Tag: Ferran Adria

Weekend Finds 3:16:14: Interesting Reads

March 16, 2014February 9, 2017

In this weekend finds, I want to share some interesting articles that I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks. If you’re interesting in reading more articles about food, food writing, etc. I recommend using resources like Bloglovin’, Klout, and also following David Lebovitz on Facebook (seriously, the guy posts some very interesting articles).

1. Culinary Medical School

Culinary Medical Program on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Culinary Medical Program at Tulane University

I remember when I wanted to be a doctor. And now, I want to be a professional foodie. There have been more and more experts connecting the diet and health, and for obvious reasons. But mostly those people seem to be nutritionists or homeopathic doctors. I think it’s great that this culinary medical program at Tulane University in New Orleans is connecting the health world and the food world, and incorporating nutrition and cooking into the medicual curriculum.

2. Most Useful Cookbooks

Best Useful Cookbooks on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Best useful Cookbooks

I like this article from HuffPost Taste about the best, most useful cookbooks to have on your shelf. Of course The Joy of Cooking and Mastering the Art of French Cooking make the list. But so does the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Also, I REALLY want the Flavor Thesaurus. But if you’re looking for some great basics to start building your kitchen literature collection, check out this article.

3. Ferran Adrià on his new projects

Ferran Adrià and Bullipedia on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Ferran Adrià and Bullipedia

This article summarizing a stop on Adrià’s book tour is pretty interesting. His answers to questions about defining cooking and restaurants and creativity are fascinating, but the part the piqued my interest the most? His upcoming culinary museum, the lab inside, and the culinary wiki, Bullipedia, that he’s creating. That is going to be the coolest resource ever. (Also, as I was telling Jonah about this article, the guy next to us at the coffee shop where we’re working, looked up and asked us if we’d seen the documentary about El Bulli. I have, but if you haven’t, you should. It’s on Netflix Instant Watch.)

4. Food Blaggers

Food Blaggers on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Food Blaggers

This article about the role food bloggers play in the restaurant review world is very interesting (I found it via David Lebovitz’s Facebook page). The thought of calling a restaurant and asking for a free meal in exchange for a positive review is mind boggling to me. That being said, I have received free meals and such, and there has never been and explicit request for a review in exchange. I always mention that I was invited, so on and so forth. But the line is certainly a little blurry. It’s something I’m working on clarifying for myself. Anyway, I find it all very interesting. Do you have any thoughts on the blogger/restaurant/PR company relationship?

Saffron Risotto with Mushrooms

June 17, 2013February 5, 2017

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Jonah and I recently purchased The Family Meal by Ferran Adria. As soon as we got it in the mail, Jonah proceeded to look at the whole book, page by page, cover to cover. Which was really adorable. He was pretty excited. Anyway, a couple days later, I finally got it out and flipped through it, and I too got really excited. There are so many awesome recipes in this book, and the layout is great. It tells you the timeline of your meal (2 hours before, you can start doing task #1, 1 hour before, you can start doing tasks #2 and 3, 40 minutes before… you get the idea), it tells you how much of each ingredient you will need to make the meal for 2 people, 6 people, 20 people, and 75 people. So we can perfectly cook for just the two of us, or we can cook for us and a bunch of friends. Lastly, the recipe itself is in photograph form, so you know exactly what each step looks like, which is such a big thing for a lot of people. And it has super specific instructions, i.e. instead of saying “cook until lightly browned” it says “cook for 16 minutes.” Which is so nice.

Anyway, while flipping through it for the first time, we marked a bunch of the recipes we wanted to try first, and then went to the store to pick up ingredients for a couple meals this week. The coolest thing was that because we had bought a chicken at the farmers market a couple weeks ago, cut it into pieces, frozen the pieces, and made broth out of the carcass, we had almost all of the ingredients we needed for these meals. First up was saffron risotto with mushrooms. I have never made risotto before, and was a bit nervous about it, because it’s one of those things that seems like it might be easy to mess up – overcook, undercook, underseason, overseason… etc. But because the instructions for these recipes are so specific, I had no fear!

Saffron Risotto with Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (can be replaced with vegetable stock)
1 pinch saffron strands
1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
2 Tbl white wine
1 cup risotto rice, also called arborio rice
2-6 white mushrooms (it all depends on how big your mushrooms are and how many you want on your risotto)
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp (maybe more) fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Put all of the stock into a sauce pan, cover, and bring to a simmer.

This is the weird part, where I wish you could see the cookbook so you could see the photos. Make a little envelope out of tinfoil, put the saffron threads in it, and toast them in a pan over medium heat for one minute. Don’t le it burn! Remove from the pan and let it cool.

In a large pan or pot, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions. Once they’re soft, but not browned, add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When most of the wine has cooked off, add the rice and let it cook for 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Add one ladle-full of stock, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often to keep it from sticking. Pour the rest of the stock into the pot. Quickly chop the saffron and add it to the pot. Cook the rice for 16 minutes (what precision!), stirring frequently.

While the rice is cooking away, wipe the mushrooms clean with a paper towel, and slice them as thin as you can. You can use a mandolin if you’ve got one, or just a sharp knife. Put them in a bowl and set aside.

When the rice has absorbed the majority of the liquid and is a little al dente, add the butter, and then the parmesan. Stir until the rice is nice and creamy, and season it with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Spoon the risotto onto plates and top with mushroom slices, and enjoy!

Friday Finds 6:7:13

June 7, 2013February 5, 2017

I’ve decided to start a weekly Friday post of things I’ve found during the week that I want to share with you. Whether it’s a recipe I want to try, a cool kitchen accessory, or a hosting idea, I’ll gather them all here in Friday Finds. This week’s roundup:

1. Vintage Trays

I love this wall decoration using vintage serving trays from poppytalk.com. And trays like these are easy to find on Etsy (like these and this). And hey, they can even be taken off the wall, polished up, and used for dinner.

2. Ned Ludd

Jonah and I ate at Ned Ludd for our anniversary. Delicious, local, simple food and a very playful space. And the staff was very friendly.

3. Rhubarb Mojitos

I made these rhubarb mojitos last week when my little sister was in town, and I am working on making another, slightly different batch. It’s a nice way to enjoy rhubarb season without eating baked goods all the time.

4. The Family Meal

I have been wanting this book forever, and after showing it to Jonah at a store this weekend, we ordered it immediately. I cannot wait to cook out of it.

5. Rhubarb Tart

This rhubarb tart is so beautiful, and while the recipe is in Spanish and my web browser can only do so well at translating, I get the general idea. I may just have to make my own version of it sometime soon.