10 posts tagged “cooking”
I’ve cooked a lot of broccoli over the years. Personally I think its best served bright green, still firm in texture with a bit of crunch left in it. I prefer steaming over water rather than blanching in water for two reasons. You get the most nutrition out of your veggies when they're raw or steamed AND it takes less time, energy, & water to cook them in.
At home I use a steamer pan. Put 2 inches of water in the pan, put the lid on, and heat over high heat. While the water comes to a full boil, wash the broccoli, cut it into florets then place it directly in the steamer insert. Place the pan over the boiling water and put the lid on the steamer insert. At an average altitude it takes from 6 to 7 minutes. Once cooked, run it under cold water to stop the cooking, or even better, use ice water to shock it. This process prevents carry over cooking. If I want to serve it hot, I place it in a dish, sprinkle with salt or a squeeze of lemon,then serve it immediately. Carry over cooking is what happens after you take food off or out of the heating source. The internal heat in hot food continues cooking the meat or vegetables. What this means is that carry over cooking can cause your food to overcook even after you’ve removed it from the heat source. When you account for this and stop the cooking by shocking vegetables in cold water you’ll notice a big differene. How? You’ll know when to pull your vegetables from the heat, cued by both color and texture. That's the precise time to cool them down quickly. So give it a try and...EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!
By Mark Johnson
Heat and timing are key elements to master when learning to cook. One trick I use when making an omelet; is heat the pan, whisk the eggs, add them to the pan, then wash the dirty bowl and whisk while the eggs begin to cook. The other night I made a three egg omelet, using my dish washing routine as the timer. Standing at the sink I noticed that the eggs were'nt cooking as fast as usual. I quickly realized that the pan was on the wrong burner. You see, my stove has big burners in front which quickly heat the outside of a pan. The back burners on the other hand are the opposite, heating the center of the pan. That’s great to maintain a simmer, but not hot enough for a sauté. So, as soon as I noticed the omelet was not sizzling from lack of heat, I brought it forward to speed things up. I finished washing the bowl and whisk, and then went back to the stove to finish the omelet. Using a silicone spatula I moved the eggs around the pan, gently folding each side of the omelet over to envelope it’s filling. I slid the omelet onto my plate, sat down and ate.
It seems that this winter my good friends keep me on speed dial when needing a gravy lifeline or a bit of advice on cooking. Helping my friends in this way really sparked my thoughts on the value of kitchen experience. I’ve been thinking about recipe use comparing the knowledge of an accomplished cook to that of a novice. Experience based taste matters when it comes to reading through and selecting a recipe. During the holidays my mom and I decided to skip the tarragon in a dish, mid-preparation, because we agreed, tarragon is pungent and throws its weight around. Other decisions I’ve made allow me to condense a recipe's step-by-step narrative. For instance; not using every mixing bowl, whisk, platter, and skillet, a recipe calls for, makes for easy clean up without affecting the flavor of a dish.
Another area where kitchen knowledge is valuable is when reading a recipe. Sometimes it's a matter of saying "that sounds great" (or awful), but a lot of times it's the ability that experience has allowed me to figure out a confusing recipe. Recently I read directions that said "continue to let the vegetables simmer..." Well, that made no sense because there were no liquids in the dish, making the word simmer non-applicable. After skimming the recipe's ingredient list again, I decided that the author had switched the word "sauté” for "simmer", an error sure to confuse the cook. What happens to the inexperienced cook who prepares that recipe? Someone who knows the difference between sauté, simmer, broil or bake could easily decipher that recipe. Inexperienced cooks however, may give up, call a friend, or take a chance and add wine or broth, ending up with a glippity-glop.
The difference between an expert cook and the beginner became apparent when I blended four of Julia Child 's recipes together to create a delicious creamed spinach dish. More accurately, Spinach in Mornay sauce with Gruyere topped with a bread crumb gratinee. This was simple for me, already knowing what a Béchamel looks like. I did however; have to pay close attention to the many detailed steps chosen from the various recipes I fused together.
That dish brings me to Julie Powell's book, Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously. This book, which started out as a blog, is where Julie endeavors to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". The author took the project on to challenge herself hoping to give her life some meaning. This was, to say the least, an ambitious journey as a novice cook who had no idea what she was getting herself into. At first she is challenged by the basics. How do you make the foundation sauces? What does she mean by mince? Oh yeah, there's an illustration of that. Later in Julie’s culinary escapades it's a search for odd, unfamiliar ingredients Child’s recipes call for. Included in the focus of one chapter is a marrow bone, the oddness of this little morsel, the trouble with finding it, and the question of what to do with it in the recipe. Julie regularly finds herself putting a meal on the table at 11 at night, exhausted and not really interested in eating the crêpes she just spent five hours preparing. Her husband tries to remain positive about her project despite the messy kitchen, late dinners, and some less than successful results. In addition Julie packs on the pounds as Chef Child’s recipes call for lots and lots of butter. Powell is frequently confounded by Child’s Cookbook but manages to forge through her personal challenge.
Julie does improve her cooking skill; several recipes turn out brilliantly and at a decent hour to boot. She masters pate brise without having to think, and aspics quickly become routine preparation. This book is about several things, accomplishment, Julia Child, relationships, and how messy a kitchen can get. It's also about learning to cook and how experience, through trial and error, can become a powerful teacher. By the end of one year Julie Powell learns to flip food in a pan (something I still can't do), figure out realistic prep times, and that Child was heavy handed with the butter.
I knew my omelet wasn't cooking fast enough the other night because as I started to wash my dishes because I didn’t hear it sizzling. Over time and with experience I’ve learned to use all my senses when cooking. Precisely the experience that caused me to say "that's insane" when I heard about Julie Powell's writing project. "Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?" I thought. I realized that she didn't and that’s precisely what makes this book so entertaining. The insight Powell gains through her experiences make Julie & Julia, a fun and worthwhile read for any cook, novice or pro.
Also available as an audio book
Buy the book used on Amazon.com
Mark Johnson is an experienced cook and writer who generously contributed to iSimmer's blog. Thank you Mark!
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, A Year of Food Life; Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp & Camille Kingsolver, Harper Collins Publisher, New York, 2007, 354 pages.
This is the perfect book to read in conjunction with, An Omnivore’s Dilemma as it is a memoir and part journalistic investigation of a family of four that returns to a rural farm to test the premise that a family can sustain themselves on only the food they themselves grow and raise or can obtain locally. This makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back in the center of family life and diversified farming at the center of an American diet of locally produced foods. Kingsolver’s family makes out a food shopping list that excludes all items not locally grown and produced to see if they can sustain themselves for a year. Along the way are humorous and poetic descriptions of their gardening and live stock raising efforts interspersed with some great recipes. A great read that will make you think to change your dinner menu from a food industry driven menu to a menu of fresh grown and raised foods.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma; A Natural History of Four Meals; Michael Pollan, 2006, Penguin Press, New York, 535 pages. This is a fascinating story that follows each of the food chains that sustain human beings; industrial food, organic or alternative food and the food humans forage or grow themselves. Pollan follows each food source to a final meal and the process gives an account of the American way of eating. As omnivores, humans can eat all most anything that nature or industry has produced. America is currently suffering from a national eating disorder that is harming the health of the environment as well as the health of the population of America. This story is extremely well researched as Pollan describes the politically driven agricultural changes that have genetically and chemically changed our current food supplies. The changes have left the American public over weight and undernourished while creating an enormous drain on energy resources. It is an intensive read that will have the reader making notes on how to make changes in what goes on their food shopping lists.
Heat, Bill Buford, 2006, Alfred A. Knopf. Random House, 315 pages.
Heat (An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-maker, and Apprentice to A Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany) spins out as Buford relates his exploration of the business of professional cooking from an amateur-home cook's viewpoint.The author begins the adventure by first apprenticing himself at New York's Babbo under Chef Mario Batali. There he captures the essence and drama of the pleasures of preparing a perfect meal that others will enjoy while trying to keep up with the exuberant antics of Chef Mario Batali. Most people while dining out do not know or want to know of the frenetic "back of the house" kitchen dance of people, food, and heat that changes raw food into satisfying food for the body.
From Babbo to a hillside restaurant in Chianti to learn pasta making, to an egocentric famous butcher who prepares meat for the soul, to England's notorious Chef Marco Pierre White for instruction in wild game preparation, the reader is lead on the food journey by the well written author's reflections on the history of food as the shaper of world cultures and the what and why of the foods we eat today. The exuberant presentation keeps the reader wondering what will be next and laughing over the hilarious antics of the "larger that life" Food Artists called Chefs.
MMMMMM, Butter Cookies!
People have asked me for this butter cookie recipe so many times that I thought I better add it to the blog. You can use any kind of cookie cutter you want. For bite sized cookies I've used the floral shaped cutteres used by sushi chefs for garnish making. People especially like the bite sized cookies, which are perfect for parties.
Two quick tips: Make sure your butter is softened and dip your cookie cutter into some flour so it doesn't stick to the dough.
Butter Cookie Recipe
Yield: 30 medium sized cookies or around 60 + bite sized morsels.
Ingredients:
1 cup of room temperature salted butter at about 80-85 degrees 1 cup of super fine granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 2/3 cups of sifted all purpose flour Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until pale yellow then add vanilla. Gently mix in flour. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Gather the dough together and press into a ball with the warmth of your hands. Roll out on a clean, floured surface into a ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters then place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Leave ½ inch between each cookie. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes then turn temperature up to 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown in color. Once cool ice with a layer of the icing recipe which follows. Icing 1 ½ cup confectionary sugar 1 tablespoon water or milk plus--add just enough liquid and stir until smooth food coloring as needed
These Anaheim peppers are great toasted on the grill over medium heat! First drizzle the peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions with vegetable oil along with a sprinkle of kosher salt. Char the garlic and onions, cooking until the onions become translucent. Set aside.
Blacken the skin of tomatoes and peppers, place in a plastic bag for 5 minutes, then peel. Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt to taste, in a blender, then puree. Seed and dice the chilies then fold into the puree. Add chopped cilantro, which is optional. Serve with grilled steak, chicken, chips or sauteed zucchini and garbanzo beans. Garnish with lime wedges.
These chilies are medium to hot. Use gloves to peel and seed them if you are sensitive to caspacin, the oil based molecule, which contains the spiciness or "heat".
Review by Susan Beach
What a great read for those who love food and cooking! Readers will enjoy the personal insight into Julia Child's life and how she was whisk through a thrilling, yet challenging life. Alex Prud'homme did a lovely job of sharing the details of Julia's life. In gaining this insight I have the utmost respect for what she accomplished in her life, the kind of person she was, and what an impact she had on both professional and gourmet cooking alike. Her passion and curiosity spurred her through life with a zest for cooking, food, wine, and entertaining. she had such a knack for educating others, with an attention to detail that set the standard for "cookery bookery", as we know it today. My Life in France is a must read for anyone who has an interest in America's Culinary French revolution lead by Ms. Child herself. Bon Appetit!
Over the course of a year, Alex Prud'homme sat with Julia Child, then ninety-one, and listened to her stories, read family letters and ask Julia questions about her life in France with her husband Paul Child from 1948-1954. This is a love story of Julia and Paul's life together in France where Julia discovered her other love, eating and cooking everything from snails to wild boar and how to market for the best food products. In the introduction by Julia, she writes,'Those early years in France were among the best of my life". Paul Child had originally suggested that Julia write of their years in France, but Julia kept putting this "French book" off until Alex Prud'homme offered to collaborate with Julia on this project. Julia died two days before her ninety-second birthday before the book was finished, but he had enough material to complete the book.
Jicama and Avocado Salad with Lime Juice
When shopping for jicama pick
the smaller ones; they have the best flavor and texture. To get the most crunch out of
your jicama, cut it up, then soak it in salt water and refrigerate for as long
as 24 hours.
Ingredients:
1 pound jicama
1 pint basket of cherry
tomatoes
1 avocado
2 limes
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Peel jicama, then cut into 1/2-inch x 3-inch sticks and place in bowl. cherry
tomatoes; cut in half and add
to jicama. Peel avocado and dice into 1/2-inch pieces;
squeeze lime juice over
avocado. Season ingredients with salt and cayenne, then add
chopped cilantro and
toss. Refrigerate until served. Serves 4. For more recipes go to www.isimmer.com
My mom, Harriett Beach has offered to do some book reveiws on her food related reads. Here is the first with more to come.
The Reach of A Chef ( Beyond the Kitchen), Michael Ruhlman, 2006, Viking Press,
Penguin Group, 338 pages.
Ruhlman gives the reader an "in-the-trenches" look at professional Chefs whose life work is to feed others in order to feed themselves. This is a chronicle of the current business of food preparation as it goes from just preparing food "ordinaire"to the shift in American culture that has raised restaurant cooking to the level of performance art and the status of the celebrity Chef to being a CEO of his food empire. Ruhlman over the years has developed the skills and contacts with the Chef stars in the food world to hold his own in a commercial kitchen and thus writes from personal experience.
The narrative leads the reader through some of the most illustrious and ingenious kitchens in America while exploring how and why a successful kitchen or style of food preparation has evolved. The state of professional cooking has been elevated and shaped by the likes of industry giants such as, Thomas Keller, Masa Takayama, Grant Achatz, Melissa Kelly.and Emerial Lagassee. The description of the food
preparation in the various kitchens illustrates how much the art of food preparation has gone beyond that of Julia Child and The Food Network. In some kitchens even the equipment is no longer just stoves, coolers, and sinks but equipment usually found in industrial settings or the chemistry lab. This is no longer " your Mama's
kitchen" as food preparation and food tastes are changing.
Ruhlman's writing is an exciting review of the current cooking world that is a "don't skip a word" page turner that leaves the reader wanting more as they finish the last page. The writing captures the ritual and routine of creative food
preparation that centers the soul of the professional or "at-home" chef.
