Mad Science!

My molecular gastronomy kit came today, so of course I tried it out as soon as I had that box open. I made caviar! No, I did not use mad science to turn myself into a fish, so I guess it isn't real caviar... but it is tasty. I'm not going to break it down, since it's basic reverse spherification. If you want to try it all you have to do is Google it. Tons of sites explain the process. The Youtube videos are particularly helpful.

Here's what I came up with first

You know those Satsumas in my CSA box? Turns out they were blood oranges! So here is some blood orange caviar. They weren't exactly perfect but not bad for a first batch.. the feel in your mouth is so strange, just like caviar with a satisfying pop and a rush of tart juice.

And then these..  Espresso caviar on ice cream! I made them hot so you had a fun temperature difference between the caviar and ice cream as well. These ones turned out more uniform although not quite spherical, and tasted great on the ice cream. I'm sure they'll get better with practice. With reverse spherification they are pretty sturdy and temperature doesn't really affect them.. which has my brain spinning with all kinds of ideas. I think cantaloupe caviar will be next on the menu.

With regular spherification they have to be served immediately or they will gel all the way to the center. With reverse spherification if you rinse them in clean water they won't continue gelling, and then you need to suspend them in the same type of liquid you made them with (fruit juice and espresso in my case) so they won't leech out flavor and you can store them in the fridge for a while.

Quick Dinner

Last night Matt came home really hungry.. and he forgot that he was supposed to pick up dinner. So I didn't have anything planned and had to do a fridge scramble to get the boy fed. He kept saying he would scrounge for dinner which usually means Cheerios or something, but I'm not really okay with that. After a long day at work, he needs real food. On a normal day he eats 2-3 servings worth of dinner (and doesn't gain a pound, how unfair is that?) so cheerios really wouldn't cut it. We had two leftover, extremely lean steaks and broccoli from the CSA membership. What to do? Broccoli Beef! Of course I didn't let the fact that I had never made broccoli beef before deter me.. and I have no idea what goes in it. So here's what I did.

Ok, I'll admit it.. it looks a little like dog food. But it tasted really good and got Matt fed in a hurry.

I threw some rice in the rice cooker first with half the usual amount of salt since I knew I was going to use soy sauce in the beef, I didn't want the dish to be too salty.

The Beef Mixture

2 lean steaks (I think what I had was sirloin steak) cut into thin strips against the grain.

JMC salt and pepper to taste

Approx. 2 Tbsp of soy sauce

Garlic Powder

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 package of Country Gravy (I know, weird)

So I threw the chopped up steak in a plastic bag, added the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and gave it a good shake. Then I seared the beef really quickly in my ceramic coated cast iron skillet (any heavy skillet is fine) and added the soy sauce and chicken broth and started it simmering. It didn't look quite right... I thought it should be more creamy/gravy-ish. At first I was just going to add flour or cornstarch when I got the bright idea that a packet of Country Gravy mix might punch up the flavor. So I sprinkled that over the top of it and started mixing. It looked pretty good and smelled great. I added all the broccoli florets and popped the lid on while I waited for the rice to finish. When the rice beeped, I checked on it and the broccoli was tender but not mushy, which is just how we like it. It's probably nothing like real Broccoli Beef, but Matt didn't seem to mind. He ate the leftovers for breakfast.  I guess those Cheerios will have to wait for another day.



Spices, Spices, Everywhere!!!

I use a ton of spices in my cooking, and have spent years trying to figure out a good way to organize them. The problem is I was always moving every couple years so didn't want to buy anything sized specifically to the current house that I was in. Well, we bought our house three years ago and I don't think we'll be going anywhere for the next 10 yrs so I finally did it!! I figured out an organization that works for me. Ta-da!!!

Drawer 1: Six ounce clear glass jars. Most spices come in four ounce jars so I figured this way I have a little room for when I am running low I can still add a new jar. They are widemouthed so I have no problem dipping my measuring spoons in.

Drawer 2: 10 ounce jars for the spices I buy in bulk amounts. I like the square size better, they don't move around and I can fit more. I couldn't find any square six ounce ones that were short enough for the other drawer, unfortunately. It's a top drawer so quite a bit smaller than the others.

Family Sushi Night

Here are some photos of the sushi night that I did for my whole family. There ended up being 9.2 people (the baby is pretty little still!) and it was a lot of work. It was fun too though, I love cooking for a crowd. I started assembling some of the ingredients the night before so it wouldn't be quite as hard, things like cooking the shrimp, slicing the eel. It still took me most of the day, I think I started around 1 and had dinner on the table by almost seven.

At this end you can see the salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber rolls, some shrimp and eel nigiri and the crab, cucumber and avacado rolls.

Oops, I cut off the top of the flowers! They were really pretty purple ones that my sister brought me. I think they may have been irises.

See the cute wasabi leaf? If you do this I recommend wearing gloves!! My hands were on fire for a while.

The other end of the table.. I see some more of the stuff that is at the other end as well as some inari stuffed with rice, sauteed mushrooms and onions. And the stuffed squid.. the little circles. All kinds of ingredients in those.. rice, cilantro, carrots, fresh grated ginger, some other stuff.  The inari were actually the most popular! I thought practically no one would like them.

Salad Omelette

Several people have said putting greens in my omelettes is odd, but try it before you judge! In this omelette I used red chard since it came in my CSA box but any greens works.. even mixed salad greens, two eggs, 1 tsp milk, some shaved parmesan, capers, salt (Jamiaca me Crazy seasoned salt), pepper, italian seasoning, and leftover rotisserie chicken. A touch of butter to cook it in. You can use whatever meat you have leftover in the fridge this way.. or just stick with the greens. I like to wilt my greens in a touch of butter or olive oil before putting them in.

The cast of characters

Put your pan on medium heat with a bit of butter in it. Whisk the eggs, milk, and seasonings together until blended. Pour your mixture into the pan.

This is when I add my capers and shaved parmesan. The center has just barely started to firm up but is still wet on top. It's in there, but the parmesan blends right in since it's so thinly shaved! A good quality parmesan makes all the difference. I prefer it aged for a minimum of 12 months.

Once your omelette is cooked how you like it, add in your chicken and greens and serve. Yum!

The finished product. A little bit browned is how I like it so I use just a touch of butter in the pan, if you prefer yours without any browning add a little more butter and use a very low heat. You'll get a soft, delicate omelette. If my herbs hadn't died for the winter, I would have thrown in some fresh chives and oregano instead of the italian seasoning.  

How to make a Husband happy

Bacon. At least that's the secret with my husband, add bacon to anything and he will eat it. Here was what I came up with for the first night after I received the CSA box... and then we had it again the second night at my husbands request.  

Potatoes, Cabbage, and Bacon

It was incredibly simple to make and takes very few ingredients.

4 slices of bacon

Baby red potatoes, quartered

One head of Cabbage, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste (I use Jamaica me Crazy seasoned salt)

Fresh Garlic, ran through the garlic press

1/4-1/2 Cup chicken broth

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet, I use a ceramic coated cast iron one. When it's almost done drain off the oil, cut bacon into smaller pieces (I did about an inch size) and add the potatoes. Put heat on medium. I have a gas stove and this makes things brown, but not burn. Every stove is a bit different so do whatever works for you. Salt and pepper. Put on your lid and walk away. After about 8 minutes you'll want to check it and stir it up a bit. Keep your eye on your pan and when your potatoes are soft throw in your sliced cabbage. Mix it up and as soon as your cabbage is just barely wilted start deglazing your pan with the chicken broth, a couple Tablespoons worth at a time. As soon as all the toasted brown stuff is off the bottom of your pan, you're done! You want it to be damp but not sopping wet.

CSA Farmshare: Part Two

So here are some photos of what I got in my box, which is both a fruit and veggies membership. I had the option of just doing veggies, but we eat a lot of fruit around here. The challenge will be to eat or give away enough vegetables every week so nothing spoils. Getting creative with ingredients I've never seen before will keep this interesting! Everything came in a rubbermaid bin and I repackaged into bags until I get some baskets that I can just slide in and out of the fridge easily.

                          There was a bunch of baby red potatoes and half a pound of salad mix

Satsumas, apples, pears, and kiwis

White radishes, two cabbages, chard, and broccoli

Correction: It turns out those things I thought were white radishes were actually little turnips! We ate them raw on salad since we were under the impression that they were radishes, and they were delicious that way.

CSA Farmshare

I live in farm country and I just discovered something called a CSA. It's a farm membership where I get fresh fruits and veggies straight off the farm delivered once a week. This week was my first delivery and it was great!! It's making me use veggies I never would have considered before and improving our diet. Once I locate my camera I'll show some photos of the stuff I got and share a few recipes that I've come up with to use them.