Back in the Kitchen

It's been a while since I posted anything on here. It's definitely been a strange few weeks.

I started at Hawksworth a few weeks ago, and it was incredibly exciting. Every day, I was learning something new, tasting delicious food, and just soaking in everything about opening a restaurant. The days were really long, and I would come home exhausted, but really happy.

I was working nights for the first two weeks, and I eventually got assigned to be the assistant for the hot appetizer station at dinner. There was some great food on that station, like scallops in house-made XO sauce and sweetbreads cooked in bacon fat and maple syrup, so I was looking forward to learning all those dishes. But somehow things would never quite work out and I would end up helping with some other job or station, so it was a little bit frustrating at times, feeling like I wasn't really learning the station I was assigned to and thus not really feeling like I was doing a good job.

I was still really enjoying the whole experience, until the second night of soft openings when Chef Hawksworth talked to me and told me that I was going to not be working for a few weeks. I had been assigned to be one of the breakfast cooks and to save on labour costs, the restaurant wasn't going to serve breakfast until closer to the hotel opening, scheduled for some point later in the summer. It was a bit of a blow. I had always kind of expected to be assigned to breakfast, but I had gotten so used to working at night and with the team at night, who are pretty amazing cooks, and the prospect of not working for a few weeks had me a little disappointed.

It ended up working out not so badly. I worked a number of Canucks playoff games, which are always a lot of fun, and I went to bartending school on my days off, which was something I had been thinking about doing anyway. I also got more used to the idea of breakfast and the perks that went along with that - getting my own station instead of being someone's assistant and thus getting to actually cook instead of doing prep all day, and also getting to enjoy the summer at little bit since I'd be done work in the early afternoon.

So yesterday was my first day back in the Hawksworth kitchen after three and a half weeks away. It felt really good to be back. And things are pretty exciting - we're learning the breakfast menu and experimenting with new recipes. It also feels good to actually be working. It's strange how different life is when you don't have a job - free time is great, but having less of it makes you appreciate it more I guess. The only downside is starting work at 5am. I am definitely not used to that yet. I probably won't really ever be used to it.

We have our first brunch service this weekend, nothing next week, brunch again next weekend, and then we are open for breakfast every day starting next Monday. I'm looking forward to all of it.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

These are my new favourite cookies. They are buttery and crumbly and really easy to make.


Mexican Wedding Cakes
Adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe
Yield: 3 dozen
Print recipe

1 1/2 cup pecans
1 1/2 cup flour
3/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup icing sugar

1. In a food processor, combine pecans, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.


2. Add butter and pulse until a dough forms.


3. Shape dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.


4. Preheat oven to 325F.


5. Remove dough from refrigerator. Pinch off about 1 tbsp of dough and roll into balls. Place on parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.


6. Bake about 20 minutes or until the cookies are just golden at the edges.


7. Cool for 5 minutes on sheets, and then cool completely on racks.


8. Roll cooled cookies in icing sugar twice to coat thoroughly.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Today was my first official day at Hawksworth. Basically, it was just a safety orientation because the hotel is still a construction zone. We actually had to wear hard hats throughout the session, and we got scolded from some of the construction guys for not having steel-toed shoes. We got to see the kitchen, which is looking good. Lots of nice, new equipment. The pans are all Le Creuset, pretty and blue. The team is really young, and I know a couple of people, which is a bit of a relief. We get to start in the kitchen tomorrow, testing recipes and whatnot, while they assess our skill sets to figure out where we'll work when the restaurant opens. I wasn't too excited before because I was so nervous, but now that I've seen the kitchen and the people and the menu, I'm definitely starting to get into it more.

Anyway, I had most of the day off, so I figured I should do some cooking at home. I haven't been baking too much and I kind of had a craving for something sweet, so I started looking up some cookie recipes. I was thinking about the Brussels cookies from Pepperidge Farm that I used to eat when I was a kid (there were mint Brussels back then), and decided I wanted chocolate mint cookies. No one seems to have any recipes to replicate the Brussels cookies, so a quick google search on chocolate mint cookies took me to Oprah's recipe for her version of the Girl Guide chocolate mint cookies, which I also love. Perfect.

They have a very similar taste to the Girl Guide cookies, but I didn't coat them in chocolate (too lazy), so it's missing a bit of charm. They also spread a lot more than I anticipated, so perhaps next time, I would make the log a little bit smaller, probably more like 1 inch.


Chocolate Mint Cookies
Adapted from this Oprah recipe
Yield: 3 dozen
Print recipe

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
5/8 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract

1. Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl of food processor or stand mixer. Mix to combine.


2. Add butter. Mix until butter is combined. Mixture will not come together.


3. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and peppermint and mix until dough comes together.


4. Remove dough from bowl and shape into a 1-inch wide log.


5. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


6. Preheat oven to 350F.


7. Remove dough from refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch discs and place on parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.


8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on racks.


9. Can also be coated in tempered chocolate.

Spinach and Tomatoes with Paneer

My mom was in town for a visit and of course we did some Indian cooking while she was here. One night, we made a vegetarian dinner that included spinach and tomatoes with paneer. We used an updated paneer recipe from Vij's second book, and it is actually a lot better in both texture and taste than the recipe I previously posted.

Spinach and Tomatoes with Paneer
Adapted from Vij's At Home
Yield: 4-6 servings, as a side dish
Print recipe

1/3 cup vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 can diced tomatoes, liquid removed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
5 cloves
1 tsp cayenne pepper
10 oz paneer, cut into bite-size cubes
3 bunches fresh spinach, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat for 1 minute.


2. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.


3. Stir in tomatoes.


4. Add salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cloves, and cayenne. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the oil glistens on top.


5. Stir in paneer and spinach and mix well.


6. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Paneer
Adapted from Vij's At Home
Yield: 10 oz
Print recipe

1/2 cup water
2L whole milk
1/4 cup white vinegar

1. Place water in a large heavy-bottomed pan.


2. Slowly add milk.


3. Turn the heat to medium and bring the milk to a boil. This will probably take about 20 to 30 minutes.


4. As the milk nears the boiling point, watch it very carefully with vinegar in hand.


5. The milk will start to rise in the pot. Once it has risen 3 inches, turn off the heat.


6. Swirl in the vinegar (do not stir in). The milk will stop rising, and solids will begin to separate from the liquid. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes until the liquid is completely separated from the solids.


7. Line a fine-mesh sieve with triple-layered cheesecloth and place it in the sink.


8. Strain the milk mixture through the cheesecloth, leaving the paneer in the sieve for about 15 minutes to drain completely.


9. Using your hands, gather the edges of the cheesecloth, bringing them together above the paneer. Enclose paneer tightly in the cheesecloth by twisting the gathered edges against the paneer to seal out any air. Tie the gathered ends into a double knot.


10. Place wrapped paneer on a large plate with a weight on top to flatten the paneer to about 2 inches thick, pressing out any remaining water. Allow paneer to sit for 1 hour.


11. Unwrap paneer and place on clean plate. With a large sharp knife, cut paneer as desired.


12. Can be used right away or can be kept, uncut and tightly sealed, in plastic wrap or resealable plastic bag, refrigerated for up to 4 days.

P.S. Happy Birthday D!
P.P.S I start at Hawksworth tomorrow - SO nervous!

Ricotta

At Raincity Grill, one of the first things I learned was that you can make ricotta. And that it's super easy.

We made paneer at home a while back and it's actually very similar. Basically, all you do is take some whole milk and buttermilk, warm it up until the milk solids separate, and then strain. It turns out more dry than the ricotta you can buy in the store (though apparently you can control the consistency of the cheese by the length of time you drain it - for a drier ricotta drain for 15 minutes or more, for a ricotta that is a bit creamier, drain for less). It's also somewhat bland so you need to season it with salt for savoury applications, but I think it's really fun to make, and tasty too.

I used the cheese in a spinach and ricotta cannelloni, but I wasn't very happy with how it turned out, so I'll perfect the cannelloni recipe before I post it.

Ricotta
Yield: 500mL
Print recipe

2L whole milk
2 cups buttermilk

1. Place milk and buttermilk in a large heavy-bottomed pan.


2. Turn the heat to medium. After 10 to 15 minutes, the solids will start to separate from the liquid.




3. Once the mixture reaches 175F, turn off the heat.


4. Line a fine-mesh sieve with triple-layered cheesecloth and place it in the sink.


5. Strain the milk mixture through the cheesecloth, leaving the ricotta in the sieve for about 15 to 20 minutes to drain completely.




6. Season to taste. Can be used right away or can be kept, in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Rabbit with Mustard

When we were at Cioffi's the other day, we also bought a whole rabbit. I think I've eaten rabbit once before, in Quebec, when I was younger, but I didn't really remember it, so I was excited to try it again, and cook it myself.

I opened up the package, slightly surprised to find a whole rabbit, so I had to butcher the rabbit myself. I didn't really have any idea what I was doing, but I managed to cut it into six reasonable pieces, four legs and two loins. I braised the meat, and while the sauce was really delicious, the meat ended up somewhat tough. I don't know exactly how it's supposed to be, but I think it could definitely be more moist. I'll have to try it again.


Rabbit with Mustard
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Yield: 2 servings
Print recipe

1 rabbit, cut into 6-8 pieces
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion or shallot, chopped
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Mix the dijon mustard and thyme leaves in a small bowl.


2. Generously brush it over each piece of rabbit. Season with salt and pepper.


3. In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat.


4. Add the rabbit pieces and lightly brown on both sides.


5. Remove meat and reduce heat to medium-low.


6. Add the onions or shallots to the pan and cook until lightly browned, 1 or 2 minutes.


7. Add wine, stock, and cream. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.


8. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.


9. Return rabbit to pan, cover, and cook gently until tender but still moist, about 45 minutes.


10. Remove rabbit from sauce, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce until sauce is reduced to about 2 cups.


11. Add parsley, chives, and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Brioche

I've always wanted to make brioche. It's a rich, egg-y, delicious bread, and perfect for French toast.


Brioche
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Yield: 1 loaf
Print recipe

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1/3 cup whole milk, warmed to 105F-115F
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup butter, softened

1. Combine the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.


2. Add the all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, remaining milk, and salt. Mix on low speed.


3. Gradually stir in the bread flour. Mix until all ingredients are blended.


4. Knead with the dough hook on low to medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.


5. Add butter and knead vigorously until butter is completely incorporated and the dough is once again smooth.


6. Transfer dough to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (75F-80F) until doubled in volume, about 90 minutes.


7. Punch the dough down, knead briefly, and refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 12 hours.


8. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and let rest for 10 minutes.


9. Stand the balls in a buttered loaf pan so they are touching.


10. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, and dough fills the pan, about 1 hour.


11. Preheat the oven to 375F.


12. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 minutes.


13. Let cool slightly, then move loaf to a rack to cool completely.