And the winner is…

A Sous Vide experiment…

The first time I had ever tried Sous Vide was at a restaurant in Woodinville where my husband ordered a filet. It was the most moist, melt in your mouth steak either of us had ever tried. We gushed about it so much that the waiter brought us back into the kitchen to show us the contraption they were cooking these steaks in. The next day we went straight home and started looking it up. Disuaded by the cost, I left it to rest, but every once in a while would look it up again “just in case”. Well, our “just in case”  came when Sur La Table started selling the Sous Vide Magic, especially with Christmas right around the corner. While I researched and followed the longer cooking times on our meat they just didn’t turn out the same as I remembered from that night. While the Sous Vide Magic cookbook was telling me 6-8 hours max, I could swear the restaurant cooked it for two days.

It was time for an experiment. I took three filet mignons approximately the same size and cooked them all at 134 degrees. I didn’t use any seasonings so we could experience the true taste of the meat.

Steak 1: 2 days 18 1/2 hours
Steak 2: 1 day 20 1/2 hours
Steak 3: 1 day 50 min

After removing it from the Sous Vide we patted it dry and cooked it on the grill for approximately 1 minute on side one and 1 1/2 minutes on side 2. Then it came time to try.

And the winner is… Steak #2! While Steak #1 was a bit overcooked and chalky, steak #3 was a bit undercooked and chewy. Steak #2 reminded me of that night in the restaurant – melt in your mouth delicious. 

This experiment turned out so well I am going to have to try the same experiments with all my meat!

Fresh Pasta Dough

Pasta is such a fun food to make. I love getting my hands dirty in the flour and eggs as well as the challenge to not let the eggs leak over the mound of flour and all over the kitchen floor (I learned the hard way that it is pretty easy to do). Since then I always work near the sink in case I need to dump the whole liquid mass real quick.  With the right tools, pasta can be a quick and fairly easy dinner. The time it takes for the dough to rest is a great time to prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Fresh Pasta ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
4 extra large eggs (or approximately 6 medium ones)

Creaet a larged walled circle with the flour and break the eggs in the middle. Whisk the egg with a fork. Slowly mix the flour with the eggs. As you continue to add the flour to the eggs it will become doughy. If it is too sticky add flour approximately 1/2 cup at a time.

Knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes with the palm of your hands. Once it is cohesive remove it from the board, scrap up any sticky dough and lightly flour your surface. Knead for another 6 minutes, making sure to flour your working surface as needed. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for 20 minutes.

These steps go along way to making a nice and light dough for the pasta. You are now set to make linguine, ravioli, speghetti and more. I use the Kitchen Aid mixer and attachments and it is a breeze. I don’t need to plan way ahead to have fresh pasta almost any night of the week!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

There are a lot of staples we like to keep around the house – yogurt, hummus and peanut butter to name a few. While it is great to be able to pick up these staples at the grocery store I like to be able to make what I can. With all the packaged and processed food (of which we tend to use plenty of here) those that I can fit into my schedule I like to do right in my own kitchen so I know exactly what goes into it. Little by little I am adding these staples to my routine so the process of going more nature does not seem overwhelming. The humus I have been doing for over a year now and like it so much better than what I get at home.

1 clove garlic
1 15 0z can chickpeas, drained (or follow the directions for dried chickpeas)
40z roasted red pepper, rinsed
1/2 lemon juice from a fresh lemon
1 1/2 tbsp Tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I place the garlic in a blender or food processer first to chop it. Otherwise it can be minced first. Then I add the remaining ingredients and process until light and fluffy. Because I add no liquids or olive oil it makes for a chunky hummus, but I actually like it better that way. A bit of olive oil will make it creamer.

I tried it for the first time today with chickpeas that I had soaked and simmered. I am not sure it made enough difference not to use the canned ones. I would like to roast my own peppers and make my own Tahini one of these days as Tahini is fairly pricy. Hummus is a great dip to keep in the fridge for a quick and healthy snack.

Homemade Yogurt

The first post of hopefully many to come and it is a bit of a cheat. There is very little cooking involved, but it is something I make every Sunday. Homemade yogurt. Much more tasteful than store bought and so much more control over what exactly goes into it.  Fat Free milk, a bit of yogurt culture and only what each person wants to add themselves to make it their own. My favorite is a little Agave Nectar, some granola (not yet homemade) and some fresh or frozen berries (depending on season).

After heating my milk to 180 degrees and then cooling to 110, I use the Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker.

My favorite feature about the Euro Cuisine is that the containers are glass and the covers allow you to mark the dates so you know exactly when it is hitting its expiration date. No starting the day with a bad spoon of yogurt! Does this make it more of a review than a post about cooking?

I look forward to a lot of cooking in 2010 which includes a few more skills than heating milk!