6 posts tagged “isimmer blog”
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!
Curried Spinach and Tofu simmered in Coconut Milk
This is a
great vegan recipe that is terrific over brown, basmati, wild or jasmine
rice. This dish ranks high among vegetarians and is simple to prepare. Serves 4
Ingredients:
2
tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4
shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic
cloves minced
1
tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 sliced
serrano pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons yellow curry
½
teaspoon ground mustard
¼
teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup
water
2 packs
frozen chopped spinach (10 ounce size)
1 ¼
teaspoon salt
2
teaspoons brown sugar or to taste
1 pack
firm tofu, drained and diced
2 cans
coconut milk
Pour oil into a 10-inch sauté pan with lid. Place pan over medium high heat then add shallots, garlic, ginger and serrano pepper. When the shallots become translucent add the curry, mustard, and white pepper. Stir for one minute then add water, and spinach; cover and lower heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes. As the spinach thaws, gently stir in salt, sugar and tofu. When the spinach is completely thawed, pour in coconut milk and continue cooking, uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve piping hot over grains or rice.
For more recipes and short stories, please visit www.isimmer.com
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
Here’s a simple high protein dish that’s sure to tie you over until your next meal. Not only is this recipe good with rice and beans, but it’s also a great filling for breakfast burritos. The combination of the tuna and egg is delicious. If you’re not a fan of spicy food, hold off on the chipotle pepper. For more recipes and short stories go to www.isimmer.com
Ingredients:
2 scallions thinly sliced
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter
1-6.5 ounce can light tuna in water drained and pressed
20 stems of cilantro chopped (2 tablespoons chopped)
1 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped without seeds or for those who like it spicy, with seeds
1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce
1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese
Lime wedges
Preparation:
Whisk the eggs and salt together in a bowl. Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium high heat. Briefly sauté scallions, and then add egg, tuna, and adobo sauce. Turn heat down to low then use a spatula to break up the tuna in pan pan while scrambling eggs. Fold in the cheese just before the eggs are fully cooked; serve immediately with lime wedges. Serves 4
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.
You may already do this, but when you're preparing a meal, keep a separate container by your cutting board for your waste. When your done you can sort out the compostables, if you compost, then trash the rest. It saves trips to the trash can and keeps your area tidy.
