sage

Greetings, friends.

A couple days ago, I had myself a good old-fashioned chocolate throw-down. Well, maybe not so old-fashioned, considering the eclectic flavors, but definitely feeding the chocolate fix.

The orange-mint ganache went over well at a baby shower on Sunday, alongside a cream cheese/marshmallow fruit dip.

The orange-mint ganache went over well at a baby shower on Sunday, alongside my cream cheese/marshmallow fruit dip.

Ganache is one of my favorite foodie tricks. It’s simple yet decadent, impressive, and versatile. Depending on how you make it, you can use ganache as a coating or filling for cakes, a whipped frosting, or rolled into truffles. I usually end up eating most of it from a spoon, right out of the fridge.

Generally, ganache is simply one part chocolate to one part heavy cream, or two-to-one chocolate to cream if making truffles or other firm candy. There are many variations on the exact technique, but it is generally quite forgiving, considering the persnickety nature of chocolate.

Three bowls of chocolate, waiting for their flavorings and cream!

For these experiments, I chose — for the first time — to use the microwave method. This means bringing the cream just to a simmer in the microwave, then pouring into a bowl of chopped chocolate. I will advise you to do otherwise on one of the three variations…not a big deal, but probably easier. We’ll get there.

I halved the typical recipe for ganache so I could make several smaller batches. I used the one-to-one ratio most commonly used for fillings and less-firm coating. This turned semi-firm in the fridge (perfect for spooning), and warmed up beautifully in the microwave as a dip (see top photo). I’ll give you the basic recipe, then the flavorings for each:

Basic Microwave Ganache

8 oz. good chocolate chips, chopped finely (I used Ghirardelli in a food processor)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chop the chocolate chips finely in small batches with a large knife, or buzz in a food processor for about 15 seconds. Place into a small heat-resistant baking dish or bowl. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat the cream in 30-second increments until just simmering. Pour over chocolate and stir vigorously until all the chocolate is completely melted. The mixture will feel very loose at first, then tighten up as the chocolate melts. Cover and cool in fridge for at least 2 hours or until set.

Variation: Orange Mint

Before measuring the cream, put 2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate in the measuring cup, then pour cream to equal 1 cup. Mixture will thicken and seem to curdle a bit, but this is OK. Crush two or three fresh mint leaves in your hands until you feel the oil, then tear into small pieces and stir into the mixture. Heat the mixture until just simmering. Using a wire strainer, strain mixture as you pour it into the chocolate.

Variation: Cranberry-Grape Sage Buzz

Before measuring the cream, place 4 T. Blast XS Cranberry Grape Energy Drink Mixer (contact me for ordering info) in the measuring cup, then pour cream to equal 1 cup. Mixture may thicken a bit as above. Crush one large or two smaller fresh sage leaves until you feel the oil, then tear into small pieces and mix in. Strain and continue as above. (I suppose you could use 2 T. of frozen cran-grape juice concentrate instead, but you don’t get the caffeine and B12 buzz!)

Variation: Smoked Cayenne and Spices

Peppers and such in the cream. Given the amount of time it took to steep in flavors, this would have been easier on the cooktop.

Measure 1 cup cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Using kitchen scissors, cut a two-inch piece of smoked cayenne pepper into very small pieces into the cream. Add one small stick of cinnamon, two whole cloves, and about 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg. Slowly bring to a simmer and keep there for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste the cream to see if the desired amount of “kick” is acquired. (If you don’t want to buy smoked cayenne peppers, you could use a sprinkle of cayenne powder, the smoked kind if you have it.) Strain into prepared chocolate and stir as above.

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The surprising thing about the cayenne version, besides the fact that it is actually good, is the separation and delay of flavors. First you get the smokiness, then the chocolate, and lastly you get the kick of the pepper. A few seconds after you think you’re done, in fact.

Next time, I’ll try using the truffle-making proportions and see how the flavors hold up. Or maybe I can melt these back down and add more chocolate…any choco-experts out there? The pepper one would be wonderful as a truffle, rolled in cocoa powder and a bit of cayenne powder. Hmmm…..

Until then, I’ll just be eating these out of a spoon. That would, in fact, be a neat presentation for the three flavors: a plate of three Chinese-style soup spoons filled with each ganache. There you go, that was free. Someone do that and take a photo…I don’t have those spoons!

Try these or your own weird flavors, and let me know how it goes.

Obviously, I am still working out exactly what all Fancy Pants Foodie is and will be. But one of the things I will most likely always do is show you what I’m cooking, and what I learned from it. Tonight, you get to learn from both my success and my mistakes!

Recently, my friend Beth was participating in a fundraiser for her church that involved selling donated cookbooks. Upon getting her email with the available list, I “ordered” my stack of cookbooks, which I read like trashy novels. Not that I read trashy novels, but if I did, I would read cookbooks the same way. Anyway.

Beth recommended two that were not on my list, both by Pam Anderson, former executive editor of Cook’s Illustrated, a foodie favorite. (If you haven’t discovered the magazine yet, it’s worth clicking the link and picking up at least a trial issue.) The first book, humorously titled How to Cook Without a Book, focuses on learning techniques and simple formulas for making just about anything with what’s in your fridge and pantry at that moment. I like this approach very much, and it’s actually what I have tried to do myself over the years. Learn a basic technique — most of mine from the good ol’ Better Homes and Gardens basic book — and roll with it for years to come.

TPRcover

The second book, The Perfect Recipe, is Pam’s version of a research journal for home cooks. She took several basic recipes, from macaroni and cheese and burgers to cornish hens and prime rib, and tried them several different ways to find just the right technique. It’s interesting to read how she made batch after batch of burgers, experimenting with making the ground beef herself, and seasoning the beef at different stages in cooking, to report the best results to the reader. Then, for each final recipe, she outlines a basic, illustrated technique, with a few fancied-up variations afterward.

In The Perfect Recipe, Pam offers a simplified roasted chicken that makes it, as she categorizes, an “Everyday Classic.” Hmmm. I’ve done this before, but not lately. Chicken doesn’t seem the means by which to get Fancy Pants. But finally, I dared to step outside my rut of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and purchased a whole “roaster.”

What makes this recipe different is that the bird is not exactly roasted whole, but butterflied. This means getting out your best pair of kitchen scissors (neither of mine were really great) and cutting out the backbone, then flattening out the bird for roasting. This cuts down quite a bit on cooking time and makes it much easier to carve and serve. (Note: The video linked above has you take out the keel bone, which is fine, but not necessary. I didn’t, and neither did Pam.)

After I had rinsed, dried, cut, and flattened said chicken, my husband enters the kitchen. He looked at the bird. He looked at me.

“Why is the chicken spread eagle?”

“It’s not,” I replied. “It’s spread chicken.”

Here’s my version based on Pam Anderson’s technique, using the ingredients I had on hand:

Sage-Garlic Roasted Chicken

3 to 4 lb. whole roaster chicken
1 large garlic clove
6 – 10 leaves fresh sage
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and position top rack to be about 12 inches from the top element. Butterfly the chicken, rinse with cool water and pat dry. (See video for technique.) Place chicken on a large jelly roll pan or roasting pan. Tuck wings under the bird so they do not burn. Loosen the skin around the breasts and legs so that you can get between the skin and meat.

Crush garlic in a press or mince finely, and mince the sage. Mix these in a small bowl with the salt and pepper. Spread this mixture under the skin of the chicken.

Rub the skin all over with oil, and season with a bit more kosher salt and pepper. (Any further seasonings will burn in the high heat of the oven.)

Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. The skin will be a lovely, medium brown and the juices should run clear.

Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

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OK, that sounds all peachy and lovely, right? Wondering why there are no photos today?

Actually, there should be. The chicken itself was beautiful. I was just too distracted (and hungry!) by all the shortcomings along the way.

First of all, the battery on my really good Polder meat thermometer is dead. I should replace it immediately. But I haven’t. So.

I took the bird out a little early, thinking it looked done. My ghetto turkey-frying thermometer said it was. After throwing together some sides that did NOT really turn out well (that’s another story for another day), I got the table ready and turned to my lovely birdie for carving.

Still red in the middle. Sheesh!

Not one, but TWO baking sessions later, I finally got it done. Thirty minutes left alone would probably have done it. Or, for a larger bird (which mine was), you can start it breast-down and flip it halfway through. Prolly shoulda tried that.

The other problem, Pam actually experienced herself. From The Perfect Recipe:
The broiling method also took some fine-tuning, for my first attempts set off two smoke alarms.

I didn’t set off any alarms, but the house definitely had a mystic aura for an hour or two. Someday I’ll have an oven with an outside vent, but for now, these things will just have to happen. The same thing occurred with my famous broiled steak from years ago. Darn tasty, but smokes up the house something awful.

What else did I learn?

That even when things get messed up, they can still come out tasting glorious. It really was, even if all the side items were cool by the time we sat down to eat.

The chicken was moist, and the sage/garlic mixture really permeated the meat. The leftovers will make a great shredded chicken somethingorother tomorrow.

More soon!

P.S. If you Twitter, please follow me… @arfoodie. Not only will you get notices of blog updates, you’ll also get local foodie news and updates, as well as the occasional random ROT (river of tweets) of useful foodie tidbits and links.

Ganache Three Ways (and weird ones at that)

New (Old) Cookbooks and Sage-Garlic Roasted Chicken