Michael Vyskocil's Blog

Posted by Michael Vyskocil

POACHED PEARS

Bosc pears hold their shape perfectly during the poaching process.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• Zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 cups apple juice
• 1 cup water
• 8 Bosc pears, stems attached, peeled and cored from bottom

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, stir together lemon zest, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, ground ginger, ground cardamom, apple juice and water.
2. Place 8 Bosc pears in the poaching liquid. Cover the pears with waxed paper to prevent the pears from discoloring. Bring the poaching liquid to a simmer. Cook, turning the pears once or twice during poaching, until the pears are soft enough to be easily pierced with the point of a knife but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil the mixture until the poaching liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Pour the poaching liquid over the pears and refrigerate.
4. To serve, slice off a portion of the bottom of each pear so that the pear remains upright. Place one pear on each serving plate.

Posted by Michael Vyskocil

CRÉME VANILLA SAUCE

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped of seeds or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Boil the milk with the vanilla bean seeds and pod (do not add vanilla extract here). With a hand-held electric mixer, beat the sugar into the egg yolks until thick and fluffy. Beat in the cornstarch. Remove and discard vanilla bean pod. Add boiled milk in dribbles while beating at low speed in an electric mixer.
2. Transfer the mixture to a heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan. Set over low heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the sauce thickens into a light, creamy mixture. Do not simmer or the egg yolks will curdle.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat (add the vanilla extract if the vanilla bean was not used), whisk for a moment, and strain through a fine sieve. After cooling, cover the surface of the sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Posted by Michael Vyskocil

HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

Makes 8 Cups

Ingredients:

• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 large onion, washed, cut into thirds
• 3 carrots, scrubbed, cut into thirds
• 2 stalks celery, leaves attached, cut into thirds
• 1 four-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• 4 pounds bony chicken parts (backs, necks and wings)
• 12 cups water

Directions:

1. Place the peppercorns, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, onion, carrots, celery, whole chicken, chicken backs, necks and wings into a large stockpot. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook for 50 minutes. The liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim off the skin with a slotted spoon and discard it. Repeat the skimming process as needed during cooking. After 50 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and set the chicken aside until it is cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the meat from the chicken bones, set the cooked chicken meat aside and return the bones to the stockpot. Shred the chicken meat and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Continue simmering the stock, on the lowest heat possible, for 3 1/2 hours, skimming any skin from the surface of the stock as needed. The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Strain the stock through a sieve lined with a layer of cheesecloth into a very large bowl. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath and let the stock cool to room temperature. Divide the stock into airtight containers. The stock may be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 5 months. Refrigerate for at least 10 hours or overnight. If storing, leave the fat layer on top to seal the stock. Before using, remove the fat layer that collects on the surface of the stock.

Posted by Michael Vyskocil

In Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka’s candy-making secrets were unveiled to a small party of five ticket winners. But choosing the right types of chocolate for cooking and baking are far less clandestine. Below are some of the most common types of chocolates available in the supermarket. Read your recipe carefully and use the type specified in the recipe for the best results.

• Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate and cocoa butter (no sugar added). Often called baking or bitter chocolate, it is almost used exclusively for baking and cooking.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder is pure chocolate with most of the cocoa butter removed. It is most often used in baking.
• Semisweet chocolate is pure chocolate with added cocoa butter and sugar. Sometimes referred to as bittersweet chocolate, the latter is usually darker and less sweet than that labeled semisweet. Some European bittersweet chocolates are labeled dark chocolate. Use dark, semisweet, and bittersweet chocolate interchangeably in recipes.
• Milk chocolate is pure chocolate with added cocoa butter, sugar, and milk or cream. It has a creamier texture, lighter color, and milder flavor than semisweet chocolate.

Posted by Michael Vyskocil

Just like a toddler, whipped cream has a tendency to be troublesome. Sometimes it cooperates with you, forming fantastic stiff peaks. Other times, it stubbornly throws a wrench in your plans, refusing to fluff up and whip itself into proper form. But like a baby sound asleep, whipped cream is a sight to behold because of its sweet nature.

One day, I was in the kitchen, and I couldn't find any sugar to sweeten some whipped cream. So, I decided to use honey instead. Later, with a second batch, I used melted quince jelly. Both of these items added sweetness to the cream, but the jelly provided an additional component. The high pectin content in the jelly acted as a thickener, keeping the whipped cream stiff for hours. Another way to increase your success of making whipped cream is to place the bowl and whisk (or mixer beaters) in the freezer for 20 minutes. Then, when you whip the cream, the fat molecules around the bubbles of air in the beaten cream will stay strong, holding up the foam.

RECIPE

Flavored Whipped Cream

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 pint heavy cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon buckwheat honey, or
• 3 1/2 tablespoons quince jelly, melted

Directions:

1. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream with a balloon whisk until stiff. Alternatively, whip the cream in the chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. If using quince jelly, gently melt it in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Fold the sweetener of your choice into the whipped cream. Serve immediately.
2. Save any remaining cream by transferring it into a sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a bowl, cover the bowl and sieve tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.