Food

I made this brownie recipe from the NYT. The only change I made was to add a bit of salt (1/2 tsp larger-crystal kosher salt, in addition to the 1/2 tsp called for).

They're somewhat similar to the brownies I usually make; the main difference is that the unsweetened chocolate I usually use is replaced here with bittersweet. Since the amount of sugar isn't reduced, you might expect the brownies to be pretty sweet, and that's what happened. Personally, I prefer my brownies (and my chocolate) more chocolatey than sweet, so I'm not that excited by the recipe. Though I may try using brown sugar in my recipe (mine calls for 2c white sugar, instead of 1c of each) and reducing the eggs, as done here.

Posted by Mike Perkowitz at 09:05 PM | Permalink

I'm still looking for a good basic way to cook boneless chicken breasts that leaves them useful for leftover eating throughout the week. I had some breasts that were going to go past their prime soon, so I decided to do something simple and then figure out what to do with the cooked meat later. I mixed a handful each of fine kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper with a few handsful of flour, along with a bit of chili powder, and dredged each chicken breast in the mixture.

I heated olive oil to medium-high in a skillet, then seared the chicken on either side for 1-2 minutes (sprinkling with a bit more black pepper), then covered, reduced to medium, and cooked until done. The chicken came out pretty good, delicious when hot, and fairly moist, but as usual being a bit dry the next day for leftovers. Though part of the secret is just knowing when it's done -- cooking on the stovetop makes that aspect a little easier than baking in the oven at least.

Posted by Mike Perkowitz at 06:12 PM | Permalink

I've been experimenting with various cuts of beef and pork lately, trying to get something thin and tasty good for sandwiches in the banh mi tradition. I got some beef short ribs that were cut english style, which meant it wasn't too difficult for me to cut away the bone, and then try to slice the meat somewhat thinly. I marinated the strips in a mix of fish sauce, vinegar, sriracha, ginger, lemon grass, and maple syrup, and then grilled them on my grill pan at medium-high heat.

They taste really good, very flavorful, though when I went to grill the quantity of marinade kind of dulled the grill-pan effect. I should do dry rubs (probably brushing the pan with oil) or at least let them dry off a bit more. Some of the pieces were too thick to grill the way I wanted, and the pieces were fatty and a bit tough to chew. So, tasty but not really a success.

Posted by Mike Perkowitz at 06:12 PM | Permalink

For some reason, I suddenly developed a craving for some oatmeal cookies a few weeks ago. I wanted these oatmeal cookies to be excitingly flavorful, without relying on chocolate chips (which I usually put in oatmeal cookies; I detest raisins in baked goods¹), and to be thin and crispy rather than the usual thick and chewy hearty oatmeal cookie I produce. I just recently bought a coffee grinder to use for spices, and as I was stocking up on cumin, fennel, and anise seeds, a lightbulb went on over my head and I decided to try oatmeal and anise. I started with a recipe for crispy oatmeal cookies I found at foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients
3 sticks butter, softened
1 c golden brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
3 c oats
1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 tbsp coarsely ground anise seed

Directions
mix the butter and sugar until fluffy. mix in the egg and vanilla. in another bowl, mix the oats, flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. slowly add the dry mix to the butter and mix. drop large spoonsful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. let cool on pan for about 4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. recipe makes like a million cookies (should probably be cut by about 2/3 -- I based it on this other recipe that must be intended to feed entire platoons).

Verdict
at first I thought the cookies were too crispy, to the point of brittleness, but I just overcooked the first batch a little. the others came out better, thin (really thin) and crisp, but with a little flex and chewiness. the anise flavor is pretty good. I think the cookies could use something more to keep the palate entertained, something to complement the anise. not sure what that is. nuts? I don't think I want to push the cinnamon any more; cinnamon is so cliche. I also don't really want to take it in the pepper/ginger direction of my spicy brownies. salt? caramel? I'm not sure. they're pretty good as is though.

¹Except cinnamon-raisin bread, of course.

Posted by Mike Perkowitz at 09:38 PM | Permalink