Bon appetit,
The Milestone Team

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Making your own bread, why not?

 

This past Sunday I had scheduled a bread making class but wait, I am not a baker. True but then I called on one of the best in town: Michele Brown. She really knows her stuff and she teaches everyday at a local community college. If you are into bread she would be the one to listen to and trust on the subject.The class was sold out and as usual we overdid it meaning that we did a lot of different breads.
Here is the list: baguettes, boules, english muffins, bagels, pretzels, knott rolls, crackers, Naan, Hapanleipa (sour rye), Pajeon (Korean scallion cakes), Ohraleipa ( barley flat bread), old-fashioned rye bread, Mexican conchas, Schnecken, focaccia,  and a few more that I already forgot.

Homemade  English muffins? Just pass the butter.

Multiple choices are a good thing with bread.

We spent some time on bread starters which most people have a hard time maintaining, you just have to “feed” them now and then. When I see how much good bread (if you can find it) cost nowadays it might be a good idea to start something at home and include the rest of the family for fun and a bit more of food education.

Making bread is no more difficult than any other form of cooking as long as you are disciplined enough to follow recipes and scale all ingredients as needed. So start making bread and if your first batch turns out like hockey pucks that’s OK, think about the experience you get on how it is NOT supposed to look like and take it from there. Failure is the mother of opportunity so good luck in making bread but start with the simple recipes first and feed on your own success. Now that is an addiction that we all can handle.

 

 

Chef Andre and Michele Brown’s class was a bit hit! Thank you to everyone who participated!

 

Bon appetit,

The Milestone Team

I have had all kinds of bread. Burned bread, hard bread, mushy bread, flat bread, yeasty bread, salty bread, hollow bread, and discolored bread.

Bread is a fickle creature; It never turns out the way you think it will and it always causes a lot of grief.

Cue Chef Andre Bedouret riding in on his white horse! On February 19th he is dedicating an entire four hour class to just what we all need: Bread Making. Not only is he hosting those four hours to the art of bread baking, but he is bringing in the most experience troops to lend him a hand. The infamous Michelle Brown will co-teach the class, lending her expertise in baking to the class. The class is on Sunday, February 19th from 12-4:00pm. To register or to ask questions, please call 214.217.2808.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Bon appetit,

The Milestone Team

Ingredients:

1/2 qt. whole milk
7 ozs. unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1 oz. granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ozs. flour, sifted
8 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
Zest of 3 lemons
1/2 oz. vanilla extract

Process:

In a sauce pan put milk, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. At the boiling point, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a thick paste is achieved. Stir for to minutes over medium heat, remove and let cool. Transfer to the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and run on low speed. Add whole eggs, two at a time, making sure they are well incorporated before adding more eggs. Add the yolks, the lemon zest and vanilla. Mix well on low speed.

Cook in vegetable oil at 325 degrees, drain on a rack and roll in vanilla flavored granulated sugar. Enjoy!

Seriously guys, these are better than any beignets I have ever had in my entire life, and they are super simple to make.

Chef Andre is recovering well, and will be back to work in time to teach his class this Sunday on French Patisserie. There are still a couple of spaces left so call and register asap! 214.217.2808.

Bon appetit,
The Milestone Team

I am a really big fan of macaroni & cheese, the favorite dish of all children… at least, most children. You see, I actually did NOT like the creamy dish when I was a kid and did not begin my love affair with mac & cheese until I was a senior in college. I know, I know, I was crazy, but now that I have fallen head over heels, I feel that I need to try mac & cheese at every restaurant I step into and have to fight the urge to try every recipe I come across on the internet. I love macaroni and cheese.

One day a couple of years ago, I was browsing the internet looking for recipes to make for my brothers for our “college family dinner” and came across this delightful recipe from The Pioneer Woman. It was an immediate hit. Find the deliciousness below along with The Pioneer Woman’s beautiful, descriptive pictures. More of her fun stories and recipes can be found here. Thank you, Pioneer Woman!

Macaroni & Cheese

 

 

 

 

  

Elbow macaroni. You can buy it in bulk, and you can buy it cheap.

 

 

 

 

You’ll need butter. Regular, salted butter.

And just note that I pretty much never use unsalted butter except for a few select baking recipes.

 

All-purpose flour.

WHOLE MILK. Pretend there’s a photo of whole milk sitting on a counter you can’t see.

 

 

 

 

Dry mustard. I love this ingredient in macaroni & cheese. It provides a tangy sharpness without injecting a definable flavor.

 

 

1 egg. Trust me.

 

 

And cheese. One glorious, beautiful pound of freshly grated cheese. I’m using all sharp cheddar today, but I almost always mix cheeses: Colby, Monterey Jack, Fontina, Mild Cheddar, Pepper Jack…even a little Gruyere if I allow myself to be in denial about how expensive it is.

But today, it’s all cheddar, all the time.

 

 

Cook 4 cups dried macaroni until it’s very “al dente”. Keep in mind that we’ll be baking the macaroni after we mix it together, so it needs to be quite firm when you bring it out of the water. I usually test a macaroni noodle about 5 minutes into the cooking process—if it’s too firm to serve and eat immediately, it’s time to take it off the stove and drain it.

Nutshell: Undercook the macaroni! You’ll be glad.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Set aside.

 

Add a good teaspoon or so of salt to the water.

 

 

Now, in a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick OR 4 tablespoons) butter.

 

 

Sprinkle in an equal amount (4 tablespoons) flour.

 

 

Whisk the mixture together over medium-low heat (careful not to burn!) until totally combined…

 

 

 

 

Then continue cooking for around 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

This is called a roux, which is the basis of a cream sauce or gravy.

 

Pour in 2 1/2 cups whole milk. You could use 1% or 2%…but why?

Seriously, the fat content in the whole milk, in my opinion, makes for a creamier, more delicious mac & cheese. But I’m not here to make anyone’s choices for them so feel free to use a lower fat milk product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immediately dump in 2 heapingteaspoons of dry mustard.

 

 

You could certainly add another teaspoon with impunity…but see how 2 tastes first. If you like it, dump in some more.

 

 

Now, whisk the mixture together and cook for about 5 minutes. It will get extremely thick, almost like a cream gravy.

 

 

  

At that point, reduce the heat to low. Use a 1/4 cup measure to retrieve a small amount of the sauce.

 

 

 

Pour the small amount of sauce into the beaten egg slowly…

 

 

 

Begin whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.

 

 

Keep whisking until mixture is cooled. This is called “tempering”: rather than dump the beaten egg into the very hot mixture in the pan—which would result in the eggs scrambling—you introduce some of the hot mixture into the egg.

 

 

 

THEN you dump the tempered egg into the pan.

 

 

 

Whisk it together…

 

 

  

Until totally combined.

 

 

 

Now dump in all but about 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Look at this wonderful cheesiness.

 

 

 

And stir together until it’s all melted. Go ahead and turn off the heat.

 

 

 

 

Now it’s time for seasoning! Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s.) If you’re sensitive to salt, start really low and work your way up…and remember that the cheese imparts quite a bit of salt to the mix.

BUT—and this is important—be careful not the UNDERSALT the mac & cheese. It really needs ample salt to put the flavor over the top.

*I also use paprika, cayenne pepper, even ground thyme every now and then. Play with different ground spices and see what you like best.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, add plenty of black pepper, of the Black Dust variety. Honestly, I love freshly ground pepper…but not in homemade Mac & Cheese. For me, it has to be the powdery stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now THAT’s what I’m talkin’ about.

And guess what? You can just steam some fresh broccoli and spoon some of this over the top. Kids from all over the land will show up at your doorstep.

Did you know a single serving of broccoli is positively loaded with Vitamin C?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now just dump in the drained, not-fully-cooked macaroni!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And stir the mixture together.

 

  

I use a little less than the full amount of cooked macaroni, because I love it extra creamy and coated. Just add it according to how you like it.

Now, you can either dish it up as it is right now, which makes for an ultra-creamy love fest…

 

 

 

OR you can pour the macaroni into a buttered baking dish. This is a 2-quart dish, but a 9 x 13 pan would work just fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, top the dish with the rest of the grated cheese.

 

  

Now bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden.

 

 

Kinda like this.

 

  

 

The secret to good, baked mac & cheese is this crispy top, which hides a creamy, soft bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

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Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• 1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Happy Recipe Friday!
The Milestone Team

Bon appetit,
The Milestone Team

Tips are terrific, but to really learn the tricks of the trade you are going to need some lessons. For the basics, don’t miss out on our Kitchen Essentials Six Week Series with Jenny Scott, and for more specific, in-depth classes, get in the kitchen with Chef Andre Bedouret. Check the schedule here!

Or, to forgo the cooking altogether, call Milestone Culinary Arts Center for catering and to hear more about our team building events (which includes some of our incredible food as well). 214.217.2818.

Bon appetit,
The Milestone Team

Today we are feeling a little like eating pizza. You know, it’s the weekend, time to use all of those calories you saved up over the week (at least that’s how I see it), and maybe splurge on a little homemade pizza. Here is a delicious recipe for Grilled Pizza with Ricotta and Basil Pesto. Yum.

Grilled Pizza with Ricotta and Basil Pesto

Yield: 8 pizzas

12 ounces pizza dough (we suggest you head up to Jimmy’s to buy your dough)
Flour for rolling surface
Olive oil
1/cup basil pesto
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 Tablespoons Parmesan, grated
Salt and Pepper

Prepare a medium hot fire in your grill, or heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat.

Roll the pizza dough into 8 small pizzas, each about 1/8 inch thick and 3 inches round.

Lightly brush both sides of the pizzas with oil.  Grill the pizzas over medium heat until the first side is nicely browned and firm to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes.  Turn the pizzas over on the grill. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of pesto on each pizza, spreading it to the edges.  On top of each pizza, spoon 4 teaspoons of ricotta cheese.  Cook the pizzas until the ricotta just begins to melt, 3 to minutes.  Sprinkle Parmesan over the top of each pizza.  Season with salt and pepper.

I hope you enjoy the recipe! Let me know if you try it. I would love to hear your feedback.

Bon appetit,
The Milestone Team

P.S. Good luck in the Cotton Bowl Kansas State and Arkansas (click on the links to see our older post about the time the wives of Kansas State and Arkansas coaches came to visit us at Milestone Culinary Arts Center)!

Wooo PIG SOOIE! The lovely ladies of the Arkansas Razorbacks came to cook at Milestone yesterday afternoon. We are quickly finding that the wives of college coaches are some of the most fun gals in town. They prepared some delicious plates for our judges during their Stainless Steel Chef Competition, and then ate lots of scrumptuous fried and grilled tailgate foods, pausing only for a moment to take this fun group picture for us. We had so much fun hosting their event!

Good luck at the game on Friday!

Pig sooie!
The Milestone Team