June 2008 Archives
My blog has always been a hobby. I guess getting notice that you will be unemployed in two months will trigger odd things in you. I've decided to start the task of getting Sketchy's Kitchen official. I don't know if I'll ever make enough money to do it as my job, but a business license would allow me to sell things by demand on the web and to local business and families. It's for two reasons. One, I love to cook, and I end up giving away half of everything I make. Two - I need something to fixate on so I don't stress about looking for another job.
For those interested, I am an Oracle DBA, Remedy ARS programmer, Cold Fusion and PHP coder, and I have a lot of experience with project management, SPC/Metric Reporting, and change management.
OK -- back to baking, cooking, and trying to start a business! On Friday afternoon we went down to the county govt. facility and started the process to turn me into a home based internet/retail bakery. There are TONS of forms. I'm still finding ones I need to fill out. After getting the run around, we had the Federal Tax ID, and we went upstairs to the zoning office. they asked me i we had an food safety inspection yet. I told them no, and they sent me downstairs and across the street. When I showed up across the street, they told me there was no such office here.
Well, we gave up at that point. I had things to do for the dinner we were having at Piet's place the next night. I had cakes to bake, pastries to cook, bread to bake. Yep, I buried myself in flour and sugar. I kept myself very busy, and slightly intoxicated. I think I managed to not get a shot of the bread. It was a sourdough boule with crushed cocoa nibs, and a touch of cayenne pepper. The Chocolate flavor is very minimal, the nibs have an almost nutty taste to them.
I made the cake on Saturday. The cake looked great at our house. I loaded it into a cake transport thingie, and we drove across town for dinner. As we were driving I told Jen that she was not a good cake driver. Fast accelerations, sharp breaking, fast turns. As we were driving, the cake began to lose it's height. It reminded me of a cake my mother made when I was a kid. It looked great at first, but as the day went on it started to look a little sad. Well, Jen said she thought the cake looked better, she liked the stripes. I explained that the cake was not supposed to be zebra striped. Between the stops and the starts, you could watch the top of the cake slide around the cake holder. I was so depressed about this.
By the time we arrived at the house I no longer had a cake. It was The Thing. a glob of icing and three discs of cake. I tried to make it look presentable, but there was no hope for that anymore. We took half the cake home, the next day I went to cut a slice for dinner - total disaster. It was like a train wreck. Three layers, all exposed. I took them, added some heavy cream and turned them into a ... paste.. in the food processor. Cake and icing, ground into a mush and spooned into ramekins. They taste pretty good with the caramel whipped cream. Bus as far as cakes go: spectacular defeat with the assistance of Jen's driving.
OK -- back to starting a business. I spoke with Veronica - she's already done this! She found the phonenumber to the State Agriculture department. I called them and stated that I am trying to start a home bakery. They put some documentation in the mail. Once I fill that out, I call them back and they will see if I need an inspection (I have to pay for the inspection if they show up or not). At first, Jen and I were worried that I couldn't get a license because of our cats, but we are pretty sure we can. We are not catering, so the rules are a little more lax in that regard.
Once I figure out all the forms that are needed to get setup in VA, I will post about them. The process is a little taxing,especially if you are in a bad mood. But keep at it.
Normally, people buy soda siphons to carbonate water. They make seltzer, that's about it. When we were at WD~50, Jen had a drink that was made with carbonated vodka. Sure, you can cut vodka with seltzer, but it dilutes the vodka, and dilutes the c02 distribution in the drink. After scouring the web for ways to carbonate alcohol, I found a solution. I figured my wife might not like a 50 pound c02 tank under the sink, so I had to find a smaller alternative. I knew soda siphons carbonated water through a c02 charger, but could it do alcohol? Would that muck up the dispersion system? Are other people doing this? If so, where are their posts?This was actually pretty hard to find. I guess people don't play with mixology. I found one guy who was carbonating apple juice for his kids. If the siphons can do apple juice, they should be able to do alcohol. A quick test with water shows you one thing: you don't want to serve the alcohol under pressure if you want it to stay fizzy. Water gets everywhere if you fill the cup at the wrong angle. To remedy this problem, I removed the stem and charged the canister. Well, the stem is a two part device. Remove the straw part and put the plug back in place, then close and charge the canister. The top part of the stem forms a seal around the top of the canister. Without it, all the air escapes! You can use up to two cartridges for a full bottle.
Shake the canister for a few seconds, then place in the refrigerator. After two hours, retrieve the alcohol bottle and a funnel. Dispense the c02 in the canister by depressing the trigger, remove the top and plastic seals, then [b]slowly[/b] pour the alcohol back into the bottle. If you pour it too quickly, it will fizz all over the counter. With a quick rinse, the siphon is ready to make carbonated water again.
Last night I decided to take the Soda Siphon to another level. With help from an El Bulli recipe for a mojito, I transformed my siphon in to a kitchen beast with endless possibilities. I need to check the ratios, but take your mojito mix (I used mint from the back yard, limes, sugar, and rum), disperse 1 ½ sheets of gelatin in water, then strain and pour everything into the soda siphon. Once charged, it comes out frothy! It was a tasting experience. The foam is so punchy with the lime, but as it disperses into the liquid in the bottom of the cup, the flavor mellows.Jen commented on how strong the flavors were in the foam, but how they were very balanced by the end of the drink. I guess this has to do with the air molecules in the liquid. The gelatin is unnoticeable; the drink feels the same on your tongue, well, except for the foam part. This technique can apply to just about any drink.
The only problem with the siphon is that we seem to run out of water when Jen goes to get a glass for dinner. Aidan loves sparkling water in his juice
To continue with my Molecular Gastronomy posts, this one will address the texture of a commonly used item: cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano to be precise. I found a great, and simple, recipe from the 1998 - 2002 El Bulli Cookbook. It involves cheese, a grater, egg whites, silpat mats, and a rolling pin. Most people are familiar with the traditional parmesan crisp. Baked cheese, sometimes it has a lacy appearance. This recipe is just as easy to make, but you get a more refined, delicate, crisp.When buying cheese for this - look for the imported Parmesan. In the US, we have very lax rules for cheese naming. In europe, Parmigiano-Reggiano is regulated under the name Parmesan. American copies of the cheese have to be sold as pamesello italiano, or some other name. Pamesello italiano is what Kraft sells as Parmesan. American Parmesan has a larger sodium content, is mechanically pressed, and lacks the complex flavors that are achieved by the long time in the brine solution.
Parmigiano CrispsParmigiano-Reggiano cheese
egg whites
preheat oven to 340 degrees (convection)
tools needed - 2 silpat mats, microplane grater, rolling pin, and parchment paper.
Shave the cheese with a microplane, add the egg whites and mix with a spatula until the mixture resembles pasty dough. Transfer this to a silpat and spread evenly across the middle. Place the second silpat over the paste and evenly spread around with a rolling pin. You want a very thin, even layer of cheese across the entire silpat.
Place this into a preheated oven and bake for five minutes
Remove from oven and carefully remove the top silpat. I used an offset spatula to loosen and unstick any cheese that didn't want to release. Place a sheet of parchment over the cheese and flip over. Remove the remaining silpat and reduce the oven to 320 degrees (convection). Place back in the oven and cook for another 4 minutes. If you do not have convection, you may have to cook this for longer. You want the entire crisp to brown. If there are white spots, they will sag after you cut them.
When it is evenly browned, remove the crisp from the oven and cut immediately. You want them to be long and skinny. If you wait for the cheese to cool down, it will shatter when you try to cut it. Once cut, allow the crisps to cool to room temperature on a flat surface. I ended up using a chef's knife for slicing; the pizza wheel didn't do the trick. Serve in a dish or cup that will show off their height. They stay crisp for a long time. We ran out before they got soggy.
The little guy helped me make them; he ate so many of the crisps. I had to move them so he didn't finish them off.
Next time I make these, I might add some smoked Spanish paprika into the mix. Depending on when you add it, and how thoroughly you incorporate it, you could end up with streaks of dark red in the crisps.
This will be my first installment of Molecular Gastronomy Techniques for the home chef. I'm going to focus on the recipes and my experience with it. I'll try to keep the science talk to a minimum, but give enough for those interested. My first technique will be sferification. I think this technique goes to El Bulli Restaurant/labs, if I'm wrong, someone feel free to correct me, and I'll update this little point.
What is sferification? Sferification is the process of making liquid caviar and pasta-less raviolo. With the use of chemicals, one can take a food liquid (anything from fruit, vegetables, meat juice, or chicken stock), submerge it in another liquid, and a gel will form around the liquid through ion transfer. OK -- if you want the science behind this, send me a mail and I'll send you some resources.I started with caviar because it is one of the easier things to attempt. In the last week and a half I've attempted this five times. My first attempt was using the wrong chemical bath, so that was a mess, my second attempt was a success, three and four were a mess and a pot of gooooooo. My fifth attempt worked great. I've determined it is all about measurements, pH, and timing.
- Measurement is the first critical thing. I need a scientific scale, something that can measure a tenth of a gram.
- pH is the next critical thing. I think I need to buy testing strips. If the pH is too high, it will not work, if it is to low, it will not work. I already have chemicals to alter the pH, but I need a way to test the solution before I proceed.
- Third is timing, this is the easiest. If you let your sferes sit for too long, you get a solid gel. If they don't sit long enough, they break.
There are two processes for sferification. I will focus on the standard process, and explain the reverse process in another post.
First, you need the right chemicals: Sodium Alginate, Sodium Citrate, and Calcium Chloride.
Apple Caviar
8 ounces Apple Juice
1/2 tsp Sodium Alginate
1/8 tsp Sodium Citrate
2 cups of water
1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride
One or two water baths.
Mix a third of the apple juice with the sodium alginate. You need to use an immersion blender for this to work (a stand blender would also work). Heat this mixture to 205 degrees - this helps remove the air bubbles formed from blending. Add the rest of the apple juice and sodium citrate, mix to combine. Chill. This part can be made in advance and held for service.
Mix the water and calcium chloride in a large bowl.
When you are ready to 'cook' the sferes, transfer the apple mixture to your dropping apparatus. Syringes can be purchased at CVS, specialty equipment can be purchased from your chemical vendor, and you can use a squirt bottle. I have a 96 pipette dropper, and a squirt bottle. For speed, the dropper is amazing, but I prefer the slightly larger sferes that the squirt bottle makes.
(This is where the timing comes into play)
When you drop the mixture into the water bath, the reaction is instantaneous. The longer the sfere is in the water, the thicker the shell. As the chemical reaction takes place, the apple is gelling; if it sits too long, you have a solid sfere, instead of a liquid filled sfere. Thirty seconds to 45 seconds is the time the sferes need to cook. If they are in there much longer, they will solidify on you. Remove the sferes with a slotted spoon, strainer, or skimmer and dip in the water bath. I use two baths: one for the first dip, and the other ice water bath to cool the sferes (I used them in a cold dish).
You now have apple caviar.
If you want to make raviolo, fill a round teaspoon with the apple mixture and place the spoon under the water. Rotate the spoon over and flip the apple out of the spoon. It will naturally take on a sphere shape in the fluid as the bonds are formed. Let these rest for sixty to ninety seconds. Then remove and dip in water baths to remove the chemicals from the outside.
DISCLAIMER: These are not completed dishes, they are just examples of technique.
Continue reading Ventures into the unknown.
The lavender is flowering, so I need an excuse to use some. I decided on marshmallows, honey-lavander-lemon marshmallows. Most people are amazed that I make marshmallows, but they are not that hard. I often find myself rattling off the recipe at request, so I've decided to post it up for you. The recipe makes basic marshmallows, but it is easy to add ingredients to drastically alter the flavor. I will give credit to the great Alton Brown for coming up with the base recipe.DISCLAIMER: You NEED a stand mixer!
Basic Marshmallow Recipe:
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 oz gelatin *
1 cup ice water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
Take 1/2 cup of the water and add to the gelatin in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Add the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the remaining 1/2 water to a pot, heat on medium, covered, for 4 minutes. Remove lid and attack your candy thermometer. You want the sugar to reach 240 degrees. Do not mix the sugar with a spoon, it can create crystals. When it reaches 240 degrees, remove from heat and remove the thermometer.
Attach the whisk attachment to your stand mixer, on low speed, slowly pour in the hot sugar mixture. When all the mixture is in the bowl, turn the mixer on high and whip for 13 minutes. NOTE: hot gelatin is the most foul thing you will ever smell in your kitchen. I've done it with sheet gelatin and powdered, both smell foul.
While the sugar is whipped, prepare your pan. Take a 13 x 9 pan. I've used glass and metal. If you can find a straight edged metal pan (I got mine from sur la table) you will get better edges. I've not had problems turning marshmallows out of either pan. Back to the pan preparation. Mix the powdered sugar and corn starch. Spray the pan with non stick spray, then dust the pan with the corn starch mixture. Make sure to get the coating on the sides of the pan. Collect the extra powder and save for later use.
As the gelatin and sugar mix in the bowl, the temperature goes down, and the gelatin begins to set. At minute 13, stop the mixer and add the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to low speed until the vanilla is incorporated, and raise the speed back to high. Whip for 2 more minutes. Now your marshmallows are ready to be formed. I'm only going to cover the rustic look here, if you want to read about the piped marshmallows, I will refer you back to the Good Eats listing.
From here on out, non stick spray is your friend. Marshmallows are the stickiest things I have ever worked with, but they are afraid of the non stick spray, so it's your friend :D Spray a spatula with non stick and turn the sticky mess into your prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly around the pan. If your spatula begins to stick, clean it and re-spray it. An even layer will make for attractive cut marshmallows. Once in the pan, dust the top of the marshmallows with the cornstarch mixture and let them sit uncovered for a minimum of 5 hours, I let mine sit overnight.
When you are ready to cut them, flip the brick out of the pan onto half of the remaining cornstarch mixture. Pizza cutters are your friend at this point. Dust both sides of the pizza cutter with corn starch and begin to cut a grid into the marshmallows. Once you have them cut, pull strips apart and dredge in the cornstarch. Every side needs to be covered, so I do strips at a time, then I separate the individual marshmallows and dredge the remaining sides. These will keep for 3 weeks in a ziplock.
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 oz gelatin *
1 cup ice water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
Take 1/2 cup of the water and add to the gelatin in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Add the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the remaining 1/2 water to a pot, heat on medium, covered, for 4 minutes. Remove lid and attack your candy thermometer. You want the sugar to reach 240 degrees. Do not mix the sugar with a spoon, it can create crystals. When it reaches 240 degrees, remove from heat and remove the thermometer.
Attach the whisk attachment to your stand mixer, on low speed, slowly pour in the hot sugar mixture. When all the mixture is in the bowl, turn the mixer on high and whip for 13 minutes. NOTE: hot gelatin is the most foul thing you will ever smell in your kitchen. I've done it with sheet gelatin and powdered, both smell foul. While the sugar is whipped, prepare your pan. Take a 13 x 9 pan. I've used glass and metal. If you can find a straight edged metal pan (I got mine from sur la table) you will get better edges. I've not had problems turning marshmallows out of either pan. Back to the pan preparation. Mix the powdered sugar and corn starch. Spray the pan with non stick spray, then dust the pan with the corn starch mixture. Make sure to get the coating on the sides of the pan. Collect the extra powder and save for later use.
As the gelatin and sugar mix in the bowl, the temperature goes down, and the gelatin begins to set. At minute 13, stop the mixer and add the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to low speed until the vanilla is incorporated, and raise the speed back to high. Whip for 2 more minutes. Now your marshmallows are ready to be formed. I'm only going to cover the rustic look here, if you want to read about the piped marshmallows, I will refer you back to the Good Eats listing. From here on out, non stick spray is your friend. Marshmallows are the stickiest things I have ever worked with, but they are afraid of the non stick spray, so it's your friend :D Spray a spatula with non stick and turn the sticky mess into your prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly around the pan. If your spatula begins to stick, clean it and re-spray it. An even layer will make for attractive cut marshmallows. Once in the pan, dust the top of the marshmallows with the cornstarch mixture and let them sit uncovered for a minimum of 5 hours, I let mine sit overnight.
When you are ready to cut them, flip the brick out of the pan onto half of the remaining cornstarch mixture. Pizza cutters are your friend at this point. Dust both sides of the pizza cutter with corn starch and begin to cut a grid into the marshmallows. Once you have them cut, pull strips apart and dredge in the cornstarch. Every side needs to be covered, so I do strips at a time, then I separate the individual marshmallows and dredge the remaining sides. These will keep for 3 weeks in a ziplock.
Now that we have that out of the way, how can I make flavored marshmallows, like the honey lavender lemon ones, or peach? There are two ways to add flavor to marshmallows. First is to use extracts. At the thirteenth minute, when you add the vanilla, you can add other flavors. To make the lavender ones I added 1/2 tsp of lavender extract, 1/2 tsp of lemon extract, about 20 fresh ground lavender blossoms, and 1/2 tsp of finely minced lemon rind. You could also add other flavors here. Orange extract works exceptionally well, as does spearmint, cinnamon, etc.
The second way to flavor marshmallows is to substitute ingredients. For the honey lavender, I subbed out 1/2 cup of sugar for 1/2 cup of fresh honey from lavender fields (near our house). When I made the peach marshmallows I subbed out all the water for fresh peach juice. I took 5 peaches and attacked them with an immersion blender ( I cut them up first). I strained the larger parts out and ended up with 1 cup of liquid. Half of that went in the gelatin, the other half went in the pot with the sugar. The peach was quite interesting. Half of the juice was cooked in the sugar, while the other half was flash cooked when it came in contact with the sugar syrup. The peach flavor was surprisingly strong, and did not have a cooked peach flavor.
*Gelatin use. I used powdered gelatin for the peach recipe (and all previous batches). I used sheet gelatin for the lavender marshmallows. The powdered gelatin was much more fluffy and light then the sheet gelatin. The texture of the sheet gelatin is not bad, just more dense and chewy. Both batches were light and fluffy, but the powdered was fluffier. Based on the cost, I'd stick to powdered. 3 packs of powdered gelatin is 3/4 oz, 15 sheets is also 3/4 oz.
After a few nights of messing it up (wrong ingredients!)... I have something to show!
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