Boeuf Bourguignon

An old-fashioned beef stew is undoubtedly my favorite winter-time meal. This boeuf Bourguignon or beef Burgundy originates from the very famous wine-producing region of Burgundy, France and is traditionally made with a young red Burgundy wine. The wine distinctly flavors and colors the meat. The aroma is also very enticing, it pefumes the entire kitchen.

For this recipe I used an entire bottle of Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, a wine of the Gamay grape variety from the Beaujolais sub-region of Burgundy. I usually serve the finished stew with the same wine I use in the recipe, but this time I tried another Burgundy wine, a wonderful Pinot Noir from Josephine Dubois. A new wine is always exciting to try.

This stew also features the ingredient of Dijon mustard, a specialty of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. The mustard is unique in that it is made with wine. Do you see a trend here? I'd like to think that any product that is made or includes wine is the best. I think you will find this recipe to be a comfort food stand-by. Enjoy it with a glass of wine!

Boeuf Bourguignon

4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds good-quality beef, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 ounces pancetta, cut into small pieces
4 shallots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 large onions, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 750-ml bottle young red Burgundy wine
10 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, trimmed of stems and halved

Heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy bottomed 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add beef and cook over high heat until seared on all sides. Remove beef from pan and keep warm.

To the hot pan add pancetta and cook until fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add shallots and cook until soft; add garlic. Add carrots and onions and cook for about 5 minutes.

Return beef to pan and season with salt and pepper. Stir in mustard to coat all ingredients. Add thyme and bay leaves. Pour in wine and bring to a gentle boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce to a low simmer, and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.

As the stew is finishing, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter for about 5 minutes; add to pan. Cook for an additional 10 minutes uncovered on medium-high to reduce the sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

READ MORE >

How to Play with Your Food with Johnny Iuzzini and Dave Arnold

With his first ever cookbook, Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef of restaurant Jean Georges, brings a bit of experimental cuisine to home baking. Dessert Fourplay presents recipes in Chef Iuzzini's signature quartets, simplified for the home cook. The recipes highlight his particular style of pairing opposing flavors and textures: spicy and sweet or soft and crunchy. The book is truly a treat for the experimental home cook or culinary fan. Whenever I've gone to either Nougatine or Jean Georges I've enjoyed the desserts tremendously. I really do think that even though desserts are traditionally served last, they can be the highlight of dinner—and Johnny's desserts always come in first place.

Rather than describing the book further, here is the super talent that I witnessed at last week's monthly meeting of the Experimental Cuisine Collective, which was held at the French Culinary Institute. Chef Iuzzini with his friend and fellow scientist in the kitchen Dave Arnold, director of technology at the French Culinary Institute, presented on compression and carbonation methods currently being utilized by experimental chefs throughout the world such as Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, Wylie Dufresne, and Thomas Keller, among others. Not simply a presentation, the demonstration lasted for almost three hours with a full tasting of everything the two chefs created. What follows is the extremely ingenious foresight and method by Dave Arnold and talented application and execution by Johnny Iuzzini that go into making such unique desserts in the restaurants and in the book. This is how to justifiably play with your food using science.

Dave Arnold began by explaining the science behind the vacuum sealer, a piece of equipment commonly used in many restaurant kitchens for preserving food, but now used also as preparation for the sous vide cooking method popularized by Thomas Keller. The machine can also alter food structure and texture as Chef Arnold demonstrated with marshmallows and white sandwich bread. The marshmallows (vacuumed directly in the machine) immediately quadrupled in size and then shrank to become raisin-like whereas the bread (vacuumed in a bag) remained the same size before becoming flattened. Bread, like a sponge, is porous and filled with air pockets—the machine simply removes all the air. Eggplant also can be prepared in this way but to a benefit: the vegetable absorbs less oil when fried. We were treated to vacuumed and fried eggplant and vacuumed and fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which were chewy, gooey, and ultimately tasty.

The vacuum sealer also works exceptionally well with liquids, which can be used to intensify the flavor of products. Arnold showed that water can boil in the vacuum sealer without getting hot because of the internal pressure. Most people think that to boil water all you need is a high temperature, but pressure, according to Arnold, is key. This explains why at higher altitudes it takes longer to boil water since the atmospheric pressure is lower. Chef Arnold used watermelon for the first experiment with liquid. Cubes of fruit were vacuumed in their own juice while other cubes were vacuumed alone. We were able to compare the results with a control (a fresh piece of watermelon). The vacuumed piece was hard and unappetizing whereas the piece that reabsorbed its own juice was the essence of watermelon flavor. The experiment showed that any fruit or vegetable could be transformed by using the vacuum sealer to inject flavor. Chef Iuzzini utilized Arnold's methods to inject apple dices and pear slices with a mix of simple syrup and yuzu juice and also apple dices with curry oil. The process also works well for flash pickling, such as pickled onions. However the vegetable is not preserved by flash pickling as it is in the traditional brine-pickling method.

Next we moved onto carbonation. Chef Arnold warned that even the smallest particle such as a vanilla bean cannot be present in the liquid, because it would hinder proper carbonation. He also emphasized that overly carbonated liquids actually lose carbonation more quickly. Using two different gases for carbonation: carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), the team carbonated water in three different ways for the audience to taste: one with the nitrous oxide, one with carbon dioxide, and a third with a 75% carbon dioxide and 25% nitrous oxide blend. The nitrous oxide sample was carbonated at 30 psi (pounds per square inch); it had a creamy taste that hit the taste buds on the sides and back of the tongue whereas the carbon dioxide (30 psi) had a prickly taste. Many people think that the prickle in soda is from acidity, but it is just the nature of the gas. The mix (45 psi) combined the prickliness and creaminess into a flavor that was just right.

Chef Iuzzini also shared some of his creations using the carbonation methods developed by Arnold. He created a dessert drink of vanilla soda with a calcium lactate encapsulated salty caramel bubble. The combination of the vanilla soda and caramel created a cream soda effect within the mouth. Next Iuzzini demonstrated another creation this time using his specialty, chocolate. He first blended milk and agar agar, then into it melted chocolate and added whisky. The mixture was cooled, carbonated, and then placed in the vacuum sealer, which removed all the air, leaving behind bubble craters once the mixture solidified. The result was a chocolate sponge ganache.

The evening was truly a hit with the audience. We not only tasted the elements that Chef Iuzzini uses to make his unique desserts, but before the evening was over we had the pleasure of trying some alcoholic beverages made by Chef Arnold. At over 130 proof, we were warned to only taste less than a cap full of the distilled beverages: habanero, horseradish, hops, and pine as well as infused pine and peanut-infused Scotch. We finished with flat sparkling wine and then two samples of sparkling wine re-carbonated at two different pressures. It was a meeting hardly to be forgotten.

READ MORE >

Honey-Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

Ricotta cheesecake has always been my favorite kind of cheesecake and I'm not even a big fan of cheesecake in general, but this recipe is nearly perfect. I've been on the search to find the best ricotta cheesecake recipe, one that at least comes close to the one I enjoyed at Lunetta last May. Theirs was a lemon ricotta, but here I decided to jazz it up with orange zest. It is based on a recipe from my favorite Italian goddess chef Giada de Laurentiis.

This recipes takes the cake. It is rich and creamy and has the perfume of honey and oranges. It's such a comforting dessert to enjoy at any time. Make it with a graham cracker crust like I did, or use a biscotti crust like Giada recommends, or leave out the crust entirely and you still have a magnificent cake. Change it up with lemon zest, or if you would like a healthier version use part-skim ricotta and reduced fat cream cheese. You will still have a delicious cake.

Ricotta Cheesecake

For the crust:
1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
1 12-ounce container whole milk ricotta
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 medium orange)
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch nonstick springform pan with two layers of heavy-duty foil, crimping the edges tightly.

In a medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely.

Blend the ricotta in a food processor until silky smooth. Add the cream cheese, a little at a time, and blend until silky smooth. Add the sugar, honey, and orange zest and blend until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs, one at a time, and pulse just until blended.

Pour the cheese filling into springform pan. Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan; place in the oven. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan to create a water bath. Bake the cheesecake until golden around the edges and the center is set but still jiggles slightly, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the water bath and let cool completely for an hour. Transfer to a refrigerator and let cool overnight. Yield: 8 to 10 wedges.

READ MORE >

Mark Bittman Makes Food Matter

Mark Bittman, cookbook writer and New York Times columnist, spoke yesterday at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Bittman was there as part of WSHU's Join the Conversation series to talk about his just-released book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes. He began by lamenting the government's role in global food issues and then delved into the reasons that led him to practice healthy eating habits and environmental consciousness. First inspired by Livestock's Long Shadow, a United Nations' report on livestock production, Bittman started to make significant changes in his diet about two years ago. He had developed high cholesterol and high blood sugar along with sleep apnea. Bittman says that he had weighed more than he ever had before. It was time for a change.

Bittman emphasized the need for our government to address the problems stemming from the production of food. Unfortunately government has not been on the side of the people. It continues to support and subsidize Big Food. Lobbyists have more sway than the American people. A good example of this is the FDA food pyramid, a vague effort on the part of the government to appear nutritionally nonpartisan. Bittman says that as individuals we can start by incrementally changing the world: it starts at the personal level, then grows to the local, and on to the global level. Bittman provides many statistics in the book to shock and/or inspire us, telling us that 18% of the world's greenhouse gases come from the production of livestock, more than transportation; that each year 9 billion chickens, 100 million pigs, 250 million turkeys, and 36 million cows are killed for food just in the United States. The typical American diet includes 1/2 pound of meat per day plus 1-1/2 pounds of other meat products including dairy and eggs. We eat 180 to 200 pounds of meat products per year. Altogether Americans eat 3 pounds of food per day, which includes only about 1/2 pound of fruit and vegetables. "Diet" according to Bittman is a style of eating. It's up to us to define that style.

Bittman, in a way much like Michael Pollan, tells us how we can develop a new diet by reducing our caloric intake and increasing our consumption of plant-based foods. This will add much-needed nutrients and fiber to our diet. The results of this change will also contribute to reducing levels of harmful fat, lowering our risk of getting cancer and heart disease, and reducing the size of our carbon footprint. In the end we will feel better, look better, and sleep better. As a collective group we can positively impact climate change and stop cruelty toward animals. It starts by being an advocate of healthy eating: limiting the consumption of animal products, processed foods, and refined foods; increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Bittman gesticulated with his hands to show that it's much like a seesaw. On one side we have all meat products and on the other fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Right now the meat side is very high for us. Ideally the plant side should be the highest, but if we get to the point where the seesaw is balanced, that is a good thing in itself. We can start by eating one less cheeseburger a week. An impact would be noticeable if everyone followed. Action and discipline are required.

When asked if he's a vegetarian, Bittman adamantly replies "I am not a vegetarian." He says that vegetarianism really should not include the eating of eggs and dairy. There is as much hormones in one egg as ten pound of meat. And dairy too, counts as much as meat: one pint of milk weighs one pound, so drinking milk is just like eating meat. Cruelty is not limited to meat production: Dairy cows along with egg-laying hens are held in terrible conditions. In reality we don't have to be vegetarians, Bittman proclaims, all we should do is eat less meat products and more plant products. Americans can start by bringing home better foods from the supermarket and shifting eating habits. Bittman uses the phrases more "incrementalism" and less "meatatarianism" to describe the process. We can incrementally, practically, and believably make changes. Even a small change is a good change. When posed the question about eating locally, Bittman says that we should buy locally and seasonally as reasonably as possible: buying produce that is as close as we can get it. But remember that California is just as far as France, he said. And organic food is not always completely organic. In many cases organic farms are actually large industrial farms that claim to be organic. If presented with the choice of buying a conventional product from a nearby farm or an organic product from afar, Bittman says he will always choose the local item.

In the end Bittman talked about how a closer connection to food sources might help make us more conscious of what we eat, i.e. to know where our food comes from. He immediately made me think of this New Yorker cartoon where a mother attempts to illustrate to her child the source of her food, see here. Bittman plainly said that keeping animals one hundred years ago was like raising family members and then killing and eating them. (Now that's food for thought.) Back then we were connected to our food; now meat from the market is disambiguated and wrapped in plastic. Years ago we ate differently, we ate to survive. Today, in an age of plenty and affluence, we eat until we're full and happy. Moreover marketing techniques from USDA-regulated food boards have helped to proliferate the desire to overeat the wrong foods. (Remember such advertisements and commercials as "Got milk?, "Beef: It's what's for dinner," and "Pork: The other white meat.") We can start by bringing our own lunch to work, gardening at home, and making informed decisions when we reach for the meat in the supermarket.

In the book, Bittman outlines the ways to change our diets, that by relying on foods with relatively few calories by volume, we can achieve better health and at the same time reduce our carbon footprint. He makes a simple calculation to help in planning our meals: Divide the calories of a food by its weight to get a number. The lower the number the more you can eat of that specific food, and the higher the number, the less you should be eating of that food. Bittman calls all this the "sane" eating. This isn't a fad diet like low-carb or low-fat diets, which don't work because eating low-carb leads to more cravings, and eating low-fat results in consuming foods filled with other junk to compensate for less fat. With a day-by-day meal plan for 4 weeks and 77 configurable recipes, Bittman's book is here to help readers start making food matter in their lives. It's a new year, so why not start by making food matter in our lives?

Mark Bittman's future appearances include:
January 14 at 7 p.m., University Bookstore, 4326 University Way N.E, Seattle.
Powell's Books at 7:30 p.m., 1005 W. Burnside, Portland, Oregon.
January 24 at 6:30 p.m., Whole Foods Market in the Bowery, New York.
Free Library of Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m., 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia.

READ MORE >