Learn How to Sear | Rouxbe Online Cooking School

Learn how to sear in the Rouxbe Online Cooking School.

Searing is what gives many roasts, stews, braised dishes and even certain types of seafood that gorgeous, rich color and sweet flavor.

It is a common mistake to use the terms pan-searing and pan-frying interchangeably. While searing is somewhat similar to pan frying, it is generally done over higher heat and is used to quickly brown the surface of foods without cooking them internally. In this lesson, you will learn how searing works. You will understand when to sear foods and how to sear on the stove top so you can add intense flavor and color to your cooking.

Happy Cooking!

The Rouxbe Cooking School Team.

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Lesson on Determining the Quality of Chocolate

If you have followed this blog, you will know that I absolutely love chocolate. Today is an exciting day for me at Rouxbe, as we released the first lesson on CHOCOLATE in the Cooking School.

Many people don't even know where chocolate comes from and the amount of careful work it takes to it get from bean to bar. What is really sad, is that a lot of people don't know what quality chocolate even is...they are used to mass-produced chocolate made from low-grade cocoa beans which is also loaded with artificial ingredients. Once you watch the lesson on the Basics of Quality Chocolate, you'll be able to pick up a package and understand what a label really means.  

If you aren't already a Rouxbe member, make sure to sign up for your 30-day free trial.

Happy Chocolate Eating!

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Grilled South American Beef Tenderloin

When we traveled to South America, we encountered many different and scrumptious cuts of beef. Uruguayans take their beef very seriously. They recently set a Guinness world record, hosting the largest barbeque (a.k.a. parrillada in Spanish).

One of the highlights of our Uruguayan visit was experiencing a full-on parrillada that Marcelo's uncle hosted. I loved how the whole family came together on a moment's notice. It's not very often that you get to have a whole calf served in your honor. Barbeque in Uruguay can be thrown together at any place anytime.

  

The following picture was taken at the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo. They were just gearing up for the lunch crowd.

We really enjoyed the following cut of beef tenderloin in Uruguay. It's difficult to find this type of cut here, but it's easy to prepare yourself. Rather than cutting steaks against the grain, they are cut along the grain. This maximizes the amount of surface area that comes into contact with the grill. Once the steaks are cooked, the bite-sized pieces are then cut across the grain, ensuring a very tender piece of meat. Fat always adds great flavor and I found that you're able to keep more on each piece, if desired.

Tagged as: [ beef culinary recipes uruguay ]

How to Roast Nuts

Roasting any kind of nut enhances its flavor and gives it a wonderful crunch. It's easy to do. You just need to be careful so you don't over-roast them and turn them bitter. Preheat your oven to 300 170ºF and lay the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. I am using almonds here. Place the nuts in the oven for 10 minutes, shaking the pan periodically. Check the nuts after 10 minutes by cutting one in half to see if the color inside has changed. If you are using smaller nuts, check them before 10 minutes has elapsed to make sure they don't roast too quickly. Taste them to see if you like them. After all, that is most important.

Put the nuts in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes and check again. You may have to do this a few times until you get the desired color. Once the nuts are roasted enough, remove them from the baking sheet to a cooler surface or they will continue to cook from the residual heat in the baking sheet. Here you can see the roasting progression from a raw almond to a fully roasted one.

Roasted nuts make for a quick and healthy snack, and they give all desserts added flavor.

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Update: Dawn, over at Rouxbe, prompted me (see comments below) to dig a little further on the benefits/harm of roasting nuts. Here is an excellent resource on the web for the World's Healthiest Foods. It appears that nuts should be slow-roasted at lower temperatures. Roasting nuts quickly at high temperatures (over 170ºF) can cause a breakdown of their healthy fats, but roasting at low temperatures will take substantially longer. Thanks, Dawn for the info! It's true - shortcuts in the kitchen don't always produce better results

Tagged as: [ basics howto tips ]

Chocolate Series | Piping Chocolate Decorations

Once you know how to fold a paper cone, piping decorations using chocolate can be a lot of fun. Half fill the paper cone with tempered chocolate and snip the tip off with scissors. Snip less of the tip off to achieve a finer thread/stream of chocolate, or more to obtain a thicker one. It is best to snip off a little at a time until you obtain the result you want.

Secure a large piece of clean parchment to a working surface by weighing the corners down so it doesn't slip around. Begin to pipe, keeping the top part of the paper cone folded at all times so that the chocolate doesn't ooze out of it. Apply even pressure, while bearing in mind that the heat from your hands could throw the chocolate out of the tempered range. This is one of the reasons that it is best to work with small amounts at a time, ensuring you only handle it for short periods.

Fine piping takes lots of practice. Here I am messing around to show that anything can be done. These aren't the fanciest decorations, but once set, these can be stood upon or stacked on any kind of dessert to give an added touch.

Here is a close-up to show that well-tempered chocolate does contract as it sets. The edges of the decoration actually lift off of the paper. If you want to prevent a decoration from curling, you will need to place something of a suitable and even weight on top of it. Don't do this until the chocolate has set though, or you will mush your design. Once set, cover it with a piece of parchment, and apply a light weight on top overnight. Chocolate can take up to 24 hours to fully set/contract, so don't be tempted to take the weight off early. This applies to all things chocolate that you want to keep flat.

Obviously, the finer the piping, the more fragile the decorations will be. Once the paper cone is empty of chocolate, dispose of it. It cannot be re-used.

Related posts:

• Chocolate Series | How To Dip Chocolates by Hand
  
• Chocolate Series | How To Temper Chocolate
• Where to Find Pastry and Chocolate-Making Supplies
• Chocolate Series | The Simplest Way to Finish the Simplest Truffles
• Chocolate Series | How to Make a Simple Ganache
• Cleaning Up Hardened Chocolate The Easy Way

Tagged as: [ basics chocolate decorations howto pastry piping techniques temper tips ]