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Crepes

Crepes are the very first thing I have ever learned to cook. Crepes are a very thin pancake like dish that were created in northern France. Normally they are filled with fruits and creams and are served for breakfast or as a desert; they can also be made with savory ingredients in them for a lunch or dinner dish. My favorite way to make crepes is either with bananas or blueberries and Devonshire cream. The best re-cipe that i have found for crepes is as follows:

Ingredients:

Crepes:

Whole eggs 1 - 2 oz.
Egg yolks 1 - 1 oz.
Water 2 fl. oz.
Milk 3 fl. oz.
Granulated sugar 1 oz.
Salt 1/8 tsp.
Flour 2 1/3 oz.
Unsalted butter, melted 3/4 oz.
Vegetable oil as needed

Blueberries as needed

Procedure:

1. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, water and milk. Add the sugar, salt and flour; whisk together. Stir in the melted butter. Cover and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour before cooking.
2. Heat a small sauté or crepe pan; add a little oil. Pour in 1-1 1/2 fluid ounces of batter; swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
3. Cook the crepe until set and light brown, approximately 30 seconds. Flip it over and cook a few seconds longer. Remove from the pan. Repeat this process until all the batter is used.
4. Cooked crepes may be used immediately or covered and held briefly in a warm oven.

Devonshire cream:

3 oz. cream cheese

1 ½ tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl cream the cream cheese sugar and salt.

2. Mix in the heavy cream until the mixture is firm but not stiff.

Then put blueberries and Devonshire cream inside crepe and top with more blueberries and more cream then enjoy.

Baking Bread

Baking breads

Baking bread is one of the greatest things learned while I have been in school. There is nothing like a fresh piece of bread right out of the oven. Baking is a very precise art where you have to weigh all of the ingredients to make sure that everything is precise. All of my baking recipes will be in ounces and grams so if you do not have a baking scale you will need to go out and get one to make these recipes. I will be going to the type of bread that I have become most familiar with and best at baking. This bread is focaccia bread. I will give a little history and some interesting facts about this unique bread. I will give you the best recipes I have and use all the time for this bread. Focaccia bread is also known as roman flat bread. It is very popular in Italy, school children will buy a slice from bakers on the way to school to eat it during snack time. The dough is similar in every way to pizza dough. My favorite recipe for focaccia bread is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Active dry yeast

12 Fl. Oz. Temperature controlled water (75°-95° F.)

1 lbs. 2 Oz. All-purpose flour

3 Tsp. Kosher salt

4 Oz. Yellow Onion (chopped fine)

½ FL Oz. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Crush rosemary

½ Serrano pepper (chopped fine)

5 Oz. Grated Smoked Gouda (Can be any other cheese if preferred)

3 Thick-cut strips of bacon

2 Cloves garlic

Procedure:

1.      Dissolve Sugar and yeast in temperature controlled water.

2.      Add Flour 4 Oz. at a time until fully mixed (scrape down sides of the bowl before adding more every time).

3.      Mix in 2 Tsp. of salt and all of the onion.

4.      Knead dough on a floured surface or in a mixer fitted with a dough hook until all ingredients are combined and dough is smooth.

5.      Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap until the dough has doubled in size.

6.      Cook the bacon and cut up into pieces that are no bigger than and 1/8 of and in by 1/8 of an inch.

7.      Once the dough has doubled in size punch the dough down to get all air pockets gone.

8.      Flatten on an oiled baking sheet the dough should not be more than one inch thick.

9.      Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and cover the top with the Serrano pepper, Bacon, Garlic, and Rosemary.

10.  Place in a 400°F. Oven for about 20 min. When there is about 5-7 min of baking left spread the graded Gouda cheese all over the top of the bread and finish cooking.

11.  Finally let rest and cool down then cut and enjoy!!!

Everything Potatoes

Potatoes are a staple food in the diet of a lot of people all over the world. Potatoes are a very versatile food. There are over 575 different types of potatoes. One of the most well-known and used, and my favorite, is the russet potato (also known as the Idaho potato). Russets are the number one potato used for making America’s favorite snacks, the French fry and the potato chip. Russet potatoes are very high in starch and low in sugar and moisture. There are so many great dishes to make with potatoes it is going to be hard for me to narrow it down to just one great recipe to share with all of you. The Recipe that I will be offering today is called Gratin Dauphinoise. This is a very traditional and very rich potato dish. It is a very cheap and easy dish to make with minimal ingredients. What you will need is:

 Ingredients:

• 3 Lbs. Russet potatoes
• 6 oz. blue cheese
• 4 oz. Gruyere cheese
• 24 Fl. oz. half and half 
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Walla Walla sweet onion (Preferred but can use any sweet onion)
• Whole butter as needed
• Salt and white pepper to your preferred taste 
• 1/4th tsp. ground nutmeg

Procedure:

1. Peel and slice potatoes very thing.
2. Cut onions into 1 inch strips.
3. Place a single layer of potatoes in a well buttered baking dish.
4. Lay down some sliced onions and sprinkle some of both cheeses on top.
5. Season layer with salt and pepper. 
6. Repeat until all potatoes and onions are gone, while reserving 1/4th of the cheese.
7. Heat the half and half up to a simmer.
8. Whisk egg yolks together in a bowl.
9. Slowly and the hot half and half to the egg yolks so the eggs do not cook.
10. Pour the mixture over the top of the potatoes and onions and top with remaining cheese.
11. Bake at 350 degrees until the potatoes are tender and golden brown approximately 50 to 60 min.
12. Finally relax and enjoy!!!

As a side note you do not have to use blue cheese and Gruyere which you can switch for any other cheeses you prefer. 

Fresh in-season produce and fruits

Every month on this blog I will put up a list of the produce and fruits that are in season. If you buy produce and fruits when they are in season your meals will always taste better and they will be cheaper. By utilizing the produce and fruits that are in season you will be able to cook and eat great food at a great price. The produce that you should take advantage of during march includes; Artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery root, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms,winter squash, rhubarb, and spinach. The fresh fruits that are in season during march are; Citrus fruits, papayas, pears, pineapples, and strawberries.

One of my favorite recipes to make with cauliflower is called Cauliflower Au Gratin. This is cauliflower cooked and covered with a cheese sauce and placed under a broiler to get a great color and a nice crisp layer of cheese. This recipe is also a very simple. What you will need is:


3 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. A.P. Flour
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 head of cauliflower
1/4 medium onion
4 oz. Gruyere cheese grated finely  

Procedure:

1. Start melting the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat once melted stir in the flour.
2. Stir the flour until it is a light golden color about 6 to 7 min.
3. Increase the heat to a medium high and whisk in the milk until it is brought to a simmer.
4. Reduce heat to a medium-low and add the onion in one piece do not break up the onion as you will take it out later.
5. Par-cook the cauliflower in boiling water, place in a bowl with ice water, then drain and dry.
6. For about 10 min. until the consistency is no longer gritty.
7. Whisk in 3 ounces of Gruyere cheese just until melted over cooking will make it gritty.
8. Place cauliflower in a baking sheet and coat with the cheese sauce.
9. Sprinkle the rest of the grate cheese on-top and place under a broiler until cheese is golden brown
10. Enjoy!!

Welcome to Fresh Cooking

This is my first blog. In this blog I will post new and easy ways to cook fresh foods accompanied with recipes, and great cooking techniques. I want to start off by giving a little history about myself and what I aim to accomplish. I am currently a student at The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of Seattle in my second year. My first year of school I attended The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of California-Hollywood. I am a Chef determined to create an awareness of using local produce and meats to the public, and to show you how to use them in great recipes. I will be posting three new posts every week with great recipes. So check back in a couple days to see and try cooking the the first recipe for your self. I will be posting new post at least every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Maybe even more than that depending on the volume of people reading this.