Who you calling a cracker?

The most basic crackers are made with just water and flour but they can come in any form, from buttery to matzo like. These I like to call Whole Wheat Crisps just because they are thin, crisp and made with whole wheat flour. I know, I'm so cleaver.

So no one will probably make these because why go through all this trouble when you can just buy something at the store? Is it worth it? I of course can't just buy something and serve it to our guests because we wouldn't be who we are if we just bought it (Jesse made me do it). But the truth is that they aren't like any crackers I've had from a factory production line, they are more delicate and its worth the effort if you have the time (I know none of you are convinced). To make them so thin a pasta roller is essential.

Whole Wheat Crisps

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups bread flour

1 cup water

1Tbsp salt

0.5 cups olive oil

In a mixer with bread hook combine all ingredients until dough pulls away from sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30min or longer. Cut dough into 6-8 pieces and keep wrapped. Roll once piece at a time through pasta roller until #7 setting flouring as needed to keep from sticking and tearing. Cut rolled out dough with a pastry cutter. They do shrink a little during baking. Line them up on parchment lined sheet trays.

Preheat oven to 325F. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt before baking until golden and crisp.

The dough can be re-rolled if needed. One recipe makes like 400 or more (which I did today).

We use these for Canape parties but I've been secretly having them with the hummus we made.

("Gazpacho": Tomato tartare, Cucumber gelee, Pickled fennel)

Recette Video!

The Apple is Far from the Tree....

Apple season is long gone but so many apples remain in stores and even in my pantry. Seasonality is a non issue with refrigeration and imported fruits. Apples that have been stored and refrigerated to last this long tend to lose their flavor. If you just added diced apples to a recipe you would not even be able to taste the apple at all. My solution to that was to caramelize them in some butter with brown sugar.

Caramelized Apple Cake

4 granny smith apples diced and caramelized

2 sticks butter

3/4cups brown sugar

1/2cup sugar

3 eggs

2 yolks

1/2cup sour cream

2tsp vanilla extract

2.25 cup AP flour

1Tbsp baking powder

3/4tsp salt

Pre heat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time while mixer is beating slowly. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat till combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just till combined. Fold in caramelized apples. Bake in buttered tube pan coated in sugar.

If you have left over apples this is a great moist cake for afternoon tea on a rainy day.

Vending Machine Quick Fire Challenge!

Inspired by last night's episode of Top Chef Masters I looked for some stuff laying around my house that you would find in a vending machine and made something quick with it. Its not really a challenge, and its not really interesting, but its pretty tasty.

Double Chocolate Snickers Cookies

2 snickers bars, frozen and chopped

1cup AP flour

1/2cup cocoa powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

3.5 oz dark chocolate

1 stick butter

1cup brown sugar

1Tbsp molasses

1/2cup sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter and chocolate together. Sift together AP, cocoa, salt and BS. Beat eggs, sugars and molasses together. Combine all ingredients and fold in chopped Snickers bars.

Scoop and bake cookies until puffed up but still soft in the middle.

The cookies came out chewy. The caramel and nougat from the Snickers melted out and got even more caramelized during baking. The dark caramel gave a bit of bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the cookie. You will definitely need a glass of milk with these.

Bing!

I'm not talking about the new search engine by Microsoft.

I'm talking sweet but tart deep red cherries. I love eating them straight out of the fridge, but as a pastry chef I have to think of ways of dressing them up and featuring them in desserts. A classic French application would be to make a Clafoutis, which is a tart with a custard and cherries (pit and all) filling baked in it. It can be quite hazardous for the teeth; and could explain a lot about french people and bad teeth.

This week I did a chilled "soup" of Bing cherries with yogurt "cream" and a red wine poached cherry. Simple and refreshing as a palate cleanser before the dessert course.

Holy Mackerel!

Mackerel is that one piece of fish you stare at on your sushi deluxe, eying it as if it were the sketchy guy at some dive bar sitting alone staring your way. Its always the last piece because when you think of mackerel you think fishy, meaty texture. Its usually offset by a pile of thinly sliced scallion and ginger with lemon squeezed on top. Sometimes I think if it needs so much "dressing" just to make it palatable then why eat it at all? The truth is that it is really sweet and has that taste of the sea if it is really fresh. Not at all "fishy" as you would imagine.

This dish was not raw but was seared skin side down till crispy. The flesh becomes firm and can seem dried out if over cooked (which ours was not, good job Jesse) So give Mackerel a try but ask your fish monger if its fresh. Smell it before buying it.

Dish of the Week: Seared Mackerel, Cauliflower "silk", Baby Octopus, Confit tomato, Cherry stone clam, Grapefruit gremolata, Sherry gastrique, Roasted Cauliflower.

Red 'Eggs' and 'Ham' "

Nothing is as it seems.

I love to do whimsical interpretations of classics.

Sometimes its just fun and experimentation, a culmination of ideas from myself and Jesse. Most of the time I don't even know where I am going when I create different elements of a dessert but there is always a "ureka" moment when it all comes together.

Today it came in the form of "breakfast". Eggs, french toast, potato hash, bacon and maple syrup.

The "red egg" is a rhubarb gelee with a raspberry "yolk". The yolk is made using a special process called spherification, which was developed by Ferran Adria at El Bulli. Once the skin is punctured the liquid inside will run out like a broken yolk. You can watch me making them at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzj1ar7S6B4

The "French Toast stick" is not made of bread at all but is custard "toasted" using a torch.

The "hash" is carmelized apples.

The "bacon" is not pork at all but a chocolate and vanilla cookie.

The maple syrup is an apple and Grand Marnier caramel.

Well if you don't like green eggs and ham maybe you might like red eggs instead.