Making Gravlax
One of the things I was thankful for this Thanksgiving was the four days I had free to experiment with food. While I was shopping for supplies, I came across a sale on Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon at Metropolitan Market in Tacoma. Since I have been in a Jewish Deli state of mind lately, why not make my own gravlax for the bagels and cream cheese? It is so quick and easy to make!
Ingredients:
2 lbs Wild Alaskan salmon fillet (No, farmed salmon is a NOT a good substitute)
1 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup organic sugar
1 bunch dill (about 3 oz)
Application:
In a medium sized bowl, mix the salt and sugar together and set aside. Place plastic wrap on the bottom of a baking pan or dish, making sure that there is enough plastic wrap to cover the salmon a couple times. Lay the salmon, skin side down on the plastic wrap and cover the salmon with the dill. Completely cover the salmon and dill with the salt/sugar mixture and tightly cover the salmon with the plastic wrap. Set a plate on top of the plastic wrap to help remove the moisture from the salmon and accelerate the curing process. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours, depending on the thickness of the salmon. After the salmon has cured, remove the salmon from the plastic wrap. At this point, rinse off the salt and dill from the salmon and dry it off with a paper towel. My favorite way to eat gravlax is to slice it thinly and serve it with bagels, red onions and cream cheese.
Notes from the Lab 2 (Duck, Pizza Dough and Scones)
Disclaimer: These are things I learned while working in the Lab this weekend. These are just my thoughts and results of my food “research.” They are not recipes, but they often develop into recipes later on.
Duck breast: I know better than to shop at grocery stores, including Whole Foods, if I want the best meats. However, I am addicted to the convenience of just stopping by the store and grabbing what I want, when I want it. Anyway, I was in a hurry to make duck prosciutto and I knew that Whole Foods would have organic duck breast available. I ran into the store, grabbed a frozen package, and I was ready to go. To my dismay, after the duck breasts defrosted I discovered my package contained the thinnest duck breasts I have even seen. (By the way, I am struggling to take the high road and keeping my comments clean…) Sadness ensued… I know that this was totally my fault for not planning and sourcing my meat ahead of time. Next time, I will order Moulard duck breast from my friends at Rain Shadow Meats. Say it with me now! For the best results, buy the best ingredients! Of course I am not wasting the duck breast, that would be a sin. It will just be my testing sample. The duck breast was covered in Kosher salt, dried thyme, and cracked juniper berries and is hanging in my curing chamber for about seven days. Of course I will share the results when it is done.
Pizza dough: I learned two “new to me” concepts, Baker’s percentage and the hydration rates (flour to water) of different doughs. While I have always been happy with the flavor of my pizza dough in the past, I could not get the dough thin enough without using a rolling pin. When I looked at the recipe of my dough, I discovered that the hydration rate was 61 percent. Not bad, but pizza dough for Neapolitan pizza is normally at 65-70 percent hydration. When I added more water to my recipe, I was able to “window pane” the dough for the first time and keep the polling pin on the shelf. I am going play with this for a while.
Scones: Not bad in taste, but I really want a darker outside without drying or burning them up. Any tips? Baking is my worst fear…
