Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine" (Part 3)

[gdenby]

I don't think there is much danger in this recipe. As I understand the matter, it is dangerous to use a pressure cooker as a pressure fryer. In the event of going over pressure, the sprayed oil will possibly ignite, and certainly burn anyone nearby. However, I don't think the amount of fat/oil in the carrot soup recipe is enough to cause a problem. Its not like trying to deep fry a piece of chicken.

My most successful attempt used twice the amount of butter. I brought the cooker to pressure using a low fire, listening to make sure I heard no sound of boiling inside the cooker.

As far as using olive oil goes, I think the main consideration is one of flavor. On the one hand, the carrot flavor might be overwhelmed by the olive flavor. On the other, perhaps the olive flavor will diminish with the higher heat, and not offer any better flavor than something more neutral. If you do it, let us know how the flavor changes, if at all.

[EnriqueB]

Andrés, butter and margarine, unlike oil, have between 15 and 40% of water. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I would say this is relevant for the recipe, specially at the beginning as you need to produce some water vapor for the pressure cooker to come up to pressure. Later on the carrots should also release their water, but at the beginning I cannot see where would the water vapor come from if you use olive oil...

[FoodMan]

Since we are on the carrot soup topic again, I have a quick update. I've made it a couple of times since my last post about it and never had an issue (using the 20 minutes cook time per the Errata page NOT 50 minutes). It is, for now, one of my wife's favorite soups. This week I needed to make a double batch but wanted to see if I can reduce the butter a bit without messing up the recipe. Bottom line is that for a double batch I used about 112 grams of butter (one stick) to saute the non-cored carrots. Another thing I was not sure of is the cooking time. Doubling it to 40 minutes did not seem right, so I stuck with about 25 minutes. I, as usual, also omited the extra butter that is supposed to get blended in after the carrots are cooked. The end result was fantastic. The soup was as creamy as ever with a beautiful color and vibrant taste. Since it was made with much less fat than the original recipe, one could easily have a decent sized bowl as opposed to a tasting portion. Hope that helps anyone trying to double or triple (might get tricky dependign on the size of your pressure cooker) the soup recipe.

[EnriqueB]

I've used 50 minutes several times (didn't see the 20 minutes correction) without any problem, and the result is also fantastic.

[Todd in Chicago]

I have made the carrot soup a few times according to the original recipe and it has come out FANTASTIC every time. No one believes me that there isn't some sort of cream "snuck" in there. Honestly, I thought for the volume there was really not that much butter.

Todd in Chicago

[Todd in Chicago]

I'm tryin' the Beef Brisket recipe and tonight is the "Pull Out" night. ;-) the difference for me was being able to smoke the brisket as long and at the temp in the original recipe; so I'm curious how it will come out. I smoked the brisket "roughly" 3 hours in my Big Green Egg and this evening will be 72 hours in the SVS. I don't believe the Egg can get down to that temp, but we'll see what happens. Can't wait to try it! I think I'll whip up a batch of the AWESOME Mac 'n Cheese as a side. Brisket sandwich with modernist mac 'n cheese on the side. Life is good...... ;-)

Todd in Chicago

Edited September 22, 2011 by Todd in Chicago (log)

[Keith_W]

Good luck with it, Todd. I tried the smoked + SV beef brisket from MC some time ago and was not too pleased with the results.

[gdenby]

Do let us know how the brisket comes out. Brisket is the 1 thing I've never been able to Egg w. really good results. What temp did you have in the Egg?

[andrestorrubia]

I pulled the trigger and made the soup with just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the cooker; added a tiny bit of water and left it for 45 mins... great results. I wonder if this also doable with tomato; although tomato being much more acidic than carrots (?) would mean adding a bit more soda powder and possibly a reducing sugar (maybe just a pureed sweet apple). Will try.

[EnriqueB]

Great, Andrés, so I was wrong about the required liquid for water vapor, good to know!

[andrestorrubia]

Actually I used a small WMF pressure cooker this time (mines resembles the 3 quart one here) so the total water vapor to achieve full pressure is less than if using the full sized pressure cooker; and it requires less energy too.

[paulpegg]

I decided to try the carrot soup in spite of not having either a pressure cooker or a centrifuge. I cooked the carrots and butter in a large stock pot with a lid for 35 minutes until caramelized and soft. I added a few tablespoons of water along the way to keep them from getting too dry and stirred them a few times also. I juiced the remaining carrots, heated them and strained them 4 or 5 passes through a fine chinois. It tastes fantastic and I will be serving it to my guests tonight.

[pazzaglia]

Great, Andrés, so I was wrong about the required liquid for water vapor, good to know!

Actually I used a small WMF pressure cooker this time (mines resembles the 3 quart one here) so the total water vapor to achieve full pressure is less than if using the full sized pressure cooker; and it requires less energy too.

Each size and brand of pressure cooker has it's own minimum liquid requirement - be sure to check your manual to see how little you can get away with. I haven't tried the caramelized carrot soup, but usually for shorter cooking veggie recipes you can also calculate how much moisture the veggies themselves will release during cooking - remember they are 85-95% water! I was able to char eggplants just enough to get a good Baba Ganoush going without needing to add ANY water to reach pressure.

Just weigh the veggies and figure that one lb of veggies is a little less than 16 oz. of liquid. 8 (fluid) oz are equivalent to a cup.

If you use less water than required to reach pressure, you not only risk not reaching pressure but also damaging the silicone and rubber gaskets and safety valves - they are easy, but a hassle, to replace.

Ciao,

L

[Twyst]

Finally going to try my hand at the mac and cheese today. Been hearing rave reviews about it forever and know I should have done this sooner! I have a question regarding the wheat beer. Is there some ingredient in the wheat beer that affects the process or can I sub in a stout or some other kind of craft beer if I so choose? I have a few different types of craft beers in the fridge but no wheat beer, and am feeling to lazy to go to the store and am wondering if I can sub for it.

[avaserfi]

Finally going to try my hand at the mac and cheese today. Been hearing rave reviews about it forever and know I should have done this sooner! I have a question regarding the wheat beer. Is there some ingredient in the wheat beer that affects the process or can I sub in a stout or some other kind of craft beer if I so choose? I have a few different types of craft beers in the fridge but no wheat beer, and am feeling to lazy to go to the store and am wondering if I can sub for it.

I've used wine, juice and various beers all to good effect. I am pretty sure the liquid makes the cheese less thick when heated, so it is more creamy and gooey.

[Todd in Chicago]

gdenby, Keith_W.....

Sorry for the delay in the followup.

So, I'm brand spankin' new to the egg. Fretted, stressed, woke up in cold sweats about the "dollar bill" measurement between top and bottom. During my final re-assemply, everything went well. Whew!

So, I smoked the brisket to the best of my ability for about 3 hours. I did this by having a bowl of water with wood chips out by the egg. About every 15-20 minutes I would put a small handfull into the egg. The temp was very close to 200 throughout the process. I then cooled down the brisket in the fridge before bagging and SV'ing it for the requisite 72 hours.

End result? Not that impressed. I do understand that I was unable to smoke wiht the egg at the temp/time as MC dictates but thought I would try it anyway. However I was quite pleased with the fact that I was able to maintain pretty close to 200 throughout the process on the Egg. Also, I did NOT make the Kansas city sauce as per the book, and instead (embarrassed to admit) used some KC Masterpiece I had in the fridge. The brisket of course was fork tender, but just didn't seem to taste that great. 3 days later I made the Kansas City BBQ sauce "by the book", has anyone else made this? Seems too thick/not saucy enough. Also, this was much hotter/spicier than I thought it would be. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Maybe I reduced it too much. However, I sliced some brisket from the fridge, threw it in a bag with a few dollops of the MC KC sauce and dropped in at 130 for about 15 mins to warm it up. Definitely tasted much better with the MC KC sauce, but not the transcendant experience I was hoping for. Maybe it was the quality of the brisket or my inability to use the Egg correctly in conjunction with Nathan's recipe. Since brisket is not too expensive, I'll keep trying to perfect this!

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[Okanagancook]

I have made the KC MC sauce and yes, it turned out very, very thick. About the consistency of ketchup I'd say. Tasted wonderful.

[Chris Hennes]

Finally going to try my hand at the mac and cheese today. Been hearing rave reviews about it forever and know I should have done this sooner! I have a question regarding the wheat beer. Is there some ingredient in the wheat beer that affects the process or can I sub in a stout or some other kind of craft beer if I so choose? I have a few different types of craft beers in the fridge but no wheat beer, and am feeling to lazy to go to the store and am wondering if I can sub for it.

I've used wine, juice and various beers all to good effect. I am pretty sure the liquid makes the cheese less thick when heated, so it is more creamy and gooey.

I made "Cheez-wiz" for cheesesteaks last weekend using water: you can use anything whose flavor complements (or doesn't detract from) your cheese, but it's going to depend completely on what exact cheese you use. I don't think there's a good way to generalize, but it's easy to test: crack open a beer and slice up some cheese.

[Dave the Cook]

Finally going to try my hand at the mac and cheese today. Been hearing rave reviews about it forever and know I should have done this sooner! I have a question regarding the wheat beer. Is there some ingredient in the wheat beer that affects the process or can I sub in a stout or some other kind of craft beer if I so choose? I have a few different types of craft beers in the fridge but no wheat beer, and am feeling to lazy to go to the store and am wondering if I can sub for it.

I've used wine, juice and various beers all to good effect. I am pretty sure the liquid makes the cheese less thick when heated, so it is more creamy and gooey.

I made "Cheez-wiz" for cheesesteaks last weekend using water: you can use anything whose flavor complements (or doesn't detract from) your cheese, but it's going to depend completely on what exact cheese you use. I don't think there's a good way to generalize, but it's easy to test: crack open a beer and slice up some cheese.

For the Heartland Gathering, we made a modernist cheese "crouton" (photo here) using sherry and a touch of sherry vinegar as the liquid. It was pretty tasty.

[gdenby]

The Egg really does not do cold smoking, which is what the recipe calls for. Some folks have gone to great lengths to adapt an Egg for cold smoking. The easiest approach is to get a charcoal starter chimney, and just put that in the bottom of the Egg with a half load of lump. Other folks have been very industrious, and hooked a mini-Egg to a large via a drier vent hose, and just pumped smoke thru the hose.

I've tried a couple of variations on MC techniques w. the Egg. My best results have been to cook as usual, dome around 250, for 45 - 90 minutes. That gives a good smoke flavor, and melts the rub into the meat. Then into the SV.

The wood used for smoking makes a large difference. A local market has been selling some oak from Texas, and those chips make the most extraordinary smoke flavor. Strong, but subtle, much richer even than hickory.

I think getting a fork tender piece of brisket is a success. I find brisket to be the hardest cut to cook and get something both moist and tender. So if the taste was not so great, well, that is why there is sauce, as you found with a few days later.

[Kerry Beal]

The Egg really does not do cold smoking, which is what the recipe calls for. Some folks have gone to great lengths to adapt an Egg for cold smoking. The easiest approach is to get a charcoal starter chimney, and just put that in the bottom of the Egg with a half load of lump. Other folks have been very industrious, and hooked a mini-Egg to a large via a drier vent hose, and just pumped smoke thru the hose.

I've tried a couple of variations on MC techniques w. the Egg. My best results have been to cook as usual, dome around 250, for 45 - 90 minutes. That gives a good smoke flavor, and melts the rub into the meat. Then into the SV.

The wood used for smoking makes a large difference. A local market has been selling some oak from Texas, and those chips make the most extraordinary smoke flavor. Strong, but subtle, much richer even than hickory.

I think getting a fork tender piece of brisket is a success. I find brisket to be the hardest cut to cook and get something both moist and tender. So if the taste was not so great, well, that is why there is sauce, as you found with a few days later.

I use a little ProQ smoke generator to cold smoke in my egg.

[Keith_W]

I was looking at the recipe for Modernist Fried Chicken (3.337). I noticed that the brine step consists of two steps - the first with salt, and the second with vodka and baking soda. I do not understand the purpose of the second brine step? What does the vodka and baking soda do to the chicken?

[FoodMan]

I was looking at the recipe for Modernist Fried Chicken (3.337). I noticed that the brine step consists of two steps - the first with salt, and the second with vodka and baking soda. I do not understand the purpose of the second brine step? What does the vodka and baking soda do to the chicken?

The soda is basic, so it will help tenderize and will enhance browning when the chicken is cooked. The aclohol...I am not too sure honestly.

[Keith_W]

Thanks for the explanation. I am also curious why they recommend two brine steps. Why not brine with the NaHCO3 + vodka at the same time as the brine with salt?

[Keith_W]

Hmm, looks as if nobody knows the answer to my last question. Anyway, here is the mushroom omelette from 5.217 of MC. The original recipe calls for cooking the omelette at 100% humidity in a steam oven. Since I don't have one of those, I used Maxime Bilet's method on Youtube - make the stripes on a silpat, then put it in a covered pan in the oven.

To make this recipe, I had to spend about $200 in equipment and ingredients.

Spreading the stripes on a silpat. This is very difficult to do - if you spread it too thickly, you will not get stripes. See the right of the disc - you get thick lines which are not neat. You have to spread it VERY thin - only then you can comb neat lines.

You then place the silpat in a pan, pour the omelette base mixture in, cover the pan, and into the oven she goes. It took 6 minutes to cook in my oven. The omelette releases easily from the silpat.

Here are seven omelette bases ready to be filled for my guests.

The omelette mixture is first cooked sous-vide, then spooned into a cream siphon. To serve, simply pipe out of the siphon.

I served it with a rather ugly looking "quenelle" of truffle and porcini paste, with a baby chive garnish. You can tell I am not a chef from the ugly quenelle and the dirty plate. You can see that some of the mushroom stripes lifted off when the egg was poured on top of it. Not quite the effect intended, but the guests were impressed all the same.

So, how does this compare to a traditional omelette? I must say I am a traditionalist when it comes to omelettes - I like a tender blonde skin and a gooey liquid interior. The modernist omelette is different - the skin is very nearly as tender as a traditonal omelette, but it may be even more tender if I cooked it as recommended in the book. The interior tastes of egg flavoured cream - it is INCREDIBLY rich. Personally, I prefer the taste and texture of a traditional omelette. But there is no way I can serve 7 omelettes prepared the traditional way to guests at a dinner party! With the MC omelettes, the skin and fillings can be made in advance, and the omelettes constructed at the last minute. It was fast and risk-free.