Culinary Foundations: The Five Tastes

When I was a student at New England Culinary Institute, I took a class called Taste and Flavor.  This class, taught by a 30 something, very intense, Frenchman named Andre, explored the principles of the basic tastes found in foods and how to build upon them to make a flavorful dish.

The five tastes;  sweet, salty, bitter, sour and the slightly less descriptive, umami (the savory flavor that makes a dish feel full flavored or 'meaty'), all contribute greatly to the success of a particular dish.  For most dishes, even many desserts, each of these fundamental tastes must be present for the dish to be successful.  This perfect balance is represented in many dishes ranging from a perfectly braised Italian Pork Shoulder to the best grilled hamburger recipes.

Sweet:  Of course this taste is found in many sweetened desserts.  However, this taste is also found in nicely seared meats, caramelized onions, many savory sauces such as a gastrique, and often in Asian foods.

Salty:  Salt is a taste that is ubiquitous in a wide variety of dishes.  Without this briny taste being present, many dishes leave you with the feeling of an unfinished product...lacking depth and complexity.

Bitter:  This taste is the perfect foil for a sweet and sour vinaigrette.  Dark greens provide a wonderful bitter flavor.  Coffee, cocoa and many beverages which are commonly sweetened are often bitter.  Bitter represents a food that is alkaline and often benefits from an acidic foil for balance such as spinach cooked with a splash of malt vinegar.

Sour:  Sour foods tend to 'liven the taste buds' by neutralizing the fats laying on the tongue.  Many fruits are sour, and make a great base for a palate cleanser.  Sour foods tend to be paired with fattier foods (sauerkraut with sausages, vinegar sprinkled on deep fried items).

Umami:  Umami often used to describe a taste containing a savory or meaty dish.  Of course many meats have a high level of umami buts so do mushrooms, soy based products, and shellfish.  This taste often provides that feeling of a mouthwatering, coating sensation over the tongue.

When preparing your next family meal, ask yourself if its a balanced dish.  Does your cream soup taste a little flat?...add a squeeze of lemon juice or vinegary Tabasco Sauce to bring out the flavors.  Next time your pot roast is missing the complexity of a world class dish, start your dish by browning the meat to caramelize the natural sugars in the dish.  Its all about balance.  Don't be afraid to practice with your dishes keeping these flavors in mind.  You will be pleasantly surprised.

Tuscan Rubbed Chicken

There was a recent article in the SJ-R about the wonderful Chicken Pot Pie available from Cafe Moxo titled Comfort Food.  You can view the article here.  It was a very nice article about a local chef/restaurateur couple and their now famous comfort dish.

This article got me thinking about what foods I find comforting and what that means to me.  To me, comfort foods evoke a memory of not just a well prepared meal (which certainly helps) but it must also connect the food on another level.  Did you mom always prepare chicken noodle soup when you were sick?  Maybe taco night was every Friday and your family would sit around the table after dinner playing board games.  Comfort foods are very unique to your own history and encompass your combined memory in many ways other than remembering just a great meal.

For me, comfort food is somewhat elusive.  I tend to remember only the best time I had a particular dish...everything about that dish was perfect, in my mind.  I vividly remember, as a culinary student in Vermont, driving down a small country road and coming across a farm stand selling strawberries.  These tiny strawberries were the most perfect examples of the berry I have ever seen.  Ripe and red colored all the way through, these berries were the absolute best I have ever tasted before and since.  They were eaten before I even made it home.  I feel I have spent the better part of the last decade searching for these perfect berries with no other strawberry even coming close.  I'm sure I have had wonderful tasting berries since but my mind's eye tells me they do not compare.

Aside from a personal context of the food item, the dish must be tasty.  The common thread that allows a dish to reach comfort status is fresh, recognizable flavors that, when combined create a memory that lasts.  This recipe for Tuscan Rubbed Chicken combines the traditional beauty of a perfectly roasted chicken with bold yet recognizable flavors.  While there are a few more steps to this dish than just plain roasted chicken, the steps will be worth it.  As with most of my recipes, you should have enough of this rub to last a few meals.  Freeze the unused portions for another use.

• 3 medium onions, large chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 bunches of fresh parsley
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 lemons, juiced and zested
• 1 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 4T cumin seed
• 4T coriander seed
• 4T black peppercorns
• 2tsp ground cinnamon
• 2tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 head of roasted garlic cloves

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until a relatively smooth paste is formed.  Transfer the paste to a large sauce pan and cook the rub over medium heat until reduced slightly and the raw onion taste and smell is gone.  Chill the rub completely before using.

Generously coat a roasting chicken with the rub.  Feel free to use a lot of the rub and make sure you have the seasoning completely coating the chicken.  Place the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 2 hours.  Roast the chicken breast side up in a 350 degree oven until the internal temperature of the bird is 165 degrees.  Remove from the oven and flip the bird onto the breasts to rest for 10 minutes.  Cut and serve with whatever accompaniments that make you feel comfortable.

Culinary Foundations: Knives and Knife Skills

When cooking a dish, just as when you are building any other item from scratch, you have to master a basic set of skills before you attempt to produce more complex methods.  Knowing the basics of cooking will greatly increase your confidence in the kitchen and will provide you and your guests a much safer environment.

I see most home cooks and many young (and not so young) chefs with poor knife skills.  I'm not referring to the knife skills used to make a perfect tourne potato or consistently cut julienne carrots, I am talking about the basics.  Proper basic knife skills is essential to not only professional chefs but also home cooks.  Your finished product will be of higher quality and the cooking experience will be more enjoyable due to higher efficiency and less injuries.  Take the time to learn some basics.  There are many great tutorials on the web such as this YouTube video from Cheftomm.

There are many different knives available on the market today.  Admittedly, I personally own upwards of 40 knives.  However, except for the most complex of operations, you really only need a few basic knives.  I use these four basic knives both at home and in a professional setting:

Chef's Knife-I use an 8'' Wustof Grand Prix knife.  This is a high quality professional knife that, with proper care, will last for years.  My Wustof knife is at least 10 years old.  Most people, especially macho young chefs, buy those 12 and 14 inch swords available and it is just too big.  A knife like that is harder to control and dangerous for all but the most skilled and larger chefs.  Put your pride away and go with an 8'' knife.

Bread/ Serrated Knife-Purchase a serrated knife that has relatively smooth serrations to ensure you have more control and a finer cut.  In my opinion, knives with really pointed and deep serrations are harder to control and tear the product...especially crusty breads.  This knife can also be used for slicing tomatoes or other products with soft skins and even softer flesh.

Paring Knife-Most people only need one size of paring knife.  The best paring knife for you will feel balance when holding it.  You will use this knife a lot so it needs to feel good.  Choosing the right paring knife is a personal decision that should not be taken lightly.

Boning Knife-I use a relatively cheap Victornox boning knife for a couple reasons.  Most importantly, I like the way it feels in my hand.  Secondly, it is easy to sharpen due to the relatively soft metal used in production (a boning knife needs to be very sharp) and the blade is incredibly flexible.  Regardless of the knife you choose, I suggest a knife no longer than 6 inches with a relatively thin, narrow blade.  I like a very flexible blade for this type of knife but this is a personal preference...As you gain skill, you may want to consider going with a more flexible knife.  I also keep a relatively stiff bladed knife for more robust applications where I might need a bit more leverage.

There are many, many different knives available that you may have the occasional use for but you should get by just fine in a kitchen if you manage the various uses of the above listed knives.  Who knows, maybe one day, I will use that 14'' scimitar knife I bought years ago.

Oven Dried Tomatoes...bruschetta too

I recently received a request to provide a recipe for Bruschetta Chicken.  Knowing that I dont have a specific recipe for what most people would identify specifically as Bruschetta Chicken, I remembered that I do have a recipe for Oven Dried Tomatoes.  I use the tomatoes that result from this recipe in numerous applications.  You have to be very patient with this recipe as you cannot rush the finished product.  Low and slow is the way to approach the cooking process but the end result will be a full flavored, versatile tomato that is great for added flavor in soups, sauces, relishes and even breads.

• 5 lbs plum tomatoes, cut in half from top to bottom
• 1oz balsamic vinegar
• 1oz extra virgin olive oil
• 4T chopped fresh thyme
• 4T chopped fresh parsley
• 2T chopped fresh garlic

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients to combine well.  Place the tomato halves on a sheet pan, skin side down.  Bake in the oven for approximately 3 hours.  You want to cook these until they are nearly dehydrated but not burned or totally dried out.  Bake them as long as your nerves will allow.  Cool completely prior to packaging these tomatoes.  Store in the fridge.

In colder months, I would absolutely use these tomatoes to make a rustic, more seasonally appropriate Bruschetta that would go great over a Pan Seared or Grilled Chicken Breast.  I would let the taste of the tomatoes guide me ultimately but would most likely start with a basic recipe for Oven Dried Tomato and Smoked Mozzarella Bruschetta similar to this:

• 1lb cooled Oven Dried Tomatoes, you can roughly chop them if you want but I think it would be cool to leave them the size they are.
• 8oz good quality smoked mozzarella, large diced
• 6 cloves of roasted garlic, smashed to a paste
• 2oz balsamic vinegar
• 1oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
• 1/4 cup of chives, cut into 1-inch sticks
• 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
• 1/4tsp of red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and a few cranks of fresh ground black pepper

Gently toss all the ingredients in a large bowl until just combined.  You want to keep the integrity of all the ingredients so toss gently.  Let the flavors meld for a few hours before you use.  If topping Grilled Chicken, place a good portion on the chicken a few minutes before it is cooked through.  Finish in a hot oven or under a broiler until the cheese is melted.

Good Luck!  Let me know how it works out!