STIR THE POTS

Canelé Bordelaise

A classic patisserie item found at any bakery in France, Canelé Bordelaise have now gone global, showing up as ubiquitous at all of New York City's high end pastry shops. They consist of a batter basically made from sweetened milk, eggs, flour, and sugar, then baked in striated copper molds that delivers a crunchy crust that is perfect against the pastry's custard center.

While I had seen them on previous visits to France, it was only in recent years that I started to enjoy them.  And so on my last visit, I bought some molds to try baking some at home.  Here's my first effort, bees wax seasoning and all..

 

 

Celiac Patient

Gluten free bread was never my big interest though I've played around with minor success, but I did not run back to it. That's until recently when a childhood friend commented on my bread photos, saying she'd love to try some but both she and her daughter are celiac and gluten-sensitive. I offered to research and send her a loaf, she demurely declined but told me to try it...and I did

First I sought out advise from other bakers who could help me approach gluten-free breads in my own sourdough nuance. I actually found a source from a book by Thomas-Treffi Chambelland,and sourdough using a rice levain, which mine turned into a Frankenstein tweaked buckwheat rice combination. It was a satisfying experience, with the crumb structure and pleasant mouth feel and flavor a wonderful surprise.  

 

 

 

Smoothies

 

 

 

On my daily Covid-isolation walkabouts around New York City, I ended up trying multiple smoothie shops, none of which much brought delight. But recently I found a local grocery store whose "smoothie barista" whipped up a couple of deliciously healthy renditions that had me hooked. Who knew that nut butters, nut milk and kale would be that delicious?  

I conspicuously snapped a photo of the menu to start making my own at home. Below is a shot of a recent batch, this one called Mr. Green, I ad libbed the name from the musician Frank Zappa. It was good to be reminded that kale is not just a sucky trend but actually tastes good, too. 

Mr. Green formula: Kale-spinach-mango-banana-peanut butter-cashew milk....pop into a Vitamix blender.

Chicken Ka (Galangal)

Thai cuisine is  a perfect harmony of spices and fragrances that aren't  so hard to achieve at home, as I found out recently. Using Narumol Chinsomboon's book on Easy Thai cooking, along with a recipe for green curry paste from Queens Thai restaurant, Khao Kang, I was able to create a deeply perfumed dish at home. I was helped by tracking down the ingredients at a local Thai grocery, including ka, makrut, and kra Chai - all key to that rich essence.

 

Moka maintenance

A friend recently asked me how to  clean a Bialetti moka stove pot coffee maker. Maybe he got the idea of my expertise from photos featuring me and Italian food guru Domenico Bianco. He was kind enough to introduce me to moka afternoon rituals, teaching me the richness that surrounds drinking caffe Italiano.

Getting it right includes the brand of coffee bean, as well as the almost-ceremonial elements around working with the two part-moka stove, as well as brewing the actual moka. Finally there's the cleaning; note it is never done with soap or, worse, a modern dishwasher. Either would damage the patina achieved in usage. It's a bit like a cast iron pot, age giving the moka pot more life, not less.

Wanting to try a bag of pricey Swiss coffee, myself, I decided to do some maintenance on my moka after noticing  I'd  fused my rubber gasket into its inner workings. Care for my moka....I did.

Baguette Viennoise

Adapting recipes to sourdough, I came upon this for a classic  baguette Viennoise. It's a breakfast bread or savory-filled roll you can find at boulangeries and cafes in France. It's a butter enriched and soft crumb sweet bread, but fill it with ham and some butter and cheese, it's lunch or picnic fare. In France they call it "partager la go," a classic kid snack when filled with chocolate. I like mine a bit more robust. 

Instant Pot

 "slow" cookers are a hit lately; and having  tried previous generations that were bulky and not so handy, I went and forked out some more greenbacks to get an InstantPot 6 Qt Duo Nova. My brother who's a little older then me swears by slow cookery for guys our age, "less mess and you can go ride your bike he said". This new aged pot is a little bit more digital with even a jingle and yet so easy to use, my first try was preparing a goat stew. From browning the meat and vegetable garnish to pressure cooking for 30 minutes, I was rather pleased at the results. Here's to getting old and waiting for your food in the hot pot.

Rules Of Croissants

Croissants are not easy to make. There's a magic to rolling, then folding cold butter into a fermented dough, transforming that substance into an airy, crisp delectable layered bread. Stuck at home with the quarantine led me to do some research on croissant baking techniques, then putting them into practice. The end result is my micro-bakery is back, re-birthed through laminated dough.  I now find myself making them daily for an adoring audience who delight in the crisp airy crumbs.