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Bojana

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Everything posted by Bojana

  1. Love this kind of topics! I can now think of invert sugar, most spice blends, nut butters ( hazelnut, tehina lately), bread crumbs and of course ground spices (lots of cinnamon lately).
  2. Thank you, great ideas. One of my guest does not eat sugar, gluten and fruit, that is why i am going with sweet vegetables to add sweetnes. I may a tually replace pumkin by beetroot, and i even have dome beetrot tapioca crisps that only need to be fried. Also love sunchokes, hmmm, how to choose? I have both EMP and MC@H but do not remember those recipes, will have a look. As for the protein, i havent bought it yet, so i can go in all directions. Was thinking of loin.
  3. I want to cook cocoa-smoked paprika coated venison dish and hope someone could help on how to do it. Dish components: cocoa and perhaps crushed roasted hazelnut coated venison, thickened spiced pumpkin juice sauce (touch of vinegar for acidity), beurre noisette gnocci, and maybe a vegetable crisp? How do coat and cook venison? Pre cook sous vide, coat and deep fry? Coat and oven roast ? Sous vide, coat, pan fry? What to use to make sure the coating sticks? Temperatures and approximate timing would be of great help. Also, what do you think about the rest of the menu? Also, could I apply this process to a piece of fish for one of the guest who does not eat meat? How could I best adjust the fish dish without adding tons of work? Thanks in advance!
  4. I must start by saying that I have huge respect for what Alex and Aki are doing. I adore their previous book and one of the first things I read in the morning is their website's mailing. In anticipation of Maximum Flavor (MF), I went back to the very beginning of their blog and read or skimmed through years of writing, witnessing how Ideas in Food have contributed to some of the big developments that characterize modern cuisine today. I live in Europe, where MF is not sold yet. I bought it through pre-order on Amazon, had it shipped to a US address and had a friend bring from there. Perhaps my expectations were too high, perhaps I have developed into a more sophisticated and knowledgeable cook over the last few years but this book was a major disappointment. The words that come to mind are: simple (selection of recipes), US focused (ingredients hard to find in Europe, brands, recipes) and unappetizing (photography, colors). This is not so say that this book is bad, but it is not a book for me any more. It is a book for a relatively average American home cook, how has somehow heard of Aki and Alex, and is willing to improve their pancake, burger and cake making. I have cooked successfully enough of complex dishes in full from Alinea, Eleven Madisson Park, Momofuku, Modernist Cuisine etc and I was craving something that would help me come up with complex and unusual flavors, that Alex and Aki can do so well (very noticeable in the first years of their blog), or even the big brother for their previous book, with more flavor enhancing techniques and brilliant recipes. In the entire book, there are perhaps two or max three things new to me, such as sugar syrup roasting nuts, the konbu beans combination and I cannot think of the third one. Also, I find a lot of ideas lacking originality - microwave sponge cakes or rough puff pastry are not exactly what I hoped to find there. I would sent the book it back but shipping costs from EU to US may outweigh the refund I can get - will look into it though. I understand this book may have a significant (US) mass appeal and be commercially attractive for the authors, I somehow feel that their brand has been diluted for me. I will never again buy a piece of their writing without having it seen first and making sure that it is what I expect it to be. [Host Note: Amazon Society-friendly link to Maximum Flavor by Aki Komozawa and Alexander Talbot]
  5. I found today something I'd like to play with: recipe for hummus gnocci. http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2006/07/hummus_gnocchi.html I will try it with the above mentioned meat combination of some sorts...
  6. Last night, we had a dessert from Eleven Madison Park book, that uses two ice creams: chocolate and salted caramel. I love the book but hate its use of imperial metrics so for ice creams i use recipes from other places. Chocolate is Corvitto (amazing) and caramel is my twist on Jenny (more salt, smoked cream, xantan and dried milk powder added to original). It was a great dessert!
  7. Thank you, we should be able to manage it within a week. My fridge is 4C and I always use clean utensils. This is the tip I am really happy with, did not know. Now I can make a large batch and freeze part that we will not consume directly. Thank you both!
  8. Bojana

    Dinner! 2013 (Part 5)

    May I join you (after having lurked for a long time)? Mushroom consomme, broad beans, smoked cauliflower puree, smoked paprika almonds, maple bacon
  9. Few pics of today' work. Skins came off easily and i used a fine sieve to separeate them from the beans. End product is amazingly smooth and creamy.
  10. I am all about experimenting in the kitchen, so apologies if it is offending to purist and resident middle easterners but after Shel_B's comment, I'll split my batch in Ottolenghi and Soy-Chilli-Rice vinegar asian version of hummus (or garbanzo beans bread spread). Seeds are toasted because I like the flavour better that way. Still don't know for how long can you keep it in the fridge, anyone please?
  11. Given that my ice machine came back repaired at the same time with the arrival of my new vitamix, the only ice creams i could really make are modernist cuisine nut gelatos. Did pistachio and hazelnut so far, and hazelnut wins hands down. It tastes like eating nutella from the jar but knowing all fats in there are good for you. I find that i can get a super smooth texture if i first make the nut paste, and then blend it on high with the water tapioca sugar mixture that the recipe calls for. I am doing the MC at home version but upping sugar to 18%, as per Corvitto. The original MC gelato tasted to savoury for my taste. My FIL, who repaired the machine, is visiting in 2 weeks. I wanto to make ice cream feast for him. Will report back
  12. Since I bought my Vitamix, I got the hummus bug. Few versions i have tried so far were ok but not spectacular. Tehina i have is not very good so today i am going to make my own, from roasted seeds. Will try ottolenghi recipe since i loved most of the recipes from Jerusalem. How long does hummus keep in the fridge for?
  13. I am in love with this book too but never tried making bread from it. Now tempted, having seen the pics above. My go to book for many basics. Clear, precise instructions that work every time.
  14. yes, i decided to give it a try and made it yesterday. My mix ended up being completely smooth and of amazing texture. However, I did not like the taste. I let my nuts become too hot while grinding and the recipe is too salty. Also, I did not use pistachio oil so taste was lacking. Next time, I will put whole nuts in the blender together with the water base, will reduce salt and up the sugar. Hack, I can melt the remains, add sugar and re-churn. Despite my criticism, the ice cream is very edible, especially in combo with the pistachio crumble. I suspect I will love the hazelnut version.
  15. Did any of you make MC Pistachio gelato using their blender to make the paste first? Any tips? Also using opportunity to bump up this topic, my Vitamix Vita Prep 3 just arrived and we are slowly getting to know each other.
  16. I can barely contain my excitement, my stella musso is alive again, it has finally been repaired. I will get it in a week time and in the meantime, I can dream of flavours to make. Anyone wants to share some lovely autumnal flavours ideas? I am thinking spices, pumpkin, caramel & nuts (always a favourite)...
  17. I tried searching the forum but could not find it and I am sure I am not the first one to struggle with this. It would be great if people could share how you keep your freezer and pantry inventory. Ideally, I'd like an online solution but well designed excel sheets could also do the trick I imagine. Thanks!
  18. Hey guys, just to report back that the dinner went really well. My sous vide had no trouble at all to maintain the temp. The steaks were super tender and tasty. I am on a high for pulling it all off.
  19. Thanks guys. I am about to start in few hours. I have tender meat but want to pasteurize. Got marbled entrecotes. They should be allright after 3-4 hrs, shouldnt they?
  20. I need to cook 18 steaks of ~180-200gr each sous vide at 54.4. I have Vac Star's Chef II type of circulator and a box that can fit them all. I would cook them for 3-4 hours and then directly pan sear and serve. Do you see any safety issues here? Um, and it is a bit of a last minute question, the dinner is tonight and I have few hours whether to do it in one or two batches. I hope some of you fantastic eGulleters are around and can help me out. cheers Bojana
  21. Bojana

    Fennel

    I had recently am amazing dish with orange juice braised fennel.
  22. I have just received four gem squashes from a South African colleague who grows them in his garden. Any recipes or ideas how to use them other than the traditional slice in half and boil?
  23. Bojana

    Fried Polenta

    Cook it, cool in fridge to set. Should be firm and slightly jiggly. Cut, deepfry, enjoy.
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