Hollandaise Sauce Should Drip, Not Plop

Hollandaise Sauce is such a lovely finish to so many different foods. 

But as in making mayonnaise, it could go wrong fast if you don't know what you're doing.

Last night I made hollandaise sauce as a topping to asparagus, typically a delightful combination.

The plan was to drizzle the hollandaise sauce across the middle of the asparagus, the way they do in restaurants.

After all, presentation is part of the fun.

I Cheated and Paid the Price

I thought I was being so clever using a blender.  But cheaters never win.

You see, just like in making mayonnaise, the egg yolks don't mix well with one of the other ingredients - in this case, the melted butter.

So I plopped the yolks into the blender, turned in to it's lowest speed and dripped in the melted butter from the top portal of the blender lid.

This is usually a fail proof way of making hollandaise sauce, but the problem is that you lose control.

Instead of being able to determine the thickness of the concoction based on the feel as you whip the sauce equipped with nothing else but a wire whisk and your own throbbing hand, you're sort of forced to deal with whatever the result is in the blender.

Sometimes you don't know what that is, until you've spooned it out of the blender.  By that time, you may find that it is too fluffy because it was mixed too quickly.

Pain is Good

After making mayonnaise many times until I felt I had it right, I realise there is something delightfully artistic about doing things without the help of electrical appliances.

That is not to say that you shouldn't get help when you can, because these things are meant to make it easier and less time consuming to cook or bake something to perfection.

Still, in making hollandaise sauce, it is important to remember that the danger of curdling - though scary - is not a total disaster.

My friend once grimaced as she showed me her bowl of curdled mayonnaise.  But due to her more than ample amount of competitiveness, she decided to 'never say die'.  She whipped and whipped and whipped that mayo back into shape.

Gloppiness is Bad

 My hollandaise sauce came out gloppy last night.  I had blended it so much that it had thickened really fast.

Hollandaise sauce should be easy to pour and have the consistency of buttermilk or creme, but not so thick that it doesn't pour at all.

So my advice as you follow the below recipe, is to use a wire whisk rather than a blender.

Your hand muscle and wrist will throb like no one's business, but you'll have a better sauce in the end because you'll be able to tell right off whether it needs a bit more lemon juice or another pinch of salt.

Recipe

4 ounces of butter (that's one half block for Brits or 2 sticks for Americans)
3 egg yolks
1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Put three egg yolks in a small mixing bowl.  (For those of you, who need a good method for separating eggs, see my previous blog on making mayonnaise).  Have all your ingredients at hand, so that as you add you won't have to stop whisking.

Cut up the butter into a few similar sized pieces and melt in a pan.  Don't put the heat to high, because you don't want the butter to start turning brown - melt it slowly.  Put the warm melted butter into something you can pour.

Start blending the eggs with the whisk and slowly add a bit of lemon juice.  But keep that wrist moving as you add in drips of the melted butter.  A little at a time will ensure that the yolk will mix with the butter and not curdle.

When the last of the butter is fully blended in, add a little more lemon juice.  From this point on, you're really using your personal judgment.  Is the mixture too thick?  Does it need a bit more lemon juice.  Is it too thin?  If it is, you should keep whisking until it thickens.  Does it need a pinch of salt or pepper?  If so, drop some in but sparingly to be sure that you're not over seasoning.

You get the picture.  Once completed, it goes great on asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, eggs and many different types of fish.  Try to use it right after it's made.  It's always best to eat it fresh, since you can't refrigerate.  The butter will harden again and if you try to heat it, you'll basically scramble the eggs.  So make it just before using it.

Happy eating!

Mayonnaise Unjarred

I can't remember a time in my life when the rich, white creaminess of mayonnaise wasn't a part of it.

But what did I know?

I only thought that something wonderful had been captured in the glass jars that I have nimbly stuck my fist in over the years, trying to get the last few glops from the bottom with a butter knife.

It wasn't until recently, that my French friend watched me in disgust as I reached for a jar of store bought mayo from the fridge.

"What are you doing," she asked, shaking her head in disappointment.  You might have thought I was eating dirt the way she reacted.

"I'm making tuna," I replied, with feigned ignorance.  I knew she was getting at something, but my ego couldn't take it.

Yet, I finally let her school me in the ways of making homemade mayonnaise.  And since then, I have never looked back.

Making Mayonnaise

Making mayo from scratch is no easy task when you're a beginner.

There is a legitimate worry that instead of a smooth, creamy custard-like substance, you'll actually make a gloppy, curdled mess.  I speak from experience, believe me.

But first, let's talk about the colour.  Mayonnaise is typically white when you buy it from the supermarket.

However, if you're concerned that something which contains both egg yolks and mustard is not at least a tiny bit yellowish in colour, then you are a very smart person indeed.

I've made mayo countless times now and it has always been a very light yellow hue.

But probably the most important rule of making mayonnaise successfully is to whip it....whip it good.

Though Shalt Not Curdle 

You see, egg yolks do not mix well with oil.  And if you don't constantly whisk, stir or beat the mixture, then it will most assuredly curdle.

So remember to have all your ingredients right in front of you.

There's nothing worse than starting a good whipping motion, only to find that you have to stop and get the mustard from the fridge and then twist the top off and get a spoon.

By that time, you could be in up to your wrist in curdled goo.

Lay out all the ingredients, and relax your wrist - because you are about to give it a fierce workout.

Recipe

3 egg yolks (from medium-sized eggs)

1 to 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard

1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1/2 cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper for taste

First separate eggs.  For those of you who find that difficult, here's an easy method.  Keep a cup or bowl in front of you in which you can discard the egg whites.  Also, keep nearby the bowl in which you will drop in the egg yolk.

Gently crack the egg on a hard surface, but only pull the shells apart a little (just enough for the egg yolk to drip out of the crack in the egg.

Once all the egg white has dripped out, open the shell all the way and drop the egg yolk in a bowl.

The best method for whipping the eggs is to use a wire whisk.  Whisk the egg yolks until they are blended.  Then add in a teaspoon of dijon mustard and whisk again until blend.

Now this is the delicate part.  Keep whisking while using your free hand to pour in small drops of olive oil at a time.  So you want to dribble in a little bit and then whisk.  When the oil is completely blended with the yolk, drip in some more.  Keep doing this until all of the oil is in.

You'll notice that as you whisk, the mixture will begin to thicken.  That is a good thing.  After half of the oil has been dribbled in, you can begin to take chances.  There is less likely of a chance that the mixture will curdle by then.

You can also begin tasting it to see what it needs.  A little salt?  A bit of pepper?  Maybe a drop more lemon juice?  It's up to you.

I made mayonnaise about four times before I got it right, so don't be afraid to experiment.  Also, at times when I was too broke to buy olive oil, I settled for the cheaper sunflower oil instead.  Decent mayonnaise can be made with either oil.

The great thing about homemade mayo, is that it tastes good with anything.  You'll find yourself dipping pieces of fresh bread into the mixture.

Since it is basically oil and eggs, mayo is high in fat, so be careful if you're trying to keep your caloric intake low.

This is a fresh food made with raw eggs, so it's always best to eat it in the first couple of days and keep refrigerated.

Bon appetite!

Bread, Salami and Cheese....Oh My!!!

You can’t imagine my joy when I looked at my account Friday before last and saw a mysterious balance of £37.26.  How did four quid turn into £37? 

“Yes generic bank person, I’ll hold.  What?  I received vacation money from a job I did with a temp agency?  Well that’s wonderful.  Mr. Bank man, if I were face to face with you now, I would kiss you.”

That’s basically how it went.  Now most people who find an extra £37 in their bank account after a month of being broke, probably pay off a bill or some such.  Not me.  No sir.  I went to Whole Foods Market on High Street Kensington and spent £33.00 on the following:

• ·      Cranberry and Pecan Sourdough
• ·      Salami Toscano Salum
• ·      Spianata Calabra (Spicy Salami) Madeo
• ·      St Nectaire Fermier Mons
• ·      Coulommiers Mons
• ·      Queen olives, and
• ·      A packet of sushi (a salmon roll cut into 8 pieces)

Some of these items may seem foreign to those, who are not in the know regarding the multi-various amounts of salami and cheeses that the world has to offer.  Don’t worry, I’m still learning myself.

 

Salami

There are so many different types of salami, you may find yourself standing in front of a counter filled to the brim.  If you’re like me, you might not have a clue as to what type of salami is the best to buy.

Since I’ve recently been introduced to saucisson (a French salami) I began to look for any type of salami from France, hoping it would put me on the right track. 

However, the market only had one type of salami from France on the day I visited and it was much more expensive than some of the others.

Remembering the small sum in my wallet, I opted for the two types of salami:  Salami Toscano Salum and Spianata Calabra Madeo.

Lets break them down.  Salami Toscano Salum is an Italian Salami.  Toscano means it’s from Tuscany. It’s about three and a half inches in diameter and seasoned with garlic and spices and then stuffed in a pig’s intestine for months until it’s ready.

Spicy Spianata Salame is a Calabrese Salame that uses chilli pepper in the recipe. The minced pork is molded into a spianata shape (whatever that means).  I looked up the word ‘spianata’, and apparently it’s Italian for ‘clearing’. (Scratches head).

Cheese

Don’t be afraid to explore the world of cheese.  There is such an astounding variety that you could spend your whole life trying them. But since I am a student of food myself, we’ll have to learn about cheeses together.

I chose the Coulommier because the rind was quite white.  I’ve learned from experience that if the cheese is rather soft (a bit creamy looking) and the rind is very white, it often means that the cheese will not be sharp. I’m not a big fan of spicy or sharp cheese.

As I suspected the Coulommier was mild and nutty, but lovely.  It’s a tad bitter, but I don’t mind that in a cheese, especially when I’m eating it with something that offsets the taste a bit like salami. Coulommier is from the brie cheese family and is named after a commune in North-Central France.

I took a chance on the St. Nectaire, but I crapped out.  St. Nectaire is a bit of a spicy cheese from the French region Auvergne.  I have a friend, who would have loved it, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. 

The more you know your cheeses, the better chance that you will choose the right cheese for your taste and occasion.

With some cheeses, like the Coulommier, the cheese rind is edible.  However, you can’t eat the rind of every cheese (and believe me, some you won’t want to).  Some cheese rinds are much too bitter. I wouldn’t eat the rind of the Nectaire cheese if you paid me.

Supermarket sushi

You ever walked into a supermarket, took one look at the sushi section, and walked back out again.  Yep, me too! 

Lets face it.  Sushi is fresh fish, emphasis on the word ‘fresh’.  If it is not fresh, it is still sushi, but just not edible.  The smell of old fish will ensure your departure from the market.

There are some supermarket chains, however that have a pretty good sushi department and Whole Food Markets fits into that category.

In fact, the store on High Street Kensington has sushi with both white rice and brown rice, which I find preferable since diabetes runs in my family and brown rice is lower on the Glycemic Index.

Bread with stuff in it

Whole Foods also has a wonderful array of baked breads including, my favourite, cranberry pecan sourdough.  Something about the combination just makes me feel transported to my Nana’s warm kitchen.

And you can’t go wrong with queen olives.  They go nicely with most breads, though I wouldn’t mix it with the cranberry pecan sourdough.

Why?  Well, I’m a big believer in not forcing a lot of strong tastes to compete with each other. 

Sure, a good cheese should have a good wine that can keep up with it.  But someone has to be the star.  Olives tend to be salty, while cranberries are sweet and pecans are… uh… nutty. 

Mistakes

When I bought the salami, I wish I had not asked for it to be sliced.  Per my instruction, the nice lady behind the counter cut thin slices for me.  It just didn't work as nicely with the bread.  

The shape of sourdough is a bit like an American football that has lost some of its air.  These things have to be considered when choosing food that goes well with it.

Also, the bread was a bit laden with goodies and should have been reserved for something simpler.  In fact, the bread could have stood on its own.  Next time, I'll get a simpler bread so that the salami and cheese can shine.  Perhaps, a nice baguette.

I wonder what wine would have been perfect for this meal.  Any suggestions?

Searching for the Perfect Bite

Hi!  Allow me to introduce myself.  I am a person who loves food.  That doesn’t make me unique, but that’s what I’m counting on.  After years of denying myself, I have – for the first time – truly discovered the joy of food.

My journey has not been an easy one.  Struggling with weight since the age of 12, eating always came with a certain amount of guilt.  And when I did eat, I gorged myself on empty and meaningless calories i.e., junk food.

Yet, thanks to my recent experiences I eat very well, because I have learned to stop myself from eating any old crud that is handed to me on a paper plate.  Instead, I wait, I search, and I cook in order to achieve the perfect bite.

I think by now you will have guessed that I love food.  Who doesn’t?  But just because a person enjoys a good meal, doesn’t mean they know how to eat.

I’m going to take you on a journey with me as I explore the world of food.   Good quality food can be (not only delicious) but an incredible enjoyment.  There are cultures that are known for their chicken soup and others that are famous for their pasta dishes.  Some countries specialise in wine, while others have the perfect olive.  Together, we will explore them all.

Learning about good food is not only wonderful for your senses, but it also gives you a chance to better socialise while increasing your knowledge about culture.  Recently, I’ve been absolutely obsessed with French cuisine.  After living with a good friend for a few months, who happens to be French, I finally began to understand the beauty and art that goes into making things like fresh bread, a variety of different cheeses, salamis from countries all over the world and wines that go with every type of meal one can imagine.  I even learned how to make mayonnaise.  I couldn’t go back to eating mayonnaise in a jar if I tried all day.

So, if you love food – join me.  Stay tuned for a vast and eclectic array of information about food, eating, cooking and shopping.  There’s no place we won’t go, no recipe we won’t conquer, no restaurant we won’t try. We’re going to walk the walk and talk the talk and mostly – at least for now – in England, a country that is… not known for it’s food.  But that’s okay.  I love a good challenge.  Most of all, we’re going to eat and eat well.