Grilled Pizza, 2 attempts

Today's lunch and dinner was grilled pizza. The first try was freshly made dough, and the second was half the dough leftover which I left refrigerated. I found that it was much easier to manipulate the refrigerated dough, the recently made one was very difficult to keep intact and I ended up having to make it rectangular because any attempt at a circular pizza ended up with tears when I tried picking it up and moving it on to a cutting board to bring it over to the grill. I made a second batch of dough and just put it in the fridge because the pizzas came out so friggin good. You can also freeze the dough and have it available when you need it. Word of caution, the dough GROWS! I had to rewrap the second batch because it was overflowing, I popped it first, but the yeast just keeps on going, and going, and going.

The first pizza I made was with a tomato and basil sauce topped with Fontina cheese. The second which was my favorite was a white pizza with a olive oil, garlic, shallot, and basil base with some thinly sliced manchego (semi-cured) over the top.

Yeasty

YeastierGrilled?

The Fontina didnt really melt, but the sharpness went really well with the tomato and basil sauce.

The Second Attempt:


The Dough:
3/4 cup water (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) + 1 tbsp honey
add one pouch active dry yeast (around 7.5-8 grams)
let the yeast do its thing for about 5-10 minutes until it begins to foam
add 1 3/4 cups flour, salt
mix
let it rest for an hour, covered
I kneaded the dough a little bit and then let it rest for another hour and kneaded again
The dough should at least double in size between the first rest and after the first kneading

Topping for White Pizza:
3 garlic cloves
1 shallot
3 grams dry basil
2 tbspns approx. olive oil
Sauteed the garlic and shallot on medium high for about a minute and then lowered the temp to medium low and added the basil and let it cook for about 10 minutes until the shallots appeared to be slightly caramelized.

I highly recommend refrigerating the dough, because it came out much better. I was able to spread out the dough more uniformly, and it was noticeable during the grilling in that it was overall thinner, causing the dough to bubble and create more air pockets (crunchier) seen in the photo. However, both were really good, I don't think I would add quite that much olive oil on the underside of the pizza, seen in the second attempt, but overall I was happy with the results, and some of the best pizza I've had in a long time.

Old Photos

Here are some old photos from around October to December 2008. Some of the highlights include caramelized tomato tarts and mushroom tarts from Tom Colicchio's "Think Like a Chef," which is a great cookbook. Also mixed in there is a hazelnut chocolate cake I made for someone's birthday, braised pork belly with a soft poached egg, brown stock, and a Parsley and Cream Potato Pie.

Poaching

Poached Salmon, Poached Eggs, Boiled and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Poached the Salmon in Olive oil spiced with some black pepper, mustard seeds, and 3 garlic cloves. For the eggs, I tried a technique I saw on tv a few days ago, where the chef broke an egg into some plastic wrap, tied it off, and placed into boiling water for a few minutes. Finally I boiled the sweet potatoes in some salted water for about 15-20 minutes and then sliced them topped with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper and placed under the broiler for another 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. The salmon was topped with some freshly cut cilantro from the garden and some fleur de sel. 

After seeing the segment on tv where the chef had the eggs already wrapped in plastic, I decided to look online to see if there were any other tips or suggestions for how to do it, and I read that its much easier if you spread some olive oil on the plastic and place it over a ramekin so that its easier to tie off when you drop the egg. Also, it was recommended to not drop them into boiling water but rathe bring to a boil and then lower the temp to a slight simmer and then drop the eggs in for 3-4 minutes depending on how well done you like them. 

Big News! Food First!

I've been really busy the past few weeks trying to finalize and figure out what Im doing in the fall regarding Culinary school. Plans have changed, but things are becoming clear and I got some great news this past week. First, I'll write about some of the food cooked this past month.

Croquetas made with Panga:
I came across a recipe for crab croquettes in a new book I recently purchased and currently reading; Izakaya. Izakayas are pubs/casual fare restaurants in Japan and the book gives a great history and describes various of the author's favorite Izakayas in Tokyo. I thought it was pretty strange to find a recipe for croquettes in an authentic Japanese cookbook, but I guess it shows how the world is a small place and it never hurts to learn about other cultures because this recipe was fantastic. I adapted the recipe to make more and use Panga instead of crab. I found the keys to the recipe being a bechamel base, and using Panko crumbs for the breading (fresh/day old baguette -> blender = Panko).

Before I post the next dish, I would like to let everyone know that the vegetable garden has been completed. It has been filled with a LOT of tomato and Pepper plants of all varieties, mixed in with them are some Leeks, Eggplants, Spinach, Cucumber, tons of lettuce, and summer squash. oh and Cilantro and Basil.

Next up was some brown rice, some fresh habas (I think theyre fava beans in english) recently picked (amazing this time of year, dont even need to peel them because they are so tender, thanks to the neighbor for bringing us some) and an omelette with freshly picked spinach from wherelse but the "huerto" (vegetable garden out back).

I was flipping through a cookbook I bought a while back from Iker Erauzkin called Sabores de ayer cocina de hoy (Flavors from the past, today's kitchen) and I came across one of those recipes you just can't wait to cook, roasted pork ribs (costillas de cerdo). They were set in the oven with tomatoes, onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and some salt and pepper at around 130 degrees celsius for about 6 hours. When they were done I separated the meat and veggies & pan juices. I quickly seared the meat and took it out of the pan, replacing them with the veggies and juices. When it reached a simmer I added about a cup of white wine and let it reduce a bit. Passed it through a blender and chinois to create a really smooth and absolutely amazing sauce. The meat, however, was still a bit tough, I'm not too sure why, turned it over every 30 minutes, but maybe I should have covered it longer to prevent more moisture from escaping.

To finish out the food section of this post, some experiments. The first is a Transparency of Manchego Cheese made with olive oil pudding from the Alinea cookbook by Grant Achatz. The pudding was actually fairly straight forward and has a great combination of sweet and salty with a not too overpowering olive oil flavor. Obviously as prepared in the restaurant the dish has many more elements and garnishes, I wanted to get the main gist of it and laid down a layer of the olive oil pudding topped with some pimientos de piquillo, chorizo, and covered with some slivers of Manchego cheese and placed in the oven (broiler setting) for a couple minutes until it melted just enough to melt a bit and take the shape of the elements underneath.

Finally, I wanted to experiment with a dish I had at Gresca, a creative and fantastic restaurant in Barcelona, which I had the opportunity to dine at the beginning of February. One of my favorite dishes was a pillowy souffle of egg whites with a hidden yolk center served over a light and slightly creamy brunoise of vegetables. I wanted to try and recreate the souffle by whipping up some egg whites and placing in a freezer zip-loc bag in a bath of 70 degree Celsius water for 40 minutes. I'm not sure if I need to cook it for that long. but it seemed pretty close to the original.


UPDATES:
I am no longer going to be attending the 11 month program at the Hofmann school in Barcelona, as much as I loved the school and the city, I've spent the last few weeks thinking a lot about what was best for my future. Several weeks ago, I had lunch with my family at the restaurant, Senzone, in Granada which we all really enjoyed and was one of my favorite dining experiences during my time here. The next day I had a conversation with the chef of this restaurant, which has probably had a profound and long lasting effect on the rest of my life, he offered me to do "practicas" (stage, internship) at his restaurant after I told him how much I enjoyed eating there and that I was looking for an opportunity to learn and work in a restaurant. This offer created a chain reaction, because to be able to do my practicas at the restaurant I needed a contract in which the culinary school covers my health insurance for the period I am working. After my conversation I immediately called the Hofmann school in Barcelona and they told me that they do not give out these contracts for any of their academic programs!! All of a sudden I began doubting my plans for moving to Barcelona and attending their program. The culinary school in Sevilla had been recommended by many people to me, but their 3 year program seemed like too much of an investment at 24 years old, especially when there is a legion of great young chefs out there, who have accomplished a lot more by my age, and I felt that I needed to play catch up. However, the seed of doubt had been planted and I needed to seriously consider that maybe this 3 year culinary investment might be worth it, so I went to Sevilla and spoke to the Director of the school who the chef in Granada recommended I speak to, as he is also an alumni of the school. After reviewing everything, and this time waiting a couple weeks before I made up my mind I have decided that this is the best course. 12 out of the 36 months of the culinary program are dedicated to externships, and many more towards working at the restaurant which belongs to the school. It makes a lot of sense, I gain a much stronger foundation and I have access to the school's many connections for attaining an externship in a caliber of restaurant that might take me much longer to work/stage for if I only attended an 11 month program with only 6 hours a week of class. I really think this is the right decision, and I have officially registered for the upcoming program beginning in october! Luckily, the chef I spoke to in Granada maintained in contact with me throughout the process and offered me once more to begin a stage for the summer. I immediately said yes, and I hopefully will be starting next week if all the paperwork is finalized in the next few days!!!!

Interesting Animations

Found these videos on youtube and wanted to share (both by Kirsten Lepore), and if you have the connection, watch in HQ, makes a big difference. Enjoy:

Sheep, Sturgeons, and Caviar, oh my!

While my sister was here, we visited Río Frio, an area about 45 minutes away from Granada where there is a nursery for sturgeon, which has gained and is still gaining world fame for the quality of caviar being produced. Lucky us, at the restaurant where we stopped to have a cup of coffee, they had just received a sturgeon (male) which they use in their rice dishes. I believe it was several years old as they keep the females until they grow to be at least 16 years old at which point they remove the caviar. They can get to be between 80-100 years old from what I was told, and I believe they are able to get about 10-20% of their body weight in caviar. Another cool fact is that the sturgeon don't have any scales. As for the sheep, they just happened to pass by and my niece got excited about seeing them and we took some photos.

Orange Basil Ice Cream

I finally have an internet connection at home woo hoo!!! very happy about that, and it also means I have more time to update this blog and better keep in touch with people.

I found a Basil Ice Cream recipe on the BBC website a couple months ago and decided I would hold on to it a) in case I bought an ice cream maker and b) I love ice cream. A few weeks ago I ran across Harold McGee's article on how to make ice cream without a machine combining ice and salt in a bucket. Why not? The week I decided to make it, there was going to be a citrus festival in the valle de lecrin, an area close to where I live, where they grow lots of oranges and lemons, and they had a cooking competition. I decided I would enter altering the Basil ice cream recipe and turning it into an orange basil ice cream which, flavor wise seemed to make sense. However I didn't enter the competition because the prize was a ceramic plate, no thanks, and I had family over the day before, which meant I would have to ignore my sister, nephew, and niece to try and win a plate.... uh huh...

The recipe called for making a basil syrup by first boiling water and sugar and then after about 10 minutes adding diced basil, I added the basil, juice from one orange, and the zest/peel of one orange. After about another 5 minutes, I passed it through a china cap. While I was making the syrup I whipped up some cream, which I then added the syrup too and gently folded it in. To that, I added a mixture of condensed milk, vodka, and a little more cream, which I folded in and whipped up again. The reasoning for adding the vodka, is that alcohol is supposed to help prevent cream/water from forming large crystals and gaining an undesirable texture during the freezing process. I poured the mixture into a freezer ziploc bag, and here comes the experiment with ice. McGee says that by adding salt, it lowers the freezing point of the ice therefore making it possible to freeze the mixture in a shorter amount of time. I didn't have great results. I added the ice and salt into a bucket, put the ziploc bag in the middle and after about 4 hours, during which I moved and shaked the bucket and bag, it hadn't frozen. I decided it had gotten cold enough and it was midnight so I popped it into the freezer. The result was really good, the ice cream had a a great flavor, but I think it could definitely have been smoother if done by machine. It kind of came out in the shape of large notebook, and I had to let the ice cream melt a little bit before serving. For the photos, I accompanied the ice cream with some caviar I made combining orange syrup with sodium alginate and releasing into a calcium chloride bath, and a leaf of basil.