mix, mix…stir, stir

While Carol is off on her big TableFare road trip spreading the news about SpiceCare, I thought it would be fun if I took over the blog to document an experiment I’ve wanted to try for some time. In short, I wondered what would happen if you applied good technique to bad ingredients. Is it possible to end up with something edible?

When I was a kid, I probably ate more Chef Boyardee boxed pizzas than any other food item. After a while, my mom apparently got tired of making them for me and let me start making them myself.  I guess this was the start of my homemade pizza obsession that continues to this day. So what would happen if I combined what I know now with what I had then?

I was a bit surprised to find the Pizza Kit product was still on the market after all these years. It’s essentially the same as it ever was, though the  yellow box has given way to red, and what was once 79¢ will now set you back $3.59. Inside, however, are the same three components: a package of dry dough mix, a can of sauce and a packet of powdered Parmesan cheese.

I established some simple rules for my experiment. I could not add any ingredients to my Test Pizza, such as better cheese or a splash of herbs on the sauce. I also had to make another Control Pizza according to the box directions, just in case they made any improvements to the ingredients over the last 30 years.

Respect the Dough

Before I go any further, let me say a few words about pizza crust. It is my opinion that the crust is the pizza. While it possible to start with a good crust and still create a bad pizza, it is absolutely impossible to get a good pizza if you have a bad crust. Carol and I have spent over 20 years fine-tuning and tweaking the way we make pizza and I think we’ve taken it about as far as can be done using an electric oven.  One thing that we’ve learned is that technique is every bit as important as the ingredients. The best crust is a simple concoction of four ingredients (high-quality pizza flour, salt, yeast and water…no oil!)  teased into chewy bubbly perfection by a slow, delicate handling process. You must genuinely respect the dough.

Control Pizza

I made the Control Pizza in strict accordance with the instructions on the box. The only area in which I had to improvise a bit was on the rise time. The instructions say to let the dough rise for five minutes, but that you can extend that to 20 if you want. I decided to split the difference and let it rise for 12 minutes.

Test Pizza

The big difference between my two pizzas was obviously going to be in the crust since my rules prohibited me from making any changes to the sauce or cheese. Here’s how this crust differed from the previous:

1. For the Control Pizza, the instructions directed me to mix 2/3 cup water with the dough flour and then mix it with a fork just until it was a moist ball. For the Test Pizza,  however, I gave the mix the royal treatment.  First, the flour and water were mixed in the KitchenAid on low for four minutes. During this time I thought the dough was much too dry so I began adding extra water (the judges determined that this did not constitute adding additional ingredients and therefore was fair). The dough was then allowed to rest for five minutes so the water could be better absorbed. Finally, the dough was mixed on a medium-low speed for a long time until it took on a beautiful, smooth appearance. During this long mixing I continued to add water to keep the dough very sticky. A wet dough is a good dough.
2. The Control Pizza had me give the dough a 5-20 minute rising. For my pizza crusts, I do a two-day cold rising, which gives the dough an incredible just-barely-sourdough tinge. I was afraid, however, that the dough mix probably used a rapid rise yeast that would completely blow up if I left it for two days, so I dialed that back to a single day cold rise.
3. The Control Pizza instructed me to spread the dough on an oiled cooking pan and bake it at 425˚F. For the Test Pizza, I put one of our pizza stones in the oven and cranked it up to 550˚F, letting it stabilize for over an hour before doing any actual baking. The dough was hand-stretched then transferred to the stone on a peel.

The Results

I think the pictures tell most of the story.

The Control Pizza is extremely thin and lifeless. Now, thin is not a bad thing in the world of pizza, but there’s definitely good thin and bad thin, and this was bad thin. The crust was hard with a plain white-bread taste. The fact that it was baked on an oiled pan also made the very bottom part taste deep-fried.

Now look at the Test Pizza. It is, I must admit, somewhat ridiculous. As soon as it went onto the stone it started puffing up aggressively and it didn’t let up for the entire baking period. The yeast was having a heyday, and all that extra water I used was steaming up things mighty fierce.  I really don’t think I’ve ever seen a thin crust puff up that much before.

This cross-section of a slice of the Control Pizza shows how flat it turned out. As I said, thin is OK, but there should still be some nice bubbles and variety throughout, and this has essentially none.

The slice of the Test Pizza looks pretty much what you’d expect based on the picture of the whole pie.  It has puffed up considerably more…but obviously a bit too much.

But How Does It Taste?

The Control Pizza was exactly how I remembered these things tasting all those decades ago. The only difference was that back then I enjoyed it. This time, I ate one slice, took the photos, and tossed it out.

The Test Pizza really was quite a bit better. No, it was still not good, but bringing the crust to life definitely improved the overall texture and flavor, resulting in a somewhat surprising pie. The crust still had a very white-bread flavor, but at least it wasn’t hard and cooking it on the stone prevent the deep-fried taste that hindered the Control Pizza.

Conclusion

Yes, in this case you can help bad ingredients by applying good technique. But is it worth it? No.  I had to do a fair amount of work to improve this crust and it seems like a waste of time and effort to apply that work to these ingredients. It obviously defeats the purpose of the quick pizza-in-a-box concept if you need to give the dough a full day to rise, so I would never recommend anyone actually go through all this work if you’re starting with Chef Boyardee.

This was, after all, just an exercise to satisfy my curiosity rather than to unlock a secret method for creating a stellar pizza from a $3.59 kit. But after eating all this boxed pizza, I am really going to have to seek out a good pie to erase the aftertaste.

Strolling through Trader Joe’s I came upon a fruit I had never seen before and it instantly captured my interest. Mandarinquats are a cross between a mandarin orange and a kumquat. I adore kumquats and dropped the little container of mandarinquats in my basket before I could even flinch at the $4.99 price.

Like a kumquat, mandarinquats have a thin sweet peel and a bright tart flesh.  They have a graceful teardrop shape and the size seems like a perfect compromise between the two. The color is influenced more by the bright orange hues of a mandarin, but the flavor plays sweet against tart in the same delicious way a kumquats does. I quickly determined that unlike kumquats the seeds are not edible and like a mandarin, there are a lot of seeds.

Mandarinquats are grown in southern California and harvested from January to early March. Sadly on my last trip to TJs I do believe I snatched up the very last container of my newest culinary fascination, so now I will wait with great anticipation for next January when the mandarinquats return. In the mean time, I am happy to see a steady supply of kumquats still available.

When I first saw the mandarinquats I instantly thought of marmalade, which is a bit odd because I don’t really care for marmalade. I find it too bitter. Kumquats, however, don’t have a bitter peel so I thought mandarinquats could make perfect marmalade. In addition to the novel fruit, I was excited about the idea of making a small batch of marmalade to be eaten right away rather than canned. Canning isn’t so difficult, but inevitably I don’t have enough jars or lids which completely derails a spontaneous jam-session. The idea of whipping up a fresh batch of jam that is small enough to consume in a few weeks had never occurred to me.

After reviewing a pile of marmalade recipes I settled on a plan that turned into a saga paralleling the story of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. I had no idea what the pectin level would be, so to be on the safe side I collected all the seeds and cut them open and put them in a tea strainer to cook with the rind. It turns out mandarinquats have a very high pectin level. So high that when the marmalade cooled I couldn’t even pierce it with a fork! The second batch included only six seeds. Better, though it didn’t so much as spread, but rather crumble. The third batch had no added seeds and a reduced cooking time, wouldn’t you know, it was mandarinquat soup. The forth batch was a charm, with no added seeds, but using the cooking time for the earlier batches it came out perfectly. I wish the mandarinquat season weren’t over already, but you can pencil this activity in on your calendar for January 2010!

Mandarinquat Marmalade

Makes about 21/2 cups

8 oz.  mandarinquats
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom, ground

Have a 2 or 3 qt. sauce pan ready and set a mesh strainer over a bowl.

Wash the mandarinquats by scrubbing the rind well. Slice each piece of fruit in half and squeeze the juice and seeds into the strainer set over a bowl to catch the juice. By squeezing the fruit before slicing it, the juice will end up in the marmalade and not all over the cutting board.

Cut each half-rind in half again and then slice into very thin strips. Slice up the inner membrane that separates the fruit sections right along with the rind. Place the sliced rind in the sauce pan.

Add the collected juice to the sauce pan along with 3 cups of cold water.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes.

Place a small saucer in the refrigerator to chill. It will be helpful when testing the marmalade to determine if it is set.

After the rind has simmered for 35 minutes, add the 2 cups of sugar and stir to dissolve. Once the sugar is dissolved, bring the mixture to a full boil and boil for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam that develops on the surface.

Remove the marmalade from the heat and drop a small amount on the chilled saucer. Let it sit for 30-60 seconds and then gently push on the side of the dollop, if the surface wrinkles, the marmalade has set to a nice consistency. If it is still runny, continue to boil an additional 5 minutes and recheck.

Once set, remove the marmalade from the heat and let cool for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the ground cardamom. Pour the marmalade into clean jars or a bowl and let cool to room temperature uncovered. Once cool, cover and store in the refrigerator.

If the marmalade is too set once completely cool, re-heat it in a sauce pan with some water (1/4 to 1/2 cup) to thin it out. Stir the marmalade to dissolve it in the water over a medium low heat and then bring to a boil for a minute. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Crystallized ginger sounds difficult and time consuming to make, at least that’s what I thought until I actually did a little research on how to make it. It’s easy, and if you are fearful of candy making because of the fussy steps involved with washing down the sides of the pan to avoid sugar crystal formation, this is the project for you; it’s all about creating sugar crystals!

photo by David Peterman

It seems like Asian markets always have the most gorgeous, fresh, young, ginger for sale, so that’s where I shop when I am making this. The most potentially tedious part of the process is peeling the ginger, but I have a great tip for you if you haven’t already discovered the spoon technique. I learned this years ago in an evening cooking class. To me, this tip alone was worth the entire cost of the class and it wasn’t even the point of the class, just a passing comment. Simply scrape the skin of the ginger off with the side of a spoon. A spoon takes off the thin skin easily and without removing a bunch of ginger with it. It also leaves the ginger root nice and smooth. When I use a peeler or a knife, I seem to leave all kinds of angles and cut marks behind. The spoon is fast and really easy to maneuver around the bumps and contours of the root.

photo by David Peterman

I experimented a bit with this batch to see what would happen if I added a vanilla bean, cardamom and cinnamon. Something good happened. The vanilla, cardamom, and cinnamon are subtle but noticeable right up front in the sugar coating, then the bite and heat of the ginger hit followed by a lovely soft lingering vanilla flavor. Home-made crystallized ginger is darker in color than commercial product and the added spices add even a little darker color, but I like the look of the speckles.

photo by David Peterman

In addition to a wonderful stash of crystallized ginger this recipe generates a sugar by-product that is fantastic to baking with. The excess sugar is infused with the ginger and spice flavors and would be wonderful in your next batch of brownies, pancakes, or cookies. It is very clumpy, but a quick spin in a food processor breaks it down to a nice fine texture.

Spiced Crystallized Ginger

1 lb. fresh young ginger root
water
1 vanilla bean
20 whole cardamom pods, cracked open
2″ piece of True Cinnamon stick or Cassia Cinnamon stick
1 lb. granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Peel the ginger and slice into 1/4-1/8 inch thick slices. Place the ginger slices in a 3 qt. sauce pan and add enough water to cover. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the pod, then add the seeds and pod to the ginger. Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Bring the ingredients to a boil and cook at a simmer for about 40 minutes until the ginger is tender.

Drain the ginger and remove the pieces of spice. Don’t worry about the little cardamom seeds, but be sure to remove the tough pods. In the empty sauce pan, mix 1/3 cup water with 1 lb. of sugar and bring to a boil. Add the ginger and cook at a boil, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until the syrup begins to thicken, another 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix 1/2 cup sugar, ground cinnamon and cardamom together in a medium bowl and set aside. As the ginger mixture begins to thicken the syrup will look like foamy bubbles when stirred rather than bubbles in liquid. At this point, using tongs or a  fork, lift the ginger pieces out of the pan into the sugar mixture and toss to coat. Once the ginger is well coated spread it out on a sheet pan to cool. Let it sit for a few hours to dry and then transfer to an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for 6 months.

Collect all the extra sugar and process in a food processor until it is a nice fine consistency. Store in an airtight container to use in your next baking project. This sugar would be great in brownies, pancakes, or cookies.

Fresh cranberries are showing up at the market, so it is the perfect time to share my cranberry sauce recipe with you. Freshly made cranberry sauce is such a world away from the canned version. Granted it won’t have the lovely can shape and can ridge texture on the sides, but the taste of freshly made cranberry sauce easily outweighs the nostalgia of cranberry sauce shaped like a can. If you have never made cranberry sauce, you need to know it is a snap to make. I have been making versions of this recipe for my entire adult life. Over the years it has evolved into what is now my favorite version.

photo by David Peterman

Warm exotic spice flavors play between the sweet and tart flavors of this sauce. It is perfect for the Thanksgiving table, but I enjoy this cranberry sauce on turkey sandwiches all year long.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

16 oz. fresh or frozen whole cranberries
¾ cup water
½ cup red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 cups sugar
zest of one medium orange
2 star anise, whole
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, ground
½ tsp. clove, ground
½ tsp. allspice, ground
½ tsp. cardamom, ground
1” piece of fresh ginger, juiced in garlic press

Clean and de-stem cranberries. In a medium saucepan combine cranberries, vinegars, water, sugar, orange zest, and star anise pods. Cook over medium heat until cranberries begin to pop. Stir and mash the berries with the back of a spoon.

Add the spices and the ginger juice. Cook at a medium-low boil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you prefer less pulp, press a quarter to half of the sauce through a sieve to strain. Taste the sauce and adjust spices as desired*. Once the sauce cools it will thicken.

It keeps well for a few months in the refrigerator. If you like to can, preserve this sauce following proper canning proceedures. Leave ¼ inch headspace and process in a water bath for 10 minutes, if using half-pint jars or smaller. If you pack in larger jars, or live at an altitude above 1000 feet, refer to a trusted canning resource to adjust the processing time.

* Spice Note: I use whole spices and grind them as I need them. Once I made the switch to buying whole spices I dialed back the amount of spice in the recipe because freshly ground spices are so much more powerful. If you are using pre-ground spices and feel like the flavors aren’t as prominent as you would like, add a bit more of each to suit your taste.

I think I have finally conquered stock. Partly because I have realized that the biggest challenge for me is figuring out how to fit it into life. Though I have made stock now and again throughout my cooking life, I never managed to adopt it as a way of life. Reaching for a can of stock in the store is always accompanied by a tiny bit of guilt with hearing a faint chorus of cooking show host and chef voices ring through my ears saying, “you should make your own stock.” Now I think I will finally be making my own stock on a regular basis.

photo by Carol Peterman

The primary reason? I just made three batches in the last few weeks and managed to work out some little issues that make all the difference. The inspiration behind my stock-fest is an online culinary program I am participating in at Rouxbe.com. Rouxbe is a great cooking site with the best quality instructional video I have come across and this summer they started a self-paced online cooking school complete with lessons, homework and tests. Sign me up! The site has some free content, but the cooking school and bulk of the content requires purchasing a subscription to access. Though I received my initial subscription as a gift by being a Metrokitchen.com customer, I will resubscribe next year.

The revelations I have had come from seeing the stock making videos and finally understanding what “simmer” looks like. Seeing a great example of what clear stock looks like and realizing I achieved that; I can see a carrot at the bottom of my bowl! Having confidence that I am doing this right makes me want to make stock. Hooray for my new found confidence, but there is still the issue of working out a few irritating kinks. They may seem trivial, but I tell you it’s the little stuff that can make the difference between something becoming second nature and it just feeling like too much darn work.

The first batch of stock I made I carefully scooped out the bones and vegetables into a bowl and moved on to straining and cooling the stock. I now have this large bowl of very hot drippy wet stuff I need to throw away. I don’t want to just toss it in the outside garbage can loose, I can’t put it in a paper garbage bag, so I scooped it into a plastic bag that I then nearly burned myself carrying outside and was worried the contents would melt the bag before I got to the garbage can. That would be a fun mess to clean up! Not to mention that I now have a giant messy bowl to wash. The better way – empty milk cartons!

photo by Carol Peterman

Next issue of contention: cooling the hot stock. From a food safety aspect the only way to go is an ice bath. I now have the stock divided between two more large bowls that I then set in two more even larger bowls containing the ice bath. That’s four more large bowls to wash! It’s late and I am tired and not liking all this effort. Revelation: Plastic dish pans for the ice bath. They are light weight and really just need a rinse and quick dry before putting them away. I am now down to only dirtying two large bowls and a stock pot. This is progress! The ice bath is nice because it is fast and the stock can be portioned for freezing and put away within about 30 minutes. The tip for a good ice bath: buy a bag of ice at the store so there is enough ice on hand to make an effective ice bath.

photo by Carol Peterman

After reading Harold McGee’s latest article in the New York Times on ice and cold things I learned how to make the most effective ice bath – add salt. It is colder and will chill faster. I had two ice baths going anyhow, why not have a little contest? The bath on the left was just ice and water the one on the right I added about a third cup of kosher salt. Sure enough, the stock in the salted water cooled to 40 degrees F in just about 30 minutes and the other one was still at 47 degrees F. After 30 minutes, the water temperature of the salted bath was 28 degrees F and the non-salted water had climbed to 37 degrees F. I didn’t get quite as dramatically different cooling results that McGee did in his tests, but my two samples weren’t so perfectly controlled as I suspect his were. I don’t know how long it would have taken the non-salted stock to cool completely because in the interest of getting to bed I moved the lagging bowl of stock into the salted water bath to wrap up the project as quickly as possible.

With only three practice batches of stock I managed to work out a few little process issues that make it just enough easier that stock-making is on the verge of becoming second nature to me. I now have the timing down – as in start early in the day so I am not up to all hours, know the volume of ingredients off the top of my head, and don’t end up dirtying every bowl in my kitchen during the process. I don’t stir and have learned to control the heat so I never let the stock boil, just simmer. Best of all I have a freezer full of great tasting stock. The true test will come when my freezer supply runs low. Will I pull out my stash of bones from the freezer and get cooking, or head to the store and once again hear that little chorus of voices?

I bet you already own many cookbooks with instructions on making stock, plus you have the Internet at your fingertips as a further resource. I hope you will have your own little stock-fest and figure out how to work this core element of cooking into your life.