Jiggles

The heat of the summer recalls experiences of my youth.  I remember catching bugs in the field around our house.  In my mind, I can almost taste the lemonade we'd make.  I recall playing naked in the sprinkler in our front yard, and sliding across a slip and slide.  (I almost said, "like it was yesterday," but that would be awkward, and maybe illegal.) 

And I remember Jell-O.  What a wonderful food that combines the bright colors, the hyper-fruity flavors and the wonderful, jiggly bounce. 

While recently visiting my parent's home, my mom gave me a book (OK, Mom. You  "loaned" me the book): Joys of Jell-O.  It's a very quaint and charming bit of nostalgia--You can imagine the book or any of the recipes in it as a prop on the set of Mad Men.  The recipes are shameless plugs for all things Jell-O and General Foods (now Kraft Foods) brand foods, and it is clearly written for the 50's or 60's housewife.  (This particular copy appears to have been published in 1962.)  It speaks of tending to the children, pleasing the husband, and being the perfect hostess. 

A more recent and cosmopolitan tome, Hello, Jell-O, explores a more adult side of gelatin confections.  Elevated to a true art form, the author Victoria Belanger, creates works of culinary (and sometimes alcoholic) masterpieces.  Best of all, she's made her own mistakes and provides the solutions for your potentially faulty experiments.  I highly recommend this book.

These both inspired me to explore more possibilities.  As you may recall, in a previous post I tried using agar-agar to make vegan panna cotta, but it yielded less than stellar results (although it made a very good ice cream).  I've continued to play with agar-agar in various forms and with increasingly interesting results.  Then I learned more about molecular gastronomy and I journeyed farther down the gelatin path. 

There are also creations that seem like gelatin but use other ingredients to form a semi solid or slow moving liquid.  Jellies, jams, or my favorite, Turkish Delight.

I know this is but a short intro into fun things coagulated, but I hope you'll join me in exploring further. 

Tonight try:

Gelled Blueberry Dessert
4 1/2 cups Blueberry Nectar
2 packets Unflavored Gelatin
1 8oz container Mascarpone Cheese
Strips of Lemon Zest
fresh or frozen Blueberries

Pour one cup of blueberry nectar into a shallow bowl (more surface area is better) and sprinkle 2 packets of gelatin evenly over the surface.  Let rest.  Meanwhile (I realize I've never used that word in a recipe before. That changes now.)  boil the other three cups of juice.  Let boil for 10 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl with a spout (which just makes the next step easier) whisk the cold bloomed gelatin together with the hot juice.  Continue to whisk for 3 minutes.  You really want all the gelatin dissolved. 

Pour into 6 ramekins, leaving 1/4 inch of space below the top.  Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until the gel does not stick to your finger when you touch it. 

Spread the mascarpone over the top of the blueberry gelatin up to the top of the ramekin, evenly.  Let set in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes. 

To loosen the gelatin from the ramekin, set into hot warm water, up to the edge of the ramekin for 15 seconds. (Follow the instructions.  Make it on the hot side of warm, but not hot.)  Run a butter knife between the ramekin and the gelatin to separate it.  Wipe the ramekin dry, and place an inverted plate over the top of it.  In one fluid motion, turn over the plate and ramekin and give it a slight jiggle.  Lift the ramekin up to release the gelatin.  A properly turned out gelatin mold is one of the greatest satisfactions in life. 

Garnish with blueberries and lemon zest on the plate. 


Balsamic Pearls
Usually I buy Elsa 12 year Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, but for this recipe I used a grocery store brand common to balsamic vinaigrettes.  It yielded spectacular results, but choose as you will.  Agar-agar is a gelling agent made from seaweed.  It's especially useful in that it doesn't liquefy below 88 degrees F, and melts at 136 degrees F. 
3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Agar-Agar
1 quart Vegetable Oil, chilled in a Mason jar (I keep a Mason jar of oil in the refrigerator all the time, now)

In a sauce pan, add the vinegar and agar.  Whisk until the agar is well mixed.  Put the pan on a medium high burner and whisk for 3-5 minutes as the liquid comes to a simmering boil.  Remove from the heat. 

Using an eye-dropper or pipette, drop individual drops of hot balsamic into the cold oil.  They will coagulate on top, but keep adding slow drops.  The slower you go the smaller the pearls will be, so play with that. 

When you've used all the vinegar and the pearls are now mostly sitting on the bottom of this oil, pour the Mason jar through a sieve, catching the oil in a container underneath (recycle! and your plumbing will love you.), then remove the catch container and run cold water over the pearls to remove the oil. 

Use on a caprese salad or as you would a balsamic drizzle. 


Turkish Delight (Traditional)
Sometimes a gel doesn't include gelatin.  You can find rosewater in most Arabic or Indian specialty shops.

4 cups granulated Sugar

1 1/4 cups Cornstarch

1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

4 1/4 cups Water

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tablespoons Rosewater

1 cup Confectioners Sugar

Vegetable Shortening

 

In a 9x9 inch baking pan, lube the sides and bottom with shortening. Line with wax paper and grease the wax paper. (You think that's a lot of slippery?  Wait until you see the sticky.  You'll be happy.)

In a saucepan, combine lemon juice, granulated sugar and 1 1/2 cups water on medium high heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Combine cream of tartar, 1 cup corn starch and remaining (room temperature) water in saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until all lumps are gone and the mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring when the mixture has a glue-like consistency.

Stir in the sugar mixture. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture has become a golden color, stir in rosewater. Pour mixture into the wax paper-lined pan. Spread evenly and allow to cool overnight.

Once it has cooled overnight, sift together confectioners sugar and remaining cornstarch.

Turn over baking pan containing Turkish delight onto clean counter or table and cut with oiled knife into one inch pieces. (Don't spare the oil.)

Coat with confectioners sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container in layers separated with wax paper.

More FAQ and Things You Should Know

I occasionally receive questions, often sent to me under the hats of the flying monkeys from Oz (the monkeys are smaller in real life), by the shouting newsies of the 1920's or, occasionally, through an electronic media.  I would like to answer a few of these questions in some common forum so that all may participate in the blessings I offer.

Q1. "I know you have a lot of amazing recipes.  Where can I find the full list of everything you've published?"

A1.  That's a great question!  While it's not a list of EVERYTHING I've published (some of those pictures I'm not proud of), you can look at the text beneath the header Beyond Viand on this page.  There is a string of links:

Home

What is "Beyond Viand?"

Index of Recipes

What Others Are Writing

I'm willing to bet you've already figured out the solution.  On a mobile device, you have a drop down menu that has the same links.  The one that says Index of Recipes.  That's the one you want.  Do look around there.  I even amaze myself with some of the recipes I've written.

Q2.  "As a child I used to ride my bike without a helmet, and I kept my mouth open.  I loved the feeling of wind through my hair and teeth.  Sometimes bugs flew into my mouth and down my gullet. As one who eats bugs, are there any lasting repercussions I should investigate more thoroughly?" 

A2.  Wow! What an unusual question.  While you really should have worn a helmet, I will still answer your missive.  Yes!  You probably know that insects are pound-for-pound higher in protein than almost any other animal protein, but you may have noticed from your bike ride, bugs can be hairy, sticky, gooey or crunchy.  The good news is, if you survived, you probably didn't eat anything poisonous, and even though they are toxic, Monarch Butterflies or Blister Beetles won't really hurt you until you eat a lot of them.  Unfortunately, the biggest concern about eating bugs from the wild are the pesticides.  The little bugs eat a surprising amount of leaves and grass while they grow and if those plants have pesticides on them, the toxins get into bodies of the bugs.  Eventually it will kill them, but in the meantime the toxins concentrate and become hazardous to anything that eats the bug: birds, lizards or kids riding bikes with their mouths open.  If you plan on eating bugs, it's probably best to buy them from reputable dealers who specialize in edible bugs.


Q3.  "Why don't you review more restaurants?"

A3.  I get that question a lot.  It's a good question, and the answer is nearly the same as why I don't want to work in a restaurant.  If I do it all the time, it becomes work.  I don't want to do work.  I do want to have fun.  This writing is fun, because people have very few expectations of me.  Besides, I have readers from all over the world.  Is someone from Morocco, Argentina, Russia or Malaysia going to want to hear about my latest crawl to the pub or diner?  (Well, maybe they would.) 
Besides, instead of a review, I write about the experience.  Good and bad restaurants can each have bad and good experiences. I cherish the good and I try to let the bad slip from memory.  Unless I get salmonella and rotavirus.  I remember that kind of thing.  (Remember: Wash your hands!)


Q4. "What's your favorite thing to cook?"

A4.  This is another common question, which unfortunately, doesn't have a very good answer.  I don't really have a favorite thing to cook.  I'll  get on a kick and dive deep into some themes, but that passes in time.  Occasionally, I return to old dishes I haven't tried in a while and they become my new favorite for a few days.  Most often I like variety so I seek to explore different methods, different flavors, and different ingredients whenever I can.  In fact, that may be my favorite thing to cook: the thing I haven't tried to make, or the dish I think I can improve. 


Q5.  "Are there any foods that are off limits?  Anything you refuse to try?"

A5.  You cut to the quick, don't you? 
There was that one time when I was flying with the Uruguayan rugby team over the Andes Mountains..... 
I think given the right circumstances, I could eat nearly anything edible. 
There's a lovely little book from the University of Virginia Press, Unmentionable Cuisine. It explores the taboos of foods from animals in cultures around the world and why some can eat one thing and others can't.   It's a fascinating read and when one pays attention to the premise and extrapolates to its conclusion one can get to the heart of the argument between vegans and omnivores.  What is right to eat?  Why is eating animal proteins good or bad?  If it's ok, why are some better than others?  Is it circumstantial?  I love asking questions like this.  My conclusion: while I've started eating many more vegetables, and with infinite respect to my vegan friends, I'm still firmly in the omnivore camp. 


Q6. What's for dinner?

A6. Tonight, try this:

Stovetop Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck
1 cup Bread Crumbs
1 Egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 tablespoons Mustard (I like good brown mustard, but yellow also does fine)

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, bread crumbs, egg, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix by hand.

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, warm up the olive oil.  Add the onion, garlic and salt.  Sauté until translucent, then add the skillet's contents to the meat bowl.   Add the tomato paste and mustard to the meat and mix it all by hand until it is uniform. 

Put the mix into the cast-iron skillet, press into the edges of the pan, and pat down so it's even everywhere.  Cook, covered, over medium low heat for 45 minutes. 

If you want to brown the top for a more appetizing appearance, pop the whole skillet under a broiler set on high for 5 minutes.  Serve hot.  Save the leftovers for sandwiches tomorrow!