Cook Here and Now

Making sausages!

Warning: The following may not be suitable for vegetarian viewers.
Oh, and no, it's not porn.

OK, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get down to some meaty business.
Ah, sausages ... carnivores are especially fond of them. We like their spice-laced, succulent, savory meatiness anytime, any way: on warm, sunny days and cool, rainy evenings, solo on the end of a pier or at a ball park with thousands around, washed down with a mellow amber ale or a peppery zin.

So that much you meat-lovers already know -- but one thing you may not realize is that they're fairly easy to make. The variations range from venison to seafood, and once you know the basics, experimenting is easy. Also, they keep frozen really well for up to two months, and are always a hit at BBQs. Who can resist these homemade, custom-spiced pudgy bundles of delight? (That, fellow meat eaters, is a rhetorical question.)

Essential ingredients

The meat
You could go lean, but a little fat goes a long way for flavor, consistency, and that fantastic burst when you first bite into the sausage. For my pork sausages I like to use pork shoulder (also called pork butt), which is rich in flavor, tender, and quite affordable. Just don't eat six of them (burp).
I had a few misadventures trying to get free-range meat, even in San Francisco. A week back I bought some a vendor sold to me as free-range, but after a little online research I realized the claim was untrue -- and this was a very reputable store. I strongly advise you to get it from a reliable, knowledgeable butcher like Prather Ranch or Golden Gate Meats in the Ferry Building, or Avedano's on Cortland Avenue.

The casing
I like to use natural casing, made of pig intestine. Quit whining: if you're squeamish about natural casings, you probably won't enjoy making sausage. Most commercially-produced sausages are cased in artificial collagen casing, but natural casing gives a great snap to the sausage when you bite into it and  has a delicate savoriness that complements the meat beautifully. I buy mine salt-packed from the Syracuse Casing Company. A pack of casings is called a Hank (I'm not making that up) and it will last up to several months in the fridge.

How do I do it?
Here are some great recipes from Sausagemania and About.com. If you're serious about making sausages, I recommend Bruce Aidell's book. It's thorough and it has some excellent recipes and explanations of every step of the process, including smoking.

Once you've got your recipe and ingredients ready, start by pulling the casing out of its container. Each casing will be packed in salt, and wrapped around a plastic guide. One casing makes about forty sausages.

Soak your casing about ten minutes in cold water, without removing it from its pink plastic guide. You will use that guide to slide the casing onto the meat grinder feeding tube. After soaking, rinse your casing under running water for a minute to make sure there's no salt left on it.

While the casing is soaking, grind your free-range meat with the fat according to your recipe. Don't freak out if the recipe asks you to add fat: much of it will melt away in cooking, leaving just the flavor behind. Look at that beautiful red and white streakiness .... mmmm, marbling...

When the meat has been ground with the fat, prepare your spices. I like to grind my spices fresh whenever possible with a mortar and pestle for a stronger, fresher flavor ... plus I like to kick it old school style.

Add the spices to the meat, and when they're all in...

... you mix it all together by hand, making sure the spices are evenly distributed in the meat. This part is totally sexy.

Test-cook a few small pieces of sausage so you can adjust for spices and salt. If it seems a little strong, remember that after sitting in the fridge, the flavors will round out and make nice with each other. Needless to say, you don't need to add any grease to the pan.

Once the proportions are right, let the meat rest a few minutes while you prepare the stuffing tube. I use the Kitchen Aid attachment, which works pretty well. You can also use a hand-cranked meat grinder and sausage stuffer, though it's quite a workout.

Slide the pink plastic guide onto the tube, and push the casing onto the tube. While holding the casing firm, pull out the guide, leaving the casing ready for the stuffing. If you've done it right it should look like a Sharpei puppy's tail.

Tie the end of the casing, so the meat won't fall out once it starts being extruded from the tube.

With a fork, pinch a few small holes at the end of the casing, so that any air is pushed out of the casing. Otherwise, it will inflate like a balloon.

Hold the casing onto the tube with one hand, and stuff the meat into the grinder with the other hand. As the meat fills the casing, let it slowly inch forward and keep cramming meat into the grinder.

Make sure the casing is not stuffed too tightly. The stuffed casing should feel like a balloon that has lost some air, and gives 1/4 of an inch when you squeeze it. You'll need that latitude to divide the sausages, tie them off, and prevent bursting while cooking.

Once all the meat has been extruded, tie the other end of your casing. You should have one obscenely long sausage. Make sure you give yourself about an inch or two of casing extra at the end to leave room for adjustments.

Now you're ready to tie off your sausages. Begin where you started, at the end you stuffed first. Decide the length of your sausage, and gently slide the meat forward from that spot until you've formed an hourglass shape. Then give the sausage a turn where you want to tie it off, and at that spot, use food-quality string to tie two knots about 1/4 inch apart from each other. Later, you'll cut in between these two knots to divide your sausages into single servings.

Once they're tied, your sausages should be plump, but still give a little when you poke them. But before you eat or freeze them, they need to rest about 24 hours in the refrigerator so the flavors mellow and blend. (If you must have sausage NOW, go ahead -- I know the feeling. Otherwise, you can fry up a patty of the leftover meat filling.) Make sure to cover your sausages tightly with plastic wrap or place them inside a tight container, or the surface of your sausages will dry up and break.

The next day, you can either cook your sausages or freeze them in freezer bags. Usually I put one or two in a bag, so I can defrost only what I need for pasta sauce or lunch. Be sure to thaw them for 2 hours before you cook them, or put what you need in the refrigerator the night before you use them. In a defrosting pinch, the microwave does the trick on a low setting.

If you think these babies look good, wait until you smell them hit a hot pan. Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

 

Andalusian style gazpacho - from our August dinner

Buongiorno,
here's Lina's recipe for the gazpacho she made at our August group dinner. After receiving quite a few requests for it, she kindly wrote it down for us.
Thank you, Lina.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Andalusian Style Gazpacho         

Makes four, 1 cup servings

2* cloves garlic, sliced (see note below)
1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (I used a combination)
A piece of a red jalapeño chile, seeded (to taste)
1 and a 1/2 lbs. of very ripe, red tomatoes with thin skins; juicy salad tomatoes work best for gazpacho, cored and cut into large chunks. If you use thick-skinned tomatoes, blanch & peel them.
3 inch piece baguette sliced and allowed to dry out overnight (or you can dry bread in a 250º oven)
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar; more to taste
2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
A dash or two of Tabasco, to taste
Ground black pepper, optional (I did not add any)

Place garlic, peppers, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, sherry, and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the bread breaks up, then process until the mixture is as smooth as possible, about 3 – 5 minutes. Taste, add Tabasco if desired, and possibly more vinegar, salt, or garlic. You may also add a little water. Chill thoroughly, or serve over ice cubes.

Garnish:
1 cup peeled, finely chopped Japanese cucumber or conventional cucumber, seeded and 1cup diced onion (sweet variety preferred)
Fresh ground black pepper
You can also garnish with fresh corn kernels, shrimp, crab, lobster…..

*It is easy to disrupt the balance of flavors by using too much raw garlic; you can always add more after tasting. Some people like to blanch or toast the garlic first.

Grand Marnier Soufflé recipefrom the CH&N Master Class

Buongiorno,
Here's David's remarkable recipe from the CH&N Master Class.
Thank you David!
Marco Flavio

Grand Marnier Soufflé
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of milk (whole is better, you can use fat free if you want)
• 1 cup of regular sugar
• 1 stick of butter (8 tbsp or 120 gr)
• All purpose flour (half the weight of butter, about 60 grams)
• 7 eggs whites
• 4 eggs yolks
• 4 or 5 oz of Grand Marnier
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• Confection sugar

Prepare all the ingredients, take a soufflé dish (preferably metal), butter it completely, and sugarcoat the inside of your soufflé dish with regular sugar.
Preheat your oven at 410ºF.

Step 1, 2 and 3 should be ready simultaneously

• Step 1: In a pot, mix the milk and sugar, bring to a boil
• Step 2: Beat the eggs white to medium peak (for better you can add a tbsp or warm water and a pinch of cream of tartar)
• Step 3: in a larger pot, melt butter then add flour to make a roux over medium heat
• Step 4: Add boiling milk and sugar to your roux, and steer constantly until the mixture is boiling again.  You have now a sweet béchamel
• Step 5: Take the pot off the stove, wait about 30 sec and add the egg yolks one at a time while continuously stirring
• Step 6: Add the vanilla extract and the grand mariner
• Step 7: Fold the medium peak egg whites in the mixture (no need to over stir)
• Step 8: Pour the mixture in the soufflé dish and sift the powdered sugar (a.k.a. confection sugar) to cover the top with a thin coat
• Step 9: Bake at 410ºF  for about 23 minutes (look at the color of the soufflé, it should be medium brown)

Enjoy immediately!

Tips:
Have your eggs at room temperature before you begin.
Use a very clean metal bowl to beat the egg white. A drop of fat or egg yoke will prevent the egg white from emulsifying properly.
Put a pizza stone or bricks in your oven to prevent temperature fluctuation.
Do not open the oven during cooking; it will generate too much temperature fluctuation and you may end up with a sweet omelet.
You may want to purchase an oven thermometer to really understand how your oven behaves and what is the exact temperature.  You may have to play with it until you find what works...  I know, frustrating, but all ovens are not created equal, trust me...
Serve the top crust first, then dig in the center of the soufflé dish (should be almost liquid), then serve the side and bottom of the dish which should have a different crust. You will enjoy the 3 different parts of a soufflé!
Have a taste of the left over “raw” mixture after you put the soufflé in the oven, it tastes fantastic!!!  It is even better with your fingers!
Tell me what your experience was.

Life is Great!
David

From our dinner: Outstanding puff pastry recipe

This was such a delicious recipe for puff pastry. I just had to ask Benny to please write it down so I could post it.
Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

From Benny:
As I promised, here is the puff pastry dough recipe. I did my best to explain it. The next time I make it, I will take pictures of the folding to help those visual learners! There is another version of it up at my father's site: It's soo good with some pictures of the burekas.

This is the recipe for the puff pastry dough that I used to make the shitake-feta burekas. It’s not for the faint of heart or dieters. Puff pastry is really an English euphemism; the German word “butterteig” gives you a better idea of its main ingredient! The recipe here, which you can use to make desserts as well, is based on my Hungarian grandmother’s recipe but is supplemented by some measurements from Rick Rodgers’ excellent Kaffeehaus book. It’s better than most recipes I’ve seen because the added rum gives the dough more flakiness, and it cuts a lot of preparation time by using both single-turn and a double-turn folding.

Three tips to keep in mind:

1. If you can use European-style butter, it will come out better because there is less water content.
2. You have to keep the dough and butter cold at all times, around 60ºF is supposedly ideal—that’s warmer than the refrigerator, but less than room temperature. If it’s too warm, the butter melts into the dough and if it’s too cold, it breaks the dough apart.
3. The dough’s shape is very important because you need to keep folding it evenly, so keep the edges at right angles throughout as best you can. Remember that puff pastry “puffs” because you are creating tens of layers of dough and butter by folding. In the oven the butter boils, creating steam and raising the successive layers.

Ingredients:

200 grams of unbleached flour
½ teaspoon salt
150 mL (2/3 cup) of cold water
1 tablespoon of rum or vinegar
200 grams of butter + 50 g more flour

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix the flour and salt together, and make a well in the center. In a cup, mix the rum and cold water. Now incorporate this liquid mix into the well, a little at a time, to make the dough. You can add a little more water if necessary to incorporate all the flour. Knead the dough briefly to make it even, but realize that the dough will still be a bit sticky and rough-looking. Roll it out into a 15cm (6 in) square and cover well with plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

For the butter mixture, cut the butter into little ½-inch cubes. Combine it well with an extra 50g of flour. Then place the mixture in plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, shape it into a square a bit smaller than the dough (about 12cm or 5.5in). Stick this in the refrigerator if necessary. Remember, we want the dough and butter to be about the same temperature (60ºF) when we work with them.

With your dough cool and rested, roll it out onto a flour-dusted surface, making a 20cm (8 in) square. Place the unwrapped butter-square in the center, as a diamond inscribed in the dough square. Mark the perimeter of the butter-square on the dough and remove the butter square. Now roll out the dough from each mark using a rolling pin, making “petals”. Replace the butter-square in the center of the dough and fold the petals over, covering it completely. If some butter seems to be peeking out, throw on some flour to cover it up.

Rolling & Folding

Read these instructions a couple of times until you can visualize it in your head:

Single turn: Roll out the dough into a tall rectangle, twice as long as it is wide (about 36x18cm or 14x7in). Brush off any extra flour (extra flour hardens the dough) and keep a proper shape with nice right-angled corners. Now fold the dough like a business letter: fold the top third down and the bottom third up, making a three-layer rectangle about 12x18cm (4.5x7in).

Turn the dough to the left, so that the long side is now top to bottom.

Double turn: Dust the dough with flour and roll it out again into the long rectangle (36x18cm or 14x7in). Brush off the extra flour and fix the right angles. Now fold the dough in this manner: fold the top quarter down, and then the bottom quarter up. You’ll have a crease in the center where they meet. Fold the dough one more time at this crease creating a 4-layer rectangle 9x18cm (3.5x7in). Flatten the dough a bit with your hands and make it even. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once your dough is rested and cooled, dust it again with flour and perform another single turn and another double turn. Finally, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator (or at least 4 hours).

Using your puff pastry dough

When you’re ready to use the dough (within 3 days), pull it out of the refrigerator and let it thaw a little bit so that you can roll it out easily. Your dough is still in its folded brick form, so you’ll need to roll it out into a giant rectangle, making the dough as thin as your recipe calls for (usually 1/8” thick).

Shitake-feta burekas

You can use your puff pastry to make desserts and savory appetizers, but a common one in the Middle East is the bureka. Usually it’s filled with cheese and spinach or potatoes and is a cousin to Greek spanakopita.

For the cooking event, I sautéed half an onion, a handful of chives, a handful of cilantro, and a half-pound of shitake mushrooms in a heaping spoon of butter. I threw in a bit of flour and a bit of salt to remove some of the mushrooms extra water. Once this was cooled, I mixed in half a pound of French feta cheese and one egg—the egg helps hold it all together.

Using my rolled out pastry dough, I cut out approximately 20 squares. I placed a heaping spoonful of the shitake-feta mixtures in the center and folded the square over into a triangle to seal it. Then I brushed the top with egg wash and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. The burekas were then placed on a baking sheet in a 350ºF oven for about 30 minutes.

From our January dinner: Braised Chicken Thighs and Legs with Porcini Mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese sauce

Buonasera,
this was Nick's outstanding recipe from our January dinner.
Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Braised Chicken Thighs and Legs with Porcini Mushrooms and
Gorgonzola Sauce over Orecchiette Pasta Finished with Truffle Oil

Ingredients:
2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in 3 cups hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 each chicken thighs and legs, trimmed of excess skin and fat
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
4 cups onion, medium dice
2 cups celery, medium dice
2 cups carrots, medium dice
1/ 4 bunch fresh thyme, more for garnish
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, more for garnish
4 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, mashed
12 whole black pepper corns
2 cups fruity medium body red wine, Carneros Pinot Noir , more to finish sauce
2 cups reserved porcini liquid, more to finish sauce
chicken stock, more to finish sauce
6 oz mountain gorgonzola cheese, broken into 1/2” pieces
juice of 1 fresh lemon
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 lb orecchiette  pasta, cooked al dente
truffle oil, optional

Method:
Rehydrate porcini mushrooms for 30 min, strain and reserve liquid. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season chicken with flour, salt and pepper, remove excess flour. In a heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot (not smoking); brown chicken pieces, transfer to plate as browned.

Reduce heat to moderate and add onion, celery and carrots, sauté until onions are translucent. Add thyme, parsley, bay leaf, garlic and pepper corns; heat until aromatics begin to release aromas.
Top with browned chicken pieces.

Add wine, porcini liquid and chicken stock to cover chicken 2/3. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce  heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45minutes, or until tender. (May  be cooked on stove top or in 350F oven). When chicken is tender remove pieces to a plate and cover.

Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Reserve liquid discard vegetables and aromatics. Deglaze skillet with wine, return liquid to pan. Taste then balance mixture with additional porcini liquid and chicken stock. Return liquid to a simmer. Add gorgonzola pieces and mushrooms, incorporate by  gently swirling sauce in pan. Then taste and adjust sauce with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Reserve some sauce for chicken pieces. Add  orrchetti pasta to sauce and cook until pasta is heated through. Place pasta on a large serving platter, add chicken pieces and sauce. Garnish with thyme, parsley and truffle oil.

Serves: 4

From our January dinner: Moroccan Squab Bastilla

Buongiorno,
this recipe from our January dinner is from Sharif and Korey.
The seasonal ingredient we requested as an entree was any poultry except chicken, free range and organic, whenever possible.

Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Squab Bastilla

8 saffron threads
3 squabs (about 3 lb total). You can use cornish game hens, if needed.
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 teaspoons finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dry Sherry
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds (1 1/4 oz)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 (17- by 12-inch) phyllo sheets, thawed if frozen, (then unrolled)
1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners sugar

Make filling:
Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat and toast saffron 1 minute, then transfer to a small dish and crumble. Reserve skillet.
Cut off wings from squabs with a sharp small knife and discard, then cut off legs with thighs. Using kitchen shears, cut out backbone and ribs and discard. Cut breasts in half lengthwise with shears. Pat legs and breast halves dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown squab in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, about 6 minutes total per batch, transferring as browned to a platter.

After second batch is browned, return all squab pieces to skillet along with onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, ginger, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, then sauté, stirring, 1 minute.

Add Sherry and boil 30 seconds, scraping up any brown bits. Add broth and water and simmer, covered, turning squab over once or twice, until tender, about 40 minutes.

Transfer squab with tongs to a platter and reserve cooking liquid in skillet. When squab is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and finely shred meat, then toss with 3 tablespoons cooking liquid and cover loosely with foil.

Boil remaining cooking liquid in skillet (without straining) over moderately high heat, stirring
frequently, until sauce is very thick and reduced to about 1/2 cup, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan. (Do not skim fat from sauce.)

Whisk together eggs and 1/4 cup sauce in a bowl until combined, then whisk into remaining sauce in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, until eggs just set into very soft curds, 5 to 7 minutes. (Mixture will have the consistency of very soft oatmeal.) Immediately transfer egg mixture to a bowl and stir in parsley and cilantro. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Assemble and bake bastilla:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat vegetable oil in a 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until just hot, then fry almonds, stirring frequently, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain almonds and cool on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Brush a 9-inch round cake pan with some of butter.
Cover stack of phyllo with plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Keeping remaining phyllo covered, place 1 sheet on a work surface and brush with butter. Fold in half crosswise and butter again. Repeat with another sheet, buttering, folding, and buttering, then place over first sheet crosswise. Repeat with 2 more sheets, buttering, folding, and buttering, then
placing each sheet on top of the previous one in a star pattern to form a round. (Sheets should not align.) Lift stacked phyllo and gently fit into bottom of cake pan and halfway up side.

Sprinkle almonds over phyllo, then stir squab into egg mixture and spread evenly in phyllo shell.

Put 1 of remaining sheets of phyllo on a work surface and brush with butter. Fold in half crosswise and butter again. Fold in half (to quarter) and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining sheet phyllo and lay over first sheet crosswise. Place over center of filling. Bring edges of phyllo from side of pan up over filling and quartered top sheets.

Bake bastilla until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto a platter and let stand 5 minutes.

Sift confectioners sugar over top of bastilla, then remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut into wedges.

Let's get it right, already: Focaccia with rosemary

Buonasera.
One of my contributions to our December group cooking event was a Ligurian Focaccia col rosmarino (Liguria is the Italian region where focaccia originated). The response was truly enthusiastic -- we're talking crumbs within minutes. Nothing could've made me happier than seeing people appreciate the real thing, and see that the difference between store-bought and home-baked is always evident.

I'm often surprised at the focaccia's popularity, given how doughy, limp, stale or tough the average one is. It's really not too hard to make compared to other Italian or French breads, and when you get it just out of the oven, with the slightly crackling crust, glistening with translucent golden olive oil and coarse salt crystals reflecting the light, well... it's outstanding. The aroma of rosemary permeates the room.

The real focaccia has a couple necessary steps that make a significant difference in flavor and texture, and are usually overlooked in mass-produced versions.

First, part of the dough has to be made of boiled potatoes, not flour. This will contribute a different shade of flavor and tenderness to the dough (unlike wheat flour, potatoes have starch but no gluten).
To take your focaccia to next level, you brush it with oil before it's headed for the oven, and also as soon as it comes out. This adds another layer of flavor, wets the rosemary again to release more herbal aromas, and most importantly makes it look amazing.

This goes really well served with a Shitake or Portobello pate with white truffle oil  -- that's the recipe I gave you last week. Do try them together.

A few months back, I gave you quite a different recipe for a focaccia filled and topped with roasted grapes -- it's back in season, as grapes are all over the farmers' markets. Go check it out!

So get to that kitchen, crank up the oven and share this treat. There's plenty for everyone, even for a holiday party crowd.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Focaccia with rosemary (Focaccia ligure col rosmarino)

This will make approximately a 11'x17' focaccia. I bake it in a cookie sheet with small rims.
It takes about 4 hours to make.

Ingredients

Dough
1 medium baking potato or 1 cup of organic potato flakes and 1 cup of hot water
1 and 1/2 tsp of instant yeast or 2 tsp dry yeast
3 and 1/2 cups of organic all-purpose flour (don't use bread flour)
1 cup water (warm to the touch, but not boiling)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more to oil the bowl it'll rise in
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

To top it
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 or 2 teaspoon sea salt, coarse if you can get it

How do I do it?
Boil a quart of water and cook the peeled potato until tender. Mash it finely and reserve 1 and 1/3 cup (tightly packed ) for the recipe.
If using potato flakes, add a cup of boiling water, and mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a mixer, combine the yeast, 1/2 cup of the flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix well, then let sit for 25 minutes. This will activate the yeast and give it a good start, without the salt slowing it down, so the rise will be slower in the second stage. Cover the mixture tightly and let the yeast go to work in private -- it'll get bubbly in there.

Add the remaining ingredients, and mix them initially with the paddle. After a couple of minutes replace them with the dough hook and work about 5 minutes at medium speed, until the dough is tight and clears the edges. It will stick to the bottom of the mixer, as it will be a little wet. That's OK. If the area sticking to the bottom is very large, like a circle of 5" across, add some flour a tablespoon at a time until it's a little tighter.

Get out your dough, place it in a oiled bowl, and let rise until doubled. This takes about an hour at 75 degrees. Colder rooms will take longer. Don't let it over-rise; it's a slightly delicate dough.

Pull it out of the bowl, and spread it about 1/4 of an inch thick onto an 11'x17" cookie sheet. Push with your fingertips and spread it around to the four corners. It's OK if it's dimpled -- you'll need those, and you'll add more later. Do it slowly, and make sure it's spread out. The gluten structure may make it contract a little. Don't worry: It'll grow and fill the space again.

Spread a thin layer of olive oil on it with your fingers (so it won't stick to the towel covering it).
Cover with a kitchen towel and let it puff up to about double in volume.
It'll take 45 minutes to an hour. After 20 minutes, turn on the oven and pre-heat it to 425.

When it's doubled, wet your fingers with cold water (so the dough won't stick to your hands), and dimple the surface, about 2" apart. Pour the olive oil topping, the rosemary and pepper with the coarse salt. Some of the topping will pool in the dimples; that's what you want.

Put it in the oven. It'll take 20-25 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on it, as it's thin and will brown and dry up fast if you overcook it.When it's a couple of shades darker than cream, with a little lighter browning, take it out and put it on a cooling rack (or leave it in the pan if you don't have one).

Brush it well with extra-virgin olive oil. If you have a really flavorful oil, now's the time to use it. Like all breads, let it cool off slightly, at least 30 minutes for the dough to set. Otherwise it may be too chewy (not in the good way).

This reheats very well, and gets a little crisp. If you're taking it to a party or potluck, you should under-bake it a few minutes. Cook it for 20 minutes in this case, then about 5 minutes at 350 when you're ready to eat.

Enjoy!

 

Shitake, Portobello or Porcini mushrooms pate with white truffle oil

Buongiorno.
After our December group dinner, many of you asked me for the recipe of my mushroom pate. It's a tasty seasonal treat to bring to a holiday potluck and truly versatile, because you can adapt the recipe to make the most of whatever mushroom is in season. In December I used meaty Portobello, and at the November dinner I made it with Shitakes (which I sometimes grow myself, but it's really not necessary). The base recipe comes from back home in Italy, where we use Porcini. A little goes a long way as an appetizer with a nice crusty bread, and really satisfies that winter craving for savory umami flavors. You can omit the truffle oil, but it gives the pate greater depth of flavor: All you need is a teaspoon or two.
Enjoy and let me know how you liked it,
Marco Flavio

Shitake, Portobello or Porcini mushroom pate with white truffle oil
(Pate' di funghi porcini)

Takes about 50 minutes to make and at least 2 hours in the refrigerator to come together (or overnight). It will keep well for a few days refrigerated. Don't whine about the fat: It's a pate.

Ingredients
1 lb. Shitake mushrooms
1/2 an ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
1 stick of butter, unsalted
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
2 Bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of dry white white (Sauvignon Blanc works very well)
Salt to taste (start with 1 and a quarter teaspoons; I like almost two)
Freshly-ground pepper to taste (I like to put in quite a bit)

How do I do it?
If you are using the porcini as well, boil exactly 1 cup of water, and soak the dried porcinis in it for at least 20 minutes.
Brush the Shitake mushrooms (do not rinse them in water). Remove the stems, cut of the end where they're attached to the ground and chop them in small pieces with the caps (about the size of a small corn kernels). You can use a food processor if you want, but make sure the pieces don't get too small.

Cook them covered in a skillet with the bay leaves, the drained porcini (keep the water they soaked in) and the chopped garlic for 30 minutes on a low flame. Every now and them lift the cover and add some of the wine and some of the porcini water. The liquids should be all used up before the 30 minutes are up.
After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the lid. If still too wet, let the moisture evaporate: It should look like a thick sauce, not watery at the bottom. Don't burn it.
Turn the burner off and remove the bay leaves.
If you like a finer consistency, chop it finer with an immersion blender or in the food processor before adding the butter.

Melt the stick of butter in the microwave. The butter should not cook, just melt.
Add it to the pate and stir it in vigorously. At this point add a teaspoon of white (or black) truffle oil if you want repeat invitations to the dinner you're taking it to.
Truffle flavor does not like high-temperatures, so add it always at the end for maximum flavor.

Place the pate in a bowl and refrigerate it before serving at least 2 hours, the flavors will meld and concentrate.

Buon appetito!
Marco Flavio

From our November dinner:Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding

Buongiorno,
this is from Sydney Peters. The seasonal ingredient she chose for the dinner was pumpkin, and here's her delicious recipe.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding

Ingredients
Bread Layers
14-16 ½ -inch slices brioche (store bought/homemade) trimmed of crusts and cut in half
1 ½  cups butter, melted

Custard
2 8-oz packaged cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 ¼ cups fresh pumpkin or 1 15-oz can pumpkin
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Set oven rack in middle, and preheat oven 350.  Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with PAM spray.  Set aside a larger pan for a water bath.

Brush each slice of brioche on both sides with melted butter.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth.

Combine eggs, pumpkin, milk, heavy cream vanilla, salt, allspice ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat until smooth.  Add cream cheese mixture and combine.

Pour ½ cup pumpkin custard in the bottom of the baking dish.  Tilt and swirl dish to make sure that the custard completely covered with a thin layer of custard.  Layer 6-8 slices of brioche on top of the custard.  Pour ½ of the remaining custard over the brioche Add remaining brioche and custard in layers.

Add topping:  Use  a knife to cut 8 slits through the layered pudding.  Cover top of pudding with plastic wrap and press down gently with your palms.  Let stand 15 min, them remove plastic. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the pudding.  Pour melted sugar over the top.

Place baking dish on a rack in a large metal pan.  Pour hot water into the pan until the water level rises halfway up the sides of the baking dish.  Place carefully in the oven.  Bake 1 hr. 15 min. or until the top is nicely browned and the custard has risen to the top of the baking dish.  Check water bath occasionally and add more water, if needed.

Carefully remove baking dish from oven and water bath.  Allow pudding to cool 1 hr. Serve slightly warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Optional:  I put some chopped semi-sweet chocolate in the version I made for you all.

Enjoy!!!!!

From our December dinner: Key Lime Pie

Buonasera,
this is from Dan Schuster.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Key Lime Pie
From our friends at Cooks Illustrated in their book “The Best Recipe”

Ingredients
Lime Filling
4T Lime Zest
1/2 Cup Lime Juice (3 or 4 regular limes or 12-16 Key Limes) strained.
4 Egg Yolks (from Large Eggs)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 Oz)

Graham Cracker Crust
11 ea. Graham crackers (Honey Maid) to make 1-1/4 cup crumbs
3 T Sugar
5 T Butter (unsalted), melted

These quantities work for a 9” pie pan with sloped sides.  For a 10” tart pan, double the filling and make 1-1/2 times the crust.

Heat oven to 325F

Filling
Zest the limes before squeezing them (use a microplane grater) .  Put the zest and egg yolks into a medium bowl and beat vigorously until the eggs get light and the mix takes on a green tint, 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the condensed milk and juice.  Set aside while you make the crust.

Crust
Process the crackers in a food processor until they are very finely ground.  Alternately, put them in a heavy zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Put in medium bowl and stir in sugar.  Pour in butter, mix well until all crumbs are buttered.  Scrape into the pie pan.  Press the crumbs over the bottom and up the sides.  A measuring cup or small glass works well for this.  Bake at 325F for 15 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Pie
Pour filling into prepared crust.  Bake at 325F for 15 minutes or until the filling is set but just jiggles in the center.  (about 25 minutes for the 10” tart pan).  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve at room temperature.  Refrigerate if keeping for more than a day.

Serve with a sweet whipped cream or perhaps ice cream.  This pie is tart and can use something sweet at it’s side.

People who never liked Key Lime Pie love this one.  The reason is the fresh limes.  Most pies are made with canned or bottled juice and no zest.  This stuff tastes like a cross between soda and vinegar.  Fresh juice and zest taste, oddly enough, like a real lime.

The folks at Cook Illustrated did a blind taste test with regular limes (also called Persian Limes) and Key Limes.  None of the culinary school trained chefs could taste a difference between the two pies.  The cooks who made the pies sure noticed a difference - squeezing 12-16 tiny, seed filled Key Limes to get a half cup of juice is a lot more work than squeezing 3-4 regular limes that have hardly any seeds.  So go ahead, use regular limes and call it Key Lime Pie.