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RocketChef

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    Guanciale in London

    in United Kingdom & Ireland: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    You will have to excuse the blatant plug but my business partners have just picked up 3stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards for a Guanciale that I designed the cure for. Hopefully it may be available to a larger pork loving audience shortly..

    http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/080812/uk___uk_gold_record_set_by_hannan_in_great_taste_awards.aspx

    http://meat.win01.servers.tc/know-your-meat/butchers-block/

    Looking for an auberge from 30 years ago...oh yeah, possibly near Lyon

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    (The short version); Almost 30 years ago I went backpacking through France, I was a young & naïve pretend chef who was yet to understand what my chosen profession was all about & how it would shape my life. On a trip through the Lyon area myself & two companions were fortunate enough to hook up with a family from our home (Northern Ireland) who had either relocated or had a summer residence in what I recall as “Villefranche”. We stayed in “someone’s” caravan & ate at a local country restaurant a meal that was to change my life. ..

    …The profound impact of the meal was not because of some high art kitchen wizardry but purely the impact of the quality & freshness of the simple ingredients that we ate in the most unpretentious dining environment I had ever encountered. Time has clouded the memory but we ate from a no choice 6 or 7 course menu including a frizzy salad, salami, a rich chicken dish, cheese & petti suisse with pouring cream & sugar. Our dining room was a large open barn with a hearth at one end & the kitchen at the other, wine was also I believe a no choice; red in an unmarked bottle. One clear memory is of 2 friendly Doberman dogs roaming both in the courtyard & occasionally between the rustic wooden, no cloth, tables.

    The experience has haunted me for the last 30 years & become a grounding reference when I am tempted to add one more foam or micro herb, but even more important is that one of my traveling companions (who was not in the industry) suddenly understood why I did what I did & his love of food was born. He has become the best friend I have on this planet & many good times at the table since have been in conversations that return to the “first” meal at Villefranche. ….now I just have to find it & hopefully get us (& now partners) back there 30 years on..

    The restaurant\Auberge\barn or whatever it was may no longer exist, but if it does it my ambition is to return Sept\Oct 2013..I don’t expect to relive the memory & I have eaten enough now to know that the best food memories are a moment in time, (a contextual experience that despite our efforts in the kitchen we can never create by culinary effort alone) & therefore with realistic expectations, the search for the country restaurant in “Villefranche” somewhere near Lyon” has begun. I am never going to find this place without someone’s help so any clues, leads, ideas or pointers would be very gratefully received..

    A first look at a Google maps would suggest that my “Villefranche near Lyon” may be Villefranche-sur-Saone, so that’s my only possible reference so far.. if anyone can help please do?

    Thanks in hope,

    UK Ingredient/Equipment Source

    in United Kingdom & Ireland: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    I have got the sperification kit from infusions4chefs, pretty good price actually. I want malto, I think I will write that friendly email, unless I can find it somewhere cheap.

    I cannot also trace guar gum, as I need it to make dondurma (turkish cheewy ice cream)

    I am in the process of making Greek salad and want to create these:

    1) Olive oil powder (with malto)

    2) Tomato terrin

    3)Onion glass

    4)Feta cheese gniocci

    5)Olives in a parsley sphere

    Vin Sullivan look like good prices..they have sourced me anything I wanted to "play" with...without having to purchase large amounts.

    Adventures with sodium alginate

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Thanks, I am using gluco as well. I tried making the alginate bath solution again yesterday. This time using 1.5g/500ml and it also is a jelly mess. I dropped the gluconate grape juice solution into it and nothing happened. I wonder if my alginate some how expired or went bad.

    I have found that a calcium trace in my water source caused over thickening of the alginate solution - changing to a "soft" distilled / or bottled water fixed the problem - might be relevant..

    Methylcellulose in pastry: Recipes & Tips

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks for the kind words. I did see that episode of kitchen science. He gave a good walkthrough of it being constructed but didn't give actual recipes. If it's in his book when it comes out later this year I'll find out how close I got.

    Not sure where I got this from but it was online somewhere.

    Considering you created yours from the TV version it looks good..

    Chocolate Delice with Cumin Caramel Sauce

    (Serves 10)

    h. Rlumental

    For the chocolates sorbet:

    16 ounces mineral water

    1 ounces trimoline

    5 ounces Valhrona Manjari cholocate, chopped

    For the chocolate fondant:

    10 1/2 ounces Valrohna chocolate, chopped

    4 1/4 ounces Plugra butter

    10 ounces egg whites

    2 1/4 ounces water

    For the base:

    5 ounces hazelnuts, roasted and ground

    3/4 ounce milk chocolate, melted

    7 ounces pop rocks

    1/2 ounce unsalted butter, softened

    1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

    1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    For the chocolate nappage:

    1 3/4 ounces Valhrona Manjari chocolate

    3 ounces water

    1 ounce granulated sugar

    1 1/2 ounces heavy cream

    7 ounces dark chocolate

    5 1/2 ounces whole mole

    For the cinnamon and cumin caramel souce:

    5 1/4 ounces heavy cream

    2 1/4 cinnamon sticks, ground in a spice grinder

    1/3 cup cumin seeds

    8 ounces granulated sugar

    1 ounce water

    2 ounces unsalted butter

    For the black pepper tuiles:

    1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper

    1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns

    1/2 teaspoon allspice

    2 1/2 ounces unsalted butter

    5 1/4 ounces granulated sugar

    2 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour

    4 ounces coconut milk

    For the chocolate caramel:

    2 ounces granulated sugar

    2 ounces glucose

    1/2 tablespoon water

    2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

    For the chocolate sorbet: Mix mineral water, cocoa, trimoline, and chocolate. Bring to a boil and strain through sieve. Place over, an ice bath to chill. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

    For the chocolate fondant: Combine the chocolate and butter and melt over low heat. Place the egg whites in a bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over the egg whites and whisk until combined. Add the water; whisk to combine and strain through a sieve. Set aside, keeping warm.

    For the base: In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients.

    For the chocolate nappage: Combine the chocolate, water, sugar, and heavy cream. Simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. In a separate saucepan, combine the remaining chocolate and the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chocolate has melted. In a medium bowl, combine both chocolate mixtures and whisk until smooth. Set aside, keeping warm.

    For the cinnamon and cumin caramel sauce: Heat the heavy cream, cinnamon, and cumin seeds. Remove from the heat and infuse. In a separate saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a caramel stage. Add the butter and whisk until well combined. Slowly add the cream mixture; remove from the heat and strain through a sieve. Set aside, keeping warm.

    For the black pepper tuiles: Oven to 350 degrees. In a spice grinder, combine the whole black pepper, white peppercorns, and allspice. Grind to a fine powder and sift. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and lemon colored, about three minutes. Add the flour; coconut milk, and spice mixture in several stages, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Spread in a thin layer of the batter to form ten 4-inch circles on a silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.

    For the chocolate caramel: In a saucepan, combine the sugar; glucose, and water. Bring to 320 degrees. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to 300 degrees. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. Pour the mixture onto a silpat-lined sheet pan and set aside to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for two hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the sheet pan and place in the oven for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a work surface. Working directly from the hot sheet pan, carefully and quickly pull the edges of the sugar into thin, wide strips. Cut off the thick ends and set aside to harden.

    To assemble the delice: Place ten 9 x 3-inch strips of acetate on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Spread the chocolate onto the acetate strips and set aside until set, about twenty minutes. Place ten 3-inch ring molds on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Fill each mold with one and one-half tablespoons of the base mixture. Fill the rest of the molds to the top with the fondant. Freeze until set, about four hours. Place a prepared chocolate acetate strip around each parfait to transfer to the sides of the parfait and remove the acetate.

    To serve: Place a small line of the cinnamon and cumin caramel sauce across the center of a plate. Set a delice in the center of the plate with a black pepper tuile next to it. Top the tuile with a quenelle of chocolate sorbet and a piece of the chocolate caramel. Spoon a portion of the cinnamon and cumin caramel sauce next to the delice.

    A new take on developing a dish?

    in United Kingdom & Ireland: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    There’s been much discussion on Heston’s philosophy on food, his interest in stimulating childhood food memories, his magic water and whether these elements add or detract from the dining experience. I am interested to know if any chefs in the UK have developed dishes that reflect a story or concept or if this approach by Kevin Thornton in the Sunday Business Post yesterday is a new departure.

    His description of the scallop dish is as follows:

    The dish reflects the past, present and future of Ireland: the peas represent the green land, the black squid ink sauce represents the pain and hardship experienced from the famine to the troubles, the scallop represents the sea all around us, the caviar is a reflection of the modern wealthy Ireland of today and the gold leaf represents hope for our future.

    I enjoy Kevin Thornton’s column (a nice read last week on sea urchins), but this all sounds a bit ‘Painted Word’.

    However, the recipe, which lists 4 salmon eggs, 5g leek puree, 5g scallop roe powder, 5g trompette de la mort powder, 8g oscietra caviar and 1 gold leaf among the ingredients, certainly provides a welcome balance to Cheat’s Ingredients fatigue. :biggrin:

    All creative people need inspired, the problems just arrive when feel they have to explain it..

    You should taste a dish & draw you own collusions as to its heritage, without influence from the Chefs poetry book. When you explain in this way you alter the perception before tasting. This can be a useful tool in the right hands, but your desire to stamp a mark on your creation should leave room for customer perception & should not be a dialogue of singular thought from the kitchen.

    Next thing you know we wont be offering salt at the table!

    Isomalt

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by RocketChef (log)

    Thanks Baggy. much appreciated. Checked MSK but they where a bit expensive for the quantities I was looking for - just found some in a catalogue from Vin Sullivan foods which looks better value.. :smile:

    RocketChef, I got mine from MSK Food Ingredients – they were happy to set me up with an account, even though I buy very occasionally.

    Fruit Crisps

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks, just ordered up a sample from the national starch link you posted - much appriciated! :smile:

    Crisp Film is one of National Starch's modified cornstarch products. You can order a sample here.. Not sure where you can buy it in the US, in the UK it's sold by MSK and Infusions4Chefs.

    It can be used for crispy tuiles and also to reduce oil pickup on fried foods. In El Bulli's Texturas range there's also a new product called Trisol. This also improves crispiness when frying - I'd assume it would be useful for tuiles, too, but haven't tried it yet.

    If, on the other hand, you want soft fruit films (ie edible wrappers etc), then try Methocel.

    The make-your-own vanilla extract experiment

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Some friends and I recently split a 5lbs bag of fleur de sel and made 7 different flavored salts.

    We made:

    Vanilla

    Lemongrass, ginger, vanilla

    Chili (chipotle, ancho, some others)

    tequilla lime

    jasmine tea

    herb (all kinds of herbs)

    smoked

    Was lots of fun.  The tequilla lime and lemongrass/ginger/vanilla were my favorites.  The bright lemony scent followed by a mellow vanilla is really cool.  Now I need to figure out how to use them.

    I think I'm gonna take some of the leftover vanilla beans and try some extract.  I just got a bottle of eagle rare bourbon, maybe I'll give that a go...

    Just woundering 1 year on do the flavours still hold? - also did the tequilla & lime cake the salt with the moisture i.e did you need to dry it for storage?

    Fruit Crisps

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I am trying to formulate a base to add to fruit purees for the production of fruit crisps based on combinations of Maltodextrin, cornstarch & Xanthan.

    I know I have seen a film product somewhere for application to fruits before low temperature baking or dehydrating – does anyone have a link to this product or a formula that has given good results in this?

    Thanks in advance. :biggrin:

    Tapioca Maltodextrin

    in Cooking

    Posted

    What's the difference between tapioca maltodextrin and other maltodextrin.

    Okay, finally got around to get holding of some of Zorbit's tapioca maltodextrin, and can confirm there's quite a difference. The corn stuff is far gummier, lacking the creamy meltiness of the tapioca one. Probably worth owning both, as I can see the gummy texture working better with some flavours.

    Can you give me a source for tapioca maltodextrin in the UK ? I can't find it anywhere!

    Thanks in advance.

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