Culinary Agoge

Cooking vessels in baking to me are just as important as the recipe and execution because they affect the overall presentation. I was looking for something new, and after making miniature desserts for my mom’s birthday party (yeah, I have yet to write about that), I decided to make mini-pound cakes as an easy breakfast food for the morning using the lighter cake flour variation I had made previously.

The batter was much more difficult to cleanly get into the mini cups.

Mini Pound Cake Batter

The portion sizes, being much smaller took less time to bake which was a plus.

Baked Mini Pound Cake

After they had cooled a bit, they were taken out of the cups and placed onto a cooling rack so that they did not become soggy.

Baked Mini Pound Cake Cooling

The result of these smaller pound cakes was about the same as a full sized loaf. An interesting taste difference was created by the higher crust to inside ratio. Having these pre-portioned instead of having to cut slices for breakfast was really nice. As a breakfast food these are highly recommended, easy to make and delicious.

Pound cake has become part of my repertoire and for good reason. It’s delicious, satiating, easy to make and the ratio is easy to memorize. 1 part butter, 1 part sugar, 1 part egg and 1 part flour. I first made pound cake in August, added blueberries as a twist, made it with brown butter as a tribute, and many other times in between. Pound cake is simple and yet versatile and a perfect candidate for variation and yet with all the flavor components that can be added, the basic ingredients matter just as much if not more when it comes to the final product.

Recently the show Good Eats featured pound cake as an American Classic food. Though born in England, the pound cake is equally popular as an American food staple. Alton adamantly believes that the ratio, despite many attempts to class it up or change proportions is a “good eats” as is. One key difference is that he suggests the use of cake flour instead of all purpose flour. Cake flour, according to the box is 27 times finer than all purpose flour. It also has less protein which means less gluten and has been chemically altered to produce better results with cakes. I decided to give this a try and see if my results in fact did yield a softer, smoother final product with the same great taste I enjoy.

The process was the same. Using the creaming method, I combined room temperature butter and sugar together. I then added in the eggs, one at a time as they were incorporated and a teaspoon of vanilla. Lastly, after slowing down the mixer to it’s lowest speed, I added the cake flour, just until it was incorporated, being careful not to over-mix so as to not create any more gluten than necessary which would make the pound cake chewy and tough.

The batter was a lot smoother and easier to scrape and pour than ones made with all purpose flour. The benefit of using cake flour would be evaluated after its baking.

Pound Cake Batter

After about 90 minutes, the baking was done. No difference was visible at first glance. The truth was locked inside.

Baked Pound Cake

Once cooled, I sliced into the bake loaf and discovered the truth behind the wisdom of using cake flour. The inside was certainly smoother while the taste of course was unaltered with a softer mouth-feel.

Pound Cake Slices

This was an interesting experiment and as with most food experiments, I am willing and  happy participant. Not having cake flour on hand will not prevent me from making pound cake in the future, but this was a great lesson on how ingredients can affect the overall results of a food product.

To further my learning and garner inspiration I recently subscribed to both Bon Appétit and Gourmet magazines. I had been on the fence about doing so and wondered if it really was worth the money. After all I have the food network and public television and the internet at my fingertips right? Magazines are dying by the dozens. Why would I want subscribe? Truth be told, TV and food blogs aren’t all there is out there nor are they always the best sources of information and/or inspiration. I ultimately subscribed and so far have really enjoyed the content I have read through. Both magazines provide a depth and perspective that really isn’t available on TV and most blogs and information sites. It’s nice to have clear and concise information to read through, along with tips, photos and recipes. Just reading through the magazines on a monthly basis is an efficient way to obtain a culinary education, follow trends and learn about food.

Recently and and unexpectedly to most, the news came out that Gourmet magazine would cease to exist. The major reason the magazine’s demise was the shrinking revenue the magazine received as a result of advertising. Professionally, being in the ad business in a growing and new form of advertising media where dollars are shifting to, mobile advertising, this was less of a shock to me perhaps than most, but unfortunate to say the least, and hey, by the way, I just subscribed! Perhaps what is surprising to me is that the magazine is not that the magazine is shutting down during a troubled economy as a result of declining revenue and tough operating conditions,  but that it is doing so when the American and global interest in food is at a high and continues to increase. People are cooking and learning how to cook now faster than ever as a means to save money and as a result in the popularity of rising chef stars that have a tremendous cultural impact on food and culture.

The effect of the news about the magazine’s closing was not all negative. The outspoken food community is showing their support and appreciation for this long-standing magazine through the use of social media and blogging. Examples include a newly formed twitter account, Save Gourmet and a blogging event “Let’s Celebrate Gourmet“, on the blog A Mingling of Tastes written by blogger Julie O’Hara. Social media and blogging can have a powerful effect on  raising awareness around issues, events gathering support for causes. If the positive support for the magazine is enough for the powers that be to reverse the decided course of action remains to be seen.

I decided to show my support by following Save Gourmet and by participating in the “Let’s Celebrate Gourmet“ event by following and blogging about a Gourmet recipe. Even though I don’t have a favorite recipe per se, I do appreciate the magazine for the learning that I have benefited from so far. I also appreciate the clear and concise recipes that are provided. I have only cooked from one recipe before with great success, while also benefiting from inspiration, but this would not deter me from participating. Knowing what is required, the prep and total cooking time and necessary equipment take any apprehension about making a recipe away. For this post, I chose to attempt a new recipe as a final lesson and tribute to the magazine and decided to make Brown Butter Pound Cake.

Up until this point, brown butter represented a mistake in cooking and not a height in culinary sophistication and wisdom. I had only observed it after putting a pat of butter on a pan that was too hot and watching it turn dark before my eyes, never getting a chance to flavor and aid with the cooking of the intended food object. My latest issue of Gourmet has an entire page (144) dedicated to making food using brown butter and that praises it for its distinctive nutty taste, stating that its use will result in a “culinary home run”. So it goes with food. Everything seems to have a time, a place and proper use. That’s life.

The recipe of course was easy to follow. Using the brown butter admittedly required an open mind while convincing myself that I would not be working with or ingesting some sort of poisoned or foul tasting food. The cooking times were pretty true to what was promised and the results surprisingly good given the use of what I once thought was a tainted culinary bi-product.

Brown Butter Pound Cake

Taking “risks” and trying new methods open one door after the other as I learn each and every day. While Gourmet’s doors may be closing, it sure has left an indelible impression with its loyal readers and food culture as a whole. I only wish I had the chance to experience more of what it had to offer.

Meringue and Lemon Curd

Trying to learn how to cook while staying in shape and not gaining weight is a challenge unto itself. It’s even harder when you learn how to make something that tastes really good and doubly so when what you learn how to make is not good for you and really addictive. Meringues would be this something.

I made them on Friday with the extra egg whites left over from the ice cream I made for my mom’s birthday party, but left the remaining meringue at my parents’ house for them to savor. I needed more egg whites but didn’t want to make more ice cream. After doing some research online, I came across a recipe for lemon curd that would be a perfect companion to the meringues.

I separated the egg yolks from the whites and went to work on the lemon curd using a double boiler created with a pot and glass bowl.

Cooking Lemon Curd

I whisked together the ingredients in a matter of minutes and set the lemon curd in the refrigerator to cool. Now the fun part lay ahead.

I used the meringue method and recipe that I had used before to ensure repeat success. The egg whites were strained into the stand mixer bowl (wiped with lemon juice for acid that would make foaming easier) to remove impurities and weighed.

Straining Egg Whites

I added a bit of cream of tartar to the bowl as a bit of insurance.

Egg Whites

I next weighed out 2 parts sugar as required.

Measured Sugar

I turned on the mixer at high speed to start beating the egg whites.

Foaming Egg Whites

The egg whites started to stiffen up after about 10 minutes at high speed.

Stiffening Egg Whites

The egg whites were beat until they achieved soft peaks.

Firm Egg Whites

The sugar was added slowly so that it could be incorporated into the egg whites and develop stiff peaks.

Meringues Beaten

The intense white and thickness was quite a transformation to observe as a result of the network of air, protein and sugar that developed.

Meringue

Using a spatula a pastry bag filled with meringue which I used to pipe out decent sized meringues onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Meringues

The meringues were baked at 220 degrees F for 90 minutes. They need a bit more time so I left them in the oven for another 10 minutes after which they were taken out and allowed to cool.

Baked Meringues

These were just as good as the ones I made the first time around, but actually a bit overdone as a result of either my hotter oven or the lack of a glass on my oven door which would allow me to check on things. I need to get an oven with one of those.

Sadly the lemon curd was not to my liking and unlike the one my cousin Andrea used for my mom’s birthday cake. I could still taste a bit of the yolk and it was not as sweet and lemony as I was hoping for.  I’ll have to use her recipe the next time around.

Meringue and Lemon Curd

My mom’s birthday is right around the corner, and while she might not like a reminder of how many years young she will be, it is still a milestone and one that I wish to celebrate. I’ve taken the bold step of offering to cater the party which not only involves planning the menu but cooking as well. I sense her nervousness wondering how I will pull it off although I am really looking forward to this and feel confident that everything will work out smoothly. To ensure that everything is just right careful planning and practice are required.

Last night I made peach crisp with some fresh peaches that I had recently purchased. It was really easy making pie dough this time around after having done it a few times now. Using the standard pie ratio that I had used before, I created half the amount as before yielding one disc.  While blind baking the crust, I cooked down the peaches in a pot with sugar, butter, cornstarch and a bit of vanilla and made the streusel. I then put everything together and baked the crisp for 45 minutes.  In no time at all I had my final result ready to go.

Peach Crisp

Although the practice is important, equally as important is not gaining 20 pounds before the party. Resolving this dilemma was easy as delicious desserts are always welcomed at the office. This morning I woke up and headed to the work with the peach crisp in hand. The only challenge left was fairly distributing what I had made which clearly wasn’t enough for the entire office. To solve this problem, I crafted an email to the office group alias and hit send just at the 10 o’clock hour as everyone was likely to either be at their desks, arriving to work or shuffling between meetings. This seemed like a logical and non-biased approach so as to not play favorites. I stated the following:

Depending on when you read this, one of these statements will be true:

1. There is peach crisp in the kitchen
2. There is no longer peach crisp in the kitchen.

Serving of Peach Crisp

Despite the calamity the ensued from the email as people rushed to the kitchen to get their sugar fixing, I did receive a lot of thank yous and praise for great tasting food. Interestingly enough I received as many comments and compliments about my email as I did about the food itself.

In the office food game everyone wants to be on the favored list. Not everyone agreed with my notification process, while others wondered why they didn’t get the secret advanced warning about the food payload I was about to deliver. It was all quite amusing.  While not everyone got a piece I can say that more food is in the works for the next few days and I welcome the feed back so that I can make mom’s preparations the best that they can be. So everyone in the office, get your forks ready.

Popovers

The Cooking Through Ratio series continues with a final quick cake, popovers. While popovers may fall under the umbrella of quick cakes, they are distinctively different than their brethren and have characteristics more familiar with pâte à choux. The reason I say this and as Ruhlman points out is that through the baking process they undergo a dramatic transformation. High heat causes causes the batter to steam and balloon the final product into a wonderful column with a delicate balance of texture and flavor.

In general, popovers are 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg and 1 part flour. Again the order here is important. To make what are described as “Basic (but amazing) Popovers”, I measured out the liquid (milk), eggs and flour while also measuring out a bit of butter and salt. I also preheated the oven to 450 degrees F; the high heat was necessary to quickly raise the temperature of the batter which would create the rise. An interesting twist was that while the oven was pre-heating I also placed the muffin tin (I don’t have a popover pan) inside to warm up to help things along even more. The rest was easy.

The milk and egg were whisked together so that they were combined well.

Popovers: Milk & Eggs

Next, the salt and flour were added and thoroughly combined.

Popovers: Batter

The mixture was left to sit for 30 minutes so that the flour could absorb the liquid, reducing the lumps that were present. After 30 minutes I gave everything a quick whisk.

Popovers: Hydrated Flour

I then pulled the muffin tin out of the oven and placed some butter, which was melted in the microwave into three open cups.

Popovers: Melted Butter in Muffin Tin Cup

My understanding was that the hot butter and muffin tin / popover pan were supposed to help quickly raise the temperature of the batter. When I placed the batter into the muffin tin the laws of physics prevailed and the heavier batter fell to the bottom causing the butter to rise.

Popover: Batter and Butter in Muffin Tin Cup

I quickly moved the muffin tin to the oven to prevent any heat loss. After ten minutes, the heat was reduced to 375 degrees F. 30 minutes later the baking and the transformation were complete. What came out of the oven was wholly different than what went into it a mere 40 minutes earlier.

Popovers

Wow oh wow. Yum. The crispy texture and buttery flavor were exceptional and reminiscent of Yorkshire Pudding, something I enjoyed eating while working in London. Indeed not all English cooking is bad.

These were easy to make, although the sitting time for the batter and baking time were longer than my stomach could bear after coming back from the gym. Needless to say I ate them all along with my “merguez pattie” dinner. I saved half of the batter for later and definitely will enjoy making these again to accompany a more elaborate meal.

Last night I opened up a new chapter in Ratio on quick cakes. The chapter begins with quick breads and muffins which are essentially the same thing. The key difference is that muffins are cooked in cups.

Quick cakes are described as custards cooked at high heat with some flour thrown in for structure. They are all pretty much the same, differing in the ratio of the ingredients.

I am very confident with Alton Brown’s Old School Muffins and can practically make them with my eyes clothes. They have been thoroughly taste tested at work and with family and friends. I wondered how these muffins would compare.

The ratio is pretty straight forward, 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, 1 part fat (butter). The basic muffin batter recipe also contained salt and baking powder. I added dried cherries to the batter for extra flavor and texture.

Interestingly enough, Ruhlman describes pancakes as thin muffins, which is clearly evident when looking at the batter. It had a lot more liquid and was a lot more pourable than Alton’s. It was clear that the end result was definitely going to be a lot more moist.

Cherry Muffin Batter

The muffin batter was baked in the oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. That might have been too long. They were crisp and most, but considerably more browned than I expected. The cherries all sank to the bottom of each muffin which was not entirely unexpected given how loose it was. The end result was quite tasty indeed.

Cherry Muffins

For me, these muffins would work best as an accompanying side to breakfast better than Alton’s, but don’t scream anytime snack choice. Another one down, many more to go.

Angel Food Cake

Is it weird that I pondered the ratio for making angel food cake while sealing a driveway at one of my parents’ rental properties? Is it strange that I thought about making it while driving home from work for a week, wondering if I would have time to make it each night and was frustrated when I didn’t? Why was this one ratio all-consuming? Why did I dread it so much? Perhaps it was because I actually found it difficult to buy cake flour since many of the food shops around me didn’t have any or were simply out of it. It could be the fact that I kept forgetting the cream of tartar when I shopped at the grocery store. I don’t remember ever eating angel food cake, or if I did, it was only a handful of times. Maybe that was it. The required cooling time at the end definitely was the main show stopper for my attempts, but all in all, perhaps all of these reasons combined were the source of my trepidation and constant thought.

Last night was the night. The stars were finally aligned and I was able get to work. This was a simple ratio of 3 parts egg, 3 parts sugar and 1 part flour. No butter, no yolks, just three white ingredients.

Ruhlman states that good mise en place is essential with cake making. I followed his advice by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees F and setting out the ingredients: eggs, sugar, cake flour, salt, creme of tartar, lemon and vanilla extract.

I started off with separating the whites from the yolks and placing the whites in the mixing bowl. This in itself was good skill training. After cracking 10 eggs in a row and separating them, you get into a rhythm. The yolks were not discarded, but saved for another use. Perhaps crème anglaise later on this week given my experience from the weekend class I took with my mom.

Angel FoodCake: Separated Egg Whites and Yolks

Once separated, the mixing bowl was attached to the stand mixer along with the whisk attachment. The whites were beat at a medium speed for about a minute or two and then the cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt and vanilla were added. I learned that the cream of tartar and lemon juice, the acids and the salt would act as stabilizers for the egg whites.

Angel Food Cake: Salt, Cream of Tartar, Lemon Juice, Vanilla

The speed was increased to medium-high and as instructed, I waited for a foam to develop and then drizzled in half of the sugar. This was an additional stabilizer that would help with the foaming process.

Angel Food Cake: Adding Sugar

Once the sugar was incorporated I waited for the egg whites to be beat enough that they would work themselves into a firmer foam which could hold a soft peak as Ruhlman writes. Thankfully this is 2009 and not 1909. The stand mixer did most of the work which took far longer thank I expected. I waited, and waited and waited some more, and when I thought the wait was nearly over, it continued until I stopped counting the minutes.

Angel Food Cake: Endless Whisking

As I waited, I simultaneously measured out the flour and the other half the sugar in the food processor using my scale and pulsed a few times to combine and aerate.  When the egg whites could cold a soft peak, the mixer was turned off and the mixing bowl was removed.

Angel Food Cake: Soft Peaks

While using a spatula, I sprinkled the sugar and flour mixture over the meringue that had formed, gently folding it in. This was actually nerve-racking as I was worried that I would destroy the network of air bubbles that I had just spend an eternity on creating. This stage was noted as being the most crucial to the end product and deemed more important the the ratio itself.

Angel Food Cake: Folding in Flour and Sugar

I poured the batter into my newly acquired spring-form pan and placed it into the oven to bake for about 30 or 40 minutes.

Angel Food Cake: Ready For Baking

It looked pretty nice coming out of the oven. It was finally done, or was it?

Angel Food Cake: Baked

As instructed, I let it cook upside down over a baking rack for an hour and a half before removing. Once cooled, I set out to remove the cake from the pan. The book didn’t call for lubricating the pan with shortening, butter or anything like that and I wish it had. It was a struggle to remove the cake from the pan. This might be a crucial element of the cake itself as a greased side would not have allowed for sticking and perhaps resulted in a sunken cake. Experiment will yield an answer to that one.

Angel Food Cake: Out of the Pan

For all the work and aggravation this cake caused me, the result lived up to its name. It was soft, sweet and perfect to eat alone. It was a nice cake to eat as this morning’s breakfast pastry, a change from denser muffins and scones that I usually eat. Each task in this series yields new knowledge and experience. I hope to continue seeing each challenge as an opportunity while keeping my frustration and worrying to a minimum.

Blueberry Poundcake

Angel food cake is next in the series, but unfortunately I don’t have a tube pan or a springform pan to make it in. Although this is a short week, I still wanted to make something that I could eat for breakfast on my way to work. The economy may be getting better, but my wallet has yet to show it. Cheap and tasty is the name of the game. Pound cake seemed like a delicious idea.

Drawing on some inspiration from Megan Chromik’s Delicious Dishings blog post on Blueberry Pound Cake, I opted to make some of my own using some frozen blueberries I had in my freezer that I had picked up at a farmer’s market. Although the book calls for a hour bake time, I am still noticing that I need more than that to make pound cake in my oven. I’ll have to figure that one out.

The result was amazing. The blueberries appeared to vanish leaving little blue pockets of “taste”; the result excellent. What a delicious breakfast to look forward to this week. Starbucks has nothing on this pound cake!

White Chocolate Chip & Macadamia Nut Cookies

Working with and revisiting ratios becomes easier and easier each and every time. Each experience builds confidence and understanding. Cassie made another special request which I was more than happy to comply with while experimenting a little. Her cookie desire this time was white chocolate chip with macadamia nuts cookies. Not having white chocolate chips nor macadamia nuts provided a good excuse to go grocery shopping to pick up additional ingredients such as flour, unsalted butter and sugar that I was running low on. To my surprise all of the sugar and unsalted butter were sold out.  There must must be a lot of baking going on in Boston.

For this cookie, I opted for a 1-1-1-1 ratio of butter, sugar,eggs and flour. I was hoping for a rich chewy cookie as described in the book. The eggs were there to provide a softer and airier crumb.

Speed and comfort using a scale are definitely noticeable now which is a great thing when in the kitchen. They help eliminate the little voice in your head that tells you that you don’t have the time, energy or desire to cook.

Once the dough was pulled I added in enough white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts so that they were evenly distributed and easily visible. Using the drop method with a spoon I placed the cookie dough onto a baking sheet and put it into a 350 degree F oven.

After 15 minutes, the cookies were cooked through, although the edges were over-browned, translated as burnt. The dough had spread considerably and reminded me of the first time I attempted making the classic chocolate chip cookie variation when I broke in the new stand mixer. Despite the visual imperfections, the taste and texture were virtually flawless. Soft, chewy, some crunch and sweetness; this is what I was looking for. With more practice and experimentation I look forward to baking the “perfect” cookie.