The One Lemon Tart

Yet another recipe I am revisiting this week. I had some trouble a couple weeks back trying to make a great lemon tart. My first troubles began with the dreaded crust. It would not work right for me, constantly falling apart trying to get it into the pan. After I fixed that debacle, my lemon curd came off too bitter. I ended up taking them to a Superbowl party where because of the copious amounts of champagne they were a hit. It was still not good enough for me, so this week I decided to make it again. I found this recipe by way of Smitten Kitchen and it is pretty solid. Most notable is the use of only one lemon. In this case it's a meyer lemon, not always available, but pretty crucial to the success of this recipe. Deb from Smitten Kitchen also has a fail safe pie crust recipe I used which made everything a lot easier. In the end, it wasn't perfect, but it was delicious. 

Whole Lemon Tart
Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets via smitten kitchen

1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell, or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon will make a sharper, more bitter tart; a Meyer lemon, however, will really make this tart sing)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.

Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. [I actually just use the food processor for this whole mixing part, beating the other ingredients in until smooth.] Pour the filling into the crust but be sure to leave 1/4 inch between the top of your filling and the top edge of your crust.

Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling, lightly browned and set. Don’t take the tart out until it is clearly set, however — you’re looking for a slight jiggliness with no suggestion of liquid underneath. Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.

The Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

My favorite part about this shell recipe and technique is that it doesn’t require pie weights. How cool is that?!

Makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg*

1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for about 2 hours before rolling.

2. To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. (Alternately, you can roll this out between two pieces of plastic, though flour the dough a bit anyway.) Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork.

Alternately, you can press the dough in as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully or partially bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. (To partially bake it, only an additional 5 minutes is needed.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature, and proceed with the rest of your recipe.

Do ahead: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

A short while back we went to a dinner party and I volunteered to provide the dessert. I was trying to think about what to make. What do I love in desserts? Well I love it to be sweet, that's a given; but I love there to be something else there too. 

I wanted to make something I've never made before; something that was a bit of a challenge for me. I decided on something involving caramel. I never really made caramel, and the challenge of molten sugar that can go from perfect to burnt and bitter in a matter of seconds was just what I was looking for. I thought that individual tarte tatins would be perfect- simple and pretty easy to make at their house. That wasn't enough, it needed something else and ice cream was that perfect something else. Usually, a really great vanilla ice cream is all you need for something like tarte tatin, but why not take it full tilt? I have heard of salted caramel ice cream before, but have never had it or made it for that matter. So I went to the source for all things ice cream; cookbook author, prolific food blogger, and bonnified francophile, David Lebovitz. His recipes are tried, true, and awesome. 

Well the ice cream was great as well as the little tarte tatins and this week I decided to make it again. Making it a second time resulted in slightly different results. A little softer, maybe a bit bitter, but still delicious!  Cooking caramel is tricky business- you have to watch the heat. It requires constant attention and care. Maybe I'm jumping the gun making ice cream when it's thirty degrees out and not even spring, but who cares. I have an ice cream maker that begs to be used and I'm going to use it dammit.

"It's not difficult to make good caramel but the secret is to cook it far enough so it's very-slightly burnt; otherwise it just tastes like syrupy sugar. You want to take it to the edge of darkness, then stop it there with the addition of a few pads of salted butter. It'll melt into a buttery caramel that's so irresistible, you'll be tempted to stick your finger in for a taste. 
But please don't...it's extremely hot. You'll just have to wait.

But I assure you—it'll be worth it."

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream adapted from David Lebovitz
One generous quart (liter)

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but be sure to use good salt. I usefleur de sel, but if you don't have it, a mild-tasting sea salt will do in a pinch, such as Maldon, fine gray salt, or kosher salt. Don't use ordinary fine table salt; it's far too harsh.

Because of the caramel in this ice cream, once churned and frozen, it'll remain nice & creamy (as shown in the photo.) To make it firmer, crank up your freezer a bit or store it in a shallow pan.

For the caramel praline (mix-in)

½ cup (100 gr) sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel

For the ice cream custard

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1½ cups (300 gr) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup (100 gr) of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty saucepan: I use a 6 quart/liter pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brush it sparingly with unflavored oil.

2. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)

Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it's just about to burn. It won't take long.

3. Without hesitation, sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring (don't even pause to scratch your nose), then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

4. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they're floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

5. Spread 1½ cups (300 gr) sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

6. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.

7. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 

-170 F (71-77 C).

8. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

9. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10. While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti (about ½-inch, or 1 cm). I use a mortar and pestle, although you can make your own kind of music using your hands or a rolling pin.

11. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel, then chill in the freezer until firm.

Note: As the ice cream sits, the little bits of caramel may liquefy and get runny and gooey, which is what they're intended to do.

24 Hour Pork Shoulder

I don't know exactly when my love of all things pork began. I suppose it started as a child when my grandma made us bacon and eggs for our weekend breakfasts. Grandma was a sort of short order cook on those days. I liked my bacon cooked a little medium with some fat to still chew on, while Pop pop liked his crispy. I took my eggs scrambled (back then), Pop pop had his sunny side up. I always finished my bacon way before I finished my eggs or drank my juice. I've always loved hot dogs and white bread sandwiches made with ham and swiss so as a kid you kind of grow up with it. It wasn't till my early twenties that I started to really cook and I began a small fascination with pork tenderloin. I had a few favorite meals back then like taco bar (more on that later) but pork tenderloin was my fancy dish. Searing it with the right spices and finishing it in the oven. Always trying not to overcook it was an obsession I constantly tried to master. Every time I sliced into it, I hoped for that beautiful rosy center, perfect medium rare. Sometimes I got it, and sometimes I didn't. My roommates back then ate a lot of pork from me and they were the first to tell me if I overcooked it. 

I still love a good tenderloin, but I find it a bit lean for my tastes these days which has brought me to my new pork obsession, the shoulder. It has everything I love about meat: It takes on any flavor you give it, its like a sponge that way. Cooked slow and low, you cannot mess it up; a child could make this. Its super inexpensive. Probably one of the cheapest per pound cuts of meat out there. And obviously, big big flavor, which is what its all about. 

This recipe came my way by one of my favorite books; The River Cottage Meat Book

I have adapted it slightly by adding ancho chili to it, but really its the same great fail safe recipe. They call it the "Donnie Brasco" so I suppose I should come up with my own witty title one of these days. Finding pork shoulder is easy. They sell it at every grocery store and sometime call it pork butt (same thing). It comes in 4-5 pound  portions and is pretty much deboned and trimmed of its top fat layer. This is fine in a pinch, but if you have the time I would go to your local butcher and seek out a better cut. I got mine at Don & Joe's Meats in the public market. They sold half a shoulder, bone in with a little fat still attached. I had them cut that in half and I took them both. I'll freeze one for later, right? Even though pork is a lot leaner these days you still want whatever fat you can get. Fat is flavor and it will keep it moist during its 24 hour vacation in hotsville. The bone is also important; it adds flavor and keeps the whole thing together ( for a while at least). 

24 hour Pork Shoulder

adapted from The River Cottage Meat Book, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

This dish could not be simpler to make. It works the same for a 10 pound or 5 pound cut. I love the ginger, soy sauce, and brown sugar part of the recipe; it really gives it a sweet/ salty thing plus it makes your place smell super yummy. Leaving your oven on for 24 hours can freak some people out, don't worry. If you feel a little uneasy about it, the pork will be done and delicious in about 6 hours. I put the meat in at around 8 pm, flipped it over around midnight and went to bed. When I got to it in the morning around ten, the oven had turned itself off. It was still super hot so I just turned it back on, no problem. 

This recipe has a lot of asian style ingredients, but it doesn't taste like it. 

1 whole pork shoulder on the bone

 - it will weigh about 6 to 12 pounds

4 large garlic cloves, peeled

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

2 teaspoons dried chili flakes

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon chinese 5 spice mix

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Score the rind of the pork shoulder with a sharp knife in parallel lines about 1/3 inch apart, to a depth of 1/3 to 3/4 inch.

With a microplane or fine grater, grate the garlic and fresh ginger into a small bowl and mix to a paste with the chili flakes, ancho chili, ground ginger, brown sugar, chinese 5 spice, salt, oil, and soy sauce.

Place the pork shoulder, skin side up, on a rack above a large roasting pan ( I used a heavy duty sheet pan ). With your fingertips, rub just half the spice paste into the scored rind of the pork. 

Place the pork in the center of a very hot oven (450 degrees)  for 30 minutes to "blast it". Then remove from oven and, using gloves and tongs, carefully turn it over to expose the underside. Using a large spoon this time (the meat will be very hot), smear the remaining spice paste over the pork. Pour a glass of water in the roasting pan, turn the oven down to 225 degrees, and replace the pork.

Leave for anything from 6 to 24 hours, turning it skin-side up again, and basting with the fat and juices in the pan, about halfway through. About 45 minutes before you want to eat, whack up the heat to 450 degrees again to crisp up the crackling. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.

To serve the pork, remove the cracked skin in a single piece and break it up to hand around to your guests. This will be fall-off-the-bone, so spooning the meat onto plates would be appropriate. This will go great with mild starches and greens. I'm serving mine with a potato gratin (I know its super rich) and sautéed brussels sprouts.

And it begins...

I should probably start out by saying that I'm not much of a writer. I don't write much, or read many books, except cookbooks. I wanted to start this blog so I could begin to document my love for food. Im always testing recipes out in the kitchen, throwing dinner parties and basically obsessing about all things food related; so I thought I should start to put all this down into some form. Bare with me, I don't even type.
Perhaps I should tell you a little about myself. I live in Seattle, Washington with my fiancee Danette and our little dog, Stella. I'm a professional waiter and have worked in the industry for a long time. I have worked at some of the best restaurants in Seattle which has taught and inspired me a great deal about food and hospitality. These experiences have driven me more and more over the years to perfect my craft as a server and to find my voice in the kitchen. 

So what can you expect from this blog? I suppose you'll read about my experiments in the kitchen. I will try to document and photograph (beautifully, I hope) the recipes I'm working on at the moment. I will definitely share my addiction to service ware, white ceramic dishes, spices, and salt. I will try to hone my recipe writing skills and share those with you as well. So there you go, lets see what happens. Thank you and happy cooking.