Flavourgasmic, the Kitchen & Food Blog » Commentary

We’re Getting the Band Back Together

Brian Hunsaker — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:00:32 +0000

Wow, what a year! So many things have happened since last we posted here at Flavourgasmic. In the coming weeks and months Flavourgasmic is coming back! We are going to bring you cheese making, bread baking, new kitchen gadgets, more restaurant reviews, more foods in cans, wedding planning, and hopefully some good times and better food! I am also planning a new weekly column on how I learned to stop worrying and love scary ingreidents. Thanks for keeping up and I can’t wait to share what we are cooking. Look forward to hearing from you all soon.

True Grit

Katt — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:16 +0000

It’s no secret that I grew up in South Carolina, okay, yes my parents were yankees, but there are just some things that come with growing up in the southeast. One of those things is that I eat grits, I love them, anytime of the day. However they can’t just be those 15 minute instant kind of grits (truth be told I’m not sure that this is not the true start of the civil war), but real grits, the kind that take time, love, and when done right, just melt in your mouth. Hit the link for more on grits.

Grits are a course ground, corn-based, Native American food that are traditionally stone milled. Grits are a by-product of the production of corn meal, they are the coarser bits of corn that are left after being passed through screens to make the meal. Similar to Polenta, a boiled porridge made from the corn meal, the grit was originally a peasant food that has recently become a main stay in some of the countries most prestigious tables. Your modern store bought dried polenta can be substituted in almost any recipe when grits are called for, they will be closest to yellow grits, not the white grits that come to mind with you think of woman named Flo slopping them on your plate at six o’clock in the morning at a truck stop diner.

Having lived in Charleston, SC, for many years I’ve learned that the Holy City is also effectionatly called the buckle of the grit belt, an area that spans from Texas to Virginia. In Charleston people do take their grits very seriously to say the least. Currently, I’m using the yellow and the white stone ground grits by Charleston Favorites, available at Foodforthesouthernsoul.com, these are a course ground grit from Rockland Plantation. They have a wonderful speckled colouring due to the natural process by which they are milled. The stone-burr milling provides more texture to the grit creating both small and larger pieces, than your mega mart variety, this texture also gives you a rather complex taste in your final dish.

Now I must be honest here, after a few trials I’ve discovered that the recipe for Charleston grits on the back of the Charleston Favorites bag is better than the one I had grown up with. It even works with other lesser brands of grits, but buyer beware, there is nothing like a good quality grit. So, here is their recipe, its wonderful…

Charleston Creamy Grits:

Combine 1 1/4 cups of rinsed grits with 3 cups of boiling water, 2 cups of cream, and 2 cups of milk. Continue to simmer and stir frequently for 20-30 minutes while adding 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 lb. butter. Enjoy!

One of Flavourgasmic’s own honored by alma mater, cheering ensues

Brian Hunsaker — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:00:56 +0000

While I know this is not the typical subject matter for Flavourgasmic I feel it deserves a mention. Katt was recently honoured with an article in the College of Charleston Magazinediscussing her career as a special effects make-up artist in L.A. The article features several alumni who have succeeded in the world of Film and TV. By far the most famous of which is obviously Katt. Hit the link to read the article (I’m the Zombie in the background).

The why of brown

Brian Hunsaker — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:51 +0000

Ever wonder what gives your steak that beautiful brown crust and amazing aroma? How about why bread dough goes from white and unassuming to toasty golden brown and delicious? Both of these phenomena, and many others, are the responsibility of the same reaction which is represented by that picture up there. This reaction is known as Maillard browning which along with caramelization are the two non-enzymatic browning methods responsible for delicious food. To find out what ducks have to do with cooking, read on.

Ok so I guess the Mallard reaction is slightly different than the Maillard one but that’s another article. This reaction in food was named after the chemist Louis-Camille Maillard who discovered it in the 1910’s while trying to synthesize proteins. This is of course not to say that it had not been employed in cooking until than. Since the man first cooked dinosaur over a fire (well at least according to the cartoons I have seen) he has been enjoying the flavours and aromas produced by the Maillard reaction. So just what is it than? Enjoy this simple diagram.

Well it’s actually a super complicated chemical reaction as shown in that simple diagram above, but can be explained rather easily. When the amino acids in foods (the building blocks of proteins) react with the sugars in foods, particularly in the presence of heat, the resultant molecules are responsible for the range of aromas and tastes that a particular food has. Depending on the amino acids involved dictates the resulting flavors, it’s through this reaction that we are able to chemically create artificial flavouring. Take a steak that is seared on a grill for instance the resulting Maillard reaction creates as many as 600 unique flavour compounds.

Armed with the above knowledge this can help us immensely when cooking food. Since it is known that the Maillard reaction occurs most rapidly in the presence of heat between 300° F and 500° we now know why it is so important to have a really hot grill when searing steak. Since only the outside will reach these really high temperatures, thus triggering the Maillard reaction, the strongest flavours will be on the surface. This explains why most recipes that call for cooking methods such as braising suggest first browning the meat over high heat. Doing so assures you will unlock all the unique flavour compounds released by the Maillard reaction. Also of interest is how this affects lean cuts of meat. Since most lean meats contain little to no sugars the browning that occurs here is usually a result of the proteins themselves breaking down and not their reaction to sugars. This helps explain the distinctly inferior flavour of lean meat.

Bread is another great example of the Maillard reaction, when baking or toasting bread the proteins and sugars combine, not only to give off that nice golden brown colour but also to give the flavour we describe as toasted. Yep the reaction in bread and the resulting compounds is what is responsible for the smell and taste you get from bread, one of the best aromas around!

Hopefully with a little knowledge of this complex chemical reaction we can bend it to our wills and make sure that the reaction from those eating our foods is as good as the one from Maillard.

Roasted chicken is going vertical

Brian Hunsaker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:00:44 +0000

With father’s day rapidly approaching my thoughts are starting to turn towards the meal I will prepare for my father. After viewing Mr. Walken’s preparing roasted chicken he mentioned this might be something he wanted. Of course this isn’t just any roasted chicken, it’s vertical roasted chicken. This of course requires, you guessed it, a vertical roaster. When it comes to vertical roasters there is only one name to go with and that’s Spanek. Read on to find out why.

The reason they are the go to guys for vertical roasters is simple, they invented it. Of course they didn’t invent vertical roasting, this was done by the Chinese several thousand years ago. What Spanek did was invent the iconic “Eiffel Tower” shaped vertical roaster that everyone thinks of. The vertical roaster as we know it was invented by George Spanek when his wife Anna, a Cordon Bleu chef who had lived in Paris for 30 years, grew dismayed over the inferior quality of produce and meat that was available to her in the US. She asked her husband to create a way to stand the bird up during cooking. This allows the inside to sear locking in the natural juices. Meanwhile all of this was being observed by a young Denis Spanek who was only 6 when his parents moved to the US from Paris.

After seeing how much work was involved in running his parent’s French restaurant, Denis instead went into real estate. He started to get a reputation for preparing vertically roasted chickens for new homeowners. Challenged by his father to try and successfully market the family’s vertical roaster, Denis was originally hesitant. Only after he started receiving more calls on the roaster, then he did on homes, did Denis take the vertical roaster business full time. That was in 1976, since 1979 Spanek has sold over 10 million vertical roasters and in 1981 was named on of the top ten most innovative products at the Paris Gourmet Show.

Given the response that the vertical roaster received Denis designed larger roasters to accommodate turkey, and smaller ones for game birds such as hen, pheasant and quail. He also developed a ring that can be fitted to the top of the roaster that holds 8 skewers for roasting chops, kabobs and other cuts of meat. Since they are vertically roasted they require no additional fat and produce a tender flavourful meat.

Available directly from Spanek you can get an entire set of roasters for turkey, chicken and game birds for just $44.95 in chrome and $54.95 in non-stick black. So why not make your father and Mr. Walken happy this father’s day and vertically roast a chicken?

You’re gonna love my nuts.

Brian Hunsaker — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:06 +0000

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to pull out that post title. Around the office Vince Shlomi , “The ShamWow Guy” has quite a following. Uttering such great lines as, ”You’re gonna love my nuts!” and ”Stop having a boring tuna, Stop having a boring life.”. Well here he is again in probably one of the best remixes ever, in the history of ever. Created by DJ Steve Porter using the Slap Chop commercial, don’t walk, run to the jump.

Katt just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich

Brian Hunsaker — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:00:49 +0000

As I roamed the isles of World Market the other day, I happened to glance up and spot the iconic logo of the Vegemite jar. A couple dollars later it was in my bag and I was on my way home. It has been about 10 years since I was last acquainted with vegemite, and if memory served me right I was not looking forward to trying it again. But time has a way of changing things and I was ready to go. Like most Americans I had originally tried it because of the Men at Work song “Down Under”. I now return to it, however, as a culinary adventurer seeking the truth. Hit the jump if you are a truth seeker.

If you made it this far then let me tell you something straight off. DO NOT eat Vegemite straight. I don’t care if you’re Australian, Kiwi or British; vegemite is just too intense a flavor to eat on its own. It reminds me of heavily salted yeasty beer foam, and for good reason. Vegemite is made from the leftovers of beer fermentation. Basically the waste from beer production is made hypertonic (salt added) causing the yeast cells to shrivel and self destruct. After cooking this solution and adding additional flavorings, one is left with a thick dark brown paste. To give an idea of how attractive vegemite is, show a jar to your favorite mechanic and see if he mistakes it for bearing grease. It’s true. Vegemite looks more like industrial lubricant than food stuffs. Ok but perhaps it’s better paired with other ingredients.

We at Flavourgasmic are going to try several classic and even some new Vegemite recipes to determine if there are any redeeming qualities. According to our Aussie friends Vegemite is best on toast with butter so let’s start there. All items are being served on toasted bread.

Toast with Vegemite and Butter
Brian:Not bad, I used a decent unsalted churned butter and the rich creamy taste of the butter matched well with the strong savory taste of the vegemite.
Katt: Salty, very savory. A little like beef bouillon.

Toast with Vegemite, Butter and Cheese (Cheddar)
Brian:The classic vegemite sandwich, and for good reason. The sharp almost smoky flavor of the cheddar works very well with the strong savory notes of the vegemite.
Katt:Makes the cheddar seem overly salty, however it cuts the taste of the vegemite.

Toast with Vegemite and Cream Cheese (Katt’s idea)
Brian:MMM cream cheese, I personally think the vegemite gets lost behind the cream cheese, however just enough comes through to know it’s there providing a nice compliment to the cream cheese.
Katt:That’s really good. Brings out the richness of the cream cheese, nice oniony flavor.

Toast with Vegemite, Butter, Sliced Tomato
Brian:Very good! The sweetness and slight acidity of the tomato match just about perfectly with the yeasty vegemite. I think this may be my favorite.
Katt:The taste of the vegemite is lost behind the tomato. The vegemite is not a bad substitute for mayonnaise in this application.

Toast with Vegemite, Butter and Avocado
Brian:What can I say, avocado makes just about anything taste good and vegemite is no exception. Adding additional fat by way of the avocado further subdues the strength of the vegemite.
Katt: Not a big fan. I think she was mad at me for making her try it, it didn’t agree with her palate.

Final Thoughts:
Brian:For me the clear winner was the tomato and vegemite sandwich. The combination of the sweet and tart tomato with the heavy savory taste of the vegemite reminded me of a good steak and tomato combination. Vegemite at times takes on a taste very similar to beef bouillon. That being said I would happily eat any of the combinations above, just remember to use vegemite sparingly. Being extremely high in vitamin B you really can not go wrong handing someone a vegemite sandwich.
Katt: Clear winner would be a vegemite, cream cheese and tomato sandwich. Due to vitamin B content she could see herself having a sandwich for breakfast.

This tart won’t get you in trouble

Brian Hunsaker — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:00:24 +0000

The year is 1898. The place is the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France. In this fateful year a delicious mistake saw the creation of the Tarte Tatin. No one is really sure how this happy accident came about, much like the great chocolate/peanut butter debate. Some say that a greatly overworked Stéphanie Tatin, the cooking half of the two Tatin sisters that ran the hotel at the time, accidently overcooked the apples for a traditional apple pie. In an effort to save them she quickly covered them with pie dough and tossed them in the oven. Inverting the apple tart, and much to her surprise, the guests of the hotel loved the dessert. Others believe that she was simply creating an ordinary apple tart and accidently baked it upside down. I personally believe she was probably just having fun in the kitchen. Regardless of how the Tarte Tatin was created all that matters is that it was, and this upside-down apple tart made with apples caramelized in butter and sugar has been delighting diners ever since. Read on to find out how to make your own Tarte Tatin.

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin:
Homemade or your favourite pie dough
6 Golden Delicious apples
1 ½ cups sugar
4tbsp lemon juice
6tbsp unsalted butter

Starting with your apples cut each in half and then cut each half into 4 lengthwise wedges. It’s important that you use a dessert apple and not a baking apple which tend to get mealy in this application, Golden Delicious tend to work best. In a bowl toss the apple wedges in the lemon juice and sugar. Drain the apples after soaking for 15 minutes.

In a 9 in. skillet over high heat melt the butter and add the remaining sugar. Cook the butter and sugar until it creates a nice brown caramel then remove the pan from the heat. Take the drained apple wedges and arrange them in the caramel in a circular pattern around the pan. After one layer add the remaining apples neatly on top. You can really use any pattern you want, just remember you will see them since you will be turning the tart upside-down when you are done, just have fun. Return the pan to medium heat and continue cooking the apples until the juices and caramel becomes thick and syrupy.

Roll out your pie dough so that it forms a round roughly one inch wider than your pan. Place the dough over the apples and press down so that the edges are inside the pan and the dough is in good contact with the apples. Cut several slits into the dough to allow steam to escape and bake in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the dough is brown and crispy.

When finished place a serving dish on the top of the pan and invert to unmold the tart (the dough should be on the bottom). Serve warm with either whipped cream or ice cream.

Thinking about having an affair with a fast food restaurant?

Brian Hunsaker — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Let me guess, it’s not your kitchen, it’s you? Don’t think for a minute that this will spare the feelings of your kitchen. If you do feel like the spark in the kitchen is missing, Susan Serra from The Kitchen Designer offers up a great article on how to keep the magic alive. Before things get out of hand, and there is no chance of saving the relationship, read “5 Ways To Keep Excitement In Your Kitchen!”, your kitchen will thank you.

Read.

From coven to oven, ‘wichcraft has you covered

Brian Hunsaker — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:00:09 +0000

Ok so I might have over reached a bit on the title of this post, but all puns aside ‘wichcraft is a book that is sure to please sandwich lovers and foodies alike. Written by chef Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame, ‘wichcraft brings the recipes from his award winning restaurant ‘wichcraft, into the kitchen. Chef Colicchio holds a special place in the kitchen at Flavourgasmic, for one he is the lovable head judge on Top Chef, a TV show that is not only a favourite in our home, but has also helped to bring about the resurgance of truly excellent food and restaurants. Chef Colicchio is also quite simply an excellent chef, one of a few that understands that meals do not have to be overly complicated to taste good, his food is honest, and I believe Chef Colicchio to be a caring and compassionate person which comes across in his cooking and in his recipes. If you are the kind of person that wants a cold cut sandwich that can be thrown together quickly before work, this is probably not the book for you. If however, like me, you love a good sandwich and want to see how this almost perfect meal delivery device can be elevated to the next level, this is the book for you. While you could purchase it at Williams-Sonoma for the list price of $27.50 why not save yourself a couple of bucks and get it at Amazon for $18.15? Continue reading to see a sample recipe from the book.

From ‘wichcraft: Roasted Turkey with Avocado, Bacon, Balsamic Onion Marmalade, and Mayonnaise

This recipe is one of our biggest sellers but, interestingly, each customer cites a different reason the sandwich is special. One says that she could eat the onion marmalade with a spoon for breakfast daily. Others can’t say enough about the bacon. Tom applauds Sisha’s decision to cut the turkey thicker, thus showcasing its moistness. This is an ensemble piece, with no clear headliner. While we use ciabatta, this sandwich would work as well on country bread, too.

Ingredients:
6 fresh sage leaves
1 (3- to 4-pound) boneless turkey breast
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices bacon
4 ciabatta rolls
1/2 cup Balsamic Onion Marmalade (This and other condiment recipes are in the book)
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise

Note: Don’t cook the bacon over too high heat or the fat will burn. When you’re done, save the fat you’ve rendered and store it in the freezer. The next time you’re roasting some vegetables, toss some bacon fat in with them! (Makes 4 sandwiches)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Slide the sage leaves under the skin of the turkey breast and place the turkey on a sheet pan. Rub the skin with the butter and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey for 1 to 1½ hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Baste the meat with its juices throughout. (Keep in mind that the meat will continue to cook even after it’s removed from the oven, so be careful not to cook it too long.) Allow the meat to rest before slicing, or cool completely.

In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Slice the ciabatta rolls in half. Place the turkey slices on the bottom halves and top with the marmalade. Place the bottom and top halves of the rolls in the 350°F oven and remove once the marmalade is heated through and the bread is toasted. Top the marmalade with the bacon, followed by the avocado. Evenly spread the mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Close the sandwiches, cut into halves, and serve.