A simple breakfast

In the past fine dining was based strictly on French cuisine. But with today's international influences especially the spicy and garlicky flavors of thai and mexican food it's getting harder to find the right ingredients. With fusion cooking being a trend, for the demanding public who, have the electronic media to bring in Food network, America's test kitchen, these have changed the palate of the the masses. What is it in for a ordinary man when he/she watches prime time televison feauturing celebrity chefs cooking extravagant dishes, with morecular biology being explained in the background.

It would be a simple breakfast that would bring out the happiness in any laymans eyes. The sight of a plate with two waffles and maple syrup to accompany and sprinkled with powdered sugar, would be just mouth watering. It would be these simple aspects that could be included in the fight to be top chefs that would have a laymans attention towards these shows. Fusion cooking is the end result but it would be the breakfast that would be the begining. I am already hungry for some breakfast.

Sugar Decorations

Sugar decoration

This is a world, filled with fantasies. I would describe a true fantasy is in any form of art. My friend who is a baking and pastry student at the culinary institue of america was exited, when she heard i was going to take photos of her work. I found that nature comes alive in the forms we create, there are different ways to interpret this and she found solice in expressing it with sugar. I was overwhelmed, as i looked at the various creations that they had in store for me when i entered the classroom filled with future pattisiers readily allowing me to take photos of their decorations with sugar.

This is one of the sites that i found would help my picture above:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs2vkjYUaKA&feature=related

Hors d'oeuvre and appetizers

Hors d'oeuvre and appetizers represent an opportunity for the garde manger to pull together all the various skills and preparations of the entire discipline in a hihg impact way. Just as hors d'oeuvre set the tone for a reception or banquet, so can a well-executed appetizer selection on a menu set the tone for the entire dining experience.

Taking this into consideration, there are different kinds of appetizers, among them the Venison terrine is one that I enjoyed the most, not that i have not enjoyed the rest of the work that i do making pate and terrine, it is just that it was the first time i worked with venison and it was quite different in taste, texture and presentation once it was cooked.

Ingredients

Venison shoulder, boneless or leg meat 2#

Fatback 1#

Seasonings

Red wine 2floz

Ground Clove 1/2tsp

Crushed black peppercorns 1Tbsp

TCM (tinted curing mix) 1tsp

Minced onions sauteed and cooled 1oz

Salt 1oz

Ground black pepper 2tsp

Dried cepes or morels, ground 1oz

Eggs 3ea

Heavy cream 6floz

Chopped tarragon 2tsp

Parsley Chopped 1tsp

Garnish

Golden raisins plumped in brandy 2oz

Brandy 4floz

Mushrooms diced sauteed and cooled 4oz

Thinly sliced ham 8ea

• Dice the venison and fatback into 1inch cubes. Marinate them with the combined seasonings and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare a straight forcemeat by grinding the marnated venison and fatback into a chilled mixing bowl. Mix in the eggs, heavy cream, tarragon, and parsley on medium speed for 1 minute, or until homogeneous. Fold in the garnish ingredients.
• Line a terrine mold with plastic wrap and the ham, leaving an overhang. Pack the forcemeat into the terrine mold and fold over the ham and plastic. Cover the terrine.
• Poach the forcemeat in a 170*F water bath in a 300*F oven to an inernal temperature of 150*F for 60 to 70 mintues.
• Remove the terrine from the water bath and allow it to cool to an internal temperature of 100*F. Let the terrine rest under refrigeration overnight. The terrine is now ready to slice and serve, or wrap and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Cured meat and sausages

As our ancestors became herdsmen and farmers, they developed skills necessary to ensure a relatively steady food supply. This started off with domestication of animals and then raised crops and learned methods to preserve the foods. Foods were brined with seawater and dried on the shores. Curing methods have been tracked back as far as 3000 B.C.
Food preservation skills and the necessary ingredients, including salt, sugar, and spices were greatly valued. The romans bought with them their own recipes and formulas for preserving meats and fishes.
Today we enjoy new methods of preserving our food grains and meats. This is one of the many recipes that i found interesting.

Bavarian Bratwurst

Pork butt (70%lean, 30%fat) 10#

Seasonings

Salt 3.5oz
Black pepper 1.5Tbsp
Ground mace 1tsp
Sugar 2oz
Lemon Zest 1/4tsp
Ground Marjoram 1.5Tbsp

(You will need ice about 6-8oz, 22ft hog casings, rinsed and tied at one end)

• Toss the pork withe combined seasonings.


• Grind the pork butt through a medium plate (grinder), grind fatback through a fine plate


• Add the ice and mix until stickly


• Stuff into hog casings and form links by tying every 6 inches


• Poach to an internal temperature of 145*F


• Prepare the sausage for immediate service by sauteing, grilling, broiling or baking just until hot, or wrap and refrigerate for upto 3 days

Pretzels

Freshly baked Blueberry muffins

Pretzels right out of the oven

Pretzels are of different sizes and they are available all over the world. It is has its history dating back to 1111A.D, it has come a long way and has changed the way we make pretzel today.

The recipe for making pretzel is:

Bread flour 5#

Water 2Quart

Soft butter 7oz

Malt 2oz

Salt 2oz

Yeast 2oz

Pre fermented dough 1#

For the lye

Sodium Hydroxide pellets 10oz

Water 1 quart

• Mix the dough by adding the flour, pre fermented dough, yeast, malt, salt water and soft butter, the dough should be mixed until the flour on the sides of the bowl must come clean.
• Once it is mixed let it rest, covered until relazed for 30 mintues.
• Devide the dough into 5oz pieces.
• One at a time, stretch each piece of dough to 12 inches and make a loop, twist it once and then fold the end into the top loop.
• Place it on greaced perforated sheets and then let it rest in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
• Prepare lye louction, combine the waer and sodium hydrozide pellets, stirring until the pellets are completely dissolved. (Wear protective gloves and googles be careful not to get any of the soultion on your skin).
• Remove the pretzels from the freezer and alow them to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. (If you dip the pretzels right away, the water temperature will drop and the sodium hydroxide will be less likely to stay in the solution).
• Using tongs, dip the pretzels in the lye solution and then place them on the perforated sheets again to drain out excess liquid. Sprinkle immediately with coarse salt.
• Bake the pretzels in the oven at 475*F until it reaches a deep golden brown color, in 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool.

Working with lye

After pretzels are shaped and proofed, they are dipped in a solution of water and sodium hydroxide before baking. This caustic solution, known as lye, gives the surface of the pretzels their characteristic color, shine, and tangy, salty flavor. When the pretzels are baked, the sodium hydroxide is transformed into inert salts. Use caution when working with a lye solution. Wear googles and rubber gloves to prevent contact with the soultion. As the pretzels are dipped, they should be placed directly on perforated sheet tray to drain. Once they are all dipped, they need to directly go into the oven.

Meringues a pastry delight

Swiss maringue garnish over tarts and blowtorched
Piping of Maringue before baking in oven

Whipping egg whites and sugar together creates the light yet stable aerated mixture known as a meringue. Meringue is commonly used for topping and filling cakes and pastries. It can also be flavored and or dried in a low oven to make cookies, containers (which can be used to hold fruit, mousse, or sorbet) or layers for cakes. Meringue is also used as an ingredient in mousses and batters to lighten, aerate, and leaven them.

A basic ratio for a meringue is 1 part egg whites to 2 parts sugar. As the egg whites are whipped, air is incorporated and the whites break into smaller and smaller globules to form bubbles. When sugar is whipped into the egg whites, the agitation of the mixture and the moisture of the whites begin to dissolve the sugar, which in turn surrounds the air bubbles, coating them and making them more stable.

There are a few basic rules to keep in mind for making a successful meringue. All utensils must be impeccably clean and dry. Make sure that no traces of fat of any kind come in contact with the egg whites, whethere in the form of grease on the utensils or other equipment or from traces of egg yolks in the whites themselves. Fat will interfere with the protein stands which will prevent the egg whites from developing into a foam. A small amount of an acid (cream of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar) will relax the proteins,helping to stabilize the meringue. You can introduce an acid simply by wiping the bowl clean with lemon juice or vinegar before adding the egg whites or by adding a small amount of cream of tartar to the whites just as they begin to foam. Never use cream of tartar when whipping in a coppor bowl, as it will cause a toxic reaction, turning the whites sightly green. Room temperature egg whites will whip up more readily. Be careful to use sugar that is free of impurities such as flour or other ingredients. Whip the egg whites on high speed until they are frothy, then gradually add the sugar while continuing to whip to the desired consistency (soft, medium, or stiff peak). Avoid overhwipping egg whites, as they become dry and lumpy, making them difficult to incorporate into other ingredients. Prepare meringue (espcially common meringue) just before you intend to use it, because it will begin to collapse if it stands for long time.

There are three types of meringue: common (french), swiss and Italian. Simply whipping the egg whites and sugar to the desired consistency makes common meringue. This is the simplest type of meringue to prepare and the least stable. Also, unless pasteurized whites are used, because of the potential danger of salmonella, uncooked or unbaked common meringue should not be eaten. Therefore, it is most often used in batters to provide leavening. It can also be used for making merinuge shells, bases or layers for cakes, and for piping simple decorations that are baked.

Swiss meringue is made by stirring the egg whites with sugar using a whip ove a hot water bath until they reach a temperature between 115*F and 165*F/46and 74*C, depending on the intended use. The whites are then whipped in a mixer to the desired peak. The meringue can be piped and baked, or dried, in the oven. Swiss meringue can also be used for the same preparations as common meringue to lighten mousses and creams, to fill various cakes, or to add a delicate piped shell border or other decoratie element. Swiss meringue is more stable than common meringue.

Italian meringue is made by whipping the egg whites in a mixer and then adding a cooked sugar syrup. The sugar is cooked to the soft ball stage (240*F/116*C) and added in a thin, steady stream to the whipping egg whites when they have reached the medium peak stage. The whites are then mixed on a medium speed to the desired peak. Italian meringue is the most stable of the meringues and is used in various mousses, buttercreams and for decor work.(above topic taken from baking and pastry)

Mousse

Rolls before the egg wash

The rolls right out of the oven

Creme Brulee being garnished

Though the photos do, not relate to the topic mousse, i just would like to bring the activities that happen in our kitchens.

Mousse

The name for this delicate dessert cmes froma french word that translates literally as frothy, foamy or light. To make a mousse, an aerator such as a whipped cream and or a meringue is folded into a base such as a fruit puree, vanilla sauce, cream or pudding, curd, sabayon, or pate a bombe. The base should be light and smooth so the aerator can be incorporated easily.

To make an egg-safe mousse, use pasteurized egg whites or a swiss or italian meringue. Stablizers such as gelatin may be used in variying amounts depending on the desired result. If a mousse is stablilized with gelatin, it will begin to set immediately, so prepare all molds, serving containers, and so forth before preparation.

Folding is the techinique used to combine a foamy mixture, such as meringue, shipped cream, or beaten egg whites, into a base mixture. The base is usually denser or firmer than the foam and will inevitably collapse the foam somewhat. Proper folding ensures that the foam loses as little volume as possible.

The base should be cooled if necessary befoe the foam is added. Add the foam to the base, rather than the other way around, and if using more than one foam, add the least stable one last. For example, if you are adding both a meringue and whipped cream, add the meringue first and then the cream.

Working quickly, add a small amount of the foam to the base to lighten it. Some pastry chefs add the foams in thrirds for the greater possible volume. Fold the foam in with a rubber spatula or other tool with a similar broad, flat surface. Using a cirular motion, gently run the spatula over the mixture, down and across the bottom of the bowl, and back up to the top again. Rotate the bowl as you work to mix the foam in evenly. Continue to fold the base and foam together until you have an even color and consistency, with no visible pockets of meringue, whipped cream.(Above topic taken from baking and pastry mastering the art and craft)

Maringues are devided into three types:

Common ratio 10oz sugar, 1#egg white

Swiss ratio 1#egg white, 1to2#sugar

Italian ratio 22oz sugar, 7oz liquid and then add common maringue.

Franchipan Apple Tartlet

The above photo is the mixing of cookie dough

This is the video of the production of Franchipan apple tartlet

This is a easy but delicious dessert that i enjoyed making. This was kind of hard for me to understand when my friend first treated me to this dessert. But when i tried out the recipe that is when i found that it was easy and great.

The production of Franchipan apple tartlet, begins with the making of the cookie dough. The cookie dough basically cosists of:

Sugar 1part

Fat/Butter 2parts

Flour 3parts

Egg 4ea

This needs a creaming method which involves mixing the sugar and fat, then add the eggs and then the flour. Once the dough is done, it needs to be rolled out flat and thin, cut them into rounds and lay them flat on tart moulds.

Once the dough is layed flat on the tart moulds, the franchipan can be piped onto the tarts.

(franchipan consists of almond paste, sugar, butter, egg and flour). Once it is piped it needs to be layered with sliced granny smith apples (good for baking). Once this is done it is baked in the oven and glazed with lemon jelly.

Expanding Poaching's potential

The above photos and the topic is taken from Food arts magazine

For many chefs, low-temperture cooking conjures images of vacum bags and avant-grade good,but one extremely classic technique well-suited to low temperature cooking is poaching in fat and it doesn''t require a bag.

Low-temperature cooking is often confused with sous-vide cooking. Sous-vide uses vacum packaging, regardless of cooking temperture. Boil in bag qualifies as sous-vide. Low temperature cooking is the technique with temperatures cloe to, or equal to, the food's final desired internal temperature, whether a vacuum bag is used or not. Only two things are required for low-temperature cooking: very accurate tmeperature control (in the world of low-temperature cooking, a single degree celsius can be a big deal; egg yolks go from liquid to creamy to set beteween 62 and 64*F or 144 to 147F) and a good heat ransfer medium, usually water or water vapor.

Immersion cirulators are fantastic little piences of equipment designed to do this job. Over the past year or so the price of ciruclators has dropped below $1,000, helping them to proliferate in kitchens across the country. They come in different varieites, but the type most chefs use plungs inot a normal 120 volt socket, takes up less space than a blender, and can be clamped onto any pot, bus tub or deep hotel pan. Essentially the cirulators consists of a 1,000 watt heating element, a temperature sensor, a stirring pump (to keep the temperature even throughout the cooking medium), and an electronic control cirucuit. Typically, these cirulators use water as the cooking medium, but water is not the only choice. They're designed to cirulate oil as well.

Circulators with oil has many advantages:

• No speical sous-vde HACCP permits are required.
• No expensive vacuum machine is necessary
• poaching in oil or fat can add flavor and mouthfeel without leaching out the flavor as water would.
• Oil paching and foods cooked a la confit are classic, respected, and customer accepted technique
• A circulator can heat a larger volume of oil than it can water because it takes less energy to heat oil than water.
• Treated properly, the oil can last a long time because it's not being overheated.
• Oil des not evoperate as water does.

Biriyani treat

The above is a marination for the chicken biriyani

As it was a long weekend, i came over to my brother's place. I had my family all exited when i told them that i was planning on cooking for them. It was a video i saw in youtube that had me going with the idea of preparing biriyani. I was planning for this occasion for quite a while.
There are different styles of making this wonderful dish biriyani and this is one of the ways that i like to make it.

This recipe serves 6 people

Ingredients:

For the Biriyani

Basmati rice – 2 cups (for each cup add 1cup water)
Chicken – 3 lbs (1½ kg)
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1½ tsp
Cinnamon – 10 pieces
Cloves – 10 nos
Cardamom - 8 nos
Ginger – 1" piece
Garlic pods - 8 nos
Mint leaves – 2 - 3 stems
Coriander leaves - 2 - 3 stems
Cashews - 20 nos
Raisins - 15 nos
Ghee/Oil/Butter - As reqd
Curd – 3 Tbsp
Saffron – A pinch
Onion(big) - 3 nos
Tomato - 3 nos
Green chillies - 2 - 3 nos
Oil for frying

For marinating

Chilly powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder - 1½ tsp
Turmeric powder - 1.2tsp
Black pepper - 1/2tsp
Garlic-ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Masala powder - A little for taste
(Cinnamon-Cardamom-Cloves powder)
Lemon juice - 5 - 6 drops
Curd - 5Tbsp

For marinating:

Have the chicken cut into equal sizes and in a bowl add the curd, coriender powder, ginger garlic paste and the masala powder, tumeric powder, black pepper and the powders together and marinate it for 4 hours. The mixture needs to be mixed well.

For the Biriyani:

Make a fine paste of the fresh coriender, mint leaves and ginger garlic. Heat oil/butter/ghee in a pan, once hot add the cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom and fry it until the cloves start to crackle. Add the coriender powder, chilly powder and just release the flavor. Then add the rice and cook until the rice gets translucent. Add the paste to the rice, in another pan add little oil and saute the onion until it changes color and then add the tomatos transfer it to the rice and then add water to the rice. Allow the rice to just simmer and then add the marinated chicken to the rice and mix up making sure not to break up the rice. Pour the soaked saffron liquid to the rice. Bring it up to a boil. Once it is come to a boil, reduce the flame, cover the pan tightly and finsihed in a oven at 300*F for 30 minutes.

For the Garnish:

Fry cashewnut and Raisins in ghee and sprinkle on top of the rice.