Banana puddings with miso caramel

Active: 45 minutes; Total: 5 hours 30 minutes; Refrigerate: 4 hours to overnight; Serves: 8

Cream, heavy	1 cup + 1 cup
Miso, white	2 teaspoons
Sugar, granulated	¾ cup + ½ cup + ½ cup
Water	2 tablespoons
Corn syrup, light	1 teaspoon
Milk, whole	½ cup + 3 cups
Cornstarch	2/3 cup
Egg yolks	8 large
Butter, unsalted	6 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons
Vanilla extract, pure	1 tablespoon
Salt	1 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon
Bananas, ripe, chopped	4 medium
Sugar, dark brown	2 tablespoons
Graham crackers, finely ground	5 crackers
Flour, all-purpose	3 ½ tablespoons
Sugar, light brown	1 ½ teaspoons

1. Combine 1-cup cream with miso in a small saucepan. 
2. Bring just to a simmer over medium heat; remove immediately, and set aside. 
3. Combine ¾-cup sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. 
4. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a deep-amber caramel forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in the warm cream mixture, ensuring you get the sugar in the sides of the pan; let cool 10 minutes. 
6. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a heatproof container; discard the solids. 
7. Whisk together ½-cup milk, ½-cup sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. 
8. Combine the remaining milk and remaining ½-cup granulated sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
9. Remove from heat, and very gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. 
10. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. 
11. Remove from heat, and whisk in 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. 
12. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. 
13. Transfer the pudding to a medium bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface; let cool completely, and then refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours. 
14. Fold in the bananas, and refrigerate 30 minutes more. 
15. Preheat your oven to 325°F; line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
16. Melt remaining 4-tablespoons butter with the dark brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar id dissolved, about 2 minutes. 
17. Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, light brown sugar, and ½-teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. 
18. Stir in the butter mixture until the crumbs are evenly moistened. 
19. Spread the mixture in a ¼-inch-thick layer on the prepared baking sheet. 
20. Bake until dry and crisp, about 16 minutes, breaking up and stirring the crumbs halfway through; cool completely, and then crush into fine crumbs. 
21. Beat the remaining cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. 
22. Spoon the banana pudding into eight 8-ounce glasses; top evenly with the caramel, whipped cream, and crumb topping. 

Recipe by Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin, TX, and published in Food & Wine. 

Sous vide bison roast with mushroom sauce

Active: 30 minutes; Cooktop: 15 minutes; Sous vide: 24 hours; Serves: 8 to 10

Bison roast, pat dry with paper towels	3 ½ to 4 pounds
Steak Seasoning Packet (or a mixture of 2 parts pepper to 1 part salt)	8 tablespoons
Sugar	3 teaspoons
Butter, unsalted, melted (or other oil)	5 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon
Wine, red	½ cup
Broth, beef	up to 2 cups
Pepper, freshly ground	Generous pinch
Shallots, finely chopped	2
Mushrooms, roughly chopped	1 cup
Flour, all purpose	2 tablespoons
Jalapeño cheese grits
Zucchini fritters
Poached eggs
Parsley	Garnish

1. Preheat your sous vide water bath to 138°F, and cover to prevent evaporation. 
2. In a small bowl, mix the seasoning packet (one came with our meat shipment) or pepper and salt with the sugar. 
3. Sprinkle the spices over the roast, and press into the meat to form a crust. 
4. Cut a bag large enough to hold your roast, and seal one edge, and place the roast into the bag. 
5. Pour the butter over the roast, and vacuum seal the bag. 
6. When the water bath is ready, submerge the vacuum-sealed roast, and cook for 24 hours. 
7. Carefully remove the bag from the water bath, and allow to rest for a few minutes. 
8. Snip off a corner of the bag, and pour the juice into a large measuring cup. (You’ll need 2 cups to make the mushroom sauce. If you run short, use beef broth.) 
9. In a small saucepan, add the reserved juices, wine, and pepper; reduce to one-third. 
10. In another pan, add 3-tablespoons oil, shallots, and mushrooms; cook until they start to get some color. 
11. Stir in the the flour, reduce the heat, and keep stirring until the flour starts to brown. 
12. Strain in the reduced liquid to the roux, adjust the consistency of the sauce with broth; taste and adjust the seasonings, as needed; keep warm until needed. 
13. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat; pour a little oil to coat the bottom of pan. 
14. Sear the roast in the hot pan, about 45 seconds to a minute per side, until the surface is caramelized. 
15. Slice the roast as desired. 
16. Serve your roast lovingly smothered with mushroom sauce over jalapeño cheese grits along side zucchini fritters with poached eggs on top. 
17. Sprinkle with a garnish of parsley, if you wish.

Sous vide pork chops with mushrooms

Active: 15 minutes; Cooktop: 15 minutes; Sous vide: 45 minutes; Serves: 2

Pork chops, thick-cut, bone-in	2
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Butter, unsalted, cold	1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
Mushrooms	4 ounces
Sherry	¼ cup
Beef stock	½ cup
Worcestershire sauce	1 tablespoon
Micro greens	Garnish

1. Preheat your sous vide to 140°F. 
2. Season the chops with salt and pepper, and place in a large ziplock or vacuum seal bag; seal. 
3. Place in the water bath, and cook for 45 minutes. 
4. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. 
5. Remove the pork chops from the bag and pat dry; discard cooking liquid. 
6. Melt 1-tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
7. When the butter stops foaming, add the pork chops and sear until well-browned, about 1 minute per side; transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. 
8. Return the skillet to the heat, and add the mushrooms. 
9. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. 
10. Add the sherry and bring to a rapid simmer, scraping up any browed bits from the bottom of the skillet. 
11. Add the stock and Worcestershire, and bring to a rapid simmer. 
12. Reduce head to medium, and continue to simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened. 
13. Remove the skillet from the heat, and rapidly swirl in the remaining butter, ½ tablespoon at a time, until the sauce emulsifies. 
14. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
15. Serve the pork chops with the mushroom sauce and micro greens.

Sous vide breakfast in a jar

Active: 15 minutes; Cooktop: 15 minutes; Sous vide: 1 to 2 hours; Serves: 4

Eggs	6 large + ¾ cup whites
Cottage cheese	1 cup
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Veggies (such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini), diced
Ham or bacon, diced

1. Preheat your sous vide to 170°F; spray the inside of your glass jars lightly with canola oil. (Chef’s note: The original recipe calls for 12 wide-mouth 250ml jars to create “egg bites.” I had 4 larger 1-cup jars that required a longer cooking time.) 
2. Sauté the vegetables and meat, and then divide among your jars. 
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, mix together the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth; divide among the jars. 
4. Secure lids to the jars and lower them into your water bath, cook 1 hour for small jars and 2 hours for larger jars. 
5. Enjoy alone or with a toasted English muffin!

Sous vide poached egg

Sous vide cook time: 13 minutes; Serves: 1

Egg	1 large
Muffin, English, halved	1
Butter, unsalted, melted	1 tablespoon
Canadian bacon or ham	1 slice
Parmesan, finely grated	2 teaspoons
Pickled red onions
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Parsley, torn

1. Preheat your sous vide to 167°F. 
2. Using a slotted ladle, gently lower the eggs into the water bath, and cook for 13 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, toast the muffin, and heat the ham. 
4. Using a pairing knife, tap around the middle of the shell with the sharp edge; be warned, the egg is slippery! 
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan, pickled onions, parsley, salt, and pepper; serve!