Whatcha Got Cookin’?
Like everyone else in the world, the Heart Creative Team has been doing a lot of home cooking (and baking… and drinking…) during the quarantine. While we’re not all revered chefs like our Culinary Director Meg Scott, who just so happens to be co-author of the latest edition of The Joy Of Cooking (NBD), we still gave it our all. From homemade sauerkraut to batch cocktails, we’ve got four homespun recipes to keep you well fed, or at least occupied for an afternoon. Here’s what each member of Heart’s Creative Team has been cooking up over the past month or so in quarantine.
Homemade Sauerkraut
by L. Hawthorne: Videographer/Photographer/Babushka-In-Training
L’s Homemade Sauerkraut
Description
My whole life, fermentation seemed either like this ancient mysterious practice, or a mythical chemistry experiment that required lots of math and a perfectly sterilized clean room. Never did I imagine it was so simple and fast! Kimchi and Sauerkraut are my two go-tos, but I recently started a batch of fermented carrots, greens, and a honey mead! Next stop on the preservation adventure is candying—here’s looking at you, giant bag of lemons that I forgot what I bought you for…
Ingredients
- 1 head red cabbage, chopped into quarters with the hearts cut out (so emo)
- 1 cup red radishes, sliced into coins
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Here is where the math comes in, but it’s honestly pretty simple. You will need a kitchen scale for this though, so be forewarned. Lacto Fermentation occurs right around 1.5-2.5% salinity, so after you are done slicing and dicing your veggies, throw them all in a bowl (be sure to weigh just the empty bowl first) to get the weight of your veggies. Now multiply this amount by .02 and that’s how much salt you add. Simple, right?
- Weigh out that amount of salt, pour it in the bowl and massage those veggies. This will take about 10 minutes. You want to feel the cabbage start to soften and relax.Next, grab a sanitized large fermenting jar with an airlock, or a mason jar (you will need to burp these twice a day), and pack your salty veggies in. And when I say pack, I mean grab a rolling pin and press those veggie bois down to the bottom of the jar. Don’t be afraid to use a heavy hand-you want to squeeze out as many air gaps as possible.
- Finally, put the lid on your jar and place it in a dark spot for about 6-8 hours. At this point your sauerkraut is going to start releasing lots of water. Go on and give it another packing with the rolling pin.
- After 10 hours the level of the liquid in the jar should cover the top of the veggies. If it doesn’t, go mix up a 2% salt-to-water solution and pour in just enough so the tops of the veggies are covered.
- Now you wait! Feel free to grab some chopsticks and taste it every day until it’s to your liking (mine takes usually 2-4 days), then throw it in the fridge and voila! You have just successfully made your own batch of homemade sauerkraut.
Batch Martini
by Danguole Lekaviciute: Creative Director
I used to preach the virtues of batching cocktails for gatherings—just like make-ahead recipes, they allow you be the host(ess) with the most(ess) and actually enjoy yourself instead of sweating over your cocktail station all night. That scenario seems like an entirely different planet now, BUT the allure of keeping a batch of premixed, ready-to-pour cocktail in your freezer has a whole new appeal in the age of sheltering in place.
Even if you live alone and *just want one,* a properly made martini means breaking out the barware: a mixing glass, jiggers, mixing spoons, and strainers that all need to be hand-washed when you’re done. Sometimes that’s all that stops me from making myself a lil’ nightcap—mama still has long days and she tired.
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Danguole’s Batch Quarantini
Description
All it takes to make a big batch of cocktails is a little measuring and a little math to figure out how much water to add. (Yes, your cocktail needs water!) Shaking and stirring will dilute a drink about 20% and 12-15% by volume, respectively. So we add all the ingredients to get their total volume, multiply by .2 or .15(ish) and add *that* volume of water to the other ingredients, then work backwards to scale it up. The following martini “recipe” makes about 8 generous martinis, is simplified for even measurements, and dare I say, hella delicious:
Ingredients
- 1 750ml bottle Gin (I love Beefeater for classic pine-in-the-face vibes and Martin Miller for citrusy, elegant ones)
- 6.5 oz Dry Vermouth (I like Noilly Prat)
- 3.5 oz Water
- Orange bitters (Angostura is great too but I can’t find mine?)
- Olives or lemon peel, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Take a 750mL bottle of gin and remove 10 ounces. Save this for later!
- Add 6.5 oz of dry vermouth to the bottle.
- Into 3.5 oz of water, add 10 dashes orange bitters. Add that water to the bottle.
- Put the cap back on, turn it over a couple of times to combine, and stick it in the freezer. In a few hours it’ll be real cold and ready for showtime—just pour 3-ish ounces into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish if you fancy, and pair with your favorite quaran-tivity.
- Cheers and hang in there, sweet chickens!
Almost Great-British-Baking Cardamom Chelsea Buns
by Leigh Nishi-Strattner: Lead Copywriter, Production Assistant
Like much of America (and the rest of the world) I have been spending my quarantine stress baking, stress sewing, stress cooking and, when all of that has proven too stressful, stress binge-watching the Great British Baking Show. What exactly have I been stress baking, you ask? Batches and batches of a hybrid sweet bun, part Swedish Kardemummabullar (or cardamom bun) and part British Chelsea Bun.
If you’re not a dedicated GBBO stan like I am, you might not be familiar with Chelsea Buns. These yeasted, spiced buns appear almost every season on GBBO. White-walker-eyed judge Paul Hollywood even has his own recipe. A traditional Chelsea Bun is a currant bun made with rich yeasted dough and flavored with lemon peel, cinnamon and mixed spice. The Chelsea Bun was first baked in the 18th century at the Bun House in Chelsea, an establishment favoried by Hanoverian royalty before it was demolished in 1839. Modern Chelsea Buns feature ingredients like mixed peel, toasted nuts, and a variety of spices. In appearance, Chelsea Buns look much like a tray of un-frosted cinnamon rolls. Their soft spirals are delicately puffed (thanks to the active yeast), lightly glazed, and studded with gorgeous dried fruits and spices.
This recipe is the result of much trial and error, and we’ve come a long way from the first batch of Kardemummabullar that were, due to some sadly inactive yeast, hard as a sheet tray of hockey pucks. My favorite part of this recipe is that there’s still room to experiment. Every week is a chance to try out a different filling, from homemade glaceed orange peels (a recipe for another day) to toasted pecans and dates. I’ll list some of my favorite filling combinations below:
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Toasted pecan, dried cranberry, glaceed orange peel, nutmeg
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Toasted pecan, toasted walnut, currant, date
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Glaceed yuzu peel, cinnamon
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Glaceed lemon peel, dried apricot, toasted pecan
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Glaceed mixed peel (buddha hand, lemon, orange + yuzu), cinnamon
Cardamom Chelsea Buns
Description
The Chelsea Bun recipe I’ve cobbled together is, as I said, part Swedish cardamom bun and part British Chelsea bun, but done all in American cups and teaspoon measurements, because I’m a rude American who doesn’t own a kitchen scale or understand conversions from grams, sorry.
Ingredients
Buns:
- 4 cups strong plain white bread flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (aka powdered sugar)
- ½ stick butter (I always use salted butter, no matter what the recipe says. Sue me.)
- ¼ oz sachet active yeast
- 3 tbsp cardamom powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup lukewarm milk (alternative milk is fine, but I’d suggest a fuller-fat option for richer flavor and consistency)
Filling:
- 6–7 tbsp butter
- 1 cup dried fruits + toasted nuts, dealer’s choice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cardamom
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Glaze:
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Swedish pearl sugar (to finish)
Instructions
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Put the milk and butter in a small pan and heat gently to just melt the butter––if it is hot rather than warm, set it aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk the flour and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
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Whisk the yeast into the flour mixture, then gently pour in the warm milk and butter (no need to wash the pan) and the egg. Stir to combine into a soft dough, then mix in the citrus zest, spice and salt.
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Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead well for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. (Note: if you’re lucky enough to have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, put that baby to work!) When dough is nice and elastic, turn it into a greased bowl, cover and leave in a draught-free place until doubled in size (one to two hours). Grease a tin about 27cm square. A little hack – if you need your dough to prove in a hurry, stick it in the oven with just the light on and the door closed.
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Punch down the dough on a lightly floured surface, then roll it into a rectangle, roughly 25x35cm, making sure the longer side is facing you. Using a pastry brush or clean fingers, smear the butter across the surface, then scatter evenly with your filling mixture.
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Heres where the magic happens: Press the long end nearest you down on the work surface, then grab the other long end and roll it towards you as tightly as possible. (The tighter the roll, the more crescent shape you will achieve.) Using a sharp knife, and pressing down on the roll of dough as little as possible, cut into nine pieces. Note: you can also use a piece of clean, unflavored waxed floss or wire to cut the dough evenly.
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Arrange your little buns in the tin, evenly spaced out and not too close to each other or the edges, then cover ‘em again and leave them to prove until they are touching each other (about 30-45 minutes.) Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/400F.
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Bake your buns for 20-25 minutes until golden, covering with foil if the fruit starts to burn at any point. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Warm the milk in the same small pan you used to melt the butter in, and dissolve the caster sugar in it. When the buns come out of the oven, brush immediately with this glaze and scatter with the Swedish pearl sugar. Allow to cool before tearing apart.
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Brew a pot of tea, a French press or some espresso. These buns are best eaten on the day they’re made, but they will keep in an airtight container for a week or so.
Home Woodfired Sourdough Pizza
by Nick Faiello: Photographer
Like everyone else with access to the internet, I’ve used our current circumstances to get really into sourdough. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a very happy, bubbling sourdough starter from our gracious Culinary Director, Meg Scott—which I then proceeded to nearly kill and, consequently, had to nurse back to life.
Fast forward a few weeks, with a happy, bubbly starter in hand, my roommates and I invested in a small, wood-fired pizza oven. Unlimited pizza? Any toppings we want? Pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? This thing basically pays for itself. There’s just one catch—sourdough is finicky, and pizza making takes a lot of finesse. So, from my short career as an amateur pizzaiolo, here are my top 3 tips for prepping a pretty okay sourdough pizza:
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A good dough takes time and, most importantly, patience. We followed the dough recipe from Roberta’s in Bushwick, Brooklyn. This recipe is relatively easy to follow—however, we opted to go for a full naturally leavened dough by omitting the packaged yeast. Rest is key during this process (for you and the dough—pizza making is hard work).
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Make a sauce that leans more on the acidic side. Why acidic? We like rich toppings in our house, and a little bit of acid goes a long way to balance that out. I recommend following Joe Beddia’s recipe from Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia—it’s a no cook recipe, so it’s super simple and you have zero chance of burning your hand—bonus!
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Flour. Every. Surface. I’m talking tables, pizza peel, your hands, your dog. As I said before, the dough can be finicky and flour is your best friend while you’re getting up close and personal.
Once you’ve got your pies all prepped and ready to go, heat up your oven to (basically) as high as it can go and bake that sucker to your liking (we like ours with a nice charred crust). Take one bite and realize that two days of prep work just might have been worth it. Oh, and the attached image is the best pizza I have made to date. I made it while listening to The Godfather theme music. Make of that what you will.