As a culinary student many people have questions about "my goals". Why am I in school? What is it that I would like to do once I graduate? There are endless options, and I certainly consider many of them: Sommelier, owner, food writer, recipe tester, executive chef, sous chef, line cook... the list goes on and on. I think that in order to decide what I would like to do, I first have to do decide what I believe in. This idea might seem "corny" to some people, and rightfully so. Many people work their jobs so that they can live in a manner that makes them happy. However, food is a passion for me. It is something I love, and I feel strongly about sticking to my own personal set of "food morals", working jobs that are meaningful to me and that present food in a way that I support, appreciate, and can learn from. Having said this, and it being the beginning of my life-long venture in to the culinary field, I thought that I would make a list of some of the things that I currently believe. I give myself permission to be corny and obvious about them, and not to hold myself to them forever and ever. Ideas change, people grow, and my relationship with food will do just that.


boston bibb lettuce in my garden (not relevant, but very lovely)


* I believe that food should be delicious
* ... food should compliment an occasion
* ... being pretentious alienates people who could really enjoy certain ideas!
* ... sometimes the simplest recipes are the most delicious
* ... food made in a caring and excited way is better than food made without thought
* ... you should be familiar with your indgredients! From where they are grown to how they should feel, taste and smell.
* ... everyone should be open to trying things, just once! Don't force yourself to eat something, or pretend to like something just because you think you should
* ... the experience of eating is just as important as the food itself.
* ... while it is nice to occasionally get dressed up and eat a fancy meal, it is not nessecary to feel decadent and special
* ... everyone should indulge sometimes. Live! Enjoy butter, cream and real sugar. Eat that rare steak. There is no substitute. Just keep moderation in mind!

I could keep going, but I think this is a good base.

In the meantime, I just keep cooking! At school and in my free time and try to keep these guidelines in my head to usher me along my culinary journey. I recently took an ENTIRE WEEK! off from my life (this really just includes work and school) and went to the gorgeous wilderness of Maine, where I cooked every night (ok, not every night. There was the dinner out) and most mornings. It was relaxing and wonderful, and gave me time to make one of my most favorite foods: Ribs. I let them relax in a fizzy marinade of coca-cola or root beer plus some seasonings for a day or two, them slowly cook them to finger licking perfection, and finish with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy brown sugar glaze.


Sadly, this is the only photo I have of my ribs!

Ribs!
(I've never actually measured any of this, so this is all approximation. Not a very good recipe tester, hm?)

1 Rack of Baby Back Pork Ribs (I assume you could use any kind of you wanted)
1 Litre of Cola or Root Beer
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion
1 Tbsp Salt
1/2 Tbsp Pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne

3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Begin by removing the tough membrane from the back of your ribs. You will see a white "film" over the back, and if you slip the edge of your knife under it, you can almost pull it off in one sheet. If you've never done it before, this video might help!
Find a container large enough to hold your ribs evenly, but small enough to fit in your fridge. I usually use a large pot, fold the ribs in half, and just flip them midway through marination.
Combine the salt, pepper, chili powder, and cayenne, and give the ribs a bit of an exfoliating massage, they will appreciate it very much!
Place your seasoned ribs in your marinade container, and cover with the soda of your choice. Cover and place in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.

When you are ready to bake these babies, preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, place the ribs on the sheet. The longer you marinade them, the more tender they will be. At two days of marinade, they are are already falling off the bone a bit. Don't dry them off! You want that moisture to make them weak-in-the-knees juicy. I will usually put one or two tablespoons of marninade in with the ribs just ensure I get a lot of steam. Cover them up with another sheet of foil, sealing well, to keep all the steam inside. Put them in the oven, and set your timer for 5 hours. Yes! 5 hours! Patience is a virture with these. If you must, give a peek around 2 1/2 hours to see if they need any more liquid love.

While this is cooking, mix the remaining ingredents

At five hours, you may have to restrain yourself from hording all the ribs in the corner of your kitchen, and picking each morsel of meat off of the bone, but I promise, just wait! Spead the brown sugar mix on either side of the ribs, cover it back up, and put them in the oven for another hour. Alternately, you could glaze them them bbq sauce and keep cooking. Either will be delicious.

At six hours, you should have ribs that will make even the most red-southerner jealous! Serve with bbq style fare: pasta salad, potato salad or corn on the cob; or dress it up and serve with mashed potatoes and parsnips, with a lovely fresh side salad!

Rye Bread and First Tries

I imagine that when a person is passionate about something, there is a turning point when that something becomes consuming. So much so, that you can't imagine not doing this thing, or being without it. Kind of like having a first love. And as with first loves, things can be difficult or trying, wonderful or blissful and most of all they usually become obsessive.
As such is my love affair with food. I have enjoyed cooking, eating, and learning my way through many recipe books, blog posts and late night urges. But, the turning point for me was when I started making bread. Bread is something that most people eat everyday, in every country, in every part of the world. It can be plain or complex, and most of all it can be one of the most delicious foods a person can eat. I began making my own bread when I moved to Boston last year, at the encouragement of a certain someone. I griped about how I wished I could make crusty, buttery, warm bread and how I thought it would be impossible. I didn't know what I was doing, making bread is too hard, it takes too much time, blah blah blah. So, he made me a deal. He told me that if I made bread every week for him to eat his sandwiches on (because he's very adorable and packs his lunch for work every day) that he would eat it. No matter what. Even if it was terrible and didn't rise or tasted too yeasty, he would eat it, because how would I get better if I didn't practice? And so now, I make bread. Every week. And I love it. Here is the first recipe I made for this agreement.

New York Deli Rye Bread

I used this recipe that I found on Smitten Kitchen, a food blog that I now read religiously, and she got it from The Bread Bible. We both made small adaptations to it, which is the beauty of bread making, right?

Also, because I am a CRAZY person, I chose one of the most complicated bread recipes I have made to date to use as my first one, which took me about 7 hours from start to finish. Go big or go home, right?!

Sponge
3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon barley malt syrup (or honey! It works just as well)
1 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Flour Mixture
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1/2 tablespoon coarse salt

Add In
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

The Sponge! or Pre Ferment. This is a step that helps yeild yummy delicious bread! Combine sponge ingredients in a large or mixer bowl and whisk until very smooth, to intentionally incorporate air — this will yield a thick batter. Set it aside.

The dry flour mixture! In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour mixture and gently scoop it over the sponge to cover it completely. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (The sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places.) I waited the whole 4 hours, because I thought it would help. I have no idea if it did or not, and now after making it a couple times I have a better idea of what things should and shouldn't look like. But, 1-4 hours, it's really hard to goof up. As long as it's bubbly you should be good to go.

Making the dough! Add the oil to the flour/sponge mixture and mix with the dough hook on low speed for about 1 minute, or if you don't have a mixer, with a wooden spoon or very sturdy flexible spatula. Sturdy is important here, I broke a less than sturdy spatula while trying to combine dough ingredients. If using an electric mixer, crank it up to mid-speed for 5-7 minutes. If using your lovely hands, turn out that goopy mess onto your floured counter and knead until it starts to look like dough. If it gets too tough/sticky let it rest for 10 minutes, which will help a lot! Then just get back to it and knead until it is smooth and elasticy.

It's Alive! Let it Rise! Place the dough in a large container or bowl, lightly oiled. Oil the top of the dough as well. Allow the dough to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn the bowl over and let the dough fall out on to a lightly floured counter. Press the dough out gently, fold it back together, and then plop it back into the bowl for 45 minutes or so more.

Almost there! After the second rise, turn the dough out and gently deflate it again. Make it into a round, I do this by gathering it into an approximation of a ball, then turning it with the palms of my hands and fingers curved around it. Place your lovely, rustic looking round onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and a little sprinkle of cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap, then let it rise until doubled, about one hour. When you poke it (gently) it shouldn't spring back quickly.

Heat and Bake! Heat the oven to a scalding 450 degrees... PREHEAT! This is key. I am a lazy lazy baker and hate wasting the energy, especially when I made this in July of last year... it was already hot in the kitchen. But preheating is important! Helps get a last little oomph out of that yeast and make the crust, well, crusty. I also usually put an oven proof pot with hot water underneath my bread. The moisture helps with crust formation! Then, slash the top of your bread about 1/4 to 1/2 in deep, and quickly quickly place it in the oven and shut the door! Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400, and bake for 30-40 minutes more. It should have an internal temperature of 190 degrees, and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. I have a thermometer, but almost never temp my breads... the hollow sounding test is pretty accurate. If it's not quite done and you're afraid to over brown it, cover it up with some aluminum foil.


Allow to rest and cool uncovered.

The First of Many

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now. After my growing obsession with food reached a fever pitch, I finally embarked on life's greatest adventure: Culinary School. (Ok, maybe not everyones greatest adventure, but it may be mine to date) My one hold up was finding a name. The perfect name. Really, I was looking for The Name. Something short and concise that would sum up my foodie ramblings, yet interesting enough to entice all 4 people who will read this to do continuing doing so, and not hide in shame at having to read some terribly named blog, even if it is written by one of their most fabulous friends. Really. So, in this blog you, as a reader, will be subjected to my ramblings and sometimes obsessive nature about food, my life, my search for cool vintage items I can place in my home and on my body, and will also probably have to listen to me talk about how I drank too much gin/wine/bloody mary depending on the day of the week. If you haven't given up and meandered on to updating your facebook status, or reading about cats saying adorable, grammatically incorrect things, then congratulations on making it this far, and I hope to see you back!