How to process your seafood - Deboning fish

 Sorry, I have nothing to say, this is just to point you to this excellent youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcueSXGueJs&ab_channel=Epicurious 

Nothing to add but as you can see, make sure you have a good filleting knife. 

Oven Roasted Honey Glazed (Rack of) Pork Loin served with Pear/Apple Butter Sauce

 I have been cooking Pork Loin in a pan for quite a while, the results have been inconsistent, sometimes really good, sometimes a little too dry. This time time I am using a recipe from Chef Jean Pierre where he marinate the pork loin first, adding moisture to the pork loin, and then seared it in a pan and finished it in the oven with an internal temperature set  to 145-150F. The result was amazing! Last time I cooked it, I used a pork loin and use a pear butter. This time I cooked a Rack of Pork Loin and did make the apple, lemon butter sauce, it goes well with the portk. 

The recipe could be found here but I can not find it there anymore, I am glad I reproduced it below. The youtube version of it is still here.  

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For the Pork:

• 3 to 4 pound Pork Loin (I have used a Rack of Pork Loin!)
• 6 to 8 Garlic Cloves

For the Brine:

• 8 to 10 Juniper Berries crushed (I have used black pepper)
• Bay leaf (I have added thyme too)
• 3 to 4 Garlic Cloves crushed (I did not add any garlic to the brine)
• 8 cups approx. Cold Water
• 1/3 cup of Salt
• 1/3 cup of Brown Sugar

Prepare the Roast for Baking:

• 2 ounces of Clarified Butter or Vegetable Oil on a hot pan to sear the pork loin
• Black Pepper to season the Roast

Make the Savory Apple Puree:

• 2 ounces Sweet not salted Butter
• 2 Shallots minced
• 3 Granny Smith Apples peeled and cut into chunks in the juice is 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 2 more ounces Sweet Butter to add at the end

Make the Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons Acacia Honey
• 2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worchester Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

 

For the Pork:

• Using a paring knife, make incisions on top of the pork and insert the garlic cloves.

For the Brine:

• Mix all ingredients in a container big enough to accommodate the pork for 3 to 4 hours no more than 6 hours. In the fridge! 

Prepare the Roast for Baking:

Preheat Oven to 400°F / 205°C

• Season with the black pepper (NO SALT NEEDED) the roast on all sides.  Heat the clarified butter or a good cooking oil.  When hot add the roast and sauté on all sides until golden brown.  Bake in the oven until the internal temperature is 130°F / 55°C.  Brush the roast with the glaze and put back in the oven for another 10/15 minutes or until it reaches 145°F / 63°C (I raised the internal temperature to 150-155 F and it was good. 

Make the Savory Apple Puree:

• In a saucepan add some butter and when hot add the shallots and cook until light golden brown.  Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for a 15/20 minutes at a very low heat.  Add butter just before serving.  In a food processor, puree the apples until very, very smooth!  Add the butter as the end as needed! 

Make the Glaze:

• Mix all ingredients and taste for the right seasoning

Carne al sugo - Carne no molho de tomate

 I have used as a reference this recipe: https://blog.giallozafferano.it/letortedigessica/carne-al-sugo/

I must say, this is what I had in mind based on how my mom cooks, so this is very close a family recipe! I will post pictures later. 

Here are the ingredients translated from Italian to English:

1 kg beef (or pork, or mixed) 750 ml tomato puree 1 onion 1 carrot 1 stalk of celery Extra virgin olive oil, to taste 1/2 glass of red wine Basil, to taste 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Here are the instructions translated from Italian to English: **Preparation:** To prepare the MEAT SAUCE, start by finely chopping the onion, carrot, and celery. Then, sauté the mixture in a large pan with a generous amount of olive oil. After a few minutes, add the meat pieces and let them brown. **CHOOSING THE MEAT:** To prepare a mouthwatering MEAT SAUCE, you can use beef, pork, or a mix of both. You can also add pork ribs, pieces of sausage, meatballs, and Messina-style meat rolls. Deglaze with the wine, and when it has evaporated, add the tomato paste dissolved in the tomato puree. Stir and season the MEAT SAUCE with salt and basil leaves. Add about a glass of hot water and cover the MEAT SAUCE with a lid. Let it cook over low heat for approximately 2 hours. The meat should become tender, and the sauce will reduce. If needed, add a little water during cooking. **You can also use:** - In a PRESSURE COOKER: for about 60 minutes. - In a CROCK POT (slow cooker). In this case, do not add more water and use the SLOW function for 8 hours. **You can enhance the dish with peas and whole, peeled potatoes.** At the end of the cooking time, serve the MEAT SAUCE as a standalone dish. Use the sauce to dress pasta and serve the meat as a second course. You can also use the sauce to prepare BAKED PASTA.

French Bread / French Baguette

 I got this recipe from multiple videos but mainly from Richard Bertinet :

• This video shows actual recipe (but based on other videos he has published I have included more water on my proportions below!
• This is an older video that shows modeling of Epi! 
• This is a complete video showing his kneading technique 
• This one shows only dividing and shaping (but does not show Epi modeling)
• This one shows how to use a mixer to make your dough. 

The recipes above suggest resting the dough in the refrigerator for 16-24 hours, and that is what I did with very good results. 

• This recipe from Chef Patrick Ryan is way more complex, it would take 48 to 60 hours, yes...3 days to complete but the chef tells us that it is worth the wait. I need to try this one day. 
• This recipe from Seraphine Lishe uses Tangzhong/Yudane to trap moisture inside your bread for longer. I like her geeky approach to baking but need to try to let you know if it works! :)
• In any case, I think that making a poolish the day before (100% hydration or 1/2 water 1/2 flour and a small mouth of east) is a good alternative vs preparing the dough 24 hours in advance. For an explanation of differences of Poolish, Biga, Sponge, Pâte Fermentée check this video from ChainBaker channel He also has a good video on 12 Steps of Baking each of those fully described on this playlist. 
• Just as a reference, I want to point that we use commercial yeast but if we use a more complex yeast, we would be talking about sourdough bread, this site is an excellent reference for sourdough breads

Now let me give you the proportions: 

You can play with your own flour amount as far as you keep those proportions. To do that, use this link to open my original file, make a copy on your on google drive and then you can edit the proportions. 

Today I do not have time to write the instructions but if you watch the videos above you will know what to do. BTW, bake it at 240 C or 464 F (steamed oven)

My family really enjoyed the