Showing posts with label just. Show all posts
Showing posts with label just. Show all posts
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Homemade Crème Fraiche – Nobodys Ever Made it Just Once
Crème fraiche is French for "fresh cream," which makes it one of the most ironically named foods ever, since its made by leaving cream out in a warm spot until it’s soured and thickened by a growing colony of bacteria. Yeah, fresh.
Regardless, making crème fraiche is very easy and as the title implies, once you taste the magic of homemade sour cream, youll have a hard time not repeating this somewhat esoteric exercise. Sure it takes a couple days, but the effort is minimal for such a marvelous payoff.
As I mention in the video, besides the amazing taste and luxurious texture, maybe the best thing about crème fraiche is its ability to be cooked. Because of its composition and fat content, it doesn’t curdle and separate when you heat it like sour cream.
This makes it an incredibly versatile addition to countless recipes. I cant think of many pan sauces that don’t benefit from a spoon or two. Yesterday on this blog, you saw it stirred into fried rice. Next week, youll see it turn an ordinary pan of braised beef into a world-class Stroganoff. I could go on and on, and for SEO purposes I probably should, but you get the idea.
As long as your jars and utensils are very clean, preferably sterilized, there isn’t a lot that can go wrong. Be sure to get your hands on the best, freshest cream you can find. In the supermarket youll want to look for "pasteurized," not "ultra-pasteurized" heavy whipping cream. Also, be sure to use cultured buttermilk otherwise you’re going to be waiting a full day to see nothing happen.
By the way, Im extremely proud of this video recipe and blog post, but not for the usual reasons. Its because I didn’t make one single Randy Marsh joke! You South Park fans know what Im talking about, and those of you that don’t should really check out this crème fraiche-themed episode. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
Mix together and leave in a warm spot (about 70-75 degrees F.) for 24 hours, or until thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Should last a week or two.
Mix together and leave in a warm spot (about 70-75 degrees F.) for 24 hours, or until thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Should last a week or two.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Just Chicken and Mushrooms
This chicken and mushrooms recipe video is an experiment in extreme self-control. I wanted to challenge myself to make a chicken and mushrooms recipe using only chicken and mushrooms. By the way, if it was still Fat Tuesday, I would have totally called this recipe, "Almost Naked Breasts," but on Ash Wednesday, that just doesnt seem appropriate.
While chefs are always preaching about keeping things uncomplicated, and letting the natural goodness of the main ingredients shine though, we rarely follow our own advice. There are so many ways to flavor and enhance breasts like these that its easy to forget simplicity and instead start, "layering the flavors."
As I mention in the video, while this may seem like it was intended as a lesson for novice cooks, its actually dedicated to the advanced cook who may have forgotten just how wonderful a two-ingredient recipe can be.
Anyway, the real point is to get you to try and see how much flavor you can coax out of these two main players by simply using great technique, and the right equipment. Of course, thats easier said than done, and the vast majority of you will be unable to resist the minced garlic and the cayenne shaker. Either way, enjoy!
Speaking of the right equipment, that stainless-steel skillet youll see in the video is my lovely new All-Clad 12-inch aluminum core frying pan. Were going to be doing some work together, and this recipe was the first real test run. Ive used their stuff countless times in pro kitchens, but Ive never the pleasure of working with it in my home kitchen until now. It was perfect for this recipes required techniques.
Speaking of the right equipment, that stainless-steel skillet youll see in the video is my lovely new All-Clad 12-inch aluminum core frying pan. Were going to be doing some work together, and this recipe was the first real test run. Ive used their stuff countless times in pro kitchens, but Ive never the pleasure of working with it in my home kitchen until now. It was perfect for this recipes required techniques.
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skin-on
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz thickly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
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