Kitchen Confidential

Self taught cook and baker Jacob Blankenship runs his virtual kitchen over at his blog Jacob's Kitchen. While most blogs stop at recipes and photographs, Jacob tells you all about eating what you just cooked.

Luxury food at its best, Jacob inspires and often urges his readers to “examine the beauty of food”. Talking to Rajani Mani, Jacob Blankenship talks about how he hopes to “inspire people to be more adventurous in the kitchen” and the one advice he has for readers is to “stop and smell the cupcakes”. Here’s more from him…

What’s your story?
“I have been cooking and baking for as far back as I can remember. Even as a three year old, I would drag a little black stool all around my grandmother’s kitchen, where she taught me how to make bread, cakes, pies, biscuits, jam, and cobblers. Over the years I have collected a lot of cookbooks, and watched countless hours of cooking shows on television. But what I love most about food is its ability to bring us all a little closer together.”

What is Jacob’s Kitchen all about?
“While I do blog about all of the food that I make, I have a special place in my heart for desserts, so I find that I blog about those most frequently. Beyond that, my posts have an emphasis on entertaining, presentation, and how to serve delicious, impressive dishes with as little work as humanly possible.”

You live in Oregon, tell us about the local food scene.
“In Oregon I am fortunate to live in the rich Willamette valley which offers a wide array of fresh produce, and local artisan wines and cheeses. Marionberries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, hazelnuts, asparagus, apples, and pears are just a fraction of our area’s bounty.”

A delicious food memory?
“My great great grandmother’s yeast rolls that we make for all of our holidays and special occasions. As if the entirety of my life was contained inside of the warm, feathery layers of dough. What could be more delicious than that?”

Your favourite cooking smell?
“Does anything compare to the smell of sautéing onions and garlic, or fresh bread baking?”

Five ingredients you just can’t do without
“Some of my most used, and most cherished ingredients are, fresh lemons, butter, vanilla (beans and extract), garlic, and salt.”

Where are you most likely to source your recipe from?
“My most trusted recipes come from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa series. Her recipes never fail!”

What would you like your last meal to be?
“I have often been asked this question, and fear that when the time came to make the decision that I would be paralyzed by the many amazing choices. But it would certainly have to include spicy Thai panang curry, some delicious fresh sushi, hot garlic naan, lots of amazing cheeses, and a big slice of strawberry cheesecake.”

What recipe are you sharing with us?
“This simple caramel sauce is great served over fresh fruit, ice cream, cakes, pies, and puddings. It lasts for weeks in the refrigerator, and makes any last minute dessert feel really special.”

SALTED VANILLA CARAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients
3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
2 ½ cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Method
1. In a small bowl, combine the salt and vanilla extract, set aside.
2. In a sauce pan, stir together the sugar and water. Cook over low heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until the syrup is clear. Once clear, turn the heat up to medium and boil for 5-12 minutes, or until the syrup has turned a warm chestnut brown. Off the heat, stir in the cream, being cautious, as this addition will cause the syrup to bubble up violently.
3. Back over low heat, stir the caramel until the sugar has once again melted, the bubbles subside, and the mixture becomes homogeneous.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla mixture.
5. Serve at room temperature over fresh fruit, ice cream, puddings, or cakes. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks.

For more delicious masterpieces and tips on luxurious fine dining, visit Jacob’s Kitchen.