Update #1: Added some more details on potato types and cooking times.
I recently purchased 'the fat duck cookbook', which has an outstanding method for making french fries. Unfortunately, the method requires some expensive equipment that most people (myself included) don't have in their homes, so what follows is my attempt to match the spirit of the recipe without actually doing all of the steps.
I have tried this recipe 3 times now and the fries were the best I have ever had.
Following this recipe you will get fries with a nice dark crunchy exterior and a soft interior with good flavour. I didn't need any ketchup when I ate them. :-)
You need:
potatoes (I tried white potato and red potatoes, both seemed to work, red maybe slightly better)
canola oil, or some other neutral oil, to which I added 1 tblsp of bacon fat
a decent thermometer to measure your oil temperature
lots of paper towels
a clean tea towel
peel your potatoes and cut them into nice chunky french fry shapes. you want them fairly chunky.
fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. put your potatoes in the pot. do not overfill, you want about a single layers worth of potatoes, if you have too many potatoes, you need to use a bigger pot. make sure you have lots of water too. turn the heat down to medium or slightly below medium on the stove, you want to still boil the potatoes but not too hard. Boil them as long as you dare - the longer the better - you want the fries as close to falling apart as possible when you take them out. This will take a while, so you have to be patient and be sure you put enough water in the pot!
I boiled mine for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
once the potatoes are ready to be removed, use a slotted spoon and carefully remove them from the water and place them on a clean tea towel and pat off as much water as you can. let the potatoes cool and air dry a bit. You want a lot of moisture from the cooking to be sucked into the tea towel.
meanwhile, put enough oil to cover the fries in your electric fry pan and heat the oil to 250 F. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil (the dial on my electric fry pan was off by about 75 F !).
put the fries into the hot oil and cook for 10 minutes - they should have a very light colored crust. when you take them out pat them dry and cool. You could store them at this point for future use. Allow them to cool completely before the next application. I've tried this recipe 3 times now and the best one was when I cooled the fries completely, and actually froze them and got them out the next day (allowing them to defrost in the refrigerator).
raise the heat of the oil to 350 F now. put the fries in and cook for 8-10 min until golden brown. (the longer you boiled them in step one, the better the final result will be). remove from the oil and place onto some paper towels, pat off as much oil as you can, then season with some sea salt and table salt and serve.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, November 6, 2010
butternut squash and shrimp chowder
1 large butternut squash
2 tblsp butter
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tblsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tblsp shrimp paste
1 tsp curry powder (I used medium)
1 tblsp old bay seasoning
1 tblsp chopped parsley (optional)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 1/3 pounds of shrimp, shelled, cooked, tails removed
1 roasted red pepper, diced
First turn on the broiler and roast the red pepper, turning as the skin
blackens. While you are doing this, get the squash ready. cut the
squash in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. put the squash
in a deep pan with about 1/4 cup of water, cover with tin foil.
when the pepper is done roasting, remove it from the oven to cool. set
the oven to 350 and put the squash in for 45 minutes. remove to cool.
you can do these steps the day before and put the squash and pepper in
the fridge to cool.
in a heavy soup pot, melt the butter and add the garlic, onion, celery
and basil and saute until the onions are translucent. i dont like to
let this go really long, since i kind of like still having a bit of bite
to the celery, so i dont let it cook to the point that it could get too
soft.
in another bowl, combine the cream and milk with the shrimp paste, curry
powder, parsley (if using), old bay seasoning, pepper, salt and shrimp.
mix well and add to the ingredients in the pot.
remove the skin from the red pepper and dice it up and add to the pot.
dice up the butternut squash too. i usually keep about half of it as a
dice and then mash the other half with a fork - that way when it
combines with the soup it gets nice and thick. add the squash and
pepper to the soup. heat it up and you are done.
it just barely has to boil, or not even. in the recipe they say to only
bring it to 180F (82 C) which isnt quite boiling.
for the shrimp paste, you can buy that at any decent asian grocery
store.
if you cant find old bay seasoning, i have seen it at lapointes and at
T&T supermarket.
or you can go online and find out how to make it yourself by combining
all the ingredients together (i think buying it is cheaper iirc).
for the shrimp, i use about a package of 51/60 count shrimp, and then to
make up the extra 1/3 pound, i use a bigger shrimp, like a 31/40 count
or something. the bigger ones are nice.
for the milk, i usually only have 1% in the fridge, so i use 1 cup milk
and 1 cup cream instead of the mix listed. i also find with a large
squash the soup gets too thick with the amount of liquids listed so i
tend to eyeball an extra amount of milk to get it to the right
consistency. getting this right will depend on how big the butternut
squash you are using is. note when you reheat the leftovers of this the
squash chunks tend to break down and make the soup really thick - still
tastes good though.
note, this is a low carb recipe!
2 tblsp butter
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tblsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tblsp shrimp paste
1 tsp curry powder (I used medium)
1 tblsp old bay seasoning
1 tblsp chopped parsley (optional)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 1/3 pounds of shrimp, shelled, cooked, tails removed
1 roasted red pepper, diced
First turn on the broiler and roast the red pepper, turning as the skin
blackens. While you are doing this, get the squash ready. cut the
squash in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. put the squash
in a deep pan with about 1/4 cup of water, cover with tin foil.
when the pepper is done roasting, remove it from the oven to cool. set
the oven to 350 and put the squash in for 45 minutes. remove to cool.
you can do these steps the day before and put the squash and pepper in
the fridge to cool.
in a heavy soup pot, melt the butter and add the garlic, onion, celery
and basil and saute until the onions are translucent. i dont like to
let this go really long, since i kind of like still having a bit of bite
to the celery, so i dont let it cook to the point that it could get too
soft.
in another bowl, combine the cream and milk with the shrimp paste, curry
powder, parsley (if using), old bay seasoning, pepper, salt and shrimp.
mix well and add to the ingredients in the pot.
remove the skin from the red pepper and dice it up and add to the pot.
dice up the butternut squash too. i usually keep about half of it as a
dice and then mash the other half with a fork - that way when it
combines with the soup it gets nice and thick. add the squash and
pepper to the soup. heat it up and you are done.
it just barely has to boil, or not even. in the recipe they say to only
bring it to 180F (82 C) which isnt quite boiling.
for the shrimp paste, you can buy that at any decent asian grocery
store.
if you cant find old bay seasoning, i have seen it at lapointes and at
T&T supermarket.
or you can go online and find out how to make it yourself by combining
all the ingredients together (i think buying it is cheaper iirc).
for the shrimp, i use about a package of 51/60 count shrimp, and then to
make up the extra 1/3 pound, i use a bigger shrimp, like a 31/40 count
or something. the bigger ones are nice.
for the milk, i usually only have 1% in the fridge, so i use 1 cup milk
and 1 cup cream instead of the mix listed. i also find with a large
squash the soup gets too thick with the amount of liquids listed so i
tend to eyeball an extra amount of milk to get it to the right
consistency. getting this right will depend on how big the butternut
squash you are using is. note when you reheat the leftovers of this the
squash chunks tend to break down and make the soup really thick - still
tastes good though.
note, this is a low carb recipe!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
3 spice chicken in a sour orange sauce
I reverse engineered this recipe from something I saw Bobby Flay do on Iron Chef. I don't know if this is exactly the same as what he did, but I made it a few times and its one of my favorites. The sauce takes a while to make since you have to boil it down a lot. Its worth the effort.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
equal parts tumeric, cumin and oregano (if you can get fresh tumeric, even better)
Mix spices and rub on the chicken. BBQ the chicken until finished, then serve with the sauce below:
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tblsp olive oil
1 spanish onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh orange juice not from concentrate
1 tblsp orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup honey (or 1/3 c honey and 2/3 c splenda)
8 cups chicken stock (must be the real deal and not artificial or it wont thicken right when you boil it down)
2 tblsp cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
salt and pepper
heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the orange juice, lime juice, zest, and honey and cook until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and cook until thickened to a sauce consistency and reduced to about 2 cups.
Strain the sauce into a bowl, whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. serve hot.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
equal parts tumeric, cumin and oregano (if you can get fresh tumeric, even better)
Mix spices and rub on the chicken. BBQ the chicken until finished, then serve with the sauce below:
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tblsp olive oil
1 spanish onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh orange juice not from concentrate
1 tblsp orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup honey (or 1/3 c honey and 2/3 c splenda)
8 cups chicken stock (must be the real deal and not artificial or it wont thicken right when you boil it down)
2 tblsp cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
salt and pepper
heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the orange juice, lime juice, zest, and honey and cook until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and cook until thickened to a sauce consistency and reduced to about 2 cups.
Strain the sauce into a bowl, whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. serve hot.
Sicilian Orange Salad
I saw this on a tv show, I liked it.
Zest of one orange
2-3 orange, sliced up
full jar of stuffed green olives
capers
fresh mint (about 20 mint leaves)
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced
zest one orange into a bowl
cut the top and bottom of the orange off and cut off the remaining skin
slice orange and put in bowl
slice up 1/2 of a red onion in long thin slices
add a dash of capers
thinly slice the mint leaves and add to the salad
add a big splash of the olive oil, mix
Zest of one orange
2-3 orange, sliced up
full jar of stuffed green olives
capers
fresh mint (about 20 mint leaves)
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced
zest one orange into a bowl
cut the top and bottom of the orange off and cut off the remaining skin
slice orange and put in bowl
slice up 1/2 of a red onion in long thin slices
add a dash of capers
thinly slice the mint leaves and add to the salad
add a big splash of the olive oil, mix
Monday, October 19, 2009
Chicken Tangine
I made this for the first time today and it was really good. It would go good over couscous or some rice, but I just ate it as a kind of soupy mess. It also works better if you use boneless chicken.
1 tblsp olive oil
1 large purple onion thinly sliced
12 cloves of minced garlic
2 tblsp minced ginger
3 tblsp smoked paprika
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 whole cinnamin stick
2 cups water
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes in its juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves
4 tblsp lemon juice
1 whole chicken
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
2 cups worth of green beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
heat oil to medium in a large heavy pot, add onion, garlic and ginger, cook until onion is soft. add smoked paprika, tumeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon and stir it in for a minute. stir in the two cups of water and the tomatoes along with the cilantro and lemon juice. bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes while you prepare the chicken.
cut the chicken up and sprinkle with salt and pepper. add to the pot and turn heat up a bit (medium low, enough for a very gentle boil), cover and simmer for 30 minutes. while simmering, prepare your carrots and green beans. after the 30 minutes is up, throw in the carrots and green beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes. chop up the mint and throw it on at the end.
1 tblsp olive oil
1 large purple onion thinly sliced
12 cloves of minced garlic
2 tblsp minced ginger
3 tblsp smoked paprika
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 whole cinnamin stick
2 cups water
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes in its juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves
4 tblsp lemon juice
1 whole chicken
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
2 cups worth of green beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
heat oil to medium in a large heavy pot, add onion, garlic and ginger, cook until onion is soft. add smoked paprika, tumeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon and stir it in for a minute. stir in the two cups of water and the tomatoes along with the cilantro and lemon juice. bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes while you prepare the chicken.
cut the chicken up and sprinkle with salt and pepper. add to the pot and turn heat up a bit (medium low, enough for a very gentle boil), cover and simmer for 30 minutes. while simmering, prepare your carrots and green beans. after the 30 minutes is up, throw in the carrots and green beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes. chop up the mint and throw it on at the end.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
blackberry salad
Blackberry Salad
I made this salad for a bbq. It worked out great.
Dressing:
1/2 c blackberries
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2 tblsp shallots
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
4 tblsp balsamic vinegar (or 2 tblsp balsamic and 2 tblsp blackberry vinegar if you have it)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup basil flavored walnut oil (or use olive oil and drop a couple basil leaves in)
1 tblsp splenda (or honey, or sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
1 ripe avocado
lots of lettuce
semi-firm goat cheese
1 cucumber
walnuts
blackberries
to make the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients except the oils into a blender and blend on high for 10 seconds or so. stop and if necessary, scrape down the sides of the blender. then turn the blender on low, take the lid off and slowly add the oils. stop and then strain it through a mesh strainer.
for the salad, mix appropriate amounts of avocado, lettuce, goat cheese, cucumber, walnuts and blackberries (I dont measure, just add stuff until it looks right). Then add half the dressing and mix. Save the other half of the dressing for people to add if they want it.
I made this salad for a bbq. It worked out great.
Dressing:
1/2 c blackberries
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2 tblsp shallots
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
4 tblsp balsamic vinegar (or 2 tblsp balsamic and 2 tblsp blackberry vinegar if you have it)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup basil flavored walnut oil (or use olive oil and drop a couple basil leaves in)
1 tblsp splenda (or honey, or sugar)
salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
1 ripe avocado
lots of lettuce
semi-firm goat cheese
1 cucumber
walnuts
blackberries
to make the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients except the oils into a blender and blend on high for 10 seconds or so. stop and if necessary, scrape down the sides of the blender. then turn the blender on low, take the lid off and slowly add the oils. stop and then strain it through a mesh strainer.
for the salad, mix appropriate amounts of avocado, lettuce, goat cheese, cucumber, walnuts and blackberries (I dont measure, just add stuff until it looks right). Then add half the dressing and mix. Save the other half of the dressing for people to add if they want it.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thai salad
Thai Salads are awesome. This one is very low-carb friendly and quite tasty. If you don't like real spicy food you can omit the chiles and it still tastes good.
1/2 lb boneless pork, cooked and sliced thin
1/2 lb shrimp, cooked, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup of shredded chicken
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1 cucumber, peeled, split lengthwise and seeded and thinly sliced
1 scallion sliced
7-8 leaves of romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2-3 sprigs of cilantro torn up into small sprigs
1 cup dressing (see below)
10 fresh mint leaves
1-2 fresh serrano chiles, seeded and slivered
Dressing (makes 1 cup)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tblsp sucanat
1/4 cup splenda
2 tblsp cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tblsp minced cilantro roots or stems
3-4 minced serrano chiles
1 clove minced garlic
dissolve the sugars and salt in the vinegar and fish sauce, then add everything else and mix well.
for the salad, combine all ingredients except the mint and chiles and toss together, then add the mint and chiles as a garnish and serve.
1/2 lb boneless pork, cooked and sliced thin
1/2 lb shrimp, cooked, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup of shredded chicken
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1 cucumber, peeled, split lengthwise and seeded and thinly sliced
1 scallion sliced
7-8 leaves of romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2-3 sprigs of cilantro torn up into small sprigs
1 cup dressing (see below)
10 fresh mint leaves
1-2 fresh serrano chiles, seeded and slivered
Dressing (makes 1 cup)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tblsp sucanat
1/4 cup splenda
2 tblsp cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tblsp minced cilantro roots or stems
3-4 minced serrano chiles
1 clove minced garlic
dissolve the sugars and salt in the vinegar and fish sauce, then add everything else and mix well.
for the salad, combine all ingredients except the mint and chiles and toss together, then add the mint and chiles as a garnish and serve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)