The Ingredient Workshop

Sundae Mag!

2010-08-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Cooker himself made it into the world's greatest webzine. Come for the tasty tomato recipes and stay for all the other amazing articles written by some of the greatest writers of all time, OF ALL TIME!!

SUNDAE MAG

P.S. A keen eye will see the face that is the last many an onion have seen.

The Twenty10 Valentine's Day Menu

2010-02-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Cooker has a special lady in his life (sorry other non-special ladies). Romance is not the strong suit of the Cooker so he normally tries to use the one thing that he does well to make this special lady feel especially special on this special day. That said here is the menu that was created for this year's Valentine's Day dinner.

Roasted Apple Mini Waffles topped with Roasted Fennel, Caramelized Onions, Brie and Port Reduction

Cranberry Bean Soup garnished with Gremlinlata

Roasted Pear, Fennel, Caramelized Onion and Manchego Raviolis with Tarragon and Walnuts

Veggie Sliders with Romesco Ketchup and Caramelized Onions

Tender Greens Salad with Port Reduction Viniagrette

Port Reduction Ice Cream with Pear Tarte Tatin

If you would like any or all of these recipes feel free to drop a line. Otherwise just close your eyes and imagine what that must taste like in your tum tum.

Trapped in the Closet or How to Pan Roast Chicken

2010-01-27T16:35:00.001-07:00

We have all heard of the game "7 Minutes in Heaven" right? Well, due to some unfortunate happenings that turned into "A Fortnight in Hell" for the Cooker one fateful summer. Lets be honest fellow cookers, spending 2 weeks Trapped in a Closet with someone is about as far from heaven as you can get. Somewhere between trying to eat the twizzlers that were forced under the door and trying to discreetly defecate in the corner the Cooker had a moment of clarity. Nothing else can show off the personality, skill and values of a cook better than the humble whole chicken. It was shortly after this epiphany that Cooker decided enough was enough, broke the curtain rod down and punched his way down through the floor to freedom.

The next day after a nice long, hot-bleach shower (The Cooker can still feel her beard) it was off to the store for the ingredients. This is where the personality start to show. The Cooker likes his Chicken simple, so Mirepoix, Garlic, Butter, Vegetable Broth, Salt and a Chicken go into the cart. What about Rosemary you ask? Is the skin going to be crispy? This is the Cooker's Chicken. Not yours. The Cooker likes his Chicken simple, moist and flavorful but wants to taste the chicken. Also, the Cooker does not care about crispy skin. If you like crispy skin and Rosemary on your Chicken you are more than welcome to do it up on yours. There will be notes on how to do so if you wish. This Chicken strives to infuse as much aromatic flavor and juiciness into itself as possible without spending all day.

Remember, you can make roast chicken however you like. This is a good place to start from that will yield tasty, moist results every time. Some variations follow this recipe so check those out and let the personality of your own Workshop show through.

Tie the legs up so that the bird cooks more evenly

Good hot pan, room temp Chicken, quality sear forthcoming

Nicely browned on one side, second side is ready to go

While the Chicken is Searing, the Mirepoix is made ready

The Chicken placed safely to the side while the Mirepoix is sauteed a bit in the same pan

The Chicken then gets a Mirepoix Bed and the Chicken is put breast side down

Chicken et al after its time in the oven

The Bird Resting on a cutting board awaiting the carving portion

Vegetable Broth simmering with the now roasted Mirepoix and Drippings

The carved bird awaiting the Cooker's Tum Tum

The Jus resulting from straining the veggies and fat from the pan sauce

General Notes:

Serves: 2 - 4 depending on how big a bird you get

Prep Time: 1 - 4 hours, but very little is hands on

General: It is best to start with a chicken that you have rinsed, dried, salted and then let come up to room temperature. You can omit nearly any of those steps it will just affect the quality of the final product as well as the cooking times slightly. The only step you should never omit is drying the bird. You will be unable to get a good sear on your bird without it being dry first.

Equipment:

Oven Safe Pan that is big enough to comfortably hold the bird and mirepoix
Two Cutting boards, one for the bird and one for the veggies. Do not mix the two, that could mean bad times for your stomach and subsequently your bathroom.
Chef's knife
Butcher's twine or oven safe rubber bands.
Fat Seperator, This is optional but very handy
Stove/oven combo
A trusty pair of tongs

Ingredients:

1/2 a Yellow Onion, peeled and sliced
2 Stalks of Celery, rinsed
1 Medium Sized Carrot, rinsed and sliced
8 ounces of Vegetable broth but Chicken is traditional
2 - 3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
4 - 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Kosher Salt
Canola Oil for Searing Chicken
1 5 - 6 lbs Whole Chicken

Written Instructions:

Starting with a clean kitchen, bring out the chicken, twine, and salt
Remove the bird from its packaging, remove any kind of giblet surprises, rinse it well and then dry the living hell out of it with some paper towels. Keep in mind that touching chicken is no joke, so do not lick your chickeny hands while doing this and also do not touch your entire kitchen with your chicken hands.
Fairly aggressively salt the bird all over and inside as well
Truss the chicken and let it hang out somewhere out of the way it has come up to room temperature (1 - 3 hours) and you are ready to cook it up
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Put your fry pan on the stove and let it heat up over medium heat
Bring out the rest of your ingredients
Making sure that your bird is very dry, add some canola oil to the pan and quickly but carefully put the bird in breast side down
Leave the bird alone for 4 - 5 minutes to let it get good and seared, this is no time to be timid
While the bird is searing, with your clean hands, prepare your mirepoix, go for 1/4 slices on your veggies
When you are satisfied with the sear on the breast side, carefully lift the bird from the pan, hold it above the pan for a few moments to let the pan heat up a bit again, and then put the bird back down on its back this time
A quick note about lifting the bird, the Cooker generally puts one side of the tong into the cavity to lift the bird without tearing the skin
When you are satisfied with the sear on the back move your bird out of the pan and onto a plate or something to hang out until its trip to the oven
Add your mirepoix to the now vacated pan and saute until your veggies start turning a little translucent
When you have softened them/ turned them slightly translucent add your bird back to the pan directly on top of the veggies
Stick half the butter into the cavity of the bird and transfer the whole shebang into your preheated oven
Let roast until the juices begin to run clear, or a thermometer inserted the thickest part of the thigh register 150 degrees
Remove the pan from the oven and return to the stove over medium heat
Remove the bird from the pan and let it rest on your reserved cutting board
Add the crushed garlic to the pan
Cook down whatever juices might be left in the pan until you have developed a good fond
Deglaze the pan with whatever broth your are using being sure to scrap up the browned bits from the bottom while pouring it in
Bring that mixture back up to a simmer and let reduce by about 1/4
Pour your broth and veggie though the strainer on the fat separator and pour the defatted liquid into a serving vessel
If you so desire whisk the remaining butter in the jus to give it some body
Carve your bird up
Serve your bird with your jus on the side, with a suitable starch and vegetable
Make it happen in your tum tum

Variations:
For crispy skin,

run your fingers inbetween the skin and flesh to seperate the two
Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook breast side up
Keep an eye on the cooking time, it might decrease to 20 minutes or so
If you really want to crisp it up turn the broiler on for the last 2 or 3 minutes of the cooking process

For more woodsy Chicken

Add a hearty fresh herb, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, etc., to the cavity of the bird as well as to your mirepoix bed

For a winey Chicken

Deglaze pan with white wine before putting Chicken onto mirepoix and putting in the oven

PAPER ANNIVERSARY!!!

2010-01-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 1(One) YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Please send only "that paper" to the Workshop.

One year ago today the Workshop opened for blogging bidness. Since that fateful post more than 1,000 (one thousand) people have visited the Workshop. Or, 1(one) person has visited over 1,000 (one thousand) times. Not exactly sure. There have been 37 (thirty seven) posts, this marking the 38th (thirty eighth). The Cooker's profile has been viewed 100 (one hundred) times and given disappointment 99 (ninety nine) of those times. Cookers have come to the Workshop from all over the world and hopefully left with something worthwhile. In a nutshell, that was 2009.

Welcome to Twenty 10. You will be happy to know that the Cooker survived the coming of the New Year, by hiding safely and securely in the Apocalypse Bunker as has become his tradition. While safely ensconced in the concrete walls, the Cooker had some time to reflect on the previous year and look forward to the coming one.

2009 has been been retroactively referred to as The Hatching: The Birth of The Cooker. Twenty 10 shall be titled Mind Blow: The Rise of The Cooker. The Cooker's rise will be marked by some of the following:

More posting with more regularity. There is nothing worse than feeling a little, you know, irregular.
A logo sure to kick its way through your retinas and then make its home in your memory while making long distance phone calls.
Recipes. For your nerves.
The possibility of a Ingredient Workshop product line to help the world enjoy delicious.

What would you the Workshop visitor like to see more of or less of? Are you scared of the possibility of old, French, peen when visiting? Or does that excite? Bring da ruckus.

P.S. You can find The Ingredient Workshop on Facebook if you are of that persuasion.

French Onion Soup, The best way to practice sauteing and deglazing...and seduction

2009-11-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

As the winter begins to draw in, the Cooker can think of nothing else but seduction. Oh the lucky one (if the bear is hungry he will eat), who is targeted for this seduction. For this person will get to enjoy the sensual delight that is French Onion Soup.

The best way to enjoy this post is to open this link in a separate window to set the mood, put on your finest silk lounging robes, pour yourself a little something from the cellar and then scroll down...slowly. You are about to read how to make French Onion Soup, the most sensual of all soups. Deep flavor, crunchy bread, gooey gruyere. Aaaahh maaannnn.

Like a good lover, it takes patience, heat, oil, and...onions...and salt. Think of this recipe when you need to do some impressin' to help with the undressin'. Now you could spend all day in front of your designer, commercial style stove, but you have got rose petals to scatter and votive candles to light. So the trick is to use your oven and a dutch oven to take care of the first couple hours or so, to help that deep flavor develop. The most important thing to remember is that the more times you are able to deglaze the pan, the deeper and rounder the flavor will get. Aaaaahhh maaaan. To do a proper job of it you will need to deglaze the pan more than ten times at least.

So strap on your egyptian cotton apron, slip on you whale penis leather clogs, press play on your Prince playlist and head into the kitchen to make delicious.

Have a look at these teases

OH! So sorry to catch you undressing.

Ready for the Steamy Sauna

Oh, a salt rub, kinky

Sneaking a peak during the oven time

No tan lines, provocative

Getting closer to the climax

Ah there is the fond, now is the time to add some liquid

Sensual bath has started

General Notes:

Serves: 4 -6 depending on the serving size

Prep Time: 1 - 4 hours depending on how deep you want the flavor, not all is hands-on time

General: Deglaze as many times as you have time for, and remember to always keep it sexy. Some of these ingredients may seem exotic so just have your personal assistant procure them for you.

Equipment:

Oven Safe Pot with lid or dutch oven large enough to hold a whole bunch of onions, only use your hammered copper pot if you will be presenting the soup at the table.
1 inch thick, end grain cutting board, thoroughly rubbed with bamboo oil
Handmade French Chef's knife, preferrably from Solingen with Ivory Handle
Broiler safe bowl or crock for presentation of the soup, gilded skull if you have it
Cheese grater
Stove/oven combo with broiler

Ingredients:

2 Farm Fresh Vidalia Onions flown in from Texas (preferably by Zepplin), sliced
2 Farm Fresh Red Onions driven in from Chile (preferably by Bentley), sliced
2 Farm Fresh White Onions sailed in from Southern California (preferably by Yacht), sliced
64 ounces of extra fine broth, this recipe used Vegetable but Beef is traditional
6 cloves of Farm Fresh garlic rickshawed in from Gilroy, California, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the oldest tree in the Piedmont region of Italy (preferably also read the story Are you my mother nightly) as needed
Flaked Sea Salt from the smallest tide pool of the Omaha Beach
A crusty baguette flown in from Le Baguette in Paris, better use the Concorde to get it fast enough
Gruyere cheese, cave aged only please, shredded

Written Instructions:

Dim the lights in your thoughtfully appointed, commercial style kitchen
Carefully, but firmly arrange your equipment, ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Take a sip from your champagne while admiring your reflection in your stainless steel appliances, go ahead toast yourself, you deserve it
Next take the top and bottom off of each onion and then halve them
Now remove the outer layer of each onion and lay them out
Slice the onions against the grain from top to bottom in medium thick slices
Put the slices into your dutch oven/ pot
Salt and Olive Oil the Onions, cover them and put them into the oven
Pour yourself a touch more bubbles and head in to either finish your nude (oil painting) or nude
Stir the onions a bit and place back in for another hour if you have the time or begin sauteing if your desire cannot wait any longer
When you are ready remove the dutch oven/pot from the oven and place over medium heat on the stove
Begin sauteing the onions while constantly stirring
When the pan has dried up a touch and a layer of brown fond has developed, deglaze the pan with your broth while stirring with fervor
Saute until the pan is dry again and you have developed another layer of fond and deglaze once more
Continue fonding and deglazing until you have gone through 32 ounces of broth or you have reached your deglazing limit
Add the rest of your broth and bring the whole mixture up to a simmer and simmer until you are ready to serve
Turn on the broiler of your oven
Slice 2 slices from the baguette, top with shredded Gruyere
Ladle the soup into a broiler safe crock or bowl
Place cheesy bread over the top of some soup and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly
Carefully make it happen in your tum tum, AAAAAHHH MMAAAANNNN!!

Duxelles, Further direction on How to Saute

2009-10-09T16:49:00.007-07:00

Ladies?

Ah the French. These are people who unabashedly do everything that we Americans are too scared to even attempt. They strike at the drop of a hat for things as simple as getting governmental nannies for their kids. They encourage Gerard Depardieu to do whatever the hell is going on up there.

They also do crazy things with food that makes your heart hurt but your belly dance. Things like putting a fried egg on top of a ham and cheese sandwich, or drinking wine all day, in the park, on a weekday.

They also seem to be a people that love naming things and specifically love naming things after people. Add to that a cuisine that has been around for about 1 million years (citation needed) and you get some fun things. This post is about a combination of flavors that became so popular that they named it after a Marquis,Duxelles (dook-sehl). Although, the Chef must have been pissed when it got named after his boss and not him. The Workshop would be pissed if it created a preparation so popular it needed a name and it was referred to as, a la Blogger, instead of a la Cooker.

Anyways, the following is dedicated to Duxelles a versatile accompaniment that can be made into a stuffing, a garnish, a side dish, or filling for a tart. It makes a great upgrade to sauteed mushrooms for your burger or steak as well.

It will also demonstrate a few more techniques for Sauteing, such as "fond" and "de-glazing." Fond is the brown that develops on the bottom of the pan as you cook something. This is basically the sugars that have been brought out of the food by the cooking process and have caramelized on the bottom on the pan. De-glazing is the technique that loosens up all those sugars from the bottom of the pan and turns them into a sort of glaze or coating on the food that you are cooking. This technique can greatly deepen the flavor
of whatever you are cooking. French Onion soup depends on this these two things to create that incredibly deep flavor.

So ladies, strap on your maid outfit, fellas your banana hammock and lets get Fronch (french with a thick French Accent).

The ingredients resting before the big protest march. Cremini Mushrooms, Onion, Garlic, Parsley and White Wine

Close up on the Sliced Mushrooms with finely diced onions resting on them in the saute pan

The brown stuff on the pan is called "fond" and it is made up of delicious

White Wine getting ready to "deglaze" the pan

The White Wine being poured while scraping like a madman to release the "fond" back into the wild

A close up on the "fond" releasing from the pan while "deglazing"

A sprinkle of fresh chopped Parsley finishes the dish. Notice how much darker the mushrooms have become from the de-glazing

General Notes:

Prep Time: 10 -15 minutes This will depend on how fast you can wash and slice mushrooms.
Servings: This is for 4 garnishes or 2 sides. It can also be used as a stuffing
Notes: Any type of mushroom will work for this recipe. This one calls for Cremini but that is just because they are a step up from white button mushrooms in flavor, easy to find and not terribly expensive. Onions and Shallots work interchangeably here, the classic version uses shallots but that does not mean you have them in your house when you want to make this.

Ingredients:

8 oz Cremini Mushrooms
1/4 cup diced Onions
2-3 minced Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
1/4 cup White Wine
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper and even Crushed Red Pepper if you like it a touch spicy, to taste

Equipment:

8-10 inch Saute/Fry pan

Stove

Cutting Skills

Knife

Cutting Board

Written Directions:

Assemble all of your ingredients and equipment
Give those mushrooms a good rinse taking care to remove the dirt from them. You can rinse mushrooms. It is an old french chef's tale that you should never let water touch them. It is a lie. You can actually soak mushrooms for hours without too much water getting in there. So go ahead and reap the benefits of modern society
Start your pan to preheating over low heat
Start prepping your ingredients taking care to slice things evenly
Add a bloop of Olive Oil to the pan and turn the heat up to medium, maybe even medium high
Add the mushrooms and the onions such that everything is in one layer, if you have too much then work in batches
Give it a quick toss or quick stir. THen leave that dang pan alone
SERIOUSLY. The secret to great sauteed mushrooms is to leave them alone to let them get some color "But you said to saute you should keep the pan moving" blah, blah, blah. The thing is this. Mushrooms contain a lot of water and you need to get that water out of there. If you keep them moving they will start sweating instead of sauteing. Booyah. You just got told sucka
Let those little guys hang out for a few minutes to let that color going. Then give them a good toss or stir to redistribute them
Next add in that chopped Garlic and let them go a few minutes longer
Now the fun part. Get your wine and your stirring implement ready. You should have some good fond on the bottom of the pan to loosen up. Now a note on de-glazing with alcohol. If you are doing this over a gas stove then you better move the pan off the heat to do this. If you do it over the heat you might ignite the alcohol that is fuming off and start a beautiful fire. However, it is still fire so be careful. Anyways, pour in the wine and stir like crazy to try and loosen up all those bits
Now mix everything up and add your parsley, stir around and remove form the heat.
Now you can either make it happen in your tum tum now...or you can stuff it into a chicken breast like below and then make it happen in your tum tum

How to Saute or Jitterbug...Jitterbug...Jitterbug

2009-09-11T10:34:00.017-07:00

But am I ready to be a father figure?

Few musicians have captured the attention of the world quite as completely as George Michael. He just jitterbugged his way right into our hearts in the 80's and never left. So what in the world does George Michael have to do with cooking? EVERYTHING! DON'T YOU EVER QUESTION THE COOKER! Okay...it is a bit of a stretch. However, that does not make either subject any less important.

Just like dancing, being able to properly saute is a skill that should be learned and developed. It is one of the most common ways to cook things and always adds panache to a description. Which sounds better; sweated onions and bell peppers or sauteed onions and bell peppers? Exactly. Sweated onions sounds like the fat guy at the beach that is sweating bullets because he is eating.

Mmm, that sounds good. I'll have that

This post is dedicated to Saute, the verb. This post will show some basic steps in sauteing and will even have a side dish sneaked into it. Look to sauteing when you want to deepen then flavor of something by browning it. Sauteing is normally reserved for things that can be cooked quickly and hold onto their shape pretty well. This is why shrimps and veggies are typically sauteed and potatoes and soup are typically not.

The important part here is that when you are doing some sauteing you want the food to be dancing or jitterbugging around the pan. If the pan is too cold you will sweat your veggies instead and this neither the time nor the place. So your pan must be good and hot, around medium for most people's stoves and pans. You must also be using some sort of fat that can handle higher temperatures, so only use butter if you have clarified it first. Also, sauteing is about getting some color on the food that you are cooking. You should be browning the food, if there is not enough heat to brown it then you need to crank it. With that in mind let us begin.

Grab yourself a pan. Either of these would work just fine. The one on the right is a proper saute pan but the cooker was feeling sassy so the fry pan was used, plus the saute pan was being used for something else. Whichever you choose, try to pick one that is big enough for the job at hand. If that pan is too small and you start crowding it you will have to work in batches so that you do not sweat. Anyways, go ahead and start letting it heat up while you start prepping the items to be sauteed.

These are the guys that will be getting cut up and then sauteed. It will make a lovely side dish for whatever else you might be having in the late summer time.

Here they are after being cut up. The squashes were cut using what we will call for the time being, the carrot method, and the onions were cut up in the non dice version here. And then there is the garlic which is going to get its own post some day, cuz damn it tasty.

So you heat the pan and then pour your preferred fat in there and let it heat. You know it is ready when it slides easily back and forth across the pan. It is too hot if the oil is smoking or your kitchen is on fire. When it has reached the specified oil temperature, add the cut onions. Okay, and when you add the onions, don't be an idiot. Be careful. Add them close to the pan so that you do not splash the oil everywhere and look like this. You should hear a nice sizzle, if you do not your oil is not hot enough. Crank it up a little until you hear a good sizzle. Oh and add some salt at this point.

Keep the onions moving fairly regularly so that they brown but do not burn. They should look something like those above. if not you better crank it up a little or let them sit a little longer between moves. Next add your squash again without being an idiot. Add a touch of salt and keep that stuff moving regularly. Oh and remember to not crowd the pan. Crowding the pan will drop the heat of the pan and you will start sweating instead of sauteing.

Time for the big toss. Tilt the pan down and let the food slide towards that edge.

Then flick your wrist up while pulling back to throw the food into the air while also launching it backwards. This is no time for cowardice. This is no time to be timid. You gotta go for it. if you do not, nothing will happen and you will just coat your backsplash with squashy bits.

If you have acted with bravery and all has gone to plan, the pan will catch the food as it falls back to the earth. Does this a few times to mix everything up nicely. Oh, if you would like practice, try with a cold pan and some uncooked rice. Start with tiny tosses and move your way up. Toss that around a couple times and then add your garlic. Keep it moving until everything has some color. Then slide it onto a dish and you are ready.

That is the finished side over there on the right side. The Cooker did not get a great shot of the squash on its on so you get a sauteed dish in entirety. The mushroom thing and the chicken will follow, calm down.

To summarize.

You need a pan that gets hot.
You need a fat of some sort that can handle some heat.
You need to hear a sizzle.
You need to do some browning. Color is the goal.
Do not overcrowd the pan as this will lead to uneven cooking and sweating. Not the goal.
You need to choose items that cook rather quickly and hold their shape.
You must not be timid. The meek might inherit the earth but they will be making piss poor saute the whole time. This is why strong adjectives and verbs describe cooks. Galloping Gourmet, not shuffling. Iron Chef, not putty. Wham, not tickle.
You must then make it happen in your tum tum.

Questions? Need more elaboration? You better axe somebody.

Bell (Pepper) Biv Devoe

2009-09-02T10:06:00.010-07:00

You have bested Onion and Carrot with flawless victories. Now for your final challenge in this introductory course, the Workshop presents the Bell Pepper. Slippery, stubborn, complicated, and sometimes containing half a clone inside, the Bell Pepper is your most formidable foe yet. You would be wise to sharpen up the knife before engaging this one in mortal combat. The Bell Pepper has been known take dull knives away from cookers, tying the cookers to a spinning wooden wheel and then flinging the knives at their helpless fingers giving them cuts a plenty. Do you want that? The tricky part with Bell peppers is getting the seed pod out without wasting all the flesh. Two general methods are shown here. After getting the seed pod out you can slice or dice however you like for the dish that you are preparing.

For the first method curl those fingers up and lay the Pepper on its side. Then cut the stem end off in a slicing motion far enough down such that there is an opening in the top big enough to remove the seed pod.

Then cut the bottom off, again in a slicing motion such that there is an opening on the bottom.

Then prop the the thing up on end and slice down through one side to open up the Pepper.

Then pull out the seed pod and all of the whit pithy stuff you can see with either your hand or your knife.

With the Pepper deseeded lay it out flat, skin side down and begin slicing it parallel to the ribs, all the way if you like slices or just most of the way if you like dice.

This is the other side of the Pepper that has been cut for most of the way to get ready for a dice.

Then just cutting perpendicular to get that lovely dice.

Method number two is a little trickier to explain so here goes. Take the whole Pepper and slice down the ribs of the Pepper from top to bottom using the tip of your knife. The ribs are those indentations just in case you are not familiar. Cutting down each rib makes it easier to open up the whole thing later.

Next, open up the whole Pepper, bending back the sections that you have cut. If you bend them all the back they will break off at the base of the seed pod.

You are then left with smaller sections of Pepper that you can then slice or dice. you can make rounded slices using this method due to the natural curve of the Pepper.

Looks like you passed the introductory course. Here is a Gold Star. You can now make the southern Trinity as well, onions, celery and bell pepper. They use that as a base for everything down in Louisiana. This has concluded the first course is cuttering. Future courses will show different cuts and the fancy names for them as well as how to make them. Did..Did you...Did you cut yourself!? Well then what is all that red on your fingers!? Oh. But how did you get that slice of Pepper stuck to your finger? You know what, keep it to yourself. Yikes. Now go wash your hands and make something tasty so that you may make it happen in your tum tum.

If Carrots got you drunk...Rabbits would be Faaaaaded

2009-08-31T13:34:00.006-07:00

Well. Well. Well. You have defeated Onion my young grasshopper? (Cooker begins slowly clapping) Then you must feel ready to take on your next adversary. Hmmm? You were born ready? Well then prepare yourself grasshopper, for CARROT! Why is there no fear in your eyes? Feeling cocky then eh? Cocky enough to use...a PEELER? Still no fear. Right. Let's get on with it then.

Before you lies the carrot, edible raw or cooked, whole or cut, peeled or unpeeled. This post is designed to show you some basic ways to cut up a carrot without using crazy french terms. Those will follow shortly though if all goes to plan. So there is the simple round, wheel cut which is good for longer cooking where the carrot needs to be recognizable. There is the half circle carrot cut for slightly faster cooking and where it can begin fading into a background flavor. Then there is the quarter wheel cut which is good for fast cooking where you do not need to have a distinct carrot flavor. Remember to keep those fingers curled under and bigger carrots are easier to practice on. Oh, and that dang knife better be sharp.

Start by peeling the carrot. There are millions of ways to do this. The Cooker is meticulous and goes from top to bottom one ever so slightly overlapping strip at a time until the whole thing is peeled. The hand and peeler are out of focus because the camera's eye has a hard time capturing something that fast.

When the carrot is completely naked it is time to start making with the cuts. Snip the tip and the top just a bit from each side to clean it up. Then depending on what type of cut you are going to make you can cut it in half to make it more manageable or leave it whole. A variety of cuts are to be performed so this carrot is being halved.

Now curl those fingers under and start slicing the carrot into wheels. Something to keep in mind while doing this is to try and keep the carrots the same size as you go. Carrots are smaller closer to the tip so make wider cuts there and narrow then as you come up so that they cook at the same rate. P.S. use a rocking motion with your knife to make the job easier.

For the half wheel, take the section of carrot that you are working with and bisect it lengthwise. Taking care to keep the carrot from rolling which might sink the knife into your fingers. Use that same rocking motion here as carrots can be cruel mistresses.

Then use the same method and cut across your previous cut to make a series of half wheels.

To make the quarter wheel cut. Bisect the half carrot you have lengthwise again. Keep the two halves together though as it is quicker to cut them up this way. Then cut them the same way as both times before and you end up with cute little quarters.

Here are the three cuts ready for your viewing pleasure. From left to right, quarters, halves and wholes.

Still got all those sweet little fingers intact it looks like. Nice job. Seriously though these little guys can get the best of you if you are not careful. You can now cut up 2/3 of the super base mirepoix. Well really you can do all three. Celery is pretty much the same idea as carrots just shaped a little different. Celery poses the question...do peel or not to peel? Keep the stringies or get rid of them. You make the call. So now you can make a solid base to soups, sauces, stocks, stews etc.

Okay so now just knock out 80 - 90 of these and you will be ready for your next task. Okay you don't really need to cut that many. But think about how you might make a dice out of a veggie shaped like a carrot. Go make something tasty with these little games so that you can make it happen in your tum tum.

There's no crying in cookering!

2009-08-27T15:27:00.008-07:00

Oh man you look terrible. What did you get in a knife fight or something? Seriously? Who gets in knife fights? Okay who did you get in a knife fight with? A vegetable!? I am not listening anymore, it is time for you to get educated in the craft of the kitchen knife cuz damn. Having good knife skills is one of the greatest attributes you can have in a kitchen or while cooking. If you have honed (!) your skills you will take less time in preparation and more importantly your items will cook evenly and predictably. Oh and your hands will not look like you hand feed bears little smokies.

There are as many ways to cut an onion as there are stars in the sky (10). This post is going to focus on two of the handiest to have available in your tool box as it were. The first is good for when you want the onion in relatively big even slices. So things like stir frys and caramelized onions. The second is just a dice which is good for things that either will only be sweated or not cooked at all. So sauce and salsas.

Remember, a sharp knife is your friend especially in the case of onions. A dull knife will jack up your situation. The first thing to do in either situation is to get the onion ready. In this case you should cut the top and the bottom off the onion maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from each end. Then cut the whole operation in half latitudely.

Then get in there with your fingers, well what you have left of them, and peel of the papery skin of the onion. Depending on the onion this might require removing the first layer. Just try to leave some of the onion on there.Next put the onion cut side down on your board. Then starting from whichever side you are more comfortable with, slice along the curved edge of the onion towards where the center of the onion touches the board. Then move a little higher and repeat all the while keeping your fingers clear and aiming for where the center of the onion meets the board.

Continue this way until you make it all the way around. The slices should look something like this.

So there you have slices. Look for the side by side comparison at the end. Now on to the dice. Start with the same halved deskinned onion. Put it cut side down and make a slice parallel to the board through the top or bottom about a third of the way towards the top from the bottom. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. SERIOUSLY. Cut until you are just shy of the other side. This will keep the onion held together and make your life much easier later. Then move up another third and make another slice and then do the last third.

Next slice along the curved side of the onion perpendicular to your previous cuts and the board. AGAIN, DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. Leave the side you left connected earlier still connected. Once again this will make your life easier and make you look like a pimp/pimptress when the time comes.

Now make cuts the last direction perpendicular to the last cut leaving you with a beautiful dice. CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH NOW. When you get close to the still connected side flip that part over and cut it up separately. Notice the fingers curled under as to avoid getting cut. When you get more comfortable you can actually have the flat side of the knife rest against your knuckles while you cut.

There you have it. Both styles ready to roll. Hey, look whose not bleeding anymore! Now go and practice.

What was that? No. This is not some exercise that prepares you for fighting like in the karate kid. This shows you how to cut an onion. So that you can cut an onion.

Now use these to make something tasty and make it happen in your tum tum.

Skills to come in handy in a knife fight...or meal time.

2009-08-24T09:45:00.009-07:00

So there you are hanging out with your boys, you know the "gang," and you all start feeling a little...anxious.

'nuff said

You know, ready to throw down. Ready to mix it up and test your mettle. Ready to find another group of boys or "gang" and have a good old fashioned knife fight.

A good friend of the Workshop Nico defending his toon's honor against the shirtless wonder

Sadly though you can only find a chef's knife to wield and a bunch of veggies to fight. However, those veggies should not be underestimated. If you go after them unprepared you just might come out of it with a few shorter fingers and some horribly bloody tasting stir fry. Oh but your ego has decided to write some checks that your body can't cash.

I am giving you your dream shot

Now look at you. Take a look at those veggie cuts and those fings (!). You just got your a$$ kicked by something that cannot even move on its own. What you need is some knowledge and some training. You need a montage. Well the Workshop does not have that kind of technology so what you get instead is a series of short posts showing how to cut some stuff up. Each one shows a couple different ways to go so that your ingredients can cook evenly and your fingers can maintain their current length and blood content. Stay tuned for the knowledge bomb, but you might want to take off your shoes because when your socks going fly off at that kind of speed your shoes will be destroyed.

Cool, Cool, Cool...Cool Tools

2009-06-01T11:57:00.012-07:00

If you have ever spent a sleepless night watching infomercials then you have no doubt seen some amazing kitchen gadgets that are supposed to make your life easier. That is not to say that these gadgets do not work or do not make your life easier, they just might do that. The main problem with most of the items pushed is that their uses are limited and they take up a bunch of space. It would be great to have a juicer than can juice a shoe so you can wake up every morning to a tall glass of fresh juiced shoe, but seriously, how big is your kitchen? You honestly have room for the juicer, the chopomatic, the dehydrator, the magic bullet, and the Chef Tony knives? The Workshop is not that big. Keep in mind, these things are not a waste of money and can do what they do very well. The point that is being driven to is that these things can never replace the old standards, and that it it better to have a solid base of equipment and the knowldege to use it.

So what kind of stuff should you get in 3 easy payments? Basic stuff that can be used to make myriad things well. Things that people have been using to make food for centuries. You ever see an elderly woman with a face that looks like a well worn bomber jacket using a Magic Bullet to make her great grand mothers recipe? No, you have not. She is using a machete that gives the phantom pain of a tetanus shot just looking at it and a block of wood that must have had heads/hands chopped off on it.

The following is a general list of equipment that it is good to have in a kitchen. If you do not have these do not freak out. Take these with a grain of salt. This list is sort of a desert island proposition, that is to say what things you might want if starting from nothing on a fixed budget.

The first thing that you should have? A knife you say? That is a good idea for sure, however you can actually prepare more stuff with just a big old heavy pot than you can with just a knife. So the first thing you should get is a good heavy dutch oven kind of thing. These things range in price like you would not believe. You want to pay $600 for one? Sure. Oh, you said $60? Sure, you're covered too. You can even find some that are made out of cast iron and will outlast you and cost next to nothing. Now, why should you have this before a knife? Versatility. In this same pot you can boil stuff, broil stuff, saute stuff, braise stuff, pan fry stuff, deep fry stuff, steam stuff, sear stuff, or break things (it is heavy). Most things that you cook in a dutch oven are cooked by moist heat, the main exception being sauteing and frying which can be considered dry heat. So it takes care of half of the cooking methods. So in other words, if it involves cooking you can basically do it with one of these. Look for the heaviest, thickest one you can to promote good heat distribution and make sure it is oven safe with a tight fitting lid.

Now it is time to bring in the knife. With this little guy you can now control more of what you cook. You can ensure more uniform cooking times by adjusting the sizes of things and you can peel things that need to be peeled to be tasty. You should get the knife that fits your budget and feels best in you hand. A decent knife, if cared for, will last you forever. Also, remember to pick up a honing steel to keep your knife sharp. There was a huge long thing about knives last post, so check that out if you have more questions.

The Cooker loves to grill so that comes next. If you have a grill, be it a gas (indoors or outdoors), wood, charcoal, or even Foreman you can create a whole bunch more fun things. The grill will take care of your dry heat cooking needs. There are flavors that you simply cannot recreate any other way than with a grill. Plus, if you talk to someone that has grilled a long time, you will have a hard time stumping them on how to use the grill to cook just about anything. I bet they could even make a good soup directly on the grill if need be. When looking for a grill, the biggest thing that you will need to decide is how you want to generate the heat. This will depend on if you have access to a backyard type of area or not. If not go with an indoor grill or even a Foreman grill if that is the best you can do. The best thing to grill on is a real wood burning grill, however this not only requires the most attention and skill, but also requires the most time to get going. Gas grills are somewhere in the middle of those. The Workshop uses a charcoal grill as it has a nice blend of flavor and convenience. Just never use lighter fluid with anything, it tastes nasty. Especially on the Foreman Grill.

Better get a cutting board next. With this apparatus you can now do more precision cutting and slicing. Never use anything harder than your knife for a cutting board, i.e. glass. Wood is great for veggies and a plastic composite is great for meats. Aside from that you decide what you like. If it is plastic get the biggest that fits in your dishwasher. If it is wood, get the biggest that you do not mind lugging around or keeping on your counter.

The next thing to get would be a saute pan, 10" should be good. A saute pan differs from a fry pan in that the saute pan has straight sides and the fry pan has sloping sides. This allows you to do a couple more things in the saute pan than you can in the fry pan. This will allow the searing of meats and veggies, shallow braising, sauteing of course, and risotto making. When buying a saute pan get the thickest, heaviest pan that you can. The metals involved in the pan can start getting involved at this point. Generally speaking multi-metal "clad" pans are better than single metal pans. They are also more expensive so get what you can. As far as the size is concerned, go for a 10" pan as it will give you some good size to sear off big things but not be so big that you can't cook small amounts of things in it.

This is the point where everything starts blending together. If you have the previously mentioned items you can make just about anything that is not baking related. The following list is another set of kitchen essentials but they are not as important as the previously mentioned ones. They have more specific uses but are nonetheless used quite a bit. If a description seems necessary then it will be added of course.

Vegetable Peeler (the ceramic ones are worth the money)
A box grater, to make short work of cheese, taters, citrus zest, etc.
Bread Knife
Paring Knife
Whisk (any kind works fine)
Non Stick Fry Pan, look for non-stick pans that are oven safe. Older non stick pans give off a cancer chemical when used over high heat or used in the oven. That is not to say that you are going to get nose cancer from smelling the fumes, it just means that it could be a good idea to get a pan that doesn't add more to your daily carcinogen consumption.
Assorted Pans, take a look at the kind of things that you cook most often and go from there as far as which pans you get. The alternative is to buy a pan set which works just fine too.
Food Processor, if you get a good one it will last you forever. However, take a look at how much you will actually use the thing because the Workshop's gets used maybe once a month or so depending on what is being made. Oh there is a cool one that is a food processor and a blender, which means taking up less room.
Food Mill, this is awesome for making purees of things, be it the world's best mashed potatoes or red pepper coulis.

That seems to be enough for right now. Questions? Ask in the comments section and the Workshop will drop some knowledge on you.

Meet the friend that just may save your life one day

2009-05-11T15:41:00.011-07:00

A knife can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you treat the knife with respect it will be your best friend for life. Your BFF. Your bosom buddy. Your sidekick. Your soul sister. Your brochacho. The only thing that won't leave you when the world is cold and gray...Might have gotten a little off track there. However, if you do not treat the knife with respect it will ruin you. It will knock-up your wife and your daughter. It will shiv you in the shower. It will take your Grandmother out for a nice steak dinner and then never call her again. It will make you train your replacement at your very recently former job... Moving on.

So here is you new friend. Not so scary right? Let us take a closer look. This is a Santouko knife, which is sometimes referred to as an Asian Chef's knife. This is the main knife used in the Workshop, as it is the most comfortable for the Cooker. This is a personal preference type of thing.

The image above is a diagram of the various key points of a knife. If you would like a more detailed description of each part let the Workshop know.

Here you have the handle. Most knife handles come in maybe 4 different materials, metal, plastic, rubber and wood. There are of course plusses and minusses to each one and it will depend ultimately on which one feels the most comfortable in your hand. Here are some things to consider for each material.

The metal handles are typically one piece with knife itself. The Workshop has found these knives to be slippery when wet, which is a little scary sometimes. Here is an example of a metal handled knife. The benfit to a knife like that though is that you will never have to worry about the handle coming loose or getting broken or cracked.

The plastic handled knives are by far the most common. The benefit is that they can be molded into ergonomic designs for ease of use. The downside is that they can crack, chip and actually break off if you really jack it up. Here is an example of a plastic handled knife.

The rubber handled knives are a relatively recent development and are mainly used by professional cooks to ease the hand strain from chopping stuff for hours everyday. The good part is that they are very comfortable to hold and use. The bad part is that they get pretty nasty looking after a little while and can get rubbed down. Here is an example of a rubber handled knife.

The wood handle looks the best in the opinion of this Cooker and has the nicest feel. However, the handle can get discolored easily, warp and generally get nasty looking more quickly than the others if it is not cared for. Here is an example of a wooden handled knife.

No matter what kind of knife you like, make sure that it has what is referred to a full tang. This means that the metal of the knife runs throughout the handle of the knife. This adds better weight distribution and added strength.

The business end. This is a Santouko shape with a "hollow" edge. The shape will dictate what the knife is good for, in this case veggies. Each knife shape will lend itself to different types of preparations. The most universal is the classic French Chef's knife. Which can be used as a paring knife, carving knife, butchers knife and shell cracker. So if you have just one get a French Chef's knife. The knife in the diagram picture is a French Chef's knife. Long and skinny blades are better for slicing. Short and wide knives are better for chopping and breaking things. Short narrow knives are better for peeling things. Serrated is better for very soft, squishy things and bread.

There are a few different types of metals that this knives are made from. The thing to take note of is the carbon content. The higher the carbon content, the sharper the knife can get but the more often it would need to be sharpened and honed. This will be a personal preference for you. The Workshop prefers a slightly lower carbon knife as it stays sharper longer, but it is up to you.

The arty shot here is basically a picture of a honing steel. There is a difference between honing and sharpening. Honing is straightening out the edge of the blade and sharpening is creating a new edge. Honing should be doen every time you use the knife to maintain the sharp edge of the knife. Sharpening should only be done when honing no longer brings the edge back. A honing steel straightens out the blade. There are two general types of honing steels: one is called a steel, this realigns the edge; the other is a diamond coated steel which removes metal from the knife, basically sharpening it. Here is a funny gif of honing. Here is a kind of weird video of honing. One thing about the video though, do not do more than about 10 strokes with the honing steel, more than that is unnecessary and will cause your knife to dull more quickly over time.

A sharp knife is more safe than a dull knife. The Cooker's fingers and knuckles can attest to that. A sharp knife cuts exactly where you tell it to and does not jump through anything unexpectedly. A dull knife requires more effort to cut, jumps like crazy and goes where it wants to. So keep your knife sharp so that you can keep your fingers. Plus, cutting your fingers with a sharp knife feels way better than cutting yourself with a dull knife.

Okay time for the speech about knives that goes to any worker in the Workshop or any of the employees that work for the Cooker at "the Job." You will cut yourself with your knife. It will happen. When is up to you and how much respect you give the knife. If you take care of your knife, keeping it clean and sharp, and keep your fingers out of the way, you will be fine. If you understand and respect the fact that you are holding something that cuts through the skin and bone of formerly living things and understand that you are made of the same stuff, you will be fine.

Image property of Danilo Alfaro

Hold the knife confidently in your dominant hand. The image above is the catch all way to hold a chef's knife. You can also keep your entire hand on the handle. It all depends on what you are cutting. Holding it as in the image is good for delicate to medium work. Using the whole handle is for heavy work or work that is going to require some grunt and sweat.

Image property of Danilo Alfaro

Notice that the person in the image has their fingies out of the way of the knife. This is the way a person who respects the knife holds the food to be cut. You will notice that the knife is resting against their knuckles guiding the knife. This is something that takes a little getting used to. The important thing is to make sure that you fingers are curled. Curled fingers = 4 fingers + 1 Thumb. Uncurled fingers = < 4 fingers + 1 Thumb. Oh, and keep that damn thumb out of there.

Does that cover everything? Need more. Let us know in the comments.

General Notes for the Workshop

2009-04-24T10:42:00.005-07:00

This post will go over some things that are always good to keep in mind while in your workshop. The discussion might get somewhat philosophical at times but only as necessary. This post is also the answer to Mr. Ward's request for information "What are the fundamental principles that a good chef always follows and practices?" Brace yourself, because this baby is looooonnngg.

The first thing to remember is that cooking is, above all else, a craft. That is to say, it is a skill that can be learned. Of course some people are going to be better at performing this craft just like any other but always remember that anyone can be a great cook. With that in mind, think of cooking as being a series of tasks that when completed, yields delicious food. The rest of these fundamentals are all based upon that notion, that cooking is a craft that can be learned.

Fundamentals to live by in the kitchen:
"You ain't done cookin' 'til you done cleanin'," - Unknown Chef
How in the world are you going to create a delightful little something if your kitchen looks like it should be on Clean House. The easiest way to keep your kitchen clean is to work cleanly and efficiently and clean as you go.
So what are some tips to doing that?

Start with a clean kitchen.
Organize yourself before you start cutting things and actually cooking things. If you have a lot to prepare or you have trouble knowing what should be done next, create a prep list or have the recipe that you are working from easily available.
Collect all the equipment that you will need for your dish and have it waiting on you. Put the pans on the stove and start them heating at low heat. Have your cutting board out and knives sharpened and ready to go. Have someplace for your prepped items to go while waiting for the next step.
Assemble all your ingredients that can hang out at room temperature for 30 minutes, i.e. meats, veggies, canned items, broths etc.
Work in stages, do all your washing, then all your cutting, then all your cooking, then all your plating, etc.
Find a warm place in your kitchen that finished items can hang out until the whole thing is done. Maybe it is a warming drawer, a low oven, the back of the stove, hot window sill in the desert.
Keep an old plastic grocery bag in your prep area for waste and scrapes. Most everyone has about ten thousand plastic bags lying around with nowhere to go, put them to work for you. That way you can keep your prep area free of clutter and reuse those plastic bags. Another great thing is that when have finished you can just tie up the bag and throw it in your trash, making the stinks take a little longer to get out. Oh and if anyone uses Rachel Ray's garbage bowl, you will hear a knock on your door and it will be common sense coming to your house to punch you in the face. Why would you buy a bowl to put trash in before you put it in the trash can that you then have to wash. Plus the bowl is super ugly.
Fill up one side of your sink with hot soapy water to put your pans in right after your are finished using them. This helps to loosen the cooked on bits and speeds up your cleaning time.
Do the dishes right after you finish your meal. If you wait you will not do them and then next time your are ready to cook you will have to wash them before you can even start.

The more organized and cleanly that you work, the more time and attention you can spend making the food taste good. If you are running around like crazy in a dirty kitchen you will get nothing done, take longer to do it and make food that tastes marginal at best. The best cooks always look cool ,calm and collected while cooking and their food reflects that. Working clean and being organized is something that chefs are judged on in professional cooking competitions as well as what culinary students are graded on while taking their exams.

Classics are Classics for a reason:

Cooking has been around for ever. You will never create a truly unique dish. Someone, somewhere, did it 500 years ago in a village somewhere. It might not have been identical but it was close enough. Depressing? Not really. Take advantage of that long history. Those villagers have taken care of the research for you. They tasted the things that did not go together. They caught the diarrhea so that you could learn from their story. So look at the dishes that cultures become famous for and notice the flavor combinations that they use. Notice how they choose to prepare those ingredients. Learn from them.
When you cannot think of something to make or what a dish needs to make it taste right, look back to the classics for the answers.
Learn the classic from as many different cultures as you can. This will give your cooking, your diet, and your mind a wide diversity. Plus, you might find that you like the flavor profiles of a particular country better and you might start using those to build your dishes instead. Epicurious has a list of classic recipes from around the world so you can try just that.

Use the best that your budgets allow:

Sometimes quality costs more. There will be times when you are going to have to decide whether to splurge or sacrifice. This is true for your pocket book as well as your wrist watch. You will have to decide where you should spend your time and money on your dish. Will it be the protein, the side dish, the dessert, the beverage accompaniment? Is it a special occasion that calls for privacy and indulgence or is the 4th of July and the neighborhood is coming over to your house?
Try to find someplace in your city that sells consistently good produce. More so than anything else, this will make the biggest difference in the quality of your average dishes.
If you are going to make fish at home, pay the money and get some good stuff. If you are going to risk making your house sell fishy you better be cooking some quality fish and you better take care to not overcook it.

Proper Preparation trumps everything:

If you can learn to prepare things to the correct level of doneness, you are 75% of the way to the great cook promised land.
Performing the basic things correctly will make a huge difference in your final product. So if you are searing something, sear the ever loving hell out of it. Do not be timid, make it happen. Put some damn color on whatever you are searing. If you are sauteing then you should be sauteing and not steaming or sweating. This goes for every technique and everything.
This also plays to a more philosophical level as well. If you are going to prepare something that so many people have worked so hard to get to you the cook, then you should do your best not to waste their efforts.

Start simple and work up from there:

Almost every accomplished chef spends much of the early part of their career finding their style. This usually ends up with them creating these incredibly elaborate dishes that no one understands but them and half the time the dishes are not even that good. The flavors do not meld real well or the there is just a lot of superfluous stuff there. Then something happens along the way and they start removing things from their dishes. They take their dishes to the basic level that they can and still have it work. Then maybe they build it back up and maybe they don't.
Everything you make should taste like what you are making. Sounds stupid right? Think about it this way, how many times have you had carrots that tasted like something far from carrots. Chicken should taste like chicken with complimentary flavors. Carrots should taste like carrots with complimentary flavors. So on and so on.
People have been making food for centuries and it has only been recently that we started getting purpose built gadgets. Steer clear of most one dimensional gadgets, they will clutter your kitchen and keep you from learning how to do things the right way. The simplest way to prepare something is most often times the best way.

Always be a student of your craft:

Great cooks are always paying attention to what they are doing. They always want to know why doing something makes the end result taste a certain way. Talking to a great chef about why they prepare a dish a certain way can be intimidating. They will talk about little nuances about the preparation that you would never have looked for. They are always striving to know exactly why everything works so that they can increase their skills.
Researching cooking can lead you to new inspirations. You can learn about a dish from the past that makes you look at something today a whole new way. Look at cookbooks and restaurant menus and keep your eyes open for new ways of doing things.

To summarize the things that a good chef always practices:

Always work organized, clean, efficiently, and with forethought
Be familiar with as many classic dishes and flavor combinations as possible
Work with the best ingredients that you can
Prepare everything with as much respect and care as possible
Keep your preparations simple, add complexity with the combinations
Stay a student of your craft, it will only better your cooking

Wow that was a lot of writing. Congrats if you made it through the whole thing. Sorry about the typos.

The Basics to start considering

2009-04-16T15:57:00.002-07:00

The next few posts are going to be covering some very basic things so that all 8 of you who follow this blog with an almost obsessive dedication can have things to refer to if needed. The other fun thing is that these techniques can be linked back to through the subsequent posts. If you are already familiar with these then witness the mastery that is the Cooker's.

In no particular order so far.
Using the tools in your kitchen the right way, and knowing which ones to have
Choosing the right pan or pot for the job
Getting friendly with your friend the knife (your new friend)

Techniques:
Saute
Pan-Fry
Roast
Braise
Bake
Steam
Boil
Poach
Simmer
Broil
Grill

Those techniques will take us right into a whole bunch of other wonderful things as well, however that list is looking daunting enough as it is.

On the Workbench...The Basics

2009-04-14T16:45:00.002-07:00

The Workshop had a realization. This Workshop has a shoddy foundation. Shoddy at best. How can a quality establishment that can withstand all that is thrown at possibly stand for long without a rock solid foundation? This house of cards need to be rebuilt with Legos...or something stronger.

With that in mind the Workshop humbly and with a whiff of embarrassment presents for exploration...The Basics. Basic preparations that can be applied to anything will be explored such that this Workshop can be rebuilt proud and tall. Who knows, it might even be LEED qualified when all is said and done.

Furthermore, if there is some basic ingredient preparation that you are feeling uneasy about or feel that it could use some fine tuning, drop a line in the comments section.

Off the Workbench...Lemons

2009-04-14T10:45:00.002-07:00

Lemons, there is no easy way to say this. Your star is fading. You are no longer the hot ticket. You are like John Travolta in the late 80's, before Pulp Fiction. Take this time to do the work you really love. Start a band, do some plays, work on your "one-man show." Only take roles that you will be really appreciated in.

Who is the hot new thing that is replacing you? First of all, calm down and see this as an opportunity. Second, there is not a new star rising just yet. When the time is right one will burst onto the scene. No, this is a time for rebuilding, getting back to roots, the classics that have made the genre what it is. So, go and enjoy yourself. We will call when we have something that screams out for Lemon, don't you worry about that. This isn't goodbye, it is see you later.

Easy Lemon Cookies

2009-04-10T11:36:00.006-07:00

The Workshop has maintained an Anti Rachel Ray stance for sometime. This cooker feels that she misrepresents her 30 minute meals and her $40 a day show is a detriment to servers and restaurants everywhere. Next time you watch $40 a day, look at how much free stuff she gets, how many "budget friendly" specials happen to be featured that day and she is the worst tipper ever. Stepping down from the soap box. Her magazine does have a good staff of writers and bakers it seems though. Mrs. Cooker found a simple lemon cookie recipe that is actually good. Clearly the Workshop has mixed emotions about the whole thing. However, with the exaltation of lemons in mind, the Lemon Cookie. This cookie is nicely crunchy with a pronounced lemon flavor and a nice sweetness to balance the acid of the lemon juice. The ingredient list is taken directly from the Rachel Ray website but the directions are pure Workshop.

Admit it, you have never seen baking goods look so ominous

Freshly "grated" lemon zest is crucial to the lemoniness of these cookies

The cookie dough in an arty shot

You might notice that these hands are far too delicate to be those of the Workshop Cooker. Those beautiful fingers belong to Mrs. Cooker, who made these cookies

Sugared and ready to go into the oven

Fresh out the oven and ready for consumption

General notes:
Prep Time: 25 min and 15 min baking time
Servings: 2 -3 dozen depending on how big you make them
General Notes:

Ingredients:
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, chilled
1 1/4 cups Sugar
Grated Zest of 2 lemons
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Large Egg
1 1/2 Cups AP Flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt

Equipment:
Mixing bowls
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Microplane grater or cheese grater
Measuring Cups
Cookie Sheets
Parchment paper or Pam, paper preferred
Oven set preheated to 350 degrees

Written Instructions:

Preheat the oven, line the cookie sheets with parchment, put a quarter cup of the sugar into a small bowl, get your stuff together in general
Combine 1 cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice in the stand mixer bowl and beat until fluffy.
Add the egg and mix until it is incorporated
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.
Spoon out about a tablespoon of the dough into your fingers and roll into a ball.
Drop the ball into the bowl that has the remaining sugar and coat the ball with sugar
Put the ball onto the cookie sheet, evenly spaced out
Continue until you are out of dough or cookie sheet space
Bake'um up for 12 to 15 minutes, they should have browned edges like cookies
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
Remove from pan and cool somewhere
Make it happen in your tum tum

Chicken Piccata (Chicken with a Lemony Butter Sauce)

2009-04-09T10:15:00.006-07:00

There is a good reason why some dishes have become classics. Piccata is considered more of a preparation than a dish unto itself, and most places try to sell you Veal Piccata. This is no place for those kind of discussions but Veal will never be prepared in this Workshop. Piccata is scallapiones of some sort, dredged in flour and fried up with a lemony butter sauce. It will always be the practice of this Workshop to jazz things up a little bit when possible. So this dish has the chicken sauteed and paired with a sauce made from garlic, lemon juice, lemon slices, vegetable broth, white wine, and capers. The sauce gives you a nice buttery kind of feeling with a little acid to cut it and a few goodies to peak your interest. Note: be careful when adding the capers, if they are packed in vinegar they are going to take your acid levels through the roof.

The Starting Line Up

Chicken in a bag about to get whacked

WHACK!

Sorry ladies, the Workshop cooker is in fact married

Nicely browned on one side and going for the second

The sauce simmering away, notice the lemon slices

Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair

General Notes:
Prep Time: 15 - 20 minutes depending on how fast you can flatten a piece of chicken
Servings: recipe is for 2 butcan be expanded easily
Notes: Taste the sauce before you "finish" if you are not careful you can make it feel like a Warhead. There are a lot of ranges in the ingredients as there are a lot of variables to adjust. You will have to adjust it to your taste.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Cutlets, pounded flat
1/2 cup to 1 cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
1/2 cup White Wine, good enough to drink but do not spend more than $3
2 -4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup - 1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Capers to taste, rinsed (some are packed in vinegar, some packed in salty brine. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AS IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. it does not matter which just keep it in mind while making the sauce)
1/2 lemon sliced thin
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Equipment:
Knife
Cutting Board
Plastic bag, or wax paper
Something heavy and flat that will not break or bend, either a meat hammer or fry pan
plate for dredging the flour
fry pan big enough to hold the chicken breasts, you can also do it stages if you do not have one

Written Instructions:

Place the chicken cutlet between two pices of wax paper or in a ziploc bag and smack it with your blunt object until they have flattened out a bit more. The goal is to make them flat and even. Start at the edges and smack in an outward motion to almost stretch the chicken breast out to the egdes. Repeat until all the cutlets are flattened.
Dredge the chicken breasts through the seasoned flour until they are evenly coated. shake off the excess.
Pour some Olive Oil into a pan that has been heating over Medium heat. Carefully add the chicken so that it lies in one layer across the bottom. Pan fry for 3 or 4 minutes until the first side is browned. Repeat on second side and remove from pan and set aside somewhere to keep warm.
Add the butter to the pan, quickly swirling and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, using a rubber scraper or wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add the vegetable broth, butter, and lemon slices.
Add a few capers and taste the sauce to check the acidity level. If the sace seems to acidic add some butter or a pinch of sugar or something sweet.
Add as many capers as you like being careful not to make the sauce too acidic.
Add the chicken back to the pan, and baste with the sauce. Ensure that the chicken feels firm to the touch(cooked) and that if pricked the juices run clear.
Serve with Angel hair pasta, or mashed Potatoes, or something starchy.
Make it happen in your tum tum

Spring Time Asparagus with Lemon and Friends

2009-04-07T13:37:00.005-07:00

Spring has sprung and to food related places everywhere that means Asparagus is back. Yes there are plenty of delightful ingredients that have sprung as well but lets not be the types to bring that up right now. Lemons are still on the workbench, and they do wonderful things to asparagus. Most notably brightening their already fresh flavor. Steamed Asparagus with a just squeeze of lemon on it has been known to make grown men weak at the knees. Granted these men typically are either very old, have knee problems or both.

Moving on to the dish in question. Asparagus is roasted with garlic, spring onions, lemon juice and olive oil to create a muted but bright flavor. It is easy to make and looks far more impressive that it is. On to the pictures.

Raw Asparagus, washed, trimmed and ready for the dance

The shy dance partners lined up against the wall hoping for Asparagus to pick them

A fight has broken out among the hopefuls and they have become barely recognizable

Happy day. Asparagus has chosen all of them to play twister

The aftermath of them getting baked together

General Notes:
Prep Time: 20 to 30 minutes depending on your knife skills
Servings: 4 as a side

Ingredients:
1 pound Asparagus, trimmed and peeled (peeled if they are hugely fat)
Juice of 1 lemon and as much zest as you like
3 or 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped as not to burn up in oven
2 spring onions or 1 leek, roughly chopped as not to burn up in oven
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Equipment:
Knife
Cutting Board
Hands or very dexterous feet
Roasting pan or cookie sheet
Oven preheated to 350 degrees
small mixing bowl, or cereal bowl

Written Instructions:

Rinse and trim your Asparagus. The Asparagus can be trimmed a couple ways, the woody ends can be broken off at their bending point individually or one can be broken and the rest cut at that point. Okay the breaking point is found by holding the asparagus in your hands or feet near the thick end and bending it out until it breaks.
Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl. The mixture should be pretty loose
Toss the Asparagus with the mixture on the roasting pan and put into the oven
Roast the Asparagus for 10 to 15 minutes or until the Asparagus and mixture have browned slightly and the Asparagus gives slightly to pressure.
Remove from oven and make it happen in your tum tum.

Pears left a message on the Workshop Machine

2009-03-05T16:27:00.002-07:00

Pears called again this morning. It had been weeks since the Workshop had to ask Pears to stop calling several times a day "just to check in" and see if the Workshop had any other ingredients on the work bench. You have to admire the hard work that Pears put in though. Pears made it into a Visual Guide on Epicurious. You have to admit, Pears is looking good. Real good, but it could never work in the end. Especially not with Lemons in the picture right now.

Well anyway it is worth a look, if you want to see our old friend once more.

When the text is this color it is a link, in case you have not yet noticed.

Another Dish with Gremolata (Gremlin-lata)

2009-03-03T11:14:00.004-07:00

As was mentioned in an earlier post about Gremolata, it can be used in things other than just risotto. In this case it was mixed in with some pasta to make a light accompaniment to the rest of the meal.

The Raw Gremlin-lata ready for surgery

The ingredients post surgery, ready to mingle

The mingling in full swing

General Notes:
Preparation Time: 20- 30 minutes depending on stove and knife skills
Servings: 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Notes: Angle hair works nicely but is not the end all be all of good pasta for this dish. Do some experimenting.

Equipment:
Pot for Boiling Water
Knife, Cutting Board, bowl
Zester, or grater, or peeler, or steady hand and a knife
Saute Pan (optional)

Ingredients:
Gremolata
Zest of 2 lemons, grated or chopped fine
4-6 Garlic Cloves, depending on how Garlicky you like it
1 -2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated or chopped fine, depends on how much you like ginger
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped fine
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped fine
2- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Kosher Salt to Taste

Pasta
1/2 pound (1/2 box) Angel Hair pasta
Water for boiling
Salt

Written Instructions:

Set a pot of water to boil
Combine all the ingredients for the Gremolata and set aside
Add salt to the boiling water, and let boil uncovered for 2 minutes (sanitary reasons)
Add Angel Hair and boil until pasta is al dente (cooked but not mushy), and drain
Optional Step, heat saute pan over medium low heat and add 3/4 of the prepared Gremolata to pan to cook briefly. Then add cooked and drained pasta to pan and toss to coat
Return Angel Hair to pot and add 3/4 of the prepared Gremolata
Stir to coat the pasta and move to you favorite serving vessel
Garnish with reserved Gremolata and make it happen in your tum tum

The Lemon Czar (aka what to drink when you have too much Amish Lemonade and want to enjoy a cocktail)

2009-03-03T09:26:00.006-07:00

Wondering how to make your Amish Lemonade a little less Amish, maybe a little more Russian? Well adding some Vodka is always a good place to start. Is it a little tangy and harsh for you now? Okay then add in some Cointreau to smooth that out. A little too sour still? Okay, fine, time to pull out the fancier guns, put a sugar rim on it. Delightful and refreshing right? Now go and dance, dance, dance.

Arty shot of the finished product in front of the ingredients

General Notes:
Preparation Time: 3 -5 minutes depending on how fast you can sugar a rim
Servings: 1
The workshop makes drinks pretty strong as a house policy, so decrease the booze if you need to. Also, use the best quality alcohols that you can afford, the difference is incredible.

Equipment:
1 12 ounce glass
Stirrer or shaker
Jigger, or shot glass

Ingredients:
1.5 ounce (1 shot, big side of jigger) Good Quality Vodka ( the Workshop is currently using Stolichnaya Elit, because the best Southern Wine and Spirits rep in the country, Dan Crockett, delivers free goods to the Workshop occasionally)
.5 ounce (small side of jigger) Cointreau, or Grand Marnier, or Triple Sec
Ice to fill glass
Amish Lemonade to fill the glass
Small amount of sugar to rim the glass
Lemon Slice

Written Instructions:

Get the various ingredients together
Rub the slice of lemon around the rim of the glass
Invert the glass into the sugar and spin the glass or generally just try and rub the sugar onto it
Add the booze to the glass and stir
Add ice to the glass to fill
Add the lemonade to the glass to fill
Stir again
Make it happen in your tum tum
Put on some Smokey Robinson and Dance, Dance, Dance

Upgraded Gremolata and Parsnip Risotto

2009-02-27T10:49:00.008-07:00

This recipe could be considered a two-for, in the respect that this recipe will illustrate how to make risotto as well as Gremolata. Risotto is one of the great staple recipes that every cook should know how to make. It is inexpensive to make and can be used as a base for nearly anything to be added to it. The most simple form uses only two ingredients, rice (Arborio is best) and water. There are far too many upgrades to list here, but this recipe will show some common ones. The risotto is flavored with a version of Gremolata to add a nice bright clean flavor as a counterpoint to the creamy risotto and Parsnips to add a bit of sweetness. If you are not quite ready to tackle the risotto, try tossing the Gremolata with some freshly boiled Angel Hair pasta.

Arborio, Ginger, Garlic, Mint and Parsley ready to go to work

The combined "Gremolata"

Parsnips, peeled and unpeeled

Diced Parsnips and Onions getting some color

The Arborio joins the pan party

The first ladle of broth makes it a hot tub party

The first ladel of broth has been absorbed and the pan is ready for some more

The Arborio has absorbed the broth, softened and has the "Gremolata" added

General Notes:
Total Time: 30 - 45 minutes depending on your stirring and knife skills
Servings: 2- 4 depending on it being a side dish or main dish
Notes: The normal ratio for Risotto is 4 parts water/broth to 1 part Arborio rice, the ratio seems to be more like 5 to 1 and sometimes 6 to 1 depending on how hot the pans are. In other words, be ready to use more broth than you think you will need to.

Equipment:
2 Quart Sauce Pan
2-4 Quart Saute or Fry Pan
Knife, Ladle, Cutting Board, Spatula or Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:
Gremolata
Zest of 2 lemons, grated or chopped fine
4-6 Garlic Cloves, depending on how Garlicky you like it
1 -2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated or chopped fine, depends on how much you like ginger
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped fine
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped fine
2- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Kosher Salt to Taste

Risotto
2 Medium Parsnips, peeled and diced
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 to 3 cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup White Wine (optional)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to Taste

Written Instructions:

Add the Vegetable Broth to the Sauce pan and set to a simmer on the burner next to your fry pan
Combine all the ingredients for the Gremolata and set aside
Add the fry pan to the burner next to the sauce pan and begin heating over medium heat
Peel and dice the Onion and the Parsnip
Add some Olive Oil to the fry pan, let heat momentarily and add the Onion and Parsnip
Add a pinch of Kosher Salt and Saute until the onion and Parsnip have browned slightly
Add the Arborio to the pan and stir to ensure that it has been coated with the oil
Add the White wine to the pan, if using and stir until the liquid is nearly gone
Add a ladle or two of simmering broth to the risotto mixture and begin stirring
Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed/evaporated and add another ladle or two of broth
Continue adding and stirring until the rice has lost its crunch and tastes somewhat creamy
Add roughly 3/4 of the prepared Gremolata to the pan and stir to combine
Taste the Risotto and adjust the seasoning as necessary
Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with remaining Gremolata
Make it happen in your tum tum

Flavoring and Augmenting

2009-02-26T15:00:00.003-07:00

Lemons can be quite lovely on their own but they seem to be at their best as a flavor enhancer. Their acid can add balance to dishes as well brightening the flavors. The juice and zest can be used independently of each other, but are often used in conjunction. The following list is taken from a great book called The Flavor Bible, the same authors who wrote another great book called Culinary Artistry. The items which are in ALL CAPS, are especially classic with lemons and the ones that are BOLD and in ALL CAPS, are the most classic.

ALMONDS
anise
apples
apricots
artichokes
bananas
BASIL
bay leaf
beef
berries
beverages
BLACKBERRIES
BLUEBERRIES
butter, unsalted
buttermilk
CAPERS
caramel
cardamom
cayenne
CHEESE:GOAT, RICOTTA
cherries
chervil
chestnuts
CHICKEN
chives
chocolate:dark, white
cinnamon
COCONUT
coffee
crab
cranberries
cream/milk
cream cheese
creme fraiche
custard
dates
desserts
duck
figs: fresh, dried
FISH
GARLIC
gin
ginger
gooseberries
grapefruit
grapes
GREEK CUISINE
guava
hazelnuts
HONEY
kiwi fruit
LAMB
lemongrass
lemon verbena
lime
liqueurs: nut, orange
mango
maple syrup
mascarpone
Mediterranean cuisines
Middle Eastern cuisines
MINT (garnish)
Moroccan cuisine
mustard, Dijon
nectarines
NUTS, esp. HAZELNUTS
oats
olive oil
ORANGE: JUICE, ZEST
oregano
oysters
papaya
parsley, flat leaf
passion fruit
pasta and pasta sauces
peaches
pears
pecans
pepper, black
persimmons
pine nuts
PISTACHIOS
plums
POPPY SEEDS
pork and pork chops
poultry
prunes
quince
raisins
RASPBERRIES
rhubarb
rice
ROSEMARY
rum
sage
salads and salad dressings
salt, kosher
sauces: brown butter, parsley
sesame oil
shallots
SHELLFISH
sour cream
stock, chicken
SUGAR: BROWN, WHITE
tangerine
THYME
VANILLA
VEAL
violets
vodka
walnuts
wine: red, sweet, white
yogurt

Lemonade, Amish Style

2009-02-17T11:23:00.010-07:00

Let's be honest. The first thing that you thought of when you heard Lemons were being worked on was Lemonade. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. However, had you not immediately thought of the honest, hard working Amish women working on some delightful Lemonade perhaps while the men are raising a barn, or driving a buggy or generally just doing things without the use of electricity, then you should be ashamed. Make this Lemonade and your shame will be lifted, not unlike that barn wall. The following is the Amish method of making Lemonade. It features a bright, full Lemon flavor that is far more round than the powdered variety you are used to.

A serrated knife is used to start breaking down the Lemons

The Lemons, halved with the tops and bottoms removed, ready to be sliced

Thinly sliced Lemon ready to go into the pot

The sliced Lemons covered in sugar, ready for their massage

The mashing /muddling begins

The mashing/muddling when finished

The resulting mush is then strained through a fine mesh strainer into a waiting pitcher

The strained lemon syrup is then mixed with cold water

General Notes
Time: 10 - 20 minutes, depends on your cutting speed and your muddling/mashing speed
Servings: 6 - 8 glasses of Lemonade
Notes: Adjust the amount of water and sugar to you personal taste

Equipment:
Cutting Board
Serrated Knife (preferred)
Pitcher
Fine Mesh Strainer
Potato Masher, or back of a spoon, or bottom of a ladle, child's clean feet, fists
Big Pot, pasta boiling pot or something that you can mash in and fits 12 Lemons cut up

Ingredients:
13 Lemons, any type will work
1 & 3/4 Cup Sugar
1 & 1/2 to 2 quarts (6-8 cups) cold Water

Written Instructions:

Wash all of the lemons as you will be using the skin as well
slice the tops and bottoms from 12 of the lemons, and halve them
Thinly slice the lemons and add them into the big pot
Add the sugar to the big pot
Using the potato masher start mashing the lemons up with the sugar
Keep going until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with a viscous syrup
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a waiting pitcher
Gently press down on the mush each time to try and get as much syrup out as possible
Then mix in the cold water and check the flavor
Add fresh lemon juice if it needs some more acid, more sugar if it is too tart
When the flavor is ready, make it happen in your tum tum

Special Event Workshop...Valentine's Day Menu

2009-02-17T09:31:00.004-07:00

The Workshop has a long standing tradition of preparing a special menu for a special lady every Valentine's Day. The menu is listed here to illustrate how various flavors can move through a meal so that each course is connected to the next and the last. If anyone is interested in recipes from this menu mention so in the comments section.

Valentine's Day 2009

Amuse Bouche
Fried Plantain Chip, topped with a Spicy Pineapple Puree, Cherry Tomato, Fresh Pineapple and a Caramelized Onion, Leek, and Shallot Vinaigrette

Appetizer
Caramelized Mushroom Tart with Leeks, Onions and Shallots

Soup
Leek, Parsnip and Apple Soup topped with Fried Sweet Potato Matchsticks

Salad
Spinach topped with Pineapple, Avocado and Orange tossed with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Entree
Timbale of Braised Greens with Lemon and Shallots, Steamed Parsnip, Carrot and Sweet Potato with Saffron and Ginger Quinoa, Garnished with Bell Pepper Coulis

Sorbet
Lemon, Ginger and Mint

Dessert
Pear Poached in Viogner, Rose Water and Orange Blossom Honey stuffed with Saffron Creme Caramel and topped with Reduced Poaching Liquid

Selection and Basic Preparation

2009-02-16T15:51:00.001-07:00

Selection
Lemons are typically available all year, however the price and quality tends to be at its best around January and February. This is the time of year where anyone you know who has a Lemon tree starts bringing them by your house until your house is mostly Lemons.

There are a few different variety of Lemons, most notably Lisbon and Eureka. These are the two most common types of Lemons that you can find are not different enough from each other for most grocery stores to label them as different or for us to discuss their differences.

The third most common type is the Meyer Lemon which is substantially different from the other two. Most interestingly it is not even considered to be a proper Lemon, but more a member of the citrus family that is closest to lemons. It differs from standard Lemons in that it is not quite as acidic, with a floral note. Compared to regular lemons, Meyer lemons are thinner- and smoother-skinned, rounder in shape, and have a deeper yellow-orange hue. Though not exactly sweet, Meyers are less acidic than regular lemons, and their zest and juice has herbal, even floral undertones. What makes them interesting is that in cooking you do not have to add as much sweetness to counteract the acidity.

When selecting Lemons of any kind be sure to look fro brightly colored fruit that is free of cuts, bruises, scars, burns, wrinkles, squishes, or anything that makes you cringe slightly. As far as firmness is concerned you are looking for fruit that gives a little bit without being soft, but is also not hard. Basically it should feel juicy inside but not rotten.

The links in the following section will take you to Bed, Bath and Beyond. The items selected are for illustrative purposes, they are not necessarily the recommended tools. Try before you buy.

Basic Preparation
Juice
The most basic of preparations for Lemon juice is to cut it in half and squeeze the juice out. There are plenty of upgrades available for getting the most out of that little lemon and some are listed here in order the most bang for your buck.

For starters, squeeze the lemon over your other clean hand, or a strainer to catch any seeds. Seeds are not very tasty.

Next try rolling the lemon underneath a wide knife, or your hand, or a pan, or a clean shoe, or basically anything that you can slightly crush and roll the lemon without breaking the skin. This breaks up a lot of the "fruit meat" inside of the lemon and gets more juice out of it without any special tools. Another not recommended technique for getting more juice out of the lemon along the lines of the crushing trick is to microwave the lemon for a few seconds. Here are the issues with that; if you cook the lemon too long you are now either waiting for the juice to cool down, burning yourself, or adding hot juice to something which might not react well to that; also it is not nearly as effective as the rolling technique; it makes the lemon harder to cut; and on and on. In short, don't do it.

The next upgrade is to get a lemon reamer or hand held citrus juicer. The reamer is pretty good but adds a lot of pulp. The citrus juicer is in short fantastic and might be the best bang for your buck as far as tools are concerned. The trick is to cut the ends off of the lemon before putting them into the juicer, this allows the juice to pass through the lemon. This tool usually keeps most of the seeds as well.

The next upgrade is getting a non hand held citrus reamer, or an electric citrus juicer. These are the most effective at getting all the juice out of your lemons, however you now have to keep a citrus juicer somewhere in your kitchen. If you are not juicing citrus A LOT, save your money and kitchen space and get a hand held juicer.

Zest
There are a few different ways to do this, the best ways unfortunately using more equipment than just a knife. The first way is to carefully cut the zest (skin) off of the lemon and then trimming off the pith (not tasty). This is a great way to work on your knife skills, however it is a pain to say the least. The next method is to use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin in wide "sheets." This works pretty well except that you will still need to remove some pith. The next method is to use a citrus zester, a purpose built tool that removes only the skin of the lemon, leaving behind the pith. This makes thin strips of zest which can be left long or chopped up more finely. The last common method is to use something like a microplane grater, to grate the zest off, leaving behind the pith and removing it in small bits. Once again if you are going to be doing a lot of zesting or have an empty drawer go for the gusto with the microplan grater, if not get the zester. It does a great job, is inexpensive and you can use it to make garnishes and stuff.

On the Workbench...Lemons

2009-02-12T15:13:00.003-07:00

All food can be broken down to 4 tastes, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Clearly people are the most comfortable with sweet and salty, those being the basis of the entire junk food empire and a couple possible reasons for the pudging of America. The important thing to remember is that these tastes all work together to enhance each other. For example, bitterness can lower the perceptible sweetness in a dish and sourness can sharpen the sweetness in a dish. Great Chef's throughout the world use sour tastes as naturally as they use oils and salts. They might keep a collection of vinegars and acids right next to their Olive Oil and Kosher Salt. Sourness is generally used to balance a dish, brighten the flavors, and at time times even to do the cooking.

Vinegars and Acids are generally the main sources of sourness in a dish. For this batch of recipes we will be focusing on Acids, more specifically citric acid and more specifically still, the acid from Lemons. The preparations will all feature Lemon in some capacity, sometimes as the star and sometimes as part of the support staff. Lemons are a versatile fruit in the respect that you can use the juice as well as the skin, and each carries a different lemon flavor. The skin tastes more bitter than sour but with a very fragrant lemon taste. The juice tastes more sour with a less pronounced lemon taste. In other words, if you want a bold flavor of lemon with a slight bitter note use the skin (or peel or zest) and if you are after the acid more than the flavor use the juice.

The following post will feature a long list of flavor matches and some ideas for general preparation. Lemons will have their day in the sun and it will be glorious.

Off the Workbench...Pears

2009-02-11T12:23:00.002-07:00

Pears, we need to talk. Please sit down. The time has come for this stage of the relationship to end as it seems to have run its course. Please...Please...Yes of course it was fun and exciting in the beginning, all relationships are. Sure we all got to know you so much about you, and we learned how you could really shine with various groups and situations. Of course we remember wrapping you up in pasta, and covering you in cheese after coming out of the sauna. And how could we forget about that crazy night where we soaked you in milk and then burned sugar onto you. But then there was that night that you partied with the Greens and Onion and drank too much and spent the whole next night in the hot tub even after it got cold. Admittedly it did get weird after we made ice cream from the resulting "bath liquid," but that is not why this is ending.

There is someone else, not someone new but someone that is not passing their prime but coming into it. We shall always be friends, and hopefully we can still see each other from time to time when you are doing a little better. Until next time, farewell!

Ice Cream made with Pear Poaching Liquid

2009-02-10T09:54:00.006-07:00

The final piece of the Pear Dessert Trio puzzle is upon you. The Ice Cream made with the poaching liquid from the previously posted Port Wine Poached Pears. The Workshop recommends that you remove any and all head adornments because this stuff will blow your mind. The custard based ice cream is smooth and silky with a complex flavor profile from the poaching liquid. The most interesting part is that the poaching liquid, which might have been thrown away is utilized to make a great accompaniment to the Poached Pears. Another option could have been reducing the liquid down to a syrup to use as a sauce or adding some gelatin to it, to make it into an aspic (fancy jello).

2 whole eggs and one additional egg yolk are whisked together while awaiting the hot cream

The Poaching Liquid is combined with Heavy Cream and brought up to a simmer

The Eggs are then Tempered with the Hot Cream mixture

The tempered custard mixture is then put over a double boiler to continue cooking

The mixture is brought to 170 degrees while being whisked continuously

The Custard is then passed through a strainer to remove any possible clumps and set aside to cool completely

The thoroughly cooled custard is then added to an ice cream maker and churned following the manufacturer's instructions

General Notes:
Time: Hands on time 20 - 30 minutes, total time 4 - 5 hours
Yields 1 quart of Ice Cream
There are as many ice cream recipes as there are cooks, pick the one you like and tweak it to accommodate whatever you are making. In this case the amount of heavy cream was increased to account for the low amount of fat in the poaching liquid.

Equipment:
Mixing bowl that can be used as a double boiler (metal is most common)
Whisk
2 Sauce Pans (metal bowl should fit over it without touching the bottom, and you only need two if you do not want to wash one in the middle of the process)
Thermometer (digital preferred)
Ice Cream Maker
Freezer Safe 1 quart container
1 quart bowl or 2 pint sized bowls

Ingredients:
2 Whole Eggs
1 Egg yolk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Pear Poaching Liquid
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Honey

Written Directions:

Assemble all of your ingredients and make sure that your ice cream maker will be ready to roll in a few hours, so if it is a seperate bowl style make sure it is in the freezer and very frozen
Put the cream and poaching liquid into a sauce pan and whisk well to combine
Bring the cream mixture up to a simmer
While the mixture is beating beat the eggs thoroughly with the sugar and honey
When the cream mixture has reached a simmer, remove it from the heat and get yourself ready for some serious whisking
There are a few ways to do this, if you have the strength, courage and steady hand to pour directly from the pan then go for it. However, if there is fear in your heart, or your arm is in a cast or you have got a bad case of the shakes, use a measuring cup or ladle
Add a small amount of the hot cream mixture into the eggs while whisking the eggs vigorously
This process gently heats the eggs while gently cooling the hot cream mixture. This is done so that you do not make scrambled egg ice cream. If you add too much hot liquid too quickly to the cold eggs, you will scramble them and ruin your hard work
When you have incorporated the first amount of cream, add some more and whisk like crazy
You can now start adding the hot cream more quickly and more at a time
When you have combined all the hot cream with the eggs, set aside for a moment
Add an inch or so of water to a sauce pan and bring just barely to a simmer
Set the mixing bowl on top of a pot of barely simmering water to create a double boiler
Continue whisking the mixture over the double boiler until the mixture read 170 degrees on a thermometer. if you do not have a thermometer, do not use your finger to guess. You want the mixture to thicken, which it will as the eggs begin to coagulate. The mixture will thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon, and a line drawn across the spoon will remain.
Remove the mixture from the heat and pour through a strainer into a separate bowl
Cool on the counter for a few minutes and then move to your refrigerator to cool completely
The mixture will need to cool for at least 3 or 4 hours, over night is preferable
Take a break, get some sleep or watch a movie or something
Set up your ice cream maker, remove the custard mixture from the freezer and add to the ice cream maker
Freeze according to your ice cream makers directions
When you have gotten the ice cream to at least soft serve consistency, remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and add to a freezer safe bowl and freeze to harden the mixture. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your ice cream maker, and freezer
Scoop, serve with the poached pear and pear creme brulee, or eat plain. Either way make it happen in your tum tum

Port Wine Poached Pears

2009-01-27T09:49:00.008-07:00

Pears have been poached for some time. Archaeologists have found ancient mummies with perfectly poached pears just so they can take them into the afterlife. It is even said that the ferry man (Charon) on the River Styx can be bribed with a Port Wine Poached Seckel Pear (what is he supposed to do with 2 coins in the afterlife?).

Fortunately poaching is not especially difficult and pears are almost made for poaching. This recipe makes less than ripe pears edible. This particular recipe features Ruby Port, in this case an inexpensive one. The flavors of pear, cinnamon, port, honey and vanilla all come through in the final product. There is a slight sweetness and strangely a certain amount savoriness from the Port. This has not been prepared to be a particularly rounded flavor as it will be combined with a few more things. The rich color comes from allowing the pears to soak in the poaching liquid over night.

Ruby Port, Sugar, Seckel Pears, Honey, Cinnamon, Vanilla and a Straight Sided Sauce Pan

Peeled and Cored Poached Pears with a Melon Baller and Peeler

A shot of the deeply Melon Balled Pears ready to hit the Hot Tub

The Ingredients combined in the Sauce pan. Notice that the pears are nearly immersed.

A small plate covers the Pears to insure that they stay immersed in the poaching liquid.

The pears, now tender, are separated from the poaching liquid to cool more quickly.

The Pear after soaking in the Poaching Liquid over night with Poached Pear Ice Cream and Pear Creme Brulee

General notes:

Total Time: 24 hours, actual hands on prep time: 20 - 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

6 Seckel Pears (or whichever you like)

750 ml Ruby Port Wine

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Honey

1 Tsp Vanilla

Written Instructions:

Combine ingredients except Pears in a medium straight sided sauce pan
Peel Pears, leaving stem attached for presentation purposes
Using a melon baller remove core of Pear from the bottom of the pear, taking care not to break pear
Carefully add Pears to the sauce pan with the other ingredients, try not to splash as it might stain your clothes)
Bring Pears and Liquid up to a boil and quickly drop to a gentle simmer. In other words small bubbles that will not move the Pears around very much
When the Pears have become tender, test this by inserting a thin knife into one of the pears, if it goes in easily, the Pear is tender
Remove the sauce pan form the heat and put somewhere that you can easily remove the Pears from the liquid
Remove the Pears and place in a separate container that will fit the Pears, the Liquid and fit in your refrigerator
Let the Pears and Liquid cool for a few minutes, recombine and put into your refrigerator
Ensure the Pears are immersed in the poaching liquid, by weighting them slightly if need be
Forget about them until the next day
Take them out, drain and make it happen in your tum tum, or add them to your favorite dish, or stuff with cheese

Braised Winter Greens with Pears and Onions

2009-01-16T14:31:00.008-07:00

This dish uses Pears as a counterpoint to Winter Greens which are typically somewhat peppery and slightly bitter. The Pears, along with the Onions help to balance out the pervasive flavors of the Greens while providing some textural differences as well. This is a great side dish to serve with Chicken or Pork entrees or for those who don't dig on swine or fowl, try it with your favorite starch or marinated tofu.

The 10" Saute Pan ready to go to work, heating over medium heat

Just like any good night you will want to start off with a little Olive Oil

Add the Onion to the Saute Pan with a little Kosher Salt and keep them moving

Add in the diced Pear and continue to saute

Add in the Winter greens with a little more Salt and Olive Oil

Put a lid on the pan to capture some of the steam and start the moist heating process of braising

Braise the mixture for 20-25 minutes to make the greens tender and deepen the flavor. Cook uncovered to eliminate the excess moisture.

General Notes
Servings: 4 sides
Total Time: 30-45 minutes depending on how much prep your greens require
Any winter greens will work well, this was a mixture but only one kind can be used as well

Ingredients
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 a yellow onion sliced on the thin side of medium
4 cups Winter greens (such as Kale, Collard, or Mustard), washed thoroughly, destemmed, and cut into 2 inch strips, about 1 bunch
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
White Wine Vinegar if needed
Honey if needed
Written Instructions

Put a pan that you have a lid to on the stove at medium heat
Drizzle in a small amount of Olive Oil and let heat until it easily slides around the pan
Add the sliced onions with some Kosher Salt and saute to add some color
Cook for a few minutes until the Onions have browned and softened
Add diced Pears and saute to give them a little bit of color
When you have just slightly browned the pears and started to softening add the greens to the pan
Add a little Olive Oil and Kosher Salt and Cover the pan with the lid
Every few minutes stir the mixture a little to help keep the onions and pears from sticking. The steaming and braising effect happening inside of the pan should help keep this from being a worry
Cook in this manner for 20 - 25 minutes or until the greens taste tender when you try one
Adjust the seasoning as necessary with Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Vinegar, or Honey depending on which way your taste decides you should take the flavor. If it still taste a little bitter add a small amount of honey and retaste. Too sweet? Add a little bit of vinegar and so on and so forth
Remove from heat and make it happen in your tum tum

Pear Creme Brulee

2009-01-16T09:44:00.013-07:00

Chances are your parent's favorite dessert to order in a restaurant is Creme Brulee. It seems like a daunting and horribly time consuming task that can only be accomplished with professional grade equipment. Well, the sad news is that most home cooking equipment is of better quality than most kitchen equipment and most professional cooks have no more skill than the average home cook. They do have far more burns, cuts, and scrapes though, which must amount for something. The digression ends and on to the dish at hand...Pear Creme Brulee.

This is not a 30 minute meal, in fact it is not even a 60 minute meal, however it is not difficult nor is there a lot of hands on time. This recipe is an adaptation from a Creme Brulee recipe from Le Cirque, one of the World's greatest restaurants. The only hope is that this does it justice. You will notice that this version uses a deeper ramekin, as that is what was on hand. The pear flavor is subtle, but noticeable. This can be enjoyed on its on or used as a component in a larger more ambitious dessert such as the one in the last picture (Pear Creme Brulee, Ruby Port Poached Seckel Pear with Ice Cream made from the Poaching Liquid). Recipes for the rest of that will follow this post.

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream is added to a Sauce Pan and placed over Medium-Low Heat

The Heavy Cream is brought to a simmer with diced Pears, Vanilla, and Salt

While the Cream is heating, Whisk together Eggs, Sugar and Honey in a Metal Mixing Bowl

The simmering Cream mixture

The various Custard filled Ramekins in the Oven in a Water Bath

The Baked Custard cooling on a Wire Rack

Pear Dessert Trio, Port Poached Pear, Pear Creme Brulee and Poached Pear Ice Cream

General Notes
4 servings if using 6 ounce Ramekins
Total Time: 4 1/2 Hours, Hands on Time: 20 - 30 minutes
The Pears are separated out in the ingredients as their omission and eliminating any pear related steps, will yield a plain vanilla creme brulee.

Ingredients
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract or if you Roll Deep 1/2 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
4 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Honey
Pinch of Kosher Salt
4 additional tbsp sugar for topping

2 Pears, as always the best quality that you can find and your budget allows

Written Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
Fill a kettle or pot of water and begin heating it to a simmer while working on the rest
Peel, Core and Dice the 2 Pears and momentarily set aside
In a medium Sauce Pan combine the Cream, Vanilla, Salt and Pears and bring to a simmer over medium heat
While the Cream mixture is heating, combine the Egg Yolks, 1/3 cup Sugar and Honey in a metal mixing bowl
Whisk the Egg Yolk mixture together until well blended and lightened in color
Remove the Cream mixture from the stove when it has just begun to simmer and add it to a blender, or food processor, put the lid on but not all the way and cover the lid with a towel (This is to puree the pear and release even more Pearness). Also make sure that the Cream mixture does not fill more than half of the blender/processor. Other wise you can find yourself covered in HOT Cream in a very bad way when the blender/processor starts up
CAREFULLY turn the blender/processor onto its lowest setting and blend until smooth
A little at a time (maybe a quarter of a cup), add the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture taking care not to scramble the eggs by adding too much hot cream the first time
Once you have added maybe half of the hot Cream mixture to the eggs, at which point the eggs should be pretty hot but not scrambled, feel free to add the hot Cream mixture more aggressively. Oh, and by the way this is basically "Tempering the Eggs"
Next, strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a vessel suitable for pouring
With any luck your water is simmering and your oven is preheated at this point so put your ramekins into a high sided oven safe pan that is water tight and comfortably accommodates the ramekins
Add the custard base into the ramekins filling them to just below the top of the ramekin
Open the oven and keep the door completely open, slide the middle rack out about half way, ensuring that it will hold the weight of the pan etc.
Place the custard filled ramekins on the oven rack and add your simmering water to the pan such that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins
Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour
Remove the whole operation when the custard is firm at the edges but still a little wobbly in the middle. It will have some more carry over cooking to finish up after you take it out
With an oven safe mitt, remove the ramekins to a wire rack to let them cool
When cooler, cover individually and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days
When ready to enjoy and they are very cool and set up, turn on the broiler of your oven or break out the blow torch
Put one tablespoon of Sugar onto each custard and broil right under the burner until the sugar is bubbly and lightly browned, or torch them spinning the whole while ensure even browning
Turn off the Broiler and carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly
Time to make it happen in your tum tum, and please be sure to crack the sugar topping with a spoon. it is one of the greatest but most simple pleasures.

Honey Roasted Pear with Various Cheeses

2009-01-15T15:36:00.009-07:00

This dish has been designed to be a tasty and easy dish to make with pantry ingredients and any kind of pear regardless of ripeness. It can be served as an appetizer or as a light dessert. The delicate flavor of the pear is made more intense in the roasting process and is further augmented with the honey. Depending on the type of cheese that you choose, you can create a whole range of textural and flavor combinations. You can even combine different cheeses or add a sauce or chutney to this to add even more interest. One of the steps is also optional if you are pressed for time, scared, or don't have a broiler. The pictures differ slightly from the written directions as a better process was discovered after the pictures were taken.

Rinse, Halve, and Core 2 pears, in this case D'Anjou

Toss the pears with a little olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and add the pears to an oven safe roasting vessel cut side down.

Roast the pears in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until they are browned and soft but not falling apart.

Make a mixture of Honey and Olive Oil and coat the Pears with it before Broiling

Top with your favorite white cheese, in this case they are each topped differently. One has Brie, one has Gorgonzola, one has Goat Cheese and one has all three.

General
Serves 4 as an appetizer or dessert
Total Time: 30 - 45 minutes depending on ripeness of pears and oven accuracy.
If you are omitting the broiling phase, add the Honey Olive Oil mixture before the Initial Roasting.

Ingredients
2 D'Anjou pears (rinsed, halved and cored) or which ever look good or you have
2 tbsp Honey
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt to taste
Preferred Cheese, or refer to this list for examples

Written Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move one oven rack to middle setting and another to the top "broiler" setting.
Rinse halve and core 2 pears.
Lightly coat the Pears with Olive Oil sprinkle with salt and add cut side down to oven safe roasting pan.
Roast in the preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until the pears are golden and lightly browned.
Remove from the pan from the oven and place or a trivet on your counter top.
While the Pears are cooling slightly, Whisk the Honey with just enough Olive Oil to help the honey loosen up and become more spreadable.
Flip the Pears cut side up and lightly coat with the Olive Oil Honey mixture.
Turn the oven up to broil and place the pears back into the oven on the "broiler" rack.
Broil briefly to brown the Pears, and caramelize the Honey.
Remove the pan from the oven, turn off oven and move the Pears to a platter.
Top with your favorite cheese taking care to add an appropriate amount. More is not always better, you should be able to taste the Pear.
Get down.

Pear and Goat Cheese Ravioli

2009-01-13T16:14:00.014-07:00

This dish was created to show one method of using pears in more savory dishes. Pears are sauteed with onions briefly to add a little bit of color, take away some of the raw taste and soften the texture. These are then stuffed into ravioli's with some goat cheese to add a little saltiness and richer mouth feel. Then the ravioli are tossed with spinach to bring up the savory component, walnuts to add some crunch, butter to bring the whole thing together and a splash of a champagne vinegar to brighten all the flavors. The more explicit written recipe follows the pictures. The written directions look long but it is not a difficult dish to make.

The pears are cut into a dice following the standard preparation

Diced onions are sweat for 5 minutes over medium low heat until translucent

The diced pears are added to the onions and allowed to lightly caramelize for another 10 minutes

Store Bought Wonton wrappers are laid out on parchment paper in pairs. Egg wash, a pastry brush, the pear/ onion mixture, and goat cheese crumbles are placed conveniently nearby.

The Wonton Wrappers are brushed with egg wash, then a spoonful of pear/onion mixture is added to the center along with a couple goat cheese crumbles. The corresponding wrapper is then placed on the filling and pressed down to the other wrapper. Care is taken to keep as much air as possible out of the "pocket"

The brushed, filled, and sealed raviolis ready for the boiling water.

Half of the raviolis right after being added to the salted boiling water.

The raviolis are then added to a 10" fry pan which has been wilting the spinach while toasting the walnuts and browning the butter. A light splash of Champagne vinegar is added and the raviolis are then tossed lightly with the "condiment." The finished dish looks like this.

General
Servings 4 as a side, 2 as a main entree
1 hour total time or less, depends on ravioli pressing skills.
As a general rule of thumb, use the best things you can get your hands on. So if the Starkrimsons look awful or nonexistent get whatever looks good.

Ingredients
1/2 package Wonton Wrappers purchased from grocery store near chilled Asian ingredients.
2 Starkrimson pears (peeled, cored and diced)
1/2 Large Vidalia Onion (diced)
1/2 container Goat Cheese Crumbles
8 oz Fresh Baby Spinach
1/4 cup Walnut pieces
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Champagne Vinegar
1 Large Egg
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to Taste

Written Instructions

Fill a large pot of water and set on the stove to boil, do not add salt until it is boiling.
Place a 10" - 12" Fry Pan or Saute Pan on the stove and begin heating over Medium-Low heat
Halve the Onion, remove the papery outer skin, and dice
Add a couple tbsp or Olive Oil to the fry/saute pan, wait about a minute to heat and add the diced Onions. Promptly sprinkle on a little Kosher Salt and stir briefly to coat the Onions with Oil and Salt.
While the Onions are cooking, peel, core and dice the two Pears.
Add the diced Pears to the Onions when the onions have turned translucent.
Cook, stirring occasionally until the pears have softened and have browned slightly.
Remove the pan from the heat, remove the mixture into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Wipe out the pan and set aside to be used again after the raviolis have been put together.
Enjoy a few drinks of a Delicious beverage.
Taste a small amount of the cooling filling with a goat cheese crumble and check the seasoning. Add salt and/ or pepper if needed.
Break the egg and beat it lightly in a bowl to make the egg wash.
Lay out a 2 or 3 foot sheet of parchment paper across your counter, tin foil can also be used.
Arrange the Wonton Wrappers in pairs (2 rows) down the length of the parchment/ tin foil.
Brush the first 4 Wrappers in one row with egg wash taking care to get the edges.
Spoon some filling into each Wrapper, such that there is a generous border of Wrapper around the filling. Maybe 1 inch all the way around or so.
Sprinkle a few crumbles of Goat Cheese onto the filling.
Cover with the corresponding Wrapper and carefully seal. Be sure to get as much air as possible out of the Ravioli.
Continue on until all the raviolis are filled and sealed.
The water should be boiling, if not bring it to a boil and continue to the next step.
Put the wiped down fry/saute pan back onto the burner over Medium heat.
Add the Butter and melt.
Add the Walnut Pieces to the melted butter and toast.
Add half the Raviolis to the boiling pot of water and stir gently to try and prevent sticking.
While the raviolis are cooking add the spinach to the fry/saute pan and remove the pan from the heat without turning off the heat. Stir the spinach off the heat, it will wilt rather quickly. It is done off the heat to prevent over cooking.
Check the first batch of Raviolis. Break off a small portion of one ravioli and taste. It should taste soft and not floury.
When the first batch is done carefully remove the Raviolis from the boiling water with tongs (be very careful so you do not break them) or a slotted spoon or strainer and add them to the fry/saute pan.
Cook the second batch of raviolis and then add to the fry/saute pan as well.
Put the fry/saute pan back on the heat and quickly stir to mix the butter, walnuts, raviolis and spinach.
Taste a small amount of one of the raviolis and if needed add the splash of Vinegar.
Remove from heat, put on a plate and get down.

Flavoring and Augmenting

2009-01-13T13:42:00.003-07:00

Pears lend themselves to a few different preparations. Mainly poaching, roasting, baking and raw eating.

The following is a list of classic flavor combinations as listed in the book Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. "Many of these combinations are considered classic and are especially widely practiced. These are indicated by boldface type."

almonds
anise
Armagnac
blackberries
bourbon
brandy, especially pear brandy
brown sugar
Calvados
caramel
Cassis
chablis
cheese, especially Brie, Cantal, Gorgonzola, and Roquefort
chocolate
cinnamon
cinnamon basil
cloves
Cognac
cream
creme anglaise
creme fraiche
Curacao
currants, black
figs
ginger
Grand Marnier
grappa
hazelnuts
honey
ice cream, especially caramel, pistachio, and vanilla
kirsch
lemon
lingonberries
mace
maple
Marsala
Melba Sauce
Muscat
nutmeg
nuts
oranges
pecans
pepper, black
pineapple
prunes
quinces
raisins
raspberries
Riesling, Late Harvest
spinach
star anise
vanilla
vinegar, balsamic
walnuts
wine, especially Burgundy
zabaione

Pears are mainly used in dishes on the sweeter side rather than on the savory side. I feel that pears can be used as a more complex sweet counterpoint to dishes. For instance, you are cooking bitter, peppery, winter greens and need something to balance out that nearly astringent flavor. A lot of cooks would turn to sugar, which only tastes sweet or honey which is slightly more complex. Instead use things that have more complex flavors and textures like carmelized onions, apples or PEARS. Moreover, Pears combine very nicely with various cheeses and spices so you are only adding to the layers of flavor.

Selection and Basic Preparation

2009-01-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Seckel, D'Anjou, Starkrimson

Selection
There are over 5,000 varieties of pears grown across the globe. The local grocer carries maybe 5 if you are lucky so rather than detailing every pear that trees can grow the focus will be turned to pears in general. Pears are an interesting fruit in that they ripen after being picked. This means that buying an unripe pear is more of a test in patience than of fruit squeezing ability. Pears should smell fragrant and be as blemish and and bruise free as possible. Pears ripen from the inside out so a good test of ripeness is to gently press near the stem of the pear and feel for how much it gives. If it is hard and you are not willing to wait a few days it is time to cook them. If it is soft and you are hungry wash it up and make it happen. The more common types of pears that might grace the shelves of your local grocer are D'Anjou, Asian, Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, Seckel. The following are descriptions from the Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

D'Anjou: A large winter pear with firm flesh and yellowish-green skin that is often blushed with red. It's sweet and succelent and is delicious both cooked and raw. The D'Anjou is available in most regions from October through Midwinter.

Asian Pear: There are over 100 varieties (most grown in Japan) of this firm, amazingly juicy pear whose season is late summer through early fall. In size and color, they range from huge and golden brown to tiny and yellow-green. In general, ripe Asian pears (also called Chinese pears and apple pears) are quite firm to the touch, crunchy to the bite (unlike pears we're used to), lightly sweet and drippingly juicy. The most common Asian pear in the United States is the Twentieth Century (also know as nijisseiki), which is large, round and green to yellow in color. Ripe Asian pears should be stored in the refrigerator.

Bartlett: This large bell-shaped fruit has a smooth, yellow-green skin that is sometimes blushed with red. The Bartlett's flesh is sweet and juicy. It's generally available from late July through October and is delicious either cooked or raw.

Bosc: A large winter pear with a slender neck and a russeted yellow skin, the Bosc is available from October through April. It has an agreeable sweet-tart flavor and is delicious fresh or cooked. The Bosc holds its shape well when baked or poached.

Comice: [kuh-MEES] This large, exquisite pear has a meltingly smooth, sweet flesh and fruit-filled fragrance. It ranges in color from greenish-yellow to yellow blushed with red. It's available from October to January and is best eaten uncooked.

Seckel: [SEHK-uhl] It's a small russet-colored fruit with a sweet, spicy flavor. The Seckel's firm flesh makes it excellent for both cooking and canning but some people find it too crisp for out-of-hand eating. It's available late August through December.

Basic Preparation
The following shows how to get a pear ready for most types of cooking. Most poaching recipes ask to keep the pear intact and preparation of that will be shown in subsequent posts.

Starkrimson Pears with Bird's Beak Knife

Peeling pear from stem to base in thin strips, a vegetable peeler may also be used

Removing core with melon baller, a spoon or a careful knife may also be used

Carefully remove the stem from above and below the core by cutting a "V" into the pear

On the Workbench...Pears

2009-01-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

If pears and apples were rock bands, apples would be Coldplay and pears would be The White Stripes. Both good bands and both successful, but The White Stripes are not used in everything being sold and they take a little bit more work to enjoy. So for the first ingredient to be laid on the workbench, the Pear, has been humbly submitted.

One of the main downfalls for pears is the grocery store. Nearly every grocery store carries them in two conditions, calculus hard and post biker bar fight. Needless to say most people do not have the patience to buy a pear and wait around for it to ripen, so the pears sit on the shelf waiting for the high school stock boy to drop them while ogling a lady or the pears get crushed while trying to finish off the case. So the recipes that will be featured in this section will use them in their varying states of ripeness.

The next post will feature examples of pears, selection tips and flavor matching.

The Workshop is Open

2009-01-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well the world has been gifted with a new blog, one dedicated to cooking and eating. The idea is to take one ingredient and explore the myriad ways of preparing it. If all goes to plan this little corner of the internets will become a reference for those who are avid cooks looking to expand their repertoire and a place for beginning cooks to overcome the fear of trying something new. The ingredients will be selected as close to their seasonal peaks as possible as the flavor, availability, and price will all be optimum.

The first post of each ingredient will feature a list of classic flavor matches, as well selection and handling instructions. This information will come from a variety of sources, mainly books and personal observations which will be identified as such so that James Peterson and Thomas Keller cannot take any undue credit.

Following that, we will create as many dishes as we can featuring the ingredient in question and document their creation through pictures and written descriptions. Each recipe will be designed to be a jumping off point or component to other possible future dishes.

So let this blog be carved into the annals of cooking for the rest of time to enjoy.