Rhubarb Sous-vide

When I saw this beautiful rhubarb being sold at FairPrice in Marine Parade, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try it sous-vide. I appreciate the fact that FairPrice is actually making an effort to introduce foreign products that otherwise can hardly be found in Singapore. They are currently promoting rhubarb, celeriac, parsnips, artichokes, endives and a few others.

I have never actually cooked rhubarb before, so this would be my first experience with it. I quickly did some research to find a recipe, and I found this one: 45 minutes at 61C.

As in the recipe, I mixed some natural vanilla pods, about 130g rhubarb and 25g of sugar in a bag and vacuumed it dry. I only cooked it for 30 minutes, since this other recipe suggests cooking it at the same temperature for just 20 minutes, so I decided to average them out.

The result was very tasty, especially with that natural and smooth vanilla flavour lingering in the background. Next time, I would try to cook it for 45 minutes, since I could tell that it would have tasted even better if softened a bit further.

12-Hours sous-vide pork belly

I finally decided to try a slow cooking dish with the new circulator. This was my first real attempt to cooking meat overnight, and I must say that I was incredibly happy with the result! The meat fell off the bone effortlessly, the skin was crispy and the sauce was rich and tasty. The marsala wine sauce added that Italian touch to the dish. I am starting to really appreciate sous-vide cooking, since once you get into it and it becomes more natural, it's really a "set and forget" affair.

I used pork belly on the bone, and I brined it for a couple of hours in a solution of 1l of water, 80gr salt and 30gr of sugar. It would have been better to brine it overnight, but I didn't have the time and I decided to take that shortcut this time. At least next time, when I will be doing it the proper way, I will know the difference. After brining the pork, I quickly washed and vacuum packed it together with a "herb sachet" containing black peppercorns and thyme.
Herb sachets are used to let the aromas of the herbs circulate within the vacuum pack without entering in direct contact with the meat, therefore avoiding concentration of flavour at specific spots.
I made my herb sachet by wrapping the herbs into a cling film, and then trimming the edges to let the liquid go through the sachet.
I sealed the pork in a vacuum bag together with about 80ml of chicken stock.

Finally, I slow-cooked the pork at 180F (82.2C) for 12 hours, then removed it from the water bath, chilled it and refrigerated. At the time of serving, I opened the pack and set aside the gelatin surrounding the meat (this forms during the slow cooking process followed by refrigeration). I removed the skin from each piece of belly and crisped it on a non-stick pan, skin side down (no added oil necessary) on high-heat. At the same time, on a normal stick metal pan, I browned each piece of pork on a thin film of canola oil. Once browned, I removed the pork and deglazed with a splash of Marsala wine (the Italian touch that does magic with pork!), and once the alcohol evaporated I added the gelatin and another 40ml of chicken stock. I reduced the sauce over 4-5 minutes, then served it with the pork bellies, topped with their own crispy skin.

Grapefruit Campari #2

Yet another version of my favourite combination: Campari and grapefruit. In this variation, I also used some yuzu marmelade, which you can buy in any cold storage (called "honey citron tea" on the label). This is a tri-citrus drink which combines yuzu, lime and grapefruit: an extremely refreshing combination of sweet, sour and bitter.

Ingredients:
- Pure grapefruit juice
- Campari
- Martini rosso
- Honey citrol tea (Yuzu marmelade)
- Lime

Freeze the grapefruit juice in an ice tray (I used this fancy 'long sticks' shaped tray).
Mix 1 part of campari, 1 part of martini rosso, 1 tbsp of Yuzu marmelade, 1 part of water. Shake with lots of ice in a cocktail shaker, then serve and decorate with the lime and the grapefruit ice cubes.

Lobster Sous-Vide

Finally, one week after its arrival, I get to put my hands on the long awaited thermocirculator. Since I had friends visiting, I decided to play safe and try something simple. I created a quick and easy recipe pulling elements from various books.


I followed Thomas Keller's directions for the cooking of the lobster tail, except instead of putting the whole thermocirculator into a bath of beurre monte'(that would be a bit too expensive for a one-off!), I made a small portion of beurre monte'and put it into the bag with the lobster tail. I also added some dill from my garden for extra flavour, and cooked the tail for 15 minutes at 59.5C. This resulted in a firm but creamy texture. I then refrigerated the tails as I decided to serve them cold.


For the fennel, I based the timing on Thomas Keller's: 75 minutes at 85C. The only inconvenience was that the circulator pump stopped at about 45-50 minutes, and basically the cooking process became unreliable from then onwards. I then learnt that at such high temperature, the Sous-vide professional can't cope and eventually fails. After several experiments, I came to the conclusion that the only way to make it work reliably (without placing it in an air conditioned environment, which is a bit silly), is to place a decently powerful fan blowing into the device. Well, next time I'll know. The fennel was a bit undercooked as compared to what I did the previous day, but still nice. I then quickly browned it on each side on a frying pan before serving. The other struggle was due to the fact that I don't have a vacuum packer and I have been sealing the bags in water. This technique works perfectly with meats and seafood or anything heavy, but when you deal with vegetables, you definitely end up with air bubbles that blow within the pack once you place it into the hot bath, bringing your carefully sealed vegetables floating on the surface. this is really something you don't want, since the temperature will not be evenly distributed. I am planning to cook more vegetables sous-vide, so I will buy a vacuum packer.


The onions were cooked together with the fennel, and they were also slightly undercooked. They seem to require about the same timing as the fennel for proper cooking.
I made the lobster sauce with 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, salt and about 15 fresh green peppercorns. I whisked it until emulsified and let it rest in the fridge. I only served the foam on top of each lobster tail.


Lessons learnt from my first sous-vide experiment:

1. If you are planning to cook vegetables, you will need a vacuum packer, or else you will end up with floating parcels
2. 85C for 75 minutes is a high temperature which tends to overheat my circulator (on sous-vide professional machines). The usage of a fan pointing onto the device resolves the problem. According to Polyscience, my unit is defective and they are now replacing it free of charge!

Overall, I must say that on my first experience with this cooking technique I had a lot of fun. There are hurdles that you need to resolve and learn how to deal with, since this is different than conventional cooking, but this is also what makes it attractive. The thought that once you learn', it is perfectly repeatable, makes me think of the day that I will be able to sit and relax while the meat is braising!

Ootoya

Located on the 8th floor of Orchard Central, Ootoya proposes a range of simple Japanese classics, just like in Japan. This is in fact a branch of a Japanese Franchise that is well known in its home country.


The first thing you'll notice is that unlike most other businesses in Orchard Central, Ootoya is packed most of the time, with a queue of people waiting outside the shop. That makes you wonder how good it is, considering that the mall isn't busy and other restaurants are struggling.


The restaurant is structured a bit like a traditional Japanese tatami room with a U shaped table following the perimeter, such that guests can go around the table and eat on each side of it. It's a Japanese concept to optimise space and make eating more social.


I only tried a few of the dishes out of a fairly comprehensive menu. The homemade tofu was pretty good, in the sense that it's unique for Singapore. The texture is quite grainy and not as smooth as most of the tofu served on this island, which makes it more interesting, although not nearly as creamy as some of the tofu I had in Japan. The buta-kimchi is a Japanese version of the Korean kimchi-bokum, quite modified for the Japanese palate, with a rounder and sweeter flavour.


The Charcoal Grilled Atka Mackerel is my favourite. The meat appears dry on the surface, but extremely juicy inside, but the best part of it is the grilled skin. The charcoal flavour is so intense that you really can't resist it, especially when you pair it with Japanese rice.


Ootoya is overall good value for money. The queue is annoying, so I always go late (after 9), when I can get a seat straight away. The service is good enough, and the food is well priced and well executed, for a "fast-food" type of restaurant that is more or less on the same price range as Waraku and other similar chains, but delivers incomparably better food.

Ootoya
#08-12 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6884 8901

Tradition and Innovation

Staying on the theme of innovation, but onto a food specific topic. Last weekend I bought two new cooking toys:

• A Le Creuset cocotte
• A Polyscience Sous-Vide Professional

Looking at the two standing in the kitchen, the contrast between them became obvious. A cocotte, no actually, THE Creuset cocotte, the symbol of traditional cooking. Beautifully simple, stylish, in heavy, solid cast iron. What can you cook with it? Traditional French classics, of course: Coq au vin, beef Bourguignon, etc...


On the other end of the spectrum, the leading edge technology of modern gastronomy: a Polyscience Sous-vide immersion thermal circulator. It looks like a network storage solution more than a kitchen accessory. Digitally beautiful, it would disorient your grandmother, and perhaps even your mother. What can you cook with it? You can indeed revisit classics such as coq au vin or beef Bourguignon, but its strength is certainly fine dining and the ability to produce meats and vegetables with unprecedented textures and flavours. Is this going to take over everyone's kitchen within the next 20 years? Perhaps.

The natural question is - what will be the next generation cooking tool, after sous-vide circulators? What will make such a tool look like a thing of the past? Maybe this blog won't live long enough to answer that.

Garganelli with bacon tomato sauce

This time I decided to prepare a quick and simple tomato sauce, and invest more time on the actual pasta. Since we are on the topic, many believe that homemade pasta is always better than dried pasta. It is actually not how we see it in Italy. The choice of pasta depends on the sauce that you pair with it. Certain sauces go well with fresh pasta, while others would only really work with dried pasta. Bacon and tomato sauce is a classic example that pairs perfectly with fresh pasta, especially when it is riveted or hollow, so that the tasty sauce sticks particularly well. It is very easy to make and can hardly go wrong!


This time I decided to experiment a bit with my digital camera, so I shot a video of the key parts of the preparation process. Hopefully this helps!

The ingredients for the fresh Garganelli are:
- 200gr plain flour (2-4 people)
- 3 eggs
- a pinch of salt
- some olive oil

The ingredients for the sauce:
- Some chopped bacon, preferably smoked
- Chopped onions
- Some red wine
- Finely chopped garlic
- Finely chopped carrots
- Some drained tinned plum tomatoes (drain them from their juice for at least 1 hour)
- Oregano or basil to taste
- Chilli (optional)
- Pecorino cheese (optional)


For the fresh pasta, please follow the instructions as shown on the video. Depending on the size of the eggs, you will need to add additional egg white should the consistency be too hard and dry for kneading comfortably. When the dough is smooth, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. In the meantime, start preparing the sauce.
Chop bacon, garlic, onions and carrots. On a frying pan, bring some olive oil to the heat and fry the bacon until golden. Remove it, then fry the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes and add the carrots. Continue to fry until soft and well browned, then remove from the pan. Deglaze the pan on high heat with a glass of red wine and reduce to a half. Then add the bacon back into the pan, followed by the chopped onions and carrots. When bubbling, add the plum tomatoes and rapidly chop them while tossing. Add the herbs and salt as necessary, then slowly continue to cook over very low heat.


Remove the dough from the fridge, and bit by bit flatten into sheets. Once a sheet is flattened, cut it into 3x3cm squares, and roll around a chopstick. Gently press and roll the ends of the chopstick onto a sushi bamboo mat to rivet the Garganelli, then place each piece aside. Do not overlap pieces on top of each other, or they will flatten.


In the meantime, the sauce should be ready. Add some water or milk if you need to prolong the cooking time and it gets too dry. Grate some Pecorino cheese, remove the sauce from the heat and mix it into it. Cover and let it rest.
Boil some water in a large saucepan, salt it and put the Garganelli into it. Let them cook for less than 2 minutes, then drain and mix them into an appropriate amount of sauce. Plate and serve hot.