Cooking Like Heston: Lemon Tart
Heston Blumenthal's How to Cook Like Heston covers a different main ingredient each week. Just as in my last post, I've made another egg dish - the Lemon Tart from the show. This one is a bit tricky in that you have to cook it just perfect to ensure that the egg are cooked enough, but don't become "eggy". This recipe calls for a little vanilla and lemon in the crust, which is pre-baked before you add the custard. Then using precise and periodic internal temperature readings will get you the perfectly set custard for your tart. This one was a fun one. I used Heston's method of evening out the crust cooking - using coins instead of beans as weights which finally gave purpose to my little collection of foreign coins. I didn't roll out the dough thin enough and as a result, I had leftover custard, which I just went ahead and cooked in a stove pan anyways.
Heston's recipe is here, but I've reprinted it for you below, with conversions from metric, however, keep in mind that metric is much more precise!
[edit] couple of notes, thanks to my good friend, Susanna, who pointed out that Americans might not understand a few terms: caster sugar is superfine sugar and icing sugar is confectioners sugar in The States. Double cream may be hard to find - it is 48% butterfat, but you can just use heavy whipping cream as a substitute.
LEMON TART
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
300g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
150g unsalted butter (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp OR 10 tbsp or 1 stick + 2 tbsp)
½ tsp salt
120g icing sugar (1 cup + 3 tbsp)
3 large egg yolks
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 egg for the egg wash
For the filling
Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons
300ml double cream (1 1/4 cups)
390g white caster sugar (1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
9 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Method
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, butter and salt on low speed until it becomes a sand like texture (approximately 2-3 minutes).
In the meantime, in a tall container blitz together the icing sugar and egg yolks with a hand blender.
Add the vanilla seeds and lemon zest to the egg yolk mixture and then add to the bowl in the mixer and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined and a very soft dough has formed (approximately 3-5 minutes).
Mould the dough into a flat rectangle and wrap it in clingfilm before placing in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2mm, using two stacked 2 pence coins as guides, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Line a 26cm tart tin (2.5cm deep) with the pastry making sure to press it into the edges and leaving the pastry hanging over the edge.
Take a sheet of baking paper and scrunch it up several times to eliminate any sharp edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Place the baking paper on top and add enough coins (or baking beans) to fill the casing ¼ of the way up. Place in the preheated oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
In the meantime, mix some of the leftover dough with an egg using a hand blender.
After 20 minutes, remove the baking paper and coins and, using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the tart with the dough and egg mixture. This ‘liquid pastry’ will ensure that any holes will be sealed. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 120ºC/gas mark ½. Place the baked pastry case in the oven to warm up.
Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together using a spatula. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.
Slide the oven rack out a bit, then pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven. Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in, and bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes or until the temperature of the filling reaches 70ºC. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
Just before serving, trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard.
Cooking like Heston: Scotch Eggs
I've been inspired by a new British series, How to Cook Like Heston. Each episode focuses on a key ingredient: Beef, Eggs, Chocolate, etc done by Heston Blumenthal, chef/owner of the 3-Michelin star Fat Duck in London. This latest episode I saw was all about eggs, so i've done his scotch eggs. Later this week I'm hoping to do a few other egg dishes, but for now, I give you Heston's scotch eggs - soft boiled eggs, wrapped in sausage and coated with bread crumb - which as you will note by the photograph, still have a somewhat runny yolk. Hard to imagine for an egg that has been boiled, deep-fried and then baked. The key is cooking at the right temperature. You soft boil the egg by getting the egg and water right to boiling, cover the pot and let sit for 3 minutes, then stop the cooking with an ice bath. Deep fry at 190c(375F) until just golden brown and then bake for 10 minutes at 190c(375F). My yolk is a little hard, which I think must have happened in the boiling process considering that the other two temperatures were spot on.
Heston's recipe can be found here. I've reprinted it below with the conversions (damn metric system!!)
Scotch Eggs
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
10 medium eggs
450g (1lb) good-quality sausages, skins removed
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cornflour
45g (3/8 cup) French’s mustard
Salt and black pepper
Plain flour
50g (1/4 cup) whole milk
125g (5/8 cup) breadcrumbs (If you use coarse breadcrumbs, blitz them in a food processor for approximately 5 seconds to create a coarse powder so the crumbs don’t absorb too much fat during frying.)
Groundnut oil, for deep-frying
Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5 (375F). Put 8 of the eggs into a pan in which they fit in a single layer. Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by 3cm and cover with a lid then place the pan over a high heat.
Once the water comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand for 3 minutes. In the meantime, fill a bowl with ice and cold water and after the 3 minutes, transfer the eggs to the iced water. Leave to cool for 10–15 minutes.
Place the sausage meat in a food processor with the smoked paprika, cornflour, mustard, and a splash of cold water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and blitz together. Divide into eight balls, approximately 55g (about 3tbsp) per portion.
Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the shells using a teaspoon.
Flatten each portion of sausage meat between two sheets of clingfilm into a circle, then remove the top layer of clingfilm. Place an egg in the centre of each sausage meat circle. Wrap the sausage meat around the egg, by bringing all of the edges together and twist the top of the clingfilm. Press the edges to seal but don’t press too hard. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, put some plain flour into a small bowl and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Beat the remaining eggs in a second small bowl and stir in the milk. Put the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Roll each coated egg in the flour, gently tapping off any excess, then dip it in the beaten egg. Finally, roll it in the breadcrumbs, making sure that all sides are coated. Place the eggs in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Heat a deep fat fryer to 190ºC (375F) or place a deep saucepan of oil over a high heat until it reaches this temperature.
Fry the Scotch eggs two at a time for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack over a baking tray. When all the eggs have been fried, place the tray in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately while the yolks are still runny
Brunch Time: Yellow Squash and Eggs
Eggs get boring, especially if you eat them for breakfast a lot, like myself. Scrambled, fried, poached, etc. Luckily I can mix it up by coming up with cool little concoctions in a cast iron skillet, which always looks so pretty when a little personalized one comes to my table at just about any NYC brunch spot. I don't have little personal cast iron skillets so I make mine in one big one. The main ingredient, aside from eggs, is tomatoes. But you can throw just about anything in there to reinvent the breakfast classic.
Yellow Squash and Eggs
2 large yellow squash
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Large Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 basil, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 eggs
salt + pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375F
Cut the ends off the squash and grate using a box grater (larger holes). Combine with the kosher salt in a colander and let drain in the sink for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, squeeze out all excess water and let sit.
In a cast iron, or other oven proof skillet heat sunflower oil until hot on medium heat, combine shallots and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring continuously ensuring that it doesn't burn add the squash and tomatoes and cook, stirring intermittently for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cheese and almost all of the basil. Leave a little for garnish at the end.
Create four wells, evenly spaced in the sauce and carefully add the eggs, one in each well. top with salt and pepper. Cook in oven for 10 minutes. The whites should be set and the yolks still runny. Top with basil. Serve hot.
Taco’s with Spicy Lentil “Meat”
One of my increasingly favorite food blogs to read these days is The Chubby Vegetarian. While yes, some of his recipes seem very unhealthy, I find that a lot of them are quite healthy. My girlfriend pinned this recipe recently so I put it on the schedule. Taco nights are the best. We should have them every week! This taco packs a little bit of spicy and a fulfilling smokey flavor (add more chipotle's for extra spicy and smokey) Recipe below the photo's:
A mix of the onion, chili powder and cumin
Adding the lentils, water, sun-dried tomatoes and other ingredients
The finished mixture
Prepared veggies for toppings
The finished taco
My adaption of The Chubby Vegetarian's recipe:
1 onion (diced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 Chipotle's in Adobo, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup dry brown lentils
2 cups water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (finely chopped)
6 Flour or Corn Tortilla
Tomato, finely chopped
Green Onion, finely chopped
Avocado, diced
Sour Cream
Cabbage, finely shredded
In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil. Once the onion is translucent, add cumin, salt, chili powder and chipotle and allow to cook for about a minute more. Add the remaining ingredients and bring it all up to a boil. Reduce mixture to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 35 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. (You want the lentils to be tender, but not falling apart.)
Arrange a shell on a plate, top with cabbage, cheese, tomato, onion and avocado. Finish with sour cream. Serves 6 (or 3 very hungry people)
Chocolate & Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies
It has been a long week of work, having been working 3 different jobs over the last week and I needed a break. Of course, my idea of a break is heading to the theatre to see 3 movies back-to-back. But then I saw a recipe for whoopie pies and needed to make them, ASAP. Cate's World Kitchen is an excellent blog for great food around the world...not unlike my blog! The theater will have to wait, at least until some good films come out. Come on Hollywood!!! In the meantime, enjoy these:
Recipe:
(adapted from Epicurious)
Makes about 16 whoopie pies
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
Frosting:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream
6 tbsp softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Stir the buttermilk and vanilla together in a small bowl.
Beat the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.
Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, then match cookies in pairs based on size.
To make the frosting, put the granulated sugar, water and corn syrup into a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine, then cook until the mixture is a nice, deep golden brown.
While the sugar is cooking, bring the salt and cream to a simmer in another saucepan.
Once the caramel is the right color, remove the pan from heat. Wait one minute, then stir in the heavy cream. Let cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.
Once the caramel is cool, beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add the caramel and powdered sugar, and beat until it has a spreadable consistency.
Spread a thick layer of frosting on the flat side of one cookie, then top with another.
Cooking Korean: Bibimbap
My girlfriend and I were introduced to sushi back in college in the midwest. There was this little sushi restaurant called Uraku which we frequented often. We never had a bad meal there and I'm sure that I'm still paying for some of those meals on one of my many credit cards I had in college. While I've always associated Sushi with Japanese food, many Koreans actually own and operate the sushi restaurants, which was the case with Uraku. So we got to try a lot of Korean food too. One Korean dish that we really love to this day is their Bibimbap - a mixture of meat (we just don't use it for the vegetarian version) and vegetables in warm rice with an egg on top. You mix the egg into the dish which creates a kind of fried rice dish. Its topped with a chili paste...we use Sriracha, a Thai spicy sauce that is nectar from the spice gods and is good on just about anything. Uraku served this dish in a sizzling hot stone bowl and if you let it set for a while it would cook the rice on the bottom, which meant that if you slowly worked your way down to the bottom rice, it was really crispy. I'd like to mimic that when I make this dish again...and we will be having this dish again!
ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch sweet pea shoots
1 carrot
shitake mushrooms
1 egg
1 clove garlic
sesame seeds
sesame oil
soy sauce
sriracha
soy sauce, sriracha, red pepper, sesame oil, sesame seeds, shitake, spinach
sweet pea shoots (my own embellishment), zucchini and carrot
you basically just saute the vegetables that you want to use in the dish with sesame oil and soy sauce. Its best to have a few skillets or woks going at once to cook everything quickly and together. Make the steamed rice ahead of time and at the last minute fry an egg for just a minute (it should still be kind of runny - the rice and vegetables will finish cooking it), scoop into the center of your prepared dish, top with sesame seeds, soy, sriracha, and enjoy.
Chinese New Year – Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Happy Year of the Dragon, everyone. Enjoy these photos from Chinatown and a very cool chinese place called Nom Wah. They actually make an eggroll from scratch that is unlike any other eggroll ever. Its an crepe-like egg omelette wrapped around vegetables and then battered and deep fried. Best Eggroll ever!
Nom Wah
13 Doyers St
New York, NY 10013-5104
(212) 962-6047
nomwah.com
Pan Fried Dumplings
The Original Eggroll
Soup Dumplings
The inside of a soup dumpling
Sauteed Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce (one of my most favorite vegetables ever)
Best of 2011
So here we are, already ankle-deep into 2012, and I have yet to post another blog post. So rather than going out there and hunting down the next big thing, I think I will relax here with my cup of Keurig Coffee (Christmas Gift) and compile a best of list, because lets face it, my blog is ahead of its time and deep within the pages of it IS the next big thing 
Best Meal of 2011
Well, you had to know this was coming. My favorite meal of the year was the one I created myself. Of course, it wasn't just because of that, it had more to do with spending time with my family - My brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their two boys, my mother-in-law, my cousin who was away from his kid and girlfriend and spent Thanksgiving with us, and my girlfriend, who is the best partner I could ever ask for. There is no one more motivating and supportive as her, and this day would have never happened if it wasn't for her. Blog post here and here and here.
Best Sandwich of 2011
The Godfather from Melt Bar and Grilled in Cleveland, Ohio - 3 cheese lasagna, fresh fennel-oregano pasta sheets, spicy red sauce, provolone, garlic spiked bread. My girlfriend calls this sandwich "life-changing". We had this the day we left Cleveland which is a great way to end a visit to this city. The sandwiches were so big that we had to take them to go and carry them on our flight, much to the envy of our fellow passengers on the plane. Blog post here.
Best Dish of 2011
I stumbled upon The Daily Catch in Boston on my last trip up there and I'm so glad that I did. The Black Pasta Aglio Oglio (Squid Ink Pasta) was so amazing and I still haven't forgotten it. The black pasta was a tender al dente and the sauce was layered with a strong and pleasant garlic sauce that was unforgettable. The place is small and quaint, super busy on most days and emphasizes fresh fish. There are several locations throughout Boston. This is my favorite spot. Check out the blog post here.
Best Brunch of 2011
Our favorite brunch of the year (and keep in mind that we really don't brunch that often) is Home/Made in Red Hook Brooklyn, the spacious backyard is awesome in the spring and summer and they have these homefries with whole garlic that are incomparable to anything else. The aroma of the restaurant alone when you walk in the door is enough to make you feel right at home. Blog Post here.
Favorite Personality of 2011
Diana Hardeman of MilkMade - she's this sweet girl in the East Village that makes amazing ice cream. I got to sit down with her for an hour or so, shoot some photos of her and her ice cream and then sample it. Wow, it was good. A few friends of mine here and there get her ice cream, which is how I first heard about her. She handmakes and delivers the ice cream in NYC only. Blog post here.
Favorite Post of 2011
My personal favorite post of 2011 was M. Wells Diner in Long Island City. There are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, I feel like the photos in this story best represent what I am trying to do with this blog - Showcase a story about a restaurant or a person that tells a story and evokes a feeling. This is something that I don't often feel I am successful in accomplishing. The second reason is that when I went to go photograph this place, I found Anthony Bourdain standing out front, having just done a piece on the restaurant for No Reservations and felt the need to introduce myself to him, if only to tell him I'm a huge fan and that his show amuses me. That was a fun moment and also made me realize that sometimes I do have some good ideas as to what is cool and useful in this city of food. Blog post here.
Viewer's Choice - Most Popular Post
S'mac, aka Sarita's Mac & Cheese, was a place I had visited several times throughout 2010 and in 2011 thought it would be an awesome addition to the blog as it's still my favorite mac & cheese restaurant in NYC. You all thought it was amazing as well, to the tune of over 400 likes on facebook and countless hits all over the web-o-sphere and by far the most popular blog post on my site. I'd be happy with 20-30 "Likes", but this takes the cak...er...mac & cheese. Blog post here.
Viewer's Choice - Best Photo
I know for a fact that I've taken far better photos than this photo, but for some reason, whenever you add bacon to anything, the foodies swoon. Spawned by a little boredom with my typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which I eat often, I decided to try a little something different with bacon and banana added. I did love this sandwich, but I can honestly say I still stick to my traditional smooth peanut butter and either grape or strawberry jelly. This post has been liked over 200 times on Facebook and this photo has been reposted on tumblr over 1 million times (yeah, i'm exaggerating, but it was a lot!). Blog post here.
My Favorite Cupcake: Robicelli’s
(clockwise from front):The Blatt: Vanilla cake filled with raspberry jam, cheesecake buttercream, jam topping, fried cookie bits, powdered sugar / Port Poached Pear: Pear cake, vanilla buttercream, port poached pear, port reduction / The Hansel: Gingerbread cake, white chocolate pudding, speculoos buttercream, white chocolate dipped gingerbread cookie / Eggnog: Eggnog cake and buttercream, freshly grated nutmeg
You know that trend that you have going on in the midwest right now? The one that everyone is raving about and you can't wait to be a part of? It's over already in NYC. It came and went. For a while that trend was cupcakes, started by the annoying women from Sex and The City and the horrid cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery - they taste like oil people...they aren't good and if you've ever walked through the West Village and watched some tourist act out their Carrie Bradshaw fantasy, you'd be just as disgusted as me.
So the moment passed, but it doesn't mean cupcakes are out. They are just less talked about now. Probably because our mouths are still full with frosting. And besides this is a trend, not a fad - these are not SKIDZ we are talking about here. Its food. We all need food, even if it comes in the form of flour, sugar and butter - lots and lots of butter by the way. I mean, there are entire BLOGS dedicated to the cupcake. And there are cupcake companies out there that push the culinary boundaries. One company in particular, Robicelli's in Brooklyn is a prime example. For me, Matt Robicelli redefined the cupcake when he put a piece of fried chicken on top of it. These cupcakes will never fall out of fashion or favor. Recently they've branched out into brownies, hot chocolate and whoopie pies - The cupcakes and the whoopie pies are the best I've every had, hands down! Here is a look at their operation and the wonderful things they do.
Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market
332 Flatbush Avenue Extension
Corner of Flatbush & Willoughby
Downtown Brooklyn
Leek and Spinach Quiche
I decided to make a little Sunday brunch quiche with some extras I had around the kitchen. We had some leeks leftover from Thanksgiving so I added that and the extra spinach from another dish I am making to put together a quick quiche, with grana padano, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. I could have used a slightly more cooked crust, but it was still pretty damn good. Recipe below.
Spinach and Leek Quiche
2 tbsp butter
2 leeks chopped width-wise (soak in water and mix around a bit to loosen up the dirt, drain and rinse)
2 cups of spinach
1 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated grana padano
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup ricotta
1 pie crust (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350.
In a skillet, saute leeks, nutmeg, salt and pepper in 2 tbsp of butter for about 5-6 minutes (until soft), then add spinach for another minute or two until the spinach just begins to wilt. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl mix eggs, milk, and cheeses until well blended. Add the leek/spinach mixture. Mix well then empty into the pie crust.
Loosely cover pie with foil. Bake for 75 minutes or until the pie is just a little wobbly in the center. Remove and let sit for 20 minutes while the rest of the pie sets.
Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of butter divided unto 1/4 inch slices
2-3 tbsp cold water
Preheat the oven to 475F. In a food processor combine flour and salt, pulse a few times to mix. Turn processor on and mix in butter one slice at a time until dough forms course pebbles. I often have to open up the processor and mix by hand to catch the flour on the edges. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until dough just comes together. Remove from processor and form unto a ball and pat down flat. Cut into two equal pieces (each piece is one pie crust). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm again. Roll out on lightly floured surface to fit a 9-inch deep dish pie crust with a little overhang. Fold the overhang onto the edge. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
