Infused Oils

This most recent assignment from class was very enjoyable to do. I have never done any infused oils of any kind, and wanted to try and think outside of the ordinary. I ended up making six oils before I ran out of supplies at home. They oils are in order from left to right as follows; chocolate mint, vanilla orange, umami, Habanero chili, tarragon with star anise, and toasted pecan. I formulated all of these recipes myself with no references in hopes of discovering some new and unique flavors. My favorites are the vanilla orange, umami, and tarragon with star anise. The Chef preferred the tarragon over the others, but also saw promise in the umami oil. The most surprising thing that I discovered in this home experiment is the ability to infuse and separate the chocolate mint oil. This chocolate oil turned out surprisingly light in color with a punch of dark chocolate flavor. The process also created a vegetable oil that is a solid at refrigeration temperature due to the oils that it picked up from the chocolate. Not sure what to use this one for yet, but it's definitely got me thinking. Due to the small amounts of each oil that were created, all ingredients were meticulously weighed to insure repeatability. Recipes for each are as follows:

Chocolate Mint Oil:
1 cup vegetable oil
15 grams Godiva 85% cacao extra dark
6 grams fresh mint, rinsed

Place oil and chocolate in small sauce pan. Warm to 160 degree F. Cool quickly and allow to settle at room temp for 12 to 24 hours. Without disturbing the sediment on the bottom of the container, siphon or ladle the clear top layer of oil. Warm again to 140 degree F and add the mint. Muddle the mint in the oil with a wooden spatula and store at room temperature for additional 48 hours to infuse the mint flavor. Strain if desired. Oil will keep longer without the fresh herbs.

Vanilla Orange Oil:
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
1 orange peel, pith removed
½ vanilla bean

Place the oil and vanilla bean into a small sauce pan. Warm to 140 degree F. Add orange peel and store at room temperature for 72 hours.

Umami Oil:
1 cup vegetable oil
5 gram bonito flakes
4 gram dried shitake mushroom
1 cup water, for mushroom treatment (does not go in oil!)
1.75 gram garlic, sliced
0.5 gram fresh ginger, shaved thin
0.7 gram toasted white sesame seeds
0.2 gram katsuo-bushi

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. This will be used to quickly blanch and rinse the dried shitake mushrooms. Place the 1 to 2 dried mushrooms in a heat safe glass and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Let mushrooms soak in the water for 10 minutes and remove. Chop mushroom into coarse pieces and discard the water. Rinse the bonito under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place oil, bonito, shitake, garlic, ginger and white sesame seeds in a small sauce pan and warm to 180 degrees F. Maintain heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the katsuo-bushi. Rest the oil at room temperature for 24-48 hours for best flavor. However, due to the flavors extracted in the process, this is one of the oils that I would consider using immediately.

Mild Habanero Chili Oil: for those who want the flavor but not the heat.
1 cup vegetable oil
½ t coriander seed, toasted
½ t cumin seed, toasted
5 gram garlic, sautéed
6 gram shallot, sautéed
3 medium Habanero chili's, spicy heat remove!
4 oz vodka or tequila split into two wide mouth shallow glass containers

In a small sauce pan sauté the garlic and shallot, set aside. Toast the seeds until fragrant over dry heat, set aside with garlic and shallots. Use latex gloves for the next step if you have them. I had very little skin exposed during the next procedure and still experienced some uncomfortable burning sensations from the irritation of the pepper oil. Cut and quarter the habanero peppers removing as much of the seeds and inner membranes as possible. Using a spoon or small knife, lightly scrape the inner flesh of the pepper to rupture the cells where the capsaisin resides. After scraping each piece, rinse thoroughly with alcohol. Repeat this process a second time and dispose of the alcohol before removing the gloves. I would not recommend consuming the alcohol due to the high concentration of capsaisin (unless you're into that kind of personally inflicted pain). Place the oil in a small sauce pan and add the peppers, garlic, shallot, and toasted seeds. Warm the oil to 160 degrees F and hold for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest at room temperature for 48 hours.

Tarragon and Star Anise Infused Olive Oil:
¼ cup vegetable oil
1.2 gram star anise
4 gram fresh tarragon
1 gram fresh thyme
1.25 gram garlic
½ cup EV olive oil to finish

Place oil and star anise in small sauce pan and heat to 240 degrees F. Remove from heat. Add garlic immediately. When oil has reached 200 degrees F add fresh herbs. Let oil rest in pan for 10 minutes. Add warm extra virgin olive oil (about 150 degrees F) and rest at room temperature for 48 hours.

Toasted Pecan Oil:
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
3 oz pecan halves, toasted (oven, 350 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes)
½ oz peanuts, toasted (same as pecans)

The flavor is infused best when the nuts are used immediately after they are toasted and still warm. Place the nuts and oil into a sauce pan. Warm the oil to 180 to 200 degrees and hold for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Chinese Steak Hot Pot

What a fantastic meal! We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I was inspired recently during a trip to the local meat counter where I spotted some nice top sirloin steaks about an inch and a half thick. The soup is made with rice vermicelli in a light mushroom broth base seasoned with fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. The steak was seared VERY hot and quick on each of the four sides. This is unnecessary in general, but I like the taste of a little caramelization on the steak. So here we are, to the best part of the whole process; I finally got to use the tiny little (one pint) crock pots that had sat in my cupboard for so long. They had always seemed ridiculous in size until I realize that they are the perfect individual hot pots for this meal.

The broth in the hot pot was a very simple concoction of beef broth, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin, sesame oil, and dried shitake mushrooms which can be easily modified by the diner. If a little more heat is desired, a teaspoon of Sambal Oelek (my favorite spicy chili paste) does the trick. The steak is served rare and cooked to the desired doneness in the hot pot. I enjoy my steak at a nice medium rare, so two to three seconds in the hot pot is all it needs. Each piece of steak is covered in a wonderful salty and savory broth cooked to a juicy perfection. Next time I will try serving this dish with shrimp and scallop. Check back soon for a posting on a more comprehensive broth and soup recipe.

Lychee Pork Stir Fry with Plum Sauce

Just last week in vegetable starch class we were given the outline on our dish to plan for the last practical. I immediately felt that I wanted to make a unique dish with influence from one of my favorite regions, Asia. So before committing to anything in class that could eventually be my demise, I did this test run at home. Fruit is a requirement in our final presentation plate, which some may find difficult to incorporate. This actually inspired me to seek out new recipes and other Asian influenced dishes with fruit. After much deliberation I decide to try something new, a stir fry with lychee fruit. For the plating I decided to serve it on a bed of fried rice and braised celery (two other requirements). The roasted tomato requirement seemed out of place when first considered in the dish as a whole, but turned out to be successful as a refreshing palate cleanser. The desert that I'm planning to pair with this will be a simple grilled fruit kabob with melon, strawberry, and some others that I have yet to determine. So on to allocating ingredients.

A recent trip to the New Asian Supermarket on S. 26^th Street in Omaha proved to be very useful. Everything that I could possibly want was there, including a five pound bag of Oolong Tea for 11.99 that I'm going back to get this week (something I probably don't need). I purchased my first can of lychee fruit and was anxious to try it. As soon as I got it home I got the can opener out and popped the top. They looked at first glace like large white olives with the pits removed. Their texture is soft and reminds me of the flesh of apricots, while the flavor is sweet and somewhat tropical with hints of mango and pineapple without the acidity. My girlfriend and I both really enjoy the taste, and it has become one of the new fruits on her top ten favorites list. The stir fry was done in my favorite wok over high heat and took only 4-5 minutes to cook. The fried rice was equally as fast and some of the best that I have made in a while. Have your "MISE EN PLACE" done BEFORE STARTING COOKING. All recipes below are currently estimates due to the speed at which they were prepared. Brands of sauces as well as ingredient may vary, so adjust accordingly to your own taste. The braised vegetable need more work, not much to say other than the celery was overpowering and avoided by my girlfriend and I. The tomatoes were simple and really quite nice to visit every now and then while eating the dish. I used a very potent candied ginger (aka New Year Candy) which was ground in my spice grinder until it had the appearance of course sugar. The tomatoes were then rubbed with vegetable oil and rolled in the crystallized ginger. These were cooked at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes.

Fried Rice:
2 T vegetable oil
1 clove garlic
1 c cooked white rice
2 T soy sauce
1 T hoisin sauce
1-2 t Sambal Oelek
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Finish with 3 scallions and 3-4 drops sesame oil

Lychee Pork:
0.5 lb pork loin
4 T vegetable oi
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t grated ginger
1 T shallot
1 med onion, julienne
1 small red pepper, julienne
1 small green pepper, julienne
2 med carrot, julienne
½ c chicken stock
2 c bean sprouts
¾ c lychee fruit, quartered
1 t hoisin sauce
¼ c plum sauce
2 t rice wine vinegar

Butter Poached Shrimp over Black Rice Noodles with Braised Fennel

To cure my craving for sea food I decided to make some garlic butter poached shrimp just a few nights ago. I also recently found some black rice noodles in my cupboard that I thought would pair nicely with this dish. This is the second time i have made braised fennel, my favorite fennel dish to date. Not only does it taste fantastic, but also comes with a good show; flambe.

Braised Fennel:
1 fennel bulb
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 medium onion, Julianne
1 orange
1 T Pernod
1/3 cup chicken stock
tt. Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut the fennel bulb into 8-10 even wedges, each with some core to hold it together. Remove as much of the woodiest parts of the core as possible while still maintaining the connection between the individual pieces. Over medium heat saute the onion and fennel for about 2 minutes in 1 Tablespoon of butter. Then zest the orange into the pan and squeeze the juice from the orange into the pan. Add the Pernod and ignite. Lightly shake the pan until all flames have dissipated. Reduce by half. Add chicken stock and some salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining butter and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Butter Poached Shrimp:
Due to my most recent discovery of meat cookery in the oven, I have been trying new meats in varying ways. This attempt couldn't have worked better.

1 lb shrimp
8 oz butter, unsalted
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 t salt

Take the butter and melt it in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Toss in the garlic and warm until fragrant. Place all of the shrimp in an oven proof baking dish in one flat layer on the bottom and pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. place in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. I did this right before my fennel was done. Be sure to remove the pan BEFORE the butter begins to simmer. Only a few bubbles should be coming from the pan when removed. The idea is not to exceed 160 degrees. Let the shrimp rest in the warm pan with the butter while plating the other food. Toss the rice noodles with a little of the garlic butter and add some Sambal Oelek for a little warmth.

Beef Rib Steak with Stuffed Anaheim Pepper

This meal was the result of my most recent rummage through the box freezer for meat that needed to be used up. These steaks are about 10 months old but have been well cared for. The flavor was still rich and clean with no palpable oxidation of the fat. The Anaheim pepper is stuffed with a creole flavored cream cheese, green onion, and thick cut bacon. The salad is a simple Caesar with a homemade dressing. The recipes are as follows: 

Steak:
This is the method I use for nearly every cut of meat. Patted the steak dry and rub with vegetable oil. Right before searing them in a large cast iron panseasoned, season with salt and black pepper. Start the cooking with the presentation side down since the first sear is the easiest to make visually appealing. Once the first side has released from the pan and is seared to GB&D flipp and finish in a 425 degree F oven until the internal temp of 135 is reached. Remove the steak and let rest for 10 minutes.

Stuffed Anaheim:

4-6  large Anaheim peppers

1 block cream cheese

4 green onions
1 1/2 T creole seasoning
1/2 lb thick cut bacon
2 eggs, lightly beaten for breading wash
2-3 cups bread crumbs
1 t salt with bread crumbs


Creole Seasoning:
2 1/2 T paprika
2 T salt
2 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T cayenne powder (1/2 T if milder heat is desired)
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme


Preheat oven to 350 Degree F

This pepper was a new method for me with turned out to be suprisingly easy. Start cutting the pepper from about two thirds down the body. Proceed to cut it like a canoe with a hinged cover to allow for the removal of the seeds. By ending the cut in the center of the stem, I found the pepper would hold together better when cleaning and re-stuffing. Mix all of the ingredients for the stuffing and fill the peppers. Close and squeeze the peppers to reseal. Dip into the egg wash then the bread crumbs. If a thicker coat is desired, repeat. I did this process twice to achieve a nice layer. Bake for 35 minutes. If smaller peppers are used, increase the temp 25 degrees so that the coating will brown, and the pepper cooks before the filling boils out of the pepper.

Pummelo, the New Fruit on My Top 10 List.

I would like to think that I have had exposure to a good number of fruits and vegetables while living in an area known for its lack of variety. Whenever the chance arises to taste something new, I don't hesitate. The exploration of the palate through food can teach us to appreciate cultural influences and give rise to new ideas. This intimidating fruit is one of the three ancient varieties that all modern citrus fruits are descendant from. It closely resembles a grapefruit with an extremely thick and bitter pith. The best way to dismantle this fruit is to supreme it. The flavor resembles sweet red grapefruit with notes of mandarin. The texture is almost flaky with large vesicles that can be carefully broken apart. With this unique ability, the pummelo can be a creative and attractive garnish for Asian influenced salads. Unfortunately the two we bought never made it off the cutting board. I love the flavor and look forward to creating some dishes with this new found fruit.

Poached Tilapia on Herb Rice with Sauce Vin Blanc

This dish I have done a few times now with a couple different sides. The tilapia is actually individual flash frozen servings that are all individually vacuum sealed sold in the freezer bag. I haven't been a huge fan of fish in this form, but it's been performing surprisingly well each time I have cooked with it. Along with the added push to include more fish in our diet, it has really become very convenient. The rice used was a brown rice cooked with a light shrimp and vegetable stock then tossed with compound butter and fresh herbs. To poach the tilapia an oven proof pan is needed. First sauté some shallots and garlic in clarified butter or vegetable oil till fragrant. Deglaze with an ounce or more of white wine, toss in herbs like thyme and parsley, squeeze some lemon juice on the fish, cover the pan and into a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven when the fish has an internal temp of 140 degrees F. Remove the tilapia from the pan and strain all of the liquid through cheese cloth to refine the sauce before thickening. Add a little roux, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper to taste and it's done. The corn is a quick sauté of garlic, onion, roasted red peppers, paprika, and chili butter garnished with cilantro and lime juice.

No More Crackers in a Box

Let me start of by saying I'm tired of buying crackers. I feel cheated every time I open up a new box to find it disturbingly empty. The nutritional label is usually not that reassuring either, loaded with sodium and some with added fats that I would prefer to avoid. After seeing Alton Brown in a recent episode Flat is Beautiful: Going Crackers, my girlfriend and I decided to try out the Seedy Crisps. They were really easy to prepare and had a great toasted nutty flavor. I like the idea of using more whole wheat flour and healthier oils, like olive oil, with less saturated fat in my diet. The flour was measured using a kitchen scale, but the dough came out quite moist. A surprising amount of additional flour was added during kneading. The crackers didn’t seem to be affected. We cut the crackers in a few different patterns to test its affect on cooking. The shape that I liked most was the diamond, easy to cut with an attractive finished shape. Making crackers is another great use for the pasta attachment on the Kitchen-Aid mixer.
This recipe can be found at; http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/seedy-crisps-recipe/index.html

Have You Had Your Fruit Today?

Ever since I was a young child I have been a "fruit junkie", as I would say. We never had much for sweets in the house unless it came from a tree or bush. This has now developed into fascination with fruit in its many forms. Maybe it was how I was raised, but finding kiwi and apple in my salad seems to be all but common place. Even snacks consisted of banana chips and plates of fresh pineapple with blue berries strune about. So after our most recent trip to the store, I felt it was necessary to snap a photo of our plethora of fruit. The list of fruit in the photo is as follows; pineapple, oranges, pummelo, kiwis, kumquats, bananas, cranberries, grapefruit, meyer lemons, limes, bosc pears, golden delicious apples, and granny smith apples. This is one of our best fruit spreads that we have collected in the last few months, and I guarantee it won't be going to waste. So, have you had your fruit today?

Spanish Romesco Chicken

This is an entirely new sauce for my arsenal of flavor, Spanish Romesco. Made from a blend of roasted red peppers, almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, fresh parsley, paprika, chili powder, sherry vinegar, and olive oil, this sauce has an intense depth of savory flavors. Combined with chicken, its willing canvas, makes a flavorful and crispy crust that turns golden brown and delicious with ease. The sides were paired with equally intense flavors. The broccoli, currently available for only 99 cents for a couple large bunches, was par cooked then sautéed with a roasted poblano chile, garlic, and onion. The starch is an herb and garlic mashed potato finished with cold butter chips. Overall this whole dish worked together, although the chicken was a little much for a single portion in our house. With a little Spanish Romesco left, I plan to find out what other delicious combination I can make.

Spanish Romesco Sauce

3 red bell peppers, medium
2 oz almonds
2 oz hazelnuts
3 garlic cloves
1 T fresh Italian parsley
1 t paprika
1/2 t chili powder
4 oz sherry vinegar
6 oz EV olive oil
tt. salt and pepper

Roast the red peppers over an open flame or broiler. Rest them for 5 to 10 minutes in a tightly sealed container. Peel, seed, and course chop. Toast the nuts with a dry saute. Cool them and grind them in a food processor or blender. To the work bowl add all ingredients except the vinegar and oil. Grind until incorporated. Add vinegar. Then, with the processor or blender running, pour a steady stream of oil into the work bowl to create the emulsion. Apply this sauce liberally to the chicken creating a continuous layer. Bake at 350 degrees. These large bone in breasts took about 40 minutes to cook.