February 7th - February 13th
February 7th - February 13th
A while back I epically screwed up in a video I posted. A simple mix up of words that is really no big deal but was utterly and totally mortifying to me. I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to be knowledgeable, have the answers to all the questions, and be perfect. My therapist is helping me work on lowering my standards and expectations because, in reality, I am imperfect. But I made a simple mistake, and shared that mistake with the whole world! Mortifying!!
The video had been up for two weeks when I walked down to my extra pantry to refill my rice jar and it hit me when I looked at the bag. In my "How To Make Rice" video you will hear me very confidently say "basmati" rice multiple times. For months I had been talking about making basmati rice to a handful of people. I know this is true because I went back and reread multiple conversations to confirm. I don't know why I thought this because the rice I buy, in 25lb bags, has always been jasmine rice. The big bold J A S M I N E letters were right in front of me and I instantly knew my mistake. For a long time, a longer time than I would like to admit, I felt like this mistake erased all validity of my cooking knowledge. If anyone watching knew the difference that would spot my mistake immediately and think I had no clue what I was talking about. Plus I was too embarrassed to make another video pointing out my mistake to the people that didn't notice. These are the things that keep me up at night.
This week I started cooking through India: The Cookbook and have made an absurd amount of actual basmati rice. It is time to clear up this mistake.
Jasmine and basmati are similar in that they are both long-grain varieties of rice and both very fragrant with a slight popcorn aroma. The main difference is shape and starch. Jasmine grains are shorter, rounder, and more plump compared to basmati's long thin grains. Side by side dry grains may look similar but when they are cooked the differences are clear. Jasmine rice will be slightly sticky, the grains will clump together and hold shape well. This is what makes jasmine rice easy to eat with chopsticks. Basmati will do the opposite. The long slender grains stay separate and distinct making them great for dishes like pilaf.
In my "How to Cook *Jasmine* Rice" video I stress how important it is to rinse the rice three times. This helps wash away extra starch and prevents your pot from being overly sticky. I cook the rice for 15 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork. I have made hundreds of pots of jasmine rice and can promise you will have success with this method. Because both grains are long-grain varieties with a similar cook time, if you cook basmati rice with this method it won't be a complete failure. This week I have learned one painfully easy way to make a perfect pot of basmati rice that doesn't include rinsing:
Add 1 cup of basmati rice to a large pot of boiling salted water
Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
Drain, cover, and let sit for 3 minutes
Fluff with a fork and serve
This method was printed on the back of a Tilda rice bag and was also the method listed on the chicken biryani recipe I made this week. Another common way to cook basmati rice is to soak the grains before cooking. I haven't tried it but you can see simple instructions on it, here.
A common practice across all social media platforms is tagging products, companies, and businesses in your photos. This helps you with exposure and gets your photos in front of the person in charge of the product, company, or business's social media account. I do this often. On Christmas when I posted about Denise the duck, I tagged La Belle Farms where Denise came from. They followed me back and over the last few months, we have chatted about the dishes I make. This week I was surprised with a generous package from them including an air-chilled chicken, a whole duck, and lots of foie gras. This week I made a simple roast chicken, spatchcocked at your request.
These air chilled organic chickens are sold online here and I highly recommend ordering a few. The flavor was out of this world and the skin crisped up beautifully. Recipes to come featuring the duck and foie gras I was sent.
How To Roast a Spatchcocked Chicken
If you remember, salt your chicken the day before. I use a generous amount of kosher salt and get it inside, on top, and under the skin if possible. We want salt everywhere. Let your chicken dry brine uncovered in the fridge.
To remove the backbone, flip the bird breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to head. Save your backbone for chicken broth.
Flip the bird over, laying it flat, and press on the center of the breasts until you hear a pop. This cracks the breast bone and allows it to lay flatter.
Preheat your oven to 450. Place a cast-iron skillet in the oven to preheat. Season your bird with any extra seasonings of choice.
Carefully remove the hot cast-iron skillet from the oven. Lay your chicken flat in the skillet skin side down. Roast until the skin is golden for about 30 minutes.
Flip your chicken skin side up and continue roasting until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
A note about cooking temperatures. In my Instagram stories, I mentioned cooking the chicken until 155 degrees, pulling it from the oven, and it will rise to 165 degrees as it rests. This was taught in culinary school and is a common method published in many recipes. My friend Sam messaged me and shared that he finds that his chicken never reaches 165 degrees while resting and only really rises 3-5 degrees. Truthfully I like my chicken cooked to a higher temperature around 175, it's a textural thing. So in future recipes, I'm calling for 160 degrees instead of 155 degrees. Sam is very scientific and when he says he's tested it, he's tested it. I'm going to start testing it as well and will report back with any new findings.
The Spiced Pear Pull-Apart Pastries are 85% done. The filling needs a tad more flavor to really wow me but the brioche is perfect. One or two more tests and then I'll send out the recipe.
Recipes From This Week:
Most of my week was spent cooking recipes from this month's cookbook. Here are a few recipes I have bookmarked if you need some inspiration.
Restaurant From This Week:
Sushi is one of my favorite foods but I absolutely hate wasting my time on mediocre sushi. I don't want cream cheese or globs of sauce. High-quality fish on rice is all I ask for. We have tried three restaurants in KC. One restaurant was fine but the other two were very unappetizing. After those, we went on a sushi strike accepting that it was something we would only enjoy while in LA. The cravings were real and we decided to try another one of the "best" sushi restaurants in town, Jun's. We ordered take out and had a car date looking over the freezing, literally filled with ice, Missouri river. Jun's sushi was good. Not the best but we both agreed we would eat there again.
Thing Everybody Needs:
Sushi Go! This game was recommended to me as a fun two-person game. The cards have cute illustrations and the concept is simple. My house is very competitive and let's just say we got really into it the other night. It would be great with a group of people but is still totally fun for two people.
Animal Cuteness:
I mean...
Random Thing From This Week:
While shopping at a local Indian grocery store, the man checking us out generously gave me these to try. Holy flavor town! If you see these, grab them. Worth it.
Book I'm Cooking Through This Month:
India: The Cookbook, Pushpesh Pant
Recap + review 2/28
I completely forgot about Valentine's Day until the 10th. I defrosted some frozen lobster tails to make Lobster fra Diavolo, an easy but fancy feeling dish, and made some late night raspberry chocolate chip shortbread cookies. We will binge the rest of Hotel Cecile, play Sushi Go, and maybe because it's Valentine's Day I will be able to get Marco to do another dance cardio class with me.
See you next week,
Marcella
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