May 21, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
with people like Kate Coldrick in it! (Though I've yet to meet another Kate like this one!)
Those of you who are not familiar with the problem of bleached cake flour being unavailable in many of the countries around the world, particularly the British Commonwealth, might enjoy putting the word "kate flour" in the search box of this blog.
I encourage everyone to follow this link to Kate's blog where she continues the saga of her success in spinning unbleached flour into heat-treated flour. It is through her extraordinary determination and inspired work that this flour is now available to the consumer! Hats off to Kate.
May 19, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
I have made my own sprouted wheat and added it to bread and although the results were delicious, the sprouts that rose to the surface became unpleasantly hard enough to encourage me to abandon the practice. So imagine my delight when chef/author/teacher par excellence Peter Reinhart told me that he was offering a class on bread made with sprouted wheat flour. When the sprouted wheat is ground finely the result is the incredibly silky texture of the dough and open grained springy, moist, and soft texture of the bread's crumb and is nothing short of amazing.
There are many virtues to this flour. For one thing, it flies in the face of conventional artisanal bread-making. Peter informed us that rather than requiring a preferment or long fermentation for depth of flavor, this is provided by the flour itself in much less time because the enzyme activity is already accomplished during the sprouting phase. (The dough, however, can be held for up to three days in the refrigerator.)
A bread made with 100% sprouted wheat flour will be much milder than one made with 100% whole wheat flour. It will also be sweeter in flavor and much softer and moister in texture.
Another virtue of major importance is that bread made with sprouted wheat flour is considered to be more digestible and tolerable to those with some degree of wheat allergy or gluten intolerance that is not true celiac disease. The following is a fascinating explanation from the Essential Eating Site:
Continue reading "Sprouted Wheat Flour--the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread" »
May 16, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
I've had this plant for over 45 years and the first time it bloomed I was astonished. I had always wondered why the fabric, persian print, had the design of purple leaves with orange tasseled flowers, thinking it clashed. When the plant bloomed I saw that the fabric was merely imitating nature, and nothing in nature clashes!
In all these years I"ve only had the purple passion plant bloom about 4 times and this month is the 5th. It feels like a special blessing. It reminds me of Colette's autobiography when she wrote about a long awaited visit from her mother who cancelled at the last minute because a rare plant in her garden was about to bloom. The miraculous appearance of my purple passion flowers--the only little branch of blooms on the huge plant--helps me to understand Colette's mother's priorities a bit better.
May 12, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Television
Now here's something I didn't! When blind baking (baking a pie or tart crust without the filling before adding it) I like to use a large coffee urn filter to contain the beans or rice which are used to weight down the crust and keep it from bubbling up or slipping down at the sides. I prefer it to parchment because I find there is no need to coat it with nonstick cooking spray to keep it from lifting off a little of the crust but mostly because its shape conforms perfectly to that of the interior of the pan. A sheet of parchment has to be pleated in order to achieve this shape.
Fellow blogger Cenk Sonmezoy, from Turkey, has a terrific blog called CafeFernando. One of the great tips I learned from him as that by simply crumpling the parchment it practically shapes itself to curve into the dough lined pan.
As a graduate of FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) I should have figured this out long ago. But isn't it the case with all great ideas that one experiences that "why didn't I think of it" moment?
Thank you Cenk!
May 05, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
It always seems nothing short of miraculous how a small pool of transparent egg white can whip up to a billowy white cloud of meringue...or not!
I once took for granted that it was common knowledge that egg white will not beat if there is even the tiniest speck of fat in contact with it. But then I visied my favorite older cousin, who I thought knew everything, and was amazed to have her ask me why her egg white wouldn't beat. So I want to share the simple but all important details and discoveries I have made that will ensure success every time.
There are three important things to know about egg white.
1. The bowl and beater(s) must be free of fat. If you are not using a dishwasher, give them a rinse with water and a little vinegar.
2. Use exactly 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar for 1 egg white/2 tablespoons/2 ounces/30 grams and you will never risk overbeating the whites. (Overbeating turns them dry and grainy and causes them to curdle and deflate when folding them into other mixtures.) Add the cream of tartar as soon as the beaten egg white begins to foam--after about 1 minute of beating. Start on low speed (or medium-low if using a small amount of egg white) and gradually bring the speed up to medium high. Note: more cream of tartar than the amount specified will have the opposite effect!
3. Pasteurized egg white such as from Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs makes an exceptionally stable meringue. It is similar to a Swiss meringue which involves heating the egg white over a double boiler before beating. (During the pasteurization process the egg white is heated which results in the same effect). Pasteurized egg white, however, will not beat to a stiff meringue unless either cream of tartar or lemon juice is added. You will need double the cream of tartar for pasteurized eggs: for 1 pasteurized egg white/ 2 tablespoons/2 ounces/30 grams use 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Start beating on low speed (or medium-low if using a small amount of egg white) and gradually bring the speed up to high. It will take longer than egg white that has not been pasteurized but trust me, beat long enough and you'll have meringue looking like this!
You don't even need the usual amount of sugar to achieve this creamy texture. In fact, instead of double sugar to egg white by volume I used only 1/3 the volume! Here's my new recipe!
3 large egg whites from Safest Choice Pasteurized eggs: 6 tablespoons/3 fluid ounces/3.2 ounces/90 grams
cream of tartar: 3/4 teaspoon
sugar, preferably superfine: 2 tablespoons/1 ounce/25 grams
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, starting on medium-low speed, beat the egg whites for about 1 minute or until they foam. Stop the mixer and add the cream of tartar. Continue beating, gradually raising the speed to high. When the whites begin to thicken, gradually add the sugar. Continue beating for 5 to 10 minutes or until a thick meringue forms.
Apr 28, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
The main part of the conference lasted for four full days. The best part was seeing old friends from all over the world and discovering new ones. There were also several excellent presentations. Aki Kamozawa and partner/husband Alexander Talbot, authors of Ideas in Food. did a lively and informative session on sous vide cooking (cooking under vacuum).
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Next Peter Reinhart, possible the best teacher I've ever known, did an excellent session on the use of sprouted wheat flour. This is new flour and not yet available but trust me, you'll be hearing more about it on this blog and elsewhere (including Peter's upcoming book The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking (Ten Speed Press--pub date August 14, 2012)! Check out the blog.
SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR BREAD
A SLICE OF SPROUTED WHEAT FLOUR BREAD
SPROUTED WHEAT BREAKFAST FOCCIA (it was absolutely delicious!)
Continue reading "International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference 2012 Part 2" »
Apr 21, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
It's been many years since I attended the annual conference, the last time it was held in New York City. Since that time I attended many annual conferences and regional meetings all over the world. But this year IACP returned to my city for the second time. And there were so many appealing seminars I signed up for the full conference including one day of a preconference tour.
The cookbook awards were held on the last evening and, to my delight, my dearest friend Lisa Yockelson won "Best Baking Book" for her Baking Style. (An award she also won for her prior books ChocolateChocolate, and Baking by Flavor!)
Winner of "The Book of the Year" was Christine Manfield for "Tasting India." I met her for the first time when I presented at the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival and greatly admire her work.
But beginning at the beginning, for the pre conference I leapt at the chance to be part of Madhur Jaffrey's tour of food places in the Indian communities of Jackson Heights and Floral park. I thought I knew Indian food and ingredients but we got to experience flavors and the cuisines of different regions I never had before. One of the highlights of the day was a visit to Patel Brothers, a giant supermarket, where I saw countless numbers of grains, each available whole, hulled, unhulled, cracked, and powdered into a flour. For a moment I contemplated moving to Queens and spending the rest of my life experimenting with all these ingredients. It was a memorable day with the most gracious and knowledgably host imaginable. As I took more photos than notes and spent the rest of the time tasting I can't give you full details on what the dishes were but I do plan to return on my own for dinner.
First stop was Rajbhog Sweets where we were welcomed most warmly and graciously by Nirav Shah and his wife (who took time off from her day job as lawyer in order to host us)!
We tasted many treats including masala tea and the best mango lassi I've ever enjoyed (and there have been many!).
Continue reading "International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference 2012 Part 1" »
Apr 14, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
It's been several years since I attended this show but I remembered the shear immensity of it. Just about every manufacturer of kitchen equipment and anything remotely related to it is represented here (in the hundreds). Chicago's McCormick Convention Center is the largest in the country and walking the aisles is a major expedition and adventure.
This year's show was very special for me because, for the first time, I had my own booth for The Rose Line™ as part of NewMetro Design.
Walking the show and standing by my booth to meet the reps, reviewers, potential customers, and old friends was old home week. Matt, one of the reps, actually brought along the Pie and Pastry Bible for me to sign, saying that he won first place in three pie contests using my sour cream pie crust from the book!
Of course the first person I visited was Robert Laub at Harold Imports and was rewarded with the great display of my pie plates, now available in four colors! I was delighted to discover that they will soon be distributing my products, including the Rose's Heavenly Cake Strip in the UK.
Just a short walk from the NewMetro booth we discovered Fat Daddio's booth. We had a great conversation with owner Gregg Skipper and learned that they are the company that made the Parrish Magic Line pans I've listed in my cake books. They now have an extensive selection of pans and baking equipment. Close by was my long-time friend Lisa Mansour's of NY Cake & Baking--the go to place for bakers and cake decorators in New York City.
The booth next to us, the Wine Doctor, who shares Robert Trinque, marketing and sales, presented a device for wine preservation, which works so well it deserves a separate posting of its own (to come).
We were thrilled to have a visit from J. Randall Owen, president of ThermoWorks, producer of the Thermapen thermometer. I told him how highly I value his thermometer but that I wished it didn't have an automatic shut-off. He gave us the invaluable information that the newest model (the one with the round battery) has 4 switches in the battery compartment and if switch #3 is turned to the off position, it stops the auto shut off!
One of the most exciting discoveries at the show was at the Kitchen Aid booth where we viewed the new 14 cup food processor that has a thickness adjustment for the slicing blade easily accessible because it is located just above the controls on the front of the machine, plus a low starting speed choice option which prevents liquid ingredients from splashing up to the cover. I can't wait to try it but it won't be on the market until August.
Sassafras, creators of La Cloche clay bakers, has a new pot called The Bread Dome designed specifically for No Knead Bread. The rounded and glazed bottom container gives a lovely shape to the bread and makes unmolding a breeze.
Another major show highlight was the discovery of USA Pans that has taken over the Chicago Metallic line (the former source for some of my favorite cake pans) and improved upon it!
We were delighted to visit the Bröd and Taylor booth where Michael Taylor and Julie Dykstra were demoing there wonderful bread proofer for the first time at the show.
After working so hard each day we all looked forward to two dinners I had arranged many weeks in advance. Saturday night was Frontera Grill, one of my dear friends Rick and Deanne Bayless' not to be missed Latino restaurant. As the weather was exceptionally mild, we opted to walk over. Chicago is such a beautiful city, especially at night.
We so enjoyed the night's special of chipotle glazed short ribs and tastes of everyone else's dinner we were not even thinking dessert but pastry chef Jennifer Jones offered us 4 fantastic desserts that we couldn't resist so we dove in. Pictured here with Jennifer Jones is Gary, owner of NewMetro, and his assistant Cheryl, who are eagerly anticipating the desserts.
Sunday night, on the recommendation of photographer Ben Fink, we had dinner at the Girl and the Goat. Again we overindulged in myriads of appetizers and main courses. My dear friend Elizabeth Karmel, of Hill Country, who lives part time in Chicago, recommended the chickpea fritters which was my favorite dish of the evening but the escargot ravioli were amazing, and the goat belly was better even than any pork belly I've ever tasted. I wanted that to be my last taste of the evening but was curious about the dessert of gingerbread, cranberry sorbet, and candied ginger. We decided to share it 7 ways and laughed hysterically when we saw how small it was but it provided a perfect portion of one spoon per person.
We are so excited about the evolving Rose Collection™ product line, which will arrive in stores and on line in June or July of this year. We look forward to the IAH as an annual event and reunion with our new family of NewMetro.
Apr 08, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
This is a story about a dish from my childhood that sounds more like an exclamation than a recipe. My grandmother used to make it on rare occasions because it was somewhat labor intensive and only my uncle would eat it. But when I grew up I developed a real passion for this garlic, veal, and tender cartilaginous-studded gelatin-encased delicacy (whew--a mouthful!)
Recently, Grace Bello of Tablet Magazine interviewed me on the subject of this dish and has just posted this well-researched and informative article on it.
I've always described pitcha's appearance as similar to terrazzo tile, but I much prefer Grace's vision: With its neat appearance, its translucent amber hue, and its settled flecks of meat, it looks not unlike an odd gem, luminous and undiscovered.
Apr 07, 2012 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Eggs
I love this recipe so much I make it during the rest of the year as well. It's great as a brunch dish but also makes a delicious light and fluffy stuffing for chicken. If you are kosher, and opt to use this as a stuffing, you will of course replace the butter with another fat or oil. (Wouldn't schmaltz [chicken fat] be delicious!!!) Safest Choice pasteurized eggs are an ideal choice because they are OU certified kosher for Passover.
Southwester Matzoh Brie
Makes 2 Servings
INGREDIENTS |
MEASURE |
WEIGHT |
|
volume |
ounces |
grams |
matzoh |
3 squares |
3.5 ounces |
100 grams |
unsalted butter |
2 tablespoons |
1 ounce |
28 grams |
1 medium onion, chopped |
1-1/2 cups |
6 ounces |
170 grams |
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced |
. |
0.5 ounce |
14 grams |
sugar |
2 pinches |
. |
. |
2 medium cloves garlic, minced |
2 teaspoons |
. |
7 grams |
2 large eggs, preferably Safest Choice Pasteurized |
3 fluid ounces |
3.5 ounces |
100 grams |
water |
2 tablespoons |
. |
. |
salt |
1/4 teaspoon |
. |
. |
pepper |
2 grindings |
. |
. |
cilantro, torn |
to taste |
. |
. |
Into a medium bowl, break the matzoh into pieces, about 1 inch in size. Cover the matzoh with warm water and allow it to sit for a few minutes until it is soft. Drain away the water, gently pressing out any excess from the matzoh.
In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and fry the onion and jalapeno pepper, sprinkled with the sugar, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and fry for one minute or until it softens. Add the matzoh and fry for about 3 minutes to dry it slightly.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the water, salt and pepper. Mix in the cilantro.
To use as a stuffing, spoon the hot matzoh mixture into the egg mixture and stir until incorporated. Spoon it into the cavity of the bird, without packing it in.
To use as a brunch dish, add the egg mixture to the matzoh mixture in the frying pan and fry on low heat, stirring often until the eggs are set. Remove at once to a serving dish.
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