Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

This is a delicious cornbread recipe that will make for a great side dish. Pair with a rack of ribs like I did in my 72 Hour Sous Vide Ribs or with a hearty soup like chili. Whatever the occasion this simple and cheap cornbread recipe will be sure to impress. An easy twist on a classic Americana recipe. 

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 cups of yellow cornmeal 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions

Place 12" cast iron skill in oven and pre-heat the oven to 450°F

First, slice the top off the jalapeno and seed. Then slice 6 jalapeno rings to top the cornbread with, medium dice the rest of the jalapeno. Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk the egg and buttermilk together, then mix in with the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the jalapeno's and 1 cup of shredded cheddar, do not over mix. 

Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and carefully butter the pan (on the bottom and the sides). Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet, top with jalapeno rings and the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (toothpick should come out dry when cornbread is poked). It should be brown on the top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet. 

PolyScience, Sous Vide & Quesadilla Burger...Oh my!

These past 2 weeks have been very exciting, I've partnered up with the great people over at PolyScience and I received two new toys to show off! When I saw the email, I seriously felt like a little kid Christmas morning. I've been really getting into Sous Vide cooking and cooking technology in general. PolyScience is the mecca of modernist cuisine cooking equipment, they make the best stuff from Sous Vide equipment to the Anti-Griddle™ (Which, unlike a conventional griddle, freezes food at -30 degrees F), to the Rotary Vacuum Evaporator...seriously their website looks like a distributor for a scientific lab rather than kitchen supplies. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out I was going to be working with them and receiving a CREATIVE Series Immersion Circulator and The Smoking Gun.

Immersion Circulator

The Smoking Gun

"With a wide array of cutting edge products, Philip Preston, President of PolyScience is inventing culinary technology that helps chefs to find new ways of expressing their creativity. His passion for futuristic kitchen gear has also captured the attention of America's top chefs, like Grant Achatz at Chicago's Alinea. With the impulse of Chef Achatz, Philip developed the Anti-Griddle. He never expected to build more than two units: one for Chef Achatz and one for himself. However, the excitement from other great chefs and the attention of the Food Network's Award for Culinary Technology made it a big hit in the world of culinary creative."

Sous Vide Professional™

Before we get into the actual machine, lets talk about the history of Sous Vide. The method, first described by Sir Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) in 1799, was re-discovered by American and French engineers in the mid-1960s as an industrial food preservation method. The method was adopted by Georges Pralus in 1974 for the Restaurant Troisgros (of Pierre and Michel Troisgros) in Roanne, France. He discovered that when foie gras was cooked in this manner it kept its original appearance, did not lose excess amounts of fat and had better texture. Another pioneer in sous-vide is Bruno Goussault, who further researched the effects of temperature on various foods and became well-known for training top chefs in the method. As chief scientist of Alexandria, Virginia-based food manufacturer Cuisine Solutions, Goussault developed the parameters of cooking times and temperatures for different foods.

What is Sous Vide??

Sous Vide is a cooking method in which food is vacuum sealed in a plastic pouch and then cooked at a gentle temperature in a precisely controlled water bath. Compared to other cooking methods, it provides more control and allows for perfect, repeatable results every time. It is easy to learn and takes the stress out of cooking, because food can be held at a perfect level of doneness for a much longer time than usual methods allow.

What are the nutritional benefits of sous vide cooking??

Food cooked sous vide retains as much of the integrity and important nutrients as possible. Since they will not be lost to cooking liquids and the temperature is lower than with traditional techniques, more nutrients remain in the food. Fats in meats and fish, which can be easily damaged at high temperatures in the presence of oxygen, remain un-oxidized, intact, and more healthful.

How is Sous Vide beneficial for the home chef??

Sous vide eliminates all the stress and worries of overcooking because this technique offers a much greater window of forgiveness. With sous vide, overcooking is nearly impossible. It eliminates the guesswork! Perfect control guarantees that results turn out perfect every time. That gives even the less-experienced cook a chance to cook a perfect medium-rare steak or delicate fish filet. The Sous Vide Professional™ also allows preparing meals in advance and enjoying home cooked meals, without compromising quality, even on busy days.

Can you cook an entire meal Sous Vide??

Yes, there are two ways to cook an entire meal:

Foods with different foods cook at different temperatures

1. Since food doesn’t overcook when holding at a lower temperature, one simply organizes the sequence from high to low temperatures. For example, first cook carrots and potatoes at 185°F/85°F for 45 minutes, then lower the temperature to 138°F/59°C for medium-rare beef tenderloin. Adding ice cubes helps to speed up the cool-down process.
2. Pre-cook different foods, chill in an ice-bath and store in the refrigerator. Later re-heat all foods at the temperature that you’ve used for the food with the lowest temperature, which would be at 138°F/59°C for example when serving medium-rare meats. This especially nice, since you can basically cook any meal in advance, store it and simply reheat it. You'll have a quality product, cooked to perfection and the convenience factor is through the roof!

One-pot meals and stews:

3. A Sous Vide Professional™  can be used like a slow cooker. Simply vacuum seal your stew into a bag or fill into a container that sits in the water bath and will be cooked by the surrounding temperature-controlled liquid.

How does a Sous Vide Professional™ precise temperature cooking system compare to other sous vide cooking systems on the market?

As an immersion circulator system, it is designed to control with excellent precision and to give you the most flexibility.

• Clamp  Sous Vide Professional™  to any size tank with round or flat walls
• Improved temperature consistency through circulating water versus still water baths.
• Compact design makes for easy storage
• Temperature control within 1/10th of a degree results in perfect texture throughout

The Smoking Gun

Is a handheld food smoker from PolyScience. Quickly finish food with natural, cool smoke. Surprise your guests by smoking ingredients that seem impossible to smoke: butter, oysters, cocktails, salads, chocolate, meringe, etc. 

This is the first time I have ever used a smoking gun before and I am blown away by the results. So far I have smoked the Quesadilla Burger (Recipe at the bottom of this post) and my Chicken Club Sandwich. The results were just incredible, I simply put whatever I'm smoking in a large ziplock bag, put the hose in from The Smoking Gun, fill the ziplock with smoke and seal it. Then after a minute or two, remove and serve. It leaves behind a beautiful, subtle smoke flavor. Onto the recipe!!

Quesadilla Burger

Ingredients

• 1.5 Lbs Ground Beef
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1.5 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 cup Mexican cheese mix
• 4 tbsp Salsa, homemade salsa recipe
• 1 Large Egg, whites
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Directions

In a bowl, combine all the dried spices and mix to incorporate. Put the ground beef into a mixing bowl and add in the spice mix. Gentle mix to incorporate spices being careful not to over work the meat. Divide the meat into 4 equal 6 ounce portions and form into patties. 

Conventional Cooking Method: Fry or Grill hamburgers 

Sous Vide Cooking Method: 

Preheat  Sous Vide Professional™  to 140 degree F

Place patties in individual sandwich-sized zipper-lock bags. Seal bags, leaving one-inch open at top corner. Slowly lower bags one at a time into pot of water by holding onto the open corner. Press air out of bag as it is submerged. Seal bag just before last corner is submerged. Add burgers and cook for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. 

Remove burgers from bags and carefully dry on paper towels. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat with vegetable oil until oil begins to smoke. Add patties and cook until well browned on first side, about 45 seconds. Flip patties and cook until second side is well browned, about 45 seconds longer.

To assemble Quesadilla Burger:

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan. Lay out your Tortillas on a work surface. Brush the edges of the tortillas with egg white. Add 1/4 cup of cheese, 1 tbsp salsa and the cooked hamburger to each tortilla. Fold the sides in on the tortillas so that they overlap, then fold down the top and fold up the bottom of the tortilla to enclose the hamburger, should form a box shape like a little package. When oil is heated add in burger folded side down and pan fry on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Enjoy!

Check out this video of the Smoking Gun in Action!

72 Hour Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs

I am definitely starting to fall in love with Sous Vide cooking. Not only does it yield amazing results, but the convenience is just so nice. These were honestly one of the best rack of ribs I have ever had and I really don't think anybody would be able to tell a difference between these and a slab of smoked ribs. Then you add in the little amount of work I had to actually do to get these delicious results. I literally had to prepare the dry rub, put it on the ribs, let them marinate over night, vacuum seal them and throw them in the SousVide Supreme for 3 days. Sure they take a long time to cook, but it literally took 10 min of physical prep time and the rest was just a waiting game. For the most part, this recipe is a "set it and forget it" recipe, you'll have to plan the meal a few days in advance, but it's totally worth it! Don't worry, I'll give a recipe for the amazing cornbread as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 5 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp chili flakes
• 3 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 3 baby back ribs (6-8 lbs), halved 
• Liquid Smoke
• Your favorite barbecue sauce, in this case Sweet Baby Ray's

Directions

The night before you want to start cooking the ribs, mix all the dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) in a bowl. Rub the ribs generously with rib rub on both sides, stack ribs in a sealed container, and store in the fridge overnight, letting the meat marinate as the rub liquefies. 

The next day heat the SousVide Supreme  to 144 degrees F. 

Place each rib in their own vacuum seal pouch, add 3-4 drops of liquid smoke and vacuum seal them. Place the vacuum sealed ribs in the water bath, cover and let cook for 72 hours. Be sure to check the water level and the vacuum bag seals every day to make sure the are ok. 

After 72 hours, set your oven to broil and move the rack to the second highest position in the oven. 

Remove ribs from bag, place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Brush the ribs on both sides with your favorite sauce (warmed) and then broil  to caramelize the sauce on top (you may need to work in batches). Brush with a little more sauce and serve.

**Note: Sous Vide is a cooking technique and of course is not required for this recipe, but I highly recommend it. The rib rub is awesome and would work well with any cooking technique**

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I actually did the mashed potatoes in the  SousVide Supreme  as well, here is how I did them! You will want to put these in the SousVide machine first at 180 degrees F, then lower the temperature to 144 degrees F for the ribs, you can hold the potatoes at this temperature with the ribs. 

Ingredients

• 12-15 small red skin potatoes, peeled and quartered 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed 

Directions

Heat SousVide Supreme 180 degrees F. 

Put the potatoes and butter into cooking pouch(es), evenly distributed in a single layer without overcrowding. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and vacuum seal the pouch(es). Submerge the pouch(es) in the water oven and cook for 90 minutes, until quite tender. If you are making the ribs, lower the water oven temperature to 144 degrees F, add in the ribs with the potatoes and cook for 72 hours. 

Open the potato pouch(es) and pour into the work bowl of a food processor, add the milk and puree until smooth. If you don't plan to serve right away, you can put the mashed potatoes into a large zip lock bag. Remove as much air as possible and quick chill in the pouch, submerge in an ice bath for at least 20 minutes. Reheat the mashed potatoes in a pouch to serving temperature. 

Twisted Mac n' Cheese

Lee and I got on the topic of Hard Rock Cafe the other day and she said she loves the Twisted Mac n' Cheese there. So, after doing some looking around, I came across a few recipes for it and we decided to make it one night. It turned out delicious! The roasted red pepper in there really gives it a nice flavor and I may never eat mac n' cheese again without roasted red pepper. It also made me realize, why buy the kraft mac n' cheese, when you can make the same exact thing, in the same amount of time for less money. The recipe is not labor intensive at all and I think we'll probably never buy another box of craft mac n' cheese again. Enjoy!


Ingredients

• 4 cups cavatappi pasta
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 8 ounces velveeta
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon grounded cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grounded black pepper
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, roasted and diced
• 4 teaspoons seasoned breadcrumbs
• 4 teaspoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley, minced
• Sauteed Chicken Breast Recipe

Directions
Set the rack in your oven to the highest position, set the oven to broil. Cut the top off the red pepper, seed and then cut the pepper in half. Put the red pepper halves, skin side up, on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Drizzle some olive oil on top of the pepper and season with salt and pepper. Broil on high, until skins are scorched and black. Remove from oven and place in either a brown paper bag or a resealable plastic bag and let cool completely. Once cooled, remove the scorched skin, it should peel right off and then dice. 


Use a large saucepan to cook pasta following directions on packaging. Don't forget to properly salt the water!! 


While the pasta is cooking, combine the milk, velveeta, cheddar cheese, jack cheese, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the cheese is melted and you have a smooth cheese sauce. Once pasta is al dente, drain and return to pan, add in the cheese sauce and red pepper, mix to incorporate.

This step is optional, as you can see I didn't do it in the picture. Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on-top of the mac n' cheese. Serve the mac n' cheese by it self or with my sauteed chicken breast recipe that you can find in the Chicken Club recipe!