Tacoyaki

 

I can't imagine I'm the first person to stumble on this wordplay, but the flavor combo is truly delightful. Takoyaki with octopus of course, in a taco with pico de gallo, cheese, mayo and sauce on top. 

Plum Crumble in Bourbon Campari Jello with honeyed yogurt.

Recipe: 1 c whole wheat pastry flour, 1 c unrefined sugar, 1 stick butter. Crumbled up. 4 sliced black and green plums on top, baked 350 1 hr. 3/4 c bourbon, 1/4 c campari, 1 tbs gelatin. Dissolve gel in 1/4 liquid, heat the rest, pour over, let cool. Pour over chilled pie. Chill. Dizzyingly luscious. The bottom is like a sugar cookie, crunchy on the outside and chewy inside.

Lobster and Noodles

 There's a first for everything in life: Leftover Lobster. It called to me from the fridge all night. So I gave in, made some fresh egg noodles, tossed with butter, parm and a little lobster stock. OH my goodness! 

Chawanmushi Improvs

 

This is a kind of Japanese custard which people think requires some remarkably complex technique. It’s actually easier to make than a poached egg. Its appeal lies primarily in the soft creamy texture, especially when contrasted with crunchy or chewy garnishes. In flavor it can be as delicate or as intense as you like in the morning, and is entirely dependent on the strength of the stock you use. The key to success, I discovered after much travail, is adhering to a simple formula and precise timing and after that you can use any ingredients you like. Here is a relatively classic version, though garnished according to my personal whim.

½ c dashi stock
1 jumbo egg
½ tsp mirin
½ tsp soy sauce
2 small pieces of lightly salted salmon

A few whisps of dill, Thin wedge of tomato, 1 shiitake mushroom, 1 tsp neutral oil

 If you can make dashi stock, by all means do. It is a handful of skipjack mackerel shavings and a piece of kombu steeped in hot water and strained. You can also find powdered dashi stock, just try to avoid the jarred instant hondashi powder. Put 3 inches of water in a small pot and bring to the boil. Break the egg gently into the room temperature stock, and stir with your finger. On no account should you beat this mixture, or you’ll have spongy scrambled eggs. Add the mirin and soy. With a small fine meshed sieve set over a small teacup, press the mixture through. This takes a few minutes, so be patient. Cover it with tin foil tightly. Lower the heat of the water as low as it will go, and place the tea cup in the pot and cover. Steam for exactly 12 minutes. If the water is over 170 degrees, the liquid stock will be pressed out of suspension and you’ll have wet scrambled eggs. Do don’t be tempted to turn the heat up or even peek at it.

Meanwhile cook your mushroom in oil, and char the tomato too, then set aside.

Remove the teacup from the pot and let rest 3 minutes. Remove the tin foil and arrange the garnishes on top. Serve at once with a spoon while still warm.

Now here’s the best part, you can use absolutely any kind of stock and any garnishes you like. An intense mushroom stock was remarkable with sour cream and chives and a few sliced of truffle for extravagance. Chicken stock was incredible in custard form, especially contrasted with crunchy sweet corn fried in butter, with a few chewy chicken meatballs to garnish. A shellfish stock with shrimp would be so delightful too. I leave this to your imagination. 

Sample Images from The Professor Cooks Breakfast

 

Amaranth Sushi with Smoked Trout

 

Amaranth Sushi 1/15/2021

Some grains simply don’t stick together well enough to hold together in a rolled sushi, but amaranth is an exception. The nutty flavor also goes so nicely with the fish that it doesn’t need any further embellishment.

¾ c water

1/8 tsp salt

½ c amaranth

1 smoked trout filet

1 tbs mayonnaise

2 sheets of nori

 

Bring the water to the boil in a small pot with the salt. Add the amaranth and lower the heat. Simmer very gently for 20 minutes covered. Remove the lid and let the steam rise in the hot pot, stirring now and then, until the amaranth is completely dry and cool. Mix the trout and mayonnaise. Briefly pass the sheets of seaweed over an open flame for just a second so they are toasty and crisp. Divide the amaranth between the two sheets and make a thin layer. Place the trout in a thin line along the middle. Then place the whole thing in a sushi rolling mat, and roll up tightly, pressing it in with the edge of the mat rolled around it. Remove the whole roll, cut into 4 parts with a serrated bread knife, very gently so you don’t squish out the contents. Repeat with the other sheet. Makes 8 small pieces.

Sev Nachos

 Among the most ingenious ways to transform chickpea flour is to extrude it through a brass device used in India to make sev – a kind of fried noodle that goes into a variety of dishes. There are various other machines that will work just as well, a small hand-held noodle extruder, a ricer and even a cookie press with a perforated die. Here I have obviously desecrated a revered snack food, but it is so remarkably delicious, I implore you to try it.

• 1 c chickpea flour
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Water (less than ¼ cup)
• 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pan
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• 1 ounce mozzarella
• 1 Roma tomato
• 2 tbs sour cream
• ¼ c fresh cilantro
• 1 tbs milk
• 1/8 tsp of salt

 

Mix the first 6 ingredients and add just enough water so it becomes a stiff dough. If necessary add a little more chickpea flour and form into a cylinder with your hands. Slide it into your press. There is no need to oil it, your hands, or anything. Now heat your oil in the pan. To test take a tiny bit of the dough and put it in the hot oil. See if it floats up. If it sinks and no bubbles form, it’s not hot enough, if it browns quickly, it’s too hot. Adjust heat accordingly. Then put the plunger in your extruder and turn the crank directly over the oil, filling the whole pan with noodles. With a pair of metal skewers, start turning them over. Cook on both sides about 5 minutes or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon or strainer and place on paper towels to cool.

 

Then arrange on a baking sheet covered with tin foil, sprinkle on the cheese and the tomato, chopped. Place in a toaster oven at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. While that is heating, mix the sour cream, chopped cilantro and salt, thin with milk until it’s pourable. Take the nachos out of the oven a drizzle with the sour cream mixture. Be forwarned: it’s awfully messy, but there’s no other way to eat it but with your fingers.