Recipe: The Greek burger

For the next burger in the series, we went to Greece.  In many ways, it revolved around the ever popular souvlaki platter, and was no less satisfying.  Considering everything involved, it was a surprisingly light endeavor in the eating, and quite healthy to boot.  In our excitement, we forgot to take a picture - forgive us - but in all likelihood this burger was worth a trip down memory lane in the future and we'll get one then.  The breakdown was as follows.

The Greek burger:

 - bun - thick style pita split horizontally and toasted with garlic butter
 - patty - marinated and grilled chicken breast - olive oil
                                                                          - lemon zest
                                                                          - oregano
                                                                          - thyme
                                                                          - rosemary
 - cheese - feta (toasted onto the chicken in the salamander)
 - greens - shredded spinach
 - sauces - bottom bun - hummus
               - top bun - tzatziki
 - relish - Greek "salsa" - brunoise - red onion
                                                       - tomato
                                                       - red pepper
                                                       - cucumber
                                                       - kalamata olives
                                      - olive oil
                                      - red wine vinegar
                

Product review: Magic Bullet blender

The Magic Bullet.  You've probably seen the infomercials, but is it worth it's salt?  Yes.  I have a natural tendency to be skeptical of infomercial-related products (kind of counter productive isn't it?), but Carla and I were given one way back as a wedding present, and it quickly found it's way into daily use - literally daily use.  

We like to make fruit smoothies to have with our breakfast, and usually made them with an immersion blender.  What made us switch, was the fact that the Bullet was more powerful, faster and the cleanup was a cinch.  You can load up all the ingredients for each person's smoothie right into their drinking cup, then just screw on the blade atachment and press onto the motor to blend.  Then you take the same blade, screw it onto the next cup and repeat.  They even give you some screw-on lids so you can take your cup to go.  Cleanup is restricted to the blade attachment and the cups themselves.  Since everything screws together, spillage is basically impossible.  We've made some pretty sturdy smoothies and never saw it get stuck (ground flax seed really thickens things up).

The Bullet also does a great job as a spice/coffee grinder.  A lot of chefs keep multiple spice grinders in order to keep coffee from tasting like curry and vise-versa - the Magic Bullet is so easy to clean, one unit will take care of you.  For large spice mixes, the capacity is much better too, no more need to grind your spices in several batches.  This particular set has the added appeal of coming with a pitcher attachment for larger jobs.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: The Nacho burger

Madre mio!  Four bad lookin' hombres

For the first of the Ultimate Burger series, Dan and I took a trip down south.  Call it Tex-Mex or Mexican, we wanted those southern flavours combined with a double-shot of texture favorites - the juicy meatiness of a burger (of course) and the crunchy cheesiness of nachos.

We weren't going to be satisfied with simply dressing a burger with the usual nacho-related condiments, we needed to actually build a small portion of nachos right into the burger.  This necessitated  altering the shape of the beast to replicate the common oval shape often associated with nachos.  Changing the shape also let us use a more oblong bun remenicient of the classic Mexican torta.  The patty itself needed a bit of spicing up prior to the shaping.  A certain amount of restraint was needed when applying the varied sauces to avoid sogging out the operation.  The complete breakdown is below, and yes, the burgers were delicious.  Almost surprisingly well balanced and unbelievably tasty.  

The Nacho burger:

 - bun - torta / Portugese (ciabatta will do in a pinch)

 - patty - taco spiced beef - pepper

                                         - garlic

                                         - cumin

                                         - cayenne

                                         - hot smoked paprika

 - greens - shredded iceberg lettuce

 - sauces - bottom bun - guacamole

               - top bun - sour cream

                              - salsa

                              - chipotle aoli

 - nachos - tri-colour tortilla strips (for better eating)

               - diced tomatoes

               - chopped green onion

               - sliced green olives

               - pickled banana peppers

               - nacho cheese - cheddar

                                        - Monterey jack

                                        - mozzarella

             

The Ultimate Burger Series

The Ultimate Burger Series is here!

What?

Recently, Dan and myself have embarked on a journey to periodically create the cream of the crop in the world of hamburgers.  It would be presumptuous to think we could create the one and only best hamburger ever - that's impossible.  There are too many varied tastes out there (I love blue cheese on a hamburger, others don't) as well as too many delicious ideas to possibly ever fit onto one single burger.  So the journey is more of a challenge to ourselves to pick a theme, then create a ridiculously awesome burger based on that theme.

So far, the themes have begun geographically.  We've picked a country or region of the world and tried to incorporate our favorite flavours and textures from that region into its respective burger.  Themes may branch beyond the regional format as long as the eventual burger end up following some defined theme.  

Breakdowns of the burgers themselves and relevant recipes will wind up here for your enjoyment.  We have a professional kitchen at our disposal and can branch out in almost any direction.  If any of you would like to suggest a theme or ingredient to use, we welcome outside challenges and will post the results of our efforts.

Stay tuned, the Ultimate Burgers are coming!

Recipe: Togarashi puffed rice won-ton (ravioli)

The puffed rice won-ton is not only the most recent use of puffed rice - it's the craziest!  You could almost say it is a culinary maraca - once cooked, you can shake it and hear the puffed rice rattling around inside.  The crunch level is off the charts, and being deep fried then dusted with togarashi, you know it's tasty.  Since it was ultimately part a larger and crazier dish, I will get you started with this.  The preparation for this one is obviously the puffed rice (see the previous post), the rest of the whole dish is soon to come.

You will need:

2 each                 won-ton wrappers

as needed            puffed rice (at least 1-2Tbs per portion)

to taste                togarashi

to taste                kosher salt

as needed            egg wash 

Method:

 - prepare a batch of puffed rice

 - fry off as much rice as you will need and season it with togarashi and salt

 - lay a wonton wrapper on the counter

 - run around the outer edge of the wonton with egg wash

 - lay a pile of puffed rice in the middle of the wonton

 - press another wonton over top and press the edges firmly to seal tight

 - lay into a deep fryer or a generous pan of oil fry until well puffed and golden brown

 - drain on paper towel and season with togarashi and salt

Recipe: Puffed rice (homemade Rice Krispies)

overcook the rice

Puffed rice can be a dramatic addition to an Asian inspired dish.  Why not just use Rice Krispies?  Well, you would then just be using Rice Krispies - no drama there at all.  By making your own, you get a whiter product for a greater visual contrast, and the rice itself has more crispness to it, pure texture.  You also have the satisfaction of knowing exactly everything going into your product and get to choose your own seasoning - togarashi tends to be among the first to come to mind, but you can go any way you want.

Beyond a garnish, a great use for puffed rice is much the same way you might use feuilletine - temper some chocolate, mix in the rice and spread it out in a thin layer as a deliciously crunchy base for a dessert.  As a cereal, why not dig into a bowl? (no togarashi in mine, thanks)  I might be a little more inclined to add it to the mix for the whole grain granola I wrote about back in April.  By the way, this recipe is almost impossible to screw up - over cook the rice, dry it out, then fry it - a snap, a crackle and a big pop.

spread it out to dry

You will need:

250ml / 1C               sushi rice
1250ml / 5C             water (at least)
to taste                      kosher salt
to taste                      seasoning of your choice (togarashi, black sesame, chili, lemon pepper - go nuts)

Method:

 - rinse the rice well under water to get some excess starch out

fully dried

 - add the water to the rice and season lightly
 - bring to a very gentle simmer and let it go for about 20 minutes
 - turn off the heat, cover and let stand for another 20 - 30 minutes
 - drain off any excess water and rinse under cold water so the grains don't stick together
 - spread out on a paper lined sheet pan and dry completely
 - if not using right away, store in a good container (at this stage, the rice keeps a long time)
 - heat some vegetable oil to about 340F / 171C
 - add the rice and fry it until it puffs
 - strain it out, season as desired, and drain on paper towel
 - serve, or store in an airtight container

fried and puffed

Cookbook review: Sous-vide Cuisine by Joan Roca and Salvador Brujes

Sous-vide Cuisine by Joan Roca and Salvador Brujes is the original how-to cookbook for sous-vide cooking (2005).  As an apprentices (our hungry little gang at the hotel), we were so excited by this book, but hindered by the fact that the book was so groundbreaking at the time, you couldn't get your hands on a circulator if your life depended on it.  Not to be left behind, we innovated - we had a vacuum sealer in the butcher shop and by placing a water bath on a low skillet and monitoring it with a probe thermometer, we more or less created a circulator.  

I digress to illustrate the impact this book had at the time, and even though sous-vide cooking has really moved along in the years since, it remains a powerful, relevant and educational volume on the cooking style.  With the greatest emphasis being on food safety and the quality of the end product, you can be assured that the book can be used for years to come and never go out of style.  When you are already cooking the perfect filet mignon, you can dress the plate up any way you like to suit the style of your guests, the meat doesn't ever need to change at all.  That said, the dishes in the book are not left wanting - Chefs Roca and Brujes are both El Bulli alumini (among others) - and the food is always centre stage on the plate and stunningly beautiful.  Throughout the book you will find informative essays charts laying out proteins, cooking temperatures, cooking times, and finishing techniques when it comes to service time.

If you are looking at books to educate yourself on sous-vide cooking, or maybe are intrigued by the historical position of this book, Chefs Roca and Brujes won't disappoint - CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Recipe: Garlic herb butter

This recipe for garlic herb butter is good for many uses because the garlic in it has already been cooked and therefore not too aggressive.  In addition to garlic bread, you may want to use it to finish a sauce or even put it out as a table butter.  The olive oil and lemon serve two purposes - they add a nice flavour dimension and they give the finished butter a helping hand when softening up after coming out of the fridge.  As I never keep salted butter around, we'll use unsalted here - this is nice since we can control how salty the butter is and even choose the salt we want to use.  A smoked salt is great here, but you may want to grind it a bit finer since many smoked salts are made from the chunkier Maldon variety.

You will need:

454g / 1lb                  unsalted butter (room temperature)

10 sprigs                    thyme

1/2 bunch                  parsley

1 sprig (small)           tarragon

5 leaves                     basil

10 cloves                   roasted or poached garlic

30ml / 2Tbs               extra virgin olive oil

10ml / 2tsp                fresh squeezed lemon juice

to taste                      kosher salt

Method:

 - separate the leaves of all the herbs from their stems and chop fine

 - mash and chop the roast garlic to a paste

 - put the butter in a mixer with a paddle and mix to soften (a bowl and wooden spoon will work too)

 - slowly drizzle in the olive oil and mix until it is fully incorporated

 - add the lemon juice and mix in

 - add the roast garlic and herbs and mix well

 - season with salt

 - store in the fridge until use if not using right away

Recipe: Beef stock clarification for consomme - traditional technique

This recipe is the clarification I used with the smoked beef stock (check the earlier post) to make the consomme element of a modern style French onion soup.  It will work with any good beef stock because it has the elements necessary for creating a good consomme - it has the protein necessary to clarify the stock, and it has the additional meat and vegetables and aromatics to take flavour of a good starting stock to a full flavoured specialty broth.  As for the caramelized onion, it's easiest to just caramelize a bunch, measure out what you need and use the rest for something else.

This recipe is designed to clarify 1.5L (1.5qt) of stock and should yield a good 1L (1qt) of finished soup.  To clarify more, simply multiply accordingly and follow the same process.  The loss of volume is partly due to reduction in the cooking process and the fact that you can't force the straining of a consomme without sacrificing the clarity you worked hard for - it's the cost of doing business, but I think you'll find it's worth it when you want to serve the best.

You will need:

1.5L / 1.5qt             beef stock

200g / 7oz               extra lean ground beef (shank, neck, or shoulder)
3                              egg whites
60g / 2oz                 caramelized onion
30g / 1oz                 leek (white part only)
30g / 1oz                 mushrooms
20g / .7oz                celery
20g / .7oz                carrot
2 cloves                   garlic
1                              bay leaf
2 sprigs                    thyme
10                            whole peppercorns
pinch                       kosher salt

Method:

 - caramelize a bunch of onion in minimal fat and measure out 60g (2oz) then let cool
 - wash the leek and mushrooms well and peel the carrot
 - rough chop all the vegetables, then put in a food chopper and mince together
 - add the egg white to the vegetables and mix well
 - add the vegetable mix and the herbs, peppercorns and pinch of salt to the lean ground meat
 - mix with your hands until well incorporated
 - place in a suitable stockpot (you want more vertical height than width)
 - add the stock to the clarification a little at a time to loosen it up evenly
 - when all the stock is added, turn the heat on low - medium
 - as the stock heats up, gently stir to make sure no meat is sticking to the bottom of the pot
 - when the "raft" starts to form and rise to the top, stop stirring
 - poke a "vent" hole in the middle of the raft to allow the stock to bubble through once it starts to simmer
 - gently simmer and monitor the clarity by looking at the stock coming through the vent
 - when the stock seems absolutely clear, line a vine mesh sieve with cheesecloth and place over another pot
 - carefully ladle the stock through the vent and strain through the cheesecloth
 - when you can't ladle any more, move the sieve to another pot and carefully pour the remainder of the contents in and let drain completely
 - if the contents of the second pot are as clear as the first, feel free put them together, otherwise keep the clear stock clear and use the other elsewhere
 - adjust the seasoning with kosher salt if necessary
 - cool the finished consomme
 - store in the fridge until use

Recipe: Brandy snaps / Ginger snaps

Brandy snaps rolled into tubes or cones and filled with a delicious cream are a real treat, but often people feel like they've crossed a line after having one.  I like to use the recipe to make tasty garnishes.  As little wafers, they have such a perfect crispness to them with a zest of lemon and just the right hint of brandy.  They are also known as ginger snaps, but I found I liked them better without the ginger and letting the brandy and lemon do the talking.  Of course you can still make the traditional filled brandy snap confections, just use a larger amount of the base mixture than you would for the wafers (think two or three grapes instead of one) and be ready to roll fast before they crisp up out of the oven.

A couple tricks help this recipe come together well.  Before adding the flour, make sure to let the mixture cool down so it re-emulsifies when you stir it, but don't try to rush it by putting it in the fridge - the butter in the mixture next to the sides of the bowl will harden too fast and resist mixing.  If you must, put the mix in a bit of water without ice and gently stir it on the counter top until it thickens up.  When cooking, don't use the fan if you have a convection oven, and keep the temperature low so the snaps colour evenly and really evaporate out any moisture.

You will need:

125g / 4.4oz           unsalted butter

125ml / 1/2C          sugar

125g / 4.4oz           corn syrup

15ml / 1Tbs            lemon juice

15ml / 1Tbs            brandy

250ml / 1C             flour

5ml / 1tsp               ginger (optional)

 - put the butter, sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and brandy in a small sauce pan and melt together

 - let the mixture cool naturally at room temperature (or gently cool over a bowl of water)

 - sift the flour and ginger together

 - once the sugar mixture is thick again, transfer to a mixture with a paddle or use a wooden spoon to mix in the ginger and flour

 - at this point you can bake the snaps or store the mix in the fridge till later

 - preheat the oven to 325F / 163C

 - for garnish wafers, take grape-sized lumps and space them out on a cookie sheet lined with paper or silicone

 - for the larger dessert snaps, double (or triple) the size of the lumps and leave lots of space for them to spread out

 - bake for 5 minutes, check the colour, rotate and repeat until you have a nice and even golden brown

 - remove from oven

 - if shaping, let cool slightly (or wear latex gloves) and quickly form around your molds

 - if making wafers, just let cool  completely on the tray and they will come out nice and flat

 - store in an airtight container at room temperature until use