A methodical pizza dough test (five iterations, landing on 1.5% yeast with a long ferment for a perfect crust), plus a ramen stock and chashu pork build-out, a big pre-vacation prep push that checked off beef stew, cottage pie, and meat sauce, and a running dessert bucket list (crepe cake, crème brûlée) still untouched.
Undated. About April to June; the original notes grouped these as Spring.
June food ideas
- Rouladen lasagne (rolled, cheese filled)
- Ginger pork (inspiration, SE recipe)
Birthday pizza
Prepping some pizza for one of our kids’ birthdays, as they requested it. Some notes:
- Dough
Tests:
| Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Pan | Aluminium + parchment | Carbon steel + parchment | Carbon steel + parchment | Carbon steel + parchment | Carbon steel + parchment |
| Heat | 233C + fan | 233C + fan | 233C + fan | 233C + fan | 233C + fan |
| Time | 12 minutes | 13 minutes | 16 minutes | 14 minutes | 12 minutes |
| Yeast | .5% | .5% + long ferment | 1.5% + ferment | 1.5% + long ferment | 1.5% + long ferment |
| Hydration | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Gluten | 14.5% | 14.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% |
| Dough temp | 20C | 18C | 15C | 18C | 18c |
| Dough weight | 200g | 215g | 280g | 200g | 200g |
| Notes | Bottom crust not cooked enough, slightly stodgy | Perfect bottom crust, but crust a bit chewy | Nice bottom crust, not as chewy, small crumb. | Perfect crust | Perfect crust |
- Cooking on aluminium and parchment. High hydration dough, low yeast, and high gluten.
- Cooking on aluminium + carbon steel and parchment. High hydration dough, low yeast, and high gluten.
New food ideas
- Scrambled egg grilled cheese
- Salad rolls
- Jerk or tika chicken
- Soufflé
- Thai beef noodles
- Pizza smalls
- Tomato sandy
- Desserts
Alternative quick soups
- Chewy flour noodles
- Baking soda: 2 tsp / L (up to 2 tbsp / L)
- Washing soda: 1 tsp / L (up to 1 tbsp / L) ← untested
Prep list (May 14)
- Ramen stock (chicken) → Basic chicken ramen stock
- ✔️Chicken/veg roasted
- ✔️Pressure
- ✔️Umami ++
- ✔️Reduce
- Pork (for slicing → ramen) → Chashu pork
- ✔️Trim: bones and fat → stock
- ✔️Braise
- Not enough flavour, needs to be more intense or more time?
- Need to be careful reheating
- Tare
- Green goddess dressing → Simple green goddess dressing
- Toasted nuts/seeds → bacon (or tempeh?)
- Quick clean/process herbs
- Wings → dry brine
- Chicken (for week) ← tomorrow?
Mother’s day week foods
- Salad / dressing
- Protein (roasted)
Post vacation foods to make/build recipes for
- Vinaigrettes
- ✔️Stew → Beef stew
- ✔️Cottage pie → Cottage pie
- ✔️Meat sauce → Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)
- ✔️Steak/mushrooms
- ✔️Tested new mushroom method, worked well
Vacation food thoughts
Pressure cooker prep
- Pork shoulder vindaloo (find method/ratios)
- (and other similar curries)
- Curry base (to freeze)
- Beef stock (where to source beef bones?)
Beef stew (base)- French onion soup base
Ramen
- Ramen graphic (ratios, kcals, micros) #MAKEME
- Protein options
- Veg options
- Variants
- Accoutrement
- The Ramen Diaries
- Methods
- Tare (to freeze, and general ratios)
- Portioned noodles (~300kcal)
- Stock (need bonito)
- Seafood
- Shoyu
Salads and Dressings
- Raspberry vinaigrette
- Green goddess dressing (link)
- Tahini goddess?
- Chart with ratios
Dessert bucket list
I don’t really want to have more desserts in the house, but there are a few desserts I’d really love to learn to make well:
- Crepe cake
- Banana crisp
- Various creme bruleés
Fish taco salad
- Halibut
- ~10 minutes at 220C
- Baked to 62C
- Mayo/spices
- Lemon
- Salt/Pepper
- Remove skin
- ~10 minutes at 220C
- White sauce
- Quick pickle onion