Classic bisques are thickened with rice, but all of my culinary instructors used roux to thicken their bisques.  Rice, no matter how finely you puree it, will always be grainy.

A roux is a combination of equal parts, by weight, of flour and fat that are cooked together to form a paste.  The cooking eliminates the raw flour taste, and the fat-coated starch particles are prevented from congregating together in lumps when added to liquid — making roux the front runner to thicken anything you want smooth and creamy — like a bisque.

White roux is cooked just until the mixture becomes frothy.  It is used in white sauces where no colour is desired– like a béchamel.

Brown roux is cooked much longer — until it develops a darker colour and nutty flavour and aroma. Use clarified butter in brown roux to avoid a burnt taste, and, although started on the stove top, brown roux should be finished in the oven to avoid scorching.  Brown roux are used to add colour and flavour to a dish — like a gumbo.

Right in the middle is blond roux — cooked slightly longer than white roux, until it takes on a light colour — it is used where a richer flavour, but not too much colour is desired.  As a woman of moderate tastes, blond roux suits me just fine for most occasions — like this bisque.

More fun roux facts:

• The darker the roux, the less thickening power it has.
• To avoid lumps when using a roux to thicken liquid, either whisk a room temperature roux into hot liquid or a hot roux into room temperature liquid.  Lumps happen when the roux and the liquid are the same temperature.
• Leftover roux will keep, covered in the fridge, for 7-10 days.
• The first recorded recipe to use a roux is in a German cookbook from 1533:  “How to Cook a Wild Boar’s Head, Also How to Prepare a Sauce for It.”

Enough with the roux, already…

Bisques are smooth, creamy comforts.  They are also labours of love, and take some time and care to prepare.  Some folk may consider smashing the flambéed and simmered heads of shrimp against the side of a conical strainer to be beyond the limits of what is visually acceptable (it can get a little gross, especially if you really put some elbow grease into it.)  Just remember — it’s all in the name of flavour.

Shrimp Bisque – Culinary School Technique
Yield 6-8 servings

Blond Roux

The volume measurements I have listed here are approximations.  As always, weight is more accurate than volume when it comes to cooking (and baking too).

Melt the butter over med heat in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Whisk in the flour until well incorporated and the mixture is a thick paste.  Cook, stirring constantly, for approx 3-4 minutes, until the flour just begins to colour.  Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Shrimp Bisque

C=cup       ml=millilitres     T=tablespoon       t=teaspoon
TT=to taste

Sweat the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil in a large skillet over med heat until the onion is translucent.  Increase the heat to med-high, add the seafood shells and toss until pink.  Pour the alcohol over the shells, wait 10 seconds, then flambé with a match.  Cover the pan with a lid to extinguish the flames after 10 seconds.

Transfer everything to a stockpot and add wine, crushed tomatoes and garlic. Reduce 5 minutes.  Add fish stock to generously cover, cayenne, bouquet garnii, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Strain immediately through a conical strainer, pressing on the shells and vegetables to extract the maximum flavour.  Return the strained liquid to the clean stockpot over med heat.  Whisk in 4 tablespoons (60 g) of roux and bring to a slow boil then simmer to thicken – should lightly coat the back of a spoon.  Use additional roux if necessary.  Season to taste with s+p.

Reduce the heat to low, add the cream, and heat gently.  Season again with s+p, and serve garnished with finely chopped herbs.

Best served the day of preparation.

Tips:

• I added about a 1/2 bulb of chopped fennel to the onion, carrot and celery.  The licorice flavour matched the ouzo that I used to flambé the shells.
• To make a bouquet garnii, tie 2 bay leaves, 5-6 peppercorns, 3-4 sprigs of thyme and 3-4 sprigs of parsley in a square of cheesecloth, a tea ball, or the blanched dark green end of a leek.
• To freeze, cool the bisque after straining, but before you thicken with the roux.  Freeze for up to 2 weeks, then thaw and finish as described.
• Other garnish ideas:  paprika or chili infused olive oil, a swirl of saffron cream, diced shrimp meat…

This recipe draws upon techniques I learned at not 1, not 2, but 3 professional culinary schools.  That’s 6 1/2 months of instruction from professional chefs, bakers and pastry chefs — nine hundred and thirty-eight hours of training to be exact.

Better not dwell on that though.  Howard will inevitably begin to add up the tuition in his head — which would normally be ok on its own, but as you’re about to see, this recipe contains 7 egg yolks, almost a cup of butter, and a whole lot of sugar.

After the number of these little cutie pies we scarfed back, it’s best not to put any more stress on his heart.

A bite-sized version of a lemon meringue tart with 3 separate components.

These are quite a bit of work — a 2 day project once you let the dough rest overnight — but they are worth the effort for a special occasion:  baby showers, engagement parties, Sunday brunches, summer picnics, book club meetings, ladies luncheons, you get the idea.

1. The sable breton is a sweet tart dough enriched with lots of egg yolks and butter.  It’s tender yet crisp texture  holds up nicely under the weight of the curd and meringue.  This is the first recipe I’ve shared with you from my recent week at the San Francisco Baking Institute.
2. The lemon curd is also rich with egg yolks, but without tasting “eggy.”  The recipe comes from my Culinary Skills Instructor at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, Chef P.  He worked as a child in the 3 Parisian bakeries his father owned, so, although not a pastry chef himself, I tend to trust his take on desserts.
3. The meringue is a basic 1 part sugar/1 part egg white mixture I  learned while doing one of a few weekend workshops I’ve attended at Northwest Culinary Academy in Vancouver.

A bit extreme on the learning for some, especially just to make a cookie — but it took me almost 20 years to follow my culinary dreams, and I’m goin’ for broke.

Lemon Drops

Yield:  approx (48) 1.5” cookies

–

Sablé Breton Crust

g=grams       oz=ounces (weight)

Combine the flour, baking powder and fleur de sel.  Set aside.

Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer on low speed with a paddle attachment.  Cream together well, but do not incorporate air into the mixture.

With the machine on low, add the yolks one at a time.  Add the flour in 2 stages, and mix on low until just incorporated.

Divide into 2 equal pieces, and form into 1” thick discs.  Wrap well and chill for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Dough will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Remove the dough from fridge about 10 minutes before you roll it out.  If storing it in the freezer, it is best to move the dough to the fridge the night before using.

To roll:  Remove one dough disc from the fridge and roll out to 6 mm (1/4”) thick.  Working quickly, so the dough doesn’t get to warm and fragile, use a small fluted cutter to cut out cookies, and transfer them to a parchment or Silpat lined baking tray.  Leave 2.5 cm (1”) between cookies to allow for spread during baking.

Once the tray is full, chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the cookies to firm up.  Roll out, cut and chill the other disc of dough as above.

Adjust the oven racks to the middle positions and preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).

Bake the cookies until deep golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Turn and rotate the pans after 10 minutes, then watch carefully after that.  Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Use immediately, or store in an air-tight tin on the counter for 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Lemon Curd

g=grams       oz=ounces (weight)

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in a small stainless steel saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the mixture is thick and clear.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the eggs.  Return to the heat and stir until thick and smooth.  Stir in lemon juice and zest.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to melt.  Cool completely, cover and refrigerate until firm.

Spoon or pipe dollops of curd onto the cookies.  Refrigerate while making the meringue.

Curd can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.  I have read that lemon curd can be frozen, but I have yet to try it myself.  Anyone out there who can tell us?

Meringue

g=grams       oz=ounces (weight)

Whip egg whites to soft peaks in a mixer on high with a whisk attachment.  With machine running, gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Move oven rack to top position and preheat the Broiler.

Spoon or pipe dollops of meringue on top of the lemon curd.  Broil until golden, about 2 minutes – watch them closely.

Cool, dust with icing sugar  and serve.

Note:  These are best served within a few hours of broiling the meringue.  As the meringue is not cooked through, and as a food safety precaution, store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Friday may have been the last day of class, but there’s never any slacking off at the San Francisco Baking Institute.  (seriously.)

On the calendar for Day 5:  Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart, Quiche, Strawberry Breton Tart and Tarte Bourdaloue.

Yes, that’s 4 “tarts” from 3 doughs — no time for dilly-dallying.

The pâte à foncer formed the base for our quiche.  A rich dough that uses pastry flour, milk, yolks and butter.  It’s French, so you expect butter — but in this case we have 75% of the flour weight in butter.  That’s 3 parts butter to 4 parts flour, folks.  Tasty…indeed.  I made grilled chicken club quiches, with bacon and cheddar.

The Tarte Bourdaloue is a pâte sucrée shell, filled with raspberry purée, frangipane and pears.  The sucrée contains all purpose flour, almond meal, powdered sugar, 45% butter and 34% of the flour weight in egg yolks.  It seems we’re getting richer as we go…

The sable Breton was the biggest surprise of the day (for me, at least).  It is a crumbly, crispy dough that forms the perfect base for a light fruit tart.  We used pistachio cream, strawberries and apricot glaze.  I loved this dough!  Thirty percent yolks, 70% sugar, 75% butter and a little baking powder combine with pastry flour to make what is, essentially, a crazy-rich sugar cookie.

The Creamy Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel is a blind-baked chocolate pâte sucrée, filled with a salted caramel sauce and dark chocolate crèmeux, and finished with a black chocolate glaze.  So much goodness in a 6″ tart…

And to top it off, my classmates all sang Happy Birthday to me — and the School presented me with this gorgeous Charlotte.  Thanks to everyone at the San Francisco Baking Institute, and all of my classmates.  I couldn’t have had a better day!

Day 4 at the San Francisco Baking Institute had us rolling out (or sheeting for those in the bakery biz) our puff pastry.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the big sheeting machine we used, so just imagine that I rolled out a 6 foot long, 3 mm thick layer of partially frozen dough using only the strength of my forearms.

Yeah, right.

After sheeting, we rolled out our puff, cut it into 3 sheet pan lengths, then rolled Palmiers coated with sugar, folded turnovers filled with homemade apple butter, and baked one sheet whole, with another sheet pan on top, to make mille feuille for Napoleans.

Again, I don`t have a picture of the turnovers after we egg washed them (BAD!), but we did learn to put a little bit of coffee extract in with the yolks — this ensures a beautiful, dark golden finish to your product.

The mille-feuille looked very dark when it came out of the oven, but after one bite of the finished Napolean, I discovered that the dark brown mille-feuille provides a perfect contrast to the overpowering richness and sweetness of the cream.

Loaded down with our pastries, we rolled ourselves out of class to make our way back to our hotel rooms.

One day to go, and we still have several tarts and quiches to make!

What do you get when you fill a wheel-shaped choux with praline mousseline?

Something very, very tasty — known as a Paris-Brest to those in the know.

And then there’s Eclairs Three Ways — caramel, fondant and chocolate — filled with vanilla pastry cream.

Jealous much?

How about 3 lbs of European butter, encased in a dough containing another 1/2 pound or so of “regular” butter?

That would be homemade puff pastry — this is the real deal folks.  Two days and a labour of love.  This is actually the 2nd course I have taken with a puff pastry component.  Hopefully my learning curve has shallowed out on this.  Remember what happened when I tried to make it at home after the first class?

Six single folds, and into the fridge she goes…

I leave you with a caramel ball — an 80′s vintage, retro caramel ball to be exact.  Until tomorrow…

On Tuesday, everybody in class at the San Francisco Baking Institutemade 2 pies:  the classic American apple deep dish pie, and a beautiful lattice topped blueberry.  Then we took them “home.”

Two pies alone with me in a hotel room is simply not a good idea…

I hope the concierge liked the blueberry….that just leaves the apple to deal with!

This little fella is a Paris-Brest, named after the predecessor to the Tour de France. It`s a pastry made from choux, a classic french dough used to make eclairs, gougeres, cream puffs, Parisian Gnocchi and another few dozen other good things…

Today was my first day in a week-long course at the San Francisco Baking Institute. A gift I planned long ago to soften the blow of a milestone birthday hitting me later this week. (I`ll let you guess the number.)

Choux can be tricky. It`s one of those things that is a little different everytime you make it…here, our instructor, Juliette, is showing us what a ready-to-go choux dough looks like: Smooth and shiny, and drops from the spoon in a nice, even V.

We also learned the professional way to load up a piping bag, and how to pipe even, consistent eclairs.  Tomorrow we get to fill them…

Very few people will refuse a piece of cheesecake.  I have found this to be a universal truth — except when it’s not — like last week, when I hosted my first ever CHEESECAKE GIVEAWAY.

The long and short of it is that no one showed up.  And it was almost time for me to go home for the day — and I couldn’t take it with me.  No, no, no.  Howard and I had quite enough of this indulgent full-fat homemade mascarpone cheese filling, rum, ladyfinger crumb crust and coffee (espresso) extract glaze.

Next time, I won’t require the winner to tell me that “Island Vittles Rocks!”  I guess I found the limit of what Penderites will do for a free piece of cheesecake.

In the end, it was Roger, the skilled craftsmen who built our deck last spring who won the cheesecake by default.  He had no idea about the giveaway, but he walked in the store at the right time (and he did a really good job on our deck).

As for the cheesecake itself, I have to tell you you’re sorry you missed it.  New York in style, Italian in flavour, Pender in execution.

The tastes are rich and decadent, but not overbearing.  The rum is subtle, the mascarpone create a slightly soft texture, the ladyfinger crust is less sweet than the traditional graham version, and the espresso crowns it all — and provides the “pick-me-up” — the literal translation of Tiramisu.

My Culinary Skills Instructor, Chef P, taught us to bake cheesecakes low and slow.  (My words, not his.  His involved a thick, at times unintelligible french accent.)   As you’ll see this cheesecake is baked at 200° F for 3 -4 hours.  A long time, yes.  And worth every minute.  No cracks on the top, and a texture so soft, people will think you baked it in a water bath.

This cake should be baked the day before you plan to serve it.  Glaze it the morning of your event and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Tiramisu Cheesecake, Espresso Glaze

9” Cheesecake – serves 12-16

Crust:

Filling:

Glaze:

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and set the rack in the centre.  Brush the sides of a 9” springform pan with melted butter.

Combine the ladyfingers, sugar and melted butter in a bowl and stir well.  Press the crumbs firmly into a 9” springform pan, covering the bottom and halfway up the sides.  Bake 5-7 min.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Reduce the oven temp to 200° F.  Leave the oven door open for a few moments to dissipate the heat.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone, cream cheese and sugar on low speed until well mixed.  Add the rum, cornstarch and salt and beat on low speed to combine.  Switch to the whisk attachment.  With the motor on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to whisk until smooth and creamy.

Pour the batter into the pan, burst any surface bubbles with a toothpick, and bake in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, until set in the centre.  Cool on a rack.  When completely cool, place the cake on a large plate, cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the glaze, dissolve the gelatine in the boiling water and stir well to dissolve completely.  Stir in the coffee extract or espresso.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

With the cake on a level surface, gently pour the glaze onto the centre of the cake, stopping before the glaze spills over the edges.  Refrigerate until set.

To serve, release the side spring and slice.  Serve with rum crème anglaise.

Tips:

• The filling can also be assembled using a wooden spoon and some muscle.  Ensure the cheeses are at room temperature to make the job easier.  It also helps to stand on a stool while mixing – the extra height gives you a bit of leverage.
• My cake took 3½ hours to cook.

]]> http://islandvittles.com/2010/04/10/tiramisu-cheesecake-with-coffee-glaze-recipe/feed/ 0 http://islandvittles.com/2010/04/04/mayonnaise-culinary-school-method/ http://islandvittles.com/2010/04/04/mayonnaise-culinary-school-method/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:45:10 +0000 Theresa http://islandvittles.com/?p=1936

We`ve made mayonnaise around here before — stinging nettle mayo.  But in my excitement to share the wonderful world of foraged nettles with all of you, I skipped over the basic hows and whys of mayonnaise — this is how we learned to make it in culinary school.

Mayo is an emulsified sauce.  An emulsion is formed when 2 liquids that normally wouldn’t combine are forced together.  In mayo’s case, oil and vinegar are the two liquids, and an egg yolk.  Mayonnaise is a permanent emulsion of vegetable oil and vinegar, as compared to a vinaigrette, which is a temporary emulsion of the same 2 liquids.

The difference?  An egg yolk in the mayo holds the emulsion in suspension, while if left alone, a vinaigrette would quickly separate into a small pool of vinegar within a  larger pool of oil.

The protein, lecithin, in the egg yolks binds the oil and vinegar droplets together and prevents them from separating — to a point — one large yolk contains enough lecithin to emulsify approx 7 oz, or 200 ml, of oil.  After that, the oil and vinegar will separate and the mayo will break.

This recipe is direct from Chef P’s private vault.  Dijon mustard was his secret weapon here, as well as in a vinaigrette.  He always included a little in both to boost the emulsification.  In a mayo, it allows you to stretch the 20o ml rule, and in a vinaigrette, it holds the oil and vinegar together longer than without it.

One final note: Commercially prepared mayonnaises and sandwich spreads contain preservatives that extend the life of the product.  Homemade mayos made with raw egg yolks should be used with common sense.  Store, covered, in the fridge, for up to 3 days — discard after that.  Products made with this mayo (sandwiches, potato salads, etc) should be kept cool at all times (ie not in a knapsack in a hot, stuffy cloakroom at school).

Culinary School Mayonnaise

Yield:  approx 1 Cup

t=teaspoon       oz=ounces       ml=millilitres    TT=to taste

By hand:

Whisk together the yolk and Dijon until frothy.  Continue to whisk vigourously while pouring in the oil in a slow, steady stream. (see Tips)  Add the vinegar, lemon juice and s+p to taste.

In a food processor:

Place the yolk and Dijon in the small bowl of a food processor (see Tips).  Pulse 3 or 4 times to blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.  With the motor on, pour the oil through the food chute in a slow and steady stream.  Once all of the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is thickening, remove the mayonnaise to a bowl.  Stir in the vinegar, lemon juice and s+p to taste.

Tips:

• Have all of the ingredients at room temperature — everything emulsifies better at room temp.
• Create a donut-ring with a tea towel to rest the bowl in.  It will hold the bowl in place on the counter, and leave both of your hands free to whisk in the oil.
• I find the 12 cup bowl of my food processor too big to make a single yolk mayonnaise – a double batch works fine, but I also have a smaller bowl & blade that fit into the main bowl .  I use that for single batches.
• Store covered in the fridge until ready to use – will keep 3 days.
• This recipe is a starting point.  The world is your oyster when you have a fresh batch of mayo, some herbs & spices and some imagination.  Variations on a Mayonnaise Theme:

Smoked Tuna on Ciabatta with tomato, pickled garlic scape and Preserved Lime & Ancho Mayo:

Caesar Salad Dressing:

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich with Stinging Nettle Mayonnaise

What is your favourite flavoured mayo?

In my brain, it sounded like an inspired, natural way to colour candy green.  (The beets worked, after all.)

In practice, it results in Disgusto-Pops.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

One of the chef tips we learned at culinary school was how to use pureed spinach as a green colour enhancer.  You put some spinach in the blender with a little water, blend away, and eventually, you have a vibrant colourant that makes broccoli soup a little greener.

I got a green colourant out of the nettles, but it was more olive than vibrant.  And once the heat of the molten candy got it, it was so drabbed down that I had to use A LOT to turn the lollipops green — so much that the lollipops tasted strongly of nettles, and nothing of the peppermint extract I also used.

A lollipop that tastes of nettles is not A Good Thing.  You’re going to have to trust me on this.