← W1 · Daily Plan · W3 →

Intensity: MEDIUM | Season: Forced rhubarb arriving, last blood oranges.

Background all week: Sourdough starter daily feeds — discard to 20g, add 40g wheat + 20g water.


Menu at a Glance

Day Breakfast Lunch Dinner Sweet
Sun Mar 22 — Prep Mix focaccia + pâte sucrée
Monday — Chicken · Focaccia · Crème Pât Focaccia, olive oil Focaccia + chicken + radish Chicken + pan sauce, radish, leaves Crème pât — assess
Tuesday — Curd · Sourdough · Porridge Porridge 3:1 (assess) Focaccia + chicken + radish Chicken + pan sauce, leek vinaigrette Porridge 2:1 + blood orange + cardamom
Wednesday — Sourdough Bake · Gratin · Tart Porridge + BO + cardamom Sourdough + butter (assess), + radish Potato gratin dauphinois, leaves Crème pât + lingonberry curd
Thursday · Friday — Deploy Porridge + curd Sourdough + curd Lingonberry curd tart (Thu) · Gratin reheated (Fri) Last tart slice (Thu)
Saturday · Sunday — Light Days Sourdough + curd Sourdough + radish, leaves Eggs on sourdough + radish

Snack shelf (Wed onwards): Remaining crème pâtissière · Lingonberry curd on sourdough


Week Flavour Thread

Curd as a ratio lesson. Blood orange curd (W1) and lingonberry curd (W2) use identical proportions — same juice volume, same sugar, same eggs, same butter, same target temperature — yet the lingonberry sets firmer because its intrinsic acid concentration is higher. The palate contrast is direct: citrus sweetness and roundness versus lingonberry's astringent, resinous sharpness. Same architecture, opposite character. The ratio does not determine the outcome alone — the acid content of the fruit pushes the result within a fixed structure.

Starch-set versus egg-set. Crème pâtissière and W1's custards differ in mechanism and result. Starch provides a firm, pipe-able structure that does not melt on the palate. Egg-set custard dissolves. The curd tart makes both visible in the same slice: crème pât layer holds, curd layer flows. This distinction determines every future tart format decision.

Porridge as a ratio study. 3:1 is fluid and spoonable. 2:1 is thick and filling. The blood orange + cardamom variation establishes a principle: aromatic volatiles added to hot liquid register clearly even without a fat medium. The citrus zest registers immediately; the cardamom finishes late.

Pickled radish is infrastructure. Same function as pickled onion in W1 — concentrated acid reset at every meal. The soy adds umami depth that cider vinegar never achieves.


Ratios Introduced

Pâte sucrée 50:30:15:5:0.5 flour:butter:sugar:yolk:salt · Crème pâtissière 75:10:10:5 milk:yolk:sugar:starch → boil 1 min · Lingonberry curd 27:30:24:18 juice:egg:sugar:butter, 82–84°C · Soy-pickled radish 3:2:1 soy:vinegar:sugar · Porridge 3:1 water:oats (café) vs 2:1 (thick) · Sourdough country loaf same as W1 · Sourdough focaccia 82% hydration, 20% active starter · Dauphinois 2:1 cream:milk, 160°C, no cheese


Shopping List · Week 2

Meat

Item Amount
Chicken thighs, bone-in skin-on 1.2 kg (6 thighs)