November 28, 2009
Posted by Chichi Wang, November 28, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
After the sensory overload of Thanksgiving, all I want are the pure, soothing flavors of Japanese cuisine. Most Japanese recipes involve some combination of dashi, soy sauce, sake, and mirin, yet the sum of these few components is always greater than the parts. Aside from umami-intensive soy sauce, it must be all those free-flowing glutamates present in dashi that lend such complexity to each dish.
Most of the dashi I make goes towards miso soup and chawan mushi, the latter of which is not nearly as common in Japanese restaurants. Chawan mushi is an egg custard—the most delicate, ethereal egg custard I know of. The trick is to use as much liquid as possible in proportion to the eggs, which produces the soft, silky texture that's the mark of an impeccable chawan mushi.
When properly made, the custard should be barely set and quivering. We often use the word "quivering" to describe custard dishes, yet not all textures are delicate to such a degree. Crème brûlée, for instance, is not so much "quivering" as "creamy," and flan is better described as "jiggly." But chawan mushi truly quivers, a trembling mass of custard that seems to glide down your throat.
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Posted by Caroline Russock, October 21, 2009 at 5:00 PM
The following recipe is from the October 21 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Eggs in Purgatory is a wonderful example of how dishes that are considered cucina povera don't have to taste particularly, well, poor. This recipe comes from The Southern Italian Table by Arthur Schwartz, and is a popular quick and cheap meal throughout Southern Italy. I haven't priced it out, but I'm pretty sure that this dish can easily and heartily feed four people for well under $5.
I was skeptical of this combination at first, wondering just how satisfying chopped tomatoes and eggs could be, but after the first bite I was a happy convert. I like to keep my eggs on the runny side so that when they break open the yolk imparts its creaminess into the tomato sauce. A few spoonfuls of ricotta are a nice addition to this dish, and if you happen to have any greens laying around your crisper, they can be sautéed with the onions before you add the tomatoes. The name might sound a little menacing, but this dish is far from scary.
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Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, September 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.
I love this kind of recipe. It's simple enough but not at all boring. It's cheap, can be made ahead, reheats beautifully and is suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Plus, though I always enthusiastically welcome a pate brisee crust, rich and flaky with butter, this shredded potato crust is a thick, flavorful base that complements the savory filling and crisps around the edges like your favorite hash browns.
Sausage is an excellent ingredient for adding meaty taste and texture in very small amounts. This recipe calls for a single link, just about a quarter pound of sausage. I opted for mild Italian pork sausage, but substitute your own preference (turkey, chicken or breakfast sausages would work well) to change the flavor profile.
If you make the quiche ahead, let it cook nearly completely, cover it well and refrigerate until ready to eat. Reheat in a 350° F oven for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through. Cover with foil to prevent the crust from burning. Alternatively, cut the quiche into wedges and microwave them to reheat.
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Posted by Caroline Russock, September 17, 2009 at 12:45 PM
[Flickr: Robyn Lee]
I consider Spaghetti alla Carbonara one of my culinary secret weapons. No matter how sad the state of my refrigerator, chances are that I have all of the ingredients on hand to produce a steaming and satisfying plate of carbonara. I've learned over the years that as long as I have a few eggs, a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and some sort of cured pork product, I will never go hungry nor will I be disappointed.
There might be a few other incarnations of pasta that are equally as quick, but none deliver the richness of this simple mix of bacon, eggs, and pasta. If you have never made this dish before, Ari Weinzweig's recipe from Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon is a great place to start. Boil the pasta, crisp up some pork (bacon, pancetta, guanciale, even diced salt pork will do), drain the pasta, add it to the rendered pork fat, mix in the eggs and grated cheese, toss with a generous amount of black pepper, and you are finished.
Once you learn the basic formula you can add your own touches. Fresh herbs are always a nice addition—I am particularly fond of parsley and chives. You can deglaze the pan with white wine for a little added acidity or add a touch of cream if you like your pasta a bit saucier.
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Posted by MichaelNatkin, September 2, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Note: Serious Eater Michael Natkin of the vegetarian blog Herbivoracious drops by every Wednesday to share a delicious recipe to expand our vegetarian repertoire. This week's dish will make you the popular kid at the Labor Day bash.
Want to be a hero at your Labor Day barbecue? Gotcha covered. Show up with a plate of deviled eggs. You can never make too many and I'll bet you a dollar they will be gone in minutes.
I didn't stray too far from the traditional seasonings though I couldn't resist using smoked paprika and making the mayonnaise from scratch for some additional flavor. Sumac (the Middle Eastern spice, not the notoriously skin-irritating weed) also makes an attractive garnish but if you don't have any, more paprika will be just fine.
If you are against eating raw eggs for safety reasons, or just want to make this a little quicker, feel free to use a good prepackaged mayonnaise instead. The flavor of homemade mayo, however, is incomparable, and once you know how to whip it up, you can flavor it so many different ways.
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, August 30, 2009 at 6:00 AM
[Credit: Robin Bellinger]
One New Yorker cartoon that lives in my memory shows a man teasing his wife, “You’ll buy anything if it says poids net.” If you suffer from Francophilia, as the cartoon woman and I do, you will be taken with trouchia, a traditional chard-and-onion omelet that, despite its French provenance, doesn’t involve any tricky flipping or rolling—perhaps because it’s from the easygoing south. Better still, it is delicious at room temperature and therefore can be prepared in advance.
I often overcook mine (which is really Deborah Madison's from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone), since I have an unconquerable fear of discovering a runny egg pool in the middle of my breakfast. Luckily, I rather like the browned edges. Make French potato salad and ratatouille ahead of time, too, and brunch will be as relaxing for you as it is for your guests.
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Posted by Carolyn Cope, August 25, 2009 at 9:30 AM
In the Crisper
Featured Veg: Kale
Strip: Remove leaves from stems by running thumb and forefinger along stem from bottom of leaf to top.
Chop: Cut leaves crosswise into 1-inch strips.
Wash: Submerge in large bowl of water and agitate. Let debris settle to bottom. Repeat in fresh water. Do not dry--moisture aids in cooking.
Substitute: Collards, mustard, dandelion, kohlrabi greens
My family suffers from a genetic condition called Big Deal Syndrome (BDS). Though we're also reasonably high-functioning, there's no issue, no task, no microgreen too small for us to make into a big deal over the course of a day or two. Replying to that email? Big deal. Running to the store to get some flour? Big deal. Sometimes I like to say we're "overthinky" to make our condition sound charmingly neurotic, like something all you cute aspiring novelists might want a piece of. Trust me, though. You don't.
A surprising downside of BDS--and this one is kind of a big deal--is that those of us also prone to overcompensation will, for the back half of our college years, act like nothing is a big deal. Then we'll spend a few years trying to follow other people's lead on the big-deal front, eventually getting so out of touch with our own inner compass that we'll lose the ability to identify a true big deal when it's staring us in the face. Sure, sometimes we'll lunge at our babies in full Heimlich pose if they cough while eating a Cheerio. But other times we'll dive right into the world's longest recipe for what Michael Ruhlman calls the "world's sexiest pie" at 10 p.m. with every expectation of getting a full night's sleep.
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Posted by Ed Levine, August 9, 2009 at 4:52 AM
Who is Lucy Dobson? She's a friend of the terrific and very funny cookbook and children's book writer Ann Hodgman. This recipe is from Hodgman's Beat That! Cookbook. Here's what Hodgman has to say about cheese souffle:
Now what's the main problem with cheese souffle? Besides the fact that it falls, I mean? I put it to you that the main problem is those stupid beaten egg whites. Not only do you have to treat them like the spoiled babies they are, but they also muffle the cheese flavor so terribly! Why bother making orthodox cheese souffle at all, when all you'll end up with is a sunken pile of baked fluff?
Pretty funny stuff. And there's lots more where that came from in Beat That! and its companion volume, Beat This!
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 26, 2009 at 8:25 AM
What is a cheese strata? Well, I found and adapted this recipe in the classic American Century Bookbook, so I'll let the terrifically talented author Jean Anderson describe it for you: "buttered slices of bread layered into a casserole with grated cheddar and topped with beaten eggs and milk." Need I say more?
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 19, 2009 at 9:12 AM
A frisée aux lardons salad is one of my favorite bacon-and-egg combinations. I know I bore my friends when I order it just about every time I go to the quintessential New York downtown brasserie Balthazar (where the exemplary cooking is done by the talented co-chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson), but I don't care. This recipe, adapted from the beautiful and useful Balthazar Cookbook, is easy to make and seriously delicious.
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Posted by Ed Levine, June 28, 2009 at 8:00 AM
I was very moved recently by a Talk thread involving a member of the Serious Eats community being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. One of the many heartfelt comments mentioned in Tom Valenti's (and Andrew Friedman's) new You Don't Have to Be a Diabetic to Love This Cookbook, which has many recipes suitable for brunch. Valenti and I host a charity dinner every year that benefits the Association to Benefit Children. We hosted this year's dinner this past week, and Valenti made this incredible asparagus dish with a gribiche sauce. One of the guests asked for the recipe. Valenti said there's a version of it in his new book. Here it is.
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Posted by Caroline Russock, June 17, 2009 at 5:00 PM
The following recipe is from the June 17 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Omelet Gramajo is served in cafes and bodegas all over Argentina. There are many different stories about its origins but Francis Mallmann, author of Seven Fires, tells one that is close to his heart. He claims that this omelet was created by Arturito Gramajo, husband of the famous tango singer Elisita Gramajo. Mallmann's grandmother, or Tata, told him that she was once courted by Gramajo all the way back in 1919.
Romantic stories aside, I thought that this omelet was an elegant combination of traditional American breakfast ingredients. You have your fried potatoes (or hash browns), ham (or the more refined jamón ibérico), and eggs.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 10, 2009 at 4:30 PM
When I was complaining last week about wanting some kind of egg pie to slice up for dinner, this is exactly and precisely what I meant. Though I've written about a Spanish Tortilla on Serious Eats before, it was a baked affair that was perfectly edible, but not very authentic. This recipe for tortilla espanola from Saveur is the real deal. All I needed to do was embrace the oil.
Oil covers the potatoes and onions, which are slow cooked for about 20 minutes until they are completely tender and infused with flavor. Some oil (just under 1/2 cup) is drained off, leaving the other half inside and making this not insanely unhealthy, but still in the questionable realm. But none of that oil matters once you take a bite. If you really feel bad then just do what I did, which was take a nice two mile walk afterward to feel better about myself.
You need the oil—it miraculously makes the tortilla taste like it has both cheese and butter running through its veins, though neither comes anywhere close. Each bite is succulent. Even the oil that is drained off is genuinely delicious. Save that stuff and use it.
I'm in awe of this recipe, and ate way more than the recommended serving size. I may start running more often just to have this guy once a week.
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Posted by Ed Levine, June 7, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Springtime is asparagus time in most parts of the world, so it's a perfect moment to make an asparagus and smoked salmon frittata recipe, which I've adapted from Tom Valenti's terrific new cookbook, You Don't Have to Be Diabetic To Love This Cookbook. In his headnote Tom says that timing is key for this recipe: Drape the salmon over the frittata immediately after it comes out of the oven.
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Posted by Blake Royer, June 2, 2009 at 5:15 PM
This post isn't meant to be a take-down of good old American diner omelets: fluffy, stuffed full of fixings, oozing cheese. I happen to love omelets like that. But I also love an omelet that's done in the classical French way, a more artful affair that's thin, spare, and just barely cooked past runny. Laced with a bit of cheese, perhaps some chopped herbs, or nothing at all—what's important is that the omelet is not a vehicle for what's inside. It's about the eggs themselves.
And it's a sublime transformation from raw eggs to omelet, done in less than two minutes (unlike scrambled eggs, which are best cooked for an age over impossibly low heat), so the perfect quick pantry dinner. I found the recipe I was looking for in an old post on eGullet, a website which never fails to satisfy (and usually stoke) my curiosities. Besides offering good suggestions for salt and pepper, it also suggests a teaspoon of cold water per egg, which steams during cooking, adding some extra fluffiness to the eggs.
In the end, a good omelet is about good technique, which is really a matter of practice. But this post got me started.
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Posted by Ed Levine, May 31, 2009 at 8:00 AM
In Tom Valenti's headnote to this recipe in his brand new, really smart and inspiring You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook, he says that his version of Eggs in Hell was inspired by a recipe he read in the legendary California chef Jeremiah Tower's first cookbook. Valenti calls for reduced-sugar ketchup for obvious reasons, but if you are not a diabetic, feel free to substitute regular ketchup (I like Heinz).
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Posted by Ed Levine, May 17, 2009 at 8:00 AM
This seriously delicious recipe comes courtesy of my friend Robb Walsh, the author of The Tex-Mex Cookbook. In the headnote in the book, Robb explains that it was actually bestowed upon him by Robert Amaya of Taco Village in Austin, Texas. Serve these babies with steamed flour tortillas.
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Posted by Ed Levine, May 10, 2009 at 8:00 AM
I'm going to make this Frittata with Spinach and Cheese, adapted from Mario Batali's encyclopedic Molto Italiano, for Vicky's family today. Why not? It's perfect Mother's Day fare. It looks great, all golden brown and bubbly; it tastes great, all tangy and grassy; and it seems both healthy and hearty, with its combination of spinach and two cheeses.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. This frittata fulfills the one essential Mother's Day brunch food function: Kids and moms and grandmoms will all find it seriously delicious.
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Posted by Kerry Saretsky, May 7, 2009 at 1:30 PM
What's in a name? According to Shakespeare, not a whole lot. But does Shakespeare really know everything? To me, there are two kinds of names that are of the utmost fascination in the culinary world: the dishes a nation names after itself, and the dishes nations name after other nations. It seems to me there should be some great linguistic professor like Henry Higgins raring to study this complex, absolutely loaded subject.
My story begins when I was a student in Paris when I was fifteen. Paris was easy to love. But after yet another Gruyère crêpe from the crêpe man near the Tuileries garden, I just wanted a taste of home. I found a pizza shop, and being the good New York girl that I am, I immediately went in for a slice. The pizza was rectangular, and as it does in Europe, it had been sitting under a glass case all day. The disappointment overwhelmed me. OK, I consoled myself, the shop is clean, and when in France.... I looked up at the pizza selections and spotted "Pizza Americaine" right away. "American pizza!" I exclaimed. Oh, thank goodness! Where is it? I look around and around the little shop for a great round pie, bubbling up with marinara and mozzarella, but alas, there was none. I spoke to the man across the counter in French, "Qu'est-ce que c'est, votre pizza americaine?" He then pointed to a little square slice under the glass and started enumerating the toppings: onions, ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, and hard-boiled eggs. I was so desperate that I just started laughing. I had never once seen a pizza in America with a hard-boiled egg on it, much less corn.
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Posted by Caroline Russock, April 29, 2009 at 1:15 PM
This recipe for potatoes with chile rajas and scrambled eggs from Mark Miller's Tacos is my idea of the perfect breakfast. In fact, I make a variation of potato and egg tacos at least once a week for a quick meal. It's a great "clean out the fridge dish"—if you have any leftover rice, beans, meats or vegetable you can throw them into a tortilla along with the potatoes, eggs and chiles. Miller like to serve these tacos for breakfast or brunch, along with some spicy Bloody Marys garnished with a pickled jalapeno for an extra kick.
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