RECIPE - Gnocchi

Recipe and method coming soon!

Blue Bird

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Commons on Fire, pt. 2

 Culinary Week at my university kicked off this year with The Commons On Fire, our annual cooking competition. Three teams of staff members and students work together to create an appetizer and entrée from a list of ingredients that they are given minutes before the competition begins. After an hour, the plates are presented to a panel of four judges for tasting and are given a score based on presentation, creativity, and taste. I had competed in this event last year, so being a part of the judging panel this time around was even more exciting for me.

After an explanation of the rules by Master Chef Ken Arnone, the teams set to work on their plates. The theme of Culinary Week was an exploration of Asia, so many of the ingredients are popular in some cuisine from the East. Common ingredients like bok choy and Japanese beer crashed against grape gum and wasabi peas. Some of the teams struggled to incorporate all of the ingredients into their dishes, and the activity and energy in the kitchen is accurately described as frantic. The crowd was boisterous and supportive of their favorite teams; people milled around watching the action and snacking on handmade sushi rolls.

Once the hour of cooking was approaching its end, the judges were rounded up and secluded in the Chef’s Table. We sampled six plates, three appetizers followed by three entrees. Interestingly, each team chose to use their Manila clams in their appetizer; one team served them with undressed pea shoots while the other two teams served them in broth. The undressed vegetable would be a running theme with this team; an unfortunate downfall, as their plating was some of the best of the night.

One broth was very sweet, flavored with Mirin and scallions. This was my personal favorite clam dish of the event. The fried yam chips were irregularly cut and suffered uneven frying because of it. But the colors and flavors of each dish were on point; the clams were perfectly cooked across all three plates and the portions were appropriate for an appetizer. The plating here seemed a little sloppy with the chips loosely piled on; another small dish or paper cone would have made it seem much more put together. 

The other clam dish was salty and earthy; hunks of sausage contrasted the accompanying ssam-like salad nicely. Some of the judges approached the salad with a fork, but I picked it up as a bundle and went for it; it definitely worked much better this way than as more separate components. Almost unanimously, we judges agreed the salad was a particular high point, especially when rolled like a lettuce cup or ssam (the Korean description for ‘wrapped’.)

The entrees were presented in the same order as the appetizers; the first entrée came from the same team who presented the first appetizer, and so on. In the first course, two teams had chosen to present their clams in similar styles; in the entrée course, two teams elected to stuff and roll their chicken as a roulade (originating from the French word 'rouler,' meaning ‘roll.’) The chicken roulade from both teams was outstanding, and their sauces were delicious as well. One team served a baby bok choy that looked wonderful but was completely unseasoned. The same dish was plagued by a miscalculation in time, and the pile of potatoes had gotten cold by the time we received the plates.

The third team broke the mold and served a beverage with their dish; a combination on honey, grape gum, tea, and lemon juice. It was simply outstanding and the first time we really got a sense of the grape gum from any team’s plates. While the two chicken roulade dishes were perfectly cooked and very tasty, the third team served their chicken with a wonderful crispy skin and a wonderfully simple, minimalist presentation. The Oolong rice was tasty, but a little overdone and glutinous.

The final entree was the second of the chicken roulades. I liked this one slightly more than the first offering, possibly only because the other components on the plate weren't off target. That being said, I preferred the glaze on the other roulade; it was a thicker, stickier sauce and this plate seemed to be on the runny side. The presentation here could have benefited from a little more composition, too. 

The judging was intense. The presentation of the plates across the board was at a pretty high level; there were very few technical mistakes made by any team, but as we deliberated over the plates, it became clear how the team’s performances had played out. We handed in our score cards and joined the crowd for the announcement of the winners. When the dust had settled, team Saute Hautes (led by Anthony McGinnis) took first place to enormous applause. One of the team members actually won her third first-place medal too! This event has been running for three years now, and she has been a member of each winning team, every year. Each team had presented a fantastic meal and all competitors should be extremely pleased with their efforts. 

For more photos of this event, click over to Audrey's page!

Commons on Fire, pt. 1

Recently, I had the opportunity to judge a cooking competition at my university kitchens. It was a great experience made memorable by a great (and rambunctious) crowd, excellent dishes, and extremely competitive cooks. My own photos are forthcoming along with a dish-by-dish recap of the event, but head over to Audrey's page to see some photos of the dishes and of the event. Stay tuned!

RECIPE - Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you might as well make it good, right? Breakfast food really resonates with me; salty pork, crispy potatoes, runny eggs, toast...it really doesn't get much better. I don't really have a dog in the fight between pancakes and waffles, unless the pancakes are stuffed. Chocolate chips or blueberries are classic additions, but add a mixture of lemon zest and ricotta cheese, and you'll create believers in the almighty pancake.

I took this recipe directly from CHOW; follow up with it there if you like, or use my shorthand directions here. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for coating the frying pan and serving
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon packed finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 to 3 medium lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• Powdered sugar, fruit, or maple syrup, for serving (optional)
• 
  
• 1. Melt the butter in the milk and let cool.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tea. of salt together.
  3. Separate eggs, keeping whites and yolks. Mix yolks, 1 tab. sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla together. Add cooled milk/butter mixture slowly in doses so you don't cook the eggs. Mix until smooth, then incorporate dry mixture from step 2.
  4. Whip egg whites until you get soft peaks. Halfway through, add the rest of the sugar and salt. Fold the whites into the mixture. 
  5. Add ricotta. The ricotta should be streaky and lumpy in the mixture; do not overmix the batter.
  6. Heat pan and add butter. Use 1/4 cup doses to make pancakes. Flip once you see bubbles on the top of the pancakes. Cook second side for only a minute or two.
  
  
  Now, I served mine with a fruit salad. I really like the salad from Chez Shea, a mix of pears and pecans. I made a simple homemade version, dicing a pear, a granny smith apple, some mint, and adding some roasted pecans. Instead of a champagne vinaigrette, I used some lemon-lime soda and lemon juice. The salad was alright, but I suggest you chop the pecans or season them. It was definitely better as leftovers, when the soda had a chance to permeate the fruit. Happy eating!

RECIPE - Skillet Pizza

Yesterday, I decided to try out J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe for homemade Neapolitan-style dough. I've been wanting to find a good dough recipe, and following Mr. Food Lab's advice is almost always a good place to start.

The recipe itself is ridiculously simple. I cut it in half for my first go:

2 cups flour. (Almost all serious pizzaioli will recommend '00' flour, which is much more finely ground than what most of us have on hand, but even regular all-purpose flour (which I used) is just fine.)

1 1/8 t. salt. (I used sea salt; Kenji calls for kosher.)

1/2 t. active dry yeast.

1 t. sugar.

6 oz. water.  

Combine dry ingredients and add water until the dough just comes together. You can do this with a mixer or by hand. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead it again for 10 minutes. You can add a little more flour or water if you need to; the dough should almost be sticking to the bowl, but will keep together. At this point, you can put the dough in plastic bags on in covered bowls and keep it in the refrigerator. I let mine sit in a plastic bag for a day in the fridge.

When you're ready, portion the dough. Use whatever method you like to stretch the skins, but make sure to handle the edge as little as possible; you want to keep it slightly thicker than the rest of the dough. You should also prep your toppings; I cooked a can of diced tomatoes down with a little salt and fresh basil, sliced fresh mozzarella, and picked more basil leaves. Move your oven racks as high as you can while still leaving room for your widest, thickest, heaviest, oven-safe skillet. Dust the inside of the skillet with flour, making sure to tap out the excess, and heat the skillet under the broiler. Kenji recommends heating until the skillet is just smoking. This will go quickly.

Being very careful from here on, remove the skillet (always, always use a hot pad or thick towel. Even that handle you're so used to grabbing is going to be very hot.) Place a skin of dough in the skillet; ideally, you'll want the dough to take up the entire base of the skillet but not climb the walls. Quickly add sauce and toppings, then return to the broiler.

Whatcha know 'bout Hello Kitty toasters?

Your pizza will cook very quickly; probably no more than five minutes and probably less than three. Again, be very careful when handling the skillet. Remove the skillet from the oven and slide the pizza onto a plate or peel. Drizzle with olive oil and add last minute toppings, then serve. Bonus points for serving the pizza whole, arming your guests only with scissors to cut slices from the pie. Re-flour/re-heat your skillet for the next pizza. It's that simple!

Margherita.

Mozzarella and Egg.

Casanova Pizzeria - Boise

Casanova Pizzeria is situated in a large corner building off Vista Ave. in Boise, Idaho. It's a big space with surprisingly few tables, but it somehow still doesn't feel very spacious. The interior is decorated with a nice minimalist style, and huge windows lining the front of the restaurant let sunlight flood in. The restaurant describes itself as 'neo-Neapolitan', and the New Haven style pizzas come through with big flavor and crazy good crust.

Before getting into the pizzas, the antipasti offerings are really worth looking into. Really good salads are big enough for a meal, but I was most impressed by the Pagniotielli, a round of puffed dough that somehow keeps it's internal air bubble and hole structure even when it's torn open. (Pro tip: save half the pagniotielle, take it home and eat it the next morning for breakfast with butter.)

Everyone will find a pizza at Casanova that hits them right in their comfort zone. Vegetarian pizzas don't feel tacked onto the menu as vegetarian options; meat pizzas aren't there just for salty, fatty overindulgence. The pizza menu is surprisingly huge, from the Clam Bacon (to the right) to the Medusa (gorgonzola, pineapple, and fig.) My favorites are the Clam Bacon, with huge chunks of thick, salty bacon and sweet clams that are happy at home on the crispy-chewy crust, and the Juno, a red sauce pie with prosciutto and arugula. 

The crust at Casanova is something special to behold. Thin and crisp but with a great chewy pull that isn't too dense, it's a great canvas for the pies to take shape on. The cornicone has good hole structure and a uniform golden glow. While the upskirt might look a little pale, don't be fooled; that's a perfectly timed bake. The only tip sag comes from the sheer weight of the toppings; the pies are perfectly balanced and not overwhelming, but these are not minimalist pies. This is one of the best pizzerias you've never heard of, and you should not miss it if you're in Idaho.

Louis Prima Suprima
(Sausage, Meatball, Pepperoni, Bacon)

Eggplant
(Roasted Eggplant and Basil)