Chef Hacks

This blog will show you how to uncomplicate cooking in a way you can apply to your everyday life. I have one Le Creuset pot, one small pot, one non stick pan, one sheet tray with a Sil-Pat, a few bowls, and a strainer. That is all you need to make...

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http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0c1d901aad5837cc005e4650a&id=d9c1306a6f&e=b04b7a749d

Click on the link for my full holiday catering pricing and menus! Customize your party however you like. :)

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YAKISOBA! 

Protein packed and vegan (if you leave out the egg). Use sprouted soybeans for better texture and even more protein. 

So easy. Just cook your buckwheat soba noodles and rinse them to cool. Pan sear marinated (in toyomansi) tofu, sautee the veggies with vegetarian stir fry sauce, and then add it all together! 

Toyomansi is soy sauce with calamansi (a Filipino citrus) and is super delicious. If you can’t find it, substitute ponzu sauce or just add fresh citrus to low sodium soy sauce. 

Regular Yakisoba sauce contains oysters, so using the vegetarian stir fry sauce with Toyomansi gives it a similar flavor with no animal products.  

All of these products were found at Saigon Oriental Market in Pensacola, FL.

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Asian BBQ sandwich made of veggies! Jackfruit in water or brine tastes very similar to artichokes, but not as strong. The texture is very hearty and reminds me of pulled pork, so I thought it might be great as a BBQ sandwich. Give it a try! You can find canned Jackfruit at Saigon Oriental Market and Deli near the other canned fruits, just make sure it's not packed in syrup! Ingredients: 1 can Green Jackfruit in Brine 1 T Coconut oil 2 T Hoisin sauce 1-2 t BBQ seasoning 1 t Rice Wine Vinegar 1/2 Carrot, julienned 2 t Rice Wine Vinegar - Mix together and let set for 30 min. Bahn Mi bun, lightly warmed Cilantro to garnish Directions: - Drain and rinse jackfruit. Pull the fruit off the heart like an artichoke. Chop the heart and add back to the rest. Press as much water out of the fruit as you can through a strainer. - Heat oil in a pan until shimmery. (Med-high) - Add jackfruit to pan and lightly brown. - Add hoisin, BBQ seasoning, and vinegar and cook until it's nicely coated and piping hot. - Pile the BBQ on a fresh bahn mi bun and add your picked carrots and cilantro. Delish!!

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Bread Machine Focaccia:

Layer these ingredients in this order into your bread machine:

1/2 t. Salt

1/4 C Evap. Milk

1 t. Molasses

2 t. Olive Oil

1 1/4 C Warm Water

3 C Bread Flour

1 T Active Dry Yeast

- Hit the "dough" function on your machine.

- The dough should have tripled by the time the timer goes off. If not, leave it until it does.

- Punch dough down and dump it into a greased pie/cake tin.

- Let it proof uncovered for about 30 minutes

- Use your fingers to semi-punch down the dough and break the crust that has formed.

- Pour a good amount of olive oil over the dough.

- Bake at 350 F with a fan on or 375 F without a fan about 30 minutes.

- The dough will be bread when you tap on the bottom and it sounds hollow.

- Let cool out of tin for 20 minutes before cutting.

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Nothing special. I just thought this was a gorgeous pic! 

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What's the Deal with Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)?

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Mmmm. Dessert. I was thinking about berries or cheesecake, maybe both! What do you chef hackers want to learn?

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Homeless shelter is transformed into 5-star restaurant, hot food and warm hearts all around.  See the full video here. 

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Random acts of kindness man

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People who have always been well-off or comfortably living in the middle class don’t realize how huge gestures like this can be.

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Let's do this in Pensacola! Who's in?

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What do you want to learn?

Hi Chef Hackers! I want to know what you want to learn. - What are your biggest challenges in the kitchen? Are they methods, organizing, not knowing what to buy and how to buy it? - What items or methods do you need some instruction on? - How can I make Chef Hacks easier for you to follow? Ask me anything and give some input by clicking the tab on the top right of the Chef Hacks page. I look forward to your comments! I want you to be the best Chef Hackers out there!

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How to Make “Pearls”:

Weigh out ingredients:

500g Fruit puree (must have a liquid consistency)

150g Sugar

8g Agar Agar

- Wisk sugar and Agar into puree

- Bring up to a full boil

- Pour into squeeze bottle and let cool to 140-142F

- Drip gently into refrigerated oil (Must be VERY cold)

- Strain the oil out of the pearls

- Rinse gently under cold water

- Use with whatever you like!

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Orange Blossom Yogurt Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

500ml Cream

150ml Honey

1/2 Vanilla Bean

250ml Greek Yogurt

10g Gelatine

75ml Water

1T Orange Blossom Water

Method:

1) Pour cream and honey into a 1-2qt sized pot and scrape the vanilla pod in.

2) Wisk to combine and heat over med-high heat until it just starts to boil. Then set aside until the liquid is cool enough to touch it.

3) While you are waiting on the stove, mix the water into the gelatine, let rest 5min, and then heat in microwave for 10sec intervals, stirring each time and DON'T BOIL.

4) Add the yogurt in a 2qt+ sized bowl and gently wisk in the cooled cream mixture

5) Followed by the gelatine

6) and the orange blossom water. 

7) Pour 125-187ml directly into chilled glasses through a funnel and then right back into the fridge. Let set 2-4 hours. Setting depends on season, chilling of fridge, and temp of mixture when poured into glass. It is fully set when the center won't break when the glass is tilted sideways. 

Notes:

Top your Panna Cotta with a crushed seasonal fruit and nuts or seeds. I top the one in the photo with crushed Strawberries and Macadamia nuts.

Other good combos are: Peach and Pistachio, Blackberry, cooked quinoa, and crushed meringues, or Apricots and almonds. You want to add a sweet/tart fruit and a crunchy nut, seed, grain, or candy. 

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Anatomy of a Dessert:

1) Main Ingredient (Angel Food Cake)

2) Fruit or Tart (Rhubarb)

3) Sauce (Dulce du Leche)

4) Creamy (Dulce du Leche)

5) Crunch (Pavlova)

6) Bitter (Walnut)

7) Frozen (Sorbet)

8) Light/ Fresh (Strawberry and Thyme))

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What is Sofrito? 

Sofrito is basically mirepoix chopped very fine and sauted to different stages (light-dark). It can be added to everything. Some suggestions are soups, sauces, rice dishes, meatballs, sausages, and sauted veggies.

How to Make Sofrito: 

1) Very finely chop (or use a food processor):  

- 1 part celery (1/2c)

- 1 part carrot (1/2c)

- 2 part onion, your choice in color (1c)

2) Heat about 2T oil in a pan on med-high heat.

3) Saute together with a bit of salt until desired color. 

* The darker the color, the toastier the flavor. So use a light saute for delicate dishes and dark saute for more robust dishes.

Special note:

You can add other ingredients like garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cilantro stems, crushed coriander seed, or paprika to your sofrito to add more flavor to certain dishes. 

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How to Prep a Lobster:

1) Place lobster in tray and put it in the freezer for 10 min. so it falls asleep.

2) Take a heavy knife and point it directly over the head of the lobster.

3) With one heavy blow, drive the knife into the brain of the lobster. Because we put it to sleep in the freezer, it won’t feel anything, but will still have active nerves that makes it twitch.

4) Grip the head in one hand and the tail in the other. 

5) Twist in opposite directions until the head and body are separated.

6) Do the same thing to the claws to detach from the body. 

7) Push a skewer into the “belly” and out to hold the tail flat during cooking.

8) Lift the telson (top middle tail fin) to break it from the rest of the tail fin. VERY gently pull it away trom the tail to pull out the intestine.

9) The intestine should come out in one piece. If it doesn’t, you can use tweezers to get it out, or remove it after cooking. 

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Space Saving Chef Hack for Eggs:

1) Move all the eggs to one side of the carton. 

2) Flip carton over and cut it down the middle with a serrated knife.

3) Flip carton back over and store. 

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Coastal Cooking

Hello Chef Hackers!

Click on this link for a demonstration on how to make the best (and easiest) Goat's Cheese Cheesecake, Rosemary Shortbreads, and Apple Tart Tatin. 

I made all three in under 30 minutes!

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We had some really great Pumpkin Soup at a local restaurant recently. How do you make squash soup from scratch? Is there a secret Chefs use to make it so scrumptious and addictive??

There are two methods you can use to make theses soups.

The first is the Cream Method. 

1) Peel the pumpkin and chop up the flesh in chunks. 

2) Add to a pot with salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover with half cream and half water. 

3) Cover and boil gently until very soft but not mushy.

4) Transfer the chunks to a blender (reserve the liquid) and blend. Add more liquid to help the blending process. Add parmesan at this point for an earthier flavor.

5) Once all of the flesh is pureed, add the leftover liquid to get the right consistency.

The second is the Roasting Method.

1) Slice pumpkins into 1/2s or 1/4s depending on the size. 

2) Place on a silpat lined baking tray. Top with salt, olive oil, and fresh woody herbs (like rosemary, thyme, and/or sage) and cover in foil. Bake at 400 F until the flesh is soft and can be scooped off the skin (this may take a while if the squash is thick).

3) Transfer the flesh into a blender and add veggie, chicken, or turkey stock to help get the blending process started. 

4) Once all the flesh is pureed, add enough stock to get it to the right consistency. 

5) Finish with nut oils (like walnut or pistachio), truffle oil, and/or roasted mushrooms. 

Thanks for this question!!