First Anniversary; Cheese Napoleon

One year ago today, I published my first blog post. It turned out to be a life changing event.

I remember starting all of this as sort of an escape. A way for me to kind of geek-out on all things food related. Now, it's become more than that. I don't live and breathe only for my blog, but it's something that I've grown to look forward to. It's become something not just for me, but something I can share with friends and family. I can go to work and discuss ideas for posting with my coworkers, who are always there for suggestions and willingness to be guinea pigs for whatever I create.

During this journey, I've discovered new foods which will forever be part of my personal menu. I've found inspirations in some of the most unlikely of places. Hell, I think I've even managed to inspire a few people myself.

What I really want to say, to let you know from the bottom of my heart, is this: Thank You. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to see what I'm doing here. Thank you for reading through all my weird rants and totally necessary use of foul language. Thank you for all the criticism, because it's difficult to move forward without knowing how you're doing.

I want to give a very special thanks to all my friends and family for that extra support in this little venture. Your kind words keep this fire on high!

While this blog won't last forever, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I hope that you will stick around, because I can tell you right now, it's only getting better from here.

Without further ado, it's time for the food.

What you see above is something I'm calling a Cheese Napoleon. The cracker layers are baked parmesan cheese and smoked cheddar cheese. In between that is a basil infused ricotta with sauteed shallots and garlic. On top is a black olive and caper tapenade. Yeah, that's quite a mouthful(That's what she said!). So, were just going to stick with cheese napoleon.

I'm not sure what made me want to make this. Maybe it was all the assholes on the show chopped that resort to a napoleon or french toast for a dessert. Maybe I saw some cheese and wanted to do something with it. In any case, here we are.

And for the record, I really like how these first two pictures came out. :)

So, there's not much in the way of recipes for this. I made the ricotta myself, but you can just as easily buy some from the store, I recommend making it.

These are the cheeses I used for this:

I chopped up one large shallot and one large garlic clove.

I then chopped up some black olives and capers to make the tapenade. I added some olive oil to hold it together. I didn't measure, so just eyeball it and taste.

I started by grading the cheeses and placing them on a silpat. If you bake more than once a month, do yourself a favor and buy a silpat. They are non-stick and work great.

I put the tray in the oven, with the temperature at 350 degrees fahrenheit. I took the tray out the oven at about 8 to 10 minutes. I really wasn't looking too closely at the clock. You are gonna be better off using your eyes and your nose.

This is what it looked like coming out the oven:

The parmesan is on the left, the cheddar is on the right. At this point, the parmesan was ready, but the cheddar needed a few more minutes.

Here is where it can get a little tricky. My plan was to lift the cheese off the mat while still warm and pliable, but cool enough to not fall apart. To do this, test it first at the edges. Lift a little, and see if it just stretches or holds it shape.

When you can lift it, transfer it to a cutting board. DO NOT CUT ON YOUR SILPAT!!! You will tear it and completely FUCK IT UP!!! Don't cut on it!!!

Once on the cutting board, slice the cheese into strips. I used a pizza cutter for this job.

You can't move too slow during this last step. Once it sets, it will get brittle.

Once the cheddar had finished, I did the same thing to that.

I sauteed the shallots and garlic next. Once done, I folded that into roughly 1 1/4 cups ricotta.

With that done, it was time for the plate up.

I started by laying down a piece of parmesan first. I piped out a small dollop of ricotta on top of that.

From there, I placed a piece of cheddar on the ricotta. More ricotta on top of that. I placed another piece of parmesan on top of the ricotta, and finished with the tapenade.

And here you have it.

I really liked the presentation on this one. I wanted to get some green or red in there somewhere to liven things up a bit, but I was kind of pressed on time.

So, how did it taste? To be honest, it was almost too much. OK, to start off, it's cheese, on cheese, on cheese, on cheese! Lots of cheese! I knew that going in. But, the strength of the baked cheese really came on strong. The ricotta got kind of lost, and the tapenade was pretty mild with the black olives. The cheese crackers did taste good. They weren't completely crispy, so they did have some chew to it. But the crackers were pretty much the standout flavors. Not much teamwork going on in the flavor department here.

But, it was not a complete bust. As my mom and I were standing in the kitchen chowing down on these, I started to get low on the crackers. At that point, I just put a dollop of ricotta on a cracker and put the tapenade directly on the ricotta. NOW it tasted right! I still got that pop from the cracker, but I was able to get all the flavor from the ricotta and tapenade. It really came together! Too bad I didn't get any pics from that.:(

While my original idea didn't quite pan out, I found what I needed to do next time around. Maybe next time I have some friends over, I can break this out and blow their minds.

That's it for this one. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned because 2013 is gonna be bangin' for Food And Such Things!

I'm Out!

J. Miller

Damn You, David Chang!

When it comes to cooking, inspiration can be a vital piece to the puzzle. It can take that boring dish you know so well and elevate it to a whole new level. Personally, I never know when or where I am going to get inspired to create new foods. When I do, I have to stop what I'm doing to start writing down all the ideas I get before I forget them. In the case I'm going to tell about you here, I didn't just feel inspired, I felt challenged. I felt like everything up to now had been put into question. And it all started because of the man pictured above, Chef David Chang.

Chef David Chang of the Momofuku Restaurant Group is doing big things right now. He has numerous restaurants in New York and has expanded to Canada and Australia. The truth is, I hadn't really known about this guy until recently. My brother told me about him first. Then, I saw him kickin' it with Anthony Bourdain. He seemed like a decent guy, but I never gave it too much thought.

One day, while screwing around on twitter, I saw someone put a post that David Chang had a show premiering on PBS. I figured I'd check it out and see what all the fuss is about. Plus, I've always liked the cooking shows that PBS puts out. They seem to be a bit more raw, with less bullshit and more cooking.

The show is called The Mind of a Chef. That night, they showed 4 episodes. I have DVR, so I just recorded all of them with the intention of watching them later. I ended up watching one, and that one episode left a serious mark on me.

The episode was all about noodles. And when noodles are the main topic, instant noodles always have to be addressed. Here, is where they say, the plot thickens.

They show him in the kitchen and he says he's going to do a couple dishes using the instant ramem. The first dish was ok. It was like a play on an Italian dish. Whatever.

Then he said he was going to make Parisian Gnocchi from the instant ramen. To illustrate that, he took this:

And turned it into this:

The second picture is not of Chang's finished product, but it's the closest representation that I could find.

For those of you that don't know, Parisian Gnocchi isn't potato based. The base is pretty much the same you use to make eclairs and cream puffs. Instead of just baking the mix, you poach it in hot water, then saute to a golden brown.

Now, when I heard him say that he was going to make gnocchi, I had to rewind it. I knew I didn't hear that right. "Gnocchi? No fuckin' way!" But that's what he said.

He started off by barely cooking the noodles in milk until they just started to soften up. He then threw the noodles in a blender with a little of the milk and 4 egg yolks. He blended that until gooey.

He poured the mix in a piping bag and let it cool. Once cooled, he piped small pieces into boiling water for a quick poach. They were then tossed in olive oil. The last step was to saute in butter for color and texture. He served it topped with parmesan and green onion.

It's tough to tell how many emotions I went through while watching this. I was shocked at first. Then disbelief. Then anger. Then amazement and awe. It seriously blew my mind.

My thoughts went from "What?!?! You can't do that!" to "HOLY SHIT! He's doin' it!". Then, another rewind on the DVR, to "HE'S REALLY FUCKIN' DOING THIS!" By the end, my jaw was on the floor and my brain was nowhere to be found.

As I laid in bed that night, my thoughts and feelings were more of jealousy and envy. "I can't believe this mother fucker made gnocchi from instant ramen! Son of a BITCH!" Part of me was mad at Chef Chang for doing it. Part of me felt like "How come I didn't think of that???" Plus, he made it look so easy! That Bastard!

After even more thoughts, I felt like he was even showing off a bit. "OOhHh, look at me! I can make instant ramen into anything!" Then, it hit me. He wasn't showing off. Ok, maybe he was showing off a little bit. But what he was doing was showing that it's just food. It's just cooking. This isn't rocket science.

I saw it as him firing the first shot. Like he almost came out to me and said "This is what I can do. Now, what can you do?"

Ever since I watched that episode, I've had this feeling like there are no limits to what can be done, or what I can do. I feel like I need to push myself even harder in the kitchen to make the best foods I can.

Now, I actually laugh a little at the whole thing. It wasn't a beautiful sugar showpiece that inspired me. It wasn't a fancy 25 course meal from Alinea or The French Laundry that pushed me forward. It was a guy fucking around with instant ramen that lit the fire beneath me.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Don't be afraid to embrace it and run with it.

I'm out.

J. Miller

Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread Mix

Hi there! I know it's been a couple weeks since the last post. Sorry about that. Work has been getting busy and blah blah blah. Insert standard excuse here:___________. With that bit of business out of the way, let's get to the good stuff.

What you see above is something that didn't just intrigue me, but a good number of my coworkers as well. 

Fleischmann"s Simply Homemade Bread Mix boasts that you can make bread in less than an hour. As a pastry chef, my initial thoughts were along the lines of "BULLSHIT!" or "No Fuckin' way!". After reading the instructions, I realized it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. But then again, what you are creating is sort of like bread. Let me back up a little....

In 2009, the book My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method was published. Like this bread mix, no kneading was involved in producing the bread. The big difference with the recipes in the book to this box mix is time. The recipes in My Bread would need 12 to 18 hours to complete.

While that many hours to make a loaf of bread might seem like a lot, the flavor that much time would create would be....gargantuan. Gargantuan...I like that word. I so rarely get to use it. In fact, I'm not even sure it was appropriate to use it there. Well, fuck it. I love that scene from Kill Bill Vol. 2.

The point is, time is an essential part in bread making. The more time involved, the better chance for the yeast to build flavor. That's why I was pretty hesitant on trying this stuff. But the chef in me felt challenged. I had to see if this stuff was for real.

The instructions for this stuff couldn't be any easier. Bloom the yeast. Add flour. Mix until combined and let rest for 25 minutes. Score the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Rest for a few minutes and enjoy. That's it. Really.

With such easy prep, I also saw an opportunity. If all you have to do is add water and stir, my son should be able to knock to this out. He's only 3, and I would certainly help him out, but this would be a good way to get him in the kitchen.

So, without further ado, here is Dominic, a.k.a Nicky Boy.

When you open the box, this is what you are gonna find.

Like most breads, you start by adding warm water to the yeast and sugar.

After about 5 minutes, stir in the flour and mix until it just comes together.

For me, that last step is really awkward. To not knead or work the dough felt wrong. But, I was going to stick with the instructions this time.

Once mixed, you shape it into a loaf on an oven tray and cover for 25 minutes.

Don't worry, Nicky Boy was getting his hands dirty too.

They tell you in the instructions that the bread isn't going to double in size. It does rise a little bit though. They tell you that scoring the top of the dough is optional and can be done to pretty it up. What the fuck??? You score the top to vent steam! It has to do with the whole science part of baking. But it's gotta be done!

I forgot to mention this before, but Dominic was doing most of the work here. Except with the knife. I have to draw the line somewhere.

After about 23 minutes in the oven, the bread was done.

Here is Nicky Boy to present his first loaf of bread!

In my opinion, the lil guy did a damn good job! Love 'ya kiddo!

So how did it taste? Pretty good. It had a decent crust to it. The herbs come through nicely without being too heavy. The texture is another issue.

The best way I can describe the texture would be to call it a "Cake-Bread". Because there is no kneading, you aren't developing any gluten. Gluten is like the muscle of the bread. Like a muscle, it needs to be worked and built up. It also needs time to rest.

With no gluten being worked up at all, there isn't much keeping this bread together. It has a crumbly texture that seems almost out of place with a bread. It doesn't have a bad mouth-feel or anything, but don't expect something like a traditional loaf you can buy from the market.

Texture aside, it tasted good. There really are few things as good as bread right out the oven. A little butter, and you have a slice of heaven. Dominic seemed to think so.

I feel this box mix is for someone that really is scared shitless about baking their own bread. I know that sounds a little harsh, but I feel like too much is being sacrificed in the name of ease.

Yes, you don't have to get your hands dirty kneading dough. But, not kneading the dough gives you a crap texture.

Yes, you can get this done in one hour. But not giving the bread proper time for fermentation is denying yeast the chance to build flavor.

Some of you might say "I don't have a stand mixer. I'm not doing that shit by hand!" Relax, most home bread recipes will only require 5 to 10 minutes of kneading. THAT'S IT!!!

There you have it. That's my take on the One Hour Bread. I had a blast getting Dominic in the kitchen and he seemed to enjoy himself. I usually don't get all that personal on here, but I felt good sharing this. I love to bake, and I hope Nicky will be able to find enjoyment in creating things in the kitchen.

Until next time my friends.

I'm out.

J. Miller