Michelin-starred chefs might well think it's all about delicate fronds of herbage artistically draped across tiny, symmetrical portions of inedibly (and impronouncibly) fancy food, but I think unattractive, imperfect food tastes better. Think about it - your homemade bread and baking treats are almost always weird looking, slightly lumpy and certainly asymmetrical, but they always taste incredible!
Home made bagels are the epitome of this phenomenon. I don't know how the supermarket brands get their bagels so shiny and smooth and perfectly shaped, but how ever they do it, they also seem to suck the flavour and texture out of the bagels at the same time. Homemade bagels are just odd looking, but their texture and flavour is infinitely superior to anything store bought.
So, as you might guess from this lengthy intro, I made bagels this weekend! The very best ones have to be boiled before baking - that's what gives them the dense, chewy quality. And a wee trick I've learnt allows them to stay rounded and plump - you bake them for the first 7 mins sitting on a damp tea towel, and then very gently flip them over, egg wash and bake until golden. You don't have to do this, of course, but that keeps them round rather than flat bottomed.
Today's lunch then, was eggs benedict with homemade bagels, smoked salmon, poached free-range eggs, blanched spinach and homemade hollandaise. Not too shabby! It's the first time I've ever made hollandaise and it was much easier than I thought it would be. I've always had a deep set fear of making hollandaise for some reason, but it worked out well. I heated the butter in the microwave until it was bubbling and then gently trickled it into beaten egg yolks (with lemon and dijon) all the while beating with my electric beaters. It was a tense few mins while I made it - I kept expecting the egg yolks to utterly reject the butter and split horribly, but nope!
Supermarkets and Michelin starred chefs be damned...I'll take my homemade lumpy weird bagels any day over visual perfection in food!
Oh my goodness, this sounds delicious. I wish there were a photo of your ugly bagels to drool over! I totally agree with your ugly food thesis, although just tonight I was thinking about how I really need to improve my food presentation skills. I'd never make it on Masterchef. The way I plate my food is at best rustic, at worst a mess. But usually delicious, if I do say so myself :-)'
ReplyDeleteAlas...we polished off the entire batch of bagels in a true act of weekend gluttony, so no pics I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about presentation skills. John and Greg would not approve at all of my 'plating up' - even when I actually try to make it look nice, it still looks a "rustic" mess! Although, in saying that, the eggs benedict were probably as pretty as that dish can ever look. I have no proof of this though - that's the real problem for me. When I do somehow - miraculously - manage to make food look presentable, I don't want to fluff about taking photos of it...I want to dive straight in and eat it! Greed wins out over aesthetic pleasure every time!