CLASS FOUR: FLAVOR

The post for this class is going to differ a bit from previous ones because I will not be posting very many recipes. In preparing for this class I really felt that the things we would discuss would be best taught in the class itself so forgive me for only posting five new recipes!

I do want to emphasize that it doesn't take a lot to make just about any food taste really good. Meat and vegetables really only need salt, pepper, and a cooking method that brings out the flavor of the food. Of course one can get more adventurous and experiment with spices, sauces, and marinades, but for many dishes it isn't a necessity.

Also of paramount importance is the simple fact that fruits and vegetables taste best when they are in-season. Here in Utah, a peach purchased in December will not in any way compare to a peach purchased in August. Tomatoes in the spring and winter do not taste anything like a freshly picked tomato harvested in late summer. 

The reason for this is simple: foods taste best when they are allowed to ripen fully before being picked. Much of the produce in the grocery store that we buy in the off-season is shipped over great distances and therefore cannot be picked at its peak or it would rot before arriving. It is an amazing convenience to be able to buy almost any fruit or vegetable at any given point in the year, but you cannot expect foods that are out of their growing season to taste as good as they would in-season. Additionally, foods that are allowed to ripen fully before harvest have a greater vitamin and mineral content and are actually healthier for you than those purchased out-of-season. Is it any surprise, then, that the phrase "in the season thereof" is used twice in our church's standard for health (D&C 89:11)?

In class we discussed searing, brining, toasting, and roasting. Here's a quick refresher on those terms:

Sear: to cook something at a high temperature, resulting in browning and caramelization of the foods' natural sugars

Brine: a water and salt (and sometimes sugar) solution used for soaking various meats (typically chicken, turkey, pork, and some seafood), thereby resulting in more juicy, tender meat

Toast: to cook in an open dry heat environment (such as a skillet on the stovetop) for a relatively short period of time, resulting in browning

Roast: to cook in a closed dry heat environment (such as an oven) for a long period of time, resulting in browning and caramelization of the foods' natural sugars

Here are the recipes from my class four demonstration:

BUTTERED CARROTS

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

BRINED PORK CHOPS

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE (this was demonstrated for two purposes: toasting breadcrumbs and for teaching what you can do with a roux--in this case we turned the roux into béchamel and then into cheese sauce)

CHICKEN NUGGETS (I didn't demonstrate these, but I'm adding them here because it is a recipe that uses a quick 30-minute brine to inject flavor and moisture into chicken. My boys love them.)

BUTTERED CARROTS

serves 6-8

3 Tb. unsalted butter
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices
Salt and pepper
2 Tb. finely chopped fresh chives (optional)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, covered, until steam begins to escape from under the lid, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove lid, add 1/4 tsp. pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

My boys love this recipe. Cooking cauliflower in this way really brings out a delicious toasty flavor because it browns on the baking sheet.

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into relatively even-sized florets
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper (I like to use Kosher salt)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the cauliflower out evenly over a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the pieces evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pieces are tender and tops are light brown. Serve immediately.

Optional: After baking, sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top and finish with a few squirts of fresh lemon juice.

CROCKPOT NO-FUSS BROWN RICE

Cooking brown rice takes a long time on the stovetop and doesn't always turn out just right. Here is a crockpot version that works well. If you like brown rice but don't have two hours to wait for it, just cook it a day or two ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for later use. From America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution.

serves 6

Vegetable oil spray
2 cups long grain brown rice
1 Tb. unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups boiling water

Coat slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Add rice, butter, and salt to prepared slow cooker, then stir in boiling water. Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 2 hours on high.

Fluff rice with fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drape towel over top of slow cooker, cover with lid, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. (This dish does not hold well on warm setting.)

CROCKPOT MASHED POTATOES

Mashed potatoes in a crockpot? Yes! One less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving day or Sunday dinner. From America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution.

serves 6

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 cups water

Salt and pepper

6 Tb. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup half-and-half, warmed, plus extra as needed

Combine potatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

Drain potatoes, then return to slow cooker. Mash potatoes thoroughly with potato masher. Fold in butter, then half-and-half. Add more half-and-half as needed to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (This dish can be held on warm setting for 1 to 2 hours before serving; loosen with additional warm half-and-half as needed before serving.)

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

There are a lot of buttermilk biscuit recipes out there; this is the one I use. It comes from my "Baking Illustrated" cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. In this recipe they provide instructions for making the biscuits completely by hand or with the use of a food processor, so I hope you don't get confused by the dual-instructions written below.

I am adding the flour weight into the recipe for those of you who weigh out your flour when baking. It is a good habit to get into for accuracy's sake, but not completely necessary if you do not own a kitchen scale.

Make sure your butter is good and cold! It makes a big difference in producing nice layers in the biscuit. We like to eat these biscuits for breakfast covered in butter and jam or honey. We also use them for chicken à la king.

1 cup (5 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz.) plain cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tb. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, or 3/4 cup plus 2 Tb. plain yogurt

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six 1-second pulses. 

If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips to quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food processor, remove the cover and distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses.

If making by hand, stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula or fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball. If using a food processor, remove the cover and pour the buttermilk evenly over the dough. Process until the dough gathers into moist clumps, about eight 1-second pulses.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a rough ball. Be careful not to overmix. Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, divide the dough in quarters and then cut each quarter into thirds. Quickly and gently shape each piece into a rough ball, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)

Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

BASIC WHITE RICE

The typical formula for cooking white rice on the stovetop is to have a 2:1 ratio of water to rice. I have found that cooking rice at our elevation here in Utah (about 4,600 feet above sea level) requires a little extra water to turn out just right. This recipe is adapted for that need.

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice (I use long-grain rice)
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the salt (if desired) and rice. Cover and bring the heat to low so the rice maintains a nice, soft simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes and check to see if all the water is absorbed. If so, fluff with a fork and serve. If not, cover and continue to simmer until all water is completely absorbed.

CORNBREAD

I have made a lot of cornbread and tried several different recipes and this is my favorite.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8" glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Combine the buttermilk, corn kernals, and brown sugar in a blender and blend for about five seconds. Add the eggs and blend for about five more seconds. A few corn lumps will remain.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and corn mixture. Fold lightly with a spatula until barely combined, then add melted butter until just moistened. Do not overmix!

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving.

BASIC GRAVY

makes about 2 cups gravy

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Make a roux of the flour and butter by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add the flour and whisk together. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then pour broth in while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add more broth or water if gravy is too thick and add salt and pepper to taste.

BASIC MASHED POTATOES

serves 4-6

3 medium (about 2 lbs.) russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cubed
1/2 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream
3/4 tsp. salt 
Pepper to taste

Place cubed potatoes into a pot and cover them with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes; drain.

Return drained potatoes to the hot pot and add butter, milk and salt. Mash to desired texture and consistency and serve.