Despite my passion for cooking foods of all kinds, there are a few things I’ve never tried to make. Simply because certain dishes, usually beloved regional specialties, require great skill, technique and time to perfect. Out of respect for those who have mastered these skills, and also a little laziness on my part, I usually only enjoy these dishes when dining out. Until recently, gnocchi was definitely on that list. Lucky for me, however, Chef Nick Morfogen of 32 East here in Delray Beach kicked off his Summer cooking class series with these iconic Italian dumplings. Over the course of the evening, he gave a whole new spin to this previously daunting dish.
The demonstration-style cooking class was held in the restaurant’s upstairs dining room. In addition to observing Chef’s mad gnocchi skills, he also shared some insider culinary tips and tricks. First, he explained that gnocchi is not really pasta. It is more of a “dumpling” since it’s made from a mixture of potatoes, eggs, flour and cheese. There are also many regional variations in Italy as well as other countries including France (gnocchis à la parisienne), Croatia (njoki) and even South America (ñoqui).
The gnocchi paddle gives these potato dumplings their hallmark, groovy appearance
Chef also stressed the importance of using the best quality, freshest ingredients available. His favorite Parmesan cheese is the Vacche Rosse Parmigiano Reggiano. “Vacche Rosse” literally means “red cow,” and refers to the special breed of Italian cow whose milk is prized for its high butterfat and protein content. The Vacche Rosse Parmigiano is also aged for a minimum of 30 months, compared to only 24 months with other Parmesans. Chef also clarified that buffalo mozzarella is a fresh cheese made from the milk of the Italian water buffalo. And much like Italian wines, certain high quality foods including these cheeses carry a DOP classification (“Denominazione di Origine Protetta,” or “Protected Designation of Origin”) which ensures they are from a specific region and have met certain strict production criteria.
Chef also suggested baking the potatoes on a bed of salt to prevent the bottoms from burning (brilliant!). After divesting the pre-baked potatoes of their skins, he deftly worked them through a food mill. This broke them up while also imparting a light, airy texture. Either a food mill or potato ricer can be used for this task and I’m a big fan of the ricer. I’ve used mine to make heavenly mashed potatoes for many years and I especially like this one. While incorporating the flour into the potato and egg mixture a little at a time, Chef stressed the importance of not overworking the dough. This will make it tough and could possibly ruin the finished product. Once the dough has been rolled into “ropes” and cut into the classic bite-size pieces, each gnocchi must be rolled over a “gnocchi paddle.” This essential piece of equipment gives the gnocchi their hallmark, groovy appearance. At under $10, this is a worthwhile investment for the gnocchi lover.
After boiling the gnocchi in a large pot of salted water (when they float, they’re done!) our lesson was complete. We then had the pleasure of sampling Chef Nick’s Gnocchi all Sorrentina. The dish featured the freshly prepared gnocchi in a flavorful marinara sauce dusted with grated Vacche Rosse Parmigiano. It was pure heaven and we enjoyed the dish with a bottle of Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva. This Sangiovese-based red wine from Tuscany paired perfectly with the gnocchi and savory red sauce.
Inspired by Chef Nick’s class, I recently made plans to have some friends over for gnocchi. Perfecting any recipe takes time and you have to start somewhere, right? I’ll also have lots of Chianti on hand just in case.
Bon appétit,
The post Gnocchi Cooking Class with Chef Nick Morfogen appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Welcome to our newest segment on The Glamorous Gourmet - Foodie Phrases! Similar to our Wine Word of the Week series, I'll now be demystifying various culinary terms as well to help you empower your palate and master your culinary domain. Our first Foodie Phrase is "sous-vide," a method of cooking that has been implemented by some of the world's best Chefs."Sous-vide" literally means "under vacuum" and is a method of cooking fооd (seafood, steak, eggs, vegetables) in a ѕеаlеd, air tight рlаѕtіс bаg that is then submerged in a temperature-controlled water bath. The fооd is сооked аt much lоwеr temperatures then conventional methods like roasting or grilling, resulting in cooking times that can range anywhere from 4 to 72 hours...or longer! Why go through all this trouble you might ask? The goal is essentially to produce an "item" that is evenly-cooked regardless of its shape or size and has also retained much of its natural moisture making it incredibly succulent and delicious.
Although sous-vіdе wаѕ dіѕсоvеrеd by Sir Benjamin Thompson in 1799, Amеrісаn аnd French cooks didn't really start uѕіng the technique with any соnѕіѕtеnсу until thе 1960'ѕ when it was implemented аѕ an industrial food рrеѕеrvаtіоn mеthоd. In 1974, Georges Pralus of the legendary Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France аdорtеd the mеthоd, developing it as a way to cook foie gras. Pralus found the foie gras was losing 30-50% of its original weight during the traditional cooking process, yet when it was cooked "sous-vide," it kерt іtѕ оrіgіnаl арреаrаnсе, hаd bеttеr tеxturе and dіdn't lоѕе a lоt оf fat. Brunо Goussault also pioneered this cooking technique and as Chief Scientist of Virginia's Cuisine Solutions, he fосuѕеd оn the various cooking tіmеѕ аnd temperatures fоr different foods. He also co-authored a study which discovered that cooking beef shoulder sous-vide extended its shelf life by up to 60 days.
For years since, sous-vide has been implemented by some of the world's most well-known and respected Chefs including Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal, Joël Robuchon, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Grant Achatz to name a few. The technique was also recently featured in the foodie film Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. Cooper's character in the film is a down-on-his-luck, motorcycle riding, fresh out of rehab Chef trying to make a comeback howeve, first he must master master sous-vide in order to create cuisine worthy of his ultimate goal - three Michelin stars! The film's soundtrack even features a 24 second "song" by Cooper entitled, "Ode to a Sous Vide." Clearly, the technique left an impression!
Advantages of sous-vide include food's ability to remain succulent, since it retains its natural aromas and juices which would otherwise be lost during traditional cooking methods. Overcooking is less likely since the temperature of the water bath is precisely monitored and food does not generally exceed the set temperature. Because sous-vide utilizes an air-tight pouch during the cooking process, cooked items can also be refrigerated for extended periods of time as long as they remain sealedDisadvantages of sous-vide include the cost of equipment which can be upwards of $300 and the inability of the technique to "brown" meats (aka the Maillard reaction) which can only be achieved by pre- or post-searing. Because lower temperatures are used, cooking can take many hours and safety is also a concern since certain bacteria can propagate at these lower temperatures. Fооd сооkеd and served wіthin a fеw hоurѕ іѕ considered ѕаfе but fооd сооkеd for longer periods muѕt achieve a tеmрerature of over 135 dеgrееѕ for about 4 hours in order to prevent any harmful bacteria from growing.
Cooking temperatures and times vary widely depending on the item being cooked and the desired end result. A protein such as an egg or steak will have a very different protocol than vegetables, which can also be successfully cooked sous-vide, remaining firm and crisp in the process. Sоmе thіn сutѕ оf meat such аѕ fіѕh may only cook for mіnutеѕ while certain cuts of rеd mеаt саn take 2-3 days. Thomas Keller's cookbook, "Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide," is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about this cooking method and if you're interested in implementing it at home, please click here for a sous-vide cooker we really like and highly recommend.I hope you enjoyed our new Foodie Phrases segment and if there's a word you'd like to learn more about, please leave it in the comment section below. I'd love to hear from you!Bon appétit,
Welcome to our newest segment on The Glamorous Gourmet – Foodie Phrases! Similar to our Wine Word of the Week series, I’ll now be demystifying various culinary terms as well to help you empower your palate and master your culinary domain. Our first Foodie Phrase is “sous-vide,“ a method of cooking that has been implemented by some of the world’s best Chefs.
“Sous-vide” literally means “under vacuum” and is a method of cooking fооd (seafood, steak, eggs, vegetables) in a ѕеаlеd, air tight рlаѕtіс bаg that is then submerged in a temperature-controlled water bath. The fооd is сооked аt much lоwеr temperatures then conventional methods like roasting or grilling, resulting in cooking times that can range anywhere from 4 to 72 hours…or longer! Why go through all this trouble you might ask? The goal is essentially to produce an “item” that is evenly-cooked regardless of its shape or size and has also retained much of its natural moisture making it incredibly succulent and delicious.
Meat cooked using sous-vide (left) vs. conventional method (right)
Although sous-vіdе wаѕ dіѕсоvеrеd by Sir Benjamin Thompson in 1799, Amеrісаn аnd French cooks didn’t really start uѕіng the technique with any соnѕіѕtеnсу until thе 1960’ѕ when it was implemented аѕ an industrial food рrеѕеrvаtіоn mеthоd. In 1974, Georges Pralus of the legendary Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France аdорtеd the mеthоd, developing it as a way to cook foie gras. Pralus found the foie gras was losing 30-50% of its original weight during the traditional cooking process, yet when it was cooked “sous-vide,” it kерt іtѕ оrіgіnаl арреаrаnсе, hаd bеttеr tеxturе and dіdn’t lоѕе a lоt оf fat. Brunо Goussault also pioneered this cooking technique and as Chief Scientist of Virginia’s Cuisine Solutions, he fосuѕеd оn the various cooking tіmеѕ аnd temperatures fоr different foods. He also co-authored a study which discovered that cooking beef shoulder sous-vide extended its shelf life by up to 60 days.
Food must by “cryovacked” before being immersed in the water bath
For years since, sous-vide has been implemented by some of the world’s most well-known and respected Chefs including Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal, Joël Robuchon, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Grant Achatz to name a few. The technique was also recently featured in the foodie film Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. Cooper’s character in the film is a down-on-his-luck, motorcycle riding, fresh out of rehab Chef trying to make a comeback howeve, first he must master master sous-vide in order to create cuisine worthy of his ultimate goal – three Michelin stars! The film’s soundtrack even features a 24 second “song” by Cooper entitled, “Ode to a Sous Vide.” Clearly, the technique left an impression!
Ooh lar lar – Bradley Cooper!
Advantages of sous-vide include food’s ability to remain succulent, since it retains its natural aromas and juices which would otherwise be lost during traditional cooking methods. Overcooking is less likely since the temperature of the water bath is precisely monitored and food does not generally exceed the set temperature. Because sous-vide utilizes an air-tight pouch during the cooking process, cooked items can also be refrigerated for extended periods of time as long as they remain sealed
Disadvantages of sous-vide include the cost of equipment which can be upwards of $300 and the inability of the technique to “brown” meats (aka the Maillard reaction) which can only be achieved by pre- or post-searing. Because lower temperatures are used, cooking can take many hours and safety is also a concern since certain bacteria can propagate at these lower temperatures. Fооd сооkеd and served wіthin a fеw hоurѕ іѕ considered ѕаfе but fооd сооkеd for longer periods muѕt achieve a tеmрerature of over 135 dеgrееѕ for about 4 hours in order to prevent any harmful bacteria from growing.
Cooking temperatures and times vary widely depending on the item being cooked and the desired end result. A protein such as an egg or steak will have a very different protocol than vegetables, which can also be successfully cooked sous-vide, remaining firm and crisp in the process. Sоmе thіn сutѕ оf meat such аѕ fіѕh may only cook for mіnutеѕ while certain cuts of rеd mеаt саn take 2-3 days. Thomas Keller’s cookbook, “Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide,” is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about this cooking method and if you’re interested in implementing it at home, please click here for a sous-vide cooker we really like and highly recommend.
I hope you enjoyed our new Foodie Phrases segment and if there’s a word you’d like to learn more about, please leave it in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you!
Bon appétit,
The post Foodie Phrases: Sous-vide! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Spring, glorious Spring! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I'm super excited to share this delicious recipe with you that's perfect for the season: Shredded Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette. This salad has oodles of delicious flavor and texture and is packed with healthy ingredients including organic chicken breast, Brussels sprouts, Pink Lady apples, chiles, garlic and fresh mint. For wine lovers I also have a fabulous pairing for you to enjoy with this dish, but more on that in a minute.
The secret to making the healthy, lighter fare of Spring and Summer more appealing, in my kitchen at least, is to never compromise on flavor. Munching on bland lettuce and vegetables is just not going to leave me (or the hubs for that matter) feeling satisfied so infusing these dishes with lots of flavor is KEY. Something as simple as toasting nuts or seeds to enhance their flavor, using good olive oil or seasoning a dish adequately with salt and pepper before serving can make ALL the difference in the world in the finished dish.
This fabulous salad also features on of my favorite seasonal ingredients, the Pink Lady apple. I adore their crunchy, sweet-tart flavor not to mention their beautiful blush-pink color, often with a greenish background depending on the level of ripeness. The Pink Lady apple (aka Cripps Pink) was created in the 1970s by John Cripps of the Western Australia Department of Agriculture and is a cross between the "Lady Williams" and "Golden Delicious" varieties. While originally invented in Australia, it has thankfully been grown in the US since the 1990's and we always have them in the house when they're in season. This apple's sweet flavor really complements the spicy Fresno peppers, fresh mint and crunchy Brussels sprouts in this salad.
As for wine, I highly recommend the Claude Riffault Sancerre "Les Boucauds" from France's Loire Valley. This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is crafted from 10-50 year old, organically farmed vines planted on terres blanches soils. The wine is vinified in both stainless steel and French oak (50/50) and bottled unfiltered in order to preserve the complex aromas and flavors of the finished wine. The result is an immensely enjoyable white wine with notes of citrus, passionfruit and elderflower with a lovely minerality and zippy acidity that complements the Shredded Chicken & Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette beautifully.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! What are your favorite flavors of Spring and Summer? Please let us know - we'd love to hear from you!Bon appétit,
"Shredded Chicken & Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette + a Loire Valley Sancerre"
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Spring, glorious Spring! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I’m super excited to share this delicious recipe with you that’s perfect for the season: Shredded Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette. This salad has oodles of delicious flavor and texture and is packed with healthy ingredients including organic chicken breast, Brussels sprouts, Pink Lady... Read More
The post Shredded Chicken & Brussels Sprout Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette + a Loire Valley Sancerre appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
What do you get when you combine a team of creatives, engineers and entrepreneurs who share a common passion for wine? A company that thinks outside the box - or barrel as the case may be! Barrel + Ink was conceived of in 2011 by MD/PhD student turned winemaker Corey Miller who describes this innovative upstart as a place where "wine meets design."
Based in San Francisco, Barrel + Ink provides a unique canvas on which iconic, award-winning winemakers, designers and artists can connect and produce something special. The wines produced are not bound by a vineyard, label, region or style and are intended to showcase the winemaker's artistic license. In the same manner, each featured artist is entrusted with interpreting the wine through its label art, using his or her preferred medium. Now on their fourth release, the company has already featured collaborations between such well-known winemakers as Pax Mahle (Wind Gap, Pax), Helen Keplinger (Keplinger Wines) and Aaron Pott (Pott Wine) paired with artists including Lab Partners, Erik Marinovich and Invisible Creature. Each monthly collaboration is featured on the Barrel + Ink website where it can be purchased until each limited release sells out.
I recently had the pleasure of sampling Barrel + Ink's latest release, the 2014 Interessante White Blend ($28) from California, a collaboration between winemaker Andy Erickson and lettering artist, Jessica Hische named for its complex and "interesting" aromas and flavors. Erickson is best known for his work on iconic California wines including Screaming Eagle, Harlan and Staglin in addition to consulting and producing his own wine labels, Favia and Leviathan which he co-founded with his wife, viticulturalist Annie Favia. Hische counts Director Wes Anderson and Writer Dave Eggers among her clients in addition to well-known household brands including Penguin Books, American Express, Target and Nike.
My wine shipment arrived in a smart-looking box, embellished with the Barrel + Ink logo. The stylishly packed contents included two 750mL bottles of the 2014 Interessante White Blend (respectively labeled "Cheers Now" and "Cheers Later") as well as artfully printed note cards featuring information on the winemaker, artist and wine tucked neatly into a black sleeve. Hische's vivid green label, intended to represent the natural, rustic vineyard terrain and vibrancy of the wine, beckoned from the box, featuring the wine's name elaborately illustrated in vibrant tones of green and gold with beautiful metallic accents. But while the presentation was impressive, would the wine hold up in the glass?
“The Viognier gives you that honeysuckle, beeswax character. The Sauvignon Blanc–lifted floral notes, lime zest, and citrus. The Chardonnay gives you that nuttiness, and golden character. The Roussanne gives you earthiness.” - Andy Erickson, Winemaker
I'm happy to report this bright, citrusy, complex white is delightful! Fermented in a combination of stainless steel, French oak and concrete eggs, this unique blend of 35% Viognier, 34% Sauvignon Blanc, 22% Semillon, 7% Chardonnay and 2% Roussanne displayed fragrant aromas of white flowers, honey, pear and citrus which followed through on the palate along with a lovely, lush mouthfeel, bright acidity and lengthy vanilla and spice-tinged finish. While best known for his iconic reds, Erickson's prowess with white wines is clearly evident and the synergy between winemaker and artist is also spot on. The label is a beautiful and accurate visual representation of the wine in the bottle.
Barrel + Ink represents a unique approach to enjoying wine by bringing talented winemakers and artists together and incorporating visual aesthetics as part of the vinous experience. The 2014 Interessante White Blend is a wonderful representation of this process and a thoroughly enjoyable wine. I look forward to future collaborations from this creative team and for more information on Barrel + Ink, please click here.
What do you get when you combine a team of creatives, engineers and entrepreneurs who share a common passion for wine? A company that thinks outside the box – or barrel as the case may be! Barrel + Ink was conceived of in 2011 by MD/PhD student turned winemaker Corey Miller who describes this innovative upstart as a place where... Read More
The post Thinking Outside the Box: Barrel + Ink Wines appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
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