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| Pavlova with Balsamic Berries |
Feeling a little less Culinarily Challenged?
Feel like trying out your culinary mettle on something a bit
more difficult?
Then welcome back.
Time for the tough stuff.
In this installment of Lowered Eggspectations, I'll be
showing you how to make soufflés, omelets, clafoutis, and pavlovas.
Clafoutis
A clafouti (pronounced "klah-foo-tee") is a dessert.
According to Julia Child's Mastering
the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1,
a clafouti is basically "a pancake batter poured over fruit in a fireproof
dish, then baked in the oven" (page 655). For the purposes of this blog, I
have chosen the simplest recipe, generously provided by a dear friend, to show
you how to make them. This is one of those desserts that looks fancy, but actually isn't, by virtue of how easy it is to
make. While traditional clafoutis call for black cherries, I used mixed berries
and they turned out just fine. Please note that if you don't like egg-ey desserts, this isn't the one for you.
Here's
how you do it.
From
the store
Powdered
or Icing Sugar - you can find this in the baking section of the
grocery section of the grocery store - since you'll only need 4 Tablespoons, grab the smallest bag
you can find.
Equipment
1
Mixing bowl
Measuring
Spoons
4 to 6 Ramekins,
depending on their size - (See For the Culinarily Challenged - Choose
Your Weapons under "If Ya Wanna Get Fancy")
1 Whisk
or Fork
1
Baking Dish
1
Kitchen Timer
From
the Freezer
1 Cup
Frozen Berries OR From the Fridge, Fresh Berries, rinsed
From
the Fridge
4 Eggs
1
teaspoon of Butter
From the
Pantry
5
Teaspoons of flour
Vanilla
extract - about a teaspoon - you can also use your favorite liqueur - I used
Creme de Cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur, and it worked fine
If you're using frozen fruit, put them a bowl or measuring
cup on the counter to thaw while you get the other ingredients ready.
Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 Celsius) and grease your
ramekins with butter. Put them in the baking dish (this will keep them from
sliding around when you pull them from the oven).
Crack your eggs into a bowl, add the flour, 3 Tablespoons of
the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat the heck out of them with a whisk or
fork.
Put the fruit in the ramekins and pour in your egg mixture.
Bake them in the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges are
browned and the top looks solidified. Since this is a custard thing, the
toothpick test won't necessarily work. You can, however, give em a tap with a
fork to see if the tops are solid.
Put the last tablespoon of powdered sugar on top to make it
look pretty - you can do this by gently
shaking the measuring spoon full of powdered sugar, face up, over the
clafoutis -- and, if you wish, some whipped cream, and
serve!
Serves 4 to 6
Omelets
I thought an omelet was basically scrambled egg mix made
into an crepe or thin pancake with or without a filling added to it. And I was
right... but only in part. Just as there are many ways to skin a cat, apologies
to any cat lovers out there, Jacques Pepin's book New Complete Techniques, an excellent reference/cookbook
recommended by both Chef Martin and myself, indicates that there is more than
one way to make an omelet, and none are wrong. My way, while not indicated in
his book, is a perfectly acceptable version.
Since omelets can have a wide variety of fillings, I will
present my recipe for a mushroom omelet. Don't like mushrooms? No problem! Try
using chopped up cold cuts, either as is or fried for a minute or two in oil,
leftover stew with the liquid removed with your trusty slotted spoon, or a
vegetable mix fried for a few minutes in oil or butter, or even a spoonful of
salsa! Like with scrambled eggs, fritatas and quiches, the possibilities for
omelets are endless.
Making an omelet takes more than a little skill and
practice, and even experienced home cooks like myself screw them up every once
in a while, but don't get discouraged! Just as Julia Child showed her viewers
how to fix mistakes in the kitchen, I plan to do the same with you. Too bad I
don't have her charm.
Now
let's get started.
From
the Store
1
Package of Regular Mushrooms (the little white ones that sell for about a buck
fifty and usually come in a blue tub wrapped in plastic wrap)
Dried
Thyme - (it's an herb) (optional) - you'll only need a pinch of this IF you
decide to use it, but, while it does add some flavor, it really isn't essential
to this dish
Equipment
1
Slotted Spoon
1
Frying Pan
1
Spatula
1 Fork
1 Regular
Bowl and 1 Mixing Bowl OR 2 Mixing Bowls (you can get another one in the dollar
store for a buck or two)
1
Cutting Board
1 Knife
Measuring
Spoons (optional)
From
the Fridge
3 Eggs
1 or 2
Pieces aka Cloves of Garlic
1
Tablespoon of Butter
From
the Pantry
1
Tablespoon of Canola oil
Salt
and Pepper
White
Cooking Wine (optional) - this will add great flavor to the mushrooms, but if
you have reservations - and I DON'T mean the kind for a restaurant - about
using alcohol in your cooking, don't use it, but bear in mind that most, if not
all of the actual alcohol in the wine steams away as the mushrooms cook,
leaving only the wine's flavor behind
Using your trusty cutting board and knife, cut the garlic
into tiny pieces, making sure to discard
the tough woody bit at the end of every clove. Next comes the mushrooms.
Slice your mushrooms. The thickness of the slices of said
mushrooms don't matter too much, but the thicker the slices, the longer they
will take to cook. Don't worry if the amount of sliced mushrooms looks like too
much for your pan. They shrink a lot as they cook.
Heat your butter and some Canola oil (say half a tablespoon
each) in a frying pan on medium high heat. When the fat is sliding easily
around the pan and the butter has melted, dump in your garlic and cook, moving
it around with the spatula until it starts to smell good.
Dump in your mushrooms, season 'em with a little salt and
pepper, and if using, a pinch of dried thyme. You measure a pinch by taking
some of an ingredient between your thumb and forefinger and whatever you can
hold between those two fingers should be enough.
Move the mushrooms around in the pan a little, so they get
coated with your fat, being careful not to let too many of them spill over the
side. Now's the time to add your wine, say about three tablespoons, or a light
splash of it.
Move the mushrooms around in the pan until they've shrunk
and turned from white to brown.
Carefully, without burning yourself, taste one.
If it's tender enough for you and you like the taste (food
is all about taste and texture), turn off the heat and pour the contents of the
pan into one of your bowls. If the flavor seems off, adjust the salt and pepper
until it's more to your taste.
Now we can work on the eggs.
First, clean your frying pan. I know I haven't talked much
about cleanup at this point, but that's mostly because while essential to
cooking, I, like many home cooks, hate doing it. In order to clean your frying
pan, scrub it with a sponge, ideally one that comes with a tougher or "scouring"
side, and soap and water. I know some people like to use steel wool for stuck
on food, but DO NOT use steel wool if
you're dealing with a non-stick pan. It will destroy the non stick surface.
Rinse your pan with water, dry it with a tea towel (meaning a clean dish
towel), and you're ready to go again!
Crack three eggs into your other bowl. If there are shells
or shell pieces, now is the time to take them out using a spoon or clean hands.
Do not cook and eat the shells with your eggs, for while loaded with calcium,
they are also loaded with bacteria! Beat the eggs with a fork, add some salt
and pepper, and you're ready!
Grease your frying pan with the remaining butter and canola
oil and heat on medium heat.
You may need to repeat this process, depending on the size
of your pan. When the outer edges have lightened in colour and look cooked but the top and middle of the
eggs are still slightly runny, dump as many of your cooked mushrooms as you can
into the center of the eggs.
CAREFULLY slide the spatula under the eggs on one side and
fold it them in on themselves, covering the mushrooms as much as you can. You
may need to tilt the pan to do this. Don't
worry if the omelet has a few holes in it, it will taste good just the
same, and you can always cover the holes with a garnish or decoration later.
Slide the omelet onto a plate by tilting the pan over your
plate, and then, if you plan to share, cut it in half, and put the other half
on a second plate.
Now is the time to cover up any mistakes. You can do this by
artfully arranging any extra cooked mushroom on top, and then putting a nice
salad on the side. See the image below.
Serves 2 people or 1 VERY hungry person for breakfast,
lunch, or dinner.
Soufflés
Soufflé in French is literally past tense for
"blow" (if your minds went there, get 'em out of the gutter right
now!). A soufflé happens when you
separate the white from the yolk of raw eggs, beat the crap out of the whites
until they're full of tiny air bubbles, beat the yolks in a separate bowl and
flavor them, and then carefully add them back into the whites. Shove 'em in the
oven, and poof! You have something fancy you can serve to guests.
Soufflés have to be served right out of the oven, as they
often deflate within the first 15 minutes. While tricky, they don't take very
long to prepare, and make an excellent first course or dessert course at a
dinner party. They can be flavored many
ways, from sweet to savory, but for the purposes of this entry, I will show you
how to make a basic cheese soufflé. I
got the recipe from a website called Allrecipes.com, which says that it came
from the Egg Farmers of Ontario. I like this website because while not always instructional, the recipes in it are posted and reviewed by its users. I tweaked the recipe a little for my taste
and because in the end, the measurements seemed a bit off. What you see below
is my tweaked and embellished version.
Now
let's start our soufflés.
From
the store
Some
blue cheese (one piece, pre packaged is fine) - IF you don't like blue cheese,
use cheddar or another cheese -- soft goat cheese would be awesome too
Equipment
4
Ramekins (See For the Culinarily Challenged - Choose Your Weapons
under "If Ya Wanna Get Fancy")
1
Baking Pan
1 Spoon
1 Whisk
2
Mixing Bowls
1 Small
Pot
1
Wooden Spoon
1
Rubber Spatula
Measuring
Spoons
Measuring
Cups or 1 Measuring Cup
1 Fork
(optional)
From
the Fridge
3 Eggs
4
Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup
All Purpose Flour
1 Cup
Milk
From
the pantry
Salt
and Pepper
2 or 3
Tablespoons Plain Breadcrumbs
Let the eggs sit on the counter for 5 or 10 minutes. This
will make it easier to separate them, and, later, to whip up your whites.
While the eggs are resting, take 1 tablespoon of butter and
rub the insides of the ramekins with it. When there's a good layer of grease on
them, put a tablespoon of breadcrumbs in one ramekin and move it around to coat
the inside. Repeat with the others. This will allow the soufflés to
"climb" up the insides of the ramekins as they bake. Put the ramekins
in your baking pan face up.
You can now get to work on your egg whites.
To separate your eggs, crack the egg on the side of the
mixing bowl, and then quickly turn it upright, holding it over the bowl.
Carefully pull the top half of the shell away from the bottom, allowing the
white to fall out of the egg into the bowl. Holding the empty half of the shell
in your other hand, carefully tip the yolk into it over the same bowl, allowing
whatever white was underneath the yolk, to fall into the bowl. See the image
below.
You can then put the yolk into your second mixing bowl and
discard the shell. Got some yolk in the whites? No problem! Simply take it out
with a spoon, and put with the rest of your yolks.
Repeat the process with the other eggs.
Now is the time to beat your egg whites. To do this, all you
need to do is put your whisk into to the whites, tilt it sideways, and move
your hand back and forth until the eggs go from clear to white, and stiff peaks
form. See the images below. If your hand and wrist get tired before the peaks form, try
switching hands as doing this does not take that much dexterity. Once your eggs
whites are ready, set them aside, but away from your stove.
Now we can work on the flavoring for the soufflé.
In your pot over
medium heat, melt the remaining 3 Tablespoons of butter, and then add the
flour. Stir the contents with a wooden spoon, until the flour has absorbed the
butter, and there are no more lumps. You can then pour in the milk, and dump in
your cheese of choice.
Stir the mixture until the cheese has melted and season it
with a little pepper and salt.
Preheat your oven to 325 F (160 C), and start working on the
flavoring of the soufflé.
This is a basic cheese sauce and can be used as is on pasta
for an easy mac and cheese, on you can add some of it to your soufflé. To do
so, clean your whisk OR just use a fork. Beat your egg yolks, and then put a
spoonful of the cheese sauce into the yolks and quickly beat them so the egg
yolks get "used" to having the hot cheese in them. This process is
called tempering. You can now pour half the cheese mixture into your egg yolks
and quickly beat the heck out of them with your whisk or fork. The finished
product should be a golden yellow sauce. See the image below.
Whatever's left in your pot can be put in a container and put
in the fridge for another time. It should keep for 3 to 4 days.
Now is the time to assemble your soufflés.
Pour your cheese and egg yolk mixture into your beaten egg
whites, and holding your rubber spatula at an angle in the bowl, slowly rotate
it three or four times until the egg yolk mixture is slightly mixed in or
incorporated - this process is called "Folding". Please note that it
doesn't matter if you can still see the egg whites when you're done. It will be
fine.
Spoon the contents of your bowl into your ramekins, leaving
a little space for the souffles to grow. Put the baking pan with the ramekins
in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until they're puffed and golden brown.
See the image below. Serve immediately
with spoons.
Serves 4 as an appetizer.
Pavlovas
I have to admit I had the devil of a time finding a proper
definition of a pavlova (pronounced "pahv - lov - ah"), mostly
because according to various online sources, no one can agree, between the Australians
and New Zealanders, who came up with it. It's named after a ballet dancer and is
a dessert consisting of egg whites, beaten until stiff (as you would for a
soufflé) with a stabiliser (cream of tartar), and then had a sweetener added to it - the
finished egg white product is called meringue (pronounced "mer- ang")
- and then baked, and topped with a fruit concoction and whipped cream.
Having never made a pavlova before, I decided to test my
culinary mettle once again and see if I was good enough at it to teach you.
Not to brag, but I'd say I pass.
I found the recipe for the pavlova you see in Canadian Chef
and Cookbook author, Michael Smith's book, Chef
Michael Smith's Kitchen: 100 of My Favorite Recipes. His recipe calls for kiwis,
orange oil, and a sort of marmalade topping with strawberries, but since I
didn't have any kiwis or orange oil, I opted to use as toppings what I usually
have on hand, and rest assured, it turned out just fine. The recipe for the
meringue part copies Smith's almost to the letter
Here's
how you do it
From
the Store
Parchment
Paper - You can find this in the baking section of the grocery store
or in the dollar store for about a buck or two
1/8
Teaspoon Cream of Tartar - This is an item that can be found in tiny boxes
in the baking section of the grocery store. Here is a photo so you'll know what
to look for.
Equipment
1 Whisk
1 Bowl
1 Metal
Baking or Cookie Sheet
1
Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula
1 Pot
Measuring
spoons
Oven
mitts
Spoons
1
Kitchen Timer
From
the fridge
4 Egg
Whites - Separate your eggs into a mixing bowl as you would for a
soufflé, and if you wish, put the yolks in a container and save them in the
fridge for another use such a scrambled eggs or omelets. You'll only need the
bowl with the whites for this recipe.
2 Cups
Fresh berries OR From the Freezer, Frozen Berries
2 Cups
Whipping Cream (1 Small Carton)
From
the Pantry
1 Cup
of Jam (ideally marmalade) OR 3/4 of a cup of Balsamic vinegar + 3 Tablespoons
Jam and 1 Tablespoon Sugar - If
you're budget conscious, use the jam only
1 and
1/4 Cup of Powdered or Icing Sugar, divided
1
Tablespoon of White Vinegar
1
Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1
Tablespoon of Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
1
Teaspoon Canola oil
Preheat your oven to 250 F (120 Celsius).
Take your parchment paper, and using a pen or pencil, trace
a circle 20 cm or 8 or 9 inches in diameter (you can do this by taking a bowl,
pie plate, or round baking dish of about the same size, flipping it over, and
then tracing the edge). See the image below. Flip the paper over, and put it in
the baking sheet. Parchment paper is very thin, so the line should show
through.
Now we can work on the egg whites.
Using the whisk, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and
salt until soft peaks form. Now add 1 cup of icing sugar, a spoonful at a time,
and beat the heck out of it until it forms "smooth shiny peaks". Beat in the cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla.
Rub your wooden spoon or rubber spatula with oil, and use it to spread the egg
white mixture or meringue into the circle on the parchment paper on the baking
sheet, spreading it to the edge of the circle, thus "forming a thick, even
disc".
Bake for 1 hour or until the outside is crispy, and the
inside is soft and chewy. It may brown a bit, but that's ok. It will taste delicious regardless.
While the meringue is baking, start working on the toppings.
Put your berries and either the jam OR the vinegar, sugar, and jam in a pot over medium heat and bring
to a boil. Cook until the contents of the pot are less liquidy and have
thickened slightly. Put it aside to
cool.
Clean the bowl and whisk you used for the meringue using
soap and water and dry them with a dish towel. Dump in your whipping cream and
icing sugar, and beat the heck out of it until thick but not separated.
You can then cover it and put it in the fridge until you're
ready to assemble the pavlova.
Take the meringue out of the oven using the oven mitts, let
it cool for a few minutes, and then carefully peel off the parchment paper. This is very hard to do without breaking
it, but don't worry! You can cover
up any mistakes with your toppings.
Put the baked meringue, or the pieces of it in perfect
order, on a serving plate, and let it cool some more, say the duration of the
main course. Top with your berry mixture, and a thick layer of your whipped
cream and you're ready to go!
The amount of people this serves depends on your crowd. If
you're dealing with calorie counters, it might serve 10 or 15. If you're
dealing with people with a sweet tooth, it could serve half that amount of
people.
Sick of eggs?
Me too! That being said, next week I'll be tackling another basic, but extremely versatile ingredient, this time in one shot, so stay tuned!
Samantha R.
Gold
Questions?
Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be
reached at:
for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
Trolls will
be unceremoniously deleted and dismissed.
