Recipe: Flan elote (corn flan)

I tried this dish first in Mexico city - it's a favorite of my brother-in-law.  Since we had lucked upon some delicious corn, I thought I should make some.  It is normally served as a dessert, but it isn't overly sweet, so it could go along with some teacakes, be had as a snack, or even find it's way onto a savory course dish.  It can be picked up, yet it is moist and creamy - if you look closely, you can even see a thin layer of custard at the bottom as the mix settles during cooking.  It has baking powder in it and the mixing process incorporates air into the batter, so for many of you it is a departure from "traditional" flans, but it is well worth a try.  

You will need:

5 - 6                             cobs of corn (I used 6)

300ml (1 10oz can)     sweetened condensed milk

90g / 3oz                     butter (plus more for the pan)

250ml / 1C                  milk

5                                  eggs

15ml / 1Tbs                 baking powder

Method:

 - butter the bottom and sides of a good size pan (9" x 14")

 - set the oven to 325F / 163C

 - put the eggs in a mixer and whip to a  pale foam

 - strip the kernels of corn from the cobs

 - puree the corn with the milk and condensed milk in a blender

 - melt the butter and add to the blender while running 

 - add the baking powder to the running blender

 - drizzle the corn mix into the eggs with the mixer running

 - pour into the pan and place on the middle rack in the oven for about 45 minutes

 - test the middle with a skewer to come out clean

 - turn up the oven to 350F / 177C for another 5 minutes (for colour)

 - remove from oven and cool on a rack

 - if you want to turn it out, let it cool significantly, run a knife around the edge, place your platter over the pan and quickly invert 

 - serve

Recipe: Sous-vide polenta

I have thought about cooking polenta sous-vide for a long time, but only recently got around to experimenting with it.  To cook polenta properly the traditional method is a lot of work, and the potential for burning it if you don't scrape the bottom well (or turn your back on it for a second) is high.  I used polenta as a starch in a contest once and blistered my blisters during my daily practices - without a better option, such is the nature of the beast - you suck it up and keep going.  If you are in a hurry, make it the stove top method, it is faster, but if you've planned ahead, your life just got a whole lot easier.  You can have the polenta simmering on the stove in a holding pattern until the very moment you need it.

My goal was to produce a super creamy polenta, and I got it.  To that end, I did soak the cornmeal overnight in a portion of the water but I'm not convinced it was 100% necessary, but it couldn't have hurt.  I also stuck to the most basic formula to focus on the cornmeal - you will probably want to involve some cheese at least, and maybe some onion, garlic, aromatics or what have you.  Obviously, any sweating of onion or garlic will have to be done outside the bag, and it's your choice to mix it with the cornmeal before or after cooking - before will infuse the flavours better, but garnishes will retain their character better mixed in after cooking.  Other good news, you don't need a water bath.  I threw my batch in the industrial steamer at work, but you could also put it in boiling water.  The ratio below will give you a nice soft product with some room for adding butter or cream if you like, but if you were planning to set the polenta for frying later, you would want to cut the water down.

You will need:

250ml / 1C             cornmeal

1L / 4C                   water

2.5ml / 1/2tsp         salt (this leaves room for a salty cheese)

Method:

 - heat up 500ml (2C) of the water and pour it over the cornmeal - mix it up and let it soak overnight in the fridge (optional step)

 - mix in the rest of the water, salt, and anything else going into the cooking process

 - seal it all in a bag - not too tight - leave room to expand without excessive air 

 - steam 2 hours, if boiling, a bit longer (steam is hotter)

 - once cooked, remove from the bag, mix in garnishes and serve - or set in a pan for cutting and frying later

Recipe: Foie gras icewine ice cream

The idea of foie gras ice cream seems to either freak people out or get them really excited.  An emotional response to food is good, but when entering the realm of "weird", you definitely want to help people along with the acceptance or you'll lose them.  One chef told me once with reference to using molecular gastronomy that you need to base most people in the familiar before you start throwing the crazy stuff at them.  With reference to this ice cream, I would recommend using it as a midway amuse bouche between courses - it might be a bit much to serve as your dessert itself.  I love to garnish it with crushed up crispy fried duck skin and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar.  The key as well is the taste.  Think about your guests and their adventurousness.  A more timid guest will probably need a bit of a sweeter ice cream to help conceptually relate the dish with "ice cream".  Taste the mixture and don't temper the eggs until it tastes good - the double boiler will cook the liver, so you'll be safe.  An option a step further is to sear the foie, adding a delicious caramelization.  As lobes of foie tend to vary in size, be flexible with the recipe - as long as the flavour is there, the ice cream machine will freeze it.  Have fun with it!

You will need:

1                          lobe foie (450 - 500 grams / 1lb more or less)

125ml / 1/2C       icewine

125ml / 1/2C       glucose 

250ml / 1C          cream

250ml / 1C          homo milk

4                          egg yolks

to taste                 kosher salt

as needed            milk to soak the foie

Method:

 - bring the foie up to room temperature (keep it sealed in the package)

 - open the package and gently open the lobe up along the natural seams - remove any obvious veins

 - put the foie in a container and cover with milk

 - press saran wrap down onto the milk and soak in the fridge overnight

 - start water simmering for a double boiler

 - heat the milk, cream and glucose togetherto a simmer

 - temper into the egg yolks

 - return the mix to the heat and cook to 83C / 181.4F
 - chill over an ice bath to stop the cooking, then let sit warm on the counter out of the bath

 - bring the container out, take the foie out of the milk and discard the milk

 - pat the foie dry and roughly cut into pieces

 - pass the pieces through a tamis to remove any veins and transfer the liver to a bowl for the double boiler
 - place the bowl on the double boiler and slowly stir as the foie begins to melt
 - once the foie is more or less liquified, start stirring with a whisk - you want the foie to cook, but don't burn it
 - whisk in the icewine
 - whisk in the cream mixture
 - season with salt and check the taste - if you want it sweeter, now is the time
 - strain the mix through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl in an ice bath and keep whisking it gently as it cools to keep it emulsified
 - once the mix is stable, you can store it in the fridge to cool completely (overnight)
 - churn in an ice cream maker
 - store in the freezer

Recipe: Red pepper espuma (foam)

Espumas (or foams) are a great way to add a different visual effect to a plate along with an innovative texture on the palate.  For those unfamiliar with espumas, the simplest comparison is that you are putting a flavoured foam similar to a whipped cream on a dish as a garnish.  Some espumas will have some milk or cream in them for body, but to maximize the effect, many use a highly flavoured base lightly set with gelatin to mimic the body that is provided by the fat content in whipping cream.  The most common way to aerate the mixture to a whipped cream consistency is to use a pressurized whip cream canister and Nitrous Oxide cartridges.  With respect to this recipe, if you like you can roast the peppers before pureeing as different flavour option.  It is also very important to strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to ensure the canister doesn't clog.

You will need:

8 - 10            red bell peppers
5ml / 1tsp     honey
to taste          kosher salt
2 - 3              sheets gelatin (depending how firm you want the foam)
2 - 3              NO2 charges (depending how light you want the foam)
1                   whip cream canister (ISI is the most common brand)

Method:

 - seed and devein the peppers
 - you will need 500ml (2C) of puree, so puree the peppers one at a time in a blender until you see you have enough
 - let the blender puree really well, add the honey and season with salt
 - rehydrate the gelatin
 - pass the puree through a sieve and measure out the 500ml (2C)
 - heat 3/4 the mixture and melt the gelatin into it
 - mix the rest of the mix in and let cool
 - load the canister and charge with the NO2 - shake well with each charge
 - chill down completely and store in the fridge a few hours before use
 - shake well before dispensing

Recipe: Corn soup with bacon and rajas (poblanos)

We came across some nice corn the other day and thought it was a nice day for a soup.  As nice as it is on its own, we also thought it would be perfect to get some poblanos involved, and a bit of bacon to round it out.  One nice thing about corn soup is the fact that you have natural cornstarch in play, so if you want to lighten it up, you can substitute milk for some or all of the cream and it won't turn out watery.  It definitely makes a difference to use butter in the cooking to get that corn on the cob satisfaction in the flavour.  We also left a portion of the soup un-pureed as we like a few kernels floating around, but puree it all if you like.  Removing the skins from the poblanos is best done over the open flame of a gas stove, but oven roasting will also work - this is an extra step in refinement, and if you choose to keep the skins and pan roast, the flavour is the same as long as you get the colour.

For the soup you will need:

Pan roast the corn

4 - 5              fresh corn cobs

1                   small onion

3                   garlic

500ml / 2C   cream

500ml / 2C   milk

as needed     butter

to taste         salt

To garnish:

3 - 4             strips bacon 

For the rajas:

Add cream and puree

3                  poblano peppers

1                  small onion

as needed    fat from the bacon

to taste        salt

to taste        black pepper

Method:

 - dice the onion for the soup

 - chop the garlic

 - strip the kernels of corn from the cobs

 - in a pan on medium heat, sweat the onion, garlic and corn in the butter

 - gradually turn up the heat to slightly pan roast the corn

Saute poblanos in bacon fat

 - add the milk and cream and bring up to a simmer

 - transfer to a blender and puree smooth (keep some corn aside if you like the kernels)

 - strain through a mesh sieve back into the pan and bring back to a simmer

 - adjust the seasoning and it's ready to go - keep warm while making the garnish

For the rajas:

 - cut the bacon into lardons (short crosswise strips)

 - cook the lardons in a heavy pan (cast iron is best)

 - drain the fat and keep the bacon aside

 - char the poblanos and remove the skins (if you choose)

Get some colour

 - remove the seeds and veins from the poblanos and slice a thick julienne

 - julienne the onion

 - with the cast iron pan on medium heat, add back some bacon fat and saute the onion and poblanos

 - keep cooking until the poblanos soften and get a good dark green colour

 - season to taste with salt and pepper

 - use to top off the soup along with some of the cooked lardons

 

Maple syrup

Let 'er rip!

I  recently mentioned how the maple lemonade cleanse turned me onto low grade maple syrup as my syrup of choice - here's why.

First off, the flavour is far superior.  Maple syrup grades "B" or "C" (#2 or #3) are less refined than grade "A" (#1).  You simply get the purer flavour of the sap.  In Vancouver you see all the tourist shops with their maple leaf shaped bottles of syrup proudly advertising "Grade A" - it's sad.  Feeding all these folks a watered down product at a premium price.  The "A" syrup is so filtered, the colour is almost gone, along with all that flavour.  My lucky brother out in horse country in Ontario actually gets to go out to the Mennonite farms and pick up bottles of #4 - I can only imagine.  Maybe this year he can send me a bottle for Christmas (hint, hint).

Second, believe it or not, by getting less refined maple syrup, you get a nutritional boost.  You still don't want to be sucking the stuff down by the pint, but if you are topping off your pancakes, why not get the odd nutrient along with it?  The less refined your maple syrup, the more you get to benefit from:

Take the one on the right

potassium
calcium
magnesium
manganese
phosphorus
iron
zinc
copper
tin
sodium
pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
niacin
biboflavin (vitamin B2)
malic acid
citric acid
succinic
fumeric
amino nitrogens
phenios

 - as well as several other elements in trace amounts.

Often, to get the lower grades of syrup, you need to resort to an organic company - whether you're big on that or not, it's another plus.  Some hardcore healthy people actually don't like to use honey (Honey and I get along fine) as it is technically a product digested by an animal, and therefore some of the goodness is already gone - it also makes honey vegan non-friendly.  Good old maple syrup comes straight from the tree, no monkey business, right into your belly. There's nothing not to like.

So there you have it, say goodbye to the "golden" crap and go maple, dark maple.  Put it on your pancakes, put it on your flag - we did.

Cookbook review: Dessert Cuisine

Chef Oriol Balaguer's Dessert Cuisine is a really great book.  If you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of attempting really high end pastry work, this book should help you get past that.  The dishes are intricate and beautiful, yet chef Balaguer breaks everything down into manageable elements.  I remember being surprised at how many recipes can be broken down to 3 or 4 ingredients, but if you looked at the photo first, you'd think there's no way you could tackle it.  It also makes it easy to pick and choose favorite elements from assorted dishes and create something of your own - take this sponge, top it off with that poached fruit, surround it with another dish's soup and pick one of a myriad of garnishes and your guests will be stunned.  Each element simple enough on its own, but with a bit of effort in the assembly, a winner in the finish.  I like this book so much that when we were in Spain last summer, I made it a personal mission to go to one of chef Balaguer's pastry shops - a tall task in August (vacation season), I went to the Madrid shop (closed), and all three Barcelona shops before I found the one that was holding down the fort  (then had to come back because of siesta) - but it was worth the effort.  This book is worth the effort too - CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: Maple lemonade

This recipe comes from the Master Cleanse lemonade diet.  It's not my place to tell you to do it, but I've actually done it twice, which is extremely difficult to do when you cook for a living.  The cleanse changed my life in a very unexpected way - it's when I switched to "C" grade maple syrup (#3) and never turned back.  The lemonade portion of the diet is not only delicious, it's nutritious (for the duration of the diet, the lemonade provides you with all your essential vitamins).  I've made the lemonade off and on ever since just as a refreshing summer drink with the added benefit that it also serves as a multivitamin.  Your kids will never know what hit them.  

The recipe following is for one person's daily intake as per the diet, but if you aren't doing it, it's for a two litre jug of tasty lemonade.  Of course, if you are just making it as a summer drink, you may want to omit the cayenne and feel free to adjust the amounts to your taste - at least you aren't cooling off with store bought yellow sugar water.  As well, living in Vancouver, I proudly drink our Capilano fresh tap water - if your tap water is good, use it and save a plastic bottle.  Careful not to spill any of your Meyer Limoncello in there, that would be a downright shame.

You will need:

60oz / 1.77L                      bottled / filtered water (or mountain fresh)

12Tbs (6.09oz) / 180ml    grade "B" or "C" (#2 or #3) organic maple syrup

12Tbs (6.09oz) / 180ml    fresh squeezed organic lemon juice

1/2tsp / 2.5ml                    cayenne pepper

Method:

 - if you are cleansing, or just like it, microplane some of the lemon rind to add in as extra fibre

 - juice the lemons, remove the seeds, but keep the pulp

 - add the maple syrup, cayenne and water and mix well

 - keep it away from the limoncello

 - start sippin'

Recipe: Duck confit - sous-vide and traditional

Ducks are maybe my favorite bird.  I love to watch them come in for a landing on a glassy lake, I like to eat them.  A perfectly cooked duck breast is a thing of beauty, but you really can't do much with it other than let it bask in its own beauty.  Duck legs however, open doors everywhere.  You can roast them of course, but I prefer to gently confit them.  Once done, you can serve them whole, roasting the outside to crisp up the skin, or you can pull the meat apart and use it as a filling for won-tons, spring rolls and tacos.  You can move up a level and make a beautiful terrine or delicious rillette.  Always save the skin for something devious - it's too good to waste.

Some chefs like to confit in olive oil - it's just fine, but if you have the duck fat, I'd recommend it.  If you store it well in the freezer, it actually gets better with each successive batch of confit as it absorbs more flavour.  You'll have to get a bit creative after the cooking, as you will accumulate a wonderful layer of duck jelly below the fat.  I usually remove the legs and aromatics and chill the fat right down in the fridge, then it's easy to dig through the fat to the jelly and gently remove it.

You will need:

4              duck legs
1              small onion
1              large shallot
4              cloves garlic
4              cloves
12            whole black peppercorns

1              cinnamon stick
1              star anise
1              orange zest (use a vegetable peeler, not a microplane)
1 sprig     rosemary
4 sprigs    thyme
to cover   duck fat (or enough to coat if sous-vide)

Method:

 - slice the onion, shallot and garlic and mix all the aromatics together
 - make a bed of most of the aromatic mixture in a container, lay the legs flesh side down, and cover the skin with the rest
 - marinate one day

Note:  If cooking sous-vide, set the water bath for 85C / 185F.  Lightly season the legs and place in the bag, disperse the aromatics around and scoop in a spoon or two of cold duck fat (or oil if you choose).  Make sure the fat is relatively spread around, but it will spread as it warms up.  Seal the bag and cook the legs for 6 hours.  If you know you will pull the meat apart, you can cook it longer.  Once cooked, cool the legs down in an ice bath completely.  Pick up the rest of the procedure from the point where the traditional method has cooled down.

 - select a good heavy pot for the confit
 - set your oven to 200F / 93C
 - spoon a bit of duck fat in the bottom
 - lay the aromatics down on the bottom (this is insurance against excessive direct heat)
 - lightly season the legs and lay on top of the aromatics evenly
 - spoon the rest of the duck fat over to cover - top up with oil if you need
 - slowly bring the heat up to barely a simmer
 - cover and transfer to the oven
 - cook for 4 hours, then check the legs - if the meat is just starting to stretch away from the end of the bone, move the pot to a rack on the counter
 - remove the cover and let the legs cool in the fat
 - let the legs rest in the fat in the fridge overnight
 - gently remove the legs from the fat
 - if serving as legs, roast skin side up at 350F / 177C till crispy
 - if pulling the meat apart, start pulling
 - warm up the fat till liquid again
 - strain off the aromatics and cool down in a container (glass will let you see the jelly)
 - when the fat is somewhat solid again, you can dig out the fat and get at the jelly
 - use the jelly as a binder in your pulled meat, or add it to the sauce for the roasted legs
 - save the fat and store it in the freezer for next time

Recipe: Peach honey soda

As we get into the summer season, sodas become a nice addition to a meal - especially when outdoors.  You can take sodas in two directions these days - the more traditional route where you are basically making your own soda pop, and the newer style where you play with the viscosity of the base and the outcome is something closer to a carbonated espuma, which can even in some cases is spooned onto the plate as another garnish.  Somewhere in between there is a nice point where the soda is dispensed out of the siphon a mass of rich foam that settles into a drinkable liquid in a minute or so.  All styles have their uses and there are several ways to work the viscosity to the level you want it.  A thicker base will hold the carbonation's "fizz" longer, but you may want to serve the soda with a spoon, which may increase the interest of the product or complicate things depending on your point of view.  

Going the natural route, you can thicken a base by starting with a puree rather than a juice and sweeten the soda with honey, maple syrup, or invert sugar.  More involved would be to use gelatin, xanthan gum, or another thickening agent.  Remember that however you go, the base needs to be able to pass through the siphon, so be careful not to go too thick, and always pass the base through a fine mesh sieve to make sure it's smooth.  Xanthan gum is easy - using a blender, just add a little at a time and monitor the thickness.  If you are using gelatin, I would recommend 1 sheet (or less) per 500ml, some chefs use 2 or more, but you are definitely using a spoon to eat it at that point.  

For this recipe, we'll keep it fairly simple and just use the puree and honey to thicken the base and you should get a soda that foams up well out of the siphon, then settles down a drinkable liquid.  If you want thinner, run the peaches through a juicer, then sweeten with honey.  If you want thicker, try one of the other ways, gelatin probably being the most accessible.  A standard soda siphon holds about a litre (quart), but I generally avoid filling it right up (I often use 2 charges for maximum carbonation, but it's not necessary). If you expect a lot of guests, you may want to source out another siphon or two since you get the best results if the mix is carbonated for a few hours, but in a pinch, as long as your base is kept very cold, you can refill, recharge and keep serving.

You will need:

1                      ripe peach (a good size)

15ml / 1Tbs     honey (or more if you like)

as needed        water

soda siphon

1 (or more)      CO2 charges

Method:

 - peel, pit and chop the peach up

 - set the chopped peach in a saucepan with a little water and cook till soft enough to puree

 - add the honey till you like the flavour balance

 - transfer to a blender and puree smooth

 - add water while running until your mix is about as thick as coffee cream (hopefully just shy of a litre)

 - if you were using gelatin, you would melt it in here

 - strain the mix through a fine strainer and chill completely

 -  fill the siphon with the soda and screw the cap on tight

 - load the CO2 into the siphon and shake well

 - refrigerate at least a few hours before serving

 - enjoy