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Apparently dissertation gifts are a thing... and they are
glorious! |
I'm sure I've bragged to you, but K Rob, who was my roommate for four years in San Diego, is a ridiculously fantastic cook. I was really lucky that he shared his cooking/baking/etc. with me so often. He also inspired me to step up my own game in the kitchen.
For graduation, K Rob gave me a couple gifts, and lately, I have really been digging on
Ruhlman's 20, a "cookbook" that is more of a guide to being a better person in the kitchen. Ruhlman discusses 20 essential chef techniques, giving a thorough explanation of each and why it is important. Then, he provides several recipes for each technique for practice. It's a really great cookbook that is really much more than a cookbook.
I thought I'd make it all the way through, but
busy schedules,
Polish cooking, and excuses got in the way. While my plan was to go chronologically by recipe, that also didn't work out. Sometimes ingredients were out of season. Often, I didn't have the proper kitchen equipment. Sometimes I wanted to experiment with something simpler or easier to transport (to be explained later).
Ruhlman starts with very rudimentary and extremely important techniques. For example, the first technique is "THINK," where you literally learn to think about what you're about to do and to best prepare so things go smoothly with any attempt. I haven't taken pictures of all of the cooking I've done. I'd like to blame that on doing proper thinking and being mindful in my kitchen, but it's probably just as much that I have the worst short-term memory of all time and forgot. Here are my Ruhlman-inspired adventures:
1. THINK
I don't have any pictures for this one, but I now practice it anytime I cook anything. I read through the recipe thoroughly and note any steps that take a lot of prep or a lot of time. I then pull out all ingredients, pots, pans, bowls, utensils, appliances. Do I forget things? Yes. All the time. But the point in doing this is that when I forget one thing, I have time to grab it. I'm not also trying to keep something from overcooking and grab three things and figure out where I left the oven mitt. I've even gotten to the point where I pull out ramekins and pre-measure herbs, spices, and chopped/diced/etc. ingredients. Everything is prepped and ready to throw in at the right time. It also makes it much easier to clean up as I go. When something needs to bake for 8 minutes on each side, I take all the empty ramekins and have 8 minutes to clean them knowing the next step is all ready to go. Game changing approach to cooking.
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| SALT: Raw Zucchini Salad |
2. SALT
When I was younger, I was anti-salt. I didn't salt anything and was proud of myself for it. Boy, I was an idiot. Salt = flavor. While the U.S. certainly uses too much salt, particularly as a preservative to make foods last longer, when you cook from scratch, you get to choose exactly how much salt to ingest and can add flavor without overdoing the sodium.
I learned a bit more about the importance of seasoning food while living with K Rob. However, Ruhlman really breaks down not only the importance of salt in seasoning food but how salt can affect different types of foods differently: vegetables, meats, fish, etc. I can't want to experiment more with how to draw water out or how to pull flavors in using salt. So fascinating.
Back when I was trying to work my way through the recipes in the book chronologically, my timing was fantastic as the first recipe was a raw zucchini salad and it was early fall. It turned out fantastic. I was amazed and how the salt made the zucchini into a fresh, almost pasta-like salad. I've already made it several times. Angelia Mioglionico tried it too, and she at least said she liked it.
The other salt recipe I tried was lemon confit, which is basically lemons, cut in half, covered in salt and sugar, and placed in a dark cupboard for three months. Then, once preserved, they get cut into smaller pieces and used to amp of the flavor of, well, anything. I can't quite figure out what to use them in though, so they're just chilling in my cabinet.
3. WATER
I had not considered all of the ways water is used in cooking and how unique it is compared to other liquids in the kitchen. My first attempt at a recipe intentionally using water as a technique was a meatloaf cooked in a water bath. Dang, this meatloaf and the from-scratch chipotle ketchup certainly required a lot of labor, but the water bath really kept the loaf moist (there's that word, Holly). It was a successful first dish for my Sunday night dinners with the Zanns (though I took no pictures).
4. ONION: Maybe next year
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| ACID: Apple Cider Vinegar Tarts |
5. ACID
This was a technique that was totally new to me. I mean, I'd obviously used acid in my food before but I'd never thought of it as "adding acid." So interesting. After some practice, I am excited to balance out heavier recipes with adding the appropriate acid.
My first experiment with acid was an apple cider vinegar tart, which became mini tarts. I thought the concept was interesting, and they were perfect for bringing to Sunday night dinners with the Zanns because I could prep them whenever as long as I gave them enough time to set. Apparently I can use the same recipe and switch out apple cider vinegar for lemon juice, which I'm psyched about because I love lemon tarts. The only issue was that I didn't have a tart pan, so making the tart dough would have required buying a tart pan, and after all the spending I'd done that week for a chili cookoff at work (enamel pot, immersion blender, dried chilies, whole spaces, a space grinder, and then the rest of the chili ingredients), I couldn't justify a tart pan for one tart. But now that the recipe went so well, I will definitely look into a tart pan. Delightful.
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| ACID: Pulled Pork |
I also tried out a pulled pork recipe. And... damn, this sucker is
good. I first made it for dinner with Zann and Holly and then again for my housewarming party just a week later. We ate it as mini sandwiches with BBQ and homemade coleslaw. However, after my housewarming party I used it to make pulled pork nachos. Hell yes.
6. EGG
My first egg experiment was aioli (a.k.a. mayonaisse with garlic). As I blended the 5 ingredients, slowly pouring in the oil as directed, I marveled at how easy it was. And then it turned from an aioli texture to a liquid. I tried to follow the directions for broken mayo. Nope. So I washed everything and started over, and this time I was successful. And it was delicious. I doubt I'll ever buy any version of mayo again. It took about 5 minutes start to finish, was way tastier than anything that comes in a bottle, is easy to flavor, and has no preservatives or extra chemicals.
7. BUTTER
I have several techniques in here to try. The easiest was to make compound butter. I didn't even have the right ingredients. I subbed green onions for chives because the grocery store by me is a little weird. I used the butter on the steak and baked potato. DAMN. ESCALATED MY GAME, SON. Seriously, "learn" how to make compound butter. It's so easy and it makes everything taste SO MUCH GOOD.
8. DOUGH
I learned so much in this chapter. Technically, pancakes fall under batter (the following chapter), but after reading the dough chapter, I made pancakes. The first one was super cakey. So cakey it was thick and not cooking all the way through. I knew why and how to fix it. I mean. Gluten and fats, man. Mind blown.
I then decided to make the Snickerdoodle recipe as a thank you to my lovely coworkers who were super supportive at my first big event in my "new" job.
9. BATTER: Maybe next year
10. SUGAR: Maybe next year
11. SAUCE: Maybe next year
Impatience got the better of me with this one. I made a rustic pan sauce for a roast chicken, but I was also hungry and impatient at how long it was taking to reduce. So I reduced the wine, prematurely poured in the water, and didn't reduce it enough. So it was a pretty watery sauce. Despite the time it takes to reduce, this was pretty simple, and I'll definitely try my hand at more sauces.
12. VINAIGRETTE
Definitely didn't take a picture of the lemon pepper vinaigrette I made for a salad for another lovely dinner at the Zann's. It was tangy, light, and outrageously easy. I will certainly be making this again. It's silly to say, but salads are so much more fun when I can change up tasty dressings so often and so easily. I will never again buy a bottled vinaigrette. Making them yourself is easier, cheaper, tastier, healthier, and less of a commitment.
13. SOUP
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| SOUP: Red Pepper Soup |
In the book, there was this outrageously simple soup recipe that Ruhlman claimed came from the French Laundry: red pepper soup. So, I gave it a try with the Zann clan. It was good, and I'll make it again, but there have to be better options if one were actually dining at the French Laundry. It did make me want to try it again, this time without straining it as the texture might have been nice, and it also made me want to try other versions with vegetables, like squash.
14. SAUTE: Maybe next year
15. ROAST
I've always been a bit of a roaster. Neither roasting nor pan roasting was new to me. But it was awesome to learn some techniques and how to use butter well with these two recipes, made for me, by me, just because I wanted to try them. It's really fun to eat well on the regular, especially when I can't really afford to eat out at the moment.
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| Roast Pork Loan |
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| Brown Butter Roast Cauliflower |
I did two roasts for one meal for this one: roast cauliflower with brown butter and roast pork loin. The roast cauliflower was so easy and incredibly good. I can't wait to let this be my special contribution to dinners. The brown butter complimented the vegetable so well and left it with a rich, warm flavor. Incredible. The pork loin was more of a typical marinade, sear, roast, and baste. Still incredibly easy and really tasty. It was a fantastic winter meal that I'll certainly have again.
I did another roast a few weeks later at a Zann dinner. This was just a simple roast whole chicken, something I've made several times before. I think I actually like my usual recipe a bit better. I also made a pan sauce, which I was too impatient to finish properly (described above).
16. BRAISE: Maybe next year
17. POACH: Maybe next year
18. GRILL: Maybe next year
19. FRY: Maybe next year
20. CHILL: Maybe next year
While I'm lacking #1, #2, and #3 from above, I'm now working in Campus Recreation at DePaul, which is housed in the Ray Meyer Recreation Center, a lovely campus recreation facility. Even better, my coworkers not only value health and, more specifically, physical activity, they are ALL regularly active. It's hard to rationalize my lack of activity when literally everyone I work with finds the time and energy. I'm so thrilled to be a member of a team that values self care.
