Soufflé
In 1999 Julia Child and Jacques Pepin co-published the book, Julia and Jacques, cooking at home. This book is one of my favorites because both chefs write about their similar or differing methods of preparation and cooking. On classic dishes like soufflé there is little variation and in this case Julia sets forth the correct method while Jacques offers up classic options.
I was brought up to believe this dish was a daunting culinary achievement (my culinary reference for soufflé was Samantha on the TV show Bewitched), but with the trusty KitchenAid mixer beating the egg whites I was able to focus on creating a perfect Bechamel and then adding the eggs correctly so that they didn’t scramble and separate the sauce. Rather than the Gruyére that Julia’s recipe calls for I took a walk on the wild side and used a chunk of Rogue River Blue that I had left in the cheese drawer. This blue was so intense that not even Dave, King of All That Is Stinky could enjoy it. My thought was the egginess would temper the roguish blue. This was true and it was tasty and yet pungent. It helped that I found a recipe at A Mingling of Tastes that also used blue cheese. I always look for encouragement when trekking across new territory. Here’s the recipe:
Julia’s Cheese Soufflé
Adapted from Julia and Jacques cooking at home
Butter for greasing the soufflé dish and the parchment collar
2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
A grating of fresh nutmeg
6 egg yolks
7 egg whites
4 ounces Rogue River Blue cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 and arrange the racks so they are on the bottom third of the oven.
Butter your dish, I just used a basic casserole dish. Create a collar for the dish out of parchment paper folded in half to form a double layer band. Butter the collar on one side. Coat the soufflé dish with the grated Parmesan.
Crumble up the cheese. Measure the milk and have it ready to put in the microwave to heat it up. Separate the eggs and measure out the flour and the seasonings. Put the butter in a medium saucepan. Set up the mixer so its ready to whip the egg whites. Once you turn on flame under the butter you want to be ready for the whole thing. You have either a wooden spoon or a silicon spatula, a whisk, your eggs are standing by, the mixer is at attention, and you turn on the flame under the butter and punch in 3 minutes on the microwave to heat the milk.
Once the butter has melted over a medium flame you can add the flour. Stir this into a smooth paste and let this roux cook for about 2 minutes but don’t let it take on any color.
Take the pan off the heat, add the hot milk all at once, and whisk it hard to remove all lumps. Put this back on a medium flame and whisk until it boils and then continue to whisk it as it cooks for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the seasonings, stir well.
Hit the power switch on the mixer and start the egg whites. Now add the egg yolks one at a time to the sauce and whisk like crazy as you add them so that they don’t cook when they hit the hot Bechamel. Once the whites are shiny and stiff you can add 1/3 of them to the sauce, stirring well to thin the sauce out. Then add 1/3 of the sauce back into the egg whites. Using your spoon or spatula lift the whites from the bottom of the bowl and fold them over at the top. Do this 1 or 2 times, then add some cheese, add some more sauce, repeat the folding, add, fold, repeat, until the sauce, egg whites, and cheese are combined. Do not over-stir or over-fold.
Pour into the prepared dish, add the collar around the top of the dish, butter side in, and staple it closed with your trusty Swingline Stapler. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes. When it comes out serve it immediately. Enjoy!
Vindaloo voodoo
Goa is India’s second smallest state in terms of area. It nestles into India’s west coast and is primarily known for its sandy beaches and as a vacation destination. I’m sure that is all a vast understatement and I hope to some day spend some time viewing the architecture, meeting the people, and soaking up some of that glorious sun. But for now I’m here in wonderful Wisconsin. Today was my clean-up day. I tackled the mess of papers and to do lists that I’ve shuffled through for the past few months and got rid of them or completed them. As a reward I felt the need for some serious soul food that didn’t require a trip to the store. Every culture has its soul food and so far I haven’t found a one that wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever eaten…and really, I’m not that easy to please.
Goa’s cuisine is famed for seafood, coconut and curry. Vindaloo is a type of curry from Goa and although a traditional Vindaloo would not have potatoes, mine does. It was the perfect spicy comfort food served over Jasmine rice with peanuts and parsley as a garnish.
The winter salad is just another riff on a salad I posted earlier this month. This time I added grapefruit and I didn’t use the mandolin since I got some nice, new, deadly sharp knives for christmas (thanks Lolly!). Recipes follow.
Goan Coconut Curry
3 half boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 potatoes, cubed
1 Delicata squash, peeled and cubed
2 medium onions sliced vertically
3 tablespoons Penzeys Vindaloo curry seasoning
2 cans Coconut milk (I used the “Lite” version)
canola oil
salt
After all the chopping is completed heat up your skillet and add some canola oil. Saute the chicekn and when its almost done add the onions. salt this and saute on medium until the onions are soft. Add the Vindaloo and saute it for a minute or two. Add the coconut milk, stir it well. Add the potatoes and squash, stir again and cover it. Wait about 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium low.
Prepare the rice for cooking and once you’ve got it on a burner (or however you cook rice). Take the cover off the skillet and stir the curry. If it needs to thicken a bit leave the cover off and turn the heat back to medium and allow it to reduce while the rice cooks. Just keep and eye on it so it doesn’t scorch. Serve it over the cooked rice and garnish with a bit of parsley and peanuts.
Winter Salad Part Deux
1 english cucumber
6 red radishes
Half of a yellow carrot
2 grapefruits
Parsley
Dressing
Coriander
Cayenne
Maple Syrup
Salt
Rice Vinegar
Cut the veggies into matchsticks. Cut the peel off of the grapefruits and squeeze the peels over the veggies to extract the juice. Cut the grapefruits into matchsticks. Toss the dressing components onto the salad to taste. Serve with parsley on top.
My trusty bread recipe
Yes, I know that everyone has been atwitter with the no-knead bread baking technique. I tried it and failed miserably and was then beset by bad kitchen mojo for several days. I should have known better because you know what they say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. My trusty bred recipe requires only enough attention to remember whether or not the yeast and salt have been added, and let’s face it, some days that is a difficult thing to ask of me and my brain. But other than that it is practically fool-proof. I do measure the yeast and the salt but the olive oil and honey are just squirts and pours…but here’s exact measurements for those of you who are more exact.
Vanessa’s trusty bread dough recipe
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
Put all of this in the mixer bowl with one cup flour and beat on medium until its well combined and smooth. You’ll have to scrap down the sides of the bowl at least once to get it all worked in. Then with the mixer running on low slowly add flour until the dough no longer clings to the side of the bowl but rather is a ball on the mixer paddle. At this point stop, change the attachment to a bread hook and note the consistency of the dough. As you do this more often you’ll be able to tell how much more flour you need, for me its usually somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of flour. Anyway, add more flour, very little, very slowly, allowing the machine to work on medium or medium low until the flour is totally combined. Your finished product should be smooth, barely retain a ball shape, and be fluid in its movement yet not too fluid and not viscous at all. The point is to make a dough that is workable but wet, because the wet will form the crisp crust. I use this for bread, rolls, pizza crust, calzones, etc. It is the dough recipe around here. If I want to make cinnamon or sweet rolls I substitute melted butter or olive oil and use milk or cream in place of part of the water.
