Tri2Cook

I don't know. Maybe none of this group would seem particularly weak in some of the past seasons but, in comparison to those they're competing against this season, there are a few that are going to have to step it up quite a bit to be around for long. Leaving the shrimp and scallops in the hot pan on the burner while searching the entire kitchen/pantry for a bottle of wine and deep frying a steak both had me thinking what the f@#%. I guess it wouldn't be fair to equate seitan rellenos to being a lightweight but it didn't seem like a good plan for the first "this is me" thing to throw at the judges even before I got to see their reaction. There are many much better options for vegetarian rellenos (in my non-vegetarian opinion anyway). In a competition, bad decision making is a weakness... apparently an important weakness to not have because I thought over-cooked seafood was going to be the one to go.

Very cool Kerry. I'm jealous.

I'm pretty sure he's looking for recipes that involve the thermomix. Probably as a kickstart for his own ideas. At least that's what I usually do with a new piece of equipment or new ingredient. I see how others are using it to get a general grasp of what it's all about then move on to developing my own ideas. I want a thermomix but it's not at the front of my wish list so it'll be a while. These may not be the sort of things you have in mind but... ...there's a recipe here from the Chadzilla blog for a tomato-olive oil flan that does everything except the molding in the thermomix... ...and here from Johnny Iuzzini's site is a recipe that uses the thermomix to make a molded rhubarb cheesecake base.

Sounds good to me. I'll have to come up with something.

Is this open to all types of pie or is meant to be within any particular boundaries?

I've read some of the stuff on using methylcellulose as a sauce thickener but I don't really work with it much so I don't have many types around to play with. I have a few (non-sauce) applications where I use SGA-16 as a stabilizer but that's about it. I like ultra tex and ultra sperse. For some applications I like agar or gellan (fluid gels). I've been planning to dig up some information on using sodium alginate as a thickener just as a curiosity thing. I know it's done but don't know much about it beyond that. I'll get around to it at some point. Of course, none of them will make me give up a good flour-based roux for some uses and the usual starch suspects (corn, rice, arrowroot, etc.) have their place in the kitchen as well.

Two days at room temp (on plates in large ziplocks). The method 1 batch is firm enough to break cleanly now but still not crusty or crumbly in texture and no grainy crunch from sugar crystals. The method 2 batch is still a little softer than fudge should be. The batches with margarine are still softer than the batches without in both methods. I don't know if this qualifies as fudge among the confections experts or not but that's what I'm calling it and, unless something unexpected happens soon, I'm also calling it a success. I think I'll stick a piece of each in the fridge overnight and see what the texture is like cold.

+1 on that. Xanthan is useful in many applications for it's synergy with other hydrocolloids but I don't love it as a sauce thickener even at carefully regulated levels. For the banana smoothie, kappa carrageenan at .02% - .03% should do the trick without having to worry about sliminess.

Great finale. Exactly what all of the finals should be like. Pick a theme and let the chefs do what they do without making them jump through any hoops. They made it through all of the twists and turns to get there, now just let them cook. My pick lost, I was sure Chef Keller was going to kill it, but I'm not at all disappointed with Chef Bayless winning. I still don't get why people seem so offended over Chef Chiarello. He didn't do anything that would have offended me if I'd been there so I can't really find a reason to be offended for those who were there.

The batches done by the first method are firm enough this morning to cut into squares but still not as firm as fudge should be. I'm pretty sure cooking to a higher temp will solve the problem but have't tried it yet. Those that weren't beaten haven't firmed up any further and are too soft to cut into squares. Also, the batches with the margarine added are both softer than the batches without. The batches that weren't beaten (the two on the right) are a bit darker. That's what I was thinking as well. That's why I'm going to try a hybrid version of cooking the syrup without the chocolate, tossing the chocolate on top and waiting until the syrup cools then adding the vanilla and beating. There's no crust at this point but I'm going to keep them at least another day and see what happens.

So here's the results of this round of playing. Top left: cooked water, sugar, glucose, salt and unsweetened chocolate to 236 f. Cooled it to 110 f. Added vanilla and beat until it began to stiffen then molded and allowed to set for a few hours at room temp. Bottom left: same as above but added a little margarine with the vanilla. Top right: cooked water, sugar, glucose and salt to 236 f. poured it over chopped 85% chocolate and some vanilla, mixed it, poured it into the molds and allowed to set for a few hours at room temp. Bottom right: same as above but added a little margarine with the chocolate and vanilla. The result is very clean in flavor and not at all crumbly at this point. If anything, it borders on too soft (especially the two with margarine). I think I probably should have went to something more like 240 f. The two without margarine are firm enough that they could be dipped with care but are softer than normal for fudge. The two with margarine are a bit softer than that. I smashed the edge of each type to show that it didn't crumble and it isn't grainy. It's actually quite smooth and creamy so far but I'm going to see how it holds up for a day or two. The difference between the two methods was minor in appearance. I thought the texture was better in the first method but the flavor was better in the second. I was happy enough with the results that I may try a version combining the two methods by cooking the syrup to 240 f, letting it cool a bit, tossing chopped chocolate on top, letting it cool down to 110 f, adding vanilla and beating.

Agreed, I just meant the texture of some fudge seems closer to a ganache. If I'm not mistaken, fudge is classified as a crystalline confection. Most older versions I've found are cooked to soft ball, cooled and beaten to cause crystallization. I don't know if the creamy, super-smooth fudges are a different type, a more modern preference or the byproduct of trying to make fudge easier to make. Maybe none of the above, maybe somebody just didn't like their fudge crumbly and developed something they liked better. I think the main thing I want to find out is just how grainy and crumbly the result would be without the milk and butter. I did 2 batches this morning (wasn't able to work it into the schedule last night). Batch 1 is an "old fashioned" fudge (syrup ingredients and unsweetened chocolate cooked to 236 f, cooled to 110 f, add vanilla and beat). Batch 2 is the same with the addition of a bit of margarine along with the vanilla. I'm going to try another version by cooking the syrup, pouring it over the chocolate, emulsifying and pouring. That batch won't be beat to aid crystallization and I will do it both with and without margarine as well. I'm probably just doing 4 batches of trash can fodder but I'm curious and not particularly busy today. It's raining too hard for a bike ride so I might as well play a bit.

When they cut loose with the budget, they don't mess around do they? I don't have any information for you but I am jealous. Especially over the paco jet.

Some types of fudge have that crumbly "short" texture though, that's why I mentioned that I'm not sure what the Rules Of Fudge are. I was probably in my late teens or early 20's before I ever tasted a fudge that was the creamy version. The fudge I grew up on in the area I lived in was always the grainy (not in a bad way) stuff that was cooked to temp, allowed to cool undisturbed and beat before spreading in a pan or frame. Somewhat similar in texture to the Louisiana pralines. I actually like that type of fudge but rarely make it because the creamy stuff seems to be more popular. To me, the creamy stuff is more like a firm ganache.

I'm willing to use up some ingredients to find out, I hate the words "I don't know" (not that I'm not very familiar with them, I just don't like it). I'll work on it later tonight and let you know how it goes.

I've never done it so the only appropriate answer I can give is... I don't know. I don't imagine the fat in the milk is a significant factor since cocoa versions and chocolate versions usually both use the same milk despite the chocolate containing more fat than the cocoa. I suppose some cocoa butter could be tossed in to replace the butter but I'm not sure it would actually be necessary. Like I said, I'm not an expert on the subject. Just brainstorming with you.

I don't know the Rules Of Fudge but I suppose you could use water and/or coffee or something instead of milk. Heat it with sugar and a little glucose, pour it over the chocolate, add some vanilla, emulsify and stir in the nuts (if using). Might take a bit of experimenting to get the texture right.

Thanks!

The foraging is going pretty good right now. I've picked 15 gallons of wild blueberries so far and the wild raspberries are coming in nicely. Both were later than normal this year due to an unusually wet and cool summer.

I've had pretty good luck adapting my palate over the years. Many things I disliked, I now actually really like. Two things I've never managed to overcome are liver and chitlins. The "eat it 10 times" thing didn't work with the liver. The eat it 20 or 30 times hasn't worked either. I never made it past a couple attempts at the chitlins and I'm fine with that. I don't care that I don't eat them... but I really wanted to like liver.

Errr... actually, at the risk of pandering to the "utterly ubiquitous", that sounds really good.

Sounds like some great talent. If they can resist the overwhelming urge to push the drama edits at every opportunity this should be a cool season. So it starts the same night as the T.C. Masters finale?

$#&%!!! I was just getting ready to send you a black bean cake with lime sorbet, chile coulis and micro cilantro for review! Talk about bad timing... The combo is everywhere and arguably over-done but the problem is, it's f'ing good. There's not too many things that combo can make taste bad. It's in the limelight (sorry) but even if someday it's not, it will still be the "delightful, delicious combination" it's always been. For the areas of it's origins, it would be kinda like moving on from salt and pepper.

You're welcome... but I'm not a she. ← Ooops. Sorry. ← No problem at all, just thought I'd mention it.

Anything you enjoy making is worthy of posting! The vast majority of what I post are experiments and ideas that I wanted to try. Some looked better in my head than on the plate. Some were things I know I'm not good at and posted to prove my point. I don't care, it's still fun. I very rarely post the stuff I do for work, posting my experiments for this crowd is more fun because I can find out very quickly if I'm getting too far out in weirdland.