I am very computer challenged so I look for the easiest computer related programs. I have found a new site for my blog and I hope you will visit it. This poor blog site will be put to rest for a while.....maybe forever??
www.cjdacook.wordpress.com
Thanks and hope to see you on the 'other side'!!
Monday, July 28, 2014
MOVING MY BLOG
Because I am computer challenged, I look for the easiest site to work on and I have found another home for our blog while we visit the U.S. I hope you will visit and follow us along on our journey -
www.cjdacook.wordpress.com
This poor old blog that I started so many years ago will be put to rest for a while...maybe forever???
Hope to see you all on the other side..
www.cjdacook.wordpress.com
This poor old blog that I started so many years ago will be put to rest for a while...maybe forever???
Hope to see you all on the other side..
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Stop in Spokane, WA
We are homeless and we are on the road for - I HOPE - a year. So, for the next 12 months I will refer to ourselves as the 'Homeless on the Road' with no disrespect to those really homeless, because we do have a wonderful traveling home to enjoy while we explore the U.S.
This is my first blog in a long time, so please bear with me until I relearn the ropes.
Got settled in our site and unloaded the cooking gear and
chairs – first grilled dinner on the road –
roasted cod & asparagus with lemon-caper sauce.
This is my first blog in a long time, so please bear with me until I relearn the ropes.
July 19, 2014
On the way to Spokane Thursday, the 17th just
before we encountered smoke from the fires, the mountains were so clear and
close you could almost reach out and touch them.
Two-Vine
Chardonnay was a great match with the dish.
July 19th
Despite the smoke in the air, we had a wonderful day
exploring Spokane. First stop a farmers market to get some fresh corn and of
course picked up a few extra goodies. Confronted the first reason I’m sorry we
are homeless…I can only buy consumable products – no more little goodies to
store away until we get home. This is a big hurdle for me. Especially when I
saw this little appetizer plate
I would have
bought this in a minute!
Had to satisfy myself with the corn, beautiful Yukon Gold
‘tatoes, and goat Parmesan cheese from Chatteroy Cheese Co., a local cheese
maker. http://www.chattaroycheese.com/Chattaroy_Cheese/Goat_Cheese.html.
Another product I found is Camelina Gold
cooking oil. This oil has a rich full-bodied flavor. http://camelinagold.com/?cat=4
Also,
at the farmers market found an herb completely new to me – Lettuce Basil – what
a great find and I’m sure going to plant this when I have the opportunity. The
leaves are large, so much easier to use in
sandwiches.
From the farmers market we headed downtown to the city
library for what I thought was going to be a pictorial display of evolution in
this area, but instead were some of the most beautiful pictures of this area
and so worth searching for a parking space large enough for a diesel pickup!!
wish the pictures
had turned out, they were so compelling. The pix on the right is of Sun Lakes
and I’m going to try and find out where it is.
Bill & Kathy Kostelec are amazing photographers –
here’s a brief description of their work.
And
a great lunch and one of the best martinis Roy has had. Learned a trick for
making his martini (and those of you who know about this, why didn’t you tell
Roy??) Here’s their method:
Mist
the bottom of a martini glass with vermouth (they used Martini & Rossi),
then shake the gin, Bombay was used and pour into the glass. And forget all
those flavored olives, he has decided he just loves the simple green olive
stuffed with pimento best.
His
lunch was - a Turkey BLT Wrap: Sliced
turkey, smoked bacon, white cheddar, lettuce, tomato and basil mayo wrapped in
a grilled tomato basil tortilla.
my lunch: Moroccan
Beef – sauteed beef tenders with a touch of Moroccan spices served with grilled
focaccia poinits, gorgonzola fondue and balsamic glaze. Just outstanding. I
could have eaten the entire dish, but I kept thinking of things I could play
with with the leftovers, so backed off and brough half of it home. I’m thinking
a flatbread topped with the fondue, greens and the beef chopped up. (addition
ideas: cilantro, melted fig jam drizzled, toasted almond…….)
More ideas from Twigs menu I want to play with -
Honey Pecan Trout: Pecan crusted rainbow trout over an
apricot couscous topped with an orange-rosemary butter sauce.
Huckleberry Streusel Pizza – pizza covered with sweet
cream butter, cinnamon, classic streusel topping, baked golden, then topped
with confectioner’s icing, wild huckleberry coulis and finished with a scoop of
vanilla ice cream.
Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza - herb-oil roasted mushroom medley, roasted
garlic cloves, fire-roasted red bells, chives and Mozzarella.
About 8 more ideas……
One more stop to make – Latah Creek Winery is celebrating
their 32nd anniversary and we’d never had their wines. Beautiful
winery and great tastings matched with their wines.
Latah winery - http://www.latahcreek.com/
First tasting was cracker topped with Chattaroy’s Garlic Chevre and a compote matched with a Cab
Franc; watermelon salad matched with Huckleberry d’Latah (“The subtle blueberry-like flavors of the huckleberry add
nice complexities to the wonderfully intense
spice and floral characters of our Riesling”); a pasta salad matched
with Malbec; and a feather light lemon cake matched with Riesling. The winery
did a superb job of matching the foods with their wines. I’ve been promised the
recipe for the lemon cake from the co-owner, Elena Conway, who has 3 cookbooks
under her belt. You know I had fun talking with her.
The winery is one of only a few family owned and operated
wineries within the State. Mike Conway, with over 34 years of winery experience,
and his wife Ellena pair together to run one of the most successful small
wineries in this relatively new viticultural region. While Mike assumes the
management, winemaking and vineyard tasks, Ellena takes on the accounting,
fiscal, tasting room, and gift shop responsibilities. Mike & Ellena
announced in 2005 that their daughter Natalie would be joining the family
business as the assistant winemaker.
We didn’t taste this, but I did buy it anyway – Wildbeary
Huckleberry Lemonade which we have been directed to add some vodka and just
enjoy!!!!
As we were checking out with our 2 bottles (had promised
ourselves only 1 bottle per winery), on the display case I spotted – a wine
bottle filled with M&Ms…..had to have.
Came home and ended the day splitting the other half of
Roy’s wrap. Sigh, love these kind of days.
so ends chapter 1 of our travels - we will be here in Spokane for another 3 days and then we head east for another week's stay....but, there are a few more wineries in Spokane to sample. :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
And Here Are The Cookbooks!!!
Finally, the two cookbooks I'm so proud of are available.
The newest book, a Chef's Journey...Home, was a labor of love.
How do I thank the women in my life who taught me the love of food and cooking? By gathering theirs and other recipes that my family grew up eating and loving and offereing them to all of you.
By sharing these dishes, I hope their memories live on for many generations to come.
Many of my friends, fellow chefs and food lovers, also traveled back in time to remember the foods they loved growing up and share them in the book.
$19.95 To order either book, please go to my website, achefsjourney.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Share a Recipe Cookbook is a compilation of recipes contributed by chefs and cooks from all over the world.
Over 100 favorite comfort food recipes that are inexpensive to prepare for your family. These are the dishes we all made when we were first starting out and had very little money, but wanted to cook delicious meals for our families. The recipes are also those our parents cooked for us when they were starting out.
All of the proceeds from this book go to chef scholarships to help our future chefs. Anyone enrolled in a culinary school is eligible for a scholarship. We've already been fortunate enough to give a $1,000.00 scholarship to a student attending Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, Nevada.
$14.95 To order either book, please go to my website, achefsjourney.com
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Moving On In Another Direction
My poor old blog has been so neglected and probably will be from now on since I've moved on in another direction as far as sharing recipes with everyone.
I've just completed my 2nd book and it will be out and ready for the world this month. For anyone interested, please go to my website - http://achefsjourney.com and find out all about it and the first book.
I hope I see everyone in a kitchen one of these days.....
Jean
I've just completed my 2nd book and it will be out and ready for the world this month. For anyone interested, please go to my website - http://achefsjourney.com and find out all about it and the first book.
I hope I see everyone in a kitchen one of these days.....
Jean
Friday, April 25, 2008
If You're Ever Passing Thru Goldendale, Washington...
Since the barrel tasting does not start until today (Friday), yesterday we headed south from Yakima to the Goldendale area to check out some wineries. South of Goldendale (small farming town, about 4,000 population) on the Columbia river is where a lot of new wineries are clustered. The most breathtaking views in the world - I may be a little prejudiced because my Grandparents had a ranch on the Columbia until the government took it over for the Hanford Nuclear plant, so I get very nostalgic when I'm in that area, it's so wild, and huge and craggy and beautiful!
Finally got to Maryhill Winery - we've loved their wines for a few years now. I was surprised to find they only started the winery about 7-8 years ago, so guess we found them early on. Their Zins and Syrahs are just wonderful.
http://www.maryhillwinery.com/ourwine.asp
They are building an amphitheater to be finished in a month or so and Cosby, Stills & Nash are the first venue slated - would love to come back for that. The theater has its back to the river and the seating and winery itself faces the river...oh my, the view. (can you tell I'm impressed?)
We spent so much time at Maryhill and tried so many wines, we only hit one more, Marshall winery - a dinky little place just getting on its legs. But, oh the winemaker does know what he's doing. His Syrahs are wonderful. Even if we could have tasted more and still made it home without a drunk driving charge, we spent so much time at each place, we then headed home.
But we made a little detour when we got back to Goldendale - ran across a little house with the sign, The Glass Onion out front. So, in we pulled and found a little gem of a restaurant and gallery in the midst of nothing!!
http://theglassonionrestaurant.com/
Check out their website just to see how the restaurant came to be and also the photographs that Chef Mark McGowan's wife takes.We each had a bowl of his Spring Pea soup with fresh cream and oh my, it was just delicious. On the menu also, was a spinach salad with bleu cheese, bacon, candied pecans and maple dressing! that caught my eye. I handed our server my ACF card (opens so many doors ) and asked if I might just try a little of the maple dressing and out came a little salad for us to try with the dressing. It was just delicious - the salty bleu and the sweetness of the syrup and crunch of fresh spinach and the nuts. AND, Chef Mark was nice enough to give me the recipe and I will be nice enough to share it with you, too.
Chef McGown's Maple Dressing
He uses it with his spinach salad (including bleu cheese, bacon, candied pecans)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 T. Dijon
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 c. brown sugar
With our soup and salad, we had a glass of Cascade Cliff's (a winery we wanted to visit, but alas, didn't think we ought to!) Merlot and it was very good with the salad and dressing, not to mention the soup also.So, that was our day yesterday and what a nice day it was!!
Today, we start drinking (or tasting...) our way thru the Yakima Valley Barrel tasting. So many wines, so little time!
With all the great wines we tried, we almost held to our winery pledge of buying only one bottle per winery on these kinds of trips... almost, had to buy a bottle of Maryhill's Malbec for my birthday dinner coming up... we were rather proud of our restraint!
Finally got to Maryhill Winery - we've loved their wines for a few years now. I was surprised to find they only started the winery about 7-8 years ago, so guess we found them early on. Their Zins and Syrahs are just wonderful.
http://www.maryhillwinery.com/ourwine.asp
They are building an amphitheater to be finished in a month or so and Cosby, Stills & Nash are the first venue slated - would love to come back for that. The theater has its back to the river and the seating and winery itself faces the river...oh my, the view. (can you tell I'm impressed?)
We spent so much time at Maryhill and tried so many wines, we only hit one more, Marshall winery - a dinky little place just getting on its legs. But, oh the winemaker does know what he's doing. His Syrahs are wonderful. Even if we could have tasted more and still made it home without a drunk driving charge, we spent so much time at each place, we then headed home.
But we made a little detour when we got back to Goldendale - ran across a little house with the sign, The Glass Onion out front. So, in we pulled and found a little gem of a restaurant and gallery in the midst of nothing!!
http://theglassonionrestaurant.com/
Check out their website just to see how the restaurant came to be and also the photographs that Chef Mark McGowan's wife takes.We each had a bowl of his Spring Pea soup with fresh cream and oh my, it was just delicious. On the menu also, was a spinach salad with bleu cheese, bacon, candied pecans and maple dressing! that caught my eye. I handed our server my ACF card (opens so many doors ) and asked if I might just try a little of the maple dressing and out came a little salad for us to try with the dressing. It was just delicious - the salty bleu and the sweetness of the syrup and crunch of fresh spinach and the nuts. AND, Chef Mark was nice enough to give me the recipe and I will be nice enough to share it with you, too.
Chef McGown's Maple Dressing
He uses it with his spinach salad (including bleu cheese, bacon, candied pecans)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 T. Dijon
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 c. brown sugar
With our soup and salad, we had a glass of Cascade Cliff's (a winery we wanted to visit, but alas, didn't think we ought to!) Merlot and it was very good with the salad and dressing, not to mention the soup also.So, that was our day yesterday and what a nice day it was!!
Today, we start drinking (or tasting...) our way thru the Yakima Valley Barrel tasting. So many wines, so little time!
With all the great wines we tried, we almost held to our winery pledge of buying only one bottle per winery on these kinds of trips... almost, had to buy a bottle of Maryhill's Malbec for my birthday dinner coming up... we were rather proud of our restraint!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Mother Sauce - Espagnole
Our cooking friend, 'Houseboat Don', wants to learn sauces, so this weekend we’re going to work on one of the mother sauces, Espagnole and its smaller sauces. I’m making the basic brown stock and then the Espagnole sauce and wait for him to be here to work on to the small sauces.
I’m thinking I’ll have some steaks and chicken thawed out and we can just have a taste testing of the sauces – here’s what we'll choose probably 6-8 from:
Bordelaise
Marchand de Vin
Robert
Charcutiere
Chasseur
Diable
Madeira
Perigueux (this one calls for truffles, but if we make it maybe we can play with truffle salt and/or truffle oil - unless Don wants to pop for truffles.... )
Port Wine
Italian
Mushroom
Bercy
Piquante
Lyonnaise
I’m using my text book from Culinary school for reference and help in making these sauces – Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Cooking. But there are a lot of sources anyone can use, especially having access to the internet to search.
Started out with a huge problem – I forgot to tell Roy to make sure the beef bones were cut in 3 – 4” lengths. He brought home some real hummers. Meat saw, hack saw, cleaver – nothing was working, so had to resort to an impeccably cleaned table saw. But, even that was precarious, think about holding those slippery little devils safely away from the blade. Finally, between the table saw and a wedge, we managed to get usable sizes.
They are in the oven roasting, then the mirepoix will be roasted and the brown stock will begin. And the adventure goes on. This should be a lot of fun.
Tuesday, 2/12/08
I had approximately 17 lbs. of beef bones
10-12 qts. cold water
Mirepoix:
1 lb. onions, chopped
8 oz. carrots, chopped
8 oz. celery, chopped
1 lb. tomatoes or tomato puree (I used puree)
Sachet:
1 Bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
8 peppercorns
4-6 parsley stems
1 whole cloves
Roast the bones in a 375 – 400 F. oven until well browned – the browner, the more flavor for your stock. Remove bones from pan and place in a stock pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Skim and let stock continue to simmer.
Drain and reserve the fat in the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with water, scraping up all the goodies on the bottom of the pan and add to stock pot.
I had approximately 17 lbs. of beef bones
10-12 qts. cold water
Mirepoix:
1 lb. onions, chopped
8 oz. carrots, chopped
8 oz. celery, chopped
1 lb. tomatoes or tomato puree (I used puree)
Sachet:
1 Bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
8 peppercorns
4-6 parsley stems
1 whole cloves
Roast the bones in a 375 – 400 F. oven until well browned – the browner, the more flavor for your stock. Remove bones from pan and place in a stock pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Skim and let stock continue to simmer.
Drain and reserve the fat in the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with water, scraping up all the goodies on the bottom of the pan and add to stock pot.
Toss the vegetables with some of the reserved fat from bones in the roasting pan and brown well in the oven – again, the browner, the more flavor.
Add the browned mirepoix, the tomato produce, and the sachet to the stock pot. Continue to simmer for a total cooking time of 6 to 8 hours, skimming the surface as needed. Add water to keep the bones covered. I made this stock over two days, 3 hours on Tuesday and brought it back up to a simmer and continued for 5 more hours.
Strain through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Cool the stock, vented, in a cold-water bath and refrigerate.
Wednesday, 2/13/08
Wednesday, I continued the stock for 5 more hours. Then on to making the Espagnole Sauce. Now, this is where I took a slight shortcut. My amount of stock ended up being 8 quarts and the below ingredient amounts are based on 6 qts., so I added 1/3 more of everything.
Mirepoix:
1 lb. onions, medium dice
8 oz. carrots, medium dice
8 oz. celery, medium dice
----
8 oz. butter
8 oz. bread flour
6 qts. brown stock
8 oz. tomato puree
Sachet:
1 small bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
3-4 parsley stems
Sauté the mirepoix in the butter until well browned. Add the flour and stir to make the roux. Continue to cook, until the roux is browned.
Gradually stir in the brown stock and tomato puree, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and skim the surface. Add the sachet and let simmer for about 2 hours, until the sauce is reduced to 1 gal. Skim as often as necessary.
Strain through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Press on the mirepoix gently to extract their juices.
----
Now, this is where my shortcut comes in – because I goofed! I forgot I needed equal amounts of the Espagnole Sauce and the brown stock to make my Demiglaze! But, I had a little container of wonderful ‘gold’ that I used. I always have on hand a product called “Glace de Gibier Gold” from More Than Gourmet (you can buy on line). I made up the amount I needed and continued with the demi –
1 gallon brown sauce (Espagnole)
1 gallon brown stock
Combine the sauce and stock in a stock pot and simmer until reduced by half. Strain through a chinois (fine china cap) or a regular china cap lined with cheesecloth. Cover to prevent a skin from forming. Keep hot in a bain marie, or cool in a cold-water bath for later use.
Here's my demiglaze and it tastes absolutely wonderful! Luscious looking also! :)
I am now ready for Houseboat Don to arrive and continue with our small sauces.
Next blog with cover the small sauce we make from the Demiglaze, how we use them and more importanly how we all like them! I'm getting so anxious!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Camaraderie Vineyard's Wine Maker's Dinner
Along with my fearless and valiant Sous, Roy and I presented Camaraderie Vineyard's guests with an 8 course Wine Maker's Dinner that we were both very proud of.
Camaraderie Vineyards Wine Maker’s Dinner
October 20, 2007
our menu
Lobster-Mango Spring Roll
Apricot Vinaigrette
Popcorn Tossed with Truffle Oil
Leek Trio
Leeks Mimosa with Hazelnuts
Parmesan-Leek Bread Pudding
Vichyssoise
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chilled Asparagus
Timbale of Caviar, Crab, Avocado
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Salad - Three Ways
Celeriac Remoulade
Chickpea and Carrot
Roasted Beet, Red Onion and Chives
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Herb-Crusted Mahi Mahi
Oven-Roasted Fennel and Tomato
Balsamic Reduction
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Braised Lamb Shanks
Caramelized Onions and Shallots
Potato Puree
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cheese Board
Wensley Dale Boroughs English Cheddar
Homboldt Fog Goat
Holland Smoked
Dried fruit
Walnut bread
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Late Harvest Riesling Sorbet
Fresh Berries
Chocolates
What a fun dinner and great group of folks to cook for. Almost all the courses/dishes I have cooked before, but a couple of them I’d either heard about or been given the ideas from chef friends I trust enough to go with offering them untried.
I have no idea where I first heard about Truffle popcorn, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to play with for quite a while. We had some company coming for dinner a week or so ahead of the wine maker’s dinner so decided to ‘test’ with them. We made three batches, one with kosher salt & truffle oil, one with truffle oil & truffle infused salt, and one with truffle oil, truffle salt and lemon zest. All agree the third was the very best! Earthy flavors with just a little zestiness to it.
TRUFFLE POPCORN
a Chef’s Journey recipe
1/2 cup popcorn
vegetable oil to coat the popcorn very lightly
1 1/2 T. truffle oil
truffle infused salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Measure out popcorn in a heavy pot. Add just enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the kernels.
Pop the corn and remove from heat.
Immediately add the truffle oil, truffle salt and lemon zest and toss the popcorn until all is incorporated.
Serve immediately.
The popcorn and Lobster-Mango Spring Rolls were to be ‘walk around’ starters for greeting the guests. I had intended to use butter lettuce leaves for the rolls, but decided they would not be as easy to use as a one-bite amuse-bouche as they would be with rice paper. The rolls are made up of strips of lobster, mango and cucumber rolled in rice paper and served with an Apricot Vinaigrette, which is really more of a sauce than vinaigrette, imo.
LOBSTER-MANGO SPRING ROLL WITH APRICOT VINAIGRETTE
Rick Tramonto, Amuse-Bouche
1 cooked lobster tail from a 1 1/2 - 2-lb. lobster (for 3 5-oz. lobster tails, drop in boiling salted water for 6 minutes)
1/2 cucumber -- peeled
1 ripe mango
4 to 8-inch round dried rice paper sheets (or butter lettuce leaves)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T. Apricot Vinaigrette
Remove the lobster meat from the shell in one piece & cut the meat lengthwise into quarters.
Trim each piece so that it is about 4" long.
Pull out the digestive tract if it's present.
Remove the seeds from the cucumber with a small spoon.
Discard the seeds.
Cut 4 strips from the cucumber, each one about 1/3" thick and 4" long, so that they match the lobster strips.
Make the strips as even as possible. Save any extra cucumber for another use.
Peel skin from the mango w/peeler.
Slice the flesh to the pit, squaring it as much as you can.
Cut 4 strips from the mango to match the cucumber strips.
Make the strips as even as possible.
Save extra for another use.
Fill a large, shallow bowl with warm water and spread a lint-free dish towel on a work surface.
One at a time, drop the rice paper in the water till all are submerged.
Soak for 3 minutes or till they are completely softened and pliable.
Life the sheets out of the water and spread them out on the dish towel to drain, making sure they don't overlap.
Arrange a strip of each - lobster, cucumber, and mango across the bottom third of the wrapper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fold the wrapper over the filling and roll into a tight cylinder up to the halfway mark.
Fold in the two sides and continue to roll till sealed.
Place the roll on a flat plate, seam side down.
Repeat to make 3 more rolls. Allow to rest for a few minutes to seal completely.
To serve, cut the rolls on the bias into thirds. (For an 8 course dinner, I cut each roll into 5 pieces)
Spoon some vinaigrette. On a small plate and set a slice on top of the sauce, cut side down. Or, slice the spring rolls into smaller pieces and serve on small plates w/a small ramekin of vinaigrette for dipping.
Can make up to 3 hours ahead
Next course up was the Leeks 3 Ways - a wonderful dish to be presented on a rectangular dish РI served the Vichyssoise on the left in demitasse cups, the Leeks Mimosa with Hazelnuts in the center, and the Leek Bread Pudding, cut in squares and plated on point, on the right. This is a great dish, with one exception Рthe Leek Mimosa was not a standout and I think I will replace the third part of this dish with either a Bell Pepper & Leek Saut̩ or a Leek & Ginger Slaw. Will be a much better balanced plate (taste and presentation).
VICHYSSOISE
House & Garden, 9/62
Serving Size : 6
2 cups potatoes -- finely diced, raw
4 tablespoons butter
6 large leeks (opt. add 1-2 shallots with the leeks) -- cleaned & cut into 1" pcs
3 cups chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 dash nutmeg
2 cups sour cream -- or heavy cream. May need just 1 1/2 cups
chopped fresh chives
Cook potatoes in salted water to cover till just tender. Melt butter in skillet & cook the leeks gently, tossing them lightly, for a few minutes.
Add the chicken bouillon and bring to a boil. Lower heat & simmer the leeks till tender.
Add the potatoes to the leeks & the broth & season to taste w/salt, pepper & nutmeg.
Put this mixture in a blender (blend in two-four lots.) & blend for 1 min. or till smooth.
Chill. When ready to serve, mix in sour cream or heavy cream. Thin with chicken stock or milk if necessary. Garnish w/chopped chives.
Parmesan-Leek Bread Pudding
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks\raw -- white part only
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 loaf Italian bread -- torn into 1 inch pieces
In a sauté pan over medium heat, gently soften the leeks in butter. After the leeks are tender, remove from heat. Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, half-and-half, eggs, seasonings, and cheese. Stir in bread and leeks.
Pour mixture into a large baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes.
Serves 8
I’ll have to do a little searching to find where this recipe came from.
Soup course is a family and catering favorite – Chilled Asparagus Soup with Timbale of Caviar, Crab and Avocado. You couldn’t ask for a prettier presentation soup, nor a better flavored.
CHILLED ASPARAGUS SOUP with TIMBALE OF CAVIAR, CRAB & AVOCADO
Serves 8
1/4 cup butter
3 small leeks -- white & pale green parts only, 4 cups approx.
2 lbs. asparagus -- ends trimmed, coarse chop
1 1/3 quarts chicken stock -- or canned low-salt broth (43 oz.)
1 quart chopped spinach leaves -- 4 oz.
1/2 cup flaked fresh crabmeat
2 2/3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 cup diced peeled pitted avocado
2 2/3 tablespoons good-quality black caviar (such as oestra)
Melt butter in heavy large pan over med. heat. Add leeks & sauté till soft, about 5 min. Add asparagus and stock; bring to boll. Reduce heat to medium, cover & simmer till asparagus is tender, about 8 min. Add spinach, cover & simmer till wilted, about 4 min.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender till smooth. Transfer soup to large bowl; season to taste with salt & pepper. Cool, then cover & chill till cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Mix crabmeat, 1 T. lemon juice & shallot in small bowl. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
Mix avocado & remaining I T. lemon juice in another small bowl; mash coarsely. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
Place tomato can, biscuit cutter or pvc pipe cut in 2-3” length in center of one soup bowl.
Spoon in 1 T. avocado mixture; smooth top.
Spoon in 1 T. crab mixture; press lightly to compact.
Spoon in 1 T. avocado mixture. Top with 1 tsp. caviar.
Carefully lift off can. Repeat in remaining soup bowls with remaining timbale Ingredients. Ladle soup around each timbale. Serve immediately.
Over the years, I now have pvc that I use rather than any metal rings - works much better.
Salad – three ways is a winner and I’ll certainly offer this again. It’s made up of three distinctive flavored salads. The colors are great together and look wonderful plated in a triangle with the point of the triangle being the beet salad and the back two ‘legs’ of the chickpea and celeriac.
The celeriac is dressed with one of the best tasting Remoulade I’ve tasted – if you’re a purist this does not have anchovy, but why not play with it. The two times I’ve made the salad, I’ve had leftover remoulade and found the best use for it. Grill some burger patties and thick onion slices brushed with butter and seasoned with salt & pepper. Brush Kaiser rolls with butter and as the patties and onion are done, lay on grill to brown. Spread lots of remolaude on both sides of the bun and top with the patty and onion slice. Oh what a wonderful burger this is!!
CELERIAC REMOULADE
“We serve this on its own as a salad, but it's also an excellent side dish or garnish, or with a roast pork sandwich or as a light meal with a piece of cold chicken.” A note by Thomas Keller in his book, “Bouchon”.
Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crème fraiche
2 T. minced cornichons
2 T. minced rained nonpareil capers -- preferably Spanish
2 1/4 tsp. Dijon
1 T. cider vinegar -- (about)
2 tsp. minced Italian parsley
2 tsp. minced tarragon
2 tsp minced chervil
2 tsp. minced chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-----
1 lb. celeriac (celery root) -- (1 large)
Fresh Lemon juice (optional)
For the remoulade: stir the mayo and crème fraiche together in a small bowl.
Squeeze any excess moisture from the cornichons and capers and stir them into the mixture.
Add the mustard, vinegar, and herbs. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, to allow the flavors of the remoulade to develop.
For the celeriac: Cut off and discard the tops and bottoms of the celeriac; remove the skin.
Using a mandolin or knife, cut the celeriac into 1/8-inch-thick julienne. You should have about 4 cups.
Put the celeriac in a bowl and toss with enough remoulade to coat the pieces; reserve any remaining dressing. Taste & season the salad as necessary.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
Just before serving, toss the celeriac with additional dressing, if desired, and adjust the seasonings a final time, adding a squeeze of lemon juice or more vinegar if needed.
Makes 3 cups; 4 to 6 servings.
Chef Keller's notes: Make the salad two to eight hours before serving it, the flavors develop, & the acid seems to tenderize the celeriac slightly. Don't overdress it - the salt in the dressing will pull moisture from it, resulting in more liquid than you want.
Chickpea and Carrot Salad
Thomas Keller recipe
1/2 cup chickpeas, quick-soaked (cover with water, bring to a boil, boil 1 minute, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hours then continue with the recipe.)
1 med. leek, white & light green parts only
Bourquet Garni (a mixture of 8 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley stems, 2 bay leaves & 1 tsp. black peppercorns)
1/2 onion, peeled
1 small carrot, peeled
Kosher salt
2 T. olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup finely julienne carrots
Freshly ground black pepper
1 T. chopped Italian parsley
1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
Drain the chickpeas, put in a large saucepan, and add about 6 cups water, or enough to cover them by 2 inches.
Cut the leek lengthwise in half and rinse under cold water. Add one leek half to the pan, reserving the remaining half for another use. Add the bouquet garni, onion, and whole carrot to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender.
Pour the chickpeas and their liquid into a large shallow container and let cool. Once they are cool, remove and discard the bouquet garni and vegetables and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. (The chickpeas can be covered and refrigerated in their liquid for 2 to 3 days.)
When ready to assemble the salad, drain the chickpeas in a colander.
Combine the olive oil, bay leaves, garlic, & thyme in a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot. Add the carrots and toss in the oil for about 1 minute to cook them slightly (I like them cooked longer until al dente)
Add the chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and let cool. (The salad can be refrigerated for up to a day.)
Just before serving, remove the bay leaves, garlic, and thyme from the chickpeas and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Makes 2 cups
ROASTED BEET SALAD
Thomas Keller recipe
1 1/2 lbs. red beets -- (3 to 4 large)
3 T. olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 T. red wine vinegar -- (about)
2 T. fresh orange juice
1/2 red onion -- peeled*
1 T. chopped tarragon
1 T. minced chives
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Wash the beets and trim the stems, leaving about 1/4 inch attached. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Lift up the edges of the foil and squeeze together to form a packet. Place in a small baking pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beets are tender, offering no resistance when pierced with a knife.
Carefully unwrap the beets and let stand just until cool enough to handle.
Rub each beet with a paper towel to remove the skin. Cut off
and discard the stems. Cut the beets into quarters, then cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in a bowl.
Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add red wine vinegar, orange juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Toss and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Let the beets marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before finishing the salad.
About 30 minutes before serving, cut three or four 1/8-inch-thick slices crosswise from the onion and separate the slices* (reserve the remaining onion for another use). Toss the beets with the onion, tarragon, and chives.
Just before serving, check the seasonings and add additional salt, pepper, and/or vinegar to taste.
Makes 4 servings
*I found I prefer cutting a whole red onion into 1/8-inch-thick slices and just use the inner smaller circles of the onion - much prettier presentation.
Our fifth course, the fish course, was a wonderfully herbed crusted Mahi Mahi on a bed of Fennel and drizzled with a Balsamic reduction – the flavors were just wonderful.
HERB-CRUSTED MAHI MAHI, ROASTED FENNEL AND TOMATO with Balsamic Reduction
Fennel:
2 large fennel bulbs -- tops trimmed; cut each bulb in half lengthwise, then cut into thin strips.
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 Bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 red Thai chilies (or small serranos) I used serranos
1 T. sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. dry sherry
2 T. butter
2 tomatoes -- seeded and julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic Reduction - see recipe
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Place fennel, olive oil, bay leaves, thyme, and chilies in a roasting pan and roast uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 F.
Add the sugar, vinegar, and butter, toss together until butter is melted.
Cover, return to oven and continue to roast for another 15 minutes longer, or until the fennel is caramelized and tender. Add the diced tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
BALSAMIC REDUCTION
a Chef’s Journey recipe
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T. butter
Freshly ground black pepper
Reduce Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduce to ½ cup. Turn off heat and slowly add bits of butter whisking each addition thoroughly. Add the freshly ground pepper and whisk all together. Set aside.
Mahi Mahi
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 T. tarragon -- chopped
2 T. chives chopped
2 T. parsley -- chopped
1 T. thyme -- chopped
Salt & pepper
12 2 oz. mahi mahi fillets
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
In a food processor, add the bread and turn into a fine dust.
Add the herbs and pulse just to combine.
Season the fish side of the fish and dip into the herb-crumb mixture.
In a non-stick sauté pan, heat the butter and olive oil.
When the oil is hot, sear each fillet on both sides, crumb side down first, for about 2-3 minutes per side. Cook to a temperature of 140 F.
Remove filets to a warm platter and keep warm.
Then we finally reached the entrée – here was another wonderful surprise, after all this food, only one plate out of 10 came back to the kitchen with more than just a bone left on the plate! I can’t really blame them, this is probably my favorite lamb shank dish – I could eat it once a week! They were served over a simple mashed potato with sour cream, chives, thyme and parsley.
BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND SHALLOTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound onions -- sliced
5 large shallots -- sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
6 3/4 lamb shanks -- ¥(6 3/4 to 1)
all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions & shallots; sauté until brown, about 20 minutes. Mix in rosemary. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle lamb shanks with s&p; coat lamb with flour. Heat remaining 2 T. olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Work in batches, add lamb shanks to skillet and cook until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer lamb shanks to plate.
Add 1 cup dry red wine to same skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups red wine, canned beef broth, tomato paste and 2 bay leaves to dutch oven. Bring to boil, stirring until tomato paste dissolves. Add lamb shanks, turning to coat with liquid.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 1 ½ (I find closer to 3) hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Uncover Dutch oven and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon Potato puree onto plates. Top with lamb shanks and sauce. Sprinkle lamb shanks with additional chopped fresh rosemary and serve. Serves 6. Bon Appétit - January 1996
Cheese course came next – I was able to find a selection of three cheeses that ultimately worked our wonderfully well together.
Wendley Dale Boroughs English Cheddar (a cow’s milk cheddar)
Homboldt Fog Goat
Holland Smoked Gouda
Dried apricots
Honeycomb
Walnut bread
Nut Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots or mangoes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2inch loaf pan*; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts and apricots. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for '10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.
4. Makes 1 loaf (14 slices)
*I used mini-loaf pans for mini-loaves which are about 2”X4” – sliced about 3/8” makes a great tiny piece of toast to add to the cheese plate or platter.
And the finale of the evening was a beautiful, tasty sorbet from an old chef friend from Toronto, Chef Paul Silva, a chef who raises the level of cooking for everyone lucky enough to cook with him.
Late Harvest Riesling Sorbet with Fresh Berries
Chef Paul Silva, Toronto
1 2/3 cups late harvest Riesling
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Heat all ingredients over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Then bring to a boil for 30 or so seconds and cool for an hour or so in the fridge.
Use your ice cream maker to finish. (Took about 30 minutes in mine), then into the freezer.
Stir every half hour three times once it goes into the freezer to keep it light.
We served with a strawberry fan, blueberries and raspberries and a selection of chocolate chunks.
-- --- - - - - - - - - - -
I can’t thank the four wonderful folks at Comaraderie Vineyards for allowing me to again cook for their guests. Vicki, Don, Maryann and Gene are four of the nicest, most talented wine makers I’ve met in a very long time. And are they ever foodies!!
October 20, 2007
our menu
Lobster-Mango Spring Roll
Apricot Vinaigrette
Popcorn Tossed with Truffle Oil
Leek Trio
Leeks Mimosa with Hazelnuts
Parmesan-Leek Bread Pudding
Vichyssoise
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chilled Asparagus
Timbale of Caviar, Crab, Avocado
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Salad - Three Ways
Celeriac Remoulade
Chickpea and Carrot
Roasted Beet, Red Onion and Chives
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Herb-Crusted Mahi Mahi
Oven-Roasted Fennel and Tomato
Balsamic Reduction
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Braised Lamb Shanks
Caramelized Onions and Shallots
Potato Puree
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cheese Board
Wensley Dale Boroughs English Cheddar
Homboldt Fog Goat
Holland Smoked
Dried fruit
Walnut bread
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Late Harvest Riesling Sorbet
Fresh Berries
Chocolates
What a fun dinner and great group of folks to cook for. Almost all the courses/dishes I have cooked before, but a couple of them I’d either heard about or been given the ideas from chef friends I trust enough to go with offering them untried.
I have no idea where I first heard about Truffle popcorn, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to play with for quite a while. We had some company coming for dinner a week or so ahead of the wine maker’s dinner so decided to ‘test’ with them. We made three batches, one with kosher salt & truffle oil, one with truffle oil & truffle infused salt, and one with truffle oil, truffle salt and lemon zest. All agree the third was the very best! Earthy flavors with just a little zestiness to it.
TRUFFLE POPCORN
a Chef’s Journey recipe
1/2 cup popcorn
vegetable oil to coat the popcorn very lightly
1 1/2 T. truffle oil
truffle infused salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Measure out popcorn in a heavy pot. Add just enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the kernels.
Pop the corn and remove from heat.
Immediately add the truffle oil, truffle salt and lemon zest and toss the popcorn until all is incorporated.
Serve immediately.
The popcorn and Lobster-Mango Spring Rolls were to be ‘walk around’ starters for greeting the guests. I had intended to use butter lettuce leaves for the rolls, but decided they would not be as easy to use as a one-bite amuse-bouche as they would be with rice paper. The rolls are made up of strips of lobster, mango and cucumber rolled in rice paper and served with an Apricot Vinaigrette, which is really more of a sauce than vinaigrette, imo.
LOBSTER-MANGO SPRING ROLL WITH APRICOT VINAIGRETTE
Rick Tramonto, Amuse-Bouche
1 cooked lobster tail from a 1 1/2 - 2-lb. lobster (for 3 5-oz. lobster tails, drop in boiling salted water for 6 minutes)
1/2 cucumber -- peeled
1 ripe mango
4 to 8-inch round dried rice paper sheets (or butter lettuce leaves)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T. Apricot Vinaigrette
Remove the lobster meat from the shell in one piece & cut the meat lengthwise into quarters.
Trim each piece so that it is about 4" long.
Pull out the digestive tract if it's present.
Remove the seeds from the cucumber with a small spoon.
Discard the seeds.
Cut 4 strips from the cucumber, each one about 1/3" thick and 4" long, so that they match the lobster strips.
Make the strips as even as possible. Save any extra cucumber for another use.
Peel skin from the mango w/peeler.
Slice the flesh to the pit, squaring it as much as you can.
Cut 4 strips from the mango to match the cucumber strips.
Make the strips as even as possible.
Save extra for another use.
Fill a large, shallow bowl with warm water and spread a lint-free dish towel on a work surface.
One at a time, drop the rice paper in the water till all are submerged.
Soak for 3 minutes or till they are completely softened and pliable.
Life the sheets out of the water and spread them out on the dish towel to drain, making sure they don't overlap.
Arrange a strip of each - lobster, cucumber, and mango across the bottom third of the wrapper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fold the wrapper over the filling and roll into a tight cylinder up to the halfway mark.
Fold in the two sides and continue to roll till sealed.
Place the roll on a flat plate, seam side down.
Repeat to make 3 more rolls. Allow to rest for a few minutes to seal completely.
To serve, cut the rolls on the bias into thirds. (For an 8 course dinner, I cut each roll into 5 pieces)
Spoon some vinaigrette. On a small plate and set a slice on top of the sauce, cut side down. Or, slice the spring rolls into smaller pieces and serve on small plates w/a small ramekin of vinaigrette for dipping.
Can make up to 3 hours ahead
Next course up was the Leeks 3 Ways - a wonderful dish to be presented on a rectangular dish РI served the Vichyssoise on the left in demitasse cups, the Leeks Mimosa with Hazelnuts in the center, and the Leek Bread Pudding, cut in squares and plated on point, on the right. This is a great dish, with one exception Рthe Leek Mimosa was not a standout and I think I will replace the third part of this dish with either a Bell Pepper & Leek Saut̩ or a Leek & Ginger Slaw. Will be a much better balanced plate (taste and presentation).
VICHYSSOISE
House & Garden, 9/62
Serving Size : 6
2 cups potatoes -- finely diced, raw
4 tablespoons butter
6 large leeks (opt. add 1-2 shallots with the leeks) -- cleaned & cut into 1" pcs
3 cups chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 dash nutmeg
2 cups sour cream -- or heavy cream. May need just 1 1/2 cups
chopped fresh chives
Cook potatoes in salted water to cover till just tender. Melt butter in skillet & cook the leeks gently, tossing them lightly, for a few minutes.
Add the chicken bouillon and bring to a boil. Lower heat & simmer the leeks till tender.
Add the potatoes to the leeks & the broth & season to taste w/salt, pepper & nutmeg.
Put this mixture in a blender (blend in two-four lots.) & blend for 1 min. or till smooth.
Chill. When ready to serve, mix in sour cream or heavy cream. Thin with chicken stock or milk if necessary. Garnish w/chopped chives.
Parmesan-Leek Bread Pudding
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks\raw -- white part only
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 loaf Italian bread -- torn into 1 inch pieces
In a sauté pan over medium heat, gently soften the leeks in butter. After the leeks are tender, remove from heat. Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, half-and-half, eggs, seasonings, and cheese. Stir in bread and leeks.
Pour mixture into a large baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes.
Serves 8
I’ll have to do a little searching to find where this recipe came from.
Soup course is a family and catering favorite – Chilled Asparagus Soup with Timbale of Caviar, Crab and Avocado. You couldn’t ask for a prettier presentation soup, nor a better flavored.
CHILLED ASPARAGUS SOUP with TIMBALE OF CAVIAR, CRAB & AVOCADO
Serves 8
1/4 cup butter
3 small leeks -- white & pale green parts only, 4 cups approx.
2 lbs. asparagus -- ends trimmed, coarse chop
1 1/3 quarts chicken stock -- or canned low-salt broth (43 oz.)
1 quart chopped spinach leaves -- 4 oz.
1/2 cup flaked fresh crabmeat
2 2/3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 cup diced peeled pitted avocado
2 2/3 tablespoons good-quality black caviar (such as oestra)
Melt butter in heavy large pan over med. heat. Add leeks & sauté till soft, about 5 min. Add asparagus and stock; bring to boll. Reduce heat to medium, cover & simmer till asparagus is tender, about 8 min. Add spinach, cover & simmer till wilted, about 4 min.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender till smooth. Transfer soup to large bowl; season to taste with salt & pepper. Cool, then cover & chill till cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Mix crabmeat, 1 T. lemon juice & shallot in small bowl. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
Mix avocado & remaining I T. lemon juice in another small bowl; mash coarsely. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
Place tomato can, biscuit cutter or pvc pipe cut in 2-3” length in center of one soup bowl.
Spoon in 1 T. avocado mixture; smooth top.
Spoon in 1 T. crab mixture; press lightly to compact.
Spoon in 1 T. avocado mixture. Top with 1 tsp. caviar.
Carefully lift off can. Repeat in remaining soup bowls with remaining timbale Ingredients. Ladle soup around each timbale. Serve immediately.
Over the years, I now have pvc that I use rather than any metal rings - works much better.
Salad – three ways is a winner and I’ll certainly offer this again. It’s made up of three distinctive flavored salads. The colors are great together and look wonderful plated in a triangle with the point of the triangle being the beet salad and the back two ‘legs’ of the chickpea and celeriac.
The celeriac is dressed with one of the best tasting Remoulade I’ve tasted – if you’re a purist this does not have anchovy, but why not play with it. The two times I’ve made the salad, I’ve had leftover remoulade and found the best use for it. Grill some burger patties and thick onion slices brushed with butter and seasoned with salt & pepper. Brush Kaiser rolls with butter and as the patties and onion are done, lay on grill to brown. Spread lots of remolaude on both sides of the bun and top with the patty and onion slice. Oh what a wonderful burger this is!!
CELERIAC REMOULADE
“We serve this on its own as a salad, but it's also an excellent side dish or garnish, or with a roast pork sandwich or as a light meal with a piece of cold chicken.” A note by Thomas Keller in his book, “Bouchon”.
Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crème fraiche
2 T. minced cornichons
2 T. minced rained nonpareil capers -- preferably Spanish
2 1/4 tsp. Dijon
1 T. cider vinegar -- (about)
2 tsp. minced Italian parsley
2 tsp. minced tarragon
2 tsp minced chervil
2 tsp. minced chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-----
1 lb. celeriac (celery root) -- (1 large)
Fresh Lemon juice (optional)
For the remoulade: stir the mayo and crème fraiche together in a small bowl.
Squeeze any excess moisture from the cornichons and capers and stir them into the mixture.
Add the mustard, vinegar, and herbs. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, to allow the flavors of the remoulade to develop.
For the celeriac: Cut off and discard the tops and bottoms of the celeriac; remove the skin.
Using a mandolin or knife, cut the celeriac into 1/8-inch-thick julienne. You should have about 4 cups.
Put the celeriac in a bowl and toss with enough remoulade to coat the pieces; reserve any remaining dressing. Taste & season the salad as necessary.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
Just before serving, toss the celeriac with additional dressing, if desired, and adjust the seasonings a final time, adding a squeeze of lemon juice or more vinegar if needed.
Makes 3 cups; 4 to 6 servings.
Chef Keller's notes: Make the salad two to eight hours before serving it, the flavors develop, & the acid seems to tenderize the celeriac slightly. Don't overdress it - the salt in the dressing will pull moisture from it, resulting in more liquid than you want.
Chickpea and Carrot Salad
Thomas Keller recipe
1/2 cup chickpeas, quick-soaked (cover with water, bring to a boil, boil 1 minute, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hours then continue with the recipe.)
1 med. leek, white & light green parts only
Bourquet Garni (a mixture of 8 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley stems, 2 bay leaves & 1 tsp. black peppercorns)
1/2 onion, peeled
1 small carrot, peeled
Kosher salt
2 T. olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup finely julienne carrots
Freshly ground black pepper
1 T. chopped Italian parsley
1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
Drain the chickpeas, put in a large saucepan, and add about 6 cups water, or enough to cover them by 2 inches.
Cut the leek lengthwise in half and rinse under cold water. Add one leek half to the pan, reserving the remaining half for another use. Add the bouquet garni, onion, and whole carrot to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender.
Pour the chickpeas and their liquid into a large shallow container and let cool. Once they are cool, remove and discard the bouquet garni and vegetables and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. (The chickpeas can be covered and refrigerated in their liquid for 2 to 3 days.)
When ready to assemble the salad, drain the chickpeas in a colander.
Combine the olive oil, bay leaves, garlic, & thyme in a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot. Add the carrots and toss in the oil for about 1 minute to cook them slightly (I like them cooked longer until al dente)
Add the chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and let cool. (The salad can be refrigerated for up to a day.)
Just before serving, remove the bay leaves, garlic, and thyme from the chickpeas and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Makes 2 cups
ROASTED BEET SALAD
Thomas Keller recipe
1 1/2 lbs. red beets -- (3 to 4 large)
3 T. olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 T. red wine vinegar -- (about)
2 T. fresh orange juice
1/2 red onion -- peeled*
1 T. chopped tarragon
1 T. minced chives
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Wash the beets and trim the stems, leaving about 1/4 inch attached. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Lift up the edges of the foil and squeeze together to form a packet. Place in a small baking pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beets are tender, offering no resistance when pierced with a knife.
Carefully unwrap the beets and let stand just until cool enough to handle.
Rub each beet with a paper towel to remove the skin. Cut off
and discard the stems. Cut the beets into quarters, then cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in a bowl.
Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add red wine vinegar, orange juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Toss and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Let the beets marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before finishing the salad.
About 30 minutes before serving, cut three or four 1/8-inch-thick slices crosswise from the onion and separate the slices* (reserve the remaining onion for another use). Toss the beets with the onion, tarragon, and chives.
Just before serving, check the seasonings and add additional salt, pepper, and/or vinegar to taste.
Makes 4 servings
*I found I prefer cutting a whole red onion into 1/8-inch-thick slices and just use the inner smaller circles of the onion - much prettier presentation.
Our fifth course, the fish course, was a wonderfully herbed crusted Mahi Mahi on a bed of Fennel and drizzled with a Balsamic reduction – the flavors were just wonderful.
HERB-CRUSTED MAHI MAHI, ROASTED FENNEL AND TOMATO with Balsamic Reduction
Fennel:
2 large fennel bulbs -- tops trimmed; cut each bulb in half lengthwise, then cut into thin strips.
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 Bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 red Thai chilies (or small serranos) I used serranos
1 T. sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. dry sherry
2 T. butter
2 tomatoes -- seeded and julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic Reduction - see recipe
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Place fennel, olive oil, bay leaves, thyme, and chilies in a roasting pan and roast uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 F.
Add the sugar, vinegar, and butter, toss together until butter is melted.
Cover, return to oven and continue to roast for another 15 minutes longer, or until the fennel is caramelized and tender. Add the diced tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
BALSAMIC REDUCTION
a Chef’s Journey recipe
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T. butter
Freshly ground black pepper
Reduce Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduce to ½ cup. Turn off heat and slowly add bits of butter whisking each addition thoroughly. Add the freshly ground pepper and whisk all together. Set aside.
Mahi Mahi
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 T. tarragon -- chopped
2 T. chives chopped
2 T. parsley -- chopped
1 T. thyme -- chopped
Salt & pepper
12 2 oz. mahi mahi fillets
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
In a food processor, add the bread and turn into a fine dust.
Add the herbs and pulse just to combine.
Season the fish side of the fish and dip into the herb-crumb mixture.
In a non-stick sauté pan, heat the butter and olive oil.
When the oil is hot, sear each fillet on both sides, crumb side down first, for about 2-3 minutes per side. Cook to a temperature of 140 F.
Remove filets to a warm platter and keep warm.
Then we finally reached the entrée – here was another wonderful surprise, after all this food, only one plate out of 10 came back to the kitchen with more than just a bone left on the plate! I can’t really blame them, this is probably my favorite lamb shank dish – I could eat it once a week! They were served over a simple mashed potato with sour cream, chives, thyme and parsley.
BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND SHALLOTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound onions -- sliced
5 large shallots -- sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
6 3/4 lamb shanks -- ¥(6 3/4 to 1)
all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions & shallots; sauté until brown, about 20 minutes. Mix in rosemary. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle lamb shanks with s&p; coat lamb with flour. Heat remaining 2 T. olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Work in batches, add lamb shanks to skillet and cook until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer lamb shanks to plate.
Add 1 cup dry red wine to same skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups red wine, canned beef broth, tomato paste and 2 bay leaves to dutch oven. Bring to boil, stirring until tomato paste dissolves. Add lamb shanks, turning to coat with liquid.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 1 ½ (I find closer to 3) hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Uncover Dutch oven and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon Potato puree onto plates. Top with lamb shanks and sauce. Sprinkle lamb shanks with additional chopped fresh rosemary and serve. Serves 6. Bon Appétit - January 1996
Cheese course came next – I was able to find a selection of three cheeses that ultimately worked our wonderfully well together.
Wendley Dale Boroughs English Cheddar (a cow’s milk cheddar)
Homboldt Fog Goat
Holland Smoked Gouda
Dried apricots
Honeycomb
Walnut bread
Nut Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots or mangoes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2inch loaf pan*; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts and apricots. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for '10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.
4. Makes 1 loaf (14 slices)
*I used mini-loaf pans for mini-loaves which are about 2”X4” – sliced about 3/8” makes a great tiny piece of toast to add to the cheese plate or platter.
And the finale of the evening was a beautiful, tasty sorbet from an old chef friend from Toronto, Chef Paul Silva, a chef who raises the level of cooking for everyone lucky enough to cook with him.
Late Harvest Riesling Sorbet with Fresh Berries
Chef Paul Silva, Toronto
1 2/3 cups late harvest Riesling
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Heat all ingredients over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Then bring to a boil for 30 or so seconds and cool for an hour or so in the fridge.
Use your ice cream maker to finish. (Took about 30 minutes in mine), then into the freezer.
Stir every half hour three times once it goes into the freezer to keep it light.
We served with a strawberry fan, blueberries and raspberries and a selection of chocolate chunks.
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I can’t thank the four wonderful folks at Comaraderie Vineyards for allowing me to again cook for their guests. Vicki, Don, Maryann and Gene are four of the nicest, most talented wine makers I’ve met in a very long time. And are they ever foodies!!
Monday, September 3, 2007
It Was a Goat's Cheese Week!!
I think I've bought more Goat's cheese this past month than I have in years. And I've certainly found some wonderful dishes to use it in.
We've had a couple of open house parties to go to this past month, so I've been wanting to 'stock' up on some entertaining ideas for the upcoming holidays.
A few months ago, I bought a jar of Garlic-Pineapple Salsa that we just love. Even mixed with Pesto, it has a delightful flavor. I've been playing with duplicating it and now have one that is close, but not quite there - will play with more. It's missing the fresh 'upfront' pineapple, so will work more with fresh and a couple other ideas.
Garlic-Pineapple Salsa
1 cup pineapple, crushed, drained, but keep juice
2 tsp. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. crystalized ginger, minced
2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T. onion, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (will replace with dried pepper flakes next time)
pinch cumin (will omit next time)
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
Mix all the ingrdients together, thin with a little of the juice if necessary. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
This is a work in progress - but, it's very good right now!
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Two other dips/spreads tried this past weekend were keepers also - one, from Southern Living's Christmas book is especially flavorful - it would also be great tossed with hot pasta! That's it in the foreground -
Peach & Pecan Tapenade with Goat Cheese
...except no one around here had dried peaches, so subbed about 2/3 dried mango and 1/3 dried apricots - this is so good!! I made half the recipe and it's a very nice amount for a crowd of ~20.
1 cup orange juice
2 cups dried peaches, chopped
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 T. honey
1 T. capers, drained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (use fresh)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
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12 oz. goat cheese
lovash or specialty crackers
Bring orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over med. heat.Remove from heat and add chopped dried peaches.Cover and let stand 30 min.
Drain, if necessary.Combine olives and next 5 ingred. in a serving bowl. Stir in peaches and pecans.Place tapenade on a serving platter with goat cheese and crackers.
Spread cheese on crackers, and smear with tapenade.Makes 3 3/4 cups.
Do ahead - but don't add pecans until service. Will keep in frig 2 days.
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The second is a dip from Nigella Lawson's book, Feasts (more on this book later in this posting)
Basil and Goat's Cheese Dip
You can use feta in place of goat cheese.
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup basil leaves
1 packed cup soft goat's cheese
3 T. garlic-infused oil
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup basil leaves
1 packed cup soft goat's cheese
3 T. garlic-infused oil
Process the walnut pieces, scallions & basil leaves, then add the goat cheese and oil; process again to make a grainy paste.Transfer to a bowl.
This topping would also be great tossed with a little hot pasta and sprinkled with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add a little rustic bread and dinner's ready.
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Another dish we tried and could not stop eating on is a take off from a Sandra Lee dish, Couscous with Goat Cheese (again with the goat cheese!) This was a clean the pantry/frig dish for me.
4 oz. fideo
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pinenuts, toasted
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup currants
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely hopped parsley leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pinenuts, toasted
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup currants
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely hopped parsley leaves
Cook the fideo and salt in water until just done; drain and pour into a serving bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and toss together. At this point, either serve the fideo, or cover and chill for a few hours. At serving time, put in microwave for just 1-2 minutes - just to take the chill off, but not hot. This will help melt the cheese and bring out all the flavors.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Grandma Shelledy's Lefse
My two grandmothers were two of the most diverse women that anyone could ever imagine - Grandma (always called 'Moremommie' for some unGodly reason) Fry was as high-falootin' and snobbish as you could imagine in our small town of Yakima, Washington. Ever the lady, short but seemingly tall and stately, she looked down her regal nose at just about everyone in that town. BUT, oh my, she was the most most loving, wonderful Grandmother any child, especially a girl could dream of having. She and her four sisters doted on my sister and me all of their lives.
Grandma 'Mom' Shelledy was the complete opposite in temperment and stature. She was short and plump with pure white hair always pulled back in a bun, held tight with little brown combs. As a young woman, she cooked for the ranch hands on the Columbia River, was a post mistress in her small town, was almost the sole parent of her seven children while my Grandfather was off being a sherriff and probably carousing the countryside. In her later years, she still cooked on her wood stove and the most wonderful foods came out of her kitchen. Lefse is probably my favorite of all she ever made.
It's a Norwegian bread, looks just like a tortilla except for the shape, my Grandma's were usually like triangles of dough she cooked on the wood stove. She made lefse for the family for all my life and probably years before that! I don't know how she kept up with us when the whole family was around her huge round kitchen table, soft butter and the sugar dish in front of us just waiting as the lefse came off her old wood stove. I know we must have eaten faster than she could cook them.
This recipe is how she dictated her it to my sister, Joan and me, many years ago. I made these again the other day (while I was cooking potatoes for Tourtiere Tarts, I thot why not go for it) - I also wanted to 'test' the way the recipe was written. I disovered the most amazing thing - all my life I thot Grandma cooked lefse in triangles, but now I realize what she did - there were always so many of us panting for more lefse that after she cooked these circles of dough, she would portion them out in pie shapes, therefore feeding 4 or 6 of us with one lefse!!!!! It only took me 67 years to figure that one out! she'd be so proud!
Mom Shelledy's Lefse
5 large white potatoes (the old & mushy type)
2 cups sweet cream -- half & half, or milk & water (but cream is the best!)
1 tsp. salt
3 T. butterFlour for rolling the lefse out (I made 1/2 this recipe and needed ~ 1 3/4 cups flour kneaded into the dough to make it workable)
1. Boil potatoes and mash until very fine.
2. Add cream, salt, and butter; beat until light.
3. Let cool (fairly)
4. Add flour until workable.
5. Roll out and bake on top of griddle (or wood burning stove)
More traditional instructions -Follow above through #4 - the dough will be fairly dry, but stay together to be rolled out.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.Roll the dough out into ropes and cut into 2" chunks.
Grandma 'Mom' Shelledy was the complete opposite in temperment and stature. She was short and plump with pure white hair always pulled back in a bun, held tight with little brown combs. As a young woman, she cooked for the ranch hands on the Columbia River, was a post mistress in her small town, was almost the sole parent of her seven children while my Grandfather was off being a sherriff and probably carousing the countryside. In her later years, she still cooked on her wood stove and the most wonderful foods came out of her kitchen. Lefse is probably my favorite of all she ever made.
It's a Norwegian bread, looks just like a tortilla except for the shape, my Grandma's were usually like triangles of dough she cooked on the wood stove. She made lefse for the family for all my life and probably years before that! I don't know how she kept up with us when the whole family was around her huge round kitchen table, soft butter and the sugar dish in front of us just waiting as the lefse came off her old wood stove. I know we must have eaten faster than she could cook them.
This recipe is how she dictated her it to my sister, Joan and me, many years ago. I made these again the other day (while I was cooking potatoes for Tourtiere Tarts, I thot why not go for it) - I also wanted to 'test' the way the recipe was written. I disovered the most amazing thing - all my life I thot Grandma cooked lefse in triangles, but now I realize what she did - there were always so many of us panting for more lefse that after she cooked these circles of dough, she would portion them out in pie shapes, therefore feeding 4 or 6 of us with one lefse!!!!! It only took me 67 years to figure that one out! she'd be so proud!
Mom Shelledy's Lefse
5 large white potatoes (the old & mushy type)
2 cups sweet cream -- half & half, or milk & water (but cream is the best!)
1 tsp. salt
3 T. butterFlour for rolling the lefse out (I made 1/2 this recipe and needed ~ 1 3/4 cups flour kneaded into the dough to make it workable)
1. Boil potatoes and mash until very fine.
2. Add cream, salt, and butter; beat until light.
3. Let cool (fairly)
4. Add flour until workable.
5. Roll out and bake on top of griddle (or wood burning stove)
More traditional instructions -Follow above through #4 - the dough will be fairly dry, but stay together to be rolled out.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.Roll the dough out into ropes and cut into 2" chunks.
Roll chunks into thin circles (or long ovals, or whatever) like tortillas.Heat a griddle to about 400 F.
Place a circle of lefse on the dry griddle and cook until brown spots appear on the heated surface. Flip and cook the same way on the other side.
Lay cooked lefse on cooling rack as you cook the rest.
To serve: Some folks like just butter, my family always smeared the softened butter over and topped with a sprinkling of granulated sugar.
Fold twice or roll into a cylinder. Eat and enjoy!!
Oh my, it's amazing the memories that come while making these - I'll have to post a picture of my Grandma, she is just the epitome of what a Grandma should always be.
And Grandma Fry, of the exquisite Chocolate Set and her sets of Fostoria and Limoges Haviland and all good things in life, was also the epitome of what a Grandma should be!!!
A Dinner of Hors D'oeuvre
No pictures of this wonderful little dinner, but my, what a fun dinner!
There are a couple of open house parties scheduled for the coming weeks and I wanted to play with some new hors. Every one turned out a keeper. Our dinner consisted of:
Salmon Spread - a mixture of -
smoked salmon
cream cheese
thinned with a little creme fraiche (or mayo)
capers
corn - roasted and cut from the cob would be best, or use frozen corn thawed
chives
lemon juice
pinch of cayenne
Very tasty on toasted bread rounds and surprisingly spread on hard-cooked eggs.
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PESTO-GOAT CHEESE SPREAD:
In a food processor, put all the ingredients:
11-oz. log goat cheese
8-oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
2 T. balsamic vinegar
and process till smooth. Chill 2 hrs. before serving. Makes 3 cups.
Store in frig up to 1 week, or freeze up to 4 mos.
Serve w/toasted pita chips or sliced baguettes.
I think this would be very good tossed with some hot cooked pasta also.
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Grilled Apple Sausages and Pineapple
Hard Cooked eggs, which turned out to be wonderful with the Salmon Spread, will do a stuffed egg with this soon.
Fun dinner treat this was!
There are a couple of open house parties scheduled for the coming weeks and I wanted to play with some new hors. Every one turned out a keeper. Our dinner consisted of:
Salmon Spread - a mixture of -
smoked salmon
cream cheese
thinned with a little creme fraiche (or mayo)
capers
corn - roasted and cut from the cob would be best, or use frozen corn thawed
chives
lemon juice
pinch of cayenne
Very tasty on toasted bread rounds and surprisingly spread on hard-cooked eggs.
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PESTO-GOAT CHEESE SPREAD:
In a food processor, put all the ingredients:
11-oz. log goat cheese
8-oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
2 T. balsamic vinegar
and process till smooth. Chill 2 hrs. before serving. Makes 3 cups.
Store in frig up to 1 week, or freeze up to 4 mos.
Serve w/toasted pita chips or sliced baguettes.
I think this would be very good tossed with some hot cooked pasta also.
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Grilled Apple Sausages and Pineapple
Hard Cooked eggs, which turned out to be wonderful with the Salmon Spread, will do a stuffed egg with this soon.
Fun dinner treat this was!
Using The Chocolate Set!
While I was growing up, my mother had a chocolate set given to her by her mother - it was a wedding present to my grandparents. I thought it was the most beautiful, fragile thing I'd ever seen. Over the years my mother did make use of the set and serve me hot chocolate once or twice, but mostly it sat in the china cupboard with the other Limoges Haviland, untouched. One day, when I was in my early thirties, she decided it should come to my house because I had loved it so much over the years and she also knew I would made use of it much more than she.
I have used it over the years, not as often as I wish I had, but a couple of weeks ago I saw a recipe for 'Alcoholic Hot Chocolate' by Nigella Lawson - while the name turned me off, the recipe sounded delightful. Since the resident bartender usually makes our weekend lavish drink experiments, Roy offered to make the renamed "Rummed Hot Chocolate" for us and I ran for the Chocolate Set.
We sat in the front courtyard on a Sunday morn drinking our chocolate in the style that my Grandmother would have been so proud!
Rummed Hot Chocolate
Nigella Lawson recipe
2 cups milk
3 1/2 ounces best-quality dark chocolate -- bittersweet or semisweet, as preferred
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum -- or to taste
Put the milk into a saucepan and break the chocolate into pieces and add to the milk along with a cinnamon stick, honey, and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisking, add a spoonful of the rum first and taste to see if you want more. Add more sugar if you want this sweeter, too. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour into 2 cappuccino or caffe latte cups.
Nigella Lawson recipe
2 cups milk
3 1/2 ounces best-quality dark chocolate -- bittersweet or semisweet, as preferred
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum -- or to taste
Put the milk into a saucepan and break the chocolate into pieces and add to the milk along with a cinnamon stick, honey, and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisking, add a spoonful of the rum first and taste to see if you want more. Add more sugar if you want this sweeter, too. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour into 2 cappuccino or caffe latte cups.
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I'm promising myself we will use the Chocolate Set and this hot chocolate often this coming winter!!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
...And More Fun In The Kitchen
Just a P.S. to the Crab, Shrimp & Scallop Roulade posting - The goop from 'sieving' the onions from the sauce was too tasty to discard, so added back to some leftover sauce and made Mac & Cheese. I would do this again as the main recipe - it was just delicious.
and served with the roulades - great combination, altho one roulade would be plenty!
MORNAY SAUCED MAC & CHEESE
2 1/2 Tablespoons butter
3 1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, 2% lowfat, heated
Salt & white pepper
couple grindings of nutmeg
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
8 ounces onion, finely diced and simmered for 15 minutes in 2 T. butter and set aside
1/3 cup cracker crumbs or panko
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Melt butter in a saucepan; blend in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove from heat.
After the bubbling subsides, add 1 3/4 cup of the hot milk and whisk briskly to make a smooth sauce and blend thoroughly. Put back over moderate heat and add the rest of the milk a few drops at a time to desired consistency. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Whisk in salt, pepper and nutmeg - tasting as you add the spices.
Remove from heat and let cool several minutes before adding the cheese.
When cooler, add the cheese and the onions; stirring until cheese is melted. At this point you can chill the sauce for later use, or freeze it, or add to pasta at this time.
Pour into a greased baking dish and top with a sprinkling of cracker crumbs or panko and dabs of butter
Bake in a 350 F. oven for 30-35 minutes.
Description:
"This dish was a by-product of making the Crab, Prawns & Scallop Roulades for Don Kaiser. It's wonderful."
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2 1/2 Tablespoons butter
3 1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, 2% lowfat, heated
Salt & white pepper
couple grindings of nutmeg
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
8 ounces onion, finely diced and simmered for 15 minutes in 2 T. butter and set aside
1/3 cup cracker crumbs or panko
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Melt butter in a saucepan; blend in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove from heat.
After the bubbling subsides, add 1 3/4 cup of the hot milk and whisk briskly to make a smooth sauce and blend thoroughly. Put back over moderate heat and add the rest of the milk a few drops at a time to desired consistency. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Whisk in salt, pepper and nutmeg - tasting as you add the spices.
Remove from heat and let cool several minutes before adding the cheese.
When cooler, add the cheese and the onions; stirring until cheese is melted. At this point you can chill the sauce for later use, or freeze it, or add to pasta at this time.
Pour into a greased baking dish and top with a sprinkling of cracker crumbs or panko and dabs of butter
Bake in a 350 F. oven for 30-35 minutes.
Description:
"This dish was a by-product of making the Crab, Prawns & Scallop Roulades for Don Kaiser. It's wonderful."
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On top of all the cooking/testing/tasting Roy & I did on Wednesday - Neighbor Neery brot over two crabs (of the 16!!) she and the boys caught this day. Managed to clean them and threw in the frig for tomorrow - No more cooking today!
And so to Thursday and more fun. Wednesday, I received a C.D. from Lorraine, that was just a hoot. Two Toronto Chefs speakingFrench demonstrating recipes. The name of the CD is "Au pied de cochon" which my handy-dandy little translator says "with the foot of pig".......will have to find out more about this from Lorraine, plus the names of the two chefs who are an absolute hoot!
Willl have a lot of editing to do if I don't have this info correct - but, everything is in French and I barely got thru one year of Latin in high school.... The chefs are (apparently?) David Emmanual Fafard and Jean-Francois Boily and because they so inspired me, I only managed to get thru one recipe on the c.d. -
Le Saumon
dans le Papier Journal
Salmon wrapped in Newspaper
It looked so fun (and tasty), I headed for the freezer and neighbor Christine's salmon that she gave me months ago to 'do something' with! This is what I copied from the sub-titles -
Bake the salmon at 400 F. for 20 minutes per pound of salmon 'roast'
Sprinkle with sea salt and fill cavity with something - the boys used pesto.
Soak four sheets (with no color) in some water
Wrap the salmon up tightly and lay on a baking sheet
Place in the middle of the 400 F. oven for 1 hour (I cut my 'roast' to 3 lbs.); remove from oven and let rest before unwrapping.
I made this in the a.m. and did not make any kind of sauce to present this dish with, so it's not a really pretty presentation - but, it was delicious and Roy and I picked at it for nearly an hour!
While picking on the salmon, I had to do something with the crabmeat from yesterday -
Crab & Corn Fritters
Ray’s BoatHouse restaurant in Seattle
2-3 qts. canola oil for frying
1 cup a.p. flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup crabmeat
1/2 cup each: corn kernels, diced red bell pepper & diced green onions
Heat oil to 350 F.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter, crabmeat, corn, bell pepper and green onion and mix well.
Add to dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined. Do not overmix.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil Cook until fritters are golden brown and fully cooked on the inside, about 3 – 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. sambal oelek
2 T. water
2 T. Thai fish sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together everything except the fish sauce. Then add fish sauce and stir just until combined.
Ray’s BoatHouse restaurant in Seattle
2-3 qts. canola oil for frying
1 cup a.p. flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup crabmeat
1/2 cup each: corn kernels, diced red bell pepper & diced green onions
Heat oil to 350 F.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter, crabmeat, corn, bell pepper and green onion and mix well.
Add to dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined. Do not overmix.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil Cook until fritters are golden brown and fully cooked on the inside, about 3 – 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. sambal oelek
2 T. water
2 T. Thai fish sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together everything except the fish sauce. Then add fish sauce and stir just until combined.
I have to say after all the tasting we did between the salmon and the fritters, dinner was not looking too good, but I had sirloins thawed out for a couple of days and had to use them. So, went ahead and made the Gingered Tomato Chutney to go with the grilled steaks - instead of Roasted Dijon potatoes I had planned, we ate MORE of the fritters with the steak!
The chutney is from Cuisine at Home, issue #65 - I liked it very much, Roy could not stay out of it!
for one cup chutney:
1 1/2 ccups cherry tomatoes, halved, divided
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. jalapeno, seeded, minced
salt to taste
Simmer 1 cup of the tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan over med-high heat, stirring often, 12 minutes.
Add lime juice and tomato paste, return to a boil, and simmer 3 minutes or till thickend to jam consistency.
Stir in remaining tomatoes, jalapeno, and salt. Set chutney aside. Grill the steaks and top them with the chutney. Roasted Dijon Potatoes are good to serve with this dish.
Today is Friday and now it's time to put the rest of the salmon in the oven for Marlene's Oven Smoked Salmon - it's been brining with brown sugar, kosher salt, and liquid smoke since last evening - but, this is the only cooking I'm doing today!!! Going to a movie and out to dinner tonight!!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
CRAB, PRAWN & SCALLOP ROULADES
My good friend Don Kaiser called last nite to describe a dish that a friend (or brother?) of his had seen on TV – a filled piece of fish, stuffed with crab, prawns and scallops, and had a sauce that might have been a hollandaise sauce. I think that’s all Don knew about the dish and wanted to know how he should put it together.
So, this morning I got to play. Don is not crazy about hollandaise sauce, so that was out. From thinking about it in the middle of the damn night, I knew pretty much what I wanted the ‘stuffing’ to be. That just left the sauce to really play with.
This will be a very easy dish to make for company, because all the stages can be done ahead of time and chilled and/or even frozen.
Crab, Prawns and Scallop Roulades
At this point, you can put in bowl and chill until ready to use. Can be done one day ahead.
The White Sauce:
Melt butter in a 2 1/2 qt. saucepan; blend in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove from heat.
After the bubbling subsides add 1 3/4 cups of the milk and whisk briskly to make a smooth sauce and blend thoroughly. Put back over moderate heat and add the rest of the milk a few drops at a time. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg – tasting as you add the spices. At this point you can chill the sauce for later use. You can even freeze it.
When ready to use, thaw or remove from the refrigerator and heat in a double boiler or over a bain-marie. You may have to thin a little with milk.
After the sauce has heated, remove the from the heat and let cool several minutes, then add the gruyere cheese, a little at a time, stirring well between additions. 
To complete the dish, lay out the 4 filets and sprinkle each with a little salt, then spoon 1/4 of the filling on each filet, roll up being careful to push the filling in as you go. Secure with toothpicks. 
Spray a baking dish with pam and pour the 1/4 cup white wine in the bottom of the dish. Lay the fish bundles seam side down, or stand up in the baking dish. Lay one thin slice of lemon over each roulade. Bake uncovered in at 350°F. oven for 30-35 minutes until the fish flakes when prodded with a paring knife.
To plate: spoon a little of the sauce on a plate and lay slices of the roulade on the sauce, adding a little more sauce to the top.
So, this morning I got to play. Don is not crazy about hollandaise sauce, so that was out. From thinking about it in the middle of the damn night, I knew pretty much what I wanted the ‘stuffing’ to be. That just left the sauce to really play with.
This will be a very easy dish to make for company, because all the stages can be done ahead of time and chilled and/or even frozen.
Crab, Prawns and Scallop Roulades
The filling:
1/2 cup leeks, the white and the light green part, cleaned and minced (2 oz.)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. butter (clarified, if you have it)
1/4 cup bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine or Noilly Prat
Salt and pepper
3 oz. crab meat
3 oz. prawns, coarsely chopped
3 oz. bay scallops, cut in half
1 1/2 T. capers, chopped
The white sauce:
2 1/2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
2 cups milk
Salt and white pepper
Couple grinding of nutmeg
-----
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
8 oz. onion, finely diced
2 T. butter, again clarified if possible
4 filets of fish (cod, sole, halibut or a firm fleshed fish of your choice)
1/4 cup dry white wine or Noilly Prat
4 thin lemon slices
The filling:
Sauté leeks and garlic in butter until soft, but not browned, 3-4 minutes.
Add the bell pepper and wine; raise the heat and simmer until liquid is almost gone, about 3 min. Season lightly with salt & pepper.
Add the seafood and cook until the shrimp is just turning pink and the scallops are cooked. (If using cooked crab, do not add yet.)
Add the crab, if using cooked and the capers; just heat through. Remove from heat.
1/2 cup leeks, the white and the light green part, cleaned and minced (2 oz.)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. butter (clarified, if you have it)
1/4 cup bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine or Noilly Prat
Salt and pepper
3 oz. crab meat
3 oz. prawns, coarsely chopped
3 oz. bay scallops, cut in half
1 1/2 T. capers, chopped
The white sauce:
2 1/2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
2 cups milk
Salt and white pepper
Couple grinding of nutmeg
-----
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
8 oz. onion, finely diced
2 T. butter, again clarified if possible
4 filets of fish (cod, sole, halibut or a firm fleshed fish of your choice)
1/4 cup dry white wine or Noilly Prat
4 thin lemon slices
The filling:
Sauté leeks and garlic in butter until soft, but not browned, 3-4 minutes.
Add the bell pepper and wine; raise the heat and simmer until liquid is almost gone, about 3 min. Season lightly with salt & pepper.
Add the seafood and cook until the shrimp is just turning pink and the scallops are cooked. (If using cooked crab, do not add yet.)
Add the crab, if using cooked and the capers; just heat through. Remove from heat.
At this point, you can put in bowl and chill until ready to use. Can be done one day ahead.
The White Sauce:
Melt butter in a 2 1/2 qt. saucepan; blend in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove from heat.
After the bubbling subsides add 1 3/4 cups of the milk and whisk briskly to make a smooth sauce and blend thoroughly. Put back over moderate heat and add the rest of the milk a few drops at a time. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg – tasting as you add the spices. At this point you can chill the sauce for later use. You can even freeze it.
When ready to use, thaw or remove from the refrigerator and heat in a double boiler or over a bain-marie. You may have to thin a little with milk.
After the sauce has heated, remove the from the heat and let cool several minutes, then add the gruyere cheese, a little at a time, stirring well between additions.
Simmer the finely diced onion in the 2 T. of butter without browning for 15 minutes. Add to the sauce and combine well. Force through a sieve.
To complete the dish, lay out the 4 filets and sprinkle each with a little salt, then spoon 1/4 of the filling on each filet, roll up being careful to push the filling in as you go. Secure with toothpicks.
Spray a baking dish with pam and pour the 1/4 cup white wine in the bottom of the dish. Lay the fish bundles seam side down, or stand up in the baking dish. Lay one thin slice of lemon over each roulade. Bake uncovered in at 350°F. oven for 30-35 minutes until the fish flakes when prodded with a paring knife.
To plate: spoon a little of the sauce on a plate and lay slices of the roulade on the sauce, adding a little more sauce to the top.
It was very, very good!! Now, I hope Don likes it also!!
P.S. Could not stand to throw the 'goop' from the sieve away - it had a great flavor, so cooked up some Campenelle, tossed with the goop and added a tad more of leftover sauce. Now, that's going to be good!!
I had intended to make a Mornay sauce, but I kept coming back to a Soubise sauce, so it's kind of a bastardized-Mornay/Soubise sauce. Whatever we call it, it is delicious.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Hangtown Fry....Finally!!
Since my twenties, my mother was fascinated with the Hangtown Fry, but for some reason she never made the dish. I probably didn't help the effort much because in those days, I was not a fan of oyters as I am today. Having just gotten her old recipe books (clipped recipes and handwritten treasures) and going thru them, my interest was piqued and this morning I made the dish for the first time. I did a little research first to try to get as close to the authenic recipe as possible and I think, I found it. Here's a little of the history and lore of Hangtown Fry from Placerville, CA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hangtown Fry History
Hangtown fry could possibly be the first California cuisine. It consists of fried breaded oysters, eggs, and fried bacon, cooked together like an omelet. In the gold-mining camps of the late 1800s, Hangtown Fry was a one-skillet meal for hungry miners who struck it rich and had plenty of gold to spend. Live oysters would be brought to the gold fields in barrels of sea water after being gathered in and around San Francisco Bay. Such a meal cost approximately $6.00, a fortune in those days.
However it came to be, ordering a Hangtown Fry became a mark of prosperity for gold-rich miners, the status symbol of the day. The recipe swept the entire Northwest Territory, from California to Seattle, in the mid-1800s. A few drinks and a Hangtown Fry were considered a gentleman's evening.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Start out the dish by frying two slices of bacon (for 2 servings), cut them in half and set aside keeping warm. Bread, eggwash, bread again 3-4 small oysters per person; fry these in clarified butter. Add two slices of bacon per omelet in the pan with the oysters, placing them like railroad tracks in the pan.
Mix together two eggs (per person again) with seasoning & a little milk and pour over the oysters and bacon. Cook slowly until eggs are set and lightly browned. During the cooking, lift the cooked eggs to let the uncooked part run underneath onto the hot pan.
To serve, fold in half and slip onto a hot platter. Serve French fried potatoes as an accompaniment. (Next time, I think I'll serve as a frittata, not folded, so I can get the effect of the beautiful fried oysters and the 'rail road' bacon strips.) This was wonderful and I so wish my mother was at a place she could have enjoyed this dish with us also. Hangtown Fry is a wonderful, historical dish.
This week also saw the first of the '07 rhubarb crop, thanks to our neighbor, Kemp! Within two hours of picking a cobbler with a puff pastry topping was in the oven - oh my, was it delicious. I just combined sugar, cornstarch and salt with the rhubarb and put in a pie dish and topped it.
I also tried a "Seared Seafood and Wasabi Salad" - Saturday night. Didn't really care for the completed dish, but the Wasabi Vinaigrette was wonderful and especially good brushed on the cod filets and portabellos that I grilled to top the salad. Will definitely repeat this. (this vinaigrette was very good tossed with the rice noodles also)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hangtown Fry History
Hangtown fry could possibly be the first California cuisine. It consists of fried breaded oysters, eggs, and fried bacon, cooked together like an omelet. In the gold-mining camps of the late 1800s, Hangtown Fry was a one-skillet meal for hungry miners who struck it rich and had plenty of gold to spend. Live oysters would be brought to the gold fields in barrels of sea water after being gathered in and around San Francisco Bay. Such a meal cost approximately $6.00, a fortune in those days.
However it came to be, ordering a Hangtown Fry became a mark of prosperity for gold-rich miners, the status symbol of the day. The recipe swept the entire Northwest Territory, from California to Seattle, in the mid-1800s. A few drinks and a Hangtown Fry were considered a gentleman's evening.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Start out the dish by frying two slices of bacon (for 2 servings), cut them in half and set aside keeping warm. Bread, eggwash, bread again 3-4 small oysters per person; fry these in clarified butter. Add two slices of bacon per omelet in the pan with the oysters, placing them like railroad tracks in the pan.
Mix together two eggs (per person again) with seasoning & a little milk and pour over the oysters and bacon. Cook slowly until eggs are set and lightly browned. During the cooking, lift the cooked eggs to let the uncooked part run underneath onto the hot pan.
To serve, fold in half and slip onto a hot platter. Serve French fried potatoes as an accompaniment. (Next time, I think I'll serve as a frittata, not folded, so I can get the effect of the beautiful fried oysters and the 'rail road' bacon strips.) This was wonderful and I so wish my mother was at a place she could have enjoyed this dish with us also. Hangtown Fry is a wonderful, historical dish.
I also tried a "Seared Seafood and Wasabi Salad" - Saturday night. Didn't really care for the completed dish, but the Wasabi Vinaigrette was wonderful and especially good brushed on the cod filets and portabellos that I grilled to top the salad. Will definitely repeat this. (this vinaigrette was very good tossed with the rice noodles also)Wasabi Vinaigrette
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T. Wasabi paste
2 T. brown sugar
1 piece ginger root (1") - peeled and minced
1 large clove garlic, miced
1/4 c dark sesame oil
1/4 c corn oil
Combine rice wine vinegar and wasabi paste; stir till smooth.
Add soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.
Combine the corn oil and sesame oil and in a slow steady stream, incorporate the oils into the other ingredients to form an emulsion. (a food processor can be used) This vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days ahead of using.
All in all, it was a nice week of cooking - Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Bread, Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops, Home made Creme Fraiche and Chocolate Creme Fraiche Ice Cream - will try Grandma Fry's chocolate ice cream custard method next time trying to incorporate chocolate into an ice cream base.....
Also, made Three-Sster Stew from a packet I picked up at the Portland Farmer's Market - it's a Native American Blend and the stew was wonderful. Checked out the website and there was an Enchilada recipe using the same seasoning packet that looked very good!
Cynthia and I have pushed through an Ethiopian Dinner to be reviewed April 30th.
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