Tag Archives: eggs

May 16

Kaya Macarons (à la sous vide)

It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to cook/bake anything of interest.  Truth be told, G and I have been so busy with the baby countdown and personal to-do checklists (buy baby stuff, clean baby clothes, change jobs, more baby stuff) before D(elivery)-Day that we’ve eaten out a bit too much (also on our to-do list: top 10 ramen joints, Andre…).  Still, I did find some time last week to try and make a more “local” macaron.

Kaya is a spread (made from coconut milk, egg, sugar, and pandan leaves) that is great with butter on toasted bread.  The first time I ever tried it was actually back in SF.  G was so excited to find it available at our local Ranch 99.  Here in Singapore, there are definitely more varieties of kaya that range in taste and color, from brown to green.  I’m not enough of a connoisseur to tell you where to find the best kaya, and so I normally just reach in the fridge and grab whatever is available.

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Apr 11

Putting the “o” in Macarons

I managed to weather the great cupcake fad of 2008/9 without ever having to try or learn to bake any.  However, thanks to G, I’ve regrettably succumbed to the macaron craze that’s spread worldwide with the virulence of the Macarena.  My culinary interests are normally related to savory solids and sweet liquids, but since I had an opportunity to take a class at ToTT on macarons and prove a point (G doesn’t believe that I can follow recipes), I decided to learn all I could about these mercurial meringues.

Approaches for making the perfect macaron are as varied and confusing as the debate over whether it’s ok to refer to these confectioneries as macaroons (my spell checker refuses to acknowledge macarons).  A quick search online turned up dozens of recipes and tips from which meringue type to use to proper oven baking and cooling techniques.  In this ToTT class, Chef Mimi Wahadi of the 1-Rochester group taught us how to make macarons using a Swiss meringue* and very straightforward baking approach. Continue reading »

Mar 14

Silky-smooth chawanmushi

A quick search for “chawanmushi recipes” yields thousands of results that have one thing in common: vague cooking instructions.  The actual recipes themselves are more or less the same: 3 parts dashi (with mirin/soy sauce) to 1 part beaten egg, plus additional ingredients.  Steaming the mixture however, is an entirely different matter.  Most of the recipes found on the first page have vague descriptions, like steam for 10-12 minutes on medium heat.  One helpful recipe explains that low heat is important for creating silky smooth chawanmushi (doesn’t overcook, less bubbles).  The problem is that terms like medium heat, or test with toothpick means plenty of trial and error.  Continue reading »

Feb 24

Ramen-style soft boiled eggs

If you’ve eaten non-instant ramen, chances are you’ve also had the oh-so delicious soft boiled egg.  The egg whites are fully cooked, but the yolk retains a molten consistency.  As it turns out, making these types of eggs is not a trivial feat.  Why? Because egg yolks and whites cook at very different temperatures – 64 °C and 80 °C respectively.  In other words, the egg white has to be cooked to a much higher temperature than the yolk.  To complicate matters further, egg sizes vary and the yolk doesn’t sit perfectly in the center…

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Feb 22

Poached egg (sous vide) in tsuyu

Sous vide cooking makes poached eggs ridiculously simple.  Set the water bath to 64.5 °C / 148 °F, add eggs, and cook for 45-60 minutes (does not have to be exact).  If you prefer your egg yolks more runny, lower the temperature by 1 °C.  Voila- perfect consistent poached eggs that you can make dozens at a time.

A nice Japanese twist is to serve the chilled poached egg in a tsuyu broth and garnish with tobiko, wakame, and green onions (a bit of ginger is also nice).  It makes for a refreshing, slightly tangy starter.