Cooking Journal

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A cooking journal. Lightweight. Portable. Semantically versioned.

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Lemon Bars

Post date: 03 Jan 2018

Based on Slate’s recipe. We frequently substitute in Meyer lemons for regular ones, which is amazing.

For the crust:

  • Mix together and blend into a coarse meal
    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • Press into a 9-inch greased pan.
  • Bake at 350F until edges are brown (~20 minutes)

For the filling:

  • Whisk until smooth
    • 6 large eggs
    • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • Stir in until just combined
    • 1 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • Fold in
    • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Pour filing into baked crust and bake until firm at 315F (~45 minutes).

-Buro



Soy Eggs

Post date: 03 Jan 2018

Based on Christina Tosi’s recipe for Momofuku.

  • For curing marinade, mix together into a container:
    • 6 tablespoons warm water
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
    • 3/4 light cup soy sauce
  • Bring water to boil in a large pot. Cook six eggs for exactly 6 minutes, 50 seconds, stiring for the first 90 seconds.

  • Move eggs to ice bath and carefully peel underwater.

  • Cure eggs in marinade overnight.


Red-Braised Pork

Post date: 03 Jan 2018

UPDATED 2022-01-23

For the longest time I had difficulty getting the caramel in this recipe down. Some bloggers / cookbooks suggest using rock sugar and after a few years, I have decided that rock sugar actually is a lot easier to make the caramel with than other sugars. My mom uses brown sugar and doesn’t bother to make a caramel at all. Buro finally nailed the caramel creation–adding the oil is critical for keeping the sugar from going straight from caramel to rock solid.

If you mess up making the caramel, just start over. You’re at the beginning and sugar is cheaper than pork.

For each one-pound of meat, such as pork belly, hock, or ribs:

  • Blanch pork into boiling water for a few minutes. You can start from cold water. When blanched, pour over cold water and scrub each meat piece to remove any dangling scum bits.

  • With a wok on a medium(-ish) flame, stir 4 tbsp sugar in 2 tbsp of canola oil until sugar melts into a caramel liquid.
  • Add to caramel:
    • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
    • 4 tbsp light soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
    • 1 star anise, 2 dried red chilis, 3/4-inch ginger, small piece cassia bark
  • Add meat and add water/stock to almost cover every piece of meat.
  • Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until meat is cooked tender
  • Reduce the sauce (remove meat and then reduce the sauce, and then put the meat back)

Instant Pot variation

  • Blanch the pork and make the caramel as above. Then add caramel, pork, and all other ingredients to instant pot. Add water to just almost cover every piece. Pressure cook for 20 minutes, let release naturally. Remove meat and reduce the sauce (and put meat back in at the end)

Clay Pot variation

  • Blanch the pork as above. Prepare clay pot however you usually do (we usually soak it for ~1 hour - overnight). Skip making the caramel, chop rock sugar into smaller chunks and place on top of blanched pork with the rest of the ingredients. Gently simmer until pork is soft.


No-Knead Bread

Post date: 13 Nov 2017

See:

  • https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/dining/06mini.html


Green Goddess Dressing

Post date: 31 Oct 2017

Based on the Serious Eats recipe.

  • Blend with food processor:
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
    • 2 tsp water
    • 6-8 whole anchovy filets
    • 2 medium cloves minced garlic (about 2 teaspoons)
  • Emulsify in food processor until mayo:
    • 2 cups neutral oil such as vegetable or canola
  • Blend in remaining ingredients:
    • 1/2 cup picked fresh tarragon leaves
    • 1/4 cup picked fresh chervil leaves (if not available, add an addition 2 tabelspoons tarragon)
    • Remaining water (1/4 cup minus 2 tsp)
    • 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Franks)
    • 1(-ish) avocado
  • Whisk in:
    • 1/4 cup finely sliced chives
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Fried Chicken

Post date: 16 Aug 2017

A fried chicken recipe.

Consume a large bottle of pickles, the kind with a lot of brine. One 28 oz. jar of store bought pickles produces enough brine to brine ~6 chicken thighs, or maybe one whole chicken if you’re lucky. You can always supplement with water & salt.

Brine overnight in the fridge. I like to turn over the ziplock bag a few times to make sure there’s even coverage.

When ready to fry, pat the meat down dry (this is critical) and then bread lightly in a flour / cornstarch / salt / spices mixture. I like a 3:1 flour:cornstarch mixture right now, but I’m still experimenting. You want to bread the chicken so that it feels completely dry to the touch before entering the hot oil.

Fry chicken in batches in a wok. I like canola oil.