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Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • Canadian style bacon

Directions

Poached Eggs

Using an Immersion Circulator

  1. Drop the eggs in a water bath at 145°F (62.8°C) for 45 minutes
  2. Transfer to an ice bath
  3. Bring a pot of water up to a simmer, and then lower the temperature
  4. Carefully crack and peel the eggs using a slotted spoon to separate out the loose whites
  5. Drop the eggs into the low-simmering water for 1 minute

Traditional Method

  1. Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  3. Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup or small ramekin.
  4. Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to quickly stir the water in one direction until it’s all smoothly spinning around.
  5. Add the egg: Carefully drop the egg into the center of the whirlpool. The swirling water will help prevent the white from “feathering,” or spreading out in the pan.
  6. Let it poach: Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set your timer for 5 minutes. Don’t peek, poke, stir or accost the egg in any way.
  7. Lift it out: Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and serve immediately. Alternatively, move the egg to an ice bath and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Reheat in warm water just before serving.

Canadian Bacon

  1. Heat 1 tsp butter a non-stick frying pan on medium
  2. Once pan is hot, cook the bacon until it browns on each side

Hollandaise Sauce

  1. In the container of a blender, combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and dijon. Blend until combined
  2. Place butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave at half power, stirring every 15-20 seconds, until completely melted, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t splatter, about 1 1/2 minutes total
  3. With the blender running on medium-high speed, very slowly pour the hot, melted butter into the egg yolk mixture in a steady, thin stream until all of the butter is incorporated and the sauce is thick
  4. You can keep the sauce warm by placing the blender pitcher into a container of hot water until ready to serve
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Classic Pound Cake

We retooled the classic pound cake recipe to make it ultraplush every time. Our first big discovery was to start with chilly 60-degree butter, since room-temperature butter became too warm after all the creaming that was needed to combine the large quantities of butter and sugar in the cake. We found that the eggs also needed to be at 60 degrees so that they would not deflate the batter as they were added. Finally, we chose cake flour (all-purpose flour was too protein-rich and delivered dry, tough cakes), but the flour’s softness required that we not overwork the batter when adding it. Sifting the flour over the batter and folding it in by hand was the method that worked best.

Read Less

  1. Ingredients  

16        tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, plus extra for greasing pan

3          large eggs plus 3 large yolks

2          teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾      cups (7 ounces) cake flour, plus extra for flouring pan

½         teaspoon salt

1 ¼      cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar

Instructions

Makes one 9 by 5-inch loaf

As directed in the recipe, the butter and eggs should be the first ingredients prepared so that they have a chance to stand at room temperature and lose their chill while the oven heats, the loaf pan is greased and floured, and the other ingredients are measured. Leftover cake will keep reasonably well for up to three days if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.

1. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and place in bowl of stand mixer; let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly (butter should reach no more than 60 degrees). Beat eggs and yolks and vanilla in 2-cup liquid measuring cup until combined. Let egg mixture stand at room temperature until ready to use.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter 9 by 5-inch loaf pan; dust pan liberally with flour and knock out excess.

3. Fit stand mixer with paddle and beat butter and salt on medium-high speed until shiny, smooth, and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium and gradually pour in sugar (this should take about 60 seconds). Once all sugar is added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white in color, 5 to 8 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add egg mixture in slow, steady stream (this should take 60 to 90 seconds). Scrape down bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat mixture until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes (mixture may look slightly broken). Remove bowl from mixer and scrape down bowl.

5. In 3 additions, sift flour over butter mixture; after each addition, fold gently with rubber spatula until combined. Scrape bottom of bowl to ensure that batter is homogenous.

6. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until golden brown and wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; invert cake onto wire rack, then turn cake right side up. Let cake cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Slice and serve.

Technique

Slow As You Go

Pound cake batter is so delicate that it will deflate if you add the eggs one at a time or add the flour too quickly, as most recipes suggest.

EGGS: : With mixer running, pour in beaten egg mixture in slow, steady stream.

FLOUR: Sift flour over batter in three additions, folding in each addition with spatula.

Recipe Testing

Unsuccessful Creaming

Cool butter and thorough mixing are essential to our pound cake recipe. These photos demonstrate unsuccessful creaming.

OVERCREAMED BATTER: Once sugar has been incorporated, butter temperature will rise to about 75 degrees. Batter will be very soft and look slick, shiny, and wet.

ROOM TEMPERATURE BUTTER: Room temperature butter (70 degrees) yields completely to pressure.

FLAT CAKE: Cake will be flat and dense.

Recipe Testing

Successful Creaming

Cool butter and thorough mixing are essential to our pound cake recipe. These guidelines will help you determine when the butter is at the correct temperature and when the butter and sugar are properly creamed.

DOMED CAKE: Cake will dome nicely.

CHILLY BUTTER: Cool butter (60 degrees) yields slightly to pressure and will crack when pressed.

PERFECTLY CREAMED BATTER: Once sugar has been incorporated, butter temperature will rise to about 68 degrees. Batter will be light, fluffy, and off-white in color.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Watermelon Caramel Sauce “Carmelon or cara-melon”

I think it would have been better with less sugar. I think the sugar took away from the complexity of the flavor and made it too sweet. I had waited until the watermelon was thick so I only cooked it a minute or two with the sugar (until it dissolved) I didn’t want it to burn. The color was cool. When I made it I cooked the pieces so I had do strain it 1/2 way through the cooking and then continue cooking it down.

What Does It Taste Like?

This sauce doesn’t take on the same nutty, butterscotch flavor as traditional caramel, nor does it get quite as gooey and sticky. Instead, you’re rewarded with a summery caramel sauce that’s much, much better. Slow cooking transforms watermelon from a once light and bright snack, to a thick sauce with rich, deep sweet undertones. It might even remind you of an ultra-ripe summer tomato.

Put Your Watermelon Caramel Sauce to Work

If you can stop yourself from enjoying it straight from the pan, there are more than a few ways to eat this watermelon caramel sauce: Spoon it over everything from ice cream and pound cake, to pavlovas and cheesecake. It’s wonderful with savory dishes, too: Pair it with creamy burrata, drizzle it on spicy tacos, or spoon it over plain white fish for a dinner that pops with flavor.

Watermelon Caramel Sauce

Serves 4

16 ounces watermelon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Optional – strain the small solids from the juice.

In a medium saucepan, bring the juice to a steady boil and cook until it reduces to about 2/3 cup, about 30 minutes. As it cooks, the water and sugar from the melon will separate, and the liquid will eventually begin to thicken slightly.

Add the sugar and stir until it’s completely dissolved. Continue cooking the caramel for 10 to 12 minutes until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and cool before using. If you don’t eat it all immediately, store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe Notes

  • Watermelon Juice. Use 3 pounds uncut watermelon or 3 cups cubed watermelon for 16 ounces of watermelon juice.
  • Storage. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.