Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine" (Part 3)

[Anna N]

July 4th MC Barbecue

. . . .

Thanks for sharing - I am astounded that you managed to do so much from MC.

[mkayahara]

Can anyone confirm that there is NO LEMON/NO LEMON JUICE/NO LEMON ZEST in Sous-Vide Lemon Curd (p. 304 of Kitchen Manual)? PLEASE?

Nope, none. Just the citric acid and lemon essential oil.

[Anna N]

Can anyone confirm that there is NO LEMON/NO LEMON JUICE/NO LEMON ZEST in Sous-Vide Lemon Curd (p. 304 of Kitchen Manual)? PLEASE?

Nope, none. Just the citric acid and lemon essential oil.

But the lemon essential oil is an optional ingredient!

[Paul Kierstead]

I made pretty much everything from MC for the 4th of July barbecue.

I hate to pick on what is basically a typo, but on the upside everytime I read this I get a big smile. At over 2400+ pages and a lot of recipes, that is quite the accomplishment!

On a more serious note, that is some great looking stuff. What smoking technique/gear are you using to stay that low? Its the only thing holding me up right now from those recipes...I currently have only a WSM which isn't a 150 F kind of smoker.

[blackp]

On a more serious note, that is some great looking stuff. What smoking technique/gear are you using to stay that low? Its the only thing holding me up right now from those recipes...I currently have only a WSM which isn't a 150 F kind of smoker.

I am very new to smoking and after a lot of research I purchased a Bradley Original Smoker (the non-digital kind) with the Cold Smoker attachment. I use my Sous Vide Magic controller to control the element in the smoking cabinet and plug the smoke generator directly into the power. I was able to successfully hold the cabinet temperature at 25C (77F) for a few hours to cold smoke some salmon and some cheese. Obviously the ambient temperature plays a part at such low temps, but it's winter here so day time temps are around 20C.

I'm sure you'd have no problem holding 150F with the same set up as the ambient won't be a problem unless you live in Death Valley.

Cheers,

Peter.

[mkayahara]

Can anyone confirm that there is NO LEMON/NO LEMON JUICE/NO LEMON ZEST in Sous-Vide Lemon Curd (p. 304 of Kitchen Manual)? PLEASE?

Nope, none. Just the citric acid and lemon essential oil.

But the lemon essential oil is an optional ingredient!

Yes, that does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? I assume it's because they note in the instructions that other essential oils can be used instead of lemon.

[Anna N]

Can anyone confirm that there is NO LEMON/NO LEMON JUICE/NO LEMON ZEST in Sous-Vide Lemon Curd (p. 304 of Kitchen Manual)? PLEASE?

Nope, none. Just the citric acid and lemon essential oil.

But the lemon essential oil is an optional ingredient!

Yes, that does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? I assume it's because they note in the instructions that other essential oils can be used instead of lemon.

Perhaps that is the reasoning but I find it somewhat wanting in logic! When I see an ingredient listed as "optional" I assume that leaving it out would not seriously affect the outcome! In this case, it most certainly would. Thanks for responding to my question.

[FoodMan]

I made pretty much everything from MC for the 4th of July barbecue.

I hate to pick on what is basically a typo, but on the upside everytime I read this I get a big smile. At over 2400+ pages and a lot of recipes, that is quite the accomplishment!

On a more serious note, that is some great looking stuff. What smoking technique/gear are you using to stay that low? Its the only thing holding me up right now from those recipes...I currently have only a WSM which isn't a 150 F kind of smoker.

Maybe I am being exceptionally dim today, but what is the typo?

I use a grill/smoker with a side fire box, this one specifically. I've had it for over 8 years now and it works great. What I do is put an aluminum pan filled with ice and water next to the food and replenish it periodically. It does a very good job of keeping the environment humid and helps with keeping the temp low. I do monitor the wet bulb temp, by a wet paper towel wrapped around a thermometer's probe and I use another one to monitor the dry bulb temp. Works pretty well without much fuss.

[Paul Kierstead]

Maybe I am being exceptionally dim today, but what is the typo?

It implies that he made everything from MC, all for 4th of july. That is a lot of recipes to make Ok, maybe its just me that reads it that way. I'll admit my reading comprehension is odd some days.

I'm thinking a Bradly smoke unit hooked up to something via pipe with a hot plate or the like controlled via my PID. Hmmm. Might get away relatively cheap, even.

Many thanks for the suggestions.

Edited July 13, 2011 by Paul Kierstead (log)

[NY_Amateur]

So... I have finally got my copy of MC and I am making broccolli and Mac and Cheese tonight. One thing has me a bit worried however, after I made the sauce and let it cool I tasted it and it tasted grainy. i had thought the sauce would be very smooth at this point but that was not the case, is this the expected outcome or did I futz something up? I followed the directions exactly but scaled it up to use all the gouda I got, I made it with extra sharp cheddar and aged gouda. Was anyone elses cheese grainy at this stage but ok for the final product?

[Kerry Beal]

Made the 'lemon curd' that has no lemon in it. Excellent texture - beautifully smooth and good thickness. I'm going to try again using lemon juice in place of the water called for to make the syrup and see if the resulting curd is a little more lemony. I'm also going to try a version with melted butter - just to see if the result looks a little more typically curd like rather than lemon cream like.

[NY_Amateur]

So... I have finally got my copy of MC and I am making broccolli and Mac and Cheese tonight. One thing has me a bit worried however, after I made the sauce and let it cool I tasted it and it tasted grainy. i had thought the sauce would be very smooth at this point but that was not the case, is this the expected outcome or did I futz something up? I followed the directions exactly but scaled it up to use all the gouda I got, I made it with extra sharp cheddar and aged gouda. Was anyone elses cheese grainy at this stage but ok for the final product?

So it turns out I didnt emulsify the cheese sauce enough, I probably was in too much of a rush when I made the sauce. I made it again with just the left over cheddar, took more time to actually add it slowly and it turned out great! The broccoli was extra delicious and is definitely something I will be making again soon.

[lame username]

Goodness Kerry Beal;

Your "stained glass" basil with the back light bouncing off the tabletop (and is that subtle drops of water from the herbs bath showing through?) is making the angel's chorus sing through my mind.

[Gee I hope that's basil I'm getting rhapsodical over!]

[Robert Jueneman]

Yesterday afternoon my highly-anticipated PolyScience Anti-Griddle arrived. Fortunately or unfortunately, we attended a cooking class at Sipapu Ski Lodge outside of Taos that evening, so I haven't yet played with it much, except to check that yes indeed, it does go down to at least -29F.

I have seen some interesting recipes elsewhere, such as the Anti-Griddle Blue Cheese Foam (http://www.molecularrecipes.com/anti-griddle-2/blue-cheese-foam-sequence-anti-griddle-recipe/). I tried that one with the dry ice and cookie sheet technique, and am looking forward to doing it "right" tonight, but I thought I'd look around on eGullet, as well as in MC, to see what other ideas were lying around.

Surprise! The Anti-Griddle isn't even listed in the MC Index, although there is a photo of one in their lab/kitchen.

So maybe it's no surprise that no one has mentioned one in this thread.

Am I missing something? Is there another forum or thread that discusses it somewhere that I've overlooked? (Same question re the Thermomix, BTW.)

If not, should I start a new thread, presumably in the Cooking forum, perhaps with a Modernist tag?

Chris?

Bob

[Kerry Beal]

Bob - unless you are looking for TMX with specifically molecular uses there are quite a few threads on eG - just search 'thermomix'.

Here's one.

[mcdiarmid]

So I have made the Kansas city BBQ sauce. I really liked it, as did my 6 y.o. who douses his food in chili flakes but my 4 y.o. found it too spicy. I would like to try another BBQ sauce from mc and wondered for those of you who have tried a bunch of them which you would suggest that my 4 y.o might appreciate a bit more.

[lame username]

So I have made the Kansas city BBQ sauce. I really liked it, as did my 6 y.o. who douses his food in chili flakes but my 4 y.o. found it too spicy. I would like to try another BBQ sauce from mc and wondered for those of you who have tried a bunch of them which you would suggest that my 4 y.o might appreciate a bit more.

I found the East Texas BBQ sauce not too spicy, but with a nice vinegar kick. You could blend it if you need to hide the diced onions. However, I haven't tried a bunch of them.

Edited July 20, 2011 by lame username (log)

[Robert Jueneman]

Although I've skimmed all 43 pages of this thread, including a lot of the early ones about the Mac & Cheese, I don't recall any discussion of what "wheat beer" is best for the recipe.

If I didn't have to go to the grocery store to get some aged Gouda, I would probably try my favorite, Guinness, but I might as well do it "right" the first time.

What do people recommend?

[nickrey]

Guinness is a stout made from dark malt. Wheat beer is, not suprisingly, made from wheat. It is often called "witbier," which translates to white beer. This is probably related to its pale colour. My suspicion is that Guinness would not be a particularly good substitute.

Edited July 20, 2011 by nickrey (log)

[vice]

I'd probably stay away from the various wheat beers that are flavored with additional spices (e.g., Hoeggarden, Blue Moon, etc).

[Carlton]

So I have made the Kansas city BBQ sauce. I really liked it, as did my 6 y.o. who douses his food in chili flakes but my 4 y.o. found it too spicy. I would like to try another BBQ sauce from mc and wondered for those of you who have tried a bunch of them which you would suggest that my 4 y.o might appreciate a bit more.

The Memphis sauce isn't hot. Also the Kentucky sauce is really good, nice and sweet, though you may want to modify the recipe because of the amount of bourbon in it for a 4 year old.

[lesliec]

The MC M&C works very well with cider (hard cider, if that's the terminology in your part of the world).

[lame username]

Although I've skimmed all 43 pages of this thread, including a lot of the early ones about the Mac & Cheese, I don't recall any discussion of what "wheat beer" is best for the recipe.

If I didn't have to go to the grocery store to get some aged Gouda, I would probably try my favorite, Guinness, but I might as well do it "right" the first time.

What do people recommend?

I used Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, from my local Whole Foods for my last batch of Mac & Cheese constructed cheese and was very pleased with it. (I also enjoyed drinking it with a charcuterie/cheese plate for lunch a few days later.)

[gdenby]

Guiness has a very different flavor profile than wheat beers. Guiness uses a very dark roast barley malt to achieve its dark quality. That malt is somewhat bitter from the roasting. Wheat beers are pretty much of an opposite. As the name implies, a fair portion of the grain bill is comprised of wheat. The result is a rather sweet beer, often with a light body.

I haven't had any of the German wheat beers that were unpleasant, so you could use any of those. As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, many wheat beers have other flavors mixed in. "Radlers" and "Shandys" may have lemonade, or ginger, etc. that might make for an odd M&C.

There are many American craft wheat beers. I'd taste any of those first, as many American craft brews have a stronger hop spicey/citrus flavor than the Germans.

[emannths]

Although I've skimmed all 43 pages of this thread, including a lot of the early ones about the Mac & Cheese, I don't recall any discussion of what "wheat beer" is best for the recipe....

What do people recommend?

I'd vote for any wheat beer from Germany (e.g., Weihenstaphaner, Paulaner, Franziskaner), or any American wheat beer that bills itself as a hefeweizen/hefeweiss (tons of these, especially this time of year; Sierra Nevada's Kellerweiss should be readily available and relatively inexpensive). I'd avoid witbiers (e.g., Hoegarden, Allagash White, Blue Moon) on the first go, as they tend to have some tartness and added spices that may not fit in as well. I'd also steer clear of darker (dunkel) wheat beers simply for aesthetic reasons.

TL;DR Get a German-style hefeweiss, or German or American origin.