Clark Appliance Blog

If you close your eyes you might miss it...The glorious transition into fall has come.

Everyone has their favorite time of year, and many get more excited about the promise of warmer weather.  I, on the other hand, relish the cool breezes and chilly nights of fall above all others.  From a chef's perspective, autumn foods hold an enormous potential for rich comforting flavors.

One of the highlights of the fall festivities is the trip to Adrian Orchards.  We have a fairly elaborate plan for our Jack-O'-Lanterns this year, and needed 6 pumpkins of very specific size.  The folks at Adrian Orchards always have the best selection of perfectly sized pumpkins at a very reasonable price.  After the ever-entertaining process of choosing the pumpkins (my 5 year old son would like to buy all of them), we loaded them into the car and decided to take a trip inside the store to get some fresh apple cider.  Year after year, I am continually amazed at the quality of this little store.  Besides the obvious, the finest, freshest apples and apple cider available in this area, the store is loaded with extremely high quality local goodies.  This is where dad might have started overloading the cart a bit.  Amish heirloom popcorn, homemade mustards, a jar of local chow-chow, two gallons of fresh pressed cider, and three kinds of local honey magically fell into my basket.  As the boys were munching their complementary apples (sweet for Collin, tart for Cary), I paid for our bounty, and began to get really excited about the evening's meal plan unfolding before me.

Cider Braised Pork Shoulder with Chow Chow Mustard

2 Tb Vegetable oil
1 ea. Pork shoulder, Boston butt, bone in 4-6 lb (seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 ea. Large Spanish onions, julienned
3 cups Fresh apple cider
1 Qt chopped cabbage (about 1 small head)
½ cup Chow chow relish
2 Tb Spicy brown mustard

In a large cast-iron dutch oven (I used a pressure cooker), heat the vegetable oil to just smoking, and sear the pork roast on all sides.  Remove the roast and sauté the onions until wilted.  Add the cider and pork back to the pot, cover and cook gently for 3-4 hours (45 minutes in the pressure cooker.  Add the cabbage and cook another hour (15 more minutes in the pressure cooker).  When tender, remove the roast from the pot, strain the liquid (it should already be pretty thick, gravy consistency).  Mix the mustard with the chow chow, and serve with the pork.  Add mashed or roasted potatoes to complete the meal.

After savoring this simple, delicious meal it was apparent...The flavors of fall are here.

By Chef Ben Lierman

Whether you are a full-time super chef, weekend warrior, or a barbecue newbie, integrating your outdoor cooking area into your family gatherings is a winner.  Forget seasonal limitations or menu constraints as it applies to fun with family and friends.

I have been working on two menus for September that embody the spirit of a festive holiday, but focus on slow, leisurely outdoor cooking.  One of the menus features a festive favorite, the rack of pork, adapted to an island style preparation.  This succulent morsel gets to spin on the rotisserie (if available) for even more oohs and aahs from the crowd.  The other menu is as traditional as it gets. Stuffed thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings, all served from the grill.

There's something about the feeling (as well as the flavor) achieved from cooking outdoors.  Every family has a die hard that is willing to stand vigil over the barbecue, in rain, sleet or dark of night.  Not only do we create fantastic food, we also create a lot more space indoors in that favorite gathering spot, the kitchen.

I'd think that in a season as beautiful as this one, we wouldn't  pass up a beautifully grilled meal just because we are a little short on time.  I thought I'd throw out a few suggestions to help.

0. Put it on a stick!  Cutting meats and veggies into small pieces and threading them on a skewer is a sure fire way to speed up a grilling session.  When we cut food into smaller pieces, we greatly increase surface area, and thereby decrease cooking time.  We also get opportunity to capitalize on more area to add luscious crispy-brown grill flavor.
   
0. Flatten it out!  Removing the backbone from a whole bird and laying it flat on the grilling surface (google "spatchcock chicken") is an effective method to speed up poultry grilling.  About 10-15 minutes per side over medium heat will get all but the biggest birds cooked through.
   
0. Buy the right stuff!  Quality lean cuts (New York Strip, boneless chicken breast, pork loin chops etc.) are the easiest items to grill quickly while retaining flavor.  Throw in some fresh veggies (asparagus, zucchini, baby broccoli) to round out a whole meal in minutes.

Many of these techniques will be featured in upcoming cooking classes at Clark Appliance on the North Side or South Side of Indianapolis!

Bon Appetit!

If my ears aren't deceiving me, I believe I have heard the sounds of lawnmowers mowing, birds chirping, rakes over flower beds, amongst others that signify the unmistakable sounds of spring.  Soon, I am quite sure that added to these lovely sounds will be the crass curses of neighbors fighting with their grills, trying to squeak in the first cook-out from that ill-maintained, filthy little grill that has sat, braving nature's frozen fury all winter.

Fortunately, for those of you who are feeling a bit of the shame of grill-neglect, this situation is avoidable and correctable. 

First, we can talk about some of the preventative measures we should have taken last fall.  Whether gas or charcoal, your grill needs to brought up to an exceedingly high cooking temperature.  How hot?  Frankly, as hot as it will go without risking melting through your deck.  This can be the last cook-out of the season, maybe searing some lovely New York Strips, or maybe a beautiful tuna steak.  When the food is off, commence to brushing the grates heavily with a good grill brush while the grill is still piping hot.  It is a good idea to oil the grates with a light-colored, high-heat oil (canola or peanut).  Carefully remove the hot grates and brush down all of the exposed surfaces of the inside, including lava rocks, or whatever type of heat diffuser your grill is equipped with.  Allow the grill to cool completely, and remove everything down to the burners.  Carefully scoop or sweep out any debris in the bottom of the grill.  Check the condition of the burners and gas fittings if so equipped.  Now, all that is left is to reassemble the grill, remove the tank, cover completely, and pray for spring.

If you have missed the pre-winter opportunity to go through these measures, don't fret, the same mission can be accomplished in the spring.  You may have to work a little harder, but a tidy grill can still be yours.

Now we can proceed to the fun part, some food.  Your first cook-out should be something simple, and quick, so that we can make sure that everything is in working order.  I might suggest a basic Margarita pizza.  A great light meal with a salad, and you can always run it to the oven in case of a catastrophic grill failure.  Time to go see the appliance experts at Clark's...

Grilled Margarita Pizza

1 recipe basic pizza dough -- made into 4 pizza crusts
Extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds fresh mozzarella cheese -- sliced
1 cup vine ripe roma tomatoes -- diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper -- to taste
fresh basil -- julienned

Preheat a grill to low heat.
In a bowl toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Shape the dough into four pizza crusts. Brush the dough with olive oil, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and top with the toppings as follows.

Evenly divide the mozzarella cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide the tomatoes between the pizzas and spread out evenly. Close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the pizzas from the grill or oven and sprinkle with the fresh basil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 6 slices each and serve.  Yield: 4 pizzas

Easy Pizza Dough

4 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
6 2/3 cups high gluten bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup  Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups  lukewarm water 105 to 110 degrees F.

Measure all of the ingredients.  Add the ingredients to a large bowl starting with the liquid ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients, reserving one cup of the bread flour to add later, and finally add the salt last.

Mix the ingredients until a dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board or continue to mix in a stand mixer, adding the remaining flour,  and kneed until a smooth dough is achieved.

Spray a bowl with pan spray place the dough in the bowl and lightly spray the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in volume.

Shape the dough into the desired shape and place in your pan.  Allow to rise slightly to desired thickness in a warm, but not hot area.

Top the pizza crust as desired and bake at 425 to 450 degrees until the crust is medium brown, the toppings are cooked, and the cheese is melted.

Yield:  8"  Pizza Crust

Almost No Knead Bread

3 cups unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons
3 ounces beer, lager
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Next add the water, beer, and vinegar, using a rubber spatula fold the mixture until a rough ball forms. Cover with plastic and allow to sit at room temp for 8 to 18 hours.

Lay a piece of parchment in a 10" skillet and spray with pan spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed 10 to 15 times, place on the parchment seam side down. Spray lightly with pan spray and loosely cover with plastic wrap allowing to rise until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. Place the rack in the lowest position and place a 6 to 8 qt. heavy dutch oven with the lid into the oven for about 30 minutes.

Lightly flour the top of the dough and slit the top a few times with a sharp knife.

Remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough and parchment into the heated dutch oven. Place the lid on the dutch oven and put it into the heated oven. Reduce the temperature to 425 degrees F. and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the loaf is nicely browned.

This is the basic white bread recipe, there are many variations that can be made by altering this basic recipe.  

Whole Grain:
Add 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white whole wheat flour.
Remove 2 cups unbleached flour.

Cheddar Jalapeno:
Add 1 cup 1/2 inch diced cheddar cheese and 1 to 3 jalapenos.

Rosemary Olive:
Add 1 cup chopped Kalamata olives and 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary

Cranberry Pecan:
Add 3/4 cup each dried cranberries and broken pecans.

As a chef that teaches cooking classes in Indianapolis, I am often amused at how often the cart goes before the horse.  Many times, the student that has the highest expectations, and seems to want to get the most out of the program falls short under the weight of impatience and underestimation.  What some have failed to see here, is of the utmost importance, is that food is a process like mathematics in many ways.  Each process builds on a skill mastered in the previous section.

Take, for instance, the humble bruschetta.  A creation of the Tuscany region of Italy, the bruschetta is a slice of bread, toasted, rubbed with garlic, and moistened with olive oil.  The dish has become exceedingly popular in restaurants often topped with some sort of elaborate vegetable and cheese relish.

When I mention this dish in class, folks get excited that we are going to discuss a dish that they often enjoy in their favorite restaurants.  The talk often goes to what sort of beautiful marinated, broiled, infused or otherwise concocted fluff that is going to be atop of this culinary masterpiece.  What did we forget? 

Bread.  Simple, basic, and the stuff of life.  While everyone sat salivating over the potentials for high falutin’ toppers, no one asked where the bread was going to come from.  I am sure that the assumption was that the bread would be purchased from a high-end grocer, proofed and baked to company specification.  We need to learn to bake great bread.  4 simple ingredients intertwined in a miraculous framework of starches, proteins, fermentation, and respiration that changed the course of human history.  Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me.

This is the first in a series of posts dedicated to what’s important in food:  Back to basics.