2010 Cooking Resolutions

2009 was the beginning of my culinary adventure. I hope 2010 takes it to another level.

This year, I resolve to:
1. Pickle an armful of asparagus
2. Make something with nopales
3. Memorize at least 5 baking ratios (like what proportions of bread, salt, water, and yeast make sourdough bread)
4. Make fudge from scratch
5. Buy a candy thermometer
6. Use my mandolin more
7. Focus on food plating at least 50% of the time I cook
8. Organize my kitchen tools so that I can find everything when I need it
9. Sharpen my knives more regularly (anything more than "never" will be an improvement)
10. Buy more aprons, especially ones with embroidery potential

Raspberry Cheesecake

I can't say that I invented this recipe, but I did make it for Christmas. And it was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly (except for using frozen raspberries instead of fresh) because I've never made a cheesecake before, let alone one with a topping. It was daunting, and requires a springform pan, but I made it through.

The results are a more cake-like cheesecake that's not too sweet. I cake itself is light and fluffy, with only a hint of sweetness. I had my grandmother's version of cheesecake the next day, and hers is more dense and smooth, with a sour cream topping (for comparison). The topping is not very sweet, but that was good because I don't really like sugary desserts like I used to. Even my dad, who won't eat sweet things except for his mother's apple pie, liked it.

I forgot to take pictures of the process, or maybe they're on another camera, but here are a few of the final product.

Mason's Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 lb. small pasta, like penne, gemelli, or corkscrew
3 T butter
3 T flour
3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar
1 cup shredded mozarella
2 T mustard
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Method:
0. Preheat the oven to 375 if eating immediately.
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Drain the pasta back into the same pot.
2. Once you add the pasta to the water, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk to combine. Let the butter and flour, now a roux, cook for 3 minutes, stirring every 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Get ready to whisk. Add the milk 3/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly, waiting for the milk to get hot before adding more. Once all the milk is in, cook the mixture for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the milk has reduced/condensed a little.
4. Add the 2 1/2 cups of the cheese to the milk, 1 handful at a time, stirring (not whisking) very often. Wait until the cheese melts before adding more.
5. Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with butter or oil.
6. When the cheese is totally combined from the milk, take the saucepan off the heat.
7. In the large pot that you cooked the pasta in, pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Pour this into the greased baking pan. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and panko bread crumbs over the top.
8. Loosely tent foil over the pan of macaroni and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, switch the broiler on, and cook the top for 5 to 15 minutes: however long it takes to become golden brown and delicious.
9. Remove from the oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes before eating. If you don't wait, the macaroni will not have time to set and will flop all over the place when you try to get it out of the pan. Waiting is critical! After you patiently wait, eat!



With some steak and greenery:

South East Asian Kedgeree

Ingredients:
1 lb. cod filets
2 1/4 cups cold water
2 limes, quartered
2 T oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 t garlic powder or 1 clove garlic
1 cup basmati rice
Fish sauce, optional
3 eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Poast the fish: In a baking pan with high sides, put the cod, water, and 1 lime inside with some salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Poach in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain the liquid into a measuring cup (pour out 2 1/4 cups). Put the foil back over the baking pan until you need the fish later.
3. Five minutes before the fish is ready, heat the oil in a medium or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, ground spices, and fish sauce to taste. Stir around for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir around for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquid and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring once. You can wait for up to an hour at this point before eating.
4. When you're ready to eat, flake the fish. Combine the rice with the fish, cooked eggs, juice of the second lime, and cilantro. Stir gently, and eat.