Pork Sandwich

This is a great way to bring in the Spring season with some simple vegetables. I used zucchinis, you can add squash as well or any other soft spring vegetables. Serve it with the sauce and vegetables on a bed of rice. The leftovers are perfect for use in sandwiches. This simplicity of this dish belies the amazing flavor. Apart from the apready mentioned crème fraîche, vegetables and pork, thyme, a little garlic, salt, and pepper are all the remainder of the ingredients. Simple is good.

So Good

Not only are the ingredients straightforward, but the cooking process is simple too. It’s basically a two step process. The first step involves browning the tenderloin to boost the flavor. A minute or two in a hot skillet and you’re done. The second part is wrapping everything in a big sheet of parchment paper and baking it in the oven. That’s it. Not terrible difficult, and the parchment paper makes clean-up easy too.

As always, click for larger images…

Notice the little hole in the side of the paper to let excess steam escape.

Ta-da! All done.

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed, salted and peppered
4-5 zucchini, cut into medium disk slices
3 cloves garlic
fresh thyme (8-10 strands)
6 tablespoons crème fraîche

You will also need a large sheet of parchment paper.

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack set to the lower middle section.
2. Place the parchment paper in a baking dish and layer the paper with the cut zucchini. Add some salt and pepper to taste (I used about a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (don’t use non-stick if you can help it, cast iron is great for this). Once hot, add two tablespoons canola oil. Sear the tenderloins, one at a time, to brown the exterior. It should take about 45-60 seconds a side to sear the meat. Place the browned tenderloins over the bed of zucchini.
4. Dollop the crème fraîche onto the tenderloins and place the springs of thyme over the meat/zucchini. Cut the garlic cloves in half and scatter them around the meat.
5. Fold the parchment paper over the dish and crimp the edges to seal. If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the thick part of the tenderloin before sealing the parchment. A probe thermometer will ensure that the meat is cooked to the correct temperature and help guard against overcooking the meat. Leave a little hole in one side to allow the steam to vent.
6. Cook for about 45 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, USE IT! Set it for 160F in the thickest part of the meat.

Slice and Serve

It isn’t! If nobody questions Tyler Florence, Ina Garten, Emeril, and over 335,000 Google hits, you don’t get to question me when I do it! And you certainly can’t be surprised by my combination when cheddar cheese and apple pie shows up in chain restaurants.

Pear and Goat Cheese Triangles

Besides, my approach was more subtle than cheddar and apple pie. I wanted to make little appetizers of crisp phyllo dough around a pear, blue cheese and honey mixture. Fold these into triangles, then bake until the phyllo begins to brown and the cheese melts. You’ll be left with a very tasty appetizer. I have to say, I even impressed myself.

If you have never worked with phyllo dough before, it can seem to be a little intimidating. The dough is very thin and can dry easily. Don’t worry though, a gentle hand and some plastic wrap to cover any unused dough is the best solution. Work on a large counter with enough space so the dough can remain flat. Any dough not immediately in use should be covered to prevent to becoming brittle and hard to work with.

Pear and Goat Cheese Trianlges

Be sure to wrap it completely around the filling or the cheese will ooze out onto the parchment paper as it bakes–I had a few leaks the first time I made this. In the end I found the best method was to use a double-wide strip and fold the dough over itself before folding into triangles (like little paper footballs). See here (here for video) for some folding tips, it’s not difficult. You don’t have to tuck the dough into the last bit as you would with paper, simply use a tiny bit of water to stick it to itself.

Pear and Blue Cheese Triangles

Ingredients
A note about the quantity of cheese and pear: Once the pear is peeled, seeded, and diced, you should have about equal parts by weight of pear to cheese.
7 oz blue cheese
about 2 pears (about 7 oz) peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice
phyllo dough

Directions
1. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced pear and cook until it begins to become tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the honey, cumin, and Chinese five-spice and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring often, until the pear is very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Can be refrigerated overnight.
2. In a medium bowl, crumble/smush the cheese. Fold in the cooled pear mixture. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Cut a sheet of phyllo dough in half lengthwise. Cover the rest of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Depending on the width of the phyllo dough (and the size you wish to make your appetizers) you will have some leeway with how wide to cut the dough. Put about a heaping tablespoon of the pear-cheese mixture near the bottom corner of the strip. Fold the strip in half down the length of it. Then fold the dough diagonally into triangles (see the links above). Once you get to the end, wet your finger in some water, then trace your finger around the last bit of dough to moisten it. Fold this over the top of the rest and it should stick to itself.
4. Place each triangle onto a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Bake (without the plastic wrap) for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough browns and becomes crispy.

Pear and goat cheese trianlges.

Tomato Soup

My deep dish pizza recipe already cribbed from Cook’s Illustrated, so why stop on Tuesday. This is their version of a creamy–creamless–tomato soup, and boy did they nail it. It’s a smooth, thick soup that puts the tomato flavor front and center. The thickness comes not from cream, but from torn pieces of bread that disintegrate into the soup and are then further blended into it. Not entirely unheard of, but still clever. All this makes for a delicious, but still low-fat and low-calorie soup.

A quick note though, this may be a tomato soup, but this is not vegetarian. Cook’s Illustrated uses chicken stock create a richness and depth to the soup. Vegetable stock would work to make this vegetarian and vegan friendly. The only thing that would be missing is the gelatin normally found in small amounts in real chicken stock. Go nuts though, there probably isn’t much gelatin in the store bought stuff anyway—just another good reason to make your own.

Tomato Soup

Creamy –creamless– Tomato Soup
From Cook’s Illustrated. [http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=16872]
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
3 med garlic cloves, minced
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes (muir glen organic with basil is my favorite)
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 large slices sandwich bread (get something good, tear off the crusts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I don’t need to say it again, but homemade is best)
2 tbsps brandy (I don’t know why Cook’s Illustrated says it’s optional, it’s excellent)

Instructions
1. In a large pot over high heat, put in 2 tbsps olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes, cook for 3 to 5 mins, stirring often, until the onion starts to get translucent. Add the garlic and bay leaf, cook for a minute more.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice and mix well. Bring to a simmer. Tear the bread into chunks and stir it, and the sugar into the soup. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until bread starts to disintegrate, about 5 mins. Remove bay leaf.
3. Blend in batches with 1 tbsp oil and process until soup is smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the chicken broth and the brandy. Taste, add salt if needed.
4. Serve with cracked black pepper.

So good!

I’m a big fan of pizza and I’m really pleased by my standard pizza recipe. This deep dish dough is a little more difficult than a basic dough, but the pay-off is worth it. The dough doesn’t get soggy or crumble apart under the toppings. As I was eating this, I realized that this was almost taking the expression of “pizza pie” literally- it’s even baked in a standard pie pan! There are a few tricks that Cook’s Illustrated used to make this dough hold up to the sauces and ingredients piled onto the center. I’ll get into those techniques a bit later.

I know you can't tell, but under that delicious Parmesan topping is sausage and goat cheese. You'll have to click through at the bottom of the post see...

When it comes to choosing toppings for the deep dish pizza, my standard strategy of “less is more” doesn’t hold as true. A heavy dose of toppings, sauce, and cheese is almost required to fill this monster pie. Use anything you want, I suggest sausage and goat cheese, or spinach, onions, and ricotta.

Oh, and a note about making this recipe. I used a stand mixer to make the dough, so the methods reflect that. This could be done by hand, but why would I want to do that when I have my KitchenAid?

Ingredients
Recipe lightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
Dough
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) cornmeal (it calls for yellow cornmeal for color, I just used regular)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water (10 ounces), room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil

Slice of pie.

Toppings
Pizza 1
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled, browned
4 oz goat cheese
Pizza 2
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 2 cups)
1 cup thawed, drained, frozen spinach
1 large onion, chopped (or better yet, caramelized!)
1/4 cup ricotta ricotta

Someone took my slice!

Instructions
First, make the dough.
1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the dough hook running on the lowest speed, add the water and melted butter and mix until fully combined–scrape down the sides as needed. Increase the speed to medium (#4). Allow to run until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl (almost 5 minutes). It should be fairly smooth and only slightly tacky.
2. Coat a large bowl with 1 tsp olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough ball once or twice to coat lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise (room temp) until nearly doubled. [Dough can be held overnight if placed in the refrigerator.]

Butter coated dough.

3. Here is a fairly unique technique for pizza dough used by Cook’s Illustrated. This technique appears to me to be a bit unorthodox in the pizza world, but it works wondering in this case. Laminating the dough.
Remove the risen dough from the bowl and roll it out on a dry work surface into a large rectangle (approx 15×12 inches). Spread the softened butter over the dough using a silicone spatula (see above). Leave about 1/2-inch along edges unbuttered (this will allow the dough to seal again). Roll dough into a cylinder starting from the shorter side. Place seam-side down and gently flatten into an 18×4 rectangle (see below). Cut rectangle in half to make two 9×4 smaller rectangles. Set one of the halves aside for the moment and cover loosely with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Click for larger photos…

Roll the dough into a tight cylender.

Dough now flattened

4. Take the other half and fold into into thirds like business letter (the top folds about a third of the way down, then the bottom comes up to cover it). Pinch the seams together to seal it into a taught ball, don’t force the dough too much or it may tear (if this happens, don’t worry too much, it will still be fine). Repeat with remaining half.

Like a business letter! But don't mail this!

5. Place the two balls into oiled bowls and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.

6. Oil two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. One at a time, roll out the dough balls to make 13-inch disks about 1/4 inch thick. The trick to transferring the dough into the pans without tearing is to loosely roll the dough over the rolling pin and gently unrolling it over the cake pan. Press the dough into the cake pan and 1 inch up the sides. If dough is tough and resists stretching, let it relax for at least 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.

Roll out the dough...

Deep dish dough in the pan.

Building the Pizza
Deep dish pizzas are best built on a series of layers to allow the ingredients to settle out and fill the dough nicely. Both sets of ingredients should be treated the same (as well as any additions you want to contribute).
First, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the dough. Then add any “toppings” such as spinach, sausage, cheeses to be mixed in, etc. For the ricotta pizza, I waited until the end to dollop over the top of the pizza, but I mixed in the goat cheese for the sausage & goat cheese pizza. Finally pour in the tomato sauce and sprinkle with any last minute additions–like Parmesan or ricotta to brown in the oven. (Just be aware that this will bake for a while and may dry some types of toppings.)

Baking the Pizza
Adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving

Pizza Sauce
I generally always use my sauce, but I was worried that in these sauce-heavy pizzas, the amount of red pepper flakes I usually use would be too much. Make this while waiting for the dough to rise.
Melt 2 Tbsps butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in tomatoes and sugar and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until the sauce is reduced to 2 1/2 cups (about 30 min). Before using, stir in shredded basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pizza! Ta-da!

Cookies: Chewy, Thin, and Puffy.

Changes in brief

The modifications were kicked off with a dangerously chewy chocolate chip cookie. The important changes to the recipe were to use bread flour, melted butter, one egg plus one yolk, more brown sugar than white, and to chill the dough before baking. These changes allowed the cookies to stay moist and chewy.

The super thin cookies (a favorite of mine) developed both a pleasing crunch and a slight chew. This was achieved by using all-purpose flour, softened butter, one egg plus milk, and more white sugar than brown. These cookies were not refrigerated, which meant that they spread and ‘melted’ as they baked.

The puffy cookies were last. The distinction here was to use cake flour, shortening (not butter), two eggs, baking powder (instead of baking soda), and chilled dough (like the chewy cookies). These tweaks allow the cookies to rise and puff as it baked.

But whyyyyy? Sure, you just read the differences in the recipes, but what actually happens? What is the difference between the three kinds of flour? Why change from butter to shortening?

Settle down, settle down, all will be revealed…

Let’s take it in order…

Chewy

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

• The most obvious change was to use bread flour. Bread flour is important because it has a higher protein content than other flours. The proteins, when mixed with water, form gluten. More gluten equals more chew. This is why bread is kneaded for before baking. It’s also why biscuits and muffins are generally just quickly combined instead of kneaded (ever seen a chewy biscuit? Neither have I).
• The butter is liquefied and milk is added. When the butter liquefies, the fat and water can easily separate. This means that the water in the butter (and the milk) bond with the proteins in the flour and form the gluten we just talked about.
• The recipe also called for a higher proportion of brown sugar to white sugar. The extra moisture and molasses in the brown sugar not only helps keep the cookies together as they bake, but also keeps the dough moist.
• Removing the egg white from one of the two eggs is important too. Have you ever seen a meringue? The main ingredient is, of course, egg whites. After it’s baked, the resulting dessert is dry and crispy. In the case of meringue, that’s a good thing; however, in chewy cookies-not so much. The removal of the egg white stops the cookie from drying out.
• The standard leavening of baking soda is unchanged in this recipe. The object is to provide the cookies with a little ‘give’, so when you bite into them they aren’t as hard as rocks. Baking soda is sufficient on it’s own to achieve this.
• Finally, the dough is chilled before baking. If you keep an eye on these cookies in the oven you notice minimal spreading. By the time the heat softens the chilled dough, the shape has already started to set.

Thin

Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

• All-purpose flour, which has a moderate amount of protein, was used in this recipe. AP flour is suitable for, well, all purposes. It can be kneaded into a bread dough, or it can be lightly stirred into a muffin mixture. When used in this recipe, the mixing incorporates the flour with the ingredients and forms some gluten, but not so much as to make it chewy. Even if gluten does form, there are a few more tricks to ensure it does not adversely affect the cookie.
• The butter is softened to room temperature, not turned it into a liquid. This means that the water in the butter doesn’t have as much time to bond with the proteins to form gluten.
• Only one egg was used, the second egg was replaced by a couple ounces of milk. Why remove an egg? Eggs set and puff when they are heated (soufflé, anyone?). Liquids… well… spread.
• Leavening is provided by the baking soda. This gives the cookies enough power to stay together and have a bit of chew, but not so much as to prevent them from spreading.
• In direct contrast to the chewy cookies, more white sugar is used than brown sugar. The lack of moisture and molasses normally found in brown sugar allows the cookies to spread as they bake, while the dry white sugar adds a crispier texture.
• Finally, this dough was scooped out and baked right after mixing. This room temperature, buttery dough beings to spread as soon as it is placed into the oven. By the time the dough sets, it has already spread into a thin (and might I add, delicious) cookie.

Puffy

Puffy chocolate chip cookies.

• Cake flour, not bread or AP, is used in this recipe. Cake flour has the lowest protein content of all the flours-meaning less gluten can develop-so these cookies have the least chew.
• Shortening is used instead of butter because it has a much higher melting point. This means that there is less spreading of the cookie as it bakes.
• Baking powder is used instead of baking soda. Baking powder has a more powerful leavening effect than baking soda due to the acids that react with liquids in the dough. The acidic baking powder releases carbon dioxide, which forces air into the dough. This is why these cookies develop that Chips Ahoy style crunch, and are so well suited for dunking.
• Lastly, the dough is chilled before baking. This same technique is used in the chewy cookies to help keep them mounded as they bake. If you watch the baking process, they spread out a bit first and, as the shortening starts to melt, the baking powder reacts, giving the cookies a lift half way through the baking process.

Now you know. Go forth and make chocolate chip cookies!

Driven both by laziness and opportunity, I stripped the ingredients to the bare minimum. All that is really needed is butternut squash. Everything else is basically optional.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chorizo

Well, almost optional. The inclusion of the chorizo adds a wonderful spicy meatiness that I wouldn’t give up. The wealth of ingredients that make up the chorizo (at least, compared to the soup) provide a great contrast and the strong, meaty flavor compliments the soup nicely.

If you are curious about winter squashes, you can head to my post about types of squash and proper preparation and storage. The more you know!

The recipe also calls for cream, but this can be reduced or eliminated. I’ve had this soup both with and without this addition. The cream contributes a luxurious smooth finish and gives it a richer flavor. Even without the cream, the butternut squash soup is still thick and rich but it feels like a much more elegant meal with it added. Either way you chose, I feel like I have to say again not to skip out on the chorizo.

Ingredients
2 small-to-medium butternut squashes
4 to 5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Chorizo (enough to give 3-6 slices per person)
pepper, salt
olive oil

Directions
1. Peel and cut the squash into about 1-inch chunks. Add these to a large pot and fill with just enough of stock or water to cover the squash (add about a tsp of salt if using water instead of stock). Heat on medium high until it starts to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 12-15 minutes. Check for doneness by pressing a chuck of squash against the side or bottom of the pan. If it doesn’t resist much before smushing, it’s ready.
2. All the soup to cook slightly and then blend until smooth.
3. If using cream, stir it in now. Return the soup to the heat to keep warm. Once the cream is added, do not allow it to boil.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo for 1-3 minutes. There may be a lot of oil that renders from the chorizo, this can be poured out. Once cooked, blot the sausage with paper towel to remove excess grease.
5. Serve the soup in bowl with a few rounds of sausage placed onto the top of the soup. If desired, crack some black pepper over the top and trace a line of olive oil.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the soup up to the end of step 2. The soup can be refrigerated or frozen until needed. Reheat over med-low heat on the stove and continue with the remainder of the instructions.

A new goal was set: obtain a copy (or a scan, at least) of that page of the newspaper. It took some sleuthing, and some shuffling around to get to the right people, but I got it.

I love the Soviet reference off to the side.

Oh, before you continue, someone commented that they really wanted to see a BLT and were so disappointed by not seeing one. So go here to see my BLT.

Obviously, my first stop was to contact that newspaper, The Hour. With all the news of the demise of the print media, I didn’t even know if they were still in business. Fortunately, I found a website and some contact information. The Hour is still alive and printing news for the residents of Norwalk, CT. A few emails back and forth and I managed to convince them that a photo of a (ridiculously cute) baby with lettuce on his head was published at some point in their history. Probably a bit skeptical, but extremely helpful, they told me that they didn’t keep records that old on site, but they gave the the contact information of the library that did.

Once in contact with the library, I gave the reference librarian the information I had and the reference librarian got to work. A little later, I had an email with scans of the microfilm attached. Now I get to share the glory of me in newsprint form with all of you fine readers.

I'm not responsible for that headline.

There are two huge benefits (apart from the lovely flavor) of crème fraîche, one, it can be made into whipped cream or butter (uh, yes! more on that in a few weeks), and, two, it doesn’t break (i.e., separate/curdle) when heated. This makes it an ideal treat whipped with sugar and served with strawberries or dolloped in soups and stews (much tastier than sour cream). Anything sour cream does, crème fraîche does better.

Strawberries and a half liter of crème frâiche, by flickr user testastretta-999

Basics
The main flavors in this thick velvety cream are a slight sour tang and a mild nuttiness. The thickness of most brands available in the US is similar to that of sour cream, but the texture can range from that of a heavy, slow-moving cream to a shortening-like paste.

It gets it’s distinct flavor and texture from the lactobacillus cultures found in nonpasteurized dairy products. This “good” bacteria is allowed to develop until the cream thickens and acidifies. Once it reaches the correct consistency, many commercial products are commonly pastureland to halt the process. (If you make it at home, all you can do is slow it down by refrigerating it.)

Don’t be concerned or get squeamish by this talk of bacteria in the cream. It’s actually because of this bacteria that the cream does not spoil. It’s the same principals that keep sourdough cultures from going bad. Essentially, the good bacteria crowds out the bad.

Homemade crème fraîche, by flickr user flit.

Uses
I’ve already given a few ideas for how to use it (whipped served with fresh fruits or dolloped in soups), but there are many more. Consider serving it with smoked salmon (instead of the customary cream cheese) or using it to thicken pan sauces. You can try replacing some of the butter in mashed potatoes with a bit of creme fraiche. Essentially any place where you see heavy cream, sour cream, or even butter used, you can replace some–or all–of it with crème fraîche.

Storage
As mentioned above, the bacteria in the cream actually helps preserve the creme fraiche so it tends to keep a bit longer than regular milk or cream would. Store bought brands generally keep well for several weeks well covered in the refrigerator. Homemade versions should be stored the same way but used more quickly as quality control is a bit more difficult.

Make your own
Where unpasteurized cream is available, heavy cream containing natural bacteria (lactobacillus cultures) is allowed to sit at room temperature to encourage the growth of these cultures. After it enough of the bacteria has grown, it should be refrigerated to slow/stop the continued growth of the bacteria.
This method is not possible in the US as the required pasteurization process kills the lactobacillus cultures. Creating crème fraîche involves seeding heavy cream with buttermilk (preferred method) or sour cream.

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk (live culture yogurt or sour cream will also work)
Directions
Combine both in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) for 12 to 24 hours. Once it becomes very think, you will have crème fraîche! Refrigerate or use immediately.

Strawberries, creme fraiche, and sugar, by flickr user flit.

Nutrition
These are just estimates, actual values may vary by brand or by the type of cream you use to make your own.
Most contain about 28% butterfat and have a pH close to 4.5.
One tablespoon (about 15g, or 1/2 ounces) contains approximately the following:
Calories: 52
Protein: 0.3g
Carbohydrate: 0.42g
Total Fat: 5.5g
Saturated Fat: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 17mg

Substitutes
The closest off-the-shelf substitute available in the US is likely sour cream. In the southern United States, clabber is sometimes available and is similar. Plain full-fat yogurt can often be used as a substitute in cooking, but care must be taken to heat it gently as it can often separate.

Sources
English Wikipedia, French Wikipedia, Wise Geek, BBC, Epicurious, On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee, and the backs of various creme fraiche containers.

Unfortunately, this bowl is no longer with me. It’s not lost or broken, it’s at my parent’s house. So I can’t drink my hot chocolate from it with any regularity. These days I’m forced to use a mug, but I still hold onto the same technique…

It's a good mug, but it's not my bowl :( ... The hot chocolate is good though, so I'll live.

You see, this bowl had “ears” and a lip on the rim. I could easily lift the bowl to my mouth and take long sips while the steam rose and warmed my face… But that wasn’t my preferred method.

What I would love to do is to get a piece of freshly buttered baguette, preferably still crispy, and dunk that into the bowl. Most mugs would be too narrow to successfully dip a big tartine into. Using a bowl allowed me to enjoy a combination of several of my favorite things: fresh baguette, good butter, and chocolate. But that still wasn’t how I normally started drinking the cocoa.

I would start, quite simply, with a spoon. The still scalding cocoa was much too hot for me to drink by the mouthful. It was even too hot to dunk the bread into (besides, the butter would melt to fast!). But I was impatient, I wanted to drink it now! Waiting for it to cool would have shown too much restraint, and I had scalded myself one time to many already. I devised another way that would allow me to drink it immediately. I would take a large spoon, fill it with the hot cocoa, and sip from that. The logic was that the smaller quantity would cool faster than the large amount of liquid in the bowl. This allowed me to begin my chocolate before anybody else!

Another cup please.

I sometimes drank my entire bowl one spoonful at a time. I relished the idea that my hot cocoa could last so long. Every sip was a chocolaty pleasure that would bring a grin to my face.

In those days I didn’t make my own cocoa though. This version is truly better. It is very easy to make and can keep well stored in an airtight container. A food processor is required for this, but you basically dump everything in and let the blades pulverize everything.

I used to use Alton Brown’s food-processorless version, but since Cooks Illustrated had the idea to pulverize some white chocolate chips into the mixture, I have not looked back. In fact, I now add dark chocolate chips to the mixture as well. The addition of chocolate helps give a thicker, more luxuriant feel to the drink, even when made with water. (The powdered milk also helps.) But to be really enjoyed, it should be made with whole milk.

I have included two variants below. The first is my preferred darker, richer style and the second is closer to the store bought style. The amounts can be changed to make smaller batches. The powdered milk tends to either come in a large box, or individual packets measuring about one cup each. The ingredients below can be easily divided by three to use just one packet of milk for a smaller batch.

Hot Cocoa
Use about a third of a cup of powder per cup of hot milk or water. It makes about 20 servings.

Dark Chocolate Cocoa
3 cups powdered milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate or bittersweet chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt

Store-bought Style Cocoa
3 cups powdered milk
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cups dark chocolate or bittersweet chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
In a food processor, pulse the ingredients until everything is a fine powder. Work in batches if necessary.
Store in an air-tight container.

Scrambled Eggs

Glad to be back after a school related lapse.  I will be continuing my trek through the Good Eats episodes with scrambled eggs from the first Egg Files episode.  After going through life with mediocre scrambled eggs, I jumped at the opportunity to try a recipe different from my parents’ recipe.  As it turns out, the key to great scrambled eggs is to induce steam and fold them instead of stirring them.  This allows for a perfectly light texture that is still moist.  That brings me to the main lesson of scrambled eggs: if the eggs look done in the pan, they will be overdone by the time they make it to the plate.  This means that your eggs should still look moist when you serve them to the plate, because they will continue to cook.

So even if you think you don’t like scrambled eggs, I would urge you to give this recipe a try.  Maybe you were like me and had mediocre scrambled eggs all your life.  This recipe is simple, and once you get the guidelines you can do it without a recipe on hand.  So give this recipe a try, and the next time you have guests for breakfast, you can wow them with the best scrambled eggs they’ve ever had.

Eggs with a Side of Bacon

Important Notes:
1.  Research done by Cooks Illustrated demonstrated that adding salt to the egg mixture before cooking yielded a more tender finished product.  I add a little bit per egg, and people can add more to taste if necessary after cooking.
2.  This recipe can be adapted to any number of eggs, the guideline per egg are listed in parentheses below.
3.  Depending on the amount of eggs you want to use a different sized skillet, so the eggs won’t take forever.  Here are some rough guidelines: 1-3 eggs (8-inch), 4-8 eggs (10-inch), 8-12 eggs (12-inch).  This allows for the eggs to be better distributed throughout the pan, otherwise the curds take forever to form (see below).

Curds

Ingredients:
4 eggs
4 teaspoons to 3 tablespoons of milk (Between 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of milk per egg)
4 pinches of salt (1 pinch per egg)
A small pat of butter

Beginning to Fold the Eggs

Almost Finished

Directions:
1.  Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt in a small bowl.
2.  Heat the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the egg mixture and stir occasionally until you see curds (see picture).
3.  After you begin to see curds, turn the heat up to medium-high and shake the skillet (slide forward and backward on the burner) to make steam.
4. Begin to fold the eggs intermittently between shaking until the eggs begin to coagulate more and most of the liquid is gone from the pan.
5. Serve the eggs immediately onto a plate (remember you already added some salt, so taste them before salting).