Amuse Bouche

Ideas in Food at Craigie on Main: Activa

I've been following Alex and Aki at Ideas in Food for several years now and I managed to somehow miss the class they did at Stir so when it popped up in my twitter stream from @tmaws that they would be doing several classes this week as a lead up to their already sold out James Beard House dinner I decided to find a way to go.  My pal Ali from here and here is home from the UK for the summer so emails were dispatched and agreements were reached and we booked in for the Activa class on Tuesday.

While Ali and I were driving over he said "How much would you like to bet I will be the only person under 18 in the room?"  I knew we would get some looks, but if anyone heard him talk about food they would change any preconceived notions immediately.  I've known Ali for about 4 or 5 years now when he started taking classes with us at Create a Cook.  He has gone from mildly interested to sincerely passionate about food in that time. He is my first choice to call for any foodie field trip.  He takes classes at Stir and spends so much time there and at No9 Park that Barbara Lynch invited him to the soft opening at Menton.  How's that for 14 years old?  He's toured her kitchens, lamented missing the pigs head with me at the Craigie on Main pig night, and  his parents just built him his own experimental kitchen in the basement.  He is currently obsessed with getting a Pacojet and an anti-griddle and this class did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for the Pacojet.Quite simply he wants to be the next Heston Blumenthal or Ferran Adria.  I'm just along for the ride to feed his brain with ideas and maybe someday get a good table.

Activa, for the uninitiated, is simply an enzyme that allows proteins to bond together.  There are versions that work with dairy, versions that work well with soy and two that work well with meats. Alex ran us through all 4 versions with a demonstration of the application.  The photo at the top is his shrimp salumi.  Basically chopped shrimp, seasoned with cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt and then bound with Activa RM, pressed into a ring mold and then put under vacuum and left to chill.  Texturally it felt a bit like a firm jelly, cooked it would have the nice snap of the shrimp in the mouth. Sliced thin and wrapped around a scallop and seared or layered between beef for a spin on a surf and turf.  A dish I could never understand the appeal of, but obviously widely loved by the number of times you see it on menus.

The coolest demo though was for mozzarella noodles.  Yup.  Noodles made from cheese. Spin that around for awhile my fellow cheese hounds.  They took mozzarella and ricotta some salt and the Activa Y-G and spun it a few times in the Pacojet. Using an offset spatula Alex spread it thinly on some acetate sheets and then you let it set up in the fridge for 18-24 hours.  It peels off the acetate in a thin sheet and then just cut it into fettucine or tagliatelle with a knife. They passed them around both raw and cooked in a bit of butter.  I loved the texture raw, but wasn't as enamoured when it was cooked.  But just imagine it raw tossed with a fresh tomato salsa. Caprese fettucine?

Ali's favourite dish was the bread pudding that tasted like a ramped up version of French Toast. I loved the hangar steak, folded in half, glued, wrapped with thin slices of bacon, compressed and then...Deep fried. HELLO. It was almost impossible to see where the halves were attached when sliced.  Really amazing. Alex is incredibly knowledgeable about the various products and their uses, but I wish we had more demo.  It was really fascinating to see the products transform in front of you. Our heads were spinning with ideas as we left Craigie. Ali was remembering an episode he saw where they had to make a turducken in 30 minutes.  He was already thinking of taking a breast of each, pounding them thin and then pasting them together and compressing them.

Is this something the average cook is going to use everyday? No. Will it gradually trickle down and find some home applications? Absolutely.

Eventually we wound up over at Formaggio on Huron, Ali had only ever been to the one in the south end and I felt that he should go to the mothership.  He was, for lack of a better word, gobsmacked. Every nook and cranny was investigated. I lead him room to room and then said " And now we are entering the room of happiness", and I waved my arm at the cheese wall. "Cheese" we both sighed. Like rats we both picked up a bit of this and a bit of that and grabbed two sandwiches for lunch.  We hopped back in the truck and we decided we needed to find a place to eat our spoils.  We headed over to the most beautiful place I could think of on short notice, the Mt. Auburn cemetery, and had a drive around and ate our spoils in the midst of the eternally quiet.  I'm taking bets on which one of us will order some Activa to play with first.  The circulator awaits.

Master Chef

I just wanted to poke my head in to tell you all about something I'm really excited about.  Fox contacted me a week ago to see if we would host the casting call for the new Master Chef series at Create a Cook.  I've always been a huge fan of the UK series (here's a you tube video if you have never seen the show) and I was pretty mad when they stopped showing them here in the states.  I've only been able to catch snippets of the new one on You Tube.  I have also always felt that Gordon Ramsay's image in the US is quite different than the image he has in the UK.  If you watch any of his UK shows he isn't exactly warm and lovable, but he is certainly less acerbic and nasty than the show in the states have shown him to be.  I think this show might just be his chance to change his image on this side of the pond.  Don't be afraid to come and try out.  This show is meant for the home cook, the amateur, the person who hasn't worked in professional kitchens.  See the press release below and sign up if you want to try out!

GORDON RAMSAY AND THE PRODUCERS OF THE BIGGEST LOSER ARE NOW CASTING AMATEUR CHEFS FOR A NEW INSPIRATIONAL COOKING SHOW!

 

Can you cook well despite never having been formally trained? We are currently searching for budding chefs from all walks of life - amateur chefs, passionate foodies, the ultimate dinner party host/hostesses…

 

Now one of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, GORDON RAMSAY, is giving you the opportunity to become a MasterChef!

 

MasterChef is a show that celebrates great people who make great food. The show will give contestants the opportunity to develop their cooking skills while being encouraged, mentored and celebrated by the industry’s best and evaluated by world-renowned judges!

 

If you are passionate about cooking and ready to change your life then audition for MasterChef, an inspiring cooking show from the producers of The Biggest Loser!

 

BOSTON CASTING CALL INFORMATION

                                         

          

SUNDAY JANUARY 10, 2010

1PM - 5PM

CREATE A COOK

53 WINCHESTER ST.

NEWTON HIGHLANDS,MA 02461

  *Casting Call applicants must bring a prepared dish.

Contact: [email protected]

 

• We will NOT be considering professional chefs who work in professional kitchens!

• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and either a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident with the unrestricted ability to work in the U.S.

For more detailed nationwide audition information: Fox.com/casting

 

Craigie on Main - The Whole Hog

As I mentioned before, Alasdair and I had a 'date' to go to Craigie on Main for their once a year Whole Hog dinner.  Originally it was supposed to be 4 of us, but at the last minute Brian had babysitter issues, so in the end Alasdair and I decided what the hell and carried on.

I apologise in advance for the photos, I thought bringing the SLR might be a bit rude, I borrowed Alasdair's dad's point and shoot, but we kept having problems with shutting off the flash and without it the pictures were hopeless, so I only have a few iphone photos with which to tempt you into going. In the end I needn't have worried, every table around us had their cellphones out snapping pictures of their pig heads.

The place was sold out and hopping when we arrived at 7:30.  We asked the hostess if we could stand on the side and watch the action for a bit. The open kitchen and pass were buzzing like a hive. Chef Maws was right there making sure everything went out perfectly cooked and plates were constantly being wiped and inspected.  Suddenly Alasdair noticed a pig head passing by us.  He looked at me with wide eyes.  When we were seated we noticed we were right near the 86 board and it read: 4 3 2 1 pig head.  We had high hopes.

Our waiter, who I hope I remember correctly was Patrick,  arrived and offered up the wine list and the prix fixe menu sheet for the night with the quote "Never eat more than you can lift" - Miss Piggy on the top of the page.  Alasdair informed me he could lift quite a bit.  I told the waiter that I was obviously the designated driver for the night, pointing over to Alasdair, and asked if perhaps they might have something sparkly and non-alcoholic for us to have instead.  Patrick asked if we would like the bar to make a mocktail flight for us for each course. I looked Alasdair and he was nodding yes wildly.

Then we asked the important question.  How could we get the pig head? We pointed at  the 86 board ever hopeful that 2 and 1 had not been taken, but the news was sad.  It wasn't listed on the menu and was only being announced table-side.  Sadly  for us the last one was gone.  Ah well.  I told him we'll go to Estragon one night and have it when he gets back from school. We placed our orders being careful to choose the opposite dishes in some courses so we could sample.

The Amuse and the first mocktail arrived.  Not to discount the pork, because boys and girls there was some fine, FINE pork to be had that night, but I was truly blown away by the mocktails.  Not only did they make a new libation for each course, they made a different one for each of us!  I'd sip mine, he'd sip his and we'd switch for a taste.  As you can see they were served in traditional cocktail glasses so I delighted in the stare of abject horror by the woman 'of an age' several tables away who likely thought I was getting Alsadair soused. Each one was spectacular.  They make all of their infusions, bitters, syrups and potions.  My favourite was one with peach, nectarine and rhubarb and one with orange blossom water. I never once missed the alcohol.  If you go, be sure to let them test out a few on you, I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Amuse: Lardo on a crispy rice wafer, pork cracklings, Pâté de Campagne, prosciutto

The waiter, overhearing Alsadair talking about the onion and tomato confit he was planning to make the next day started asking questions.  Pretty soon he was chatting lovely food things with us as he picked up each course to clear away.  We talked about Transglutaminase-Activa and immersion circulators, le-sanctuaire and sausages.  A meal can obviously make or break your restaurant experience, but so can the wait staff and we adored our waiter.  He really made the night.  We found out that the kitchen upstairs is just for finishing the dishes, there is a whole laboratory downstairs in the basement where the real action takes place.  There are 3 walk-ins of which 2 are used just for curing everything in-house. Alasdair was telling him about his visit to tour the kitchens at no9 Park and how one huge room is just for meat fabrication all stainless steel with no seams anywhere and a whole hose system for washing everything down.  They talked about her upcoming fine dining venture and then we got back to Chef Maws and where he sources the pigs.

1st course: Alasdair chose the Tortellini of Braised Pork Belly, and after the first taste I wished I had chosen it as well.  Light as air, served en brodo and filled with perfect shredded belly  I had the Glacée of Summer Farm Vegetables and House Cured Lomo simply because I wanted to try the huitlacoche jus ( which sounds infinitely better than corn smut). Every tiny perfect vegetable tasted like it had been cooked separately, every taste was distinct and the revelation was the cooked radish.  I never think to cook them as I am too busy dipping them in butter and salt.  But cooked they are milder with just a bit of the bite left.

Next course I chose the Crispy Fromage de Tête with the most perfect egg on top.

Alasdair chose the House Made Boudin Noir and Chorizo Stuffed Grilled Local Squid.

For our third course we both chose the Vermont Organic Pork Three Ways: Spice Crusted Rib, Glazed and Grilled Belly, Bacon Wrapped Loin. That pork loin was the most tender, perfectly cooked piece of loin I have ever had the joy of eating.  It certainly didn't need a knife.  But oh my.  The pork belly.  Crisp outside, soft and sweet inside.  By the time this course came and I stopped Alasdair to take a picture he was all "Come on I want to eat it!"

We finished up with the Cornbread Pain Perdu, followed by a plate of tiny Mignardises.  Alsadair dove on the truffles and I wish I could have captured his face when he bit into the first one. I think it just might have been love at first bite. There was a final nosh, courtesy the chef which was a light as air custard of rhubarb with a cream foam on top.

As we finished up Alasdair looked at me and said words to the effect of "it sucks to be your friend", meaning poor Brian who missed out, but we had an amazing dinner.  Craigie and Chef Maws deserve every bit of praise that is heaped on them.  Go, eat local, eat fresh, eat well.

Craigie on Main
853 Main St
Cambridge, MA
617 497-5511

Angry Chicken - Grrrrrr

Lately I've been on a real Asian inspired, Umami rich kick. We've been making loads of udon noodles with miso broth topped in assorted vegetables quickly tossed in a wok with tamari and sesame and sometimes a few slices of duck breast on top or Tori Kara Age.  We had yellow curry with Thai eggplants and pineapple. There was gan bian si ji dou (dry fried green beans with pork) and ma la zi ji (Numbing and Hot Chicken) it's all rather addictive.

Today I'm going to make a miso glaze with red and yellow miso and rub it on a duck breast, shrink wrap it and cook it sous vide at about 53C.  It will then be seared off and served with sautéed spinach, garlic and sesame oil and a side of cauliflower mash with mystery ingredients added.  Don't worry they are still a mystery to me at the moment.  Friday I'm going over to Porter Square to hit Kotobukiya market, since Super 88's recent decline, the Allston location is almost barren(!) I have to travel further afield to get ingredients. But today, today  I want to  tell you about Angry Chicken.

The recipe comes from the food porn cookbook that is Morimoto by Masaharu Morimoto .  For days I've been flicking through the book over and over trying to decide what I was going to pull out and cook and for some reason Angry Chicken just caught my eye.  Grrrrrrrr.

Morimoto has a restaurant in Mumbai and fell in love with Tandoor chicken and this was his interpretation,  I knew we would love it since we both adore Indian spices and it uses my favourite go to hot sauce.  Frank's Red Hot.*  Frank's red hot has the perfect amount of heat and vinegar tang with a big bold punch of pepper taste without the blow-your-taste-buds-out-of-the-water for every subsequent bite that some hot sauces pack.

As usual lately, I made it and didn't get a chance to take a picture, but I'm sure you can make one up nicely in your head.  Just picture some gorgeous laquered blistered skin chicken steaming on a plate with a side of darkly blistered long peppers.  Mmmmm.

Make a marinade of 1/2tsp each of black peppercorns and cumin seed 1/4tsp each of cardamom and coriander seed, and  grind in a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, add in 1tsp of chili powder, a little salt 1/2tsp of amchar or garam masala and pour all that in a bowl. Add 1-1/3 cups yoghurt (I prefer the Greek Fage), 1/2 cup cream, 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce, we tend to have tamari in house and 1 and 1/2 cups of Frank's Red Hot. Yes, One and a Half cups of Frank's. Mix it all up.  Reserve 1 cup for sauce later and pour the rest over your prefered pieces of chicken.  We like thighs.  Let this all hang out for at least 8 hours or even over night.

Crank the oven to 450F.  Place the chicken on a sheet pan, discard the marinade and roast it for 30 - 45 mins depending on the cuts of chicken and size.  165F internally with a digital thermometer is what your looking to hit.  Take 2 cups of chicken stock and reduce to 1 cup, I added some chopped leek and celery to the reducing stock. Off the heat add the reserved 1 cup of marinade and heat this gently being careful not to boil and cause the yogurt to separate. 

I also took his advice to serve a side of peppers for those who like more heat.  I took 4 nice Anaheim's rubbed them with oil and tossed them on a seperate sheet pan in the oven while the chicken roasted.  Once I pulled the chicken I turned the broiler on and let the peppers get nice and blistered.

We served this with a side of butter beans (sadly tinned - I need a new Rancho Gordo order stat!) sauteed with some nice olive oil and a minced shallot. There was much food silence and reverence around the table with only the occasional clink of a wine glass hitting the slate tablemats as puncuation.

Simple, amazing, and just the thing for a snowy January night.

*this is more for those following primal over paleo.  Too much vinegar in the hot sauce and the dairy would rule it out.

Cheap thrill for a foodie

I was running around my usual Saturday missions and I needed to stop in at John Dewar in Wellesley for a rabbit and some Wagyu for burgers tonight when I almost ran smack face right into my culinary goddess.

As I opened the door I saw a woman with wild, copper-red hair departing so I held the door, and then I realised just WHOM i was holding the door for.....Lydia Shire! 

At least I didn't hyperventilate and go speechless like I did when I bumped into Helena Bonham Carter in a New Jersey airport, but I did manage to fluster out a few words. 

I told her she was my culinary goddess and that she was the very reason I went to cooking school, she was very sweet and thanked me and asked what I do now. I'd much rather have bought her a scotch in a bar somewhere....but still, it was a cheap thrill for me!

Thanksgiving Comes First

The title of this post is to support an acquaintances quest to celebrate the holidays AS THEY COME not, as tends to happen now, as the retailers wish it to happen.  He is justifiably tired of retailers and the media shoving Christmas down our throats before Thanksgiving and in some cases Halloween have even passed! His goal is to Make Thanksgiving First.

Since my entire world relates to food and cooking, Thanksgiving is the holiday to celebrate.  It isn't about religion, it isn't dedicated to someone's birthday,  it wasn't created by Hallmark to sell more cards, it's a holiday about giving thanks, sitting down to take the time to eat and laugh and talk with friends and family.  There are no gifts to buy, no packages to wrap, the only obligation is to remember to pick up your turkey on time and make sure you get all your groceries before Wednesday night. What a nice idea. 

Now to explain that photo above.  That stack represents how I spent my Friday afternoon. Four and a half hours at the NE Mobile Book Fair spending some gift certificates.  What a glorious way to spend some time, the only thing missing was a big coffee to keep me going.  Not only did I have three gift certificates, but all cookbooks were 30% off through Sunday.  It was like hitting the lottery!!

Now for a run down from bottom to top.

Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck - A gorgeous book about the Arab Aleppian Jewish Community and their foods.  I picked it up for the beautiful cover and my love of Aleppo pepper, I bought it because it is loaded with great looking dishes.  I shall report back when I start experimenting.

Made in Italy by Giorgio Locatelli - A comprehensive look at regional Italian dishes.

Rick Stein's Complete Seafood - I have recently fallen in love with Rick Stein and Chalky.

Rick Stein's French Odyssey - I need to get my hands on this series as well.  I hope Food TV replaces some of the crap they show lately to show this series. Give Sandra Dee a vacation, I'm begging you.

Food: The History of Taste - Edited by Paul Freedman - Because I adore food history.  I want to know the answers to where it came from, why we do the things we do, what foods shaped cultures.  If all of this interests you as well, get a subscription to Gastronomica, you'll be hooked.

American Home Cooking by Cheryl and Bill Jamison - Regional Foods by two of my favourite cookbook authors.  Smoke & Spice was one of the first cookbooks I bought when I started collecting.

La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange - Written for the housewife of 1920's France, this highly detailed cookbook was recently translated by Chez Panisse co founder and chef de cuisine Paul Aratow.  This is the book Julia studied when she was beginning to dissect French cuisine.

Knife Skills Illustrated - by Peter Hertzmann - I teach knife skills classes and this will be a book I recommend to my students. Detailed illustration and step by step diagrams show how to hold your knife, sharpen the blade, hone, fillet, carve and chop an array of products.

Home Food 44 Great American chefs cook 160 recipes on their night off - Put together by two founders of Share our Strength Debbie Shore and Catherine Townsend.

Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin by Susan Herrmann Loomis, as recommended by Mr. Lebovitz, I will be cooking quite a bit out of this book.  It was the salmon rillettes that caught me - the holidays and parties are upon us make someone you love happy and make this.  Someday I'm going to send David pictures of the kids at create a cook making his creations.  I think we have worked our way through 5 of his recipes in the last few months and every one executes perfectly and even I, savory to the core, can say that he makes some mean, easy to execute desserts.

Goose Fat & Garlic by Jeanne Strang - The title alone made me buy it.  We just finished working though Southwest France in regional French.  Goose fat is the butter and garlic is the truffle (well really for garlic that is to Provence, but they come close here).  I ADORE this book.

Jewish Food:The World at Table by Matthew Goodman - No, I'm not Jewish, but I live in a community with a very high proportion and I often have to alter recipes to fit some Kosher kids in my classes.  I also love to learn the food behind any culture.  This book covers 170 recipes from twenty nine countries handed down by families for generations.

The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman - Oh Michael how we adore thee.  His latest book is a Strunk and White for the kitchen.  Reference, essays on the fundamentals, bible for those beginning to fall in love with the kitchen and a reminder for those of us who already love it.  Besides the man has seriously cute hair and he can hang with Alton and Bourdain whenever he wants.  Come on.  Buy it, read it, learn.

Pig Perfect:Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Way to Cook Them by Peter Kaminsky - The search for the perfect swine, an avocation I firmly believe in.

New England Soup Factory cookbook by Marjorie Drucker and Clara Silverstein - A local institution that makes some seriously great soup without the soup nazi.

Stalking the blue-eyed Scallop by Euell Gibbons - I read something on someone's blog that referenced the title and it made me want to read this book.  I remember being fascinated in shellfish class in basics when Chef Stephan informed us that scallops had blue eyes, I had to race home and google it, and what do you know.  They do! Many of you are likely too young, but I remember seeing Euell do the grapenuts commercials when I was growing up.  I really never knew much else about the man and I thought that it was high time I learned.

Beyond Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson & Justin Piers Gellatly - Really what more can I say about Fergus that hasn't already been said.  Please honey, next time we are in London....take me to St. John's...PLEASE!

Brillat-Savarin's The Physiology of Taste: Translated by M.F.K. Fisher - It was time.

And then today in the post this gorgeous book arrived from the U.K. from my fabulous brother-in-law who knows me oh so well. Gordon Ramsay's recipes from a 3 star chef.

Say what you will about Mr. Ramsay's programmes or his attitude, but the man can cook.  This book will make you want to hit the kitchen now! Detailed recipes and lush photographs.  Yum.

Meryl::Julia??

I just read this morning that Meryl Streep is set to play Julia Child in an upcoming film based upon Julie & Julia.  I think the queen of all accents should have a very good time playing the grand doyenne, but I would far rather see a biopic of Julia's life over an adaptation of that book.  Thoughts?

Flippin' Babbo

In an effort to soften a bit of the bad news blow I received last week (don't worry, it just needs more TIME - GRRRRR large Federal Gov't agency how I smite you!) R gave me a gift when I arrived at work last night.

Oh yes people. 

Everyone needs a spaghetti and meatball polpette flippin wine limoncello chugging Mario Batali wind up toy!

The details are perfect right down to the ponytail. 

Do you think he approved of the script on the box..beef cheek ravioli? 

Did he see the humour in having rocket written across his ass? 

Thank you R, this caused me hours of giggles last night.  Want to see him in full action, see the little video I made this morning. 

Oh Mario...you little orange minx you.

Get yours here.

Rick Stein's Food Heroes

If you happen to have BBC America somewhere in those 999 channels of nothing on take the time to tune in and watch a few episodes of Rick Stein's Food Heroes.

Rick Stein is a crazed and driven man who owns 8 businesses that he runs in a small Cornwall fishing village called Padstow.  He has 4 restaurants, a delicatessen, a patisserie, a hotel and a coking school all run with his former wife Jill.

More than a businessman, Rick is a man who is passionate about his food.  I haven't had a chance to see the series he did touring through small towns in France from Bordeaux to Marseilles, but I have had a chance to hang out with husband on the couch these past few Sunday's for a few back to back episodes of Food Heroes.  Rick travels around the U.K. meeting sausage makers, sheep farmers, cheesemakers, produce farmers while his Jack Russell, Chalky tags along or more often leads the charge.
Each episode ends with Rick back in his kitchen with his Aga cooking up something he had on the road.  his style is easygoing an unpretentious and we have really enjoyed watching this series.

I've had a great time watching him visit a few towns husband and I have been through on our trips. In fact, it makes me a little wistful to break out my drizzle proof coat and book a ticket back. 
Afternoon tea at Betty's anyone?

The Golden Clog Awards

Oh My God, this made me spit tea right on to laptop screen.  Absolutely F'in brilliant!  I would pay good money just to sit around and watch them brainstorm this.

The Golden Clog Awards

via Ruhlman (obvs)