By Rob, on January 17th, 2011%
I have been searching for the secret of white broth for years. YEARS! See, as of this writing, nobody on the interwebs has laid out exactly what the trick to achieving a white pork or beef broth is. I know because I have looked – there are recipes, but they give you brown soup.
I have previously simmered for 24+ hours, blasted in the pressure cooker, and otherwise extracted every last drop of gelatin and flavor from many different meats and bones – all to get brown soup.
The closest I saw anyone come was the author of www.norecipes.com who suggests boiling fatback and tahini into the brown broth prior to serving to make it white. There is within this, part of the solution. But still, I’m not sure anyone has spelled it all out explicitly. So here it is. The secret to white broth is the emulsification of fat and gelatin into stock through rapid, violent boiling. What? FULL POST
By Rob, on January 1st, 2011%
Someone in the house gets sick, and you don’t have any soup or stock on hand. What do you do? Well you could go buy soup, make some from scratch if you happen to have chicken carcasses and veg lying around -or- improvise. H needed something to ease her upset stomach, so I put together this ultra-quick . . . → Read More: Emergency Chicken Soup
By Rob, on December 20th, 2010%
This is probably one of H’s favorite meals of all time. She LOVES grilled cheese and tomato soup, and for today’s first snow of the season, I decided to bring this classic pairing up a couple notches. I personally don’t really care for tomato soup, so I added some fennel to make it a little more interesting. For the sandwich, I took the best melter of all eternity, Gruyere, and paired it with my sauteed garlic spinach for a nice acidic lusciousness.
The soup was very light but deep in flavor. There was a complexity that lingered on the palate that felt supremely comforting. And the sandwich, dunked in the soup, was just perfect. I used a smoked salt and rosemary compound butter on the bread that added nice woody accents. The spinach gave it what all good grilled cheese sandwiches need – acidity. Mustard, pickles, or tomato can all accomplish this, but the texture of the spinach was just divine. Yum! FULL POST
By Rob, on November 29th, 2010%
I was at the market the other day and saw some really nice looking shell-on shrimp on sale. Right next to those, though, were some super colossals that looked even better, but weren’t priced. The woman behind the counter said they weren’t selling well, and asked if I wanted a few…for free. Um, let me think.
So I got a pound of normal sized shrimp and 4 free shrimp of horrific proportions and started thinking of what to do with them. I do love to make a bacon cream sauce with lemon zest and shrimp but I wanted something lighter, fresher, and new to showcase these gems. I improvised with some Spanish profiles and made it my point to not waste a single bit of shrimp flavor. FULL POST
By Rob, on November 28th, 2010%
I made this stock for the first time recently. The flavor was pretty good, and I put it in the fridge to cool before canning the next day. I skimmed off the schmaltz and didn’t get around to canning until the next day. When I opened the fridge, something looked odd. The stock was cracked. This one through my brain for a loop. How can stock…liquid..crack? Even my most potent oxtail soups have never done that. The stock was hard and cracked like an iceberg but wasn’t frozen. It was super gelled. FULL POST
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About This is a logged journey of food and my adventures in the kitchen with my blowtorch, sous vide supreme (before I sold it) , and other super awesome (and more traditional) tools and techniques.
I hope that these explorations, which my fabulous other half "H" graciously entertains, provide others with inspiration, ideas, or even just relief from boredom.
I don't always use a blowtorch. But when I do, I prefer Bernzomatic.
Rob
5 books/ingredients I’m into right now Coconut Oil
Lard
Microgreens
Boneless Chicken Thighs
Cumin
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