RACK OF LAMB SOUS-VIDE WITH COUSCOUS SALAD

Posted in Lamb, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

Mid-July, and here I am to share with you a recipe we enjoyed on the first week of January. No particular reason for dragging my feet for so long, it was a memorable dinner, probably the juiciest lamb we’ve had at home. It was prepared sous-vide, but of course you can use any method you are comfortable with. The thing is, rack of lamb is such a special cut, I always get a bit nervous when I have to prepare it. It must be medium-rare, or you’ll have a disaster on your plate. Of course, meat thermometers are there to help us out, but the option of using sous-vide takes the stress completely out of it. I love that. For the same dinner, I made Potatoes Anna, but that is still a work in progress. Read on…

RACK OF LAMB SOUS-VIDE WITH COUSCOUS SALAD
(from the Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

for the meat:
1 rack of lamb
1 teaspoon oregano (I used Mexican)
1 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper
for the salad:
2 cups cooked couscous
1 cucumber, diced
2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
dried mint to taste (use fresh when available)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
to glaze:
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the water bath to 130 ° F.

Season the lamb lightly with salt and pepper all over. Mix the oregano, paprika and coriander in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the meat, place it in a sous-vide type bag and seal it. Submerge in the heated water-bath and cook for 4 hours.

For the salad, heat the olive oil on a small pan, just to raise its temperature, no need to have it smoking. Remove from heat, add the dried mint, and let it cool to room temperature. Whisk the lemon juice. Mix the cooked couscous, cucumber, and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the prepared dressing. If using fresh mint, simply add it to the olive oil and lemon juice, no need to warm the oil up. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.

When the lamb is almost ready to leave the water-bath, make a glaze mixing the honey with lemon juice. Remove the lamb from the bag, brush some of the glaze all over and sear the surface either on a very hot skillet, or on a hot grill. You can also run it under the broiler, watching it carefully. Slice the lamb in individual ribs, and serve with the cool couscous salad.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was superb! You can double the recipe, cook two racks of lamb and invite a couple of special friends over. But in this particular dinner, it was just the two of us. And three pups absolutely mesmerized by the smell wafting through the kitchen. Now, to the Potatoes Anna, one of my favorite ways to enjoy potatoes, a bit of an indulgence, of course. Potatoes and butter in proportions to make those two little entities show up, one on each side of your head. The evil one tells you not to worry about a thing, life is short. The other one asks if you noticed how much butter went into that innocent looking platter of food… Tell them both to leave you alone, enjoy the meal and be a bit more austere for a couple of days. There. You’ve got this!

But, I digress. I told you the Potatoes Anna are a work in progress, and you might be wondering why. Here it is…

A bit too brown, I think. I used the method by America’s Test Kitchen, but I think it calls for too long on top of the stove. Maybe the flame in our stove is stronger than the one they used. That could explain, it’s hard to believe they would have made a mistake. Next time I intend to cut the time a bit shorter or use one of the weaker flames on the back of our Supernova. At any rate, the inside was very creamy, perfectly cooked.

Once I re-visit and optimize this recipe, I will be ready to share with you!

ONE YEAR AGO: Focaccia with Grapes, Roquefort and Truffled Honey

TWO YEARS AGO: Moroccan Carrot Dip over Cucumber Slices

THREE YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cilantro-Jalapeno “Hummus”

FIVE YEARS AGO: A Moving Odyssey

SIX YEARS AGO: Hoegaarden Beer Bread

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to Meat you!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Shrimp Moqueca

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6Jul2017

KALEIDOSCOPIC MACARONS

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

One more take on my ongoing obsession… But first, a relevant question: how far can we stretch the boundaries of these adorable cookies and still be comfortable calling them macarons? Apparently the boundaries are very blurry. From colors, types of fillings, decorations on top of the shells, we see endless variations. I cannot call myself a purist, as I am often taking liberties with classics, but I think my standards would be: macarons must be prepared with almond flour as the main component. If other ground nuts are added, let them be a very minor player. Must contain a meringue incorporated with the flour by the macaronage method. Must have discernible feet. Other than those three requirements, I’ll accept anything. Savory fillings, neon-like colors, cute alternative shapes. For this batch, I experimented with a color effect. Some newbie errors took place, but I still performed better than I do at the golf course. Much, much better.

KALEIDOSCOPIC MACARONS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen, slightly adapted from Craftsy.com,

Yield: About 72 shells; 36 assembled macarons

for the shells:
198 g powdered sugar
113 g almond meal
1/8 teaspoon dried lavender
113 g egg whites (I aged mine for three days)
1 g or a pinch of cream of tartar
100 g granulated sugar
Purple Gel color from AmeriColor
2 drops vanilla extract
for the filling:
chocolate ganache with finely chopped hazelnuts
recipe in this post

Line 2 or 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Layer the powdered sugar, almond meal and lavender in a food processor or mini processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 15 seconds. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the egg whites and pinch of cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.

Slowly rain in the granulated sugar, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to medium-high. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme. Add the gel color and the vanilla. Staying at medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue. Bet until firm peaks form. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl.

Fold in the almond meal mixture in three increments. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl. Repeat two or three times, then check to see if the mixture slides slowly down the side of the bowl. Open a plastic wrap on the counter, paint three lines of gel color of your choice separated by one inch. Pour the dough on top, wrap the plastic around, and insert the whole thing in a piping bag, making sure to have an opening in the wrap connected to the piping tip. Pipe shells on the prepared baking sheets.

Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter. Then fist bump each end of the sheet’s underside twice. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull but not overly dry. Drying time depends on humidity. Ina dry climate, the macarons can dry in 15 to 20 minutes; in a humid climate, it can take 35 to 40 minutes.

While the macarons are drying, heat the oven to 330 F (170 C/gas mark 3). Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide, then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. The macarons should release without sticking. Check one or two. If they stick, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Assemble the macarons: find two macarons similar in size and add a good amount of ganache to the bottom of one of them. Place the other on top and squeeze gently to take the filling all the way to the edge. Ideally, store in the fridge for 24 hours for best texture.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I know it’s hard to believe but I used three different colors for the shells, the green is barely noticeable, only in a few of them. Many of the shells got zero color. Puzzling? Read on, and the mystery will be solved. There are essentially two types of strategies to get more than one color in the macaron shell. You can make the dough, divide it in two (or three) portions, color each one separately, add them to the piping bag and allow them to mix during piping. I decided not to do it, because I was a bit insecure as to when to divide the dough, and maybe deflate it too much when mixing with the colors. I normally add the color very early in the process. That brings me to method number two, which gives a very interesting marbled effect, when done correctly. You start by opening a plastic wrap over your counter. Then, you paint two or three solid lines of gel color over the plastic. Pour your dough with the optimal lava consistency over the plastic, wrap it around, and insert the whole thing inside a piping bag. See the photo below.

I realize it’s hard to see the lines of gel color on the first picture, but trust me, they are there. To my disappointment, the first 20 or so shells I piped were totally white! The reason is, when painting the lines they must go all the way to the icing tip, otherwise obviously you’ll get no color until the dough moves through and gets in touch with the gel. Alternatively, you can use a long brush and paint the inside of the piping bag itself, making sure to reach down all the way to the tip. I must re-visit this technique and get the effect I was hoping for. It was quite frustrating to keep piping shell after shell, with no color, and then a little bit here and there. But hopefully practice makes perfect, and I will succeed next time.

As I mentioned before, the parallels between making macarons and golf are truly amazing! Once you take that golf club back, it’s over. For macarons, a little misjudgment and you don’t get what you want. The Macaron Gods are not very forgiving. And I’ve probably been extra naughty lately. You’d think?

Almond flour: $9.99

12 eggs: $3.50

Powdered sugar: $2.50

Matching outfit to macarons: Priceless!

ONE YEAR AGO: Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2015

THREE YEARS AGO: Sous-vide Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Butter

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

FIVE YEARS AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

SIX YEARS AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

EIGHT YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

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3Jul2017

FIRST MONDAY FAVORITE AND THE WINNER OF MY GIVEAWAY!

Posted in First Monday Favorite by sallybr

Here we are on the First Monday of July, and it’s time to share with you my favorite post of last month. Easy as pie. But it’s not pie. It’s cake. How could I not pick the cake that celebrated my 8th blogging anniversary?

for the full post, including my nail-biting hazelnut adventure, click here

AND NOW FOR THE WINNER OF MY TRIPLE GIVEAWAY!

Numbers were generated, numbers were drawn online…

Twenty-two was the lucky one, and the winner is

KCB!!!

Please drop me an email and let me know if you prefer online or “real” book versions of your gifts…

Contact me at sallybr2008 at gmail dot com

Thank you Sid, for organizing the First Monday Favorite!

If you are a food blogger and would like to participate, drop Sid a line.

To see the contributions from my virtual friends, click on the link below

(comments are shutdown for this post)

An InLinkz Link-up

https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js

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1Jul2017

IN MY KITCHEN – JULY 2017

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Time to invite you for a virtual walk through the Bewitching Kitchen. Time passes fast, things change, but it’s important to give credit to Celia who started this event years ago. It is now hosted by Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings , so make sure to stop by both sites to say hello when you have a chance. My last participation was three months ago (!!!) so there’s a lot to talk about. Are you ready?

First, I like to start talking about gifts…

The amazing colleagues from our department sent me a care package when I arrived back from Brazil after the death of my Mom. The reason is sad, but their gesture so sweet… Thank you!

From our post-doc Somnath, a gorgeous Chinese bowl that he got for me while in a scientific meeting in Los Angeles. Intense blue, I always use it to serve rice. It is what we could call a perfect match. Thank you, Somnath!

From Phil, one more coffee cup for our collection, one more ebay find from the British artist Mary Rose Young. It is all happy next to its sister with the rose decoration on the handle. The coffee art produced by my beloved is a Chinese ideogram that means I love you forever (well, don’t show this to any Chinese person, let it be our secret).

My gift to Phil… his immersion blender was in bad shape, the blade would come out while spinning, and we had to stop, unplug it and push it back. Very dangerous, I could easily see myself losing the tip of my finger in some absent-minded move. This one works very well, and it came with a small food processor as a bonus. We are both very happy with his gift (wink, wink).

In our kitchen…

Found this honey at Marshalls. It comes from avocado flowers. I am not a honey connoisseur, but apparently monofloral honey is highly praised. This one is quite dark and intensely flavored. Plus the label is so stylish, I could not resist. I sometimes shop with my eyes first… 😉

In our kitchen…

I have not tried these yet, but they are supposed to give beautifully flat cakes, without that irritating “dome effect.” I confess I’ve had them for a while, and only remember they exist after the cake is out of the oven. Yeap, I do research for a living. It surprises me too.

In our kitchen

For a cake-o-phobe, I do own a lot of cake-related gadgets. This is a cake turner, and it was very useful to add icing to my celebratory 8th blog-anniversary concoction.

In our kitchen…

What did I just say about cake-gadgets? Could not resist these… one never knows when I’ll get into a cupcake adventure, and it’s very important to have the right tools for a job I’ve never done.

In our kitchen…

Macaron obsession is still going strong. I got a larger tip for piping the shells, works great. And a few goodies for future important experiments. Stay tuned for crazy macs coming up in the near future. Bogey was quite taken by them, I hope you will fancy them too…

In our kitchen…

Another outcome of a Marshalls’ treasure hunt. This is a very large bowl, so colorful, I tried to move away from it at the store, but it kept pulling me back, twisting my arm, I was pretty much forced to bring it home. Abused by a bowl, that’s a first.

In our kitchen…

Macadamia oil. I heard about its qualities, including very high smoking point, and decided to give it a try. Really enjoy its mild flavor for sauteing stuff. It is more expensive than olive oil, so this will not be replacing it in our cooking. I also used it in salad dressing a couple of times. I’d say it is as mild as grapeseed oil, a favorite of mine.

In our kitchen…

This is a special Japanese rice flour. Very very fine, different from the product you might use to coat your banneton so that bread dough won’t stick to it. I read about it in the book Flours, part of my giveaway last month. Love that book, everything I’ve made from it has been a success.

In our kitchen…

Crispy brown rice cereal. I used this product in a variation of Chicken Parmigiana from the book The Dude Diet. So good, that I decided to buy a second box as a back up. You process the cereal together with some Parmigiano cheese, salt, and herbs, use that to coat chicken breast filets.

In our kitchen…

A very nice tea, recommended by our graduate student, Aritri. She loved it and I could not help but order a box, because she is a person of very fine taste. It is truly delicious! The brand has several kinds, unfortunately no free shipping available through amazon prime. I guess the best approach is to keep your eyes open, maybe your grocery stores carries it? I cross my fingers that our beloved Marshalls will, at some point.

In our kitchen…

Phil (a Michigander) loves tart cherries, and these preserves are excellent. I cannot tell, as I never eat jams or preserves of any kind, but I can testify he always has a huge smile when he does.

In our kitchen…

Strawberries coated in chocolate, courtesy of my beloved, who found the perfect use for leftover ganache from my special layered cake of the recent past.

Near our kitchen…

I am thrilled to share this with you. Soggy Doggy rug. It is a life-changing item that I cannot recommend highly enough. This rug is not cheap, let’s get this out-of-the-way. But, it was THE best investment ever, it sits in the patio, right by the door to the living room and kitchen area. If you let your dog sit and walk around it for a minute or so, the fabric adsorbs dirt and water in a way that is hard to believe! Keeping our wooden floors clean has been so much easier since we got it several months ago. We haven’t washed it yet, just shake it outside every once in a while, sometimes use very gingerly the vacuum cleaner, with the spinning brushes off. This thing is money. Every day I pass by it and blow it a kiss. Honest. If you have pets, you need this. They come in several sizes, depending on the kind of pet you have, a small one might be enough. We really had to go for the kill here. Obviously. To order, click here.

And since the subject of pets came up,
it’s time to let them say hello…

More than a simple hello, they insist on having their grievances in the open, so that Mom’s readers know the true nature of who they are dealing with. You know, behind those blogging doors.

“I’ve been betrayed. I had just developed a nice personal scent over a week of hard work. You gave me a bath, and took it all away. I now smell like a tangerine. I shall never ever interact with you again. Ever.”

“I’ve been betrayed. Mom tricked me into going outside dangling a cookie in front of my perfectly shaped nose. Dad was there, waiting for me. With a hose. Cold water under 95 F weather. Very unfair. I shall never ever move from this couch. Ever.”

Betrayal. Humiliation. Shame.

“Oh, you whining babies. You don’t know what real betrayal is. Mom took me to a torture place, dropped me there all by myself and not only I got a bath, but by the time they were done with me, my fur was gone. Gone. I am still in shock.”

“I shall hide from your view for eternity.”

Thankfully, a dog grievance never lasts very long.

Certain behaviors, though… they will likely never end…

Like a little sniffing around…

A little begging…

A little snoring after breakfast…

We still think they enjoy being squeaky clean, no matter how hard they tried to stain our reputation as doggie parents…

“Mirror, mirror tell me, who is the cutest dog in the world?”

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most handsome dog in the world?”

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the bossiest dog in the world?”

In case you haven’t noticed, the couch rules have relaxed quite a bit since Bogey Quit That joined our pack…

Couch Rules? Which rules? Certainly they do not apply to this couch!

Agreed. The couch is my favorite place for deep thoughts… like the meaning of life, and how did that toad escape my mouth?

I feel the same way. The couch is where I wonder why every day is not a weekend day… how pleasure can be such a fleeting emotion…

I am also having very profound thoughts, and you better believe me. In fact, I just figured out that the meaning of life is helping Mom get all comfy. I think she enjoys the new-non-rules too.