Studiokitchen

Spring

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:53:00 GMT

Sorrel Ice Cream . Ikura No Shoyu . Green Dill Seed

Saba . White Asparagus . Grapefruit . Celery . Pickled Ramp . Chive Blossom

Shima Aji . Green Coriander Kosho . Sesame Parsnip . Fuyu Persimon Vinegar

Onsen Egg . Smoked Eggplant . Ayu Vinaigrette . XO Sauce

Instant Morel Oatmeal . Rainwater Madeira . Truffle Juice

Hiramasa . Mojama . Apple Miso . Daikon . Olive

Celery Root Milk . Chaource Ice Cream . Puffed Corn . Celery Marmalade

Ramp Pickled Garlic.

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:24:00 GMT

Acquired some tender sweet fresh garlic ideal for pickling.

After a 20 second blanch-refresh a particular flavor memory came to mind.

That flavor memory is the finest pickle recipe in the land ...... by our good friends at IDEASINFOOD.

You have to pickle ramp bulbs for a minimum of 5 days and then use that pickle liquid to pickle the young garlic above.

The flavor of the garlic after 1 week is tremendous.

The recipe is right over >>>> HERE.

Green Cumin Seeds

Thu, 03 May 2012 22:36:00 GMT

Fresh Green Cumin Seeds.

Hydroponically grown specifically to seed.

They are a floral and amazing interpretation of the flavor of dried cumin we are used to.

Endless possibilities.

Pickled green cumin seeds.

Green cumin Yuzu kosho

Freeze dried green cumin powder

Green cumin caponata.

Green Cumin in caper brine.

Green cumin-golden raisin savory granola.

Green cumin vinegar.

Green Cumin-"everything bagel" mix.

Pimenton-Togarashi

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:28:00 GMT

Re-blending condiments is the easiest way to add interesting touches to food. The combination of excellent Smoked Paprika as the base of Togarashi along with all the other typical components results in a great variation of the Japanese condiment.

In this case:

Pimenton Ahumado.

Sansho Pepper

Dehydrated Yuzu Peel

Black Sesame Seed

White Sesame Seed

Freeze Dried Ginger

Toasted Nori

And while the Japanese call it SEVEN pepper spice I added 3 more.

Powdered Red Miso.

Cayenne.

Maldon Salt.

I used it HERE.

60 Day Dry Aged Duck.

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:28:00 GMT

Above BEFORE: ORIGINAL POST LINKED HERE.

Below AFTER : 60 Days Exactly Today.

Original Weight : 732 Grams

60 Day Weight : 717 Grams

Flavor : Intensely complex with a slight aftertaste of the cheese "Ami Du Chambertin"

REALLY GOOD READING MATERIAL......if you are interested in advanced Dry-Aging.

Allium.

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:28:00 GMT

Ricotta-Etivaz Ravioli . Anchovy Soubise . Ramp-Pea . Scallion

Madai.

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:27:00 GMT

King Madai.

King Madai . Radish . Scallion . Pimenton Togarashi . Fuyu Persimon . Sesame Parsnip . Celery . Citrus

Ramp Gnocchetti. AEX-18.

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:40:00 GMT

As the seasonal obsession with ramps continues one finds that the simplistic use of ramps while quite delicious really does little justice to the allium. The bulbs are absolutely best pickled while a puree of the greens has endless uses from savory ice cream to pasta. Standard technique requires you to blanch the greens at some point to get a vivid non-oxidizing puree. I do find that the exposure to heat loses a lot of the ramp flavor between blanching and puree process in a vitamix.

Answer to this minor problem = Pacojet.

I find that a super quick salted water blanch followed by putting it directly into liquid nitrogen goes quite a long way to preserve the flavor. It is then packed into a Pacojet container and frozen.

Processed you get fine green powder intensely redolent of ramps which will ultimately be the flavor base of the pasta.

On a side note I would like to run this puree in a centrifuge and make some kick-ass ramp butter. Click the "Beckman-Coulter" link on this page and read about "Allegra X-14" under "General Purpose Centrifuges".

Weighed and thinned out with a measured amount of water and added directly into the AEX-18.

Select your DIE_SHAPE in this case #191.

...........and the rest is history.

It obviously does not require $8 grand worth of equipment to make pasta however most chefs already have Pacojets and the resulting pasta when dropped into boiling water manages to retain most of the ramp flavor especially when simply served with butter and cheese. I would imagine simple dishes like Ramp-Aglio Olio or Cacio e Pepe noodles would be quite tasty simple food.

I am thinking shellfish like Abalone, Spot Prawns or Scottich Langoustine perhaps even chive flowers or leek ash.

Possibilities are endless.

Ideas are free.....sadly kitchen toys are not.

Variations in Condiments.

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:07:00 GMT

Commercial condiment is a broad definition as it includes Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Dijon Mustard, Balsamic Vinegar no matter how expensive, Sherry Vinegar and the list goes on. There is nothing wrong with making variations of condiments, just make sure they are good. I am making my first batch of Yuzu-Kosho and tasted from left to right 3 domestically available in NYC, 2 from Japan and the last from a friend. The variation in flavors is stark but so far the best are the last 2...Japan #2 and fresh made.

Dry Aged Duck: Day 1.

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:04:00 GMT

This is the second attempt at dry aging duck. While the first attempt was reasonable successful it was not a structured test with detailed information. This time the duck of choice is a ROHAN DUCK. It is broken down into the breast and rib cage section. I took a tip from a Japanese chef from Kyoto I met recently at a Yakitori class in New York who briefly salt washes his poultry in a mixture of salt water and Shoyu briefly before rinsing, drying and aging. His contention was that it is not a similar effect as curing or brining but simply to wash away impurities and accelerate the glutamate reaction in the meat. The ratio was very close to 20:1 water to soy and the duck still retains it's meaty aroma without the appearance or aroma of being soy marinated. I am aging 12 ducks and will update with pictures every 7 days and start to cook-taste in 21 days.

Elements 0004. Creamed Spinach.

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:52:00 GMT

RECIPE: CREAMED SPINACH 0004.

Blanched Spinach.

Spinach Juice.

Soft Onion.

Butter-cream Homogenized

Brioche Crumb.

Denatured Garlic Puree

Mace

CATEGORY: Vegetable-Compound

THEORY: Luxury-Operative Flavor-Comfort-Texture Balance

PROCESS: Blanch-Juice-Puree

Highly Enriched Avocado.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:33:00 GMT

What would you do with it.

Avocado > Torched > Salted > La Tourangelle Avocado Oil > Vac Seal 100% > Very Tasty.

F.Y.I. LA TOURANGELLE IMHO makes the best oils on the market.

It would definitely make an interesting Guaca-modern but is exceptionally delicious with just a grating of lime zest.

Elements 0003. Blood Orange Sauce.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:56:00 GMT

RECIPE: BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE 0003

Blood Orange Juice

Red Wine Vinegar

Orange Blossom Honey

Lemongrass

Prickly Ash Berries

Salt

Xanthan Gum

CATEGORY: Fish : Shellfish

THEORY: Acid Balance

PROCESS: Ultrasonic Homogenization + Viscosity Adjustment

Lamb Bacon Fat.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:45:00 GMT

Rendered fat from lamb bacon makes a fantastic liquid vehicle for cooking lamb loins or necks sous-vide or even fingerling potatoes to be subsequently fried.

Details Matter.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:40:00 GMT

"Being a cook is about doing several little things properly"

Marco Pierre White.