Inspired by StudioKitchen

[philadining]

Just a basic cheese plate, but some choices and presentation inspired by SK:

(from left) L'Edel de Cleron, not quite as stinky and intense as a Vacherin I had at SK recently, but a close runner-up; Stilton, with plum mustard, similar to a condiment I first had there; Manchego with Membrillo, another accompaniment I encountered first at SK.

Definitely better than just cheese...

Edited December 30, 2005 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

Vadouvan, thanks for the info. I am sure the folks on the Sous Vide thread would appreciate this info too, so I would encourage you to post this info there or cross-reference it.

[percyn]

OK, you probably won't see something this pedeastrian at SK, but the Sous Vide cooking method and the super reduced sauce in my rendition of Beef Bourguignon & Lamb loin were inspired by SK. Not SK caliber, but not a bad Monday night home cooked dinner either

[herbacidal]

The beef looks very tasty.

I'm most amused personally though by the rice and vegetables.

I take it you either have a one of those steel rings at home, or you use an empty can.

[percyn]

Herb,

Yes, I have a collection of ring molds, crab cake molds and even stainless steel and PVC pipe sections from Home Depot

[Lisa1349]

Just a basic cheese plate, but some choices and presentation inspired by SK:

(from left) L'Edel de Cleron, not quite as stinky and intense as a Vacherin I had at SK recently, but a close runner-up; Stilton, with plum mustard, similar to a condiment I first had there; Manchego with Membrillo, another accompaniment I encountered first at SK.

Definitely better than just cheese...

←

Is the stilton one of the fruited kinds? With apricot or mango/ginger...? That plate pales in comparison to my usual super stinkmeister with a drizzle of honey and a bread butt. I must comment on the glorious cheese with a bowl of water crackers. If water crackers vanished, only my soup would miss them.

[mrbigjas]

i'm sensing a competitive edge here...

woo hoo, a cheese-off!

wait, that doesn't sound right.

[philadining]

i'm sensing a competitive edge here...

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Really... I think my crackers are being dissed! And I see some one-upmanship about the level of stinkiness of my L'Edel de Cleron!! (It was smelly enough that my mom was complaining about it being in her refrigerator, wrapped...) And yes, the stilton was one of the mango-ginger ones, I liked it.

I'll have to disagree with the crack about the crackers: one of the three types in that bowl was a water cracker, but one with a really amazing peppery herby thing going on that I stumbled across. It was really simpatico with the cheese, and I'll make no apologies for it!

Some crusty bread is nice, sure, but nothing wrong with a few water crackers, to my palate.

Edited January 19, 2006 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

OK, this should be an easy one...

Guess what is being made here...

[docsconz]

Cauliflower ice cream?

[philadining]

Cauliflower ice cream?

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Gotta be....

[KatieLoeb]

Too easy. Give us a more difficult one.

[Diann]

Soo Percy... how'd it turn out?

[percyn]

Very nice...the cauliflower flavor provides a good backdrop. Maybe tomorrow I will post an image of the finished product.

[BryanZ]

And please tell us how you made it, too.

[percyn]

OK, first the pic of the finished product..very rich and creamy.

The recipe is quite simple...

Whisk 3 egg yolks and 4-5 tablespoons of sugar (adjust per your taste) until the yolks become whitish. Gently heat this mixture until it thickens a bit (you can strain our any yolk chunks that are formed). Next, steep 1/3 cup of milk with whatever flavor you wish to infuse (in this case cauliflower) for approx 15 min. Strain and let the milk cool a bit and whisk in the egg yolk and sugar mixture. In a seperate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Strain and fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream. Empty contents into ice cream maker and chill....voila...

Edited February 8, 2006 by percyn (log)

[docsconz]

Some questions:

Is the cauliflower cooked or is it cooking in the milk and if so how long do you leave it to steep?

Is the cauliflower removed from the milk before whisking in the egg yolk and sugar mixture?

Thanks!

[percyn]

Doc,

The cauliflower is raw when it goes into the milk. I think I let it simmer in there for 15-20 min.

Yes, the cauliflower is removed before adding the egg yolks and I forgot one more step which I have now edited into the original post.

Cheers

Percy

[philadining]

Percy, that looks great, I'll bet it was delicious. And that's the important part.

Now for the real challenge: I believe Shola's version had no egg yolks...

[shacke]

So, Percyn, if I don't finish my ice cream does that mean I don't get dessert?

[percyn]

Recently, having been inspired by 2 ingredients at SK, I decided to incorporate them into Sunday breakfast. The (secret) ingredients are.... Pork Belly (smoked is all I could get) and Hot Spring Eggs.

Hot Spring egg, maple sausage, organic Russian fingerling potatoes, smoked pork belly, mitake and pom pom mushrooms

I was even planning on "injecting" the maple syrup (aged for 2 yrs in my pantry ) into the egg, but couldn't find the @#$%! needle for my syringe !! So I ended up drizzling a bit over the sausage.

OK, so the SK version looked and tasted much better.....BUT I had bread !!

I also made a few more items, which I will post about later...

[BryanZ]

I also had a little bit of trouble getting the water bathed eggs cleanly out of the shell. I suggest cracking and peeling very, very gently and letting gravity do its thing once the you have a decent sized hole. The yolk wont rupture and the white should come out relatively whole.

Edited to add: The pork belly looks bad ass.

Edited February 28, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[shacke]

I was even planning on "injecting" the maple syrup (aged for 2 yrs in my pantry  ) into the egg, but couldn't find the @#$%! needle for my syringe !! So I ended up drizzling a bit over the sausage.

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I will bring a few to you when I see you next.

Evan

[hathor]

I need to ask you guys about the 'spring eggs'. Do you really think there is enough of a taste difference to validate all the extra time and trouble? I'm sure its fun to play with, but is it truly worth the trouble?

Next question: what do you think about this riff on SK's parsnip puree? Encasing the puree in a crispy ravioli and serving with lemon zest. My thinking is that the parnsip is so sweet and rich, it could be enhanced by crunch, salt and tart. Or have I gone overboard?

[BryanZ]

Honestly, the water bathed eggs are no trouble at all. You put them in a bath, thats it. If you have the bath and don't have anything else cooking in it, I see no problem whatsoever. It's much harder to do it on the stove because the temperature window is very small, within a couple degrees actually. The taste in significantly egg-ier.

Edited February 28, 2006 by BryanZ (log)