Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook (26 page)

SLOW-COOKED WHOLE HANGAR STEAK; THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO SUCCULENT GELATIN AND IS COMPLETELY EDIBLE.

SOUS VIDE & CONTROLLED-TEMPERATURE COOKING

In French, the term
sous vide
means “under vacuum.” In modern cooking terms, this definition has morphed to apply to foods cooked in a water bath at controlled temperatures. While the foods in question are often vacuum-sealed, the term is more about the style of cooking than about the fact that you may use a vacuum sealer. In fact, you don’t need a vacuum sealer to use a controlled-temperature water bath. You can use heavy-duty zip-top bags designed for the freezer; just be sure to remove all of the air from the bag so that your food doesn’t float.

Sous vide equipment in the form of immersion circulators, which heat and circulate water, is becoming less expensive, and there are several home versions on the market. That said, understandably many people want to test out the technique before spending up to $500 for equipment. The easiest way to make your own controlled-temperature water bath at home is to use a large (16-quart/16-liter) stockpot and a thermometer, preferably a probe with a sensor that sits in the water and is connected to a digital readout that sits on your counter. The size of the pot is important because if it is too small it will get too hot even at the lowest burner setting. Fill the stockpot about three-quarters of the way to the top and set it over low heat until it reaches the desired temperature. Keep an eye on the temperature, stirring the water every so often, increasing or lowering the heat until you figure out the right level to maintain the temperature in your water bath.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, seal the food in zip-top bags; you can clip the tops to the top of the stockpot for extra security. Once you add the food you will have to adjust the heat again to find the level you need to maintain the desired temperature. Once you’ve reached a pretty stable temperature, you will only have to check it periodically to make sure it’s holding steady and make any adjustments necessary. Then proceed with the recipe.

We have a limited number of sous vide recipes in this book. The ones we included showcase why the technique is important. It is a wonderfully efficient cooking method that helps get the most out of ingredients; for example, the hanger steak is almost never seen as a whole roast but using the circulator allows to you to gelatinize the connective tissue that runs through the center of the meat, which adds a wonderful beefy flavor and tender texture to the steak. You can then caramelize the exterior and the entire cut of meat becomes edible and delicious, with no waste. The use of sous vide elevates a second-tier cut into something truly special. Another thing we love about this technique is that we can infuse flavor into the ingredients during the first step by sealing them in a bag with various aromatics. Then we add another layer of flavor with our final seasoning and by searing the food before serving.

We’ve found that steaming is a wonderful alternative to sous vide cookery and is accessible to everyone at home. While you don’t have the ability to adjust your temperatures in the same way, the fact that you can maintain a specific temperature using moist heat makes it extremely useful for a variety of preparations. There are significantly more steaming recipes in the book because they are so efficient. In many cases it takes the place of blanching in our kitchen because it is easier to control and does a much better job of preserving the flavor of ingredients.

We also like the technique of pressure steaming: We put water in the bottom of a pressure cooker, add a rack, and then put the ingredients in a smaller, open container (usually a stainless steel bowl) that fits on the rack inside. You get even steaming at slightly higher temperatures than a traditional steamer and at uniform pressure for rapid, even cooking. It’s like steaming on steroids.

Science says that foods do not absorb flavor from the steaming liquid, but our experiments in the pressure cooker have proven that this is not the case at all. Lemon zest, herbs, sliced ginger, and other aromatics will permeate the ingredients steamed over them. It’s an easy way to add flavor to your food. The moist heat is wonderful because it hydrates your ingredients as they cook. We love steamed buns, and you can turn almost any bread dough into a soft, pillowy end product if you steam instead of bake. Pressure-steamed potatoes make fabulous
French fries
, and the technique allows you to parcook them in advance. We also find that the results tend to be fluffier and we avoid the pitfall of the empty French fry where all the potato filling somehow disappears into the crust.

PEPPERONI LASAGNA

INSPIRED BY MANY PEOPLE’S FAVORITE PIZZA, THIS LASAGNA
has a meat sauce studded with pepperoni, which adds a savory depth of flavor. This is a big recipe, enough for two dinners or one big party. Lasagna is one of those dishes that keeps well and is a little bit of work to prepare. Making two is almost as easy as making one, and then you have an extra stashed in the freezer for a rainy day. We use the pressure cooker to make the sauce, so there are no long hours spent stirring a pot at the back of the stove. Once you have the sauce, everything comes together fairly easily. Then you can stick the casserole in the oven and enjoy cocktails with your guests until the timer goes off and dinner is ready to be served.

MAKES 2 LASAGNAS/SERVES 16

3
celery
ribs, cut into 1-inch 2.5 cm pieces

1 large
onion,
cut into 1-inch 2.5 cm pieces

5 medium
carrots,
cut into 1-inch 2.5 cm pieces

1¼ pounds 565 grams thinly sliced
pepperoni

1 pound 450 grams
ground beef

1 pound 450 grams
ground veal

1 pound 450 grams
ground pork

1 cup 225 grams
dry white wine

1 (28-ounce 800-gram) can
whole tomatoes

2 tablespoons 28 grams
fish sauce

1½ teaspoons 9 grams
fine sea salt

2 small bunches 42 grams fresh
basil

3 cups 735 grams fresh
ricotta cheese
,
homemade or store-bought

½ teaspoon 1 gram freshly grated
nutmeg

2 pounds 900 grams
lasagna noodles

1½ pounds 680 grams sliced
provolone cheese

2 pounds 900 grams
fresh mozzarella cheese

In a large bowl, combine the celery, onion, carrots, and ½ pound (225 grams) of the pepperoni. Stir well. Transfer half of the mixture to a food processor, and pulse to evenly mince. Transfer to a pressure cooker and repeat with the remaining mixture.

Add the beef, veal, pork, white wine, canned tomatoes, fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of the salt to the pressure cooker. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together and then cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure dissipate naturally and let the sauce cool in a bowl set over an ice water bath.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).

Set a medium pot of water and a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring them to a boil. When the medium pot of water reaches a boil, blanch the basil leaves and stems for 1 minute and transfer to an ice water bath. Squeeze the basil dry and put it into a blender with the ricotta, nutmeg, and remaining ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt. Turn the blender on low and increase the speed to high. Puree the mixture until it is light green and smooth. Turn the blender off and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve the basil ricotta in the refrigerator.

Put one-quarter of the pepperoni sauce into a large bowl, and put another one-quarter of the sauce in another large bowl. Put 1 pound (450 grams) of the lasagna noodles into the large pot of boiling water and cook until they are just flexible but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the noodles from the water and put them into the first bowl with sauce. Use a spoon to evenly coat the noodles with the cold sauce. Repeat with the second box of noodles and the second bowl of sauce. Line the bottom of one 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) baking pan with an even layer of pepperoni slices. Top the pepperoni with a layer of sauced noodles. Spoon one-quarter of the basil ricotta over the noodles and top with one-quarter of the provolone. Put a second layer of noodles into the pan and top them with half of the remaining sauce. Put one-quarter of the basil ricotta on top of the noodles. Arrange a second layer of pepperoni over the ricotta and a second layer of provolone on top of the pepperoni. Arrange the last of the first bowl of noodles on top and spoon the remaining sauce from the bowl over them. Put a final layer of pepperoni over the noodles and then tear 1 pound (450 grams) of the mozzarella into bite-size pieces and top the lasagna. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and a second pan to make another lasagna and refrigerate or cover and freeze for another time. The lasagna will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days and in the freezer for a month.

Put the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour 30 minutes. The cheese should be lightly browned and the lasagna should be bubbling. Turn the oven off and let the lasagna rest in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and serve.

STICKY CARROT COCONUT PUDDING

MICROWAVE LEMON FAIRY CAKES

CARAMEL CAKE

GLUTEN-FREE CHERRY PECAN CAKE

ORANGE MARMALADE CAKE

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

LIME DOUGHNUTS

STICKY
CARROT COCONUT PUDDING

THIS CAKE IS A MARRIAGE BETWEEN ENGLISH STICKY TOFFEE
pudding and American carrot cake. It manages to have rich texture and be incredibly light at the same time. It cooks in half of its
sauce in the manner of classic pudding cakes and then the remainder is served alongside, hence the sticky part of the title. We add creamy coconut flavor to balance the sweetness of the carrot. The two work beautifully together to give the finished cake a haunting flavor. Coconut nectar, a relatively new product that’s found in most health food stores or at Whole Foods, is a natural sweetener made from the sap of coconut trees. You can easily substitute cane syrup. Either juice your own carrots and ginger or head over to the nearest juice bar and pick some up. They add great depth of flavor to the finished cake. Don’t be daunted by the long ingredients list, as everything comes together quite easily. Eaten warm with
Banana Caramel Ice Cream
, this cake is simply transcendent. Serve it after a lighter meal because everyone will definitely want to have room for dessert.

SERVES 8

COCONUT SAUCE

2 cups 512 grams
coconut milk

6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons packed 90 grams
light brown sugar

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons 55 grams
coconut nectar

½ teaspoon 3 grams
fine sea salt

½ teaspoon 2 grams
vanilla extract

CAKE

6 ounces 180 grams
pitted dates,
chopped

1 cup 225 grams
carrot juice

¼ cup 56 grams
ginger juice

½ teaspoon 1 gram
ground allspice

½ teaspoon 1 gram
ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon 1 gram
freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon 0.5 gram
ground cloves

1 teaspoon 5 grams
baking soda

4 tablespoon 56 grams
unsalted butter

¾ cup 150 grams
granulated sugar

1 teaspoon 6 grams
baking powder

½ teaspoon 3 grams
fine sea salt

2 large
eggs,
at room temperature

1 teaspoon 4 grams
vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2½ tablespoons 175 grams
all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish that’s at least 3 inches (8 cm) deep.

MAKE THE COCONUT SAUCE:
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, coconut nectar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often to melt the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Pour half of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and put the dish in the refrigerator. Let the remaining sauce cool and reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve the cake.