I skimmed some chicken fat from a recent batch of chicken stock and used it on my omelet. Wow! That distinctive aroma blossomed as soon as the fat hit the pan. The taste was rich and chickeny, much more distinctive than the traditional butter.
I have experimented with omelets for several months now. I believe that most tutorials put too much emphasis on agitation and not enough on temperature control. Eggs are notoriously delicate proteins; the omelet's texture compounds those difficulties. Too hot and the eggs turn to a tough brown. But not hot enough and the skin at the bottom of the pan never forms. That skin is essential to cooking the rest of the egg at the desired consistency. I have had the most success with heating the pan at medium low, then cooling it off to the point at which I can almost touch it with my palm. I add the eggs and put the pan on medium high heat. It seems that even if the skin forms, cooking too long induces browning.
My pan release technique could use a little work but this one came out with a very nice color and texture. The fig pastry from the freezer was good, too.
Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)
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