reasonable to say that he wanted to make converts, therefore I think to say he is evangelizing is perfectly legitimate.  Just to be clear. Anyway, at least he made one convert.  Me.

I have never had any spruce-scented dishes, and with all the verdant and lush greenery that surrounds us here, I thought it would be a perfect tool to use in creating a dish that evoked the Great Northwest.  But I don’t ‘do’ Christmas.  I didn’t have a tree standing in my living room, ready to be fleeced of its needles for sustenance.  Like the chanterelle mushrooms last autumn, I’d have to go foraging for one.

On The Public Denuding Of A Discarded Christmas Tree For Food

It was a few days after New Year’s, and I was strolling down the street toward my local coffee shop when it appeared before me, discarded and forgotten. My newest food source.

Urban Food Foraging

Should I Strip This Bare Of Needles In Public? I Should.

I went back home, grabbed a plastic bag, returned and began to pull needles by the handful into the bag.  In broad daylight. Next to a high school.  And a Boy Scouts office.  Kids walked past with their backpacks.  Cars pulled out of the Boy Scouts parking lot and drove past.  I was very aware of how strange I must have looked denuding a discarded tree on the side of the road, but thought I would be totally ignored for that very reason.  I was correct.  Soon, though, my discomfort got the best of me and I felt I had gotten enough. Yet, I returned after dark to get some more. Foolhardy? Completely ridiculous? Perhaps. But I had to keep in the spirit of the opinion piece.  Waste not, want not!

SprucE Butter

With my new batch of needles, I went to work.  I washed them and threw a few tablespoons in with some butter and lemon thyme into my VitaMix and let her rip.

Making Spruce Butter

I strained the liquid into a container and threw it in the fridge.  An hour later, spruce butter.  I’m a frickin’ genius.

Spruce Oil

Wait, no I am not.  This one I managed to screw up.  The recipe calls for 3.5 ounces of needles.  This is a lot of needles!  It also calls for 3.5 ounces of vinegar.  That’s it?  Mm.

Needles and Vinegar

3 1/2 oz. of vinegar for that many needles?

It was such a tiny amount I went ahead and doubled it.  And for my efforts?  A little thimble full of spruce vinegar.  What a waste of needles!  I am NOT stalking my neighborhood for more trees.  It’s way after Christmas, anyways.  Man.

A little bit of spruce vinegar

Spruce Oil

So next up was spruce oil.  First, I weighed out my 3.5 ounces of needles and blanched them.

Bowl of Spruce Needles
Then I added 1 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil.  Wait.  1 1/4 cups.  That makes sense.  I bet the New York Times printed the recipe wrong for the vinegar.  It must have been 1 1/4 cups of vinegar.  Ack.  If I had done the oil first, I would have seen that and made the adjustment.  Ah well.  Anyhow, the oil turned out great.

Spruce Spice

I took some needles and grinded them in my coffee bean grinder.  Exciting!

Sprucing Up A Meal

So now I had my spruce ingredients – what to make?  I riffed off a couple of ideas some friends had for a dish – pork chops with a sour apple chutney and honey roasted root vegetables.  Me?  Sous vide bison rib eye with a cranberry spruce chutney and a honey roasted root vegetable puree.  Booyah!

Sous vide bison rib eye with cranberry spruce chutney and a honey roasted root vegetable purée

After cooking this up, I read the comments on the opinion piece and everyone was pointing out how Christmas trees could be covered in flame retardant and who else knows what.  I did find mine just lying on the side of the road.  Yes, well. I’m still alive so I guess I was lucky.  I think a short drive to the mountains would be a better method next time.  You know, actually, if you get a Christmas tree next year, go cut it down yourself.  You never know if you’re going to eat it later.

Jethro

An Evening With Bob Tate & Friends

05 Wednesday Jan 2011

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A little over a year ago I did a post on knives after Bob Tate came to my culinary school to do a talk (here is the original post…click).  My friend, Jethro (click), knows Bob Tate and offered to get our little group of gastronauts together to go see the art of knife sharpening up close and personal.

I still use Bob’s tips to this day and it was really amazing to be invited into his home where he does the knife sharpening and has honed his own skills. He trained under Bob Kramer who has his own signature series for Shun so it was honor just to be around Mr. Tate to at least get a glimpse into the mastery that is knife sharpening.

We each brought a knife for Bob to sharpen for us…… Seriously Jethro…..a pink knife?!?!?!  Uh….. Anyway, Scott brought his shiny Shun knife (middle) and I brought my money maker Mercer knife (right) for a little honing and sharpening action.

Bob showed us a few new projects he was up to and how he can create serrated knives and even sharpen them.  It was amazing to watch him take a $2 knife and turn it into something usable and extremely sharp…..Eric “likes” the degree of sharpness.

I have a really weird attachment to my knife. It’s not expensive or special but it’s been along for the ride while I’ve moved through and cut thousands of things with it.  When I first started using it I had no idea what I was doing…..it was too big……it was heavy…..it wasn’t my 7 inch santoku that I was used to using.  I stuck with it and now I treat it like a really great friend of mine.  I sharpen it myself because I don’t trust anyone else to even touch it but when I was in the home of Bob Tate I let him have it……I guess it’s kind of like dropping your kid off at a baby sitter…..weird stuff.

Bob sharpened up the pink knife and while I saw him doing it I noticed how he moved the knife over the belt gently.  He asked me not to film his finishing process and not really talk about it since it was something he had learned from Bob Kramer and it really is the difference from him doing something amazing or just entrusting your knife to that random clerk at that one store with the French name downtown.

He finishes and tests every knife by doing the newspaper test.

That folks, is the sharpest pink knife in the world!!!! He finished Scott’s knife and my knife and it was like picking up your dog from the groomer….looks new….smells nice (what?)……knife is all excited to cut stuff……

Look at that shiny new edge.

No matter where I go, where I cook, or what knife I buy, Bob Tate is my knife sharpening guy.

Eric