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Must Read: It's About Time

partysugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:15:09 -0800

If you live in the Boston area you may be familiar with Chef Michael Schlow.
A James Beard Award-winning chef, Schlow owns three wildly successful restaurants: Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay. Although I've never dined at one of Schlow's establishments, I recently got my hands on his cookbook, It's About Time ($24.71).

Different from most cookbooks, this tome is not separated into courses. Instead each section represents a specific time - be it a cooking time (Time to Eat and Now) or a time in one's life (Time to Celebrate). To find out more about this excellent cookbook, read more.

Pros:

Unlike some cookbooks by restaurant chefs, this publication is totally accessible to the home cook.
There's something for everyone, from the busy mom desperate to feed her kids healthy food fast to the culinary bachelor looking to impress his latest fling with cooking expertise.
You really get to know Michael Schlow as a chef and as a person. In some aspects, this book is autobiographical.
The recipes use common ingredients and feature classic techniques that the home cook will be familiar and comfortable with.

Cons:

The organization of the recipes is hard to follow. The ingredients are listed on the far side of the page and instead of numbering the steps, the instructions are in an easy-to-get lost bulleted list.
Some of the recipes require cooking gadgets - like a mandoline - that most people might not own.

Recipes: There are over 150 recipes that cover every course from appetizers to cocktails to dessert. While the majority are simple, a few are complex with seemingly endless steps. Still, there are plenty that I am interested in making:

Steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with spicy tomato and herb broth
Yukon gold potato soup with shrimp, bacon, and potatoes
Secret agent raspberry bars
Clams in broth
Veal Milanese with arugula, tomato, and red onion salad
The Schlow burger
Jimmy's dancing punch
Homemade ravioli
Individual lemon sabayon tarts

Imagery: The book is filled with pictures, big and small, of the dishes, of the process of cooking an item, and of the ingredients. However, some are in color and others are in black and white; some are centered on the page and others are coarsely chopped out of the book. These inconsistencies aside, the photos are beautiful and mouth-watering.

Overall Rating: This book was a very exciting find, and I look forward to experimenting with Schlow's recipes. While it would not be my first choice for a novice home cook, it would make a great gift for a cookbook collector or foodie who loves recipes.

Come Party With Me: Going Away Party - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:36 -0700

When a friend moves away, it's nice to let them know how much they'll be missed by hosting a bon voyage fiesta. Keep the theme of the menu - comforting food native to the honoree's new hometown - going with the dessert. Since Kara is moving to Boston, I'll be making this variation of Boston creme pie. These cream-filled cupcakes are perfect: they're crowd-pleasing, individual treats, and Kara can take home the leftovers! To look at the easy recipe that take helps from a cake mix, read more.

Boston Creme Cupcakes
From Sandra Lee

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups cold whole milk
1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
12 pre-made cupcakes baked from a cake mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

Combine milk, instant pudding mix, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat mixture with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until it thickens.
Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip.
Fill cupcakes with vanilla pudding filling by inserting tip into top of cupcake and squeezing a couple of tablespoons of filling into each cupcake.
Heat cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat, add chocolate morsels to pan, and whisk until smooth. Spoon or drizzle glaze over cupcakes, or dunk the tops into the glaze.
Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour, before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

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52 Weeks of Baking: Week 3 - Boston Cream Disaster

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:35:06 -0800

Last weekend I went to a friend's house for a small birthday party. I told them not to worry about the cake because I would take care of it. (After all, I like baking and this will be a great excuse for my 52 weeks of baking.) So when I asked what the birthday boy's favorite cake was, I was expecting it to be something standard like chocolate, carrot, coconut, you know, a normal "cake" flavor. I was not expecting Boston Cream Pie! I wasn't even sure I'd actually ever eaten one before, and I knew I sure as heck hadn't made one before. But, since I'm always up for a challenge, I said, "That sounds fun! I'll make one!"

That, my dear friends, turned out to be not such a great idea. I was doomed from the beginning and it turned out disastrously. I even contemplated not sharing this recipe with you guys, but no one's perfect (and I certainly am not), so here it is. To read about my Boston Cream Disaster, read more

Let me start by saying, I'm 100% sure it was me and not the recipe. I've heard of people having great results with this recipe, so if you try it, please let me know how it turned out. Second of all, I'd like you to know that today's baking experiment is really a demonstration of why proper planning, timing and equipment are CRUCIAL to a successful baking endeavor.

Having said that, let me get on with my story.
My friend's house is about an hour away, so I didn't want to make the cake, and have it sit in the car for hours (we had a few errands to run that were on the way there). In hindsight, this was my downfall (after all, it was cold enough) and the fact that I had to bring all the equipment and most of the ingredients with me, didn't really help either.

I ended up arriving at my friend's house at 6pm. Pastry Cream, for those of you that don't know, needs at least 3 hours to set up, if not longer. Unfortunately, it didn't get into the fridge until almost 7. Also, the fridge itself was packed (ie: not very cold) and the opening and closing for beers didn't exactly make for the best cooling environment in the world.

After the pastry cream was put into the fridge, I started on the Foolproof Sponge Cake. Sadly, I had forgotten the baking pans at home (the kitchen in this house is pretty bare) and ended up using a sheet pan instead. Luckily it worked out and I was able to cut the cake in half to make a rectangular layer cake instead.

Around 10 we decided that it was getting close to cake time, so I started on the glaze. When the glaze was ready, I went to take the cream out of the fridge, but WHAT!? it was still pretty liquid-y, like condensed milk. So I stuck it in the freezer for 30 minutes, but still no luck. At 10:45, I gave up and tried to assemble the cake anyway. There weren't any plates large enough to hold the cake, so I used a baking dish and thank goodness, because the pastry "cream" oozed everywhere.

By this point, the glaze had started to firm up. I had tried to keep it warm, but hadn't been keeping an eye on it the entire time, so it was no longer the best glaze in the world. It was thick and messy, and I think I used too much chocolate. In the end I literally slathered it onto the cake. It was more like a ganache frosting than a "glaze."

The end result looked horrible to me. I had this vision of a beautiful cake and ended up with slimy, sticky goo. However, it tasted pretty good and the folks ate it up, so I really can't call it a total failure.

Note: I told PartySugar about the whole thing and she said I should have served it in wine glasses. DANG! Where was she on Saturday night?! That would have made for an elegant boston cream parfait!

Boston Cream Pie
From Baking Illustrated

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pastry Cream, chilled
Foolproof Sponge Cake, baked and cooled

Glaze:

Bring the cream and corn syrup to a full simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; cover and let stand for 8 minutes. (If the chocolate has not completely melted, return the saucepan to low heat; stir constantly until melted.)
Add the vanilla; stir very gently until the mixture is smooth.
Cook until tepid so that a spoonful drizzled back into the pan mounds slightly. (The glaze can be refrigerated to speed up the cooling process, stirring every few minutes to ensure even cooling.)

Cake:

While the glaze is cooling, place one cake layer on a cardboard round on a wire rack set over waxed paper.
Carefully spoon the pastry cream onto the cake and spread it evenly up to the edges.
Place the second cake layer on top, make sure the layers line up properly.
Pour the glaze onto the middle of the top layer and let it flow down the cake sides.
Use a metal spatula, if necessary, to completely coat the cake. Use a small needle to puncture any air bubbles.
Let the cake sit until the glaze fully sets, about 1 hour. Serve the same day, preferably within a couple of hours.

*Note: My experience was more of a Boston Cream Disaster, however I know someone who has used this recipe and had fantastic results.

Pastry Cream
From Baking Illustrated

2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Heat the half-and-half, 6 tbsp of the sugar and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.
- Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

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Foolproof Sponge Cake
From Baking Illustrated

1/2 cup plain cake flour
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar

- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease pan and cover bottom with parchment or waxed paper.
- Whisk the flours, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.
- Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Cover and keep warm.
- Separate 3 eggs, placing whites in the bowl of standing mixer, reserving the 3 yolks plus the remaining 2 whole eggs in another mixing bowl.
- Beat the 3 whites at low speed until foamy.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually add 6 tbsp of the sugar; continue to beat the whites to soft, moist peaks. (Do not overbeat.)
- Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl and add the whole-egg mixture to the mixer bowl.
- Beat the whole-egg mixture with the remaining 6 tbsp sugar.
- Beat at medium-high speed until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs to the whites.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the beaten eggs and whites; fold very gently 12 times with a large rubber spatula.
- Make a well in one side the batter and pour the milk mixture into the bowl.
- Continue folding until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and whole eggs are evenly mixed, about 8 additional strokes.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans; bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, about 16 minutes for 9-inch cake pans and 20 minutes for 8-inch cake pans.
- Immediately run a knife around the pan perimeters to loosen the cakes.
- Place one pan on a towel and cover the pan with a large plate.
- Using the towel to protect your hands and catch the cake, invert the pan and remove the pan from the cake.
- Peel off the parchment.
- Reinvert the cake from the plate onto the rack.
- Repeat with the remaining cake. Cool cake layers to room temp before proceeding.

Note* I made this cake at someone else's house. This was the only cake pan they had. It still turned out perfectly.

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American Airlines Hopes Boston Market Meals Will Take Off

YumSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:00:16 -0700

Perhaps Virgin America's move to take flight with absinthe has inspired other airlines to focus on its in-flight services. American Airlines has announced that it will begin serving items from Boston Market on select flights.

Beginning tomorrow on flights to and from Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Hawaii, American will offer a bevy of menu items from the chain popular for its rotisserie chicken. The $10 selection includes the Carver sandwich, the Beef Brisket Grinder, and the Italian Grinder, as well as the Chicken Caesar, Market Chopped, and Italian Chopped Salads. The airline plans to serve the selection to additional routes starting July 1.

The familiar Boston Market brand could be welcome on airlines, which are not usually known for their selection of food. Still, even though I haven't been to a Boston Market in a while, I don't recall shelling out anywhere near $10 for a sandwich. Would you order Boston Market on your next flight?

Source

Boston Market Latest Chain to Promote Cheaper Meals

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:15:42 -0700

Boston Market is the latest restaurant chain to succumb to sluggish spending. The Golden, CO-based corporation announced yesterday that it will offer a larger discounted menu of 11 meals for $5.

Boston Market joins a list of food chains - such as Subway, Quizno's, and Domino's - that have been promoting meals for $5. The company's chief brand officer, Judy Cantrell, said:

The $5 price point is an important part of the new vernacular in the restaurant industry. It’s become a price point that consumers respond to, and we see an opportunity to increase the quality of choices with our slow-roasted rotisserie chicken meals.

The value menu includes the chain's popular one-quarter rotisserie chicken, classic chicken salad, and rotisserie chicken pot pie, which come with a side dish and a drink. The company will promote its newly-priced menu with a TV commercial and online campaign. Will you try one of their $5 meals?

Source

Boston Cream Pie Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:30:48 -0700

Boston Cream Pie is a weirdly misunderstood dessert. It says it's a pie, but in actuality it's a cake. It also gets the reputation for being rather finicky to deal with. Yet every baker should learn how to make one some day.

Because pastry cream can be difficult to work with, I've found a recipe that uses instant pudding instead. If your skill level is beyond that, don't worry, there's a from-scratch one for you as well.

To check out the two recipes - one is easy, you could even whip it up after work, while the other is a bit more challenging - all you have to do is read more.

Beginner Boston Cream Pie Minis
From Kraft Foods

Ingredients

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping, divided
4 squares Baker's Semisweet Baking Chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter and bake in 24 greased medium muffin-pan cups as directed on package. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
Beat milk and dry pudding mix with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the whipped topping into pudding. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of the pudding mixture onto bottom half of each cupcake; cover with top of cupcake.
Microwave remaining 1 cup whipped topping and the chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on High 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Spread onto cupcakes. Refrigerate at least 15 min. before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

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Expert Boston Cream Pie
From Gale Gand via Food Network

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pastry cream, recipe follows
Ganache, recipe follows

Pastry Cream Filling:
2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream, boiling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Add milk, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined.
Beat an additional 3 minutes on high speed and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium to high speed until soft peaks form.
Pour the egg yolk mixture over the egg white mixture and fold in.
Gently pour the batter into a 9-inch greased pie pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
Invert the pan onto a wire rack.
Cool completely.

Pastry Cream Filling:

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat.
Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain.
Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated.
Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
Let cool slightly.
Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.)

Ganache:

In a medium bowl, pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted.
To assemble pie, remove the cake from the pan.
Cut the cake in half horizontally.
Place bottom layer on a serving plate or board, and spread with the pastry cream.
Top with second cake layer.
Pour chocolate ganache over and down the sides of the cake.
Store in refrigerator.

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Food Section Sampler - Nov. 18, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:27 -0800

Time to stock up: Looks like pure canned pumpkin is in short supply this year. - Los Angeles Times
Don't miss out on the Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations. - Wall Street Journal
Catching up with rapper Coolio, who's come out with a new cookbook, Ghetto Gourmet. - Boston Globe
Starbucks has raised its coffee prices in the Windy City. - Chicago Tribune
Complementary wine pairings for every Thanksgiving dish. - San Francisco Chronicle
If you have to reach for frozen pie shells, which brands are the best bets? - Washington Post
French legend Pierre Gagnaire is gearing up for Twist, his first restaurant in the US. - New York Times

Food Section Sampler - Nov. 11, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:30:01 -0800

The sandwich chains of today are threatening the New Orleans tradition that is the po-boy. - New York Times
Kraft has officially launched a hostile bid to take over Cadbury. - Chicago Tribune
Putting frozen green bean brands to the test. - San Francisco Chronicle
A mixed case of peppery syrah makes for an ideal holiday gift. - Wall Street Journal
Is a Bon Appétit TV show in the works? - Los Angeles Times
Five essential kitchen tools to have on hand every Thanksgiving. - Washington Post
Dining at the restaurant where Julia Child had her first encounter with French cuisine. - Boston Globe

Source: Flickr User chadly

Noteworthy Nibbles - Nov. 3-10, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:00:07 -0800

Kick-start the new month with a number of celebratory fêtes that are happening this week. Learn all about the art of butchering (and enjoy fire-cooked meats) in Napa Valley; sample food from Boston's best new chefs; or watch Paula Deen's antics in the nation's capital.

Where will your stomach lead you this week? Let us know below.

Boston, MA: StarChefs Boston Rising Stars Revue - Nov. 3
Washington DC: Tour de Champagne - Nov. 6
Houston, TX: Chocolate Festival of Texas - Nov. 6-7
Big Sur, CA: Big Sur Food & Wine Festival - Nov. 6-7
New York, NY: Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. - Nov. 6-8
St. Helena, CA: PRIMAL Napa - Nov. 7
Abbeville, LA: Giant Omelette Celebration - Nov. 7-8
Washington DC: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show - Nov. 7-8
Los Angeles, CA: Great Chefs Go Organic - Nov. 8
San Antonio, TX: New World Wine & Food Festival - Nov. 8-15

Food Section Sampler - Nov. 4, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:30:07 -0800

Isaac Mizrahi is now hawking plaid cheesecakes for QVC. - Women's Wear Daily
Did Gourmet magazine die by trying too hard to be all things to all people? - Los Angeles Times
One Brooklynite re-creates the famed St. Louis gooey butter cake. - New York Times
The economy hasn't quelled America's appetite for luxury foods. - San Francisco Chronicle
The science behind how gelatin works. - Boston Globe
Look forward to enjoying new cocktail classics. - Washington Post
Restaurants have a new way to cut back: Re-creating recipes to conserve on ingredients. - Wall Street Journal