Category: METHODS

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METHODS

QUICK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE


As suggested for Papaya mousse with chocolate and orange
1 teaspoon/5 ml gelatin powder
1 tablespoon/5 ml cold water
2 tablespoons/30 ml boiling water
½ cup/125 ml sugar
¼ cup/60 ml cocoa
1 cup/250 ml whipping cream
1 teaspoon/5 ml vanilla extract
shaved chocolate

In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand 1 minute. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
In a separate bowl stir together the sugar, cocoa, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of an electric mixer until the mixture is stiff.
Add the gelatin mixture and beat until well blended. Spoon into cocktail glasses and sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Categories
METHODS SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

BéCHAMEL SAUCE


Béchamel sauce (roux or white sauce) serves as a great base for many sauces, to make soufflés, au gratins, Lasagne, Macaroni and cheese, to thicken soups, etc.

  • To make the sauce, take an equal volume of butter and flour and in a saucepan, heat the butter until it foams then whisk in the flour and continue cooking until it is well amalgamated and foaming.
  • Then add the heated liquid (volume of your choice, depending on the recipe and the consistency) and bring back to the boil.  Whisk continuously over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens.
  • Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, add salt and pepper and other flavorings such as herbs or spices , cheese, etc.
  • Place a piece of clingfilm over the surface to prevent it from forming a skin, until it is ready to be used.
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METHODS

NAAN BREAD


500 g/1 lb flour
1 packet/10 g/0.3 oz dried yeast or 30 g fresh yeast

If you prefer to use fresh yeast and the recipe requires dried yeast, simply multiply the dry yeast quantity by 3, i.e. 7 g/0.25 oz dried yeast becomes 21 g/0.7 oz fresh yeast.
Another way to remember:
10 g/0.35 g fresh yeast = 1 teaspoon/5 ml dry yeast.

60 ml/¼  cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons/30 ml melted butter
1 teaspoon/5 ml salt
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar
¾ cup/180 ml warm milk
olive oil for coating the dough
garlic, finely chopped to sprinkle over the bread

You can add seeds of your choice, aniseed, poppy-seed, etc to give it a distinct flavor or brush with oil and garlic.

Dissolve the sugar in the warm water to activate the yeast., add the yeast and wait for it to froth.

Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt together in a separate bowl and make a well in the center. Add the melted butter, yoghurt and yeast, mix well, then knead it well until a dough forms. It should be quite elastic and may need a little extra flour, in which case, sprinkle over a little flour and knead again.  (This can be done in a food processor with dough hook attachment.)

Place the dough in a clean bowl that you have greased lightly with oil, also coat the dough with a little oil.  Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 220°C/392°F.  Brush a baking sheet with oil.

Remove the dough, separate into 6-8 pieces and roll out into rounds or oval shapes, about 5 mm thick.  Place on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and garlic (your choice) and place in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Categories
METHODS

The “sous-vide” (waterbath) method of cooking


The “Sous-Vide” way of cooking, as described in the recipe for Slow poached marinated pork belly (”sous vide”- style) with Mushroom Basmati rice, is a method in which you seal raw and marinated food in a food grade plastic bag and then cook it at a low temperature in a water bath.  The food, and I am referring mainly to meat, i.e. tough cuts of meat, comes out beautifully succulent and incredibly tender after a few hours.  If, as a home cook, you want to experiment with this method of cooking, remember it is not really necessary to invest in expensive equipment.  You need a reliable oven, a good quality ovenproof dish with a lid (I use a cast iron saucepan) that is big enough to hold the whole piece of meat instead of a temperature controlled water bath, a vacuum packing machine and patience.  Compared to other cooking methods, the food cannot dry out and the flavor intensifies because all the seasoning and juices stay in and around the food.

 The basic steps I follow i.e. for cooking pork belly, is to neatly trim the meat, then marinate it in a mixture of spices and stock or wine for a few hours, preferably overnight.  When ready, transfer the marinated meat with the marinade to a food grade plastic bag that will withstand the heat, and seal it in a vacuum packing machine.  If you do not possess a vacuum packing machine, do not despair.  Try to get all the air out of the pouch after you have added the meat,  then tie a secure knot. Simple!  Preheat the oven to the temperature according to the recipe — usually relatively low, then heat water in the ovenproof dish to the same temperature as you have set the oven.  Carefully lower the sealed bag into the hot water and make sure the bag is totally covered with the water.  A good idea is to put a heatproof plate on top before you secure the lid on.  Place the dish in the oven and set your timer for the desired time.  When the cooking time is up, carefully remove the bag from the hot water with tongs and place in a deep dish.  Cut the bag open and let the meat and juices slide out of the bag into the dish.  If the juice is too thin, pour it off into a saucepan and over high heat, reduce to the desired consistency.  The sauce will have all the flavors of the marinade as well as the meat.  And as a bonus you have gorgeous tender and succulent meat!

 Here is my Pork belly recipe that I cook in this way…

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METHODS

GARAM MASALA


GARAM MASALAGaram masala is a blend of ground spices common in Indian cuisine. Chef’s that specialize in Indian cuisine, all have their own blends.  This is my version:

Add all the following spices to a medium hot pan and roast until fragrant.  Do not let it burn, though.  Then transfer to a coffee grinder, grind until fine and store in a sealed jar in the freezer.
4 x 2.5 cm/1 in cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
3 black peppercorns
2 black cardamom pods, crushed to release the seeds, husks removed
2 teaspoons/10 ml cumin seeds

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METHODS

Puff pastry


You can, of course, buy ready-made puff pastry, but the pride and satisfaction of having made a successful puff pastry — watching it rising to a golden crispy crust in the oven — is worth a million dollars. Needless to say, the flavor of the all butter pastry is phenomenal.   See Puff pastry apple and sultana parcels with Calvados butter sauce or Stuffed beef fillet rolled in pastry

500 g/17.6 lbs flour, sifted
500 g/17.6 lbs butter, chilled and cut into small dice
1 teaspoon/5 ml white wine vinegar
1¾ cup/425 ml ice water
pinch of salt

In a food processor, measure 25 g/0.8 oz of the flour and 450 g/15.8 oz of the butter and mix well.  Spoon the mixture out onto a large piece of plastic film and shape into a neat rectangle of approximately 14 x 20 cm/5.5 x 7.8 in.  Put in the refrigerator.

Mix the rest of the flour (450 g/15.8 oz), the balance of the butter (25 g/0.8 oz), the vinegar and salt and process, adding the iced water little by little until the dough comes together nicely.  Lift it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.  Roll out and shape into a neat rectangle of about 25 x 35 cm/9.8  x 13.7 in with the edges as straight as possible.  Wrap in plastic film and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.    Unwrap the dough and place the butter mixture diagonally over the center of the pastry.  Pull up the far ends of the dough to cover the butter mixture and press the seams down gently to seal them. Press down the sides to seal in the butter.

Roll out the dough carefully (the butter must not break out) in one direction only until it is about three times as long as it is wide and the corners square – gently easing them out with your fingertips if necessary.

Fold the top part a third of the way down, then fold the bottom part over that to make 3 layers.  With the rolling pin, press the seams gently together.  Turn the dough 90° to the right and roll out once more in a rectangle 3 times as long as it is wide.  Repeat the folds and press the edges with the rolling pin.  Turn 90° again.  Wrap in plastic film and store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding and turning of 90° four times (every time in the same direction), placing the pastry in the refrigerator after each time.

The pastry is now ready to be used.  If you are not going to use all of it immediately, divide up in size portions you will require and wrap each one individually in plastic film.  It will freeze very well and should be taken out of the freezer about 1 hour to defrost at room temperature.  It is better to defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.

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METHODS

Chicken cut into pieces the Chinese way


Cutting the chicken this way, makes it much easier to serve when entertaining a large group of people.

  • Use a cleaver or a large sharp knife and with the chicken breast facing upwards, cut right through the chicken against the side of the backbone into two halves.
  • Cut each chicken half diagonally across to give you two pieces each of a breast and a wing, and two pieces of a leg and a thigh.
  • Find the joint between each breast and wing and cut right through to separate the breast from the wing. Do the same with the leg and thigh.  You will now have eight pieces.
  • Cut each wing into two pieces on the joint, and chop each leg into three pieces.  (If you wish, you can then put the tips of the wing and the leg aside to make stock later on.)
  • Cut each breast into three pieces diagonally, and do the same with the thighs.
    You should now have 20 pieces if you do not discard the tips of the wings and legs.
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METHODS

STILL-FREEZING


Place the empty shallow container in which you wish to freeze the ice cream in the freezer for about 30 minutes before pouring the cream mixture into it.  Ice crystals form in the inside of the container as the mixture freezes and it needs to be broken down and mixed into the rest.  Do this after 30 minutes by whisking (or processing with the pulse setting) the mixture until it is smooth again.  Return to the freezer and repeat every half hour for about 3 hours or until it become more solid and smooth.  Take care not to overwork the mixture as it might become grainy.

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METHODS

SUGAR SYRUP


Combine 400 g/14 oz caster sugar, 1½ cups/750 ml cold water and 2 tablespoons/30 ml liquid glucose in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved.  Skim off any scum that may rise to the surface. Then boil hard for 3 minutes.  Leave to cool down completely, pass through a sieve, and if not using immediately, store covered in the refrigerator  for use later.

Chef’s note: It is useful to have a supply of sugar syrup to make a quick sauce for a simple dessert.
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METHODS

CHINESE FIVE SPICE


Five-spice powder is a spice mixture of five spices, used primarily in Chinese cuisine but also used in other Asian and Arabic cookery.

1 teaspoon/5 ml Szechwan peppercorns
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon/5 ml fennel seeds
1 teaspoon/5 ml whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon 

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast all the spices until fragrant, stirring regularly to prevent the seeds from burning. Allow to cool.  In a spice grinder grind all the spices until a fine powder is formed.  Store the powder in an airtight container away from direct light. The spice blend will stay good for several months.