Easy One-Bowl, One-Step Hollandaise - A Miracle of Modern Science

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Make Easy One-Bowl, One-Step Hollandaise - A Miracle of Modern Science

I once saw a chef make hollandaise by using chucks of cold butter to the yolks, instead of whisking in hot melted butter, and it intrigued me. Not enough to actually try it, but enough to make me wonder what would happen if we dumped everything in the bowl at once, and just cooked it all together. No one was more shocked than I was when it worked. And worked beautifully. By the way, I’m guessing I’m not the only person to have thought of this, but until I see proof, I will claim to be it’s inventor.

The only way this doesn’t work is if your heat is too high. I don’t have to tell you what will happen if it is. However, over a low flame (or double-boiler if you’re scared) this will come together very gradually, right before your eyes, and you’ll be able to stop anytime you see fit.  

Eggs are cheap, so give it a try, and see what happens. Being able to just dump everything into the bowl, and make hollandaise in one step is well worth the investment, especially with Mother’s Day coming up. Hint, hint. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions (this can be scaled-up to how ever much you need):

1 large egg yolk

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (you can always add more to taste)

salt and cayenne or hot sauce to taste
NOTE: If sauce gets too thick, just thin with a little hot water.

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Strawberry Sponge Birthday Cake // Bolo 'Sponge' de Morango

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Make Strawberry Sponge Birthday Cake // Bolo 'Sponge' de Morango

um bolo de aniversário. uma festa entre amigos. e muita alegria. assim simples..! não, não era o meu aniversário. mas bem poderia. foi bom, muito bom. passear, relaxar e aproveitar as temperaturas de primavera que se instalaram. tomar um café numa esplanada, estar com amigos, cantar os parabéns e comer uma fatia de bolo. um bolo muito britânico. para o Tiago, que anda por essas terras. com muita fruta da época e delicioso. afirmo delicioso, porque quem provou, gostou mesmo muito. não sobrou nada para contar a história. mas também não ficou nada por contar. porque uma festa de aniversário faz-se entre amigos e família. e mesmo quando se está mais longe, faz-se por estar mais perto. e este ano, estivemos todos muito perto.

a birthday cake. a party with good friends. and lots of joy. simple like that..! no, it wasn't my birthday. but it could have been. was good, really good. wandering around, relaxing and enjoying this amazing spring weather. drink some coffee in a terrace, with some friends, singing happy birthday and eating a slice of cake. a very british cake. to Tiago. with loads of seasonl fruit. and delicious. I say delicious, as everybody really enjoyed it. there was nothing left to tell the story. but there wasn't anything else left to say. because a birthday party is between friends and family. and even when you are far away, you try and be closer. and this year, we were all really close.

Bolo 'Sponge' de Morango

faz 1 bolo

Uma receita de bolo 'sponge' de morango, um bolo delicioso, prometo! E muito simples de se fazer. Apenas demora tempo a bater os ingredientes iniciais, depois disso, é de uma simplicidade incrível, sem nada de truques e muito menos de ingredientes exóticos.

A receita que apresento aqui em baixo, é para fazer uma camada do bolo, depois será necessário repetir, para fazer duas camadas do bolo.

Além disso, ainda usei queijo mascarpone e iogurte grego para (tentar) tornar mais saudável.

Quanto ao uso (e abuso!!) de morangos, tanto em tostas, como no smoothie bowl, ou nas panquecas de alfarroba, ou no blogue em geral, não me posso responsabilizar, é apenas mais um vício.

ingredientes (para o bolo):

110 g manteiga, temperatura ambiente

110 g açúcar

2 ovos

110 g farinha, previamente peneirada

1 c. chá fermento em pó

Começar por bater o açúcar e a manteiga durante 15 minutos, o suficiente para o açúcar estar dissolvido na manteiga e deixar de se sentir o granulado.

Adicionar então os ovos, um a um, e bater muito bem após cada adição.

Por fim, envolver a farinha e o fermento na mistura e verter para uma forma simples, redonda de 20 cm de diâmetro.

Levar ao forno previamente aquecido, a 170º C, durante 20 minutos (máximo 25 min.) até estar bem cozido e ligeiramente dourado.

Repetir o processo, para fazer a segunda camada.

Deixar arrefecer as duas camadas de bolo, completamente, antes de montar o bolo.

ingredientes (para a cobertura):

250 g queijo mascarpone

250 g iogurte grego natural

1 c. chá açúcar em pó

600 g morangos, cortados em metades

Envolver o queijo mascarpone com o iogurte grego e o açúcar em pó. Para ficar envolvido e cremoso, cerca de 2 minutos.

montar o bolo:

As camadas de bolo deverão ter cerca de 2 cm de altura, não precisam de ser perfeitas, mas relativamente uniformes.

Começar por colocar a primeira camada de bolo num cake stand, barrar com metade da cobertura de queijo e iogurte, de forma uniforme e plana e colocar metades de morangos para cobrir a superfície. Colocar a segunda camada de bolo, no topo barrar com a cobertura de queijo e iogurte e por fim adicionar mais morangos por cima.

Colocar no frigorífico até à hora de servir.

Enjoy!

Os morangos estão em época, e sabem como gosto de tudo o que é sazonal. Estão também em destaque na secção de Frescos Continente, onde podem consultar quais os benefícios do consumo de morangos, como os conservar de melhor forma, receitas inspiradoras e muitas outras dicas e sugestões.

Ao clicar nas imagens abaixo, poderão não só aceder a toda essa informação, como também consultar sobre outros produtos do mês (tais como legumes e frutas) em destaque no Continente. 

Strawberry Sponge Birthday Cake

makes 1 cake

A recipe for a strawberry sponge cake, a delicious cake, promise! It's quite simple to make. Only takes a few minutes to mix the initial ingredients, after that, it's of an incredible simplicity, without any tricks or and exotic ingredients.

The recipe shown here, it's to make one cake layer, after that you'll have to repeat to make a second one.

I even used mascarpone cheese and greek yoghurt to (try) and make it healthier.

I have been using loads of strawberries in my recipes, just like in this toast, as on the smoothie bowl, on the carob pancakes, or in the blog in general, but it's not my fault, it's just an addiction.

ingredients (for the cake):

110 g butter, at room temperature

110 g sugar

2 eggs

110 g sifted flour 

1 tsp. baking powder

Start by mixing on a bowl the butter with sugar and beat for at least 15 minutes until the mixture is creamy. Then add the eggs one at a time while continuing to beat. Now fold the previously sifted flour and the baking powder.

Pour the mixture over a round, simple, 20 cm cake tin.

Bake in a pre-heated over for 20 minutes (maxium 25 minutes), at 170º C, until golden on top and completely cooked.

Repeat the process for the second layer.

Allow it to cool completely before assembling the cake.

ingredients (for the topping):

250 g mascarpone cheese 

250 g natural greek yoghurt

1 tsp. powdered sugar

600 g strawberries

  

Mix the mascarpone cheese, greek yoghurt and powdered sugar in a bowl and beat it until well involved and creamy, for about 2 minutes.

assembling the cake:

The cake layers must be around 2 cm tall. They don't need to be perfect, but relatively uniform.

Place the first cake layer on a cake stand, spread half of the mascarpone and yoghurt mixture in an uniform and flat way and place some strawberries halves to cover the surface. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the rest of the mixture and on top add the remaining strawberries.

Place in the fridge until serving time.

Enjoy!

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Perfect “Dry-Brined” Pork Chops – Come for the Oxymoron, Stay for the Juicy Meat

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Make Perfect “Dry-Brined” Pork Chops – Come for the Oxymoron, Stay for the Juicy Meat

I’ve wanted to do a video on “dry-brining” for a while now, and was reminded of that fact after recently seeing a friend’s blog post on the subject. That friend would be the lovely and talented, Jennifer Yu, who publishes the blog, Use Real Butter.

Seeing those juicy pork chops in her post inspired this video, which features one of my favorite getting-meat-ready-for-the-grill techniques of all time. If you can call sprinkling salt on pork chops, a “technique,” and for the purposes of this post, we will. 

By the way, if this looks familiar, it should. We’ve used this trick before in previous videos, but just never called it “dry-brining,” mostly because that’s not a thing. By definition, a “brine” is a liquid, but since this contains the same active ingredients, and has the same effect, we don’t let a minor detail like no water get in our way.

I could go into a long, scientific explanation of what exactly happens here, but instead I’ll provide a link to this great article on Serious Eats, by J. Kenji López-Alt. Jen used his cookbook, The Food Lab, as a guide, and so we’ll send you his way for all the pertinent details.

While our friend Kenji will do a much better job explaining the science behind this magical method, I think I did a decent job in the video explaining how wonderfully this works. As long as you don’t horribly overcook your meat, this “dry-brine” technique will produce the juiciest, and most flavorful pork chops you’ve ever had.

So, a big thank you to Jennifer for inspiring us, as well as to Kenji for inspiring her. With peak grilling season right around the corner, I really do hope you give this amazingly simple trick a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large pork chops:

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- Mix and apply generously to both sides of the chops. Let “brine” uncovered in the fridge for 18-24 hours. Some say you can do this in less time, but I’ve always let it go at least overnight.

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Ultimate Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs

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Make Ultimate Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs

Ultimate Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs

A very quick but very delicious and indulgent breakfast!

Serves 2

Prep time:  5 minutes

Cooking time: 3 minutes

Ingredients

8 free range eggs

2tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Freshly ground pepper

50g butter, plus extra for spreading

150g Smoked Salmon trimmings

2 English muffins, split horizontally

Method

1.    In a bowl, beat together the eggs and chives with freshly ground pepper.

2.    Over a medium to low heat melt the butter in a non-stick pan.  Add the eggs and gently cook, stir occasionally until the eggs are softly scrambled.

3.    Meanwhile, toast the muffins and butter.  When the eggs are cooked remove the pan from the heat and fold through the salmon.

4.    Place 2 halves of muffins on each plate and spoon the scrambled egg and salmon on top. Enjoy!

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Kumquat Marmalade – Beautiful, Delicious, and Almost Easy to Make

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Make Kumquat Marmalade – Beautiful, Delicious, and Almost Easy to Make

If you’re like me, and marmalade is not your favorite type of fruit preserve, it’s most likely because of those bitter flavors from the white parts of whatever type of citrus was used. That is not an issue with this gorgeous kumquat marmalade.

The secret here is using a type of citrus that doesn’t really have any of those pithy parts, which is why kumquats are the only citrus I know of that you eat whole, skin and all. If you are going to enjoy au naturel, make sure you roll them first, to release all that sweet, fragrant oil.

However, if you’re going to cut them up as seem herein, then rolling each one is not necessary, as the oils will be release as we quarter, seed, and slice. This is a good thing, as we need all the time-savings we can get, since what we are going to do, is painstakingly remove the center white membrane.

I believe this will make your marmalade even less bitter, but mostly it’s for appearance. For me, those little white bits spoil the perfect, clear-orange jelly that’s produced. But if you think I’m crazy, and you want to save a half-hour, you can probably skip that step, as long as you get all the seeds. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups:

2 generous cups sliced kumquats (measure after they have been quartered, seeded, and sliced into small pieces)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

small pinch cayenne

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cold water

1 star anise (I remove after 10 minutes of simmering)

- Note: You can just go by appearance, but I took the temperature right before it was done, and it was bout 215 F., so I imagine when I was finished it was around 220 F. You can also put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge, and test that way.

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Cider-Braised Pork Cheeks – Eating with a Grin

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Make Cider-Braised Pork Cheeks – Eating with a Grin

Sometimes when I’m really bored, I’ll sit around trying to think up fake Mark Twain food quotations. For example, “The best beef stew I ever had, was pork cheeks in San Francisco.” That was inspired by the fact these delicious, easy to prepare clumps of pork really do taste like an extra-rich beef shoulder. 

You will have to speak with an actual real, live butcher, but they’re generally harmless, and if they sell fresh pork, I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to order you some cheeks. While I’m very proud of this recipe, and I think the hard cider makes for a perfect cooking liquid, feel free to simply take your favorite stew, or braised beef recipe, and swap in the pork cheeks instead.

Once everything’s in the pan, all you have to do is cook this until the meat is fork tender, and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the meat. Be careful not to use a too-salty broth, otherwise it may be too much once reduced. I really hope you give this cider-braised pork cheeks recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

* I used 6, but the amounts will work with 8, and give you 4 portions)

8 large pork cheeks (about 2 pounds)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

flour as needed

2 tablespoon clarified butter

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 cups hard cider

2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon finely chopped sage leaves

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 rib celery, diced

Note: if you want extra sauce, you can add an extra tablespoon of flour to the veggies when they are sautéing. Then add an extra cup of cider and broth, and proceed as shown.

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Koji-Rubbed Steak – New Age Dry Age

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Make Koji-Rubbed Steak – New Age Dry Age

First, let me give credit where credit’s due; and by “credit,” I mean possible blame. I got the idea from this article in Bon Appetit, where they showed how to use koji rice to simulate dry aging a steak. They say they borrowed the idea from Trentina chef, Jonathon Sawyer, and we’ll take them at their word.

Anyway, I tried it out, and had mixed results. The smell and flavor were vaguely reminiscent of dry-aged beef, but it didn’t have those same cheesy/funky/earthy background notes. As far as the texture goes, there was no difference from a regular steak, and it may have even given it a somewhat firmer texture.

That may have come from letting it go almost three days, instead of two, but hey, I was within the range. Besides, I’m not even sure anything happened. The idea here is that the fungus on the koji rice, which breaks down the proteins in beans, to make things like miso, would work the same magic on a steak.

While it did look like the koji had “bloomed” a bit, and there was more “white stuff” at the end of the process, there was no obvious signs that the meat had been “broken down.” The appearance was darker, and it kind of had that waxy look of dry aged meat, but that could’ve simply come from sitting uncovered in the fridge.

I found it a bit suspicious that there were no other posts regarding this online, but maybe it’s just too new. Time will tell. I'm looking at you, food blogger. In the meantime, any and all feedback is welcomed, especially if you are familiar with using koji rice. I’m not sure if you should give this a try, but, as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

koji rice (I used this one)

steak

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Next Up: The Great Koji Steak Experiment

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smoothie bowl morango // strawberry smoothie bowl

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Make smoothie bowl morango // strawberry smoothie bowl

aqueles momentos de um bom pequeno-almoço. um smoothie bowl saboroso. e a primavera numa taça. parece-me que já anteriormente me referi a isto. mas quando chega a esta altura do ano, é inevitável. estes sabores da época. e os morangos invadiram aqui a casa. literalmente. onde o pequeno-almoço fica ainda mais delicioso. e colorido. quase como comer gelado logo pela manhã. e eu sou amante de gelados. a qualquer hora do dia!

those amazing breakfast moments in the morning. a tasty smoothie bowl. and spring in a bowl. it seems to me that I have said that before. but when it comes to this time of the year, it's inevitable. the flavours of the season. and the strawberries invade my home. literally. so breakfast becomes even more delicious. and colourful. almost like eating ice-cream right in the morning. and I am huge fan of ice-creams. anytime of the day!

receita de smoothie bowl de morango

para 2

Esta receita super fácil e simples de smoothie bowl de morango demora apenas 10 minutos a preparar e é um pequeno-almoço com tudo o que necessitamos.

Podem substituir a fruta por outra em época que fique igualmente bem, pois aqui, onde me inspirei, era com framboesas (yummmmmy!)

O iogurte pode ser natural, se preferirem e o mel, opcional!

O coco é apenas ligeiramente tostado, uns segundos, e se não tiverem granola caseira, sigam esta receita aqui, que é primaveril e saborosa!

Mãos ao trabalho e inventem as combinações e coberturas.

ingredientes (para o smoothie bowl):

2 bananas congeladas

300 g morangos frescos

100 ml leite

1 iogurte grego natural (125 g)

1 c. chá de mel (opcional)

ingredientes (para a cobertura):

1 c. sopa coco ligeiramente tostado

1 c. chá sementes abóbora

1 c. chá sementes girassol

1 c. chá granola

1 c. sopa de nozes

morangos frescos

folhas de hortelã

Num liquidificador misturar todos os ingredientes (para o smoothie!!) e triturar durante um minuto, ou até estar consistente.

Colocar em duas taças, adicionar as coberturas e servir

Enjoy!

strawberry smoothie bowl recipe

serves 2

This simple and easy strawberry smoothie bowl recipe only takes 10 minutes to prepare and is a breakfast full of everything our body needs.

You can replace the strawberries for any other fruit in season, as where I got this recipe, they used raspberries (yummmmmmy!)

The yoghurt can be just plain natural, if you prefer and the honey is optional!

The coconut is just slightly toasted and if you do not have granola, please and go make this recipe here, is so springy and delicious!

Go ahead and play with combinations and toppings.

ingredients (for the smoothie bowl):

2 frozen bananas

300 g fresh strawberries

100 ml milk

1 natural greek yoghurt (125 g)

1 tsp. honey (optional)

ingredients (for the topping):

1 tbsp. coconut (slightly toasted)

1 tsp. pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. sunflower seeds

1 tsp. granola

1 tbsp. walnuts

fresh strawberries

fresh mint leaves

In a blender, place all the ingredients for the smoothie (only!!) and blend it for around 1 minute or until smooth. Add some toppings and serve.

Enjoy!

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Puffy Tacos – Part Three of the Taco Trilogy

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Make Puffy Tacos – Part Three of the Taco Trilogy

When it comes to things like fast food, fair food, and street food, I’ve never been a big fan of recreating it at home. The only place you’re supposed to eat deep-fried butter is at the Iowa State Fair, and nowhere else. 

However, I will make an exception if I can’t find that certain something nearby, and this puffy taco is that something. I just don’t get to San Antonio, home of the puffy taco, as much as I’d like. 

I’ve actually only been there once, and as far as I know there are no puffy taco stands in San Francisco, so I decided to try them at home. This fast and simple to make taco shell is an addictive hybrid between your soft corn tortilla, and the crunchy, hard shell variety, preferred by America’s youth.

As long as you can find masa harina, which you can, the recipe and procedure are pretty simple. For the best results, make the dough, and use it right way. I’ve tried to make it ahead of time, but the tortillas didn’t seem to puff up nearly as much.

The same goes for serving. Get your meats and fixings ready ahead of time, so all you have to do is fry-and-fill. These only take a minute to cook, and you can use a larger pan to do two or three at once. I really hope you give this fun, puffy taco shell recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 small puffy taco shells:

1 cup masa harina
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

canola oil for frying

- Deep-fry at 350 F for about 90 seconds, or shallow-fry in a small pan until the tortilla is puffed and cooked through.

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Beurre Blanc – This French Butter Sauce was Spot On

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Make Beurre Blanc – This French Butter Sauce was Spot On

I can’t believe after all these years of posting videos, I hadn’t done a proper beurre blanc! Well, I guess I still haven’t, if you take into account bit of cream we sneak in, as beurre blanc purists do not approve. That’s okay; we’ll just distract them by pronouncing it wrong.

They consider it “cheating,” since adding cream helps you create a more stable base for emulsifying in cold cubes of butter. I don’t get how that’s a problem, unless the cream somehow ruined the taste of the sauce, but it doesn’t, and you could argue it actually enhances it. I also think it makes for an even more beautiful color.

Cream, or no, the technique is not at all difficult. Once your wine/acid mixture has reduced by about 75%, turn your heat to low, and whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time. That’s really it. By the way, feel free to use a saucepan for this. I used a sauté pan because it’s easier to film in, but it does make the process a little riskier.

You can switch up the type of vinegar, or go with lemon juice; and the shallots can be switched out for garlic, or finely minced onion. Chives are nice in this, but many other herbs will work, such as tarragon; or chervil, if you’re sexy. No matter how you pronounce it, or what ingredients you use in it, I really hope you give this easy sauce recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Note: Yes, I can see there’s a spot of sauce splattered on the lens during the final scenes. These things will happen. Just pretend it’s not there. Thank you.

Ingredients for 4 portions Beurre Blanc:

1/2 cup of white wine

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, herb-infused white vinegar, etc.

2 teaspoons very finely minced shallots

2 tablespoons heavy cream

4 ounces of cold unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick), cut in one-inch cubes

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the BEST Moussaka Recipe

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Make the BEST Moussaka Recipe

The Best Moussaka

Bring Greece to your home with this classic Greek dish, absolutely delicious!

Serves 6

Prep time:  30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the Moussaka

3 large aubergines, sliced lengthways

Extra virgin olive oil

60g grated kefalotiri cheese or a mixture of gruyere & parmesan

½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the Meat Sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

450g minced lamb

1 large glass of dry white wine

2 tbsp tomato puree

450g tomatoes, peeled & roughly chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Freshly ground salt & pepper

For the white sauce

60g butter

60g plain flour

600ml milk

60g grated kefalotiri cheese or a mixture of gruyere & parmesan

1 egg

1 egg yolk

Method

1.  Sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and set aside for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

2.  To make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic.  Gently cook until tender without browning then add the lamb and fry until browned.  Add the wine, puree, tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, oregano and season generously to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes until thick and then stir in the parsley.

3.  To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour.  Keep stirring for about 1 minute then remove the pan from the heat.  Slowly start to add the milk, stirring it well.  Return the pan to a gentle heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thick, frequently stirring.  Add the cheese and season, just before serving beat in the egg and yolk.

4.  Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

5.  Wipe the aubergines with kitchen paper and put them onto oiled baking sheets and brush with olive oil.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until tender and slightly browned.  Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

6.  Oil a 30 x 20cm (12 x 8 in)or 25 x 25cm 10 x 10 in) ovenproof dish. Lay half the aubergine slices on the base, overlapping if necessary.  Spread over half the meat sauce on top.  Lay the remaining aubergine on top and add the remaining meat sauce.  Pour over all the white sauce and sprinkle with cheese and cinnamon.  Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until nicely browned.  Let the moussaka rest in the oven for 5 minutes before serving, enjoy!!

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