Week One - That’s one Gold Star!
Originally published at Modern Domestic Geek. You can comment here or there.
So it was Day One of the Project. I decided to start off with a bang and go for a gold star. And I made it - all four dishes. I made Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak, Bean and Garlic Saute, Cheesy Poof and Cocoa Brownies, and did as Alton said and copied off the recipes before I started. Which is a brilliant idea - my books are still nice, and I have notes of what went on during cooking. I started off the afternoon making the brownies and then the Cheesy Poof because I knew I needed the same bowls to make that. Those went off without a hitch (except for me getting over eager and taking the brownies out of the pan too soon). Then came the cooking of the rest of the dishes - the main parts of dinner tonight. To say it was hectic was an understatement. One thing I did learn: When searing a steak, take the batteries out of the smoke detector. And while there were some failures and missteps, I think the meal for the most part was a success. Details after the break.
4 Dishes down, 204 to go.
The Recipe: Cocoa Brownies, page 298 Good Eats the Early Years
Dessert Dish
New Techniques: Sifting dry ingredients in the food processor. It actually made me realize that my food processor deserves the valuable counter space rather than my blender. But it went easy, I just need to use the bowl guide for my mixer. Also using parchment paper to line the pan is a brilliant idea when you don’t forget to leave the brownie in the pan for three minutes. And the last new thing - which is the thing that makes baking the Alton Brown way different - weighing the ingredients. I used the postal scale I use to weigh my yarn, and really, it made everything more precise. One of my sticks of butter did not actually weigh 4 ounces, it was actually 3.8. The only thing I wish it had were two decimal places, doing quarters of a ounce are going to be sketchy. Unless I figure out my grams to ounces, huh?
Snafus: See above regarding taking the brownie out of the pan. Granted - the Cheesy Poof was supposed to be removed immediately, so I think I got it mixed up, but that just shows I need to read the recipe closer while cooking.
Cooking notes: On Alton’s suggestion, I purchased an oven thermometer to see how my oven was temperature-wise. It has been telling me for a week that it’s 100 degrees hotter than what the dial says. So when I baked the brownies, I turned the oven down until the thermometer read the temperature it was supposed to be. And were the brownies done at the prescribed time? No - they needed 10 extra minutes. Hmmmm.
Family reaction: The Boys liked them. They really, really liked them. “Rich, but very good.” I have to agree on the rich part. I served them with ice cream, and they really needed it to cut the richness. But otherwise, it is a very good, chewy brownie.
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The Recipe: Cheesy Poof, page 114 I’m Just Here for More Food
Starch Dish
So what is Cheesy Poof? AB dedicated it to Cartman from Southpark, but it’s basically cheesy quickbread. We have leftovers, and I really can’t wait to fry some up like a grilled cheese sandwich.
New Techniques: Only the ones that I used in the previous recipes
Snafus: None - this one when off without a hitch. And the oven? Trusted my dial instead of the thermometer - and it came out perfectly at the prescribed time.
Cooking Notes: I grated the cheese by hand for this recipe. Now I’ve done it before, so it’s not really a new technique. Usually I just buy the grated cheese, but I decided to go old school today. And I hate my box grater. I need another way of grating cheese, because while I didn’t grate off the end of my fingers, that tool is just not that ergonomic. But other than that , it went together wonderfully. This used the Muffin Method, where you combine the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir only till the dry stuff is moistened. I’ve done this before, so it wasn’t a problem. And it was easy peasy, extra cheesy!
Family reaction: I think this was the winner of the main dinner - both of them liked it, and Dan went back for seconds. It was my favorite of the main meal as well.
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The Recipe: Pan-Seared Rib Eye Steak, page 14, Good Eats the Early Years
Protein Dish
New Techniques: None really - I’ve seared off meat and finished it in the oven before. And let it rest. Though, I did use a resting rack, as described by Alton on page 15 of Good Eats. And it worked, and if I had wanted to make a pan sauce - there were drippings at the bottom.
Snafus: The smoke alarm went off. Other than that, it went off without a hitch. Well…there was the shopping. See - I had intended to sear skirt steak, but after going to three different grocery stores, I couldn’t find skirt steak anywhere. My standby was the boneless Rib Eye, that Alton called for in this recipe. And that was only found at the third grocery store. Obviously, I need a butcher. Luckily, Sara told me about the one at the Farmer’s Market that’s only five minutes away. I’ll try there next time.
Family reaction: They liked it - Dan said it was good, and the Kid ate it all. I liked it - toward the end it seemed a little tough, but the first bites I had were awesome.
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The Recipe: Bean and Garlic Saute, page 134, I’m Just Here for the Food 2.0
Produce Dish
New Techniques: Blanching. Never did it before and that was the starting state for the green beans. Now I think I should have let them blanch longer than three minutes, because they were a touch too crisp. I must blanch again, though every time I think the word, I think Golden Girls or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Snafus: Oh god, the snafus. Well, I was trying to do this dish while searing off the steak, with the smoke alarm going on in the background. Was so distracted that I put the garlic in the oil before the beans and it burnt. Sigh. And I don’t think I sauteed them long enough, because I was so frazzled that I just wanted it to be over.
Cooking notes: The result of this dish is why I allowed myself the luxury of not having to cook every dish for a single meal. I think that if I would have done these right and been allowed to devote all my attention to them, they could have been really spectacular. Once they were in the bowl, I dressed them with red wine vinegar, and wow - that saved them from being horrid - I didn’t even notice the burnt garlic.
Family reaction: The boys were polite and ate them. No comments really, though I think the Kid said they were good.
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So, week one is over. 51 weeks to go. And I have one gold star. I’ve decided, that when I get five gold stars, I’m going get a waffle maker. It’s something I’ve been wanting but haven’t really been able to justify. As for the name of the project, I’m thinking simple - The Alton Brown Project. Or Experiment. Hmmmm…how about this? If someone can give me a better name, send it to me at moderndomesticgeek at gmail.com and if I choose your name, I will bake cookies for you and send them to you.