WoW! It's been awhile. I guess i've been here....just not here. What have I been up to? Well, working and taking care of life's little obstacles. I left school on a thursday, interviewed for a job on a friday, hired that same day & on the spot, and started working the following friday. I picked up a job wearing this little number. Yep, that would be a pink chef hat. I really don't want to give out specifics on my workplace, but I am the morning baker for a place that specializes in cupcakes baked from scratch. My hours start at 3 a.m., so all I've been doing with my time is throwing some quick meal together ( read: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and passing out. I was finally getting used to the schedule and started planning some blog posts, but my vehicle decided it needed a new transmission. Now we are back to peanut butter and jelly and whatever is in the fridge. Booooo. Sometimes life gives you lemons, so you make lemonade...or lemon buerre blanc. It's not all bad. I have a few things planned such as enchiladas, a tigger & pooh birthday cake, and a giveaway that I am just waiting to find the right (write) time to post.
I may be weird, but my favorite thing about food is the story that it tells. Whenever I cook something special, I like the food to have a meaning and story behind it. Be it an inside joke or have a symbolic meaning, I like the meal to say something. So how does one sum the end of culinary school with a dish? The past few years have certainly been a journey of many ups and downs. A journey that looks simple from far away, but when you're actually involved with that process, you realize that there is so much going on. What's the perfect dish? It's different for everyone, but my story is braised oxtail.
Oxtails really don't get much play. In my grocery store, I find oxtails placed together with all the other forgotten delicacies such as tripe and tongue. It's a product that is looked over in favor of the more popular parts of the animal. Just like culinary school, it's not favored by everyone. Sure everyone enjoys it, but are they willing to put in the time and effort to make it?
In their simple form, oxtails can't really be used. They must be cleaned up; trimmed of the large chunks of fat. When you're done, there really isn't much meat to it. We must continue to transform it into something great. Next, we gather our aromatics; the basic ingredients that develop the flavor in the dish. In this case, it's mirepoix and bouquet garni. In culinary school, it's basic knife skills and culinary math. We don't stop there, we have to have a liquid that will bring all the ingredients together. Red wine and beef stock. Beef stock to echo and enhance the flavors of the oxtail and red wine for those term paper all nighters. Once we gather all our items, we start the process. Seasoning and browning the oxtails then caramelizing the mirepoix. Once it seems like the mirepoix is on the edge of burning (or giving up), we deglaze with red wine and beef stock. Everything quiets down and we place the oxtails back in the pot. Add the bouquet garni and place in the oven to be alone and work on itself. The process feels like forever. Every now and then, you feel like giving up and ordering out, but you don't. You continue to let all the ingredients work together and transform. Towards the end, you start notice and smell the change and finally it is time. You spoon it onto a plate and take a bite. It was all worth it.
So as I sit here drinking red wine, I wonder, what will be my next dish?
Awhile ago, I had seen a post on A2eatwrite's blog about an organization called bloggeraid and this organization is made up of foodbloggers trying to help the hunger issue all over the world. I've never been one for charities. Mostly because most of the money donated does not go straight to the cause but to administration and what not. The great thing about this project is that foodbloggers submit their recipes and photos and all the proceeds will be going towards the the World Food Programme(WFP). I had a few other recipes I was thinking of submitting, but I decided to submit the recipe for red wine braised oxtails. The book is set to come out around the end of this year, so I will be sure to purchase it.
If you would like to submit a recipe, the deadline is March 31st. (So close. I know)
One night, I told two of my ex-roommates that I was craving puto really bad. They stood there and stared me with a shocked look. What? I know it's not the healthiest thing to eat, but it's so good. They informed me that puto is a rather unsavory word in the spanish language. Oh? It's funny that such a word is used for a great dessert.
I can't remember the last time I had puto. It's probably been 7 years or so.It's one of my favorite filipino desserts. Puto is a steamed rice cake that can be flavored with a number of ingredients.The addition of ube or pandan gives the puto a different flavor as well as give it color.Even the addition of cheese makes it a very special treat.
The type of container used to make the puto does not matter. They do make special puto cups, but they are not necessary.
Putong Puti
1 cup rice flour 1/3 cup sugar pinch of salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup coconut milk 1 Tbs. water
Combine the rice flour,sugar,baking powder, and salt. Mix in coconut milk and water until well combined.Fill your desired containers 2/3 full. Steam for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Eeep! I'm so geeked. For years now, I have always wanted a DSLR camera. I enjoy photography, but there's only so much one can do with an HP point and shoot. The other day, my close-friend, John, sent me a graduation gift.(Thank you,John! Mwah!) It was a Canon rebel Xsi. I am so stoked. I love it. For the past few days, I haven't been more than 3 feet away from it. Tommorow,(weather permitting) I will be taking this baby out to Lake Michigan to see the lighthouse.
From letsgodigital.org
Giveaways!
MarxFoods hosts many giveaways and they are usually ones I want to get in on. This giveaway is for morel mushrooms. The winner will receive 2 lbs. of the first morels of the season. I don't know much about morels,but i've had them once in a "risotto" and it had great flavor. I will definitely be entering and trying them once again. The ends as soon as the morel season starts, so get in on it now!
Everyone has a favorite product that they use in their kitchens. My favorite product is a jar of tamarind concentrate. Tamarind is a pod-like legume that is used in Asian, Latin, and Caribbean cuisines. It can be used in a number of applications from desserts to savory entrees. It has a tartness to it and it will give a curry or a soup another depth of flavor. You can buy tamarind in different forms. You can buy it whole and separate the pulp yourself, you can buy it in bricks with the fibers and seeds still inside, or you can buy it in a concentrated form. For ease, I use the concentrate. One teaspoon will stretch pretty far. You can buy a jar online for $6-$8 dollars if you don't live near any stores that carry it.
Tamarind glazed shrimp
1 tsp. tamarind concentrate 1/4 cup. hot water 1 tsp. soy sauce 2 Tbs. honey 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. sesame oil 1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined 1 C. + 2 tsp. Cornstarch Oil for frying (vegetable or olive)
In a small bowl, fully dissolve the tamarind concentrate in the hot water. Mix in the soy sauce, honey,pepper, sesame oil, and 2 tsp. cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat a medium saute pan over high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Dredge the shrimp in the cornstarch.I used a bowl with a cover and shook the shrimp in the cornstarch. It's much easier and kinda fun that way.
Once the pan is hot, shake off excess cornstarch and lay the shrimp one by one in the pan. Shrimp doesn't take long to cook. It will take about 1 minute for each side. Basically, once it turns pink, it's done. Take the shrimp out of the pan and drain on a paper towel.
In a medium saucepan, heat the tamarind sauce*. As soon as it starts to boil and get thick, add the shrimp,toss, and enjoy.
*If you prefer a lighter sauce, then don't heat up all of it. You can cover it and put it in the fridge for later use. It's great for other proteins such as chicken or fish as well.
What is your favorite product to use in the kitchen?
Yep, that would be a pink chef hat. I really don't want to give out specifics on my workplace, but I am the morning baker for a place that specializes in cupcakes baked from scratch. My hours start at 3 a.m., so all I've been doing with my time is throwing some quick meal together ( read: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and passing out. I was finally getting used to the schedule and started planning some blog posts, but my vehicle decided it needed a new transmission. Now we are back to peanut butter and jelly and whatever is in the fridge. Booooo. Sometimes life gives you lemons, so you make lemonade...or lemon buerre blanc. It's not all bad. I have a few things planned such as enchiladas, a tigger & pooh birthday cake, and a giveaway that I am just waiting to find the right (write) time to post.
