Basics & Process – Page 12

Butterflied Chicken

Gotta thank our friend Holly O’Reilly for sparking the creative flame on this one, so first off, go over to her blog and check out what she did.

I saw her post, then, as age would have it, promptly forgot I wanted to do it, until a text from Monica the next morning which read ‘Do you know how to butterfly a whole chicken?’

I responded with a ‘Yup, and it’s super easy!’ That made me wonder why it’s been so long since I’ve done it. I honestly don’t recall having prepped a bird this way in at least 20 years, which is truly a shame, because as Holly noted, it makes for a seriously juicy, crispy treat.

So, why is that? Why would this method lead to a better bird? The answer lies in volume. Chicken on the grill, barbeque, or smoker is hugely popular for good reason, but it’s also likely the top candidate for being dried out and overcooked. That, as much as any other factor, is a function of portion size. The smaller the chunk, the easier it is to over do it. Conversely, a whole chicken makes a fine vehicle for staying plump and juicy on outdoor cookers. I’ll usually advocate brining chicken before grilling, but if you’re in a hurry or planning dinner last minute, get a whole bird, butterfly it, and you’ve no need of brine.

Making a chicken relatively flat is easy as all get out, and if, like Monica, (Sorry, Babe), you have a love-hate relationship with sharp knives, it’s a perfect process for you. A pair of decent kitchen shears is all you need.

After checking your birds for giblets, neck, etc, flip it over so it’s breast side down. Take your shears and line them up just to the right or left of the spine, and cut a straight line from cavity to pope’s nose. Repeat on the other side of the spine. That’s all the cutting you’ve got to do, (told y’all it was easy). Grab the spine and pull it away from the bird; there won’t be much left holding it on. Set that aside for stock making later.

Flip the bird over, and arrange it evenly, then give it a squish with your palms. You’ll end up with a beautifully butterflied bird, ready to rub and cook. I tuck the wings in against the body, so they cook without burning before the rest is ready.

We wanted something bright and smoky for the rub; here’s what we used.

1 teaspoon black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Grains of Paradise
1 teaspoon Alderwood Smoked Salt
1 teaspoon Smoked Sweet Paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon extra virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon

Combine all the dry ingredients in a spice grinder and give them a whirl. Add oil and lemon to dry in a small mixing bowl. Allow rub to rest for about 15 minutes, so flavors can marry. Rub evenly over the bird and allow to rest for another 15 minutes while the grill heats up.

I did this one over gas with one flip, starting breast side up, at about 325° F, for an internal temperature of 155° F. Remove it from the fire for a 10 minute rest, and your internal temp ends up right at 165° F.

We served the bird with grilled, marinated asparagus, and a lightly grilled Romaine salad, both with a Dijon vinaigrette made with Champagne vinegar, and a nice, cold Hefeweizen.

As Holly noted, there’re was very little left over, but there was went into the pot to make stock, as it should be.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Serious Frites

If you’ve never experienced a genuine French Fry, or their cousin, le frite Belge, then you’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures. This is the pinnacle of frydom. What makes them so special? They’re cooked twice. That’s it; nothing fancy, but that’s the secret, the trick that makes all the difference. An initial blanching cooks them through, creating that creamy inside fry lovers love. The subsequent fry brings the other half of the golden equation into play, super crisp outsides. While it may sound fussy and time consuming, it’s really not. You can do the prep well ahead of meal time and wait until right before service to cook them if you like.

Besides, if you’re going to go to the trouble of making fries at home, you need to do it right. As one of my favorite Chefs, Anthony Bourdain so eloquently puts it, “There’s no half-assed way to make a French fry.”

Ideally, to do this right you’ll want a deep fryer. If you don’t have one, no biggy; you’ll just need a heavy soup or stock pot, a mesh basket or slotted spoon made of steel, and a decent candy or frying thermometer.

Now, there’s obvious consideration for the type of spuds used. Big old Russets are best, but you can sure do this with Yukon Golds if you like the flavor better; waxy spuds like reds just aren’t that great for fries. Take note that the age of your spuds matters as well. You want older rather than younger spuds, because the older ones have fully developed starch content and better moisture balance for deep frying.

Next question; does size matter in a fry? The answer is yes, it does. You can vary from steak fry to fast food skinny as you see fit, and anything in between falls into acceptable range. Where you want to be kind of depends on the ratio you like in your fries. If you’re a crispy fan, skinny is better; if you relish the creamy insides more, make ’em bigger. The real key is to make your fries pretty darn uniform, so that they’ll fry evenly. You don’t have to get silly about this, just pay attention some when you’re cutting. If you like things really uniform, keep your eyes out at garage sales and second hand stores for one of those nice, heavy fry cutters. They’re out there, and if they’re mechanically sound, they’re a joy to use.

Next, what oil? Peanut gets the nod quite a bit and makes a tasty fry indeed, but it’s not the healthiest option out there. For my mind, if you make fries infrequently, you can splurge, have peanut oil, (or lard, or duck fat, both of which make amazing fries), and feel no guilt. If it worries you, choose a lighter vegetable oil.

And finally before we get to the recipe, a serious note on safety. Grease fires are no joke; they happen, they’re incredibly dangerous and you don’t need to go there. Keep a constant eye on the temp while frying and never go out of the safe temp zone, (There’s no need to ever fry anything over 400° F, frankly. Keep a tight fitting lid for the pot or pan your using close at hand, and if you don’t already, (which you bloody well aughta), have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. NEVER EVER THROW WATER ON A GREASE FIRE, EVER, PERIOD! If you get a fire, cover the pot, turn off the heat, step away from the stove, grab a phone and get ready to call 911 if things don’t calm down right away.

Alright, let’s boogie.
Go with a spud per person when planning your shopping.

4 Potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold
Sea Salt
3 to 4 cups Oil for frying

You can leave skins on if you like, but generally, you’ll get better, more evenly cooked results without them, and the nutritional benefits derived from the skins are pretty much moot when fried, so go ahead and peel your spuds.

Cut your spuds into roughly 1/2″ square by 3″ fries; again, go skinnier if you like crispy, bigger if you like creamier.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Toss the spuds into the bowl as soon as they’re cut; this will keep them from oxidizing and turning nasty colors, as well as helping remove excess starch. Leave your spuds in the ice water for at least 30 minutes, or in fridge cold water for as long as overnight.

When your soak time has elapsed, rinse the spuds well in cold, running water to remove that starch.

Now it’s time for the blanching. If you’re not familiar with the term, it means to plunge food into, (most often), water, and in this case, oil, for a brief time, in order to do anything from softening it, to partially or fully cooking it. Sometimes blanching is done to tame strong flavor notes, as with game or onions. Nuts and fruit can be blanched to make the skins softer and easier to remove, (hazelnuts, almonds, peaches and plums, for example). Blanching is often used in restaurants to pre-cook veggies, thereby making them faster to prepare at service, and to help keep their colors nice and bright. It’s a great technique to learn and use at home. When used for these other purposes, the food is just plunged into boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, then immediately plunged into an ice bath, (50% each ice and water), to quickly stop the cooking process.

Use enough oil in your deep fryer or pot to reach roughly halfway up the sides of the pan; never fill higher than about two-thirds, for safety’s sake.

Preheat your oil to 280˚F.

Once the oil is up to temp, cook the potatoes in one potato batches until they are soft and their color has turned to semi-translucent white. Don’t get antsy and yank ’em before you see the color change occur; this is gonna take about 7 minutes, give or take. The smaller batches make things more manageable and keep your oil from cooling too much, which leads to soggy frites. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to carefully pull the fries out of the oil and then set them out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Let the fries rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

Raise the oil temp to 375˚F. That is right where you want it, and you want it to stay right there through cooking; this is critical for perfect Frittes. Fry the blanched potatoes in one potato batches for about 3 minutes, until they are crisp and golden brown.

Pull the fries out and shake off any excess oil.

Immediately drop your fries into a large steel or glass mixing bowl, lined with a clean, dry kitchen towel or paper towels.

Season with sea salt to taste.

Pull the towels and give the fries a good toss around the bowl to evenly disperse the salt.

Serve while they are nice and hot, never make ’em wait, never rest them; doing so leads to soft, soggy fries.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Food Safety

I post this about once a year, and probably should more often than that. I looked at the national weather map and saw that spring has indeed finally taken hold, and summer is on its way. That got me to thinking about the Number One Thing we stress each and every day in restaurant work – Food Safety, because it is intrinsically linked to temperature. While it’s a must in the business, it’s all too often lacking at home, so I thought we’d better revisit the ground rules and spell ‘em out in big letters. In this day and age when more and more foods are making folks sick and even killing some, you simply must take matters into your own hands.

You can and should print this one out and stick it to your fridge with one of those goofy magnets.

The Golden Rules

Understand and Respect the Food Temperature Danger Zone.
Bacteria love temperatures between 40º F and 140º F, so naturally, we want to strictly limit food from hanging out in that range. The mantra is ‘Keep cold food cold and hot food hot,’ and yes, it is that simple. Couple temperature with time, and you’re ahead of the curve. Don’t let anything hang in the zone for longer than 60 minutes, and that’s a total running time. Think about this: Between shopping, prep, and finally cooking, how much time has elapsed with food in the temperature danger zone? You buy a steak first thing at the store, and you’re doing a good sized shopping, comparing, saving, all that proper stuff. By the time you get that steak home and in the fridge, how long has it been in the danger zone? For most of us, I’ll bet you’re real close to an hour, and you haven’t even started prepping and cooking yet. Before we fix that issue, let’s look a bit closer at the spectrum itself.

Cooking, Prep, & Storage Temperature Ranges
165°F+ – Most bacteria die within seconds
141°F to 164°F – Safe range for holding hot foods. Bacteria aren’t killed, but don’t multiply.
40°F to 140°F – Food Temperature Danger Zone: Bacteria thrive and multiply. Perishable foods spend NO MORE than one hour here, period.
33°F to 39°F – Fridge range. Bacteria aren’t killed, but they multiply relatively slowly. Food is safe here for a limited time.
32°F – Freezer zone. Bacteria aren’t killed but don’t multiply. Note that, gang; freezing does not kill bacteria, it just puts them into suspended animation. If ever there was a reason to follow safe food handling practices at home, this is it, since this is the long-term food storage method the vast majority of us use.

Here are the specific methods you need to adopt.

1. Prep potentially hazardous food like the professionals do, which is ice to ice.
When you pull potentially hazardous foods out to prep, place them in a double pan or bowl, with a thin bed of ice beneath the one holding your food. Do the same with the plate, pot, or bowl you’re prepping into. This simple process will truly help keep you and yours much safer.

2. Cook smarter, not harder.
Use a thermometer when you cook, so you’re cooking to temperature, not to time. If you’re not using a thermometer and you’re not a seasoned cooking pro, how do you know what temperature you’re cooking something to? Fact is, you probably don’t, and that’s not good for food safety or quality. The top end of the Food Temperature Danger Zone, 140º F is not the temp at which bacteria die, it’s just the point at which they more or less stop multiplying. You need 165º F to kill most things that can hurt you, like salmonella and e. coli, and that’s 165º F internal temperature. No thermometer equals not sure, and not sure equals not good, so fix that. You’ll want a thermometer that allows recalibration, and you’ll need to read the directions on how to do so. Here’s a link to the model I use at home and at work; it’s the fastest, most accurate, reasonably priced model for home use I’ve found.

3. Get cooked food out of the danger zone ASAP.
Within the food safety danger zone, the temperature range between 125° and 70°F allows for the most rapid growth of microorganisms. As such, you’ve got to get leftovers that have been cooked out of that range as quickly as possible. The 2-stage cooling method is what we use in professional kitchens. That means you want to,
Cool from 140°F to 70°F with two hours, and then
Cool from 70°F to 41°F or below within four hours.

That initial two hour cool is the most critical time period, since that’s when the food is passing through the most dangerous temperature range. Here’s the hard and fast secondary rule you’ve got to strictly abide by:
If food has not reached 70°F within two hours, it must be reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F for 15 seconds and then properly cooled again, or thrown away.

Keep in mind the unassailable fact that food needs help cooling down quickly; it can’t do it on its own. Critical factors that affect how quickly foods will cool down include,

Size of the food item being cooled, (thickness, or distance to its center, plays the biggest part in how fast a food cools).

Density of the food, (the denser the food, the slower it cools).

What the storage container you use is made of. Glass and stainless steel transfer heat from foods faster than plastic. If you’re using plastic wrap, leave it loose at first, to allow cold air to freely circulate around the food; once it’s cooled, tighten up the wrapping to keep air away and avoid drying out and cross-contamination.

Size of the container. Shallow pans, (depth less than two inches), allow heat from food to dissipate faster than deeper ones.

And here is a concept you absolutely must embrace wholeheartedly – Food will not move through the temperature danger zone fast enough if it is still hot when placed in the fridge or freezer. In fact, sticking hot food straight into the fridge can actually raise the temperature of everything in there, putting a whole lot of your food into the temperature danger zone. Sound crazy? Ever put a big pot of soup or stew into the fridge, including the steel pot? I rest my case… Here’s how to properly handle things.
* Reduce the size. Cut large hunks of food into smaller pieces for storage. Take that soup out of the pot and transfer it to smaller containers.
* Use an ice-water bath, (50% each, ice and water), and stir foods that are stirrable for fast, even cooling.
NOTE: The only way to accurately know that time and temperature requirements are being met is by actively monitoring the process. That means that you need to use your thermometer for cooling as well, (Look closely at your favorite cooking show; I’ll bet you’ll see that the real chefs all have pocket thermometers). Get used to regularly check temperatures and monitoring the time.

4. Keep it all clean.
Wash your hands with hot, soapy water, actively, for at least 20 seconds. Do it before and after you work with food that has greater potential for bacteria, like meat, poultry and fish, and do it again before you move on to prepping something else. Wash and sanitize your cutting boards (Use a mild bleach solution on those; they’re semi-porous, so you really need to pay attention to cleaning them), knives, and anything else that touched potentially high risk foods before you prep something else with them. Does your sponge stink? If it’s not dirty and worn out, toss it into your microwave for 30 seconds; it’ll come out smelling much better, because you’ve offed some bacteria. If it is worn out and dirty, toss it and use a fresh one; same goes for kitchen towels.

5. Don’t defrost or marinate at room temperature.
Best practice is to defrost in the fridge. If you must defrost quickly, fill a bowl big enough to hold what you’re working with the coldest water you can get from your tap, immerse the food in the water and let it run as low as you can get it until it’s ready. NOTE: If you cannot get water colder than 70º F, do NOT use this method, period!

6. Use your senses and resources.
When food spoils, is it dangerous? The answer is, not always but quite possibly, so err to the side of caution, (Making cheese is basically controlled spoilage, as is fermentation). Bacteria like the same things we do, from food to comfy conditions, so always keep that in mind. When food spoils, rots, etc, it looks, smells, tastes and feels off; respect your senses and let it go if it ain’t right. I can guarantee you won’t get sick if you don’t eat it. Bacteria need pretty specific conditions to thrive, involving the temperature, moisture and PH level of the things they live on, AKA, our food. Know the attributes of the food you’re cooking and storing and act accordingly. Use the section of your fridge meant for butter, cheese, eggs, veggies and fruit; modern fridges really can help control moisture levels as well as temp, so allow them to do their thing.

7. Reheat properly.
When reheating hot food, get it back up above 165º F internal temperature before you serve it. Sad as it may seem, you only get one shot at it – No second reheats – So plan, portion and cook accordingly.

Follow these rules religiously. Take care when you buy; always look for quality and freshness, get to know your purveyors, buy locally whenever possible. Make it at home whenever possible.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Ghost Chile Madness

It’s not a disease really; wait, maybe it is… Heat and the pursuit of such in food. Not physical heat, spiritual heat. That brings us to the legendary ghost chile… It’s no longer the top puppy on the Holy Shit Ridiculous heat scale; a new kid in town has displaced it.

My friend and fellow cook/luthier David Berkowitz brought these to mind today, so let’s have him put them in their proper place on the scale of Capsaisin Pain for you:

“A jalapeño is around 5-10,000 Scoville units ( a measure of heat). A Habanero, 100,000. The Ghost pepper, 855,000 – 1,041,427 Scovilles. Trinidad Scorpion Maruga up to 2,000,000!”

So there you have it, or, as a waiter at a serious Thai restaurant once told me, “The stars for heat aren’t additive, they’re exponential…”

It may not be the hottest, but trust me when I tell you that these aren’t for amateurs. They’re serious shit, indeed. A friend of David’s was graced with a case of these bad boys, and I pitched in on what do with them. That said, these suggestions will work for any hot chile, and if you’ve not done these things, ya aughta.

On top of being ridiculously hot, like the Scotch Bonnet, Ghost chiles are very fruity and fragrant so, with a bit of taming, they’re really nice even for the fainter of heart; brining, marinated or pickling will do the deed for us.

To brine chiles, thoroughly mix 1/2 Cup kosher or sea salt, (NEVER iodized!), with 4 cups water. You can leave the chiles whole or chop off the stem ends. Immerse fully in the brine for 24 hours, (weight with a plate if they want to float). Pour out brine, rinse thoroughly, and you can then pickle, freeze, vacuum pack, or cook them as you see fit.

To pickle, use a ratio of 1.5:2 vinegar to water, and 2 tablespoons of pickling or canning salt per quart of water. You can use white, red, or cider vinegar as you please; white will give a more sour pickle, red and cider a sweeter. If you like sweeter yet, add honey or agave nectar, but never reduce the brine ratio, so that you avoid the potential for spoiling.

For a quart jar, about a tablespoon of spices will do; use stuff like whole peppercorns, coriander, mustard seed, juniper, fennel, cumin, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick – whatever floats your boat.

Bring the blend to a brief boil with whatever spices you like, then allow to cool completely before pouring over the chiles. For spices, you can add fresh or dried directly to the jar.

You can fridge pickle for quick results; just pack chiles in glass jars, cover with brine and refrigerate. Allow at least 48 hours prior to eating. For long term preserving, chiles require pressure canning techniques, which further require specialized equipment and experience; check it out here if you’re interested in learning more.

So, what else to do with a bounty of chiles? Here’re some options for ya.

1. Dry some, both whole and to grind up – just a little shot will add a lovely je ne sais quoi to many things.

2. Smoke some prior to drying as well, for your own version of chipotle.

3. Freeze some whole and raw,

4. Roast and freeze some,

5. Salt ferment some for a ghost chile sauce, Louisiana style,

6. And of course, I’d make sauce for now!

And a note to ALL – WEAR GLOVES AT ALL TIMES WHEN HANDLING THESE BAD BOYS...

Here’s my quick sauce recipe, and again, this’ll work with any chile.

6-8 Ghost Chiles
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 small sweet Onion
6-8 stalks Cilantro
2-3 cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar
Pinch of Sea Salt

NOTE: Feel free to roast all these for about 15 minutes in a 275° F oven, for a more intense flavor profile.

Field strip and dice chiles; leave the seeds if you’re sadistic, remove if not – It’ll still be way hot, believe me.

Rough dice all other veggies.

Throw everything into a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Once the mix starts to simmer, reduce to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all veggies are cooked through and soft.

Remove from heat and process with an immersion or standard blender until smooth and uniform in texture.

Store in a glass jar or container. Refrigerated, it’ll last a month, easy.

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all veggies are cooked through and soft.

Remove from heat and process with a stick or regular blender until smooth and uniform in texture.

Store in glass, refrigerated. Will last about a month as such.

Great with chicken and pork, especially.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Cranberry Citrus Granita

Granitas are a lovely, light alternative to ice cream or sherbet that contain no dairy at all and are super simple to make; if you’ve never tried one, it’s time. This version highlights the tart sweetness of cranberries and citrus and is, quite frankly, stunningly pretty.

So, we’re highlighting cranberries. Why? ’cause we typically just we haul them out once a year or so for the holidays, and that’s not right. Cranberries incredibly tasty, make gorgeous food, and are darn good for you as well. They’re not only rich in Vitamin C, but have excellent infection fighting properties as well, as anyone who’s had a urinary tract infection knows. Cranberries contain compounds known as condensed tannins, which are potent antioxidants with known anti-inflammatory properties. Cooking does not degrade tannins, so here’s a delicious little fruit that’s remarkably healthy even when we do stuff to ’em. Here’s how you granita.

1 Cup Water
3-4 fresh Navel Oranges
1 each fresh Lemon and Lime
1 1/2 Cups Cranberries, fresh or frozen, washed and sorted
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar or Honey

Thoroughly rinse cranberries and citrus. If your citrus has been waxed or treated, put them whole in a bowl containing ¼ cup white vinegar mixed with 4 cups cold water. Allow them to soak for about 15 minutes, then rinse in fresh water and dry with a clean towel.

Zest all citrus, then juice each into separate small bowls or cups.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat, add;
The water,
Cranberries,
1 cup of orange juice,
1 teaspoon lime juice,
1 teaspoon lemon juice,
The agave nectar or honey,
1/2 teaspoon of orange, lemon and lime zest.

Heat to a fast simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries start to pop, (about 5 minutes).

Remove pan from heat and purée the ingredients with a stick blender; be careful, the blend holds heat well and is sticky.

Carefully pour the mixture through a steel mesh strainer, into a glass baking pan, (around 9″ x 12″ is right, and a half cookie sheet with sides will work if you don’t have the pan).

Press gently on the mix with a spatula; you’ll end up with some skins and zest that won’t make it through the strainer.

Slide the pan into your freezer for at least 4 hours, (and overnight is fine), along with 4 margarita or Marie Antoinette champagne glasses. Freeze until the granita is completely set.

Scrape the granita carefully towards with a fork while holding the pan steady, until you’ve got a nice shaved ice consistency.

Scoop granita into the chilled glasses, garnish with a Rosemary sprig, and serve immediately.

Et voilà!

Edited with BlogPad Pro