鮨 (sushi) with a little help from my friends

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge. This challenge required making proper sushi rice to be used to form three types of sushi: a dragon sushi roll – an avocado and sea urchin roe covered inside-out rice roll filled with BBQ eel; a spiral sushi roll – a nori-coated rice roll filled with local veggies from the farmers market that reveals a decorative, spiral pattern when cut; and nigiri sushi – hand-shaped rice balls topped with sashimi-grade yellow tail, ahi or salmon.

Oh, my. A challenge indeed for a flexitarian (that’s me) with squeamish tendencies towards raw meats (or in this case fishes). I usually order my sushi with just veggies. I know, not too exciting. So wanting to step it up for this challenge, I did what any sensible person in my predicament might do, I enlisted help from my friends. How does the saying go? Sometimes it’s not what you know, but rather who you know.

First, a stop to the local fish market, Monahan’s for sashimi-grade fish. Discussing my options (eel, ahi, yellow fin, fluke, salmon) with the fishmonger was actually quite fun. I ended up purchasing a bit of each (minus the fluke) along with a lobe of sea urchin roe. Mmhmm, that’s right, I even splurged on a bit of roe!

Then, a quick pop over to the neighbors to borrow their fancy “fuzzy neuro” rice cooker. Admittedly, the challenge wasn’t written for this option, but I cheated. My friends sing high praises for their rice cookers. You know they can be programmed to make you breakfast? Imagine, oatmeal ready first thing in the morning without dirtying a pot. I’ve never used one. This was just the excuse I was looking for to try it myself.

Finally, an invitation to a friend with superb julienning skills to bring a bottle of good drinking sake, a bamboo rolling mat, and a hearty appetite. Absolute brilliance on my part! I didn’t touch the fish at all. I was in charge of rice. Don’t think I got off too easy, though. Proper sushi rice definitely has its own nuances (mainly all the rinsing) before pressing the cook button on the machine. And of course, there was the fun of filling and rolling the nori and forming the nigiri.

I’m sure you are wondering, so yes, after it was prepared, I did eat the sushi, raw fishes and all. It was actually quite amazing! I think both quality ingredients and the pride that goes into preparing something yourself make all the difference in your perception of a meal. For me, the satisfaction from both these factors plus the gratitude from friendships made this dinner especially meaningful.

SUSHI RICE (makes about 7 cups of cooked sushi rice)

2½ cups uncooked short grain sushi rice
2½ cups water
3 inch square dashi konbu (or kombu) (dried kelp seaweed) wipe with a damp cloth to remove white powder & cut a few slits in the sides of the kelp to help release its flavors
2½ tsp quality drinking sake

Sushi vinegar dressing
5 Tbs rice vinegar
5 tsp sugar
1¼ tsp salt

Swirl rice gently in a bowl of water, drain, repeat 3-4 times until water is nearly clear. Gently place the rice into the bowl of a rice cooker and add 2½ cups of water and the dashi konbu. Add sake to the rice. Follow the instructions on the rice cooker to activate the cooking process.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice vinegar dressing by combining the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Heat on low setting and stir until the mixture goes clear and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set aside at room temperature until the rice is cooked.

When the rice has finished cooking, turn it out into a slightly moistened large shallow flat-bottomed non-metallic (plastic, glass or wood) bowl. (Do not use metallic objects since the vinegar will react with it and produce sour and bitter sushi rice.) Use a moistened spatula to loosen gently the rice and invert the rice pot over the bowl, gently causing the cooked rice to fall into the bowl in one central heap. Do this gently so as not to cause the rice grains to become damaged. Remove the dashi konbu (kelp) from the cooked rice.

Slowly pour the cooled sushi vinegar over the spatula onto the hot rice. Using the spatula gently spread the rice into a thin, even layer using a 45° cutting action to break up any lumps and to separate the rice. Don't stir or mash rice. After the rice is spread out, start turning it over gently, in small portions, using a cutting action, allowing steam to escape, for about a minute. Continue to gently slice, lift and turn the rice occasionally, for 10 minutes or until all the vinegar dressing has been adsorbed and the rice is shiny. Cover with a damp, lint free cloth to prevent the rice from drying out while preparing your fillings and toppings.

DRAGON ROLLS (also called Caterpillar Rolls)
Yield: 2 inside-out (uramaki) sushi rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1 sheet 7”x8” of toasted nori
half of Japanese cucumber
2 cups of prepared sushi rice Glazed Barbecued Eel (ungai)
1 Avocado
Vinegared Water – ½ cup of water combined with a dash of rice vinegar
2 TBS Fish Roe

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut cucumber into strips ¼ inch x 7” long, then salt, rinse and dry the strips.
2. Broil the eel for about 2-5 minutes until bubbling. Cut into two lengthwise strips.
3. Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Cut the avocado halves into thin even 1/8 inch slices. Fan out the cut avocado into a 7 inch overlapping pattern.
4. Cover bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down, lengthwise, on the edge the mat.
5. Moisten lightly your hands in the bowl of vinegared water.
6.Place one cup of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places. 
7. Flip the rice-covered nori over (so the bare nori is now on top) and place on the edge of the mat closest to you.
8. Arrange one of the eel strips across the length of the nori, not quite centred on it but a little closer to you. Place half the cucumber sticks next to the eel.
9. Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingertips over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge of the mat touches straight down on the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you're holding, and continue rolling the inside-out roll away from you until it's sealed. Tug at the mat to tighten the seal. If the rice doesn't quite close the roll add more rice in the gap and re-roll using the mat to completely cover the inside-out roll. Place the roll on a damp, clean smooth surface.
10. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the optional fish roe along the entire top of the rice-covered roll. Using the plastic covered mat gently press the fish roe so it adheres to the rice.
11. Slide a knife under one fan of avocado and transfer it onto the top of an inside-out roll. Gently spread out the avocado layer to cover the entire roll. Lay the plastic wrapped mat over the avocado-covered roll. Squeeze very gently to shape the roll.
12. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6-8 equal, bite-sized pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Repeat the above to make one more roll.
13. Arrange the cut pieces on a serving plate with the sauces so the finished dish appears as a dragon breathing fire and flames (or a caterpillar with many legs).

SPIRAL SUSHI ROLL

Yield: One Roll, cut into 8 pieces

INGREDIENTS:
2½ cups prepared sushi rice
2 sheets of toasted nori, each sized 7”x8”
Six assorted fillings, each filling should be the size of a pencil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Join 2 sheets of nori by moistening the adjacent edges and overlapping them about ½ inch.
2. Place this double sheet shiny side down on a rolling mat, part of the nori will extend beyond the mat.
3. Using moist fingers place 2½ cups of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly, leaving ¼ inch nori showing on the both ends of the sheet. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.
4. Using your fingers form six grooves (in the same direction that you will be rolling the mat) at even intervals across the bed of rice. Make the first groove about 2 inches from the edge of the nori sheet. Form the grooves by pushing the rice away, do not mash or squash the rice, leave a loose one grain layer of rice in the bottom of the grooves. Level the areas between the grooves where you have pushed the rice.
5. Place your fillings in the grooves. Fill the grooves a little higher than the surrounding rice bed.
6. Then roll the sushi up from the edge closest to you, this will form a spiral pattern of nori, rice and fillings inside the roll.
7. Slice into 8 pieces with a very sharp wet knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut.
8. Place the pieces on a platter and garnish.

NIGIRI SUSHI
Yield: 14-16 pieces of sushi

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups prepared sushi rice
8 pairs of assorted toppings, 7 ozs total of fish
1 TBS Wasabi to adhere topping to rice

DIRECTIONS:
1. When handling sushi rice, make certain your hands are very clean. To keep the rice from sticking to our hands moisten your hands with vinegared water.
2. Form nigiri sushi by scooping up a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of rice with your forefinger and second finger of your right hand and placing it in your cupped left palm.
3. Use the fingers and thumb of your right hand to form it into a long, narrow mound (about 2 inches x 1 inch wide) in your cupped palm.
4. Press enough to make the rice hold firmly together. Place the nigiri on a damp cutting board flat side down. Don't let sushi touch or they'll stick to each other. At this point, you can cover the sushi with plastic wrap, and they'll keep at room temperature (not the refrigerator) for several hours.
5. Smear a thin line of wasabi on top of the rice and place the topping piece on it. You may need to press the topping down lightly with your fingers and adjust the shape of the rice accordingly to form an attractive piece of nigiri sushi.

Jam-of-the-Month Club: obtain your membership and get set to jam

All summer long and well into the fall, I've been making jam. It started with a baking challenge for the Daring Baker's and was further fueled by my friend Karin's voracious interest in learning how to make jam. Then, I got this crazy idea for a jam-of-the-month club/pin-up girl calendar-style blog post, and it took on a life of its own. I was determined to create 12 jams/butters/chutneys with the seasonal fruits locally available to me. Obsessed with flavor pairings and photo shoots, it's been a rewarding, creative outlet to say the least. Of course, I "dressed" each jar with ruffles and ribbons befitting of its contents.

Living in Michigan, I am fortunate to have in my community great local farms and orchards that grow a wide variety of berries and other fruits. Compared to our long, cold winters, however, the growing season always seems so short. Along the way to achieving my goal, my efforts took on new meaning: I began to realize as each new fruit came into season that I was preserving a portion of the harvest in anticipation of the winter to come. Popping open a fresh jar on a dull, gray winter’s morning to spread on toast or spoon into oatmeal should do just the trick to brighten my spirits, encouraging memories of summer. Also, as the giving season approaches, I can't think of a better present to bestow on loved ones. But, being who I am, beyond the typical uses of jams or preserves or butters, I like to get a bit more inventive. A lot of potential is sealed away in those little glass jars! Here is what I've done so far... Ready to meet the "girls"?

Oh, I should note that all of these jams were made with very little sugar with recipes improvised to taste (most weren't written down). While it may compromise shelf stability (sugar is a great preservative), I couldn't bear to drown such lovely, naturally sweet fruits in a sucrose bath. The following are an honest and pure representation of the flavors of their namesake.

Alright. Let's jam!

Strawberry-Ginger-Lemonade Jam

This is the jam that started it all this summer. It was created as a filling for a Bakewell Tartserved at my friend Dara's I-handed-in-my-tenure-package celebration. I called it lemonade because it was quite heavy on the tart end of the lemon to sugar ratio. As you'll start to notice, crystalized ginger finds it way into many things that I make.

Raspberry-Peach Preserves

There seemed to be an abundance of raspberries available this year. With a cooler than normal summer, the raspberry season just never seemed to quit. These came from the Ypsilanti Farmers Market, just when peaches were first ripening.

Black Raspberry Preserves

At first, I mistook these as black berries. Silly me. Black raspberries have such a deep, gorgeous color and flavor to match! Unfortunately, I waited to long past the growing season to photograph them and ended up using red berries for the shoot.

Apricot-Amaretto Jam

These apricots came from Lesser Farms. From a tip about the freshly picked fruit, I drove through a rain storm one evening to purchase these. Apricots were on the tart side this year, but I still didn't want to add a lot of sugar to the jam. Instead I flavored it with amaretto, because I had this jam in mind for use in the Apricot-Almond Shortbread Bars my family most requests for me to make for their birthdays.

Blueberry-Lavender Jam

This jam has a slight lavender herbal quality, but the sweet blueberry flavor completely predominates. Karin picked the berries, and then we headed over to our friend Tracy's house to make the jam and meet her new born daughter. I was so proud to be apart of this little girl's first jam making experience!

Blueberry Marmalade

Karin picked a lot of blueberries that day! Enough to make a batch of bright, citrusy marmalade. With generous slices of lemons and oranges, this is absolutely delicious spread on toast.

Peach Jam

My neighbor Stefanie and her daughters joined Tracy, Karin and me to make this batch. All these able hands to peel, pit and chop peaches made quick work of the two pecks of dripping-ly ripe peaches I'd purchased for an incredibly good price at my wednesday morning farmers market. I decided to keep the flavor of this jam pure and simple, knowing eventually I would turn it into a vanilla bean-gingered sauce for crepes made while guest chef-ing for SELMA, a local foods community breakfast joint at which I volunteer.

Vanilla Bean-Flecked Pear Butter

The provenance of the pears for this butter was "deep" local. They came from a tree in the field behind my house and were a source of much joy (free pears) and strife (achieving the perfect moment of ripeness). I picked the pears, and then fretted for a weeks about getting them all to ripen around the same time. Pears are climacteric--they ripen off the tree. I'm sure you've heard someone bemoan the pear ripening process before. Even Emerson noted the futility:

There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nonetheless, on the day I deemed most to be ripe enough, I made this butter. Pears were cored and chopped and then cooked in white wine until soft and then passed through a food mill and into the pan to simmer with orange slices, cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans. Probably the most time-consuming to make compared to the other jams and also the most worth-the-effort in terms of flavor. I decided charging $100/jar for this one would be appropriate compensation of my efforts.

Vanilla Bean Black Tea Plum Butter

This butter was created for a side blogging project for my friends at Arbor Teas. Infused with a black tea blended with real vanilla beans, the flavor of the tea really comes forward and pairs nicely with the sweet-tart Sweet Vision Plums. The jewel-like hue of this butter is really stunning. It makes an excellent dipping sauce for spring rolls.

Concord Grape-Macoun Apple-Quince Chutney

This chutney was inspired by a trip to the farmer's market, as I wasn't entirely decided on what fruits I would use before I arrived. I wanted to make something befitting (and of course seasonal) of the vols-au-vent pastry and braised pork shoulder I made for the Daring Baker'schallenge. The Macoun apples were particularly tasty, and I was very lucky to come by them as their availability this year was brief. Onions and fresh ginger root are also in this chutney to give it a more savory edge.

Maple-Gingered Apple Sauce

On a tip (tweet) from The Farmer's Marketer, I headed out to Lutz Orchard (again in the rain) to pick up a few pecks of heirloom apples. Mr. Lutz is such a charming fellow. I told him my intentions for his apples, and he excitedly handed me two quince, saying lots of people like to use them in jams. The quince were perfectly ripe and unblemished. I used them to make a cardamom and cinnamon-laced, flaky double-crusted, apple-quince pie. The apple sauce was made with Wolf River and Snow Apples, two antique varieties of sweet baking apples, and sweetened with pure maple syrup and crystalized ginger.

Brandied Heirloom Apple Preserves with Cardamom and Ginger

A mixture of Rhode Island Greenings and Northern Spy, also purchased from Lutz Orchard, were finely diced for these preserves. Black Star Farms pear brandy, cardamom and ginger add a bit a elegance. I used the preserves to embellish a homemade flaky cracker topped with Regal Raisin, a soft, triple cream cow's milk cheese. Made in Burgundy, this sweet, dense cheese is covered with raisins soaked in Marc de Bourgogne (a grape distillate). It tastes very similar to (but even better than) a New York-style cheesecake. Pure decadence!

So how might you obtain membership to my jam club to recieve a jar of your very own?

Consider attending the Slow Food Huron Valley Local Harvest Cook-off on Sunday, November 8th from 3-5 PM at the Chelsea Fairgrounds Community Building. Folks who make a monetary donation to Food Gatherers will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a jar of jam.

Cook-off Details:

Old Pine Farm and Tantré Farm have helped organize a fun and delicious Slow Food community potluck and recipe swap. There will be music, prizes and local chefs on hand to judge our best Local Harvest dishes. You could go home a blue ribbon winner by putting together a dish with as many local ingredients as possible in the following categories:

- Soup/stew

- Meat main dish

- Vegetarian main dish

- Vegetable side dish/salad

- Dessert/bread

Bring: your dish to pass, your own place settings, and 30 copies of your recipe to swap. This is also an opportunity to benefit Food Gatherers - so please consider bringing nutritious non-perishable food or a check for Food Gatherers (which will be eligible for a Michigan Tax Credit and entry into the jam raffle).

French Macarons: trend predictions and ego maintenance

Trend ALERT: Have cupcakes met their match with the French macaron? The macaron may not be mainstream quite yet, but it's been speculated that it's coming. Ask most people (and I have) if they know what a macaron is, and they say “sure!”. Confirm by stating it doesn’t contain sweetened condensed milk or coconut; a bit puzzled, they say “oh?”. Compared to its American namesake, French macarons are a much more sophisticated meringue-style cookie traditionally made with ground almonds. Sandwiched together with a ganache or buttercream or jam or curd, these confections are infinitely customizable by flavor and color combinations. I first read about them a few years back in a foodie magazine article about Christmas gift suggestions. Intrigued, I looked into ordering some as a treat for myself but was shocked to find the shipping price as expensive as the cookies. Determined to have a taste, my next instinct was to figure out how to make them on my own. That’s when I stumbled across the blog of the lovely and talented Tartelette and read every tip and trick I could gather from her. With a great virtual mentor and perhaps beginners luck my first batch ever (tinted purple and filled with a lavender ganache) was perfect! And then I never made them again…

Fast forward to this month where the 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. I was extremely excited to be reacquainted with macarons—I’ve already done this!

Unfortunately my first batch (cocoa flavored with spooky Halloween decorations) was disappointing. They tasted fine, but looked like sad little cracked and deflated disks, almost too soft and flimsy to hold a filling. I had read much about the finicky nature of the meringue batter, especially the careful attention needed during the macronage process (the technique of incorporating the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites), but had yet to experience it firsthand. Things worked fine for me the last time. What was I doing wrong this time? Needless to say my kitchen ego was a little bruised, so I regrouped ingredients, pulled out the Tartelette recipe I was comfortable using (sorry Claudia Fleming) and started over. Round two (still cocoa flavored but with fall leaf and pumpkin sugar decorations) turned out so much better. I achieved the much sought after "feet"—that little ruffled edge at the base of the cookie. Complete success!

For the filling I wanted something that evoked the flavors of fall, so I chose a spiced pumpkin, dark chocolate ganache. I adapted it from a recipe shared with me by my favorite local chocolatier, Nancy Biehn of Sweet Gem Confections. I shouldn’t have strayed as far away from her recipe as I did, as the ganache turned out to be a mini disaster of its own—major, inexplicable cocoa butter seepage from the fancy chocolate in which I invested quite a fair penny! I couldn’t get it to pull together to be cohesive with the rest of the mixture. Having run out of ingredients and time to start fresh, I decided to drain off the liquidy cocoa butter and use the remaining spread as is to fill my perfectly-footed macarons. In doing so, I duly noted the additional opportunity for an ego check—making a ganache is usually foolproof.

Understandably, if this hasn’t enticed you to try making these yourself and you want to check if any bakeries near you sell French macarons, here’s a good place to start.

Will the French macaron supplant the cupcake as the next sweet trend? Hmm, perhaps not all regions of the country will readily take to the frillier dessert. If you ask me, I think pie might need to be thrown in the mix for good Midwestern measure. This is just my humble prediction, but it may be quite likely if the amount of flaky pastry dough coming out of my kitchen this year is any sort of barometer.

Chocolate Macarons

Ingredients
3 egg whites (separated from yolks 3 days before baking and kept at a cool room temp)
50 grams granulated sugar
200 grams powdered sugar
110 grams blanched almonds
2 TBS cocoa powder

1. Combine the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and almonds in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery. Sift into a large bowl. Regrind any large leftover bits of nuts in a coffee grinder and add to bowl.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment to a foam. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks and you achieve a glossy meringue.
3. Add sifted almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently with a rubber spatula to combine. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized rounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper). Let the macarons sit on the counter for an hour to harden their shells a bit.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Bake the macaron for 10-12 minutes.
7. Cool completely on a rack before filling.

Makes 2 dozen filled cookies

Spiced Pumpkin, Dark Chocolate Ganache
(this definitely needs tweaking)

1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup half and half
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
2 lbs chocolate, finely chopped and set aside in a large bowl

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring all ingredients except for chocolate to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for a minute or so and then stir to incorporate. Ganache should be cooled slightly until firm enough to spread onto macarons.

Pho Ga – Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. This recipe is from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

As a broth-based soup, Pho (pronounced Fuh? as if you were asking a question) is only as good as the stock used for its foundation. Sure you can create a quick meal with a store-bought version veiled with spice additions, but it will never achieve the depth of flavor and overall satisfaction that comes from slow simmering in the DIY vein. The provenance of the stock I used kindly came from an earnestly adventurous and slightly River Cottage-obsessed friend. He learned to butcher and process a pasture-raised broiler chicken at Back Forty Acres, a farm just in the next town over. If you are familiar with the writing of Michael Pollan or the philosophy of Joel Salatin, than this is the stuff of which Polyface Farms is made: sustainable, pasture-based, local farming. Ironically, I used to live a short distance from Polyface, but never knew of its existence until I moved to Michigan, and the sustainable farming notion resurged with national press.

That very evening of the kill I was invited to dinner. AT LAST! This was my chance to taste fresh chicken, the chicken of the past, chicken that wasn’t raised in a CAFO and actually dined on grass: a chicken that genuinely tastes like, well, chicken. I gladly partook in the family-style roasted chicken feast and then knowing Pho was in my cooking queue promptly inquired as to the intentions for the stock. This particular stock was made from the carcass simmering for over half a day with carrots and kale and leeks and onion and garlic and thyme and bay leaf. It had the familiar aroma of Thanksgiving. Lucky for me plenty was available for this comforting soup, making it that much more special or, if you will, in more colorfully descriptive terms: pho-king amazing!

Pho Ga Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:
For Broth:

1 onion, unpeeled and cut in half

1 3-inch piece of ginger, unpeeled

2 TBS whole coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise


2 quarts chicken stock

1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)

1 to 2 TBS sugar

1 to 2 TBS fish sauce

1 lb. dried rice noodles (¼-inch wide)

Accompaniments:
2 cups bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro
½ cup sliced red onions

1 lime, cut into wedges

Sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions:

Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4-inches from the heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and both should get soft. After cooling, rub the onion to get the charred skin off; peel the ginger and cut into thick slices.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise. Toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a small dish to prevent burning.

In a large pot combine broth, charred onion, ginger, toasted spices, chicken, sugar and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface if necessary. Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles as directed on the package.

Once chicken breasts are cooked, use tongs to remove. Shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if applicable. Strain broth and discard solids.

To serve, ladle the broth into bowls, add shredded chicken breast and noodles. Allow each person to customize their own bowl with additional accompaniments.

Apples All Dressed Up: Polish Apple Fritters

Apples for me are a true harbinger for fall. Sure vendors at my farmer’s market proffered apples all summer, but no, no I whisked straight past towards berries and peaches half-believing those apples were even grown locally. Yes, I know there are early-ripening varietals, but for me, apple season coincides with days shortening, temperatures dropping, and leaves changing. They conjure warm scents of spice and longings for hot cider and doughnuts. Well, the season is certainly upon us now! I've been taking advantage by making cider and filled pastries and dumplings and preserves and sauce and pie...

Recently, a sweet, sweet grandfather-type co-worker shared with me a bag of fresh-picked apples and described his favorite way to eat them: Jabtusska w mundu kadi. This is a traditional Polish recipe that he said roughly translates as “apples all dressed up”. Essentially, these are apple fritters in that apple rings are dipped in a pancake-like batter and fried into deliciousness. By the look in his eyes when he talked about it, I could tell how special this recipe was to my co-worker. This made me that much more eager to try it. When I showed my him the picture of my results, he told me with much enthusiasm that I would “make a great European wife”. Well, I don’t know about that, but I am excited to be preserving a Polish tradition. Next he wants to teach me potato pancakes. I can’t wait!

Jabtusska w Mundu Kadi

2 eggs, separated
3 TBS superfine sugar
5 TBS milk
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1TBS masa harina
1 lb apples
½ cup butter
powdered sugar
cinnamon

Beat egg yolks with sugar and milk in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whites into yolk mixture. Sift the flours over this egg mixture and fold in lightly. This should make a rather thick batter.

Peel, core and slice apples into ¼-inch thick rings. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Dip apple rings in batter, turning to coat both sides. Slip apples into hot butter, frying until golden and puffed; then flip to cook other side. Repeat with remaining rings. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

Vols-au-vent with braised pork and grape-apple-quince chutney

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) is something you probably would buy frozen at the grocery store or (for more instant gratification) already baked and filled as a treat from your favorite bakery. Why not try making it yourself? Coming away from this challenge, I can earnestly say that it is surprisingly easy and satisfying to do so--very much well-worth the effort! In preparation, I watched the on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia”.
This was a pure treat to see Michel demonstrate making the pastry under Julia’s watchful eye and quite honestly a great confidence builder to observe the technique of an expert. Ever since watching the movie Julia and Julie and reading her memoir My life in France, I am admittedly enamored with the passion for good food and genuinely lovely personality of Julia Child. So this for me was an exciting challenge to complete!

Much like Danish dough and croissant dough, puff pastry is a laminated dough, which means it consists of a large block of butter (the beurrage) that is enclosed in dough (the détrempe). This dough/butter packet (termed a paton) is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough does not contain yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely on aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and from the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise. Another essential for achieving rise is to use a low-gluten flour. American all-purpose flours typically contain a lot more gluten then French “equivalents”. While in France developing recipes for her cookbook that was to be used in American kitchens, Julia Child had to take this difference into account. For this reason, a blend of cake flour and all-purpose flour are suggested in order to reduce gluten content.

Vols-au-vent are typically served hot and filled with a creamy, savory filling (often poultry or seafood-based), but cold fillings, such as chicken or tuna salad, are used as well. Sweet versions tend to include whipped cream or pastry cream with fresh or stewed fruit. Wanting to keep things savory, I tapped the finest local resource I knew for an appropriate filling that would pair well with the pastry. I purchased a delicious braised pork shoulder from Durham's Tracklements, a local culinary artisan of fine-quality, custom smoked meats and fishes. For those of you who know me, I know what you’re thinking…yes, I cook (for the most part) vegetarian, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to order and enjoy a superb piece of meat! Excited about the project, I told Mr. Durham about how I planned to use his pork and about the concord grape, macoun apple, quince, and ginger chutney I was making to accompany the pastry. He told me that was the "fanciest way [he’d] ever heard of pulled pork being served". TR, I think I might just have to agree with you on that one!

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough



Ingredients:


2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour


1¼ cups cake flour


1 Tbs salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)


1¼ cups ice water


1 pound very cold unsalted butter (frozen for 20 minutes or so)

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers much like Play-Doh.

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a cross hatch pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. This can be great fun, especially after a stressful day, but take care not to mash your fingers like I did…ouch! The butter must remain cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour with your rolling pin, press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. (This will allow for the gluten to rest.) Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the flaps over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

Brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 or up to 60 minutes before repeating the rolling and folding process to complete the next set of turns. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent:

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1½” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2½-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” forr you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Prick the solid bottom rounds with a fork (do this lightly so as not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tbs warm water). Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” stack and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.

Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF, and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

Fill and serve.

Vegan Indian Dosas

The September Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Debyi from Healthy Vegan Kitchen. Inspired by a visit to one of the Fresh Restaurants in Toronto, she choose Indian Dosas from the Refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal. If you take a peek at Debyi’s blog you’ll notice that she takes healthy cooking quite seriously and uses almost no added fats in her techniques.

Pulling this dish together requires three components, the dosas (a thin crepe-like pancake), the filling (which is curry and bean based) and the sauce (a satisfying coconut milk and tomato concoction). I suggest starting backwards from this list by making the sauce first, then filling and finishing with the dosas. That way everything will be ready at about the same time. A few weeks ago my volunteer gig afforded me (along with my friend Kate) the opportunity to turn out roughly 200 crepes for a hungry breakfast crowd. Some crepes were vegan and some were egg and butter laden—all helped hone my technique. I offer these words of advice for the vegan version: ain’t nothin’ beats a non-stick pan. Yes, the first few crepes are always sacrificial until you get the heat just right, but without the Teflon coating you’ll blow through the entire batter with nary a dosa to show for it. I learned this the hard way trying to use my beautiful cast iron crepe pan, which has since intimated to me that in order to cooperate consistently it prefers butter. So Julia!

I was excited to receive this challenge as I adore Indian food and have acquired quite a handful of vegan friends of late. I present the recipe here as I received it with only minor ingredient substitutions noted. If I were to make it again, I most definitely would make my own curry or if in a pinch, use a curry paste. Curry powders have always tasted flat to me, so I try to avoid using them and should have done so with this recipe. You should know, though, that this dish tastes even better the next day. Just reheat gently if going this route so as not to cause the sauce to separate. Oh, and I served this with steamed kale and okra. It’s a great time of year to be eating okra. I highly recommend the "O is for Okra" recipe from the abecedarian tribute in this month's Gourmet magazine. [Can't seem to find link.] Not only because of my preference for the letter "O", it truly is delicious!

Indian Dosas
Serves 4

Coconut Curry Sauce

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp coarse sea salt
3 TBS curry powder

3 TBS spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups coconut milk

3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let simmer for half an hour.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

5 cloves garlic

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)

2 medium hot banana chilies, minced

2 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS oregano

1 TBS coarse sea salt
1 TBS turmeric

4 cups cooked (or about 2 cans) chick peas
(I used Borlotti beans from my favorite heirloom legume purveyor)
½ cup tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, vegetables, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally. Add a bit of water if vegetables begin sticking to pan. 2.Mash the beans and add along with the tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Dosa Pancakes
 (I suggest doubling this to ensure extra batter for practicing your technique)
1 cup spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp curry powder

½ cup almond milk (or soy, or rice…)

¾ cup water

cooking spray, as needed

1.Combine the dry ingredients in a blender, slowly add the liquids, blending until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, as needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.