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Valentines Cook

I was a little bumed out not getting to my egg to cook for Mardi Gras. So as I said before about the weather in Oklahoma, the snow that shut down the city just two days before was nowhere to be found today. Working in restaurants growing up made me never want to go out on Valentines day and especially since finding the egg. It is much easier to make better food and stay at home. I decided to start with dessert and work backwards to figure out what to make. 

My Valentine like Red Velvet Cake so I decided to hit the web and see what unusual desserts were out there. I saw the normal cake/ cupcake recipes and kept on going. Then I saw a cupcake with a creme brûlée frosting and that got me thinking. So pushing farther, i came across Red Velvet Creme Brûlée and decided to go with that. 

375° dome temp for 30 minutes
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Here they are after cooling on the stove for 30 minutes
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I figured since I made them outside I should torch them outside too and gave the LooftLighter a shot. 
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It had so much airflow and blew the sugar around too much so I just did one like that. 
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I used my regular propane torch that I use to start the small BGE when I take it to a friends house or go camping. I also added second layer with a brown sugar heart. 
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I decided to make Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo which I had at his place Johnny Garlic's in Santa Rosa last year while traveling for work and was blown away at how good it was. Being Valentines day I decided to go all out and break out the Kitchenaid and make the pasta from scratch too. 

I went back to the cookbook shelf and grabbed Trattoria Cooking by Biba Caggiano and used her recipe for pasta with 00 flour. Her recipes are not very internet friendly so if anybody wants it I can post it later. I used the Kitchenaid pasta attachment and went through steps 1 to 6 and then used the fettuccine cutter, dusted with flour and made portioned nests and stuck it in the freezer for 30 mins before cooking. After I made the batch of dough for the pasta I got a call and my party of two turned into a party of seven... So I made a slightly smaller portions and was prepared for the extra guests.
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I fired up the Large BGE and used the blackening spice rub Guy used in his recipe. I made the chicken breasts direct at 400° on the CGW Swing Rack seared down low and then moved to the top rack to finish cooking. 
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Sliced on the bias and tossed in the sauce just before serving. I just used the same cutting board so there was some leftover flour from the pasta not the chicken.
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The smell was awesome and everyone started to arrive at this point. The Alfredo was a simple EVOO, garlic, Sauvignon Blanc / heavy cream mixture with sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. 
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It turned out to be much more work than originally planned, but I got to share some time with more friends and some great food. 
Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 

Comments

  • Very nice....
    XL owner in Wichita, KS
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Nicely done, Sir!

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • =D>  Super!
    I'm Kristi ~ Live in FL ~ BGE since 2003.
    I write about food & travel on Necessary Indulgences.  
    You can also find me on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter.
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    I've wondered about using my MAP torch on creme brûlée. Thinking brown sugar might work better than powdered. 
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Brilliant execution. Much more organized than I end up being, despite my best intentions. :) I have much to learn.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Thanks everybody it was a lot of work but well worth it. I may have convinced a couple people to get at least look into buying a Egg. 

    jlsm said:
    I've wondered about using my MAP torch on creme brûlée. Thinking brown sugar might work better than powdered. 
    I used propane because that is what I had and kept the flame pretty far away. I used regular sugar for the first layer and that worked out good. But the brown sugar likes to catch on fire so you have to pay close attention and put out fires quickly to keep it from getting too much of a burt taste. I didn't even think to try powdered sugar  :-?


    caliking said:
    Brilliant execution. Much more organized than I end up being, despite my best intentions. :) I have much to learn.
    More like organized chaos...  8-}

    I'm glad nobody showed up early because 10 minutes before the first guest showed up the kitchen looked like a flour bomb went off. Rolling out the pasta dough took much longer than I planned since I had to stretch it to feed seven people. I did sleep good after everyone left though.. 
    I-)
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    When you use brown sugar, dry it out in the oven and even give it a few spins in the food processor. This helps with speeding up the melting process and prevents burning, as you don't need as much heat to get the same results. Process turbinado sugar for the same reason. It has a nice toffee flavor.

    I sometimes see people state to never use powdered sugar but never why. Something with the cornstarch. perhaps? The consensus is superfine sugar. This can be purchased(baker's sugar) or you can make it by processing it as above. Also, to prevent burning, keep the torch flame on a parallel plane to the top of the custard. This will provide the radiant heat that caramelizes the sugar more evenly. 
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @Eggcelsior I will have to try those tips out next time. One of my guests liked everything so much she said if I want to make that again she would by a kitchen torch. So that might make it easier. 

    I didn't have the powdered sugar out and very rarely use it.  "out of sight, out of mind" 

    I never even thought about holding the torch parallel, I've used the broiler but makes perfect sense to have the flame going the same way.  
    :-O

    Thanks! 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Great cook. Looks wonderful, all that activity and time to take photos. 

    For Creme Brule, I have a small torch, that I wave across the cups at a very shallow angle. That MAPP torch you have is an industrial strength tool for a delicate domestic job - What you pulled off is remarkable!

    Thans for sharing. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    edited February 2013
    I'm glad it turned out well and everybody got enough to eat. Trying a new pasta recipe, never having made the dish itself, and then cooking for two turns into a party of seven, it could have gone bad.. The chicken on the egg was the easy part and I'm glad I made the Creme Brûlée around lunchtime. 

    I agree the MAPP torch is overkill, the propane burning slightly cooler was still tricky, but it can be done. Having my guest give me a kitchen torch will make the job easier or less stressful. 

    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • That's awesome!
    LBGE
    MS Gulf Coast - Proud member of the Who Dat Nation!
    My Not Frequently Updated Basically Dead Blog: http://datcue.wordpress.com
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Thanks @bccomstock both the dessert and the cajun chicken alfredo will be made again! 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Fantastic meal.  I'm glad SWMBO doesn' read this forum.  I'd be in the dog house for sure.

    Damascus, VA.  Friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail.

    LBGE Aug 2012, SBGE Feb 2014

  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    edited February 2013
    @SWVABeanCounter

    =))  I think I earned some creme brûlée points yesterday for sure. Plus made a couple single ladies a great meal on a day that is not the most fun to be single.. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    @solson005, aren't you sweet!
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911

    jlsm said:
    @solson005, aren't you sweet!

    :\"> aww shucks, I always enjoy cooking for extra people. One said she wanted to buy me a torch and the other said she would get groceries for me to cook anytime. So I think my good deed is already paying off! 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • You hit it out of the park!
    LBGE
    Go Dawgs! - Marietta, GA
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Thanks @SmokinDAWG82 I'm glad everything worked as planned!
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @Skiddymarker it looks like you had quite the birthday and got some good BBQ stuff on top! Happy Belated Birthday!
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Alton
    Alton Posts: 509
    Very impressive and inspiring ^:)^ we do crem brûlée often , I like the idea of using the BGE rather than heating up the Kitchen.
    PROUD MEMBER OF THE WHO DAT NATION!!!!! Stuck in Dallas.......
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Thanks @Alton I figured why not give it a try, I'm sure you have a method that works for you, but it is much easier to bring a tea kettle to the egg / stove than carry a tray of boiling water around your house or backyard. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK.