Recipe: Blood orange custard / creme brulee

This is a nice change from the usual custard as half the normal amount of cream is replaced with juice.  While it remains creamy, the citrus element makes it refreshing too.  It may seem like a lot of egg yolk compared to most recipes, but it is needed as the earlier versions of the recipe had a hard time holding together due to the high juice ratio.  I used this once as a layer in a cake by cooking it on a silicone mat, freezing it, then adding it to the cake as a frozen sheet - sounds a bit complicated, but it was the easiest means to an end, and was worth the effort.  Certainly if you are cooking individual portions, you can brulee with sugar at service time.

You will need:

500ml / 2C         cream
500ml / 2C         blood orange juice
16                       egg yolks
150g / 5.3oz       sugar


Method:

 - set the oven to 275F / 135C
 - juice the oranges and strain out the pulp
 - put the cream and half the sugar into a pot and bring to a simmer
 - whisk the yolks with the rest of the sugar, then whisk in the juice
 - temper the hot cream into the yolk mix
 - strain through a fine mesh sieve
 - fill your custard dishes
 - place the dishes in a bain marie and cook for an hour at 275F / 135C
 - give the dishes the "jiggle test", and if they are firm, remove from the oven and cool, otherwise let them go a bit longer til they are done
 - let cool completely, then serve - if brulee, dust with sugar and torch

Product review: Cuisinart ICE-40BK Flavor Duo ice cream maker

'ol Double Barrel

You may recognize this ice cream maker, as it has been featured in a few of my recipes.  The Cuisinart ICE-40BK Flavor Duo ice cream maker, or "ol Double Barrel" as I affectionately call it, has been a welcome contributor to a lot of creations ever since I got it.  Not that we are making ice cream constantly at home (summer is of course high season), but I love being able to make frozen treats at will.  Case in point, when we made the blueberry atole recently,  I had no intention of making atole ice cream until I was looking at what we had left over from enjoying normally, then decided it was time for a round of "will it churn?".  Since the freezer barrels are always frozen and ready to go, it was a simple matter of chilling the atole, assembling the machine and hitting the button.

The fact that this machine has two chambers makes it stand out for a number of reasons.  The first is that you can spin two flavours at once - an obvious plus, especially if hosting a kids party.  The second reason is that the combined capacity of the two chambers is greater than that of a single chamber machine, allowing for larger batches of a single flavour to be done.  A third plus is that with two chambers, you can take a normal batch and divide it between the two and simultaneously cut down the churning time and improve the quality of the outcome.  Generally speaking, the faster you can churn an ice cream base from liquid to frozen, the smaller the ice crystals, and thus the creamier the ice cream.  Beyond that, the machine is ridiculously user friendly - there's a switch for selecting one or two chambers spinning and an on/off button.  That's it.

That said, if you have been thinking of getting an ice cream maker, a two chamber model definitely has some advantages, and this one has given me years of great service - CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: Apricot caramel

This is a nice variation of a caramel and has a very nice look for presentation.  You make it very much like you would a gastrique, but it is less acidic and more fruity.  If you get a very good quality apricot juice, you will want to strain it well to keep a nice clarity to the caramel.  I don't add the juice to the sugar at the beginning as the added colour makes it hard to judge the caramelization of the sugar and you will affect the flavour of the apricot by also caramelizing its sugars.  By adding it at the end, you have a nice caramel flavour and a light and fruity flavour in the same sauce.  Of course you can make this starting with a dry caramel, but I find the addition of a bit of water makes it easier to multi-task while you are making it and you get a more even caramel by starting with a heavy syrup.

You will need:

225g               sugar

250ml             apricot juice

Method:

 - add a little bit of water to the sugar in a pan, cover it and set it to medium high heat

 - swirl occasionally to even out the syrup and even out the colour as it develops

 - strain the apricot juice if needed

 - when the caramel is a nice amber colour, add the juice

 - let the sauce come back up to heat to incorporate the juice and re-melt any caramel that seized

 - reduce slightly

 - check the consistency by dropping a small amount on a cold plate and see how it moves when tilted

 - when you are happy with the consistency, turn off the heat, and cool

 - use as needed

Recipe: Frangipane cake base

I'm a sucker for marzipan, so this recipe which uses almond paste to form a cake base is right up my alley.  It's very easy to put together and bakes up nice and even and flat, so it could be used in a variety of ways.  In addition to using it as a cake base, you could spread it thin and use it for petit fours or as internal layers in a layered cake.  The thinner you make it, the more fragile it will be, so you may find that sometimes it helps to firm it up in the freezer for easier handling.  Definitely silicone mats are the way to go for a cleaner result.  When I used this recipe, I was making very thin layers (1/2 cm), so if you are making a thicker base, you will need to extend the cooking time accordingly.  I find as well that when using almond paste, let it come to room temperature and it will be much more forgiving to work with.

You will need:

200g           almond paste (room temperature)

25g             sugar

100g           unsalted butter (room temperature)

25g             flour

2                 eggs

Method:

 - set the oven to 325F

 - sift the flour

 - put the almond paste, sugar, butter and eggs in a food processor and mix smooth

 - add the flour and mix smooth again

 - spread in a thin layer on a 24cm x 36cm silicone mat

 - bake 20 minutes at 325F

 - cool

 - flip out onto parchment paper and peel the silicone mat off

 - cut to your desired shape and use

Recipe: Caramel balsamic ice cream

This ice cream is definitely out of the ordinary and deliciously rich.  Don't let the vinegar put you off, it's acidity gets balanced out by the caramel and the cream.  I used a 20 year old balsamic when I made this - it's more expensive, but it pays off in the end.  Get one of the ones that's nice and thick and syrupy.  If you don't want to go that route, you can reduce regular balsamic till it starts to get thick, then sweeten it just a bit.  Depending on the caramel sauce you make and the vinegar you use, the proportions may vary a bit, so play with it till you like the balance.  Again, this is a small recipe in order to freeze faster in a home machine - if you can churn a generous litre (quart) of ice cream, by all means double the recipe.

You will need:

250ml / 1C                cream

250ml / 1C                milk (homo)

5                                egg yolks
98g / 3.5oz                sugar
1/2                            vanilla bean
pinch                         kosher salt
35ml / 2Tbs + 1tsp    caramel sauce (refer to previous recipe)
37.5ml / 2.5Tbs         aged balsamic vinegar

Method:

 - make your caramel sauce separately and set aside
 - combine the milk, cream, vanilla, half the sugar and pinch of salt in a pot and bring up to a simmer
 - turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for half an hour
 - mix the yolks with the other half of the sugar
 - bring the mix back up to heat and temper into the yolks
 - return to the stove and while constantly stirring, cook to 83C / 181F
 - strain into a bowl over ice and cool completely
 - measure in the balsamic vinegar and caramel sauce and mix well
 - press cling film onto the surface and let ripen in the fridge overnight
 - give the custard a whisk
 - churn in an ice cream machine
 - store in the freezer
 

Atole ice cream

load the machine

Curious about making an eggless ice cream?  After I made the blueberry atole, I noticed that it was thick like an ice cream base and reserved some to churn in the ice cream maker.  This is a great example of the sorts of things you get up to when you have such a machine hanging around.  Much like playing "will it deep fry" when there's a deep fryer around, "will it churn" is a fun game to play with an ice cream maker.  

15 minutes later

 The result with the blueberry atole was fantastic.  Unlike a blueberry sorbet, it was creamy and oozed on the tongue as it melted like an ice cream does.  The atole character from the cornstarch was there and was very welcome, but the texture's similarity to ice cream was the more interesting outcome.  I used the same atole we drank the night before - I simply chilled it completely overnight, then gave it a quick whisk before churning.  If I were to make it specifically for churning, some variations could be to sweeten it with glucose instead of sugar and add cream where I had added milk.  You could add egg, but that would seem to take away from the character of it.

delicious

Recipe: Fruit atole (blueberry)

cook the fruit

Atole is a popular hot drink in Latin America and comes in a variety of flavours and consistencies.  It is generally quite thick as it is usually made with either masa or cornstarch, but that makes it so satisfying and perfect if you need a little warming up on a cool evening.  I always find it interesting when Carla and I go to Mexico that we invariably come across a different flavour depending on what happened to be on hand at the time (a nice advantage of living in a place where so many things are in season year round).  I love how you can have an atole made of so many different fruits and yet the hint of corn in the flavour is always welcome.  Not everyone keeps masa around, but cornstarch is almost in every household, and that subtle note of corn does come through just enough.

add the slurry

You will need:

400g / 14oz (2C)      blueberries (or other fruit)
875ml / 3 1/2C         water
150g / 5.3oz (3/4C)  sugar
60ml / 4Tbs              cornstarch
500ml / 2C               milk
1                               vanilla bean (1Tbs vanilla puree)

cook out the cornstarch

Method:

 - wash the blueberries and remove any stem bits
 - blend the blueberries with 250ml (1C) water
 - put in a pot, bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes
 - make a surry with the cornstarch and 125ml (1/2C) water
 - add to the blueberries and simmer another 10 minutes
 - add another 500ml (2C) water, the sugar, vanilla and the milk
 - bring back to a simmer
 - turn off the heat (or keep low) and serve warm  









       

Peeling almonds

Peeling almonds is something not everyone knows how to do and even fewer bother to do it.  The strange thing is that it is so easy and the money you can save for the sake of a little time is remarkable.  The skin of an almond is more like a thin membrane, and once you get it loosened, the perfectly clean almond just pops out so easily it seems ludicrous to pay a premium for peeled almond again.  It's so easy in fact there's a good chance you will have a few jumping right out of their skins and across the counter.

Method:

 - get a pot of water up to a boil

 - drop in the unpeeled almonds and let the water come back up to a simmer

 - after a minute or two, strain the water off and drop the almonds into cold water

 - once they are cool, grab each almond and gently squeeze one end almost like taking the tail off a prawn

 - the clean almond will just pop out the other side

Recipe: Double vanilla ice cream

It's always good to have a nice vanilla ice cream in your bag of tricks.  Being vanilla, I always like to bring one that's going to beat the pants off anything store bought.  This recipe has a decadent richness, but that's what separates it from being a "plain Jane" vanilla.  As the name says, this ice cream is heavy on the vanilla, so if you want regular, just cut it in half.  You could also ease off the yolks a bit if you like, but I recommend trying this version first.  This is a small recipe, but fits nicely for a home ice cream machine - by not overloading the chamber, it will freeze faster and be that much creamier.

You will need:

250 ml / 1C      cream

250 ml / 1C      milk (homo)

5                       egg yolks

1                       vanilla bean (1Tbs vanilla paste)

98g / 3.5oz       sugar

pinch                kosher salt

Method:

 - combine the milk, cream, vanilla, half the sugar and salt

 - bring to a simmer, then cover and let steep for half an hour

 - combine yolks and the rest of the sugar and whisk well

 - bring the cream mix back up to a simmer and temper into the yolk mix

 - return to the stove and while stirring constantly over low heat, cook the custard to 83C / 181.4F
 - strain into a bowl over ice and cool completely
 - press cling film onto the custard and let ripen overnight in the fridge
 - give the custard a whisk
 - churn in an ice cream machine
 - store in the freezer

Recipe: Caramel sauce / Butterscotch sauce

Caramel sauce is very easy to make, and quite a lot of fun because it tends to be slightly different every time.  You will find that once you are comfortable making it and can anticipate the progression of the caramel itself , your results will be consistently great, but alas very hard to repeat that "perfect" batch exactly two times in a row.  Sure, you could use a precisely set induction burner, candy thermometer and a timer to keep the conditions exactly the same, but I like to stay flexible with caramel sauce, maybe the next batch will even top that "perfect" one.  

I find the difference lies in the "seasoning" - the tiniest touches of salt and lemon juice can elevate a great caramel to a whole new level.  Just think of the flavour sensing areas of the tongue - a caramel reacts to sweet and bitter already, so by adding just a little salt and lemon, the sour and salty taste buds can join the party and your sauce has twice the audience.  As for the butter, I often don't use it, but it brings around a butterscotch flavour, so by adding more butter and less cream, you get butterscotch sauce.  After a while, experiment with other sugars - honey and maple syrup make some great caramels with very distinctive characters.

You will need:

250ml / 1C       granulated sugar

250ml / 1C       cream (you may want a little more or less)

to taste             salt

to taste             lemon juice

to taste             unsalted butter (if making butterscotch)

Method:

 - in a clean saucepan,  add the sugar and enough water to make a heavy syrup (60ml / 1/4C)

 - put a lid or cover over the pan and start on medium heat (this fends off unwanted crystallization)

 - when the sugar has dissolved into the water and is simmering, you can turn it up a little

 - periodically check under the lid for colour change

 - when you start to see yellow, gently swirl the pan to spread it out and begin lowering the heat

 - as the yellow turns golden, drop the heat to low to slow down and control the caramelization

 - remove the cover and swirl until you have the colour you want (light = sweet, dark = bitter)

 - pull the pan away from the heat and add a little of the cream - careful it will boil up a bit

 - once the cream has settled down, return it to low heat and let any seized caramel re-melt into the sauce

 - add a bit more of the cream and gently whisk into the sauce

 - let the sauce simmer, then add any more cream you wish to add

 - "season" with salt and lemon juice - subtlety is key

 - remove from the heat

 - if adding butter, whisk it in while the caramel is still warm

 - cool completely and store in the fridge until use

Recipe: Chocolate spray paint

The chocolate paint mixture to run through the paint gun is an easy formula.  You may actually have a harder time getting a hold of cocoa butter than it was getting the gun.  Once you have it, that fine velvety texture for the surface of your dessert is more a factor of technique and practice than of the execution of the recipe.  Proper gun maintenance is crucial to maintain consistently good results time after time - clogs from leftover jobs can result in heavy streams of chocolate coming from the gun and marring the job - or worse yet, no spray whatsoever.

You will need:

2 parts     chocolate (white, dark or milk)

1 part       cocoa butter

This ratio will get you through any job.  Once you are comfortable with it and want to tweak the ratio, you can adjust the level of cocoa butter.  It is there to provide a harder shell on the dessert and facilitate a quick set during the spray process.  Considering that white chocolate tends to be softer, some chefs will opt for more cocoa butter for a harder shell.  Conversely, if you want a softer touch on a dark spray, you can reduce the cocoa butter.   A level further and you can incorporate colours to a white chocolate spray - pay attention to the amount of colour needed to get the effect you want and increase the cocoa butter accordingly to maintain the shell.

Method:

 - First of course you need your dessert.  You will want as polished a piece as possible as the gun will not cover any mistakes, rather the spray will show them off.  Use your silicone mats, acetate and whatever else you need to get all your egdes clean and sharp.  

 - Then place a parchment paper on an overturned sheet pan and set your desserts on the paper.  Space them well apart to allow for even painting on all sides.

 - Place the pan with the desserts in the freezer.  You don't need to freeze them, but the colder the surface, the faster and cleaner the paint will set.

 - Set up your "paint booth".   An overturned box with a side cut out works well,  or open up a couple garbage bags and tape them to the walls of a corner space in the kitchen.  Keep in mind that the chocolate has the potential to spray over a large area - cover the floor if you have to.

 - Melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together, strain,  then hold warm (35 - 40C / 95 - 104F) until you are ready.

 - Assemble the gun.

 - Pull the tray from the freezer and place in the paint booth.

 - Load the paint chamber of the gun, stand back a couple feet and spray in wide sweeps back and forth across the tray until you have a nice surface.  Do not spray the desserts individually - spray the whole tray as if it were one piece.

 - Quarter turn the tray and repeat the spray process.

 - Turn again and repeat until all sides look even.

 - return to the freezer to set the paint.

 - If your dessert requires you to spray the bottom, let the sides set completely, then gently turn them over to expose the bottom for the last spray.  If it will be a while before you spray the bottom, it is best to empty the gun and clean it in the meantime - keep the paint warm until you need it.

 - When cleaning the gun, spray several canisters of hot water through to clear out any chocolate, then take the gun apart and clean the individual parts well and dry them with a cloth.  Remember that chocolate hates water, so dry the parts completely.  Residual water also leaves the parts open to rust, which will render them unsafe to use again.

Note:  between the chocolate and cocoa butter, the shell created from the spray does a good job protecting the desserts short term in the freezer.  While frozen, desserts with a spray shell are easier to handle and plate up ahead - just allow time for the interior to temper up properly for service.

Product reveiw: Wagner paint guns

Have you ever seen some of those high end desserts that look like they've been covered in chocolate velvet and wondered how they get that effect?  Then did you dig into the dessert to find a silky mousse and wonder how that velvety layer can only be as thick as a few sheets of paper, yet have the strength and crispness to hold that mousse in shape?  The answer is surprisingly simple, the technique is easy (and a lot of fun), and the equipment needed is readily available and very affordable.  The dessert has been sprayed with chocolate paint from a paint gun.

You may even have a paint gun around the house and be familiar with using one - whatever you do, DO NOT USE IT FOR YOUR DESSERT!  That said, if you want to try this technique, get a brand new gun, clean it thoroughly, and you can be rest assured it's foodsafe.  When I got mine, I washed every part I could three times with soapy water, then rinsed them really well and sprayed several canister loads of warm water through the gun (mostly to get rid of that factory "new plastic" smell).  My gun only sprays food and if I ever needed to paint something around the house, I would go out and buy a second one for real paint.

I have painted mousses, layer cakes, and even ice cream - it's literally a blast every time, and always impresses.  Resist the temptation to spray your friends with chocolate - these guns put out some serious PSI's.  Technically, any brand new gun should do the trick, but for what it's worth, I have a Wagner and every workplace I've used one in uses Wagners too.  Beyond providing a reliable and even spray, it is nice is that you don't need an additional external air compressor - you can take it right out of the storage case, load it up and get to work.  They are also very easy to clean afterwards - just run successive canisters of hot water through to blast any chocolate out, then disassemble and dry all the parts well.  Amazon.com has this one and others, CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: Red wine biscotti

I served these savory cookies as dippers with the bone marrow custard, but they are great on their own or alongside a selection of cheeses.  As a biscotti, this recipe is not quite like others, as it has no egg except for on the surface, but you still bake it once, slice it then dry it out just like any other.

You will need:

1 1/4C            flour (plus extra to work the dough)

1/4C               sugar

3/4tsp             baking powder

1tsp                cracked black pepper

to taste           kosher salt

1/4C               finely chopped sundried cherries

1/2C               red wine (after burning off alcohol and any reduction)

1/3C               olive oil

1                     egg white

Method:

 - set oven to 350F / 177C

 - put the wine in a pan, burn off the alcohol and reduce slightly (to concentrate the flavour) till you have 1/2C

 - sift flour, sugar and baking powder together

 - mix in salt, pepper and cherries

 - add in the wine and oil and mix till smooth

 - use extra flour as needed to shape the dough into logs, then pat down the tops slightly

 - lightly whisk the egg white and brush the logs

 - bake 30 minutes at 350F / 177C

 - remove from the oven and cool slightly

 - lower the oven to 250F / 121C

 - cut thin slices from the logs

 - lay the slices flat on a tray and dry out in the oven, turning over halfway

 - cool completely and serve

Recipe: Bone marrow custard

This custard dish plays to those who love bone marrow.  If you've been caught slurping the centre from a shank bone, I'm talking to you.  A classic way to enjoy marrow is to simply roast it and spread it on toast - I kept the egg ratio on the low side in this recipe so the custard would stay soft enough to dip toast points in it if you choose.  If you want to go a step further, I originally served this with a red wine biscotti (that recipe is soon to follow).  If you don't mind a little sugar, brulee the tops of these custards - the caramel goes nice and the texture complements the creamy goodies inside.  As it is quite rich, this recipe is calculated for small, ramekin sized portions - larger portions will need more cooking time and you may want to double the recipe (this one will yield a bit shy of 750ml (3C) of custard)

You will need:

1                       marrow bone (split)

500ml / 2C       cream

2                       egg yolks

15ml / 1Tbs      sugar

2.5ml / 1/2tsp   roast garlic puree

5ml / 1tsp         roast shallot puree

to taste              kosher salt

to taste              white pepper

Method:

 - set the oven to 400F / 204C

 - shape some tinfoil to catch the fat, place the marrow bone halves inside and roast for 20 minutes

 - strain the fat and save for something else (caramelized onions - yum!)

 - re-set the oven to 250F / 121C

 - remove the marrow and pass through a tamis or fine mesh sieve

 - whisk the marrow, yolks and sugar together

 - steep the cream with the garlic and shallot purees

 - temper into the yolks and marrow

 - season with salt and pepper

 - pass through a fine mesh sieve

 - fill ramekins (or cups)

 - set in a bain marie and cook 40 minutes at 250F / 121C (longer for larger portions)

 - as the egg ratio is low, the "jiggle test" may be less effective, but the custards will still be firm when cooked

 - cool completely

 - serve

Recipe: Passionfruit, chocolate and icewine consomme

This consomme makes a wonderful, delicious and refreshing addition to a dessert.  As with everything, sourcing out quality ingredients makes a big difference.  Cocoa powder can be a bit tricky, but if you can get your hands on a premium brand, do it as they are very chocolatey and less bitter (Valrhona or Cafe Tasse are very nice).  When I used this one, I wanted to play off the classic savory consomme (which often had a substantial gelatin content), so I added some gelatin to the clarified soup and spooned the soft jelly randomly around the plate.  It's a nice effect, but you can also just leave it as a liquid consomme - it makes an amazing dessert cocktail that way.

For those who have read the strawberry consomme recipe, yes you can use the gelatin clarification technique here, but I thought we'd tackle the traditional technique with this one.  You will still need to apply heat to help the cocoa powder to disperse into the juice.  Also, don't count on any of the gelatin from the clarification to stay in the consomme - you will still need to use more to set the consomme for serving.

You will need:

500ml / 2C          passion fruit juice

60g / 2.1oz          cocoa powder

2                          egg whites

89ml / 3fl oz        icewine

2 - 3 sheets          gelatin (optional)

Method:

 - dissolve the cocoa powder into the juice over low heat, then cool

 - whisk up the egg whites, then whisk into the mixture

 - slowly bring up to a gentle simmer as a "raft" forms

 - when the liquid showing through the raft is clear, turn off the heat

 - carefully ladle from the pot and strain through a coffee filter

 - mix in the icewine

 - if adding gelatin, calculate 3 sheets to set 500ml (2C), and soak it

 - warm up the soup

 - drain and melt in the gelatin

 - allow to set

 - serve

Recipe: White chocolate Godiva sorbet

It's pretty common knowledge that chocolate and water don't mix, but it's that fact that helps keep this tasty chocolate sorbet light and refreshing.  After melting the chocolate with the water, then cooling it, you can strain out the cocoa butter while leaving the flavour of the white chocolate in the syrup.  Godiva liqueur lends an extra level of decadence.

You will need:

500ml / 2C        water

200g / 7oz         white chocolate

75g / 2.6oz        glucose

45ml / 3Tbs       Godiva white chocolate liqueur

Method:

 - melt the glucose in the water

 - chop the white chocolate (if not in small chips)

 - pour the hot syrup over the chocolate and melt completely

 - cool the mixture down so the cocoa butter separates and floats on top

 - strain out the cocoa butter

 - burn off the alcohol in the Godiva

 - add the Godiva to the mixture and chill

 - churn  

Cookbok review: Sweet Cuisine

Sweet cuisine is a very good pastry book for those who want a good sampling of ideas from some of the best pastry chefs in the world today.  Frederic Bau, Jordi Roca, and Yann Duytsche are only three of ten fantastic chefs who are given a section in this book.  What's more is that each section is very generous in its profiles of each chef and their corresponding recipes.  Some chefs have more than ten dishes in their section.  The result is that you get a real sense of each chef's style and approach to their craft - you may come across one that really clicks with your personality and want to pursue their work further on their websites or other books.  Most of the recipes in the book are very straightforward and a lot of the beauty comes from the craftmanship in the final stages and assembly of the dishes, but this also means that you get a lot of small recipes that are easy to manage and easy to mix and match to create your own dishes.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: Beef tongue - sous-vide and traditional

A beef tongue gently cooked is so tender and delicious, and it's very easy too.  It's usually simmered, so you don't even have the searing stage - just mix everything together cold, let it go and let it take its time.  When I cooked this one, it actually took 3 hours to reach 80C.  The skin of the tongue comes off really easy once it's cooked, so don't even bother to do it while raw.  

The low temperature and long cooking time lends itself perfectly for sous-vide cooking, the only tricky part is after the initial cooking and peeling of the skin, you'll want to put it back in the broth so the flavour can really soak in as it cools.  I recommend wrapping the tongue in cheesecloth, then putting it in a container as close to its size as possible, turn it over a bunch of times to saturate the cloth, then let it cool in the liquid while turning over periodically.

rinse well an a light brine

Once cooked and cooled, we like to chop the tongue up, heat it up in some sauce (degreased, strained and reduced) and have tacos.  It also works great to slice it up and serve it in some sauce, or even in a sandwich.

You will need:

1                  beef tongue (1.5kg / 3.3lbs)

2                  onions

2                  serrano chilis

buried in the broth

2L / 8C        beef stock (less if sous-vide)

1                  carrot

12                garlic cloves

2                  orange zest

3                  key lime juice

3                  bay leaves

5ml / 1tsp    achiote power

5ml / 1tsp    ground black pepper

to taste        kosher salt

Method:

after 9 hours

 - wash the tongue in cold water 3 times

 - in the last rinse, lightly salt the water and let it sit for about an hour

 - slice the onions and carrot, sliver the garlic, remove the seeds and slice the serranos, and zest the oranges

 - add the vegetables to the cold beef stock and add the lime juice, pepper, bay leaves,  and achiote powder

 - lightly season the broth and add the tongue
 - bring the brew up to heat very slowly (a slow cooker works great, or set the oven for 250F / 121C and put the pot in right from cold

peel the skin

Note if cooking sous-vide:  put the tongue in the vacuum bag and surround with the vegetables.  Then add as much stock as possible (to make the skinless cooling stage easier).  Add the aromatics and seasonings and seal on a loose (soup) setting.  Set the water bath for 78C (172F) and let cook for 12 hours.  When the time is up, remove the tongue from the bag and gently remove the skin.  If you have enough broth to submerge the tongue in a small container during cooling, great.  If not, wrap it in some cheesecloth, turn it over in the broth to soak it, then let it cool in the liquid and keep turning occasionally to keep the cloth wet.  Follow the same instructions as the traditional method after the cooling stage.

peeled

 - cook for about 9 hours, turning over occasionally and paying attention to the softness of the meat
 - when the meat's fibres are soft and separate when squeezed, take the tongue out of the broth
 - gently peel the skin away
 - return to the broth and let cool completely overnight
 - degrease the broth and remove the tongue
 - warm up the broth
 - strain out the vegetables
 - reduce the broth to a sauce

after cooling in the broth

 - slice or chop the tongue and warm up in the sauce
 - serve

tacos de lengua

Recipe: The 64 degree egg

Feeling pretty good about your poaching skills?  Ready for the next level?  The 64 degree egg utilizes a circulator to poach an egg in its shell with the result having a tenderness you may not have thought possible.  The name comes from the fact that egg whites cook at 63C while the yolks cook at 65C.  

Cooking an egg at 64C theoretically gives you a properly cooked egg white and a creamy yolk - in reality however, since the yolk is approaching cooking temperature, it usually winds up firmer than most people like.  Shortening the cooking time does soften the yolk, but then the whites are very soft, bordering on unstable and unsuitable for presentation.  The 64 degree egg is still a good product, but most places using it on a menu will actually have found a different temperature and time combination that works for them.

I've come across two combinations that work well, so you can try them and pick the one you like.  In either case, you will want to cover the eggs in a towel while in the circulator basin to keep them from bouncing around and breaking in the circulator's current.  You will then need to ice them down completely to stop the cooking.  A common temperature for restaurants to keep a circulator at during service is 52C - this works perfectly to warm the eggs up again without cooking them further.  then when serving, just crack the egg as normal and watch a beautifully poached egg come out.

The first combination is to cook the eggs at 62.5C for 75 minutes.  The yolk will be creamy and the whites will be tender.  If you find the whites a bit too tender for your taste, you can either give them a quick dunk in simmering water to firm up the outer edge of the whites, or try the next combination.

The second combination is to cook the eggs at 64.5C for 30 minutes.  The shorter cooking time is definitely more convenient and is short enough to keep from cooking the yolks too much.  The higher temperature will give you a firmer exterior on the whites while still maintaining the tenderness we are after.  Of course, at the higher temperature, timing becomes more crucial to stop the cooking while the yolks are creamy - definitely use a digital timer.

Recipe: Poached eggs - vinegar drop method

 

crack the egg into the vinegar

This is not so much a recipe than a different approach to poaching eggs, but it has some distinct advantages.  To run through the basics (just because), regular poached eggs are dropped into simmering salted water with vinegar added, and scooped out when they have cooked to your liking.  Classically, you use the edge of the slotted spoon to trim the trailing white as you remove the egg from the pot.  It's the vinegar that keeps the egg white from spilling everywhere in the pot, and it's that knowledge that makes this technique better.  

drop into the water

Rather than adding vinegar to the water, you crack the egg into a small bowl with vinegar in it, swirl it around, then drop it into the water.  The effect is that by cracking the egg into vinegar, you seal the egg better and it actually cooks almost in it's natural shape.  There's also next to no need to trim any white away after cooking.  This technique is especially good for quail eggs, which are a bit of a pain to crack into water one at a time, then try to keep track which one went in first.  you can actually crack a few eggs into the same dish with vinegar, then drop them in one by one and get fantastic results.  

poach

As with regular poaching, you want to season the water and avoid boiling it.  Also, if you are getting ready to serve a lot of people, you can cook the eggs very soft and transfer to ice water, then heat the whole lot up again when you need them by dunking in hot water or even steaming.  If you are poaching a lot of eggs, taste the water once in a while to make sure it doesn't get too acidic - you may need to change it.  Play around with different vinegars too - malt vinegar when cooking an English breakfast can be nice.  Rice vinegar will have a milder effect - if you are careful, mirin can work too.  One of my favorites is using white balsamic with eggs florentine and a tomato sauce.