Black Roads and Cherry Dreams

Some situations can send you down a dark black road. Tragic love, desperate trauma, and sometimes if you are really lucky, the astringent tannins of a rock hard nut. Juglans nigra to be exact, or more commonly American or Black Walnut. The bad boy of the the nut world. Eaten alone they can almost choke you with the harshness of the tannins, but mixed with other ingredients they take on a whole new dimension of flavor.

The flavor brings back memories of rainy Autumn days sitting in my Pappy's garage with a framing hammer swinging await at the hard little shells, my Pappy using a nut pick to harvest the meat so that my Grandmother could make all manner of sweet treats, the extra stored in Mason jars in the freezer.

This is an ingredient that is kinda hard to come by in this day and age. I found a supplier of the near impossible to harvest nuts in Hendersonville TN. I have had the blasted things in my freezer for at least 2 months wondering when I would break out the rock salt and ice cream churn. Well this post by David Lebovitz about a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker caught my eye and I ordered one. Can't beat 20 bucks for Cuisinart anything... It arrived while I was on vacation and was one of the first things I unpacked when I got in. No rock salt needed, basically no ice cream maker mess. Sweeeet.

I started with a basic custard, actually the one from the little recipe booklet that comes with the IC maker.

1.5 cups whole milk
1.5 cups heavy cream
3 egg yokes
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean

I reduced the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup cause I knew I would be adding honey later. I also omitted the vanilla bean as I was not making vanilla IC.

Bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium low heat stirring often.
In a separate bowl mix the eggs, yokes and sugar until it turns a little paler and thickens a smidge. I thought I would hand mix it with a balloon whisk... I was wrong. The sugar makes it a very stiff mix. I switched over to my Kitchen Aid.

Once the egg mixture is as thick as you want it, add about a cup of the hot milk/cream. Do it slowly or you will have scrambled eggs. This is called tempering. (In my mind that sounds so condescending, but I figure some of you might not know why I do the things I do) Once the mixture is up to temp, add it back to the rest of the milk/cream and turn up the heat just a little. Still this over medium heat until it starts to steam and it coats the back of a spoon. Another clue that it is ready is when you coat that spoon... the coating holds its shape when you run your finger through it making a little trough. Finger paint on the spoon a little, relaaaax, it's just food. It should be fun.

You can chill this in an ice bath once it has thickened or you can just wait. It needs to be covered or it will develop a skin, which is yummy to eat but not groovy for ice cream makin'. I strained my custard through a wire mesh strainer, into a bowl then covered with parchment paper. Turns out I am out of plastic wrap.

I dry toasted about 1/2 cup of black walnut pieces over medium high heat, until there was a little smoke and I could smell the toasty goodness. Careful not to burn them.

Since the custard was still piping hot I lifted the cover and added the nuts.

A cup of split and pitted red cherries went into a 1 quart saucier with 2 tbsp of sugar... Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes or until you get a thickened cherry syrup. The fruit will be softened as well. I wanted to use Bing Cherries but couldn't find any fresh.

Seeing as I had a rather thick custard I added the cherries too. Had I been using a thinner base I would have added the cherries and possibly the nuts closer to the end of the freezing process. Why??? So the additives don't all sink to the bottom and bind up the churn.

I chilled the mixture over night and this is what it looked like just before introduction to the IC maker.

Kinda gray ain't it...?

I already had the freezer bowl rock solid frozen, so this morning I added the mixture to the bowl and flipped the switch. I added the honey at this point. About 2 tbsp while the thing is spinning so it will mix well.

25 - 30 minutes later it was like a nice thick soft serve.

I scraped it into a storage container to store in the freezer for a while to firm it up even more.

I could have stuck a mint sprig in this to make it a little brighter but I am not trying to impress anyone with the pictures (riiiiiggghhht and if you believe that I have some land to sell you... I just plain forgot.)
Serve in a bowl with a spoon. Oh and it's very rich so you don't need a huge serving...

I can say without hubris that this is one nummy ice cream.

If you like contrasting flavors, the back of the throat bite of the walnuts really goes well with the sweetness of the cherries.

This is not a flavor for everyone. I grew up with it and I love it. It just might be a southern thang.

And considering the tannins, does anyone have any pairing suggestions?

Cheers

Chris

Cruise Notes... groannnnn.

Preface:
I am sure that I will have detractors for this post, but it's my blog and my opinion... So thbbbbb'. Oh yeah I whine a lot in this post so be warned.

It's the last day at sea, and I am stiff and sore from the wall mounted bunk bed, missing my own bed, kitchen and shower. This is my second cruise and I have come to the conclusion that cruising is not for me. The drinks are over priced, the food is marginal and the accommodations are spartan. And to top it all off I have an itchy sunburn...

Cozumel and Playa del Carmen are crawling with vendors selling every sort of trinket, knickknack and tchotchke. Mostly items that serve no purpose, other than to remind people of where they have been. In two ports of call I only found 3 items that interested me. A shirt that I could most likely have acquired for less in Miami, a traditional grinding stone that weighed 60 lbs and a set of 4 terra cotta mugs, for which I probably paid way too much. I wanted the grinding stone but was unwilling to schlep it back to the ship, plus is was pricey. The shirt turned out to be a little small, but it will languish in my closet until I can shed a few pounds or foist it off as a thoughtful birthday gift. The mugs I really dig.

The one excursion I was willing to pay for, (Beginners Scuba)was canceled the morning of, for some un-named reason. So I still have not had my first experience with a regulator, air tank or decompression chamber.

Now since this is a food centric blog, I guess I should touch on the food at least briefly. In 13 possible sit down meals and numerous snack times, only a few items stood out a pretty good... There was the pizza counter that had the usual suspects, and something call "de Cherve", which as you might suspect from the name was made with goats milk cheese along with sautéed mushrooms, and mozzarella. It was a "white" pizza sans red sauce. The crust was pre-made but not terrible. It was the freshest food on the boat, since the counter is open 24 hours.

One of the other items that was quite tasty was the Caesar dressing. Not something you would think would stand out on a cruise ship, amongst all the "halt cuisine" (food that makes you stop eating after the first bite) but it turns out when you make it fresh, with real anchovies, it's a thing of beauty.

Last but not least was the small dish of Escargot, served in the dinning room this evening. It was very flavorful without any chewy factor at all, very tender. I didn't get a picture because I didn't even think to take the camera to the dinning room.

Update:

Most of that was written while underway in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. I am home now with my post vacation sinus infection. I am happy to be here and am ready to get back into the kitchen.

Next major projects from Charcuterie will be bacon and pancetta. I am all about the pork belly.

Cheers

Chris

...a three hour tour.

I am off to the Gulf of Mexico for a holiday that has been a long time coming. I really can't complain. It's entirely my own fault I haven't had a vacation in nearly 4 years. I am a workaholic, and need a kick in the ass on occasion.

So, to that end, I invite anyone reading this, that thinks of me as a their friend to, when needed, call me on my bullshit and drag me out of my cave of an office into the light to interact with the world.

I will see you all next week.

I would have followed RTK's example and had guest bloggers but I wasn't clever enough to think of it in time to find 5 people crazy enough to want to play substitute for me.

See everyone on Saturday.

Cheers

Chris

And yes, there was cake.

Friday night I had a rare treat. I got to cook on my dream stove. Six massive gas burners that, if needed, could sub in for a reactor on Nimitz class air craft carrier. The beauty was the control. Such wonderful control of heat. The kitchen housing this BTU beast is a beauty too and a pleasure to work in. I didn't get to manufacture the entire meal onsite but I was able to finish construction on two rather yummy bowls of lamb and bison 'ragù alla bolognese con pappardelle'. Which I thought I had posted about, but now cannot the post in question. I very well may be loosing my mind.

I really enjoyed the evening. Nice wine, good food, and exquisite conversation.

And yes there was cake. There was also coffee. Little tiny coffee, but strong flavored.

The cake is not mine to post but I can say with all certainty that it was one of the best deserts I have had in many a year.

I am already looking forward to my next opportunity to cook in that kitchen.

Cheers

Chris

Sandwich au poulet

It sounds so much more elegant than "chicken sandwich"...

What to do with leftover, very good roasted chicken? Do what every 5th grader can do and slap it on some bread and make a 'samich'. I did pair it up with some Dijon mustard, red leaf lettuce, and an onion roll. Chicken warmed and bun toasted in a small fry pan.

I am really into the Lemon Asparagus too.

What NOT to do with leftover, very good roasted chicken.
Stand with the refrigerator door open staring at it longingly.
Make a hat for a cat.
Put it in a piñata for a child's birthday party.

There are sooo many things you shouldn't do with it, but you should have it so you can contemplate what not to do with it.

Cheers

Chris

She called me a twit!

I got twittered.

Shibari Chicken

I am not a copy cat... I got my copy of Bouchon a full month before I read Carol's post on The French Laundry at Home about T. Keller's roasted chicken method. I had my chicken a full 93 minutes before I saw her post... I swear I am not a copy cat. I even "tusked" my chicken differently.

Looks kinda freaky, but it works.

I didn't actually use the recipe that T.K. has closer to the end of the book. I used the one that's in the front of the book, while T.K. is still waxing eloquent about food.
Ingreedaments: (yes I am aware I misspelled ingredients):
1 chicken (you can easily double this recipe by purchasing 2 chickens)
Salt and Pepper
Unsalted butter
Thyme

I can't really say that I grew this thyme, but I did buy, transplant and manage not to kill it, before I was able to use it.

Set oven to 450°... wait... wait... 'tick" the little light goes out... set kitchen timer for 20 minutes... go fritter around at the computer. The 20 minute wait is so that the oven can "charge". I want my big unglazed tile to suck up some heat so when I crack the door, the shitty little bugger recovers faster. ( I hate my stove/oven. The only thing consistent about it is that it runs 50° hotter than the nob shows. That, kiddies, is the best argument for a $5 oven thermometer)

Once the oven was cranked up, I seasoned the bird. Salt and pepper inside and out. My initial enthusiasm for trussing has since been tempered with the cold hard reality of my hand being too big to fit inside a trussed bird to make sure it is seasoned evenly. 

Into the oven for 45 minutes for my smallish bird.

Tick tock...

45 minutes later, at the sound of the alarm, I attended the bird. It was running clear juice when pierced with an instant read thermometer, which read 169°-172° depending were I poked it. I turned off the oven and started a deviation from the original recipe, which involves adding the thyme to the pan and then pasting the chicken with the pan juices.
I added 1 tsp of butter to a 1 quart saucier. Once the butter had bubbled up I added the thyme. I let it sauté for like 1 minute. Until the thyme was fragrant. Now here is the kicker. I added the juice of a single orange to the saucier. It hissed, bubbled, and boiled for a couple minutes reducing just a mite. I poured it over the bird making sure to get good coverage.

While the chicken rested for a few, I did a quick Lemon Asparagus side dish . Little butter, some asparagus, a lemon or the juice of a lemon. Sauté the asparagus until it starts to take on some color, then squeeze or splash on the citrus. Toss while the lemon reduces to a nice glaze.

I used a little bacon drippings in this post to do the same prep. I don't think I will ever boil asparagus ever again.

My final image is purely to tease you.

It's a really stellar prep for chicken. I am not a big fan of white meat but the pieces in the picture had a little of the run off orange thyme glaze dribbled over them and I had a hard time not over indulging.

To intentionally imitate Carol for a second.
Bird and Produce procured a Whole Foods
Orange for glaze provided in a swag bag from the Microsoft SQL 2008 event in Nashville today. It might be the single coolest thing I got there today.
Music to cook to: I wasn't really paying attention.

To everyone I met at Iron Fork last night: it was great to meet you all. I look forward to more, less awkward, social interactions.

Cheers

Chris

Confit de canard - days 3 and 4

Thirty six hours. That's how long I let my duck cure. It was haaaard. So very very hard to sit at my computer for an entire day knowing that there was poultry in my fridge waiting to be boiled in oil... Bwaahhahh (mad scientist laugh). Well not so much boiled as gently simmered for many many hours.

The morning of day three dawned to revel a serious fat deficiency. My duck rendering had only yielded about 3/4 of a cup of fat and I knew, from the recipe, that it would not be enough... I have no idea were MR (that's Michael Rulhman for those of you not up on otks abbreviations) gets enough fat from one duck to confit 2 legs. I guess if I had had 3 ducks, yielding  6 legs, (the quantity of legs in the recipe) there would have been enough fat to render the required 2-4 cups. As it stands I had to go to the store to buy this...

I could have used vegetable shortening but it wouldn't have provided any additional flavor.
Once I had procured enough fat to actually cover the duck in a vessel of appropriate size, I had to give the duck a bath. At this point in the process the duck was still covered in salt, spices, and garlic.

A quick rinse under cold water washed away the residual salt and spices. I am fully aware of the science behind curing meat but seeing the results first hand is damn cool.
The meat was firm to the touch and the parts that had been directly exposed to the cure had taken on a deeper color. I don't know if pink salt would have added anything to this but MR swears by it for curing. However, it was not part of this recipe.

Now all squeaky clean, the bird is ready for a pot. I used my 6 qt enabled dutch oven.

Let me rant for a moment - If you cook a lot, especially French, then you probably know about Le Creuset. Le Creuset makes very nice cookware but it is very pricey, as you might imagine imported heavy French metal cookware might be, but it is not the end all, be all of cast iron cookware. Lodge makes some great and relatively cost effective cast iron cookware. Little comparison: Lodge 6 qt Enamel Dutch Oven $61.95, $12 bucks cheaper at Wally World versus Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round French Oven with 33% Amazon discount is $235.99. DAMN! The 6 - 7/25 qt was the closest comparison possible. Even the premium Lodge Enamel cookware is much less expensive. </rant> That's a little html joke for the geeks.

So into my cost conscious dutch oven goes a single layer of duck parts with the 3/4 cups duck fat that I was able to render and enough pork fat (lard carries a sorta bad connotation but that's what it is) to cover the parts.

As you might be able to tell I used a large disher to portion out the lard. This one is a # 12 it holds 100 ml of water or a little less than a 3rd of a cup.

Looks like a big bucket of ice cream doesn't it?

I melted the fat over low heat on the stove top until it was all liquid. I then placed my grill press on it to make sure it was completely submerged and would remain that way for the entire cooking time.

Pop that bad boy into a 180-200 degree oven for the rest of the day. Six to ten hours per the recipe. "Until the fat is clear". It looked pretty clear to me.

I let this cool for an hour or so before transferring it to an ancient but serviceable Tupperware bowl for storage.

Over night in the fridge puts us at day 4. The fat solidified, hiding the ducky goodness in a fluffy white wheel of fat.

MR says to letting it age or ripen for a week or more will improve the flavor and texture.
Now I gotta confess; I had a little nibble right out of the oven, and I find it hard to believe that you could improve on the meth/crack/heron like addictiveness of duck confit but I will trust that MR knows what he is talking about and leave it until... Oh this will kill you, until after the 10th. I will be on vacation all next week and the confit will have plenty of time to "ripen".

I am taking applications for a recipe Guinea Pig.
I would share the confit with my mom for Mothers Day but that would be unfair to the rest of the clan cause there wouldn't be enough for everyone so best to find a friend or 3 willing to tuck in with me. (hint hint Claudia)

I will detail a final prep post once it has been finished, so until then...

Cheers

Chris