Give it a rest…

In today’s society everyone is on the run.  Whether you are a career woman rising to the top of your profession, or one of Americas finest or bravest rushing into the face of danger…it seems there is always something causing us to rush.  Ferris B. once said “life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”  A good point well taken.  I am however not here to discuss your daily grind…that is something that should be left up to you.  I am actually here to discuss “taking a rest” in a gastronomic way.  In the world of food the term “resting” can apply to many things.  For example, when you let meat rest…it allows the juices to redistribute back through the said meat so that it will be juicy and flavorful.  It isn’t like the steak didn’t taste good to begin with, but imagine the scene in Christmas Vacation…with the over cooked turkey.  If you try to cut the steak right out of the pan, it will bleed itself dry and will be tough.  If you give it a chance to relax, the result will be delicious.  When it cooks the heat forces the juices to be pushed to the outside of the meat.  Once the pressure is off, it allows those sames juices to be everywhere.  Letting this happen for no less than 15 minutes is all it takes for success.

This resting thing also applies to a protein called gluten.  Gluten is most well known because some people have an allergic reaction to it, therefore they must be on a “gluten free diet.”  This protein is what gives bread it elasticity.  It is also in potatoes.  You may have had a bout with “over stretched gluten” which made your potatoes gummy.  As you work your bread dough or mashed Idaho potatoes the gluten starts to develop and become elastic.  If this happens with your bread dough, you would just put into a bowl, wrap it and put it in the fridge for an hour or so.  Doing this will relax the gluten and you can continue as before.  I have yet to do this with a potato.  So far I have had no luck in relaxing the gluten in potato starch.  I think this would be a fruitless effort, but with bread dough it is a sure fire save.  Pizza makers will tell you that “tossing the dough” will result in a tender crust…the key is to not beat up on your pie.  If you are not versed at “tossing” you might try stretching the dough using your fists.  This will also help you by not tearing the dough.  I mean c’mon, you have worked so hard creating this yeasty ball of flour and water…don’t spoil it now.  When done properly you just might rival anything that could come out of Brooklyn.  Just remember to give it a rest…and be patient, you will be glad that you did!

That’s about it for now.  Come back again…and don’t be shy…I love mail.  Bye for now!

Moving…

Dear valued readers and friends…I just wanted to let everyone know I have decided to move my blog to a different place.  The new place (pretty much the same blog) is now on blogger.  It actually allows me to incorporate pictures and be more creative.  I hope all of you will come along and continue to enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.  Thanks again, and see you soon.  The address is listed below, so bookmark it…and as always, Ciao for now.  Brian

www.chef64.blogspot.com

food4THOUGHT

a culinary viewpoint

Can you say saucey?

Long ago when you ordered appetizers at a restaurant or your local watering hole you got just a few choices of dipping sauce.  It was either the old standby “heinz 57″, bbq with a picture of a bull on the side or that yellow mustard.  I imagine that they were suitable for the times…seeing that Tappas and small plate apps were not all the rage back then.  Low and behold we discovered Chicken fingers, wings and Jalapeno poppers so ranch and honey mustard came to the party too.  So much has changed since then and this is I think only the beginning.  Believe it or not, Nacho will evolve…as seeing that they are not the only spanish influenced pre-bite I am curious to what we will seeing in another decade. 

I mentioned before about Tappas, which to me has been here longer than we want to admit.  These small bites are popping up everywhere.  More over Dim Sum there is a new sherriff in town.  Either way you go, I am assured you will not be dissapoined.  Both get sauce, both taste good…so pic a mood and enjoy.

This episode isn’t about Tappas, Dim Sum or even Pigs in a blanket, so I won’t go there.  This time around we want to talk about sauces.  Now I am sure people will not expect you to fly to Japan to master the art of Teriyaki, so I don’t think anyone will mind if you go with the bottled stuff.  You can add your own personal touch by maybe floating some shaved scallions or fresh ginger in it.  It all depends on what you wish to achieve.  If you think I haven’t gone the “semi home made” route in my time…guess again.  Until a few weeks ago I had no idea that Good Season Italian dressing mix contained Xanthan Gum.  As a matter of fact, I had no idea what Xanthan Gum even was.  You can get some from suppliers on line and it is very easy to use.  It disolves easiely in liquid and once activated it will help give the mouth feel of oil.  This being said, if you wanted to make say”Parsley oil” but were aiming for the healthy low fat approach, you can mix freshly juiced parsley with some X.G. let is set up and voila…you have your sauce.  It will stay suspended for as long as you need be.  I have never had it sepperate on me, so I think you will be fine.  It also does not impart any flavor of its own, so mint puree will still taste like mint and nothing else.  If you start to read labels like I do you will find it in a whole bunch of things.  I mean really…how do they make “Low fat Balsamic vinaigrette?”

Today is a quick and easy recipe I want to share with you.  It is for bloody mary cocktail sauce.  It goes well with Lobster, Crab cakes or fried Clams.  It is so easy you will think it it came from a bottle.

1c. V8 juice

1t. Celery salt

the juice of 1 lemon

fresh or bottled Horseradish, as much as you can handle.  I like it spicy

2T. Wocestershire sauce

1 Shallot, rough chop

1 clove garlic

a few dashes of Chipotle tobasco sauce

1/2t. tomato paste

dash of sugar

2 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Let sit over night so the flavors marry together.  Serve with you favorite hot or cold seafood.

Well, I gotta run.  Tune in next week for more tasty adventures.  Bye! 

In the thick of things

Does the word “emulsification” mean anything to you?  If you have ever eaten mayo or made good seasons italian dressing…then it does.  An emulsification is the homogenous binding of two liquids or ingredients that would never stay mixed under normal circumstances.  Why do they stay??  That my friends is a very easy question.  They would stay bound or “suspended” if you used an acid or other binders such as mustard.  You would combine an acid such as vinegar and then slowly drizzle in the oil.  This emulsification happens when you create tiny droplets of the vinegar into the oil. The mustard will act like the glue to hold it together.  In the case of mayo…egg yolks, lemon juice and then slowly incorperating the oil…and there is your mayo.

Other thickeners are roux, cornstarch/water &  arrowroot.  These are used in sauce making.  Roux is the combination of equal parts of fat & flour and then cooked to form a paste that resembles raw cookie dough.  All of these share a comon trait…they won’t activate unles the liquid you wish to thicken boils first.  You must also cook them for a bit to remove the raw starchy flavor and texture.  Other things you could use to “emulsify” with is a chemical called Xanthan Gum.  It comes in powdered form and does not require cooking to activate it.  It is found in many items on the supermarket shelf including good seasons.  That’s how it stays thick after you mix it.  It is actually pretty cool and it leaves no after taste or unpleasant mouth feel.  If you want to try it you can buy it in small quantities from www.willpowder.net. 

Making roux is easy and it can be made ahead and stored for weeks.  You would heat you oil in a pot and then stir in an equal amount of flour and continue to stir it over medium heat until you have achieved the desired effect.  The minimum to cook a roux is 3 minutes and the max is about 45.  At the max it would look like chocolate and smell “almost burnt.”  This is primerily used in Cajun cooking.

All in all whatever you choose to do with any of these…I promise the result will be grand.

Well…I’m all out for this week.  Join me next week for more culinary knowledge and maybe a few recipes.  Until then…bye! 

On the front burner

Here we are at the beginning of my newest blog.  I decided on the title because I will be giving you “Food for thought.”  So many people out there are on the cutting edge and why should I fall by the wayside?  Once you get there, the cutting edge seems so fitting.  Anyone can be ordinary…why not be extraordinary?!  If you deconstruct your kitchen stove, there are “zones.”  There is the oven, the back burners and of course the “front burner.”  people usually favor the front burner…and for good reason.  Up front is usually the part in the spot light.  We all wish for the spot light even if we do it secretly.

Today’ topic “on the front burner” is simply one of the basics…although a lot of people might overlook it.  As we all know that foundations in cooking start with the “mother sauces.”  These are the sauces that usually start as the base for all of the other ones we know.  Espagnole, tomato, bechemel, veloute’ and holandaise are classic and nessesary.  The recipe I am doing today is one that some chef’ don’t even know about.  They may have heard of it, but then again they may have not.

The term “Gastrique” is of course french, and once you do this sauce, it just may become one of your favorites.  It is akin to simple syrup, but has a cool twist.

Lemon-Raisin Gastrique

1c. Sugar

1c. Red wine Vinegar

Julienned zest from 2 lg. lemons

1t. salt, kosher

1/4c. california or golden raisins

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom sauce pan.  Heat to boiling, reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until syrup is thick.  Use immediately or save for later use.  In example I have found that this goes best with Scallops, Lobster, Escolar, Sea Bass, Halibut or any good white fish.

Well…that’s all I have for now…  Join me next time for more of the unknown.  Don’t be shy…feel free to drop me a line.  You can email me at chef531@gmail.com.  Until then…bye!     

Who…and why?

Once again we are posed with that one faitful question…”why?”  Why does it do what it does?  What if we did this instead of that..then what?  Before I begin, let’s go with the who.  Who am I?  Well, that’s easy enough.  My name is Brian K. Fowler and I am a chef from Long Island NY.  I have been in the kitchen since I was young and even though I had dreams of being a chef, I didn’t know I would end up here.  Cooking for me wasn’t always easy…I would always try to go further than I probably should have even back then.  I was never truely satisfied with what I knew…never focused, so I pushed on.  Fast foreward to now, I am still more than just obsessed.  I am intrigued by the pioneers…the great ones.  Faran Adria may have sparked the fire for many, but I am hard pressed to fan the flames of genius.

What should you expect from me?  That is easy enough.  Expect me to be teacher and pupil alike.  I am going to dive head first into the science of food…to go where no man has ever expected to go.  Unlike James Tiberius Kirk…this journey will be a life long quest, not a five year mission.  So “take your protein pills and put your helmet on” boys and girls…cause this ride is gonna be a bumpy one.

Jpoin me next time as we travel into the unknown.  Until then…bye!