Gourmet Scientist - Baking & Cooking

Chocolate Glazing: Cream versus Sugar

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:44:00 -0400

Chocolate Sugar Glazing

I was just watching how to make the Viennese Sachertorte on Epicurious' Around the World in 80 Dishes. First of all, I may regret even more not trying the Sachertorte while I was in Austria. My impression of Sachertorte has been a dense, rich, and fairly sweet and chocolately cake; but this was based on what I've encountered in the US. Seeing what is apparently the authetic recipe, it doesn't seem quite as dense and rich. As I've learned, exported recipes are usually never as good.

Chocolate Ganache Glazing

But what piqued my interest was the chocolate glaze the recipe used. I've always thought any chocolate glazing or filling would be a ganache, a rich mixture typically composed of chocolate and cream. Most might know it as the basic filling for chocolate truffles. The chocolate glaze used for the sachertorte is only composed of chocolate, sugar, and water. I'd venture to say it's chocolate flavoured fondant?? It's probably better without the cream--cuts down on the richness--although it'd be quite sweet? I'm now curious how the two differ in taste. I think I might know as I'm recalling some of the glazings I may have mis-identified as ganache. The next question is then when do you use either. Of course, that probably depends on what you want: creamier (ganache) or sweeter (sugar glaze); or dietary requirements (non-dairy), available ingredients, etc... Anyone have any input??

Crème de Marrons

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:53:51 -0400

Breakfast biscuits

I've just returned from a week-long trip to Paris on a short language exchange program with my department. I didn't manage to try anything fancy nor embark on a pastry/confectionary/chocolate tasting, but I did enjoy a few nice meals encompassing french onion soup, grilled lamb, steak au poivre, steak au roquefort, frites, smoked fish salad, chocolate mousse, and the obligatory baguettes and sandwiches. =) I also came across the breakfast biscuits that my friend introduced to me when I visited her 2 years ago in Montpellier, France.

Still, I did learn of one new item: crème de marrons (chestnut cream). I'd just read about it on Tartlette's blog, and fortunately enough, it was offered as one of the toppings for our first convivial meal of homemade savoury and sweet crepes. One bite and I was instantly hooked. It was a creamy paste of roasted chestnut flavour with a hint of sweetness. I'd only recently learned of the joy of roasted chestnut, and this was even better as it eliminated the work of roasting and cracking the nuts and there was the added tinge of sweetness. It's just as bad as nutella, as I can eat it straight out of the can! Too bad I only bought one small one for myself...

Trout with Woodears and Sun-dried Tomato

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:02:00 -0500

I saw an offer for 4 fillets of trout for £5, and it was just too enticing to pass. I've never cooked trout before and was quite eager to have some. Plus, for our lab Christmas dinner last year, I had a whole trout roasted with a mixture of mushrooms (enoki, oyster, chanterelles??) that tasted extremely delicious!

I didn't hunt for those exact mushrooms but decided to use what I had in my cupboard. Shiitake seemed too light, but I did have woodears which seemed closest to providing a smoky dark flavour. I also thought of using the sun-dried tomatoes. So, with those two ingredients, a little balsamic vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and the water used to reconstitute the dried tomatoes and woodears, I quickly braised the trout and then reduced the liquid to turn it into a sauce. Not the same, but still quite tasty after only ~10 minutes cooking time (was too hungry to attempt anything extensive)! If I have a little more time to cook next time, I may try roasting them together as that may give the fish a slightly harder texture and a more developed flavour.

Sun-dried Tomatoes

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:39:00 -0500

I think there are only so many people out there who can actually get excited by something so trivial as sun-dried tomatoes that are actually dried and not swimming in oil. I think it's mainly because I was able to find what I wanted rather than the item itself. In any case, one day for some unknown reason, I was struck with the desire of hunting for dry-preserved sun-dried tomatoes. I've never bought them before, and I was surprised when I managed to find some at the local supermarket. That night, I reconstituted some in water, and braised it with some onions and lamb. Yum! For lunch the next day, I steamed some vegetables and added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Yum again! Nothing more than tomatoes and some salt, they're really packed with flavour. Definitely a happy and satisfied person.

Salmon Escapade

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:17:29 -0400

Q: How many dishes can you serve with a whole salmon? One day, my friend surprised me with a whole ~1.5 kg wild salmon. If only a camera had captured my expression. One part of me was in complete awe at the possibility of seeing such a large whole fish in England. Another part of me was swooning and caressing the beautiful silvery skin and pink flesh. Then came: what should we do with it? Sashimi came to mind immediately, but as we didn't know how it was prepared after its capture, raw consumption was too risky. Instead, we made the following dishes:

Salmon steamed in scallion, ginger, and white wine

Pan-seared salmon fillet with scallion and ginger

Treacle-cured salmon

Salmon en papillote

Miso soup with salmon head and tail

Pan-fried salmon backbone

Needless to say, we wasted nothing. We probably could have eaten the bones, had we fried them. In any case, we were salmon happy for several days. The only shame is the lack of photos. I guess we were too hungry and excited to bother!

New Year's Day Surprise

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:34:37 -0500

Game: considered by many as a delicacy probably because of it's relative rarity and often difficulty in acquiring. Just a month ago, my dad had half-jokingly asked if I'd be interested in cooking venison if he ordered some online. This past weekend, I was getting reacclimated with the grim disparity between man and nature when we passed more than 4 deer carcasses on the highway just between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the West Virginia border. My brother even caught a snapshot of a beautiful male deer coasting the highway atop a SUV...probably the result of roadkill or game hunt. In any case, I never imagined I'd be asked how to cook venison, let alone having the actual meat in my hands!

On New Year's eve, a family friend gave us a small sliver of leg meat (shank??) that another friend had given to them. How it was obtained, how fresh, and through how many hands it passed (and slivers it lost on the way) I will never know. All I know was that I was pretty excited. Intuition screamed braising, especially when we confirmed that it was a lower grade cut with lots of muscle. The next question was Eastern or Western flavour; and with my recent braised lamb escapade, we conceded with Western.

I was again reminded of the beauty of cooking at home: I literally had everything I needed (or its equivalent) without needing to head to the store. My mom had habitually marinated the meat with bourbon, garlic, soy sauce (and maybe a couple other things) overnight. Luckily, that marinate could work with my idea. With the same theory in mind, I first browned the meat. I then browned onions and scraped off the brown meat bits (deglaze) with apple cider, chicken broth, water, and a little brandy. To all that, I added carrots, potatoes, radish, orange-flavoured dried cranberries, a little fresh ginger, black pepper, and sage. I wish I had bay leaves, but the only suitable replacement on hand was the sage. I left it in the oven covered for ~2.5 hours at 350°F (177°C). By then, the meat was tender but the flavour hadn't fully permeated the meat. Ideally, it should have been ~4-5 hours, but it was lunch time and the smell was driving our stomachs mad.

Overall, the venison tasted nice--very similar to pork actually. The flavour came out well, although bay leaves would have given greater body than the sage. I might have added a little too much apple cider and too little brandy. Plus, it would have been better to use either ground ginger or removable ginger slices to eliminate the occasional potent spiciness. Regardless, it turned out well for a first attempt. The next will be Eastern, unless, of course, we get a really nice tender section that solicits a faster technique.

Christmas Eve Dinner

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 22:00:00 -0500

With the arrival of Christmas this year, I was both the Santa of chocolates and the British Christmas tradition. It seems many students have done the same in the past, and it was my turn to bring the Christmas crackers, mulled wine, mince pies, and Christmas pudding to share with the family. And with that came a full meal that took less time and hassle to cook than I had anticipated.

For the starter, I made a soup with butternut squash roasted for ~45 minutes, beer, chicken broth, a little milk, and browned onion. I took inspiration from the French bouillabaisse and decorated the soup with baked spiced pita chips (olive oil, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper) topped with roasted red pepper hummus.

The main was composed of 3 parts: kale cooked with caramelized onions and apples; salmon poached with white wine, lemon, onion, parsley, and black pepper; and sweet potatoes roasted in honey and lemon juice. The main sauce was a red wine reduction with onions with a secondary sauce made from the poaching liquid (veloute).

As for dessert, it was just Christmas pudding with homemade brandy butter and minced pies.

Overall, the meal turned out quite well. The soup was probably the best with the nutty creaminess of the butternut squash gently embodied with the beer and spices and textured with the crunchy pita chips. The main was okay but a little too light in flavour for a winter dish. I think the main failure was in the sauces, which I know is a whole other facet I must challenge myself to master. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and not very tiresome dinner, entirely westernized but still completely enjoyed by everyone (especially the Christmas pudding, which I had not anticipate would be so well-received!!).

(Last edited 2007-12-28 14:50:52)

Chiffon Pudding Cake

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:00:00 -0500

Finally! Success!

Ever since arriving in Cambridge, I've had difficulty making the chiffon cake, mainly because of problems with the hand mixer. With a house that supplies wacky power, a 6-speed hand mixer is reduced to 1-speed -- turbo -- which makes accomplishing correctly beaten egg whites, one of the most critical elements, fairly difficult. It was quite disheartening as I'd already had my 1.5 failures in the States before the first success (according to my mom, it takes 3 failures, so I've been fortunate).

Now, after yet another 1.5 failures (have I now attained my 3 failures??), I finally made my first success in Cambridge! Yay!!

En Papillote

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:06:00 -0400

Note: Those are my brother's hands

Wow! With only a week of pre-holiday preparation stress, a blissful two week trip home, and a week of new school year chaos, a month has already passed since my previous entry. I guess it's about time I posted about a dish I made back home.

For part of my trip home, I visited Pittsburgh, where my brother was studying, for a few days. We'd just arrived that afternoon after a 3.5 hour drive, and I was unexpectedly making dinner for 5 people that night. [*sighs*] What a loving brother have I...

Okay, I'm teasing. I actually offered to cook after going through a list of unfavourable options. And it gave me a chance to try a very "quick and easy" technique called "en papillote."

Working mainly with supplies on hand, I started with a piece of parchment paper and placed a layer of chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes) and dried cranberries (for sweetness). Above came the chicken breast which I'd rubbed with a hodgepodge mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, various herbs, salt, and pepper (I also made slits in the meat and filled them with the mixture for better flavor penetration). I tucked a couple wedges of lemon under the chicken and drizzled a little more olive oil before wrapping and sealing the parchment paper tightly. Twenty minutes at 425°F (218°C), and each of us was peering into a steaming hot package of mouth-watering chicken and vegetables.

Basically, ''en papillote ''is a form of steam cooking and is ideal for leaner cuts of meat (i.e. chicken breast, fish). Any type of vegetable, fruit, or even rice can be mixed in. A key ingredient is oil; with that, you are free to use whatever sauce, herb, or spice you desire. Although parchment paper is preferred, aluminum foil can also be used. It's because of such freedom and relatively short cooking time that makes ''en papillote'' so friendly. Plus, cleaning is easy!

Surprisingly Moist and Crispy Scones

nospam@example.com (Crystal Cheng) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:02:00 -0400

This past Sunday, we made scones that were amazingly delicious! As it was an impromptu request, we used ingredients that were immediately on hand and a recipe that I modified for higher moisture. The most basic recipe called for 4 ingredients, but me being the complicated cook, it extended to 9. I mixed white and wholemeal flour and added skimmed milk and an egg. I was expecting a fairly dense scone, but what resulted resembled a light biscuit/cookie. The crust was a thin crisp layer while the inside was moist, soft, not doughy nor crumbly; and the flavor was mildly sweet with a gentle grainy crunch.

I think the wholemeal flour improved the scone incredibly. It prevented too much gluten from forming while the wholemeal added a nice texture. The milk and egg definitely helped with moisture. And of course, the butter was a big plus; although I'd venture to say the scones would be fine with a little less.

As I quote my friend, "It's almost a crime to put anything on it!" Seriously, it tasted so good, we were content eating it plain.