pASHions
bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer to a gathering , I invent a cocktail and I bring that instead .
I enjoy experimenting with many different types of dishes and cuisines , but I do have a rotation of “ signature ” crowd-pleasing dishes that I make a few times each year , like my lobster bisque . Living in Massachusetts , I can get lobsters easily and everyone loves it . People also enjoy when I make what I call “ filet mignon meatballs .” I sous-vide chunks of beef tenderloin until they have a texture reminiscent of a good meatball . I toss those in black pepper and flash-sear them in a smoking-hot pan . Next , I deglaze the pan with cognac , add a homemade beef broth and heavy cream , and let the sauce reduce . I toss all of this together so that I have , essentially , a super-fancy version of Swedish meatballs . No matter how many pounds of that I make for a party , I never have enough . It ’ s gone in a flash .
Are there any challenging dishes on your cooking “ bucket list ?” Recently , I set a personal challenge of perfecting pastries and desserts . I don ’ t eat dessert much , so I tend not to bake often . However , in the last year , I ’ ve dedicated my time to expanding my repertoire in that realm . Fortunately , my skillset for French sauces has served me well and transferred to making various forms of custards , so I have been making several types of custard pies recently . I ’ m experimenting with laminated dough like puff pastry , too .
I ’ m also in the process of exploring the wide world of meringue – studying the differences between French , Italian , and Swiss meringues , learning about the roles that acids and heat play in the process , and breaking down the individual components so I can tweak them for my exact purposes . That ’ s probably why I ’ ve been making a lot of custards … I ’ ve got to do something with all those leftover egg yolks .
Where do you find inspiration for your adventures in the kitchen ? Because I ’ m interested in learning why a recipe is written the way it is , my favorite sources are typically recipes that are written to teach you about the process , the ingredients , and – again – the science of cooking . J . Kenji López-Alt , a chef and food writer , has a great book called The Food Lab , which is a compendium and expansion of articles he published on websites like Serious Eats . He unravels the science of home cooking , breaking a recipe down into its different components , and sometimes spending four pages describing an experiment about how different pots and pans transfer heat .
If I ’ m looking for new , inventive techniques , I turn to the amazing cookbook Modernist Cuisine : The Art and Science of Cooking . That ’ s how I learned most of what I know about sous-vide cooking , vacuum compression , and other modern techniques . Anything written by the chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller is fantastic . I also have experimented chemically , using different salts and ingredients to act as emulsifiers , so I have made my own American-style cheese that melts perfectly .
For desserts , I think Stella Parks ’ BraveTart : Iconic American Desserts is required reading .
What do you enjoy most about the act of cooking ? Honestly , it ’ s sharing it with friends and family . That ’ s also probably why I like learning techniques from all over the world ; everyone really bonds and connects when you share a good meal and a good drink .
Food is a constant across all cultures – we all have special foods for holidays , birthdays , and religious events . If you ’ re planning a wedding , for instance , you ’ re likely going to spend just as much time thinking about the food and the cake as you will thinking about almost anything else . And when graduate students successfully defend a thesis , what do we do to celebrate ? We eat cake and drink something bubbly . Food is a social thing .
If you recall the fondest memories in your life , inevitably , they will involve food . I love when a friend remembers something from a barbecue we hosted three years ago ; it makes me happy to be a part of that .
This question probably has an obvious answer , but how do your friends , family , and colleagues feel about your hobby ? I would say they ’ re happy about it . It ’ s connected us a lot . When I was a postdoc in Boston , we had 17 international trainees . Everyone had a different country of origin , but food united us . For example , I would ask , “ Oh , you ’ re from Sweden . What ’ s your favorite Swedish dish ?” Then I would research that dish and learn how to make it . My South Korean friend loved coming over for my version of hot pot but loved eating American barbecue with us , as well . Cooking has been a great way to connect with each other and share memories .
Do you think there is any overlap between the skills you use in cooking and the skills you use in your hematology / oncology career ? At my heart , I am a teacher and a student , and teaching and learning has been an important part of both of these pursuits . I share the same passion for teaching my students and trainees in my classes and lab that I share with my friends and family when they come over to eat .
This October , I ’ m hosting my fifth annual bacontasting event . Years ago , I started learning about various types of bacon , like how different pig breeds or types of smoking produce different flavors . At the same time , I was learning about Scotch and the full gamut of flavors available . That led me to the first annual tasting , where I prepared 12 different varieties of bacon from all over the world , paired with 12 different single-malt whiskies . I also produced an accompanying handout that explained where each product was from and included a space for people to take notes as we discussed the different breeds of pigs and preparation techniques .
It has grown since then : At the third annual event , I even had PowerPoint slides that I broadcast on my TV as I brought out each course . Now , in its fifth year , we have learned about pretty much every type of bacon that ’ s out there , so I have turned to creating a 13-course menu , with each course incorporating bacon in some way . I share the menu before the dinner and ask every guest to pair a wine with his or her assigned course . Again , it ’ s a wonderful opportunity for us to learn from and teach each other . ●
Filet Mignon “ Meatballs ”
Disclaimer : When home cooking for a party , I rarely use precise measurements . Everything listed in this recipe is an approximation , so use your best judgment . Sauce too thick ? Add some more cream – or cognac , if you prefer ! Not enough salt ? Add some . Meat not tender enough ? Keep all the meat and sauce slowly simmering in a crockpot until tender . More than likely , if you are reading this , you are a hematologist – I trust you ’ ll figure it out .
Yield : Never enough Active Time : 30 minutes Total Time : 4.5 hours Special Equipment : Sous vide – or repurposed water bath from the lab
Ingredients
• 3 pounds beef tenderloin ( or equivalent filet mignon steaks ) cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 / 8 cup soy sauce
• 3 anchovies
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup cognac or brandy
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
Directions 1 . Preheat a sous-vide water circulator to 145 ° F ( 63 ° C ).
2 . To make the marinade , in a blender combine the Worcestershire , soy sauce , anchovies , brown sugar , tomato paste , Dijon , garlic and vinegar , and blend until a smooth mixture is formed . Or , just buy some A1 sauce and move to step 3 .
3 . Combine the marinade and the cubes of beef into a vacuum sealer bag or use a ziplock and the water displacement method to remove air , and seal . Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 4 hours . The purpose is to not only cook the meat but slightly change the texture to be reminiscent of meatballs .
4 . Remove the meat from the bag , pat dry with paper towels , and place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan . Lightly salt the surfaces of the cubes and apply a generous amount of black pepper . Preheat oil in a pan until just smoking and flash-sear the meat cubes , turning occasionally . Set aside .
5 . Carefully deglaze the pan with cognac and heat until the alcohol smell is gone . Or , if guests are already there , light the alcohol on fire for dramatic effect .
6 . Add the heavy cream and reduce to about half . Combine with the meat , coating all the cubes with the sauce , and serve right away . Alternatively , place in a slow cooker set on warm and set out for the party , stirring occasionally .
36 ASH Clinical News October 2018