We shall not cease from exploration, and the
end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place
for the first time.
~ T.S. Eliot
Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
~Tupac Shakur
Amuse
Bouche. Sometimes an epiphany can be generated from the simplest of things.
Take love. Do you remember the last time you fell in love? Go ahead think about
it, we will wait… What pushed you over the edge? A passing smile, an innocent
glance, that he was kind to your mother or that she embraced your hidden nerdy
obsession?
Tiffany
realized she would grow up to be a culinary superstar, on Twitter. Yeah that’s
right. His words, not mine. I prefer
educated culinary professional. One day she looked down and realized
she was almost entirely following chefs, foodies, and their ilk. Cue flowers
blooming, rockets launching, and atomic blasts. In the midst of an existential crisis,
searching to find her true passion; Tiffany discovered her love for the culinary arts. She
loved to cook, more to create happiness than prepare food, but she loved it
none the less. She had been an aspiring
foodie before it was cool. Not in the hipster sensibility, but just the
willingness to try things other might squirm at. (She’s
no Andrew Zimmern, but she is far more adventurous than I am.) And she was
good at it, as evidenced by any number of Family Meals. Whether mundane
weeknight matters or exotic epicurean entrees for the holidays; Tiffany could
execute. Not one to dawdle she set her mind to it; culinary school.
Aperitif. So a few months later,
thanks to MFAH, we were changed again. El Bulli: Cooking in Progress. Now we had heard of Ferran Adria before but, this was epic. The
passion and dedication of this man to his craft is admirable on any number of
levels. Looking for a 2/22 gift a few days later, I saw it. The Family Meal:Home Cooking with Ferran Adria. Now this was a perfect
gift. Relevant, thoughtful and sure to deliver one lucky husband a bunch of
tasty vittles. Winning! Then the idea came. Why not cook through the book and
write about it? Convinced it was completely original, I presented the idea to
Tiffany. /s Good
try, amor.
A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the
first time he bites off more than he can chew.
~ Herb Caen
Hors
d'oeuvre. With a new goal set Tiffany, like any sensible woman, needed to
accessorize. I kid, I
kid. No, it’s true. Our
knives frankly suck. Yeah they work, and no one has lost any fingers, but to work
in a kitchen, knife skills must be acquired. Suddenly a wild Classic Shun Chef’s Knife appears; Tiffany’s first real knife. I have never used such a high quality blade before, and
honestly, it frightened me quite a bit. The blade’s first task would be almonds destined
for a Santiago cake.
First
Course. The cake in question was flourless and required ground almonds. Of
course, we would do it ourselves. How hard could it be? Blanch a few seeds and
the seed coats will come right off! Simple… or so we thought. After the cold water
was drained, we each grabbed a few and on came the curses. This was meticulous,
tedious work better suited to younger more nimble fingers. We bought a pound
and a half. Luckily we found enough of the buggers with loose jackets and
ground the 2.5 cups needed. We only needed around ten ounces, so I set out to
finish the rest. A note on sizing, the book said a 12” x 20” cake pan would be
needed to deliver an unbaked cake of approximately 5/8” thickness. Well after
searching for one, emphasis
on searching and more details in Sources, when it came time to pour into the pan, something was obviously
lost in translation. The batter ended up perfectly suited in a plain old 9” x
13”.
Second
Course. Another first for us was frying our own croutons. We had bought them
like the rest of the world and even baked a few before, but never fried our own.
Chopped bread, olive oil, and 8 minutes in
bubbling oil yielded crunchy little tidbits of heaven. (I was excited about this for some reason.) Baking would have certainly been healthier, but we were trying to stay
true to the process laid out in the book.
Third Course. This next item allowed for some individualization. Chef Adria recommended topping the burgers as we saw fit and listed a tip for slow and low onions. We obliged with an organic yellow onion and a few local sliced cremini mushrooms. An hour later we would have a ridiculously caramelized topping for our burgers. We sourced a cheddar cheese with a mild sharpness and distinct mineral quality; more on that later.
Fourth
Course. Being well balanced, the first of our Family Meals called for a
traditional Caesar salad. This meant a homemade dressing of anchovies; another
first. We had a can of sardines, so we improvised. We also chose a sweet aged
sherry vinegar. (I have
a bit of a sweet tooth and a tendency to think aged things are somehow better.) We used our new immersion blender and the dressing came together
quickly. I favored the dressing more
than Tiffany. It was not at all fishy to me in the traditional sense of the
word. I half expected it to taste like a seafood market; briny and sharp. In
reality it was mildly sweet and had an immense depth of flavor. I on the other hand, while not displeased, thought it could
be improved. Eric and I both tried to add some brightness with a spritz of
lemon over the salad. It helped but, was not the fix all. I think using the larger sardines and the
sweeter vinegar might have skewed the intended flavor profile. I also found the
croutons to be a little over cooked. The next time I will go for 6 minutes
instead of 8.
Fifth
Course. The burgers, sweet baby Jesus, the burgers. We both loved the burgers. At
first glance they are very simplistic, something we both appreciate.
Egg, some fresh bread, whole milk, salt, and pepper - ‘nuff said. Like a good
steak we both prefer to taste the product being used. That’s not to say we don’t
like blue cheese filled burgers or burgers made with Tony’s but, sometimes you
just want the juicy taste of beef.
What brought these burgers to the summit (best homemade burger ever) was cooking them in the same
cast iron skillet we used to caramelize the onions and mushrooms. The amazing crust
was infused with the flavor of the toppings. The adornments to the perfect burger tasted deep and
earthy. I love sweet yellow onions, but had never cooked them low and slow for
an hour. Being a busy lady I usually hurry this step along. I certainly will not do so in the future. I hope not, the onions were melting in my mouth
and the mushrooms were al dente. I
also really enjoyed the combo of the cheese with the bundle of caramelized
heaven Tiffany created. Chef Adria called for chips, which we thought were unnecessary. If we were entertaining guests they would
have been a nice thing to have, but for us, we were happy with a great burger
and fresh salad.
Dessert.
Who doesn’t love desert? Some people don’t like sweets and we get that, but most people we know love a little something after dinner. Maybe a cheese plate or some sort of digestif, but,\ that after dinner item that closes the curtain on a chef’s soliloquy is a necessity
in my book. Being
a gracious and thoughtful man, Chef Adria provided the aforementioned Santiago
cake. The cake provided a subtle sweetness and a decadent mouth feel. The
natural oils in the almonds made this flour-less cake feel like something your
waistline would regret, but in fact isn’t. With subtle citrus notes and the majority of the sweetness coming from
the powdered sugar on top, this cake was overall very light. As I often am, I
was disappointed with our oven. The cake could have used a few more minutes in
the hot box, but we were trying to stay true to the recipe. Good thing we have
plenty of leftover almonds to try and achieve that much sought after “golden brown.”
The Morning After. Not being the gourmand Tiffany is, I need
some time to make decisions about my meal. Of course I’m happy with a full
belly, but what about the next day? Like Tiffany I loved this burger, but I have
issues with saying it was the best homemade burger ever. In my life burgers
have been comfort food and so their intrinsic value is dependent on the comfort
created. Needless to say I can think of some other homemade burgers that topped
this one. Namely the first time Tiffany and I ever cooked
burgers, and the original ground beef sedative, a burger made with love, by one Ann Velez. Hi mom! So yes, this burger was amazing, and will be memorable for
all the firsts orbiting its inception, but it’s not my top burger. Top mushroom
and onion burger? No doubt!!
In
addition to being indecisive and needing some time to make my decision, I eat
leftovers. Like any hungry student, cheap food is a necessity and leftovers are
perfect for a budget lunch. This burger was perfect reheated slowly in the
microwave. Short bursts of increasing power in combination with a little trick Mr.Wizard taught me produced a burger that retained its inner moisture. I tried it
with ketchup and found it pointless. Success, FINALLY. (Tiffany doesn't approve of my love for ketchup.) Leftover romaine made a perfect accompaniment. I think I liked the dressing more the second day. It was so profound it just
left me swimming through layers of flavor. Blended sardines; who knew?
Final Thoughts. In one word: Excitement.
We are both ecstatic to be taking this journey together. Food in the past few
years has brought us together and we hope this process of working hand in hand
can teach us something about ourselves. Of course it’s bound to expand our
palettes and minds with new ingredients and techniques, but we hope to change
our feelings about food. We hope to solidify its role as nourishment for the
body and further its role in nourishing our souls. Stay tuned next week for a Family
Meal including bolognese, mackerel and potato stew, and chocolate cookies for dessert.
No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.
~ James A. Baldwin
