The Minimalist Chef

Do you prefer pasta from an exquisite Italian restaurant or the dried, boxed pasta that you use at home? Chances are, you prefer the pasta from the restaurant. While not all restaurants make their own pasta, it is actually more economical in large batches; it also tastes one-hundred times better than boxed. It's quite simple to make a delicious pasta from only four ingredients and about 45 minutes of work. Before we get into the creation of pasta, let's talk about gluten, which occurs naturally in pasta and breads.

What is gluten?

Most people have no real clue as to what gluten is, but still preach that gluten-free diets are superior to any other. This is not only wrong, but also shows that people are willing to believe anything that is shoved down their throats by the media and tabloids. But I'm not here to get into a debate over how much gluten is in your diet; I'm here to simplify and explain the mysterious protein.

Gluten is a protein formed in doughs, breads, and most flour containing foods. It's formed by glutenin bonding with gliadin in doughs. Gluten is what gives dough its elasticity and stretchability, as well as giving breads their web-like form when you break them open. It is essential in breads, pastas, and cakes to give them form and structure. When a dough is kneaded, glutenin is moved around in the dough and "finds" gliadin, bonding with it. When working with pastries, cupcakes, and other desserts, it is essential to not overwork your dough as to form too much gluten. Pastries are supposed to be flaky and delectable, and forming a lot of gluten will make the pastry hard, brittle, and tough.

Pasta Dough

Pasta dough is EXTREMELY simple to make, once you get the (pretty easy) technique down.

Pasta Dough: makes about 2 cups of pasta.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt

Pour your 2 cups of flour onto a cutting board or onto a counter top. Make a well in the middle.
Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk them with the olive oil and salt. (Alternatively, you could crack the eggs directly into the well. Messier and more difficult, however.)
Pour the egg mixture into the well formed by the flour.
Using a fork, take some of the flour from the sides of the well and whisk with some of the egg mixture. Continue this until you have a smooth dough that isn't sticky and workable by hand.
Knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is extremely smooth and springy. Knead into a ball.
Rub some olive oil all over the ball and cover it with saran wrap and let sit for 40 minutes. This will allow the gluten to relax and make the dough easier to work with and cut.
Roll dough into a 1/16 inch flat piece. Cut linguini, or cut circles and fold into little shells. The possibilities are endless!
Let the cut pasta dry for two hours, uncovered.
To cook, boil pasta for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

And you're done! I hope you enjoy your new-found ability to make great, homemade pasta!

Hi Foodies!
Most people are baffled by the making of French meringue cookies, French macarons, and soufflés. If you're knowledgeable in the realm of cooking, you've realized that all of the aforementioned desserts are made primarily from whipped egg whites! Now why are people so apprehensive and afraid to cook things that involve whipped egg whites? As you read on, I'll help to solve the mystery of egg whites by teaching you some simple, easy tricks to make sure that you reach stiff peaks every time! And of course, being The Minimalist Chef, the recipe for kiwi meringue cookies that will follow the information about egg whites will be using as few ingredients, tools, and time as possible!

An All Inclusive Lesson on Whipping Egg Whites:

Egg whites. A term that instills fear into even the most learned chefs. Egg whites are actually quite simple to work with, as long as your know the proper techniques and make sure that your tools are impeccably clean. I'm about to walk you through and explicate how to achieve the different stages of whipped whites. Make sure your learning cap is securely fastened on your head!

Tools Needed:

A stand mixer, a hand mixer, or a manual whisk. Any of these will work, however the amount of work required increases as you go down the list. If you have a stand mixer, I highly suggest you use that, as it is the simplest and easiest to use. I personally use a hand mixer, as I am The Minimalist Chef, and try to use only a few tools and ingredients at once!

A metal bowl (preferably copper), or a plastic bowl. Make sure that these are IMPECCABLY CLEAN. Any little bit of protein will inhibit your egg whites from whipping to stiff peaks. Copper bowls are slightly acidic and help to stabilize the egg whites (I know, it sounds ridiculous, right? But it actually works, trust me on this! Just don't leave the whites in the bowl too long, or the bowl will impart a coppery, metallic flavor on your whites. Who wants penny-flavored meringues?).

Egg whites!

Clean all your attachments, or your whisk, and separate your egg whites from your yolks. There are many ways of doing this, but the method that I prefer the most is to simply crack the shell over your bowl, and move the yolk from egg shell half to the other. Slowly the egg white will separate and fall into the bowl. Discard the egg shell and yolk in your sink. Repeat this process for each egg.
Acidifying the Egg Whites:
Adding an acid to egg whites before you begin whipping them can keep your whites from over-whipping and keep them stabilized. A few commonly used, good acids for egg whites are:

Cream of tartar (my personal acid of choice)
A splash of lemon juice
Whipping in a copper bowl

Personally, I use cream of tartar to acidify my egg whites. It really don't add any flavor to the whites, and is super easy to use. Simply take a teaspoon of it out of the container and dump into your whites; this is so much easier than squeezing a lemon.

How to Whip Correctly:

To begin whipping your egg whites, turn your mixer on HIGH speed. Move the mixer around the bowl, while simultaneously rotating the bowl. Do this until you reach soft peaks. At this point, if your recipe involves sugar, begin to add the sugar SLOWLY, a tablespoon at a time. Lower your mixer to medium speed. Whip until you reach glossy, stiff peaks.
If using a hand-whisk, follow the same technique as above. However, it will take an extra 10 minutes or so; it will also be a great workout! I know that when I've used a hand whisk, my arms are sore the next day.

The Foamy Stage:

The foamy stage is categorized by small bubbles that form on top of the whites after they have been whipped for a short period of time, maybe a minute. Keep whipping!

: These are whites that have been whipped for only a minute or two. This is the first stage of whipping. Keep it up!

Soft Peaks:

Soft peaks are formed after the whites have been whipped for 3-4 minutes. If you pull your whisk or mixer out of the whites, the "peaks" slowly fall back down. They are categorized as white, shiny whites that form peaks that will disappear quickly. These are still not where we want our egg whites to be at! Keep whisking.

: These are a good example of soft peaks. You can see the small peak slowly falling down.

Stiff Peaks (Perfection!):

Stiff peaks are EXACTLY where we want our egg whites. Stiff peaks are extremely glossy and resplendent, and keep their shape indefinitely. When you take your whisk out of the whites, peaks should form on the whisk and in the bowl, and look almost like soft-serve ice cream. They are stiff and perfect for everything that require whipped egg whites. STOP HERE! Do not over-beat your whites. I repeat, STOP HERE! These whites are PERFECT, and you definitely do not want to over-beat your egg whites.

: These whites are at the perfect consistency. They are at "stiff peaks." The whites are glossy, white, and hold their shape forever.

What Next?

Now that you've whipped your whites to stiff peaks, they're ready for any recipe! If you're incorporating them into a French macaron, you're probably going to want to "fold" in your whites to the dry mixture. Folding egg whites into a dry mixture or another ingredient allows the whites to retain maximum air trapped inside. This keeps the egg whites stiff and shiny.

How do I fold?
Folding is actually quite simple. To fold, grab your silicon spatula and slowly bring it around the circumference of the bowl, then kind of dump the gathered whites on top of the egg white pile in the center. Repeat this process, turning the bowl each time to combine the whites with the dry mixture. This will allow for maximum air retention.

: This picture excellently shows the progression of folding whites into a batter.

I hope that this post has really helped to resolve the enigma that are egg whites. Many people are so afraid to cook with them, but they're really not that hard to use!

Okay, now what? Is there a recipe that I can use to test my new-found abilities?

Yes! I have prepared for all of you foodies a blissful kiwi meringue cookie recipe. This recipe is SIMPLE and fast (aside from the 2 hours of baking!).

Kiwi Meringues:

INGREDIENTS:

3 Egg Whites, separated from the yolks
1 tbsp Cream of Tartar
The juice and pulp of one kiwi, mashed
1 Cup superfine white sugar (also known as castor's sugar)
A baking sheet lined with parchment
A plastic bag

Procedure:

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Separate your egg whites into a bowl, preferably copper if you have. Make sure the bowl is CLEAN! If there is even a speck of protein or yolk, the whites won't form stiff peaks.
Add your tablespoon of cream of tartar to the whites.
Whip your egg whites to soft peaks. At this point, add your superfine sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. This keeps the whites from collapsing.
Once at stiff peaks, add in the juice and mashed pulp of 1 kiwi SLOWLY. I put mine in one tablespoon at a time to prevent the whites from collapsing. The egg whites are EXTREMELY delicate at this point, and one mistake can be the end of the whites.
Open the plastic bag and position it over a tall glass. Slowly spoon your meringue mixture into the bag towards one corner, being careful not to break the stiffness of the whites. Cut one corner of the bag and slowly pipe the meringues out onto your parchment paper, about a half-dollar in size, half an inch apart.
Bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until a meringue doesn't stick to the parchment and comes off cleanly. The middle should be delicate, with some chewiness. The outside should be crunchy but still bite-able.