In FCS Episode 6 I invited the listeners of the podcast to contribute recipes, ideas, and other food related information that they would like to share on the blog. First up is Mickey, who decide to share her Grandma Melmer’s Cheese Cake Recipe.

Ingredients

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 32 ounces of cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white, granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup, all purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven tto 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch spring form pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of spring form pan to form crust.
3. In a large bow, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. (If using a kitchen aid mixer, use the paddle attachment).  Blend in milk, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate.
4. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking.
6. Chill in refrigerator until serving.
   

Mickey’s Notes On The Recipe

• The sour cream gives this cake its distivntive “twang”.
• Make sure to use real vanilla.
• This recipe was handed down to me from the British side of the family. It comes from my Grandmother, who runs a bed and Breakfast in West Sussex and is served on Sunday Afternoons.

About Mickey

Mickey lives in Brampton Ontarioand  is a 36-year-old married mom, with a passion for cooking, baking and greyhounds! She comes from a family background in cooking. Her 2 sisters own restaurants, and her grandmother owns and still runs a bed and breakfast in West Sussex England. She has- strong cooking talents in Cajun, Southern, British and Italian Cooking. Her culinary success was at age 6 when she poached an egg to perfection!

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Start by cutting both ends off of the onion and peeling off the skin. Cut the onion in half and lay cut side down your cutting board. Starting on the same side as the hand in which you hold your knife, make thin, horizontal cuts towards the center of the onion as shown above

Once you have julienned half the onion and you are know cutting at a 90 degree angle, flip the onion half over and finish cutting the onion into thin strips.

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Whether you’re a professional chef or just an amateur gourmet, if you’re really serious about cooking and progressing your culinary knowledge forward, you must dedicate yourself to constant and never-ending improvement and education. Here is a list of blogs that I read and follow religiously. Everyone’s needs for culinary education are different, but at this time in my life, these are the blogs about food, cooking and culinary innovation that I most enjoy following.

• Ideas In Food- Bottom line, these guys are a huge inspiration to me. They are incredibly talented chefs that are constantly pushing the boundaries of what food is and the techniques a chef can use to make mind blowing dishes. If you love the science side of food and culinary technique, this is definitely a must read blog! If for nothing else, check out this site for some of the most beautiful “food porn” your eyes have ever seen.
• Khymos- Martin Lersch is an extremely talented food scientist in Sweden who holds a PhD in organometallic chemistry from the University of Oslo. His blog is dedicated to discovering the science behind food, and moving the art of “molecular gastronomy” forward. He has a great PDF on hydrocolloids that I recommend anyone who is interested in molecular gastronomy download.
• Chadzilla- An incredibly talented chef who approaches food from a scientific view. He is always researching and discovering new techniques, and is backed by an equally talented crew (the sign of a really great chef!)
• Michael Rhulman- One of my favorite food authors, I follow Rhulman’s blog more for his writing than what he says about food (although his information on food is awesome).
  
• Line Cook- A good ol’ fasion sh*t talkin’ line cook who knows what it takes to work in a professional kitchen!
• Salt of The Earth- Kevin is an incredibly talented chef in Pennsylvania that is always pushing the limits of food. His blog is an ongoing inspiration to my own personal culinary endeavors.
• Food 102- The thing I really love about the food 102 blog is the on going tasting menus that get posted. It really pushes me to think about “purposeful progression” in a menu and overall execution.
• Michael Laiskonis- The Pastry Chef of Le Bernadin in NYC, his blog is both inspirational and informative. I have “borrowed” a technique or two from the information found on his blog, which is one of the best compliments (in my opinion) that you can give a chef.

Now it’s your turn. What food and cooking blogs do you follow and why? Let me and the rest of the FCS community know by clicking on the comment button below.

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Lamb shanks are an amazing piece of meat as long as they are prepared properly. Because they contain so much connective tissue, really the only way to cook them is at a low temperature for a very long time (braising). Although other techniques such as sous vide also work great, braising is the logical choice since most people don’t have a Thermal Immersion Circulator.

Although this recipe calls for certain ingredients, the really important thing to grasp is the underlying braising technique. Once you understand this technique, you can use any sort of flavor profile that you desire.

Recipe For Harissa Braised Lamb Shank

• Start by rubbing your lamb shanks with a generous amount of harissa, which is a North African spice paste made with red chilies, garlic, coriander, caraway, and sometimes tomatoes.
• Next, rub down with some fresh crushed garlic, place in an appropriate sized container, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and let marinate for at least 24 hours.
• Note: Usually when braising meats you will first sear them for flavor. This step however should be omitted with this particular recipe so that the harissa does not burn.
• Once the lamb shanks have been allowed to marinade for at least 24 hours, remove them and place them in a heavy bottom braising pan or hotel pan. (Don’t forget to add all of your garlic too).
• Cover the shanks with lamb or chicken stock, (veal stock can be used but may over power the flavor of the lamb).
• Place in a 350 degree oven for about 4-5 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone tender.

Note: If you are in a rush, you can braise the lamb shanks at 400 degrees for about 3 hours, although a longer, slower braise is preferred.

Once the braising process is complete, pour off the braising liquid into a sauce pot and reduce by half or until it reaches its desired thickness. Serve over English Pea risotto, and sauce with your natural pan jus.

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I was first introduced to the beauty of a well braised short rib during my apprenticeship at La Folie. It was the first time that I had ever tasted something so wonderfully tender and rich. It was love at first taste. Short Ribs are relatively easy to braise, as long as your start with some good veal stock and a little red wine.

Always use bone in short ribs when available because the bones give off great flavor and help to keep the short ribs nice and tender.

Braised Short Rib Technique

• Start by searing the short ribs in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Make sure you sear the flesh on all sides.
• Place seared short ribs in an appropriate sized braising pan and add roasted mirepoix with the addition of caramelized shallots and roasted tomatoes. Add a little bit of red cooking wine and some fresh thyme (One bunch will be good for up to 7-8 short ribs). Fill the braising pan the rest of the way with a roasted veal stock.
• Place in a 350-400 degree oven and braise for 3.5-4.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone tender.
• Once the short ribs are done braising, pour off the braising liquid and reduce by at least half. Use reduced braising liquid for your sauce.

Short ribs can be served in any number of dishes and applications, but one of my favorite ways is simply over some mashed potatoes with a little hot sauce mixed in (I prefer Siracha), with the short rib on top and a little bit of the reduced braising liquid poured all over it.

Note On Braising Ingredients: Although short ribs can be braised purely with stock, I prefer to add roasted mirepoix and other vegetables to help “fortify” my braising liquid. So how much should you add? I don’t know, it’s completely up to you. When adding things like caramelized onions and fresh thyme, it’s almost impossible to add too much, (it’s no secret that I’m a sucker for both these ingredients).

When fortifying your braising liquid with wine, herbs and spices, use your own judgment and a little imagination. Braised short ribs are extremely forgiving and are almost impossible to mess up.

For more information on proper braising technique, listen to the Free Culinary School Podcast Episode 6.

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