Asian Roasted Brussels Sprouts

When it comes to Brussels Sprouts people either love them or hate them.  I like to ask the haters what they don't like about them and the #1 response is; "They are bitter". Followed closely by #2; "They are mushy".  Combine bitter AND mushy and it makes total sense why people don't like them.  Most at-fault cooking method: Boiling.

Oh good people, you are missing out on one of my all time favorite vegetables!

Nutritionally these sprouts pack a wallop!  They are high in fiber, low in calories, and loaded with antioxidants and healthy phytochemicals.  Getting them in season is a special treat because they are sweet and earthy.  Roasting them is my preferred cooking method.  It is a great means of seasoning and caramelizing them to fit any flavor profile. Cast aside the swirling cauldron of bitter broth and grab a mixing bowl and a sheet pan.  Set your oven to bake at 375F and learn to roast them!

Teriyaki Chicken with Asian Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
4-6 C Brussels Sprouts (trimmed, cleaned, drained, and quartered)
~Seasonings~
2 large cloves Garlic (minced)
1 T Fresh Ginger (minced)
1 T Brown Sugar
2 t Mirin
1 T Soy Sauce
1/2 t Sesame oil (optional)
2-3 T Canola oil
Red Pepper Flakes (tt)
Salt (tt)
ground black pepper (tt)

Method:

1. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment (to ease cleanup).
2. Combine Seasonings and stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Combine Sprouts and Seasoning blend in a bowl or zip-top bag and toss to coat sprouts evenly.
4. Spread sprouts out evenly into a single layer on the pan.  Roast at 375F until they are tender and caramelized.  I'm not giving a time because it depends on the size of the sprouts.  It may be as little as 30min or more than an hour.

Notes:
One of my favorite things about this recipe is the single leaves that turn crisp.  One day when I get a deep fryer, I want to experiment with making Brussels Sprout "Chips" either on their own or as a base for a canape.

C = Cup(s)
T = Tablespoon(s)
t = Teaspoon(s)
(tt) = to taste

Lime Cilantro Aioli

ai·o·li

[ahy-oh-lee]

noun Cookery .

A garlic-flavored mayonnaise of Provence, served with fish and seafood and often with vegetables.

There is a lovely tradition of Latin American flavors colliding with traditional French techniques here in Florida.  To me the world of food is funny.  The base for this cold emulsion sauce is credited to the French region of Provence, but with the addition of a little Lime and Cilantro its flavor gets transported all the way across the Ocean and lands solidly in the Caribbean.  I have been looking into more hearth healthy oil-based accents as a flavor substitutes for cheese in my all time favorite breakfast food - the Omelet.  Aioli is a fantastic sauce for veggies and eggs.  It's also a great condiment for poultry based sandwiches and wraps.

Omelet: Sauteed Cachucha Peppers, Mushrooms, and Spinach - with a Cilantro-Lime Aioli

I chuckle a little when I read a recipe and it has you do the simplest of things in a food processor.  It's not that I don't think food processors don't save time... they most certainly do - IF you are making huge volumes.  I laugh because in my opinion, As a single person, making a small batch of fresh mayonnaise involves so much LESS cleanup when you do it the old fashioned way - in a bowl with a whisk.  Fresh mayonnaise transcends what you buy in the store.  You have complete control of the flavors, additive, and consistency.

Ingredients:

~Emulsifiers

2 cloves garlic - minced

splash EVOO

1/2 t. kosher salt 

1 lime - zest (juice separated)

1 large egg yolk (use the white in your omelet!)

1/2 t. Dijon mustard

~Emulsion

3/4 C. canola oil

1/4 C. EVOO

~Finish (to taste)

fresh cilantro - minced

reserved lime juice

kosher salt

Yield:

About 1 C.

Method:

1. (Prep emulsifiers) On a cutting board, combine garlic, EVOO, and Kosher salt.  Mash with the edge of a Chef's knife until it forms a paste.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together mashed garlic mixture, lime zest, egg yolk, and Dijon mustard until smooth, well combined, and salt is fully dissolved.
2. (Emulsify) Slowly, and in a  steady stream, add canola oil and whisk vigorously with Emulsifiers to form a mayonnaise.
3. (Finish) Adjust flavor to taste by adding fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt.  Thin to desired consistency with water.

Tips:

Cold yolks emulsify faster than room temp ones.

Herbed Pizza / Calzone Crust

I love Pizza.  It is my kryptonite, my weakness.  Try as I might to avoid it, I always crave it.  I like all kinds - from traditional and simple (Martguerita) to experimental (Fig, Arugula, Prosciutto).  If I can have fantastic ingredients baked onto a scrumptious crust, then I'm happy.

Today I turned my attention to the crust.  Crust is the foundation for any good pizza.  Without a good crust, it's hard to be satisfied with any form of pizza.  In this recipe I incorporated a small amount of dried oregano into the mixture.  Adding flavorings to the dough gave me tons of ideas for other combinations - but I don't think it's appropriate for the crust to dominate a pizza.  It should be a subtle flavor everything else rests on.  Oregano offers the perfect flavor profile to compliment traditional pizza interpretations.

Oregano Crusted Calzone stuffed with Pepperoni, Pepperoncini, Mushrooms, Onions, and Smoked Mozzarella

Ingredients:
~Sponge
1/4 C warm water
1/2 t. sugar 
1 envelope active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
2 T. olive oil
~Dry Mix
3 Cups bread flour (sifted)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
~Knead
3/4 Cup warm water
additional flour (for kneading surface)
~Fermentation
1 T. olive oil

Yield:
Two or Three 12" pizza crusts - depending of thickness. (Three Calzones).

Method:

1. (Sponge) In a small bowl: Add warm water, sugar, dry yeast, and oil.  Stir gently until yeast and sugar dissolve.  Set in a warm place for 10 min. or until foamy.
2. (Dry Mix) In a large mixing bowl: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add dried oregano and combine to distribute evenly.  Make a well in the center and then add Sponge mixture to center of well.  Running fingers around the edges of the dry mixture, pushing dry mixture into wet mixture.  Incorporate until dry ingredients are is moistened.  If your fingers are sticky, continue to incorporate and distribute evenly the wet / dry combination.  Mixture should by chunky and still fairly dry - but evenly distributed.
3. (Knead) Form another well in the mixture and then add 3/4 C warm water.  Once again, with your "wet" wet hand, stir around and combine ingredients until a loose dough is formed.  Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6-8 min until dough is smooth, monolithic, and elastic.
4. (Ferment)  In a separate bowl, smear evenly with 1 T olive oil.  Add dough ball, and then turn over to evenly coat with oil.  Cover bowl with a clean, dry cloth and place in a warm part of the kitchen free from drafts.  Let mixture ferment and raise until approximately double (1.5 - 2 hours)
5. (Pre-form & Dock)  Divide dough into 2 or 3 even portions and roll into balls.  Dough be frozen at this point.  If using immediately let portions rest another 10-15 min.
6. (Final form and bake):  Roll our or toss to desired portions and top with ingredients.  Bake at 475F for about 10 min. or until evenly golden brown.   An egg-wash of the crust would enhance baking appearance - but I feel it toughens the softness of this crust.  The picture was done without egg-wash.

End of Classes

My time at Le Cordon Bleu Portland has drawn to a close.  Ending GPA = 4.0.  YAY!

Wednesday (the last day) we had to prepare a single dish from a mystery box.  Essentially it was time to clean out the walk-in cooler before spring break.  We were told we would be assigned either chicken or salmon - and were asked to pull ingredients for two servings of vegetables and a starch.

Braised Chicken in Gingered Pan Gravy

I drew Chicken and had pulled Rapini, Summer Squash, and Sweet Potatoes.  For garnish, I decided to depart from the ubiquitous minced parsley and went with roasted leek threads.  The braise liquid originated with mirepoix a brun, singer a blond, deglaze with a sherry vinegar and then augmented with a vegetable stock flavored with bay and black pepper, thyme, parsley, and fresh ginger.  The chicken was seared off with a dusting of salt, coriander, fennel, and pink peppercorns and then landed in the braise liquid to finish.  It was tasty!

I got a little emotional walking around taking thank you notes to my instructors.  I'm so happy to have made it through and grateful to them for sharing their knowledge with me.   The next stage of my education is Internship!  NOW GET TO WORK!

A Buckwheat Pita

My gripe with many commercial pitas is they lack both flavor and texture.  In my opinion, additives in bread to improve their shelf life really take a toll on flavor.  I had fresh baked pitas two weeks ago as part of my school curriculum and they were a marked improvement both in flavor and texture.

This weekend as I was looking for a weekend project, I happened upon a package of Buckwheat flour hiding on my cupboard shelf.  I love the sweet, nutty, earthiness Buckwheat adds to things.  I was already underway on a fresh batch of Baba Ganouj and Hummus so I needed something to go with them.  Instead of making a trip to the store and choking down another commercial imposter of a pita I decided to make Buckwheat Pitas!

Buckwheat pitas with Hummus and Baba Ganouj

This is a first run attempt so I was nervous about how much buckwheat flour to use.  In looking at other recipes, percentages and ratios were all over the board.  I settled on a simple recipe, trusted my instincts and replaced a full third of the AP flour weight with buckwheat flour.  The results weren't perfect, but looked and tasted great!  These are very soft "pocket" pitas with a pronounced Buckwheat flavor.  The robust nutty flavor stands well against the strong flavors of Hummus and Baba Ganouj.

Yields 8 pitas


Ingredients:
~
2.25t active dry yeast
0.25C warm water
a drop of honey

~
10oz AP Flour (plus more as "kneaded")
5oz buckwheat flour
1T granulated sugar
1.5t kosher salt
~
2T olive oil
1.25C-1.5C water (room temp)

Method:

1. Activate the yeast:  Dissolve yeast in warm water and add a drop of honey.  Let sit at room temperature for about 10 min.  When a head of bubbles forms over the water - the yeast is active.
2. Combine: Sift together flours and sugar into a mixing bowl.  Add kosher salt and stir to distribute evenly.  Form a well in the center.  Add the yeast mixture, olive oil, and about half the water.  Use a bowl scraper or wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.  The amount of water will vary (you may not need to incorporate all the water.  or you may need to add more).  Combine all ingredients adjusting water content as needed until the dough forms a ball.
3. Knead: On a floured surface knead the dough about 10 min (use ap flour).   Keep adding a dusting of ap flour to the kneading surface and hands to prevent sticking.  Finished dough should be monolithic, smooth, and only slightly sticky. 
4. Fermentation:  Coat a bowl with spray oil or olive oil.  Form the dough into a ball.  Set dough in oiled bowl and turn over to coat all sides of dough.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise to about double. 
5. Preheat oven and cooking surface to 400F.  Some day...I'll have a stone...until then, I use an inverted aluminum baking sheet. The cooking surface should always be preheated.  These pitas hold so much moisture that I did not "steam" the oven before hand.  If you want to go for it!
6. Form, proof, bake:  Divide the dough into eight equal portions (mine were each 3.6oz).  Form each portion into a ball and roll out into circles on a floured surface using a floured rolling-pin to a thickness of about 1/8 or 1/4 inch.  to proof, let dough rest in a warm place until tacky (about 5 min - I use the top of my warm stove).  In my oven I do two at a time.  Place proofed pita on hot surface in hot oven and bake until puffy (about 5 min.).  I like my pitas soft so if you prefer crisp just leave them in a bit longer.
7. Let them cool on a wire rack or eat them hot.  To store, let them cool completely and store in parchment (plastic will make them gluey).

Notes:
The pockets formed but aren't as uniform as I had hoped.  One of my gripes on commercial pitas is they have a tendency to be tough...these are almost too soft.  Flavor and texture wise they are a real pleasure for dipping and they smell GREAT when they cook.  I'm considering adding 1/8t baking soda in hopes of enhancing the formation of the "pocket".  Also in the next batch I think I'll try reducing buckwheat to 4oz and using 11oz AP flour.

Tacos Al Pastor - Gringo style

Portland is renown for it's food trucks.  I've sampled many of their offerings...some good...some not so good.  Ever since I've moved to the Northwest I've been disappointed with the offerings of "Mexican" establishments be it food truck or sit-down restaurant.  I can't really blame the vendors.  Portland is a LONG way from the sunny climate of Mexican origin.  Access to sun-ripened fresh ingredients is challenging at any time of year - especially now in the middle of winter.  Taco offerings in Portland are in desperate need of improvement.  I have yet to be impressed with any of the street food offerings of this Mexican classic.

One of my favorite preparations when it comes tacos is the Al Pastor style.  My Northwest climate simply is NOT conducive to producing the robust flavored chiles used in this dish.  Instead, I have to rely on re-hydrating dried chiles, canned products, and "fresh" pineapples from far far away.  Alas, this is one dish I can't source close to home.  One of my main gripes with what I've eaten from vendors is the texture of the pork.  Al Pastor should never be tough - it should be silky soft.  Lately, my geographic location has been experiencing a stretch of sunny weather.  I am itchy for the spicy flavors of Mexico.  I want to taste the sun.  Meanwhile, everything around me is dormant.  This rendition of Tacos al Pastor is as good as this poor gringo can do under the circumstances.

Tacos Al Pastor

 Ingredients:
    ~Marinade/Salsa:
1ea dried guajillo pepper
1ea bay leaf
1ea fresh jalapeno pepper
0.25ea fresh pineapple (chopped)
1ea canned chipotle pepper
1T adobo sauce
0.5 ea yellow onion (diced)
4ea cloves garlic (minced)
1.5t ground cinnamon
0.5t dried marjoram
0.5t paprika
0.5t coriander seeds (toasted and crushed)
0.5t black peppercorns (toasted and crushed)
1T kosher salt
1T red wine vinegar
   ~Preparation:
1# Pork tenderloin

Method:

1. In small saucepan place dried pepper and bay leaf in enough water to cover.  Bring to boil and cook until soft and fragrant.  Drain water, remove seeds and stems from pepper.  Transfer to food processor
2. Process re-hydrated pepper and bay leaf with remaining marinade ingredients.  Process until smooth.  This makes quite a bit more than 1# of pork needs to marinade.  Try it!  it also makes a pretty great tomatoless salsa.
3. Cut 3/4" wide strips into the tenderloin, but don't cut all the way through.  Stuff these cuts full of marinade and coat the outside of the loin completely.  To even out cooking, tie the roast back together with butcher-twine.  Let this roast marinade no more than 45 min. in the refrigerator.  Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain which breaks down collagen fibers in meat.  In a soft cut like the tenderloin - it doesn't take much time for it to turn to mush.  Coarser cuts of pork can marinate a bit longer.
4. Roast at 375F until internal temp registers 137F.  Remove from oven, cover with foil and rest.  Internal temperature will continue to rise to somewhere around 145F.
5. Cut into bite-size pieces and finish in a saute pan with a little oil if more caramelization is desired.
6. Serve in warm corn tortillas with fresh chopped white onion, cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

As an Idaho boy, I like to think I know a thing or two about potatoes.  I've got to tip my hat to the French on this one as it is quite possibly the best Au Gratin dish I've ever had. Subtlety is what drives the flavor in this wonderful side dish.  Spend the time to get a good infusion on the milk mixture and play around with the flavorings. Use the best Gruyere you can afford. I picked up a French cave-aged on sale at a local purveyor. I did this up in about a 10-11" gratin dish.  Individual serving ramekins would be great too.  A dish with a larger surface area is a little easier to get right.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes (peeled and cut into VERY thin slices, you need enough to make at least two layers)
12 oz milk
4 oz heavy cream
1 pinch nutmeg
~~~Boquet Garni:

1 pc leek green
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic (smashed)
1 julienne celery stick
3-5 parsley stems
~~~

4 oz. Gruyere cheese shredded
butter (for dish)
salt and white pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F

Method:

1. Prepare Gratin dish by coating generously with butter. Refrigerate dish until ready.

2. In a small saucepan add milk, cream, nutmeg, and Boquet Garni. Season lightly with salt and white pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil then remove it from heat and let the flavors infuse 5 min.

3. In prepared gratin dish, arrange potato slices overlapping around perimeter and spiral inward. Season this layer with salt and white pepper. Repeat to create another layer of potatoes spiraling the other direction (This help things hold together better when you cut it later). Repeat if needed.

4. strain hot milk mixture over potatoes (remove the aromatics). The amount of liquid given isn't exact and fool proof...you have to take into consideration the dish you are using and they type of potato used. Many recipes I saw for this use waxy potatoes. My russets held up just fine. Fill the dish up about half way. If you overfill it may make for messy clean up and the potatoes may be over done. Top with shredded cheese.

5. Bake: Cover the gratin with a buttered parchment lids cut to cover your dish. It should fit inside and come up the edges slightly. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. and then remove the parchment lid. Depending on the dish and potatoes, it may take another 15-25 min to get a nice browned bubbly top and make sure the potatoes are done. Take it out of the oven and let it rest 5 min. before cutting. Most of the liquid should have migrated into the potatoes.

Tip:

I strongly suggest baking this on a sheet pan covered in foil.  This can easily bubble over and make a mess in your oven - doing it on a sheet pan makes cleanup a snap.