Latke tips

This is from the Arizona Republic, good info, it's how I make them (except I shape by hand)

Avoid discoloration
This is one dish where doing the prep work the night before can ruin the meal. When peeled potatoes are exposed to air, "oxidation turns the potatoes gray," says Don Odiorne, vice president of food service at the Idaho Potato Commission.So get everything else ready (line up your equipment and prep your other ingredients) before you start peeling, slicing and shredding the potatoes.Onions can help block oxidation by coating some of the potato cells, Odiorne said. That's why some cooks alternate adding potatoes and onion to the mixture rather than doing all the potatoes first.

Get the water out
"Potatoes are typically 80 percent water and 20 percent solids or starch," according to Odiorne.To avoid soggy latkes, take the potato-onion mixture a handful at a time and literally squeeze the water out, the way you would wring out a wet washcloth. Sure, you could get fancy with a strainer and a cheesecloth. But squeezing them in your fist works just fine.Then add the eggs, flour and salt.

Shape your patties right
To shape the latkes and keep them from falling apart, use a large, long-handled oval metal spoon to shape your patties, cupping each patty with the top of your hand. They will have a slightly rounded dome.Then gently slide the patty off the spoon into the pan of sizzling oil, and gently pat down with the back of the spoon to flatten the oval pancakes into circles. Each latke will be about the size of your palm.Don't crowd them. This cools the oil (resulting in oily latkes) and makes it hard to get the spatula in the pan.

Go golden, not greasy
There's nothing more disgusting than a grease sponge pretending to be a latke. But if you cook them right, latkes come out golden-brown without being oily.Before you put the patties in the pan, the oil should be hot enough so that a drop of water bounces or a shred of potato sizzles. If the oil is smoking, it's too hot.Cooks differ on how much oil to use. Some say a few tablespoons; others say the oil should be 3/4-inch deep in the pan. If you use too little oil, the latkes will stick. Use too much and the latkes will soak up the oil.Bottom line: There should be enough oil to reach the halfway point up the side of each latke - between 1/4-inch and 1/3-inch deep in the pan.Opinions also vary on the type of oil. Odiorne says canola is a popular choice because of its heart-healthy properties. It also is less expensive than peanut or olive oil, and it can handle higher temperatures than olive.

Knowing when to flip
Latkes need about four minutes per side (sometimes less on the second side). You'll see them browning at the edges, and when the bottom crust is formed, the spatula should slide under them easily. If you peek and they're not golden, leave them another minute or two before flipping.But keeping latkes crispy also depends on what happens after they leave the pan.Of course, you'll set them on paper towels to drain the oil. But if you put a layer of newspaper underneath the paper towels, the oil has somewhere to go when it seeps through the paper towel.And if you're expecting a crowd for your Hanukkah party, you may not want to serve the latkes until you have a dozen or two ready, or until most of the guests arrive. But how do you make sure the early batches don't get cold and soggy?Easy. After blotting the latkes on paper towels for a minute or two, transfer them to baking sheets in a 300-degree oven. The oven time will crisp the edges even more while keeping the insides soft and hot. And that's the ultimate in latke perfection.

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Turkey time! Of course, roasting a turkey, especially a fresh or heritage breed, is a wonderful thing any time of year. That being said, next week is definitely the big week!

A few tips, no rocket science here, just good cooking principles for a great bird.

Thaw properly. This is a safety as well as quality issue. Thaw in refrigerator whenever possible but plan ahead, this may take up to three days for a large bird. If you need to do it quicker, you can thaw under running cold water but the turkey needs to be covered with water. A sink or large bucket works.

Brine. Brining imparts flavor and results in a juicier finished product. Brining should happen overnight for a turkey, absolutely keep it cold. If you have a refrigerator large enough, perfect. Otherwise, a cooler will work if you can put in ice packs wrapped in plastic, or use ice as part of the brine. Add to the brine whatever flavors you want to impart to the bird. Herbs, citrus, fruit, chipotle peppers, garlic, etc. can be added to the brine and punch up that flavor. Here is a basic recipe

For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon water1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 1 gallon iced water

Bring 1 gallon water to a boil, add sugar, salt, and spices, stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in ice water to cool down. Brine turkey overnight (8-12 hours). Rinse and pat dry before roasting.

Stuffing. I like to keep the dressing on the side. To flavor the turkey and keep moist, I stuff the body cavity with aromatics, usually fresh herbs from the garden, apples cut up, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns all mixed together. This will not be eaten, so no peeling and it doesn’t have to be pretty. Big chunks are OK.

Cooking. You can cover the wing and leg tips if you like with foil, I usually don’t bother. I do baste, though. Every 20 minutes or so, use a spoon and spoon the pan drippings over the turkey. Sometimes early on there is not enough fat to do this, I throw in a chunk of butter to get it started.

Rest. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving, on the stovetop or counter is fine, just tent with foil to keep warm. This will allow the juices to equalize in the meat, so they don’t all flow out when you cut into it.

That’s the basics, I hope everyone has a great and safe Thanksgiving.

Ciao,
Kurt

Ah, the pleasures of Fall!

One of my favorite times of year to cook, the flavors are bold and earthy, the textures silky and smooth. Stop by your favorite farmers market and try a few of these.

Exotic or wild mushrooms. Trumpet Royal, Hon Shimeji, Maitake, Shiitake, Porcini, Matsutake, or Chanterelles are wonderful. Sauté, roast, mix in a pasta, make a duxelle, or how about a savory bread pudding?

Braised meats. Lamb shank is a favorite, veal shank (or osso bucco), or any tough cut of meat.

Fruit cobblers or crisps. Wonderful apples are available this time of year, and I have been seeing some great local pears as well. They lend well to savory applications too, braised pork shanks with apple sage demiglace anyone?

Hard squashes. Roast a butternut or acorn squash with butter, bacon, and brown sugar for a simple treat. Squash soup is great, apples and curry make a great addition.

A pot of soup or chili is always a beautiful thing as well.

We'll talk turkey next time, I have to go, the kitchen is calling!

Ciao,
Kurt

Cooking Heritage Breeds

Hey all, just got back from Celebrity Dairy in Silar City, NC where I was cooking for a Slow Food USA picnic.

I met lots of great people, including Jenny from Slow Food USA, Shane from the area, Brit and Fleming from Celebrity Dairy (the hosts), Angelique from ALBC, and many others. This is a group of very passionate and dedicated folks, and I was honored to work with them.

We cooked some things that I had not worked with before. Buckeye Chicken was a wonderful fowl, reminiscent of fresh pheasant, it had long lean legs, flat breast, and rich color and flavor. We did a simple braise in rich chicken stock to accentuate it's natural flavor profile.

Pineywoods beef was wonderful, grass fed and very full flavored. We made a simple meat loaf from that, and it was marvelous.

Tennessee fainting goat was turned into meatballs with a cream sauce. The meatballs had goats milk and curd mixed in, which produced a tender and very flavorful product.

Black turkey was brined and roasted. the meat was nutty and juicy, much more flavor that supermarket birds.

Finally, we did a crisp with staymen apples, accompanied by goats milk ice cream, simply amazing.

Seek out and try some different meats in your area. Local harvest is a good source, or go to my web site for more links http://www.chefkurt.com/, you will be glad you did! Ciao for now, Kurt