jacquievw's Profile
Zankou garlic sauce - mystery solved [moved from L.A. board]
this one is super easy - imma try it tonight.
Zankou garlic sauce - mystery solved [moved from L.A. board]
most restaurants keep a little product known as potato starch handy. i'm guessing that's what they use as a thickener. that would account for the whitey white color and smooth consistency. the traditional dish from the old country is made with bread, as another poster mentioned - but Zankou has modified it into this amazing thing of their very own. which is what's driving us all nuts - especially since i now have to drive an hour and a half to sunset or glendale.
i'll try it with potato starch and let you know.
Bittman's No-Knead Bread...Wow!
that works great - yes - put it in the fridge. the breadtopia guy suggests this too.
no-knead is better for a couple of reasons - not just that it's easier - but because the slow rise is what matters, and the small amount of yeast.
bittman/lahey use only 1/4 tsp yeast to 3 cups flour, vs. some others (breadtopia & artisan) who use a whole packet. when the small amount of yeast is allowed to populate over a longer period of time you get a better bread. but - in some weather conditions it takes a really long time to rise, which makes the timing harder.
also - watch your second proofing carefully, because you don't want to let it over-rise. you want to get it in the oven before all the yeast dies and the bread starts to deflate. the dough should still be slightly on the rise - not on the decline when it hits the oven - so you get "oven spring" which makes for the very best bread.
Bittman's No-Knead Bread...Wow!
re: " I wish Bittman had given the whole-grains version he found "fantastic". "
i wished the same thing, but i was around the house for a couple weeks, so i played around with it (see my commnets to Niki above for amounts of flour.
these are wet doughs, they're what he calls "shaggy doughs" - but some days the doughs are more shaggy than others. rye doughs are downright sticky.
the first time i made the brioche i had a very wet dough - it addled me a bit - but i had followed the recipe and carefully measured. so i set it to rise and worried a bit. THEN, since the flour was still on the counter i tossed together a regular dough, which i can do while sleepwalking i've done it so much, and WOW - that dough was too wet also. well...
it was RAINING that day, and that makes a lot of difference. almost a half a cup of flour difference. because it was the first time i made the brioche i wouldn't have known if it was right or not - but because i did the other loaf too - well - my experience told me something else was up. sure enough!
good news - even that very wet brioche game out fabulous!
Bittman's No-Knead Bread...Wow!
ditto on the %100 whole wheat needing more lift. again, if i am around the house i like the stretching technique the breadtopia guy uses in one of his recipes (sorry, can't remember which one, but you can find him on Youtube.
i also love adding honey - but be aware that when you add sugar of any sort (including a bit of beer, or even the vinegar that Lahey suggests to Bittman to help quicken the rising) you will get a darker crust that tends to darken a lot more on the bottom.
experiment!!! what's the worst that could happen? even if you mess it up your bread will still be better than anything you buy in the store!
Bittman's No-Knead Bread...Wow!
yes rye flours are fine BUT they are a little trickier to work with because they make for a stickier denser dough (develops gluten a bit differently) as does whole wheat flour, but rye even more so. you might want to do the standard recipe first so you know what to expect. i find a simple stretching technique i learned on Youtube (Breadtopia) helps my no-knead rye breads.
i use bittman's no-knead recipe all the time, (he's a god, i do love him!) and i have experimented with all kinds of flours and types of dough (brioche is delightful for a special treat). when i use rye i use NO MORE than 1 cup of rye to two cups of regular wheat flour - i suggest: 1/2 a cup for your first time - a recipe i like to use is -- 1/2 cup rye, 1/2 cup whole wheat, along with 1 cup bread flour, and 1 cup all purpose. using the bread flour along with the rye really helps. bread flour's gluten developing capacity is perfect for bread, but it's pricier and harder to find.
also - i think the breadtopia guy on Youtube makes the whole process a bit too cumbersome, and he uses too much yeast - BUT, that said - watching his videos helped me learn a lot about the process and gave me the confidence to experiment.
True no knead easy bread!
OR -- use red wine vinegar:
The no-knead recipe that Sullivan St. Bakery (Lahey) popularized via Mark Bittman @ NY Times was for 1/4 tsp yeast in 3 cups flour (1 1/2 cups H2O, 1 1/2 tsp salt) - let it sit all night or longer.
Bittman wanted to shorten the time so he played with upping the yeast (x6) and shortening the fermentation time to 4 hours. Lahey didn't like this: said Bittman had "overpopulated his substrate." Jim Lahey "believes that the best bread is fermented slowly, with a minimum of yeast." Explanations why are all over the internet, and I agree. But - the lengthy fermentation time is a problem on occassion.
Lahey suggests (in their no-knead revisited video) that instead of more yeast - add 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar to the water - and use HOT water. I've tried this a bunch and it works beautifully. I can make the dough at 10 am and eat the bread for dinner as long as the kitchen isn't really cold. The principle is simple: the acidic environment helps the yeast grow at a steady rate and not eat some things too fast leaving leftover yeast. It's a trick borrowed from old french farm women. The acid doesn't affect the flavor, it gets consumed.
Sauces/Cream sauces technique
amen!
QueenB is right on! heed her wise words. and Pate and renov8tor are also on the money!
DON"T use a non-stick pan if you are making a reduction. your wine will clean the bottom of the pan. the meat should 'stick' a bit - it makes for yummy goodness. unless you have the flame too high, you'll be able to tell when to turn the meat by shaking the pan a bit. when it's ready to turn, it releases easily with a good shake. too high a flame will also torch your yummies and give them a bitter taste. patience is important.
also - half and half is, by definition, half milk. milk 'breaks' very easily, esp. with an acid (wine) or high heat - use a whole cream.
some of the solid bits (like craked pepper) will never "disappear" into the sauce - but the flavor from them has infused the wine and broth - so not to worry! if you wish to serve an elegant sauce - spoon it over your dish through a small sieve and no ugly browned bits will embarrass you. make sure 'browned' is not 'blackened'.
a thicker suace can be acheived by flour - if you must- but better to use a spoon of butter to finish it. it will cuase the sauce to have more "body' (be a bit thicker?) without that floury thing. esp. if the 'meat' was beef.
Fresh Fish Preparation Help
also -- if you're going to be preparing a lot of fresh fish, a good filet knife, and perhaps a boning knife are a good investment, if the budget can handle it.
ask your fishmonger to show you his - and then look online (amazon.com) for an affordable one. there are many overpriced knives that are marketed to affluent "foodies" that a pro would never touch. you want what a fishmonger or a fisherman uses - not something from a gourmet shop.
here's a video of meuniere- (i prefer lemon and parsley added to the brown butter, rather than almonds - and don't forget to salt and pepper the cavity of the fish) but they didn't get the fish into the pan fast enough to curl it. pity, that.
http://9am.ten.com.au/recipes-seafood-trout-meuniere.htm
Fresh Fish Preparation Help
you LUCKY DUCK!! a trout fresh enough to curl is a thing of wonder and grace! (i highly recommend reading everything MFK Fisher has to say on the subject). i haven't had one since my grandfather (who was a wonderful angler, but born in 1892) passed on.
consider your curling trout a plus, and 'serve it forth' with pride! two methods of preparation best show off a trout this fresh and delicate: Truite au Bleu, and Truite a la Meuniere (in the style of the Miller's wife) which is sauteed, and then served with a simple sauce. both are simple.
see the Wikipedia article on 'Meuniere', it will lead you wonderful places! it is very simple, and just what you are asking for! fish this fresh wants simplicity.
you lucky duck, you!
Fresh Fish Preparation Help
your trout doesn't curl because it' isn't fresh enough to curl. if it's truly fresh, (pulled right from the tank or the stream) it will curl beautifully, -- and if it's put quickly into a court bouillon it will turn the most wonderful shade of blue. there are very few restaurants, anymore (most in France or Switzerland) which have tanks for trout, and even fewer chefs who have the skill to do this. it is a prized and beautiful thing to be served, or to prepare a Truite au Bleu, all curled and steaming. ahhh , what i wouldn't give....
