Kitchen Conundrum

Ferran Adria and Lisa Abend, A Talk and A Book Signing

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The Sorcerer's ApprenticesYou have been hearing us talk about Molecular Gastronomy quite a bit lately. We recently entered a contest hosted by Simon and Schuster in the spirit of elBulli and Ferran Adria to coincide with the publication of The Sorcerer’s Apprentices, written by Lisa Abend (and of which I reviewed here last week). Well, we did not win that contest, but we were chosen as a runner up and could not be more thrilled since it was our first experience with Molecular Gastronomy, and we are in great company with a blogger we admire greatly, Salty Seattle. You can see all the entries, the results and the judges comments here.

Thursday evening I had the opportunity to hear Ferran Adria and Lisa Abend speak at the 92nd Street Y here in NYC. It was great!

Ferran discussed the transformation of elBulli, the three Michelin-starred restaurant named best in the world five times, into the elBulliFoundation, a culinary think tank that would take molecular gastronomy to even greater heights and then disseminate that knowledge daily via the internet around the world.

The land improvement plans alone for this new foundation are astounding. Ferran showed us a few videos of the project and how he plans to create a “completely sustainable architectural complex designed to produce zero emissions”, a beautiful series of bell-shaped glass structures will be created and sustained on solar powered enegry and will house the “brain storming” hall. It’s really quite stunning to see.

When it opens in 2014, 30 or so “culinary scholars” will be selected each year from across the globe to work with the master chef. “The vision is to focus on creativity and the motto for the project is: ‘Risk-taking, freedom and creativity’,” said Adria. “There will be no timetable, no routine, no rules.”

I have no doubt what comes forth from this endeavor will be nothing short of a masterpiece.

While most of the evening was spent discussing this incredible project and the new cookbook Ferran authored that is being released in October for the “home cook” (can’t wait for that one!), we did get to hear from Lisa Abend about her time spent at elBulli as a journalist writing about the lives of the stagiaires of the kitchen of elBulli for her new book, The Sorcerer’s Apprentices (a must read!) and about all the wonderful food she was able to try.

After the discussion, we were able to attend a book signing with each of them. I had lugged Ferran’s giant, weighty, but stunningly beautiful book, A Day at elBulli and Lisa’s book with me that day along with a little camera. I introduced myself to Lisa and being incredibly nice she turned to Ferran to introduce me as one of the people who reviewed her book and entered the contest. Then she took the time to personalize our book and then introduce me to one of the contest judges and former stagiaire, Katie Button. How nice is that???  Katie is in the process of opening a traditional Spanish tapas bar in Ashville, NC with her fiance called Cúrate. If you are ever in that area, please go and check it out as it should be amazing!

Here are a couple of pictures from the book signing.

Me and Ferran, then me and Lisa.

It was a fun evening and a once in a lifetime (hopefully not!) meeting!

King’s Hawaiian Pineapple Upside Down French Toast Recipe

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Foodbuzz recently offered its featured publishers an opportunity to create a brilliant brunch recipe to showcase the irresistibly delicious taste of King’s Hawaiian bread and we were happy to be chosen to share ours with you. We love French toast and especially making the “night before” versions because they allow you to be lazy in the morning since all you have to do is just put it into the oven, leaving you lots of time to drink coffee, read the newspaper or just pad around in your pjs.

The problem with this recipe is that you may find yourself eating the entire loaf of bread before you actually make it into French toast. King’s Hawaiian bread is lightly sweet, yet very buttery and fluffy and it just melts in your mouth.  We had to buy two loaves as everyone kept saying, “Oh, just one more slice!” until there was none left.

 

Ingredients

4 slices King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Round Bread,1 ½-2 inches thick

4 Eggs

1 cup Half & Half

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tbs Rum

½ cup dark brown sugar

Slices of canned pineapple rings

Pinch of Salt

Shredded Coconut for Garnish

Method

In a 9×13″ baking pan spread the brown sugar across the bottom. Place slices of pinapple on top of the brown sugar. Layer the sliced bread into the bottom of the pan in one layer squeezing them slightly to make them fit. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, vanilla, rum, and salt.  Pour over the bread. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight, or a minimum of eight hours until the liquid is absorbed into the bread.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove pan from refrigerator and uncover. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 until golden brown. Let stand a few minutes, loosen the edges with a knife that has been run around the edge of the pan. Invert into a serving platter and sprinkle with shredded coconut.  Serve while hot.

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Hamantashen Recipe

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20110316-SCAN0006Hamantashen is a triangular butter cookie usually filled with jam, fruits or poppy seeds. They are traditionally eaten by Jews on the holiday of Purim which is occuring this weekend.  The shape of the cookies is representive of the tri-corner hat worn by the evil Haman, the villain of the story of Purim. It’s considered a mitzvah, or a good deed, to give ready to eat foods to your friends and neighbors on Purim and Hamantashen are the star treats in every basket.

Growing up, my mother would have to make at least two batches in the days leading up Purim so there would be enough left over to give out to friends and relatives because we would usually eat them all as they came out of the oven.  Later, as my Grandmother got older, my mother would make a double or triple batch of dough and we would all go to my Grandmother’s apartment in Manhattan and make them together.  There we would be, four generations, rolling them out on her dinning room table and baking them with her. I know that it was a very special time for her to be there with her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. The cookies were secondary.

After she passed away a few years ago at age 99, the one thing we asked for specifically were her rolling pins. They were very well worn and stained from many years of use. Even though we have other, newer ones, I always seem to pick up one of hers when I need to roll dough, especially the Hamantashen dough that we always made with her, so in a very special way, we know she is still here with us when we make these every year.

 

Ingredients

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs honey

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

Filling Options

In my family, we prefer to fill with jellies such as strawberry, raspberry or apricot. We also use chocolate chips, a favorite with Renee and the kids.  Traditionally though you will see Hamentashen filled with prune butter or a poppy seed filling (called Mohn).

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and honey. Blend until smooth with the paddle.

Add the baking powder and the salt. Slowly add the flour.  Mix until it is just incorporated. If the dough is too sticky you can add a bit more flour as needed. It should have a smooth dough consistency. Roll into a large ball and wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for a half hour to rest.

Flour a countertop or work surface well. Using ¼ of the dough at a time, roll out to a ¼ inch thickness.  With a cookie cutter or a juice glass cut out circles, remove the extra dough and return it to the bowl.

Place about ½ tsp of the filling of your choice in the center of the circle. Pinch two sides together to form two corners and pinch the top together to form the tri-corner “hat”.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat mat and bake for 10 -12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove to a baking rack to cool completely. The jelly gets incredibly hot, so be careful if you can’t resist eating them right away!

Enjoy!