Goodbye Old Thermy, Hello Big Blue

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
BlueStar Range

Big Blue, aka #BSP488B 48″ Platinum Range in Heritage Blue w/ Stainless Trim, in her new home.

Like you, we’ve used the pandemic as an excuse to do some projects around the home. Our biggest investment was a new 48-inch BlueStar range, which arrived this week. We are loving it so far though it is a powerful beast that requires much learning and calibration of technique, I suppose not unlike riding a racehorse or driving a Model S in Insane Mode.

Thermador Professional Range

The last we saw of Old Thermy, getting loaded into the Adirondack Appliance truck.

I’ve written about Old Thermy, the 30-year old range that came with our house, and it was sad to see her go. But Bosch (which now owns the Thermador brand) no longer supports it and as electronic parts failed they could not be replaced. When we started looking into new stoves, the BlueStar was an easy choice. It’s mostly mechanical with very few electronic parts to worry about, and it’s made right now the road from us in the Keystone State, Pennsylvania USA. Plus the New England Sales Manager for BlueStar, Tom Thibeault, is based out of Adirondack Appliance in our home town of Saratoga Springs. So it was relatively easy to get what we wanted (though there are universal shortages of appliances during the plague) and we know who to call if we need service.

Abbaka Hood Instal

Hood install. This monster is solid brass and must have weighed close to 200 pounds.

However, the most exciting thing about this install might not be the stove but the hood, the solid brass Abbaka that Tom took on as a project to rebuild. The original liner/vent system was disabled in a fire so Tom came up with an ingenious solution: two single-blower BlueStar vents mounted at facing angles to create a vortex, plus custom-made rails to make it fit the old hood without gaps. As a bonus Tom steam-cleaned away the decades of grease and polished it to a glow. We couldn’t be more pleased.

Tom Thiebeault

Tom Thibeault with our new baby.

On the first night we cooked hand-torn Sichuan cabbage in a wok (with one of the burner grates removed to make the hot heat even hotter), warmed sauce on the simmer burner and grilled off some spiedies for sandwiches in our hoagie rolls. No complaints at all.

BlueStar Grilling

Our first grill on the new stove: lamb spiedies.

If you’re in the market for a professional-grade home stove, I’d certainly recommend you look at BlueStar (and contact Tom Thibeault at Adirondack Appliance if you live in the northeast; reach him through Adirondack Appliance at the link above or call BlueStar at 610-301-9934). We found surprisingly little useful info on high-end stoves online; the site that typically ends up at the top of searches is Yale Appliance, a BlueStar dealer. Capital, a manufacturer of roughly equivalent stoves, seems to be in trouble and their local dealer was not interested in our business. We did not consider Thermador for reasons stated above. The next tier down is stoves like Viking which look rugged but have been compromised to keep costs down; not interested. After this install (which took the better part of a day) looks like Big Blue will be with us for a while and we’re good with that.

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Recipe: Italian Deli-Style Hoagie Rolls

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Italian Deli Style Hoagie Rolls

Italian Deli-Style Hoagie Rolls.

These Italian deli-style hoagie rolls started with a recipe on the highly enjoyable Wood Fired Kitchen blog. We made extensive changes to the technique, but kept a couple of secret ingredients which the author says came from Conshohocken Bakery in Blue Bell, PA. The dough develops terrific tensile strength which is what you need when the roll is piled high with ingredients, and they taste great on their own with a sweet/salty, chewy essence. Makes six 9-inch rolls.

Ingredients:
2 t dry yeast
4 t white sugar
½ c lukewarm water
400 g (2 ¾ c) all-purpose flour
170 g (1 ¼ c) high gluten flour (we used Sir Launcelot from King Arthur Flour)
1 ½ t Kosher salt
¼ t citric acid
130 g (2/3 c) whey*
130 g (2/3 c ) lukewarm water
Olive oil
2 T semolina (for baking pan)

Hoagie Roll Crumb

Hoagie Roll has open yet sturdy crumb, perfect for building a sub.

Method: mix yeast, sugar and ½ c lukewarm water in the bowl of a rotary mixer (Kitchenaid or equivalent) with dough hook. Rest 10 minutes until fizzy. Add all other ingredients except oil and semolina and mix on first speed till well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl then knead on second speed 7-9 minutes. During this time the dough will become tight and cohesive and clean the sides of the bowl; don’t add more flour or water unless it’s goopy (+flour) or clumpy (+water) which would indicate a mixing error or an irregular batch of ingredients.

Italian Pork Sandwich

For our first hoagie, we made a rough approximation of this Dinic’s copycat Italian pork sandwich.

Remove the dough hook and remove the bowl from mixer. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Add a splash of oil and turn the ball to coat all sides. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise to 2-3 times its original volume, which should take 2-4 hours in a warm kitchen. Punch the dough down and give it a sequence of ten or so stretch-and-folds to develop tensile strength, then return to the bowl and cover. Allow to rise another 2 hours or so until doubled in size.

Shape the dough into six balls and rest 20 minutes or until the dough is sufficiently relaxed to work. Roll out into 9-inch torpedoes and transfer to a baking pan which you have sprinkled with semolina to avoid sticking. Cover with a towel and rest 30-45 minutes until the rolls become fluffy. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven with steam until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. (Difference vs baguettes: we removed the cover after 10 minutes, since we weren’t seeking a crispy crust.) Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

*Make your whey from full-fat yogurt (not Greek yogurt). Line a strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and pour in the yogurt; drain overnight in the refrigerator. Collect the liquid in a pan below the strainer; this is your whey. Return the yogurt (which can now be considered Greek yogurt) to the container and use it as you normally do. If you end up with less than 2/3 c whey, add water to make up the difference.

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A visit to Seasoned Restaurant at SUNY Adirondack

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Seasons Table Setting

Table setting at Seasoned at SUNY Adirondack


The excellent Casola Room at Schenectady County Community College is doing takeout only during COVID, so we tried a new place with a similar program: Seasoned Restaurant at SUNY Adirondack in Glens Falls, NY. We were drawn by Facebook photos posted by local butcher Emily Petersen of the work done by students in her primal cuts class. We wanted some of that beef!

Pass Seasons

The pass at Seasoned.

Programs like this exist primarily for the benefit of the students, so you need to jump through some reasonable hoops to eat there. Seasoned serves lunch on Wednesdays only from 11:30-12:30, dinner from 5:45-7 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays and a takeout lunch on Thursdays from 11:45-1:00 only. You’ll need to follow health protocols including a questionnaire before you enter (also available in an online app to save time). For your trouble, you’ll be rewarded with a creative three-course meal in a fine dining setting at a fair price–$15.95 at lunch, $26.95 for dinner (which adds a fourth course) including beverage, plus tax and tip. A wine pairing is available.

Rabbit Leg

Rabbit Leg with burnt onion and a small whole sweet potato (not shown) plus fennel foam.

We really liked the creativity of the SeasonsMenu on the day we dined, eg “Honey Basted Rabbit Leg. Baked Sweet Potato. Burnt Onion. Fennel Mustard Air.” Since we had traveled a good distance we also sampled a second three-course meal including a serving of balsamic marinated flank steak so we could try some of the fruits of Chef Petersen’s butchery class.

Seasoning was a bit cautious, as you might expect in this setting; you don’t want a first-semester student to ruin a nice and expensive piece of protein. Presentation was excellent. Service was… as we have found at Casola Room and when dining at the Culinary Institute of America, chef training students are there to learn cooking and show few chops when pushed to the front of the house. But our server was pleasant and kept his mask over his nose, most of the time.

Lemon Chiffon Pie

Lemon Chiffon Pie at Seasoned.

If you want to go, check the website first to be sure school is in session and they’re serving. Seasoned is in a new medical building just north of Glens Falls Hospital; the entrance is on Hudson St which is to the side of the main entrance facing the hospital.

Correction: an earlier version of this post had the name as Seasons; Seasoned is the correct name of the restaurant.

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Make your own pumpkin pie spice

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Election Cake with Pumpkin Pie Glaze

Election Cake with Pumpkin Pie Spice Glaze

Pumpkin pie spice is the key flavoring for pumpkin pie and other autumnal delicacies, since pumpkin doesn’t have much taste on its own. (Which is why it’s interesting that people panicked about not being able to find canned pumpkin during the pandemic, when One Pie or another canned squash would have done just as well.) You can buy it on any supermarket shelf, but you already have the ingredients in your pantry so why not make your own pumpkin pie spice?

According to McCormick, the “warm taste” and “spicy-sweet flavor” of their product are due to four ingredients (in order of their quantity in the mix); cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Simply Organic has the first three ingredients in the same order then substitute ground cloves for allspice as does Frontier.

When we got home after inspecting jars at the store, we looked up a few recipes to make your own pumpkin pie spice. Taste of Home has a recipe with 4 t ground cinnamon, 2 t ground dried ginger (which by the way is a very different product than fresh ginger), 1 t ground cloves and ½  t nutmeg. We liked that ratio and reduced it mightily to make a pumpkin pie spice glaze for our Continue reading →

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Recipe: Polpette (Big Italian Meatballs)

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Polpette and Pasta

Polpette recipe presented as spaghetti and meatballs.

Polpette are the big nicely-spiced meatballs found in Italian-American pasta dishes (they are apparently not found in Italy itself, where the meatballs are much smaller) and in meatball subs. When researching this polpette recipe we came across the wonderful Nonna’s Way blog which includes a wealth of dishes and Italian-American-grandma preparation techniques. We’ve made some tweaks but the unusually large quantities of some ingredients are in most cases Nonna’s. Makes 8-12 meatballs; allow 2 per person when serving with pasta and gravy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb ground beef, pork, veal or a combination*
2 eggs, beaten
½ c or more finely chopped Italian (flat) parsley (leaves only, no stems)**
¼ c peeled garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 12 cloves)
¾ c grated parmesan cheese
¼ c bread crumbs
2 t Kosher salt
½ t ground black pepper
2 T whole milk
2 T olive oil

Polpette in Pan

We recommend browning the polpette in the oven, not stovetop, to keep their shape.

Method: dump all ingredients in a big bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands; shape into meatballs and transfer to a cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes until surface is brown and crispy. Drain, and serve hot or reheated with tomato sauce over pasta or in sub roll.

*Ground meat recipes typically include a combination that leads with veal, but we don’t find it adds much to the flavor in the product that’s typically sold today. We recommend using a beef/pork combination or simply all beef.

*Nonna uses 2 ounces of parsley which is maybe two whole bunches chopped, less the stems. We have reduced that but there’s nothing wrong with using more if you like parsley.

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Why top sirloin is our favorite cut of beef

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Top Sirloin Detail

Top sirloin is our favorite cut of beef…. cooked nice and rare like this.

What is our favorite cut of beef for steaks? You probably thought we were going to say New York strip or rib steak, but in fact we’re voting for top sirloin! Here’s why. Top sirloin combines value and versatility with a good amount of beefy flavor and reasonable tenderness for a lean cut. And top sirloin steaks are BIG, typically close to 2 pounds, which makes them a convenient choice for a small family: cook one, and you’re done.

Beef Cut Top Sirloin

Illustration by Joe Smack via Wikipedia.

 

Top sirloin comes from the loin so it’s more tender than round steak which is close in appearance. It’s technically two muscles, the gluteus medius and the smaller biceps femoris. The muscles are similar in taste and tenderness so it’s fine to separate out the biceps femoris and serve as a smaller individual steak.

Top Sirloin Refrigerator Aged

Our top sirloin after a bit of refrigerator aging is ready to marinate then cook.

We like to marinate (though it’s not completely necessary) our top sirloin steaks in a mix that includes soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce, pepper, olive oil, finely chopped garlic and maybe some seasoning like five spice or dried oregano. (No salt other than what’s in the soy, letting the diner add to taste at the table.) We grill or pan-fry them to rare or medium rare, then let them rest. You’ll get a good amount of juice that can be poured on top of the steak or mixed with other ingredients like mashed potatoes. The large gluteus medius is consistent in texture and flavor across its surface, so feel free to separate into convenient serving chunks or slice into 1-inch strips against the grain and serve that way. Leftovers go into salads or sandwiches…. Good eating!

Top Sirloin Plated

Look at all those delicious juices!

We think, though don’t have verification, that top sirloins were the massive cuts manipulated by Dario Ceccini in Heat. (Affiliate link) Go big or go home! We also like New York strips, of course, and they make a nice presentation, but they are generally considerably more expensive than top sirloin. Our favorite used to be rib steaks, with or with the bone, but they’re surprisingly hard to find at a reasonable price these days—maybe everyone is treating their families to prime rib roasts during the pandemic so there’s nothing left over for steaks. So top sirloin it is. To coin a phrase, it’s what’s for dinner.

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Your FREE Thanksgiving Candy Corn is right here!

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Thanksgiving Candy Corn

Your free Thanksgiving Candy Corn is inside this package!

In the depths of the pandemic, somebody at the Brach’s Candy Company had an interesting idea: make a candy corn assortment that included all the flavors of Thanksgiving, right down to the stuffing and green beans. Soon after, a higher-up had an even better idea: “no way we’re doing that”. But apparently a few packages had already been produced and shipped, creating a rarity on the order of the double-struck Lincoln penny.

I know this because I was browsing at Walgreens, where the Brach’s website will send you if you click “where to buy”, and a clerk approached me and said, “I bet I know what you’re looking for.” She guessed Thanksgiving Candy Corn and said they hadn’t gotten any but she had seen the product somewhere in the Wilton Mall, maybe at Target or Walmart.

A search at those stores turned up empty, though I could get “Autumn Assortment” and “Pumpkin” as well as “Classic” candy corn. So I resorted to a back channel and got my own supply, though at a price that was certainly higher than retail. And I want to share it with you.

Here’s how it works: send a stamped self addressed envelope and a note with your email address to: Burnt My Fingers, 158 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs NY 12866. I will promptly mail it back with a baggy containing two each of the six flavors:

Roast Turkey
Green Beans
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Ginger Glazed Carrots
Sweet Potato Pie

Along with a legend to pick out which is which. (Gloves will be worn while packaging as a safety precaution.)

One first class stamp on a standard (not square) envelope will probably do it, though you might want to add a second as insurance since this will be a slightly lumpy package. And be sure to include your email, because at noon November 1 Eastern time, 9 am Pacific, we will get on a Zoom call and taste them together in real time and compare notes.

That’s right, on Day of the Dead while the kids are nursing their Halloween candy hangovers we’ll be having our own ghoulish treat. Will it be delightful or revolting? Will we be able to choke down all six flavors? We’ll know soon enough! But don’t wait to mail your SASE because you know how the post office right now…. we have 8 days to make the 2-way journey which is just barely enough. If you want FREE Thanksgiving Candy Corn, do it now! (And be sure to include your email for the Zoom invite.)

P.S. If my supply of candy corn runs out I’ll mail you a facsimile of my brisket recipe, which was acquired in a chain letter project similar to this one many years ago. Also, this is for US readers only since we’re dependent on our postal service.

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We’re making the Election Cake early this year

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Election Cake

We baked our Election Cake in a bundt pan. Can be sprinkled with powdered sugar if you like.

It’s two weeks till Election Day as this post appears, and for many of us that will be a very stressful 14 days. Stressful ties call for stress baking, of course, so let’s get started making Election Cake.

We first become aware of this colonial tradition in 2016 when we attended the Maine Kneading Conference. Richard Miscovich, who was teaching at the conference, collaborated with  Susannah Gebhart for OWL Bakery on a project called “Make America Cake Again”. In those giddy days, when a lot of folks were looking forward to the likely prospect of the first female U.S. President, the idea was to return to a time when elections were cause for celebration, not tension.

According to the New England Historical Society, “Election Day started with cannon firing followed by a military exercise. Then came a procession of government officials to a local church, where they sat and listened to a long sermon… The ballot counting at the end of the day featured a banquet and, of course, the cake, followed by a ball.”

Election Cake is something between a true cake and a bread and features fruit, maybe some unusual grains (there was a time when wheat was eschewed because it had ties to the English Crown), and a glug (or maybe much more) of booze. It’s not made with baking powder as you’d expect because baking powder had not yet been invented. Rather, it rises with yeast, which would have been natural sourdough in the Colonial era.

We published our recipe for a sourdough Election Cake in 2016 and were pretty happy with the result. It’s not particularly sweet so a dab of butter or, better, sweetened whipped cream is welcome. For a subsequent election, we adapted the home bakers version of the recipe from OWL Bakery which has a yeast ferment. Why not give this a trial run now, and make it again for November 3 just in case you have something to celebrate?

Tonight:
1 c warm milk
1/2 t instant yeast
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c dried or 1 c fresh fruits (optional)

Method: dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and stir in flour. If you are using dried fruits, chop fine and soak overnight in liquor or water. The preferment is ready in 8-12 hours when it becomes bubbly.

Tomorrow:
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/3 cup unrefined sugar
1 egg
2 T whole-milk yoghurt
2 T honey or sorghum syrup
Last night’s preferment

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 t grond cinnamon
1/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cardamon
Pinch ground black pepper
1 t salt
Last night’s rehydrated or fresh fruit (optional)

Method: using paddle attachment in stand mixer, cream butter then add sugar, mixing until very light and fluffy. Mix in the egg on medium speed, then the the sorghum/honey and yogurt.

Exchange the paddle with a dough hook. Add the preferment and mix until just incorporated. Combine all of the dry ingredients before adding them to liquid ingredients and mix until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Gently fold in the rehydrated fruit. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan or cake round.

Proof 2-4 hours, covered, until cake has risen by about 1/3 of its volume. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting and eating.

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Shallots vs red onion, or the great shallot takedown!

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Shallot vs Red Onion

Shallot mignonette on the left, red onion on the right

We’ve been eating a lot of oysters recently, which means a lot of mignonette. Traditionally mignonette is made with shallots which are hard to find in our area and expensive when you do find them—typically $10 a pound vs $2 or less for look-alike red onions.

Shallots vs Red Onions

Shallots vs red onion: the raw product.

So the thought occurred to us: what if we just use red onions for the damn mignonette? Of course we had to set up a taste test so more shallots had to be procured, then they were chopped and mixed with rice vinegar and ground black pepper in identical proportions for the two alliums.

Shallots vs Red Onion

Cooking comparison: the shallots, on the right, break down more than red onions on the left.

Our tasters preferred the red onion mignonette for, logically, a more pronounced allium flavor. This is a benefit because it balances the tart rice vinegar, which we use without sugar. The shallot mignonette had a very similar flavor profile—which would have been quite different if we’d used garlic or white or yellow onions—just milder.

Shallots vs Red Onion

In the final form, the shallots and red onion look and taste identical.

So the question arises: why go to the trouble and expense to use shallots in the first place? This Bon Appetit article claims they are “hands-down the best allium that ever existed” and cites the way they break down in cooking so they disappear within the finished dish and their flavor permeates the preparation. That, of course, demanded another test so we cooked up equal amounts of sliced shallot and red onions in a cast iron skillet, taking care to keep heat and stirring consistent.

The shallots did tend to break down more at the start of cooking, suggesting a weaker cell structure. But by the time we were done, the near-caramelized batches were identical in appearance and, more important, tasted exactly the same. Shallots, you’re outta here!

P.S. Before we leave this topic, a word about mignonette. Do a search and you’re going to find a lot of mignonette recipe variations, many of which include sugar. The feature picture for this post is of the “hogwash” we experienced at the Hog Island counter in Ferry Plaza last week. This sauce is made with cilantro and jalapeño–and shallots. It’s delicious, but it completely overpowers those sublime bivalves. You should try it, but use it for something else like dipping fries or fish and chips–and make it with red onion, not shallot!

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How to win at takeout during the pandemic

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Queens Doenjang Jiggae

The finished product: dwenjang (bean paste) jiggae (stew) from Queens Superette

Back in San Francisco for the first time since June, we tried a couple more high-end takeout options. This is defined as a meal with the quality and presentation you’d expect at a fine dining restaurant but packaged for service at home. Some seem to have figured out how to win at takeout, while others have not. A few best practices are emerging which we’ll save for the end.

Routier takeout

Routier takeout

We tried takeout from Routier, a restaurant which has opened next door to the renowned B Patisserie with the same owners. (There’s also B to Go, catty-corner from Routier.) The restaurant will be open for indoor dining on October 15 and looks fabulous. We ordered the 3-course meal for 1 at $39, which ended up about $48 after various charges and tip.

Routier Squash with Fennel

Routier Squash with Fennel

We got: honey nut squash with fenugreek and fennel; beef cheeks with turnips, crushed potato and mushrooms; peach and jasmine tea “tart”. Our meal was waiting on the counter when we arrived in a big flat bottom paper shopping bag which solves the problem of takeout containers coming apart.

The first course was a disappointment because the previous takeout menu, which had inspired us to try this, started with a beet gazpacho. The squash was good (and served cold, like a salad) but we went scurrying for greens in our kitchen.

Routier Beef Cheeks

Routier Beef Cheeks

The beef cheeks were a very generous portion but lacked any carbs to soak up the delicious juices…. Why couldn’t they throw in a chunk of B’s delicious baguette? The dessert was beyond good, as you’d expect from this kitchen: perfectly poached and presented peaches atop an impossibly buttery crumble.

Routier Dessert

Routier dessert

Jjigae Kit

Dwenjang jjigae kit from Queens Superette

Queens, also known as Queens Superette, is a charming shop selling curated Korean items in the Sunset. There are many shelves of Korean snacks, sojus and ingredients but the interest is in the cold case in the front of the shop where the prepared to-go items are to be found. (And a good thing because parking is very difficult and you may find yourself risking it in a loading zone while you dash in).

We purchased an dwenjang jjigae (bean paste stew) meal kit, fish cake kimpap, a tomato “kimchi” and chapjae for a total bill of about $45. Quite happy with the kimpap and chapjae which were carefully prepared with a nice spice balance. The tomato item was really a salad. The dwenjang jjigae kit which came in a total of five containers including the condiments and no directions for preparation; luckily we had the presence of mind to take a picture of a sign describing preparation. We brought our own bag and a couple of the dishes split open in their takeout containers but there were no big disasters.

Queens Kimpap

Fish Cake Kimpap from Queens Superette

After these meals, and several others we reported on previously, we suggest a few guidelines for indoor dining restaurants which want to win at takeout:
*Compose the menu for a complete dining experience. Don’t make the diner do the work of adding ingredients you didn’t provide.
*Presentation is critical. Invest in carry out bags and quality containers. (Routier uses compostable trays, which I appreciate, but they were soaking up the juices by the time we got home.)
*Make it easy for the diner to plate and serve the meal so they end up with something equivalent to what they’d get if dining in the restaurant.
*Provide a cheat sheet/instructions so the diner knows what’s in the containers and what prep (if any) is needed. At Routier, we had to go back to their website to remember what was in the bag.
*Give the customer a task. This one is key. It was fun and not hard to assemble the dwenjang jjigae from Queens but instructions should have been printed out and placed in the package. The best experience so far is Benu, whose handout told us how to pair the many dishes and included an interesting story about the origin of the kimchi.

Winter is coming in our home town of Saratoga Springs, and we’re not eager to dine indoors any time soon. Here’s hoping more and more of our favorite places will learn how to win at takeout during the pandemic.

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