Aga Kitchen

Let's Roast Coffee

2012-02-08T13:48:53Z

I was asked if I had any luck roasting coffee beans in the Aga a few weeks back. I loooovvvve coffee almost as much as I love......never mind, no need to compare levels of love. It will only lead to hurt feelings and unnecessary explanations.

The internet is full of green bean coffee sites. I settled on Sweet Maria's. One of my favorite Jonathan Edwards songs and an easy to navigate, informative site. A few clicks and the 4 lb sample roaster was on its way. I did some Youtube research and visited a handful of DIY coffee roaster Google sites. Sometimes the best info is in the comments. People with more experience can point out misques and hazards the author overlooked in the video/article. True or false: It must be true if it's on the internet.

Armed with just enough info to be dangerous I hit the coffee roaster trail. Three attempts later I have a pretty good product on my hand.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen

Gather up these ingredients and equipment. Takes about 30 minutes start to finish.

Green coffee beans
roasting pan,
colander
timer

Visit a site like Sweet Maria's for serious instructions. I went for a lighter roast to get started, City roast +. I choose a coffee that took the lighter roast.

With rack in the middle of the Roasting Oven I put a cup of beans in a single layer. I fashioned a fancy pan out of two pizza screens. You can use a sheet pan. Some suggest you put foil on the pan so there is no transfer of flavor from pan to bean.

I shook my beans every five minutes.

After 9:15 seconds I heard the first crack

At 13 minutes I heard no more crack, I left them in for one more minute. Total roasting time 14 minutes

Beans went into a colander and we headed outdoors. I tossed them and blew on them to remove the paper like chaff

Cool the beans uncovered for a 4 hours. I've been roasting at nite for breakfast the next day.

Easy breezy, I'll keep this post updated as explore the mystery of the bean further.

a little afternoon French press

Homemade Maple Syrup Reminder

2012-01-30T22:07:40Z

This is repost reminding you to think about getting your supplies in order, sap season is around the corner.

Welcome to Gerry's Micro Sugarhouse. We have three trees tapped and are hoping for a total production of 2 to 3 quarts (closer to a gallon by April 6th). The Aga is the evaporator pan. It vents outside so no steam inside. It's always on, provides consistent heat with no boil overs.

In a little over a week we've cooked down about 10 gallons or so of sap and have a good quart of finished product. It's grade B or better in color and has a soft buttery maple flavor. The clarity is fine. Maybe no crazy rolling boil is good for that.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen so far.

Gather up these supplies

as many taps and buckets as you want. One tap yields 1 qt. You can get these supplies at your local farm store or from the interweb.
a carboy or some other large clean bucket to carry sap
a large stainless steel pot or two
candy thermometer
cheese cloth and a fine mesh strainer

Here is what I did

gathered my sap and strained into a stainless pot. I've been cooking down between two and three gallons a day
into the Roasting Oven for around 12 to 14 hours. Let the sap reduce to a few quarts
strain and save the reduced sap in fridge in clean container
once I got a gallon or so of the reduced sap I cooked that in the Roasting Oven. Once it started to boil rapidly (it boils harder as sugar content gets concentrated) I put a thermometer on it. Once it hits 218 to 220 degrees it's syrup. This took a few hours in the oven. I finished it on the Simmer Plate so I could watch the temperature.
Strain thru cheesecloth and into a jar

I'll keep this post updated and make changes as I continue. What's cooler than making syrup while you sleep?

UPDATE: April 6. Here are a few bullet points of what I've learned so far.

treated aluminum stock pots work better than stainless steel
sometimes there is so much steam it may drip a little from the door, usually when it is just getting started
5 gallons of sap takes about 48 hours in the Baking Oven. My bigger aluminum stock pot fits in my baking Oven but not my Roasting Oven
this is a lot of juggling, three taps is plenty for an Aga
very satisfying, worth tapping a few trees if you live in maple country

Two-egg Omlette

2012-01-25T18:29:46Z

Crazy! Everyone knows an omlette is made with three eggs. Especially the Egg Board. They think a four egg omlette is the future. Between the eggs, butter and cheese there is no shortage of calories in this meal. I'm a fan of the fluffy omlette with little browning of the eggs. Let's press on and see what happened in the Aga Kitchen.

Note to self: Very first thing, get your pan in the Warming Oven

Before beating, barely 4 ounces After a good beating, almost 7 ounces

Let's gather up what we need. This takes about 5 minutes once the cooking starts.

A steel bowl, good whisk. heat proof rubber spatula and your favorite egg pan. I use a cast iron non stick Aga pan in Racing Green.
Two eggs
Clarified butter, you can just use regular butter but it will brown a little and give you a nutty flavor. Not really a bad thing
Pan spray
Cheese and other fillings, your choice. I went with shallots, cheddar and Pico de Gallo

Whisk the eggs for two minutes or so until almost doubled in volume

Put the egg pan on the Simmer Plate and spray with non stick veg coating then add the butter

Swirl it all around so it's coating the pan evenly

Add eggs slow and steady into the center of the pan

As the eggs set (approx 20 seconds) run your spatula around the edges to loosen

Add your fillings

Into the Roasting Oven for two minutes or until it's firm to the touch

Remove pan from oven and loosen omlette with rubber spatula

Pick up the pan from underneath the handle and slide omlette onto a warm plate. Roll it or fold it, your choice.

Top with addtional cheese or garnish and into the Simmer or Warming Oven while you prepare your next one.

Trust me, no one will know you only used two eggs except the president of the Egg Council

Easy, breezy and one less broken egg to be worried about.

Next time we cook coffee beans!

Long Time Gone

2012-01-18T21:00:09Z

Ten months and new posts! That is not the formula for striking it big in the blogoshere. I've taken time off before but...... Thanks for hanging in there and visiting from time to time.

While the cyber kitchen was quiet the real Aga Kitchen has had lot's of action. We eat everyday at my house and the Aga is always front and center. Some things that jump to mind.

A Oatmeal Blueberry Almond custard thing for breakfast, fabulous
A variation of chicken cooked under a brick using only the oven. I've been having great results swapping prosciutto for the skin
A Kale Caesar salad, not Aga related but killing it at one of the restaurants I oversee
Soups and boiled chicken, always a winner
Crackers and breads
Root veggies cooked long, slow and very tender
Curing and smoking your own ham
Omlettes
Improving my meat cutting skills. I'm having difficulty transferring this knowledge to Aga Kitchen. I might try video. Everyone should know how to cut up a whole raw chicken

See you soon, cook like mean it!

Rice & Sweet Onions sans h2o

2011-04-21T20:49:24Z

That's some pretty fancy cooking to make rice without any water, what you gonna do, use that de-hydrated water?

We will use some water to blanch the rice but today is really all about the sweet onions that come out in the Spring. I used Vidalia from Georgia. Spend the money, it's worth it. The rice absorbs the sweet onion liquor instead of water. The result is a soft creamy sweet oniony rice dish that resembles risotto. This dish was made for an Aga

I used this as a side with wilted spinach, oranges and toasted almonds. You can spread it on toast and topped with roast turkey or chicken. Sauces have been thickened with this by adding it to stock, simmering and passing thru the fine blade of a food mill.

There is bit of slicing involved, sharpen your best French knife and let's get to it.

Let's gather up some tools and ingredients. Takes about 20 minutes to prep if you have average knife skills and 90 minutes cooking time.

2 each 4 qt pots. I used a heavy enamel one for the rice but any quality pot with a nice fitting lid will work
4 Vidalia onions sliced with the grain into juilliene strips. I take out the middle and slice the two pieces separately. This gives me a more uniform cut
2 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon olive oil
a bay leaf
1/2 cup of white rice
sea salt

In a four quart pot filled with 3 qts of boiling water add salt, bay leaf and rice. Into the Roasting Oven no lid needed for 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile melt the butter and olive oil on the knob. Add the sliced onion in 3 stages stirring each time to coat with butter and oil. Add a pinch of salt

Timer goes beep for the rice and strain. Add rice and bay leaf to onion mixture. Stir to coat, on goes the lid and into Simmer Oven for 60 minutes.

Timer goes beep and you remove from oven, stir being sure to scrap the sides down. On goes the lid and into the Baking Oven for 20 minutes.

Timer goes beep and we check the onion and rice mixture. It should be soft and sweet. If you use a stainless pan you even get a little carmelization. If not soft enough back into oven for additional 10 minutes.

From here you can add a touch of cream, fold in more butter or add some cooked greens like spinach or peas. This is the foundation for your creative touch.

It will reheat well and keep in the fridge for 6 days

Step 1: sweat the onions Step 2: add the blanched rice to the onions

Step 3: cook until done

Asparagus & Lemon

2011-03-30T23:28:46Z

I spend a lot of time figuring out new ways to maximize my Aga. Some things are so simple I forget to share. Big firm asparagus, fruity olive oil and grilled lemon slices are on the menu tonite. Usually green vegetables like to steam or boil. Roasting is simpler. I'll add a little depth of flavor from the charred lemons.

Let's see how this went down in the AgaKitchen

Gather up some tools and ingredients

bak-o-glide
small sheet pan
asparagus with the tough ends snapped off*
olive oil
a few thick lemon slices, seeds removed
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper

line your pan with bak-o-glide and add the asparagus

drizzle with olive oil

season with salt and pepper

into Roasting Oven on top rung for approximatly ten minutes

put bak-o-glide on Boil Plate and add sliced lemons and close cover

leave until slightly charred, 3 minutes or so

flip lemons and sear for only another minute

timer goes beep and the asparagus is ready, add wedges of grilled lemon and serve

* I like big meaty asparagus. Snap off the ends, they have a natural breaking point. It's OK if they are not all the same length.

That's it. Enjoy, G

Potato Skins

2011-03-29T21:13:39Z

Potato skins have a bad reputation amongst people with palates. Chain restaurants have seen to that. They deep fry a thick wedge of potato and smother it in cheap cheese and sour cream. Soggy fried food, why bother.

I worked with a chef who made these with the leftover skins from potato gnocchi prep. He would freeze the skins seperatly on a cookie sheet. Once frozen he would bag them up and save until he had enough to run as a special. Light and crisp these are like big thick potato chips. Only a trace of cheese, pinch of red pepper and scallions with a strong horseradish dip on the side is needed to finish this dish.

Since I don't make potato gnocchi at home (fan of the pate a choux method) I had to cheat and make a pile of baked potatoes. I used the flesh for a baked mashed potato seasoned with smoked bacon and onions. A quick pass thru the food mill a few eggs and some seasonings, into a baking dish with a little parm and voile! No waste.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen. Feeds four to six as an appetizer

Gather up these tools

1 deep heavy pot 4 qt or bigger for deep frying
candy or deep fat fryer thermometer
a wire basket to remove the skins from the oil
a pan lined with paper towels for the cooked skins

Gather up these ingredients

10 baked starchy potatoes, Russets or Yukon Gold work well
2 1/2 qts vegetable oil for deep frying
sea salt
1 oz plus or minus finely grated sharp cheddar
brunoise (very small dice) of red pepper, smart money peels the red pepper with one of those new fangled peelers
2 scallions small dice
horseradish dip, nice and strong. I don't need to tell youhow to do this do I? If you want me to I will but I'm pretty sure you can mix horseradish with mayo and sour cream.

Put the oil in the pan and into the Roasting Oven for about and hour. After an hour put the thermometer in and check temp. 340 degrees is good.

Scoop out potato flesh and reserve for anther use, homefries? gnocchi?

When oil is close to temp put your pot on the Boil Plate. Keep your eye on the temp. At 340 to 350 degrees add 1/3 of the skins and fry until golden. Do not over fry, the skin takes on a bitter flavor.

Drain on paper towel and season with sea salt immediately (the salt will stick to potato skins better) and repeat until all the skins are cooked.

Arrange skins on an oven proof serving platter and sprinkle with a little cheese. Try to get a touch of cheese on each skin. Sprinkle with pepper and scallion.

Into Roasting Oven for a few minutes until cheese is just melting. If you go to long the cheese can break and leave you with a greasy mess. Light on the cheese, light on the melting.

Thats it! Serve with horseradish dip. They will hold up for an hour or so and stay nice and crisp

Cook like you mean it, G

check out the double sunrise over my future Clam Shack. No trick, two suns

Parsnips Gratin

2011-03-23T19:32:49Z

Winter won't give up so neither will I. This is a nice cold weather root veggie creamy crusty dish that warms you up from the inside. A "gratin" is anything with a nicely browned top. You can use cheese, cream, eggs or even the natural sugars in whatever you are gratining to achieve the golden brown crust. Not really sure if gratining is a word. I'll check Words with Friends on my iPhone. That Scrabble ripoff accepts almost anything.

I did't do a very good job of hitting my 100/0 goal. I reduced the white wine on the Boil Plate. It only took a minute I swear. I also used the Boil Plate to bring the water to a boil to cook the parsnips. I like to start the vegetables in cold water so no preheating the water in the oven. Some times I gotta do what I gotta do.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen

Gather up these tools as well as the usual cutting boards, knives and peelers you use everyday

A 3 qt or bigger pot to cook the parsnips
a 1 qt or bigger pan to simmer the cream
a nice baking dish approx. 8"x 8"
a steel bowl to toss the parsnips and cream together
rubber spatula and fine mesh strainer

Gather up these ingredients

1 lb parsnips about 2 1/2 cups
1/2 small onion cut into juilliene strips
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine
a few sprigs of fresh herbs
2 cloves garlic smashed
a little chopped parsley
about an ounce of good hard cheese grated fine, I used pecorino romano
salt & white pepper

In the 1 qt pan heat up the garlic and white wine until reduced by half. Add the cream, mustard and herbs, mix well and into the Simmer Oven.

Peel the parsnips and cut into uniform shapes. Into the 3 qt pan, cover by an inch with salted water and bring to a boil on the Boil Plate. Strain off boiling water and into the Baking Oven for approx 10 minutes. This will depend on how big you cut the parsnips. Use best judgment.

Strain cooked parsnips and into the steel bowl. Strain the cream mixture over the parsnips. Sprinkle in a little parsley. Toss everything together, taste to see if you need a little salt and white pepper. Put everything into baking dish*

Sprinkle cheese over top and into Roasting Oven with rack on top rungs. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown. Leave it in a little longer than you think you should.

* you can also add some scallops or shrimp at this point for a lovely seafood gratin. I know, don't mix cheese and seafood according to some judge on Chopped but he is the same guy who won't eat raw onions. Sounds a little to fussy to be a judge in a culinary event

pork & beans you can believe in

Fried Chicken Aga Style

2011-03-09T11:08:49Z

Gotta admit this deep frying chicken was more of a struggle than I anticipated. Or was it? I did purchase two whole chickens so I had my doubts. In the restaurant world I have deep fried many things without a fryolater. Set an oven at the desired temperature, fill a pot with oil and into the oven. When it was needed pull the pot of oil from the oven and onto a burner with a medium flame to hold the oil at temperature while frying. My plan for the Aga was no time on the Boil or Simmer Plate. I would need to use the oven.

My first few attempts involved a non responsive digital thermometer, a heavy cast iron skillet and the Baking Oven. No bueno, the oil cooled too fast and never really came back up to temperature. Soggy chicken, may as well have steamed it.

I settled on the floor of the Roasting Oven, a stainless steel flat bottomed 3 liter deep pan and an old school deep fry thermometer.

Now my goal here was not a fried chicken recipe but a technique for frying chicken. I used a simple dry wet dry coating and minimal seasoning. Flour, buttermilk, celery salt, cayenne, white pepper and sea salt. You can add your own family secrets.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen

Gather up these tools and ingredients and please read the whole recipe first. It really helps with the planning and thinking ahead thing.

A flat bottomed stainless steel pan large enough for deep frying. The pan needs maximum surface contact with the floor of the oven. I used a 3.5 liter pan with 5 cups of vegetable oil in it
deep frying thermometer, you should be able to pick one up cheap at your local hardware store
5 cups vegetable oil, peanut oil is preferred
cut up young chicken, I used the thigh and drumstick bone in
a meat thermometer to check internal temperature of the fried chicken
a heavy fork to move the chicken, no tongs they will tear the crust
a set up for your dredge, I went with the seasoned flour to buttermilk to seasoned flour. Do what you like here

Put your pan with the oil and fry thermometer on the floor of the Roasting Oven to heat up the oil

Set up your dredge and cut up the chicken the way you like it.

When oil is at 340 degrees (about 30 minutes in my Aga) dredge your first batch of chicken. If you pre dredge your chicken the crust will not adhere to the bird. My pan only held two pieces of chicken at a time

When oil is at 350 to 360 carefully add your chicken. Start with the larger cuts. I removed the rack so I have room for my hands above the oil.

The oil will drop in temperature immediately but will come back up. 340 degrees is the optimal temperature. I let the temperature go past 340 for the initial drop so it rebounds quicker.

The bone in thighs took about twenty minutes. The chicken will float when it's thoroughly cooked. I checked the temp on mine and hit 172 degrees, well above the recommended 165 for poultry.

Drain on paper towels on a rack in a warm place.

Let temperature fully rebound and repeat with remaining chicken.

When you are finished let the oil cool then strain and save in an airtight container for another use.

fried chicken crispy and juicy

This is a work in progress. I'll keep you posted as I revisit this technique. Right now I don't think I can get my wife to eat any more fried chicken.

Cook like you mean it, G

Sirloin on the Floor

2011-03-06T02:14:43Z

Isn't there a 30 second rule when food falls on the floor?

With such a catchy title I figure I better draw you in with a snazzy photo. How'd I do? Still interested? Want to know more? Like why did I bother trying to cook a perfectly fine cut of beef on the floor of my oven? Because I could that's why. Just pushing the limit and seeing what happens. In this case a perfectly cooked steak. The down side is you get no pan to make a sauce in with all the lovely bits stuck to the bottom. I still managed to make a sauce with the drippings while the meat rested.

This was pretty easy to pull off. I used some smoky sea salt and seasoned the meat a few hours earlier. It was left uncovered in the fridge so it could dry out a little as well. Thirty minutes before cooking I brought it up to room temp. Right before cooking I rubbed a little brown sugar and pepper on the beef. Always planning and thinking ahead.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen.

Sirloin on the Floor

Gather up these tools and ingredients

an Aga with a Roasting Oven, rack set on the highest rung
2 nice sirloin steaks, I used a NY strip from my local IGA
coarse sea salt, smoked if you have it but don't let that keep you from trying this
2 Tablespoons or so of brown sugar
fresh ground pepper to taste

Season with salt and let rest in fridge for a few hours

Sprinkle steaks with a light layer of brown sugar and black pepper to taste

Wipe off the floor of Roasting Oven to remove any debris

Put steaks on floor.

I cooked mine about 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium rare. Every steak is different so try the same procedure you use when outdoor grilling to determine doneness.

Be sure to let the steaks rest before serving.