Technique Technique

Okay, I confess. I am a technique geek. If there is a right way to cook something, I want to know it. If there is a best way to zest lemons or sieve stock or deglaze a pan or tie a prime rib, I want to know it so I can do it. But the problem with technique-ism, is that it ignores the fact that often a vague facsimile of Perfect works pretty well. Coffee making is perhaps a good example. With current explosion of the slow pour over (Blue Bottle) style brewing, many have become obsessed with a style that is fussy without delivering anything much more than another solid coffee making technique. So while I am a technique geek, I suppose I am also a lazy, skeptical realist. Last night, we had a last minute chance to have friends over for dinner. We decided to keep it simple. There was lovely Prather Ranch ground beef in the freezer. So burgers and fries it is. But fries...

I do not do much deep frying, maybe once or twice a year. Typically, calamari or something potato (though not French Fries) or, most likely, something wacky like Dino kale, which is crazy good deep fried and moderately salted. (It is a green potato chip.) So I turn to my stand-by source for technique, Cook's Illustrated. This is a terrific magazine. For all its sins, it stands above all food magazines for the reliability of it's recipes and it's willingness to test (and test) technique. Both literally and figuratively, they will (and have) sacrificed sacred cows to split technique hairs. Then they try and explain why a technique matters. I love it! But sometimes we need to trim it down, cut a step out, and just get on with it. For a guy who will reminisce about my days smoking on my Weber Smoky Mountain using the Modified Minion Method with my Kingsford, I like to have the ability to call an audible, to throw away convention. So the fries...

So Cook's has two recipes for French Fries: the classic and easier. Well, Easier French Fries calls for Yukon Golds, which I did not buy. The Classic recipe has three main steps. Soak the cut potatoes. Fry at 325 for 6-8 minutes. Then, after a 10 minute rest, fry at 350 to crisp up and brown for a minute. Well, this all sounds fine, except our friends are here and the soak should take 30 minutes.

Inner Technique Geek: "But without the soak, the interior moisture may evaporate, leaving dry fries that are chewy."
Lazy Realist: "Yeah, well, you wanna keep everybody waiting 30 minutes and then ask for help to pat dry all the cut potatoes?! How bad could they be?"
Inner Technique Geek: "How perfect could they be with that short soak? Perhaps you should have consulted the recipe earlier and made the appropriate adjustments to your shopping list and schedule."
Lazy Realist: "I warned them with the invite. We are just throwing something together! No soak, it is."

So after a seven minute fry in two batches, a brief rest, then a quick fry in hotter oil. We enjoyed excellent fries without the soak. These were followed by macerated pears with a marsala marscapone cream and strawberries. The marscapone cream is in itself a lazy realist discovery. It is essentially a short cut version of the base of a Tiramisu without the egg foam that makes a more involved, but more complex tasting dessert. For Spring and Summer dinners, the marscapone cream is a great quick way to dress up Strawberry Shortcake or top fresh or macerated fruit. Though we omitted the biscuit or pound cake (due to dietary restrictions), the cream has more body and flavor than whipped cream and can hold some alcoholic flavorings, if you are so inclined.

The process is so simple. 16 oz of marscapone is plenty for 6 provided you serve it along or over fruit, perhaps with something else, like a slice of scone or pound cake. Beat the marscapone with some sugar. Add a quarter cup (or so - don't measure) of heavy cream. Add a splash of vanilla (two teaspoons, maybe). Beat until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of sweet marsala (for the Tiramisu direction) or a bit of brandy or fruit or coffee liquor, as you like. The cream will set up in the fridge over a couple of hours. So taste it. Add cream or sugar to your liking. Use less cream if you do not have the time to let it sit in the fridge and gel. It took me all of two minutes to make.