"Seventy Five Pickles at 15 Roux, (like a street)
Half a chicken and knuckles 2 (1 of each knuckle)
300 Carrots?
Half turnip, half beans (that means half of 300, each, or 150)
A leeky heart half a lemon squeeze ( 1 leek, one heart of celery, half a lemon)
50/50 mustard salt and cheese
half a piece of french bread please
100 creamers, and chicken stock 2? (100 cream, 2 lt. stock)
Now we've got some Marmite Stew."
—Susan Whetzel from She's Becoming Doughmesstic
Showing posts with label French cuisine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French cuisine. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Petite Marmite Henry IV and a ditty
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Carre d'Agneau (Rack of Lamb)
This rack of lamb, a signature French recipe that’s both elegant and delicious, is the second-last recipe as part of the Basic Cuisine curriculum that I've been following. The hardest part is preparing the rack. Watch this video to see how to "French" a rack of lamb. Then, it's just a matter of searing the meat and vegetables and finishing it in the oven. The sauce is made from the pan juices and water, seasoned with salt and pepper. Not too many dishes this time either!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Grenadins de Veau au Coulis de Celeri-Rave (Veal with Celery Root Cream Sauce)
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It seems these last recipes in the curriculum are strictly a review of techniques already learned. They don't contain much history or interest but are good practice for the impending exam. Grenadins de veau are thick veal fillet steaks laced with pork fat. After sprinkling the meat with salt and pepper and searing them on the stove in a bit of butter, I placed (I should have larded!) the pork fat on top of the veal and set it aside while I worked on the vegetables.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Soufflé au Comté (Cheese Soufflé)
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I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
Sarah McLachlan – Fallen
In the unfair world of food, a chocolate soufflé is allowed to take a breath, but a cheesy egg soufflé is not. This soufflé is filled with a cheese called comté (pronounced con-tay) from a terroir that spans the Jura and the Doubs departments in France. This region learned how to transform milk into a cheese that could be preserved and gained status as one of the first cheeses with the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) signature. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this distinguished cheese in my grocery store so I used a humble, but satisfying tangy Swiss cheese instead.
Roux…béchamel…Mornay…meringue are all techniques learned in previous classes that merge in this recipe to make a delicate, diva-like, spectacular dish. First, prepare the milk by bringing it to a boil. Don't turn your back on it for too long or the neglected mixture will punish you with spilled, scorched milk on your stove. While watching the milk, make a roux. Whisk in the hot, un-neglected milk and stir until the sauce becomes thick. Now the sauce is christened a béchamel. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer and whisk for a while to encourage the flavors to develop and avoid burning and sticking. Remove it from the heat and add the cheese. Now it's named Mornay. Next whisk in the yolks and set aside.
The last step is to make a meringue. After the meringue is at its perfect, softly-whipped-but-holding peaks stage, sacrifice some of it (about a third) to lighten the Mornay mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining whites {remembering your Grandma looking over your shoulder as you folded the egg whites into waffle batter when you were just a head taller than the counter, pointing out all the whites that needed hiding}.
Even pouring the mixture into the soufflé dish requires a patient, careful hand. You must avoid dripping any batter on the sides so that the soufflé can climb the dish without touching a patch of burnt-on batter. Then you must tap the dish gently to remove air bubbles. After putting it in the oven, you must not open the oven door while it's baking. And you must not slam the oven door. {Whisper soufflé and blow it a kiss.}
Finally, after baking, hold your breath. Carefully remove the soufflés from the oven. Exhale slowly. {Photograph quickly.} Devour.
Recipe: Soufflé au Comté (Cheese Soufflé)
Serves: 6+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
1¼ cups grated Comte or other imported Swiss cheese such as Gruyere or Emmenthal
1¼ cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Salt
White pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 eggs, separated
Unsalted butter, softened, for soufflé mold
You can find the recipe for Soufflé au Comté (Cheese Soufflé) in the book Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!
Tasting Notes
This is a creamy, airy, and comforting dish that gives you a faint whistle before deflating. Not difficult to make, but impressive if you're courageous, especially if you attempt to add bacon, lobster, or asparagus. Taste and enjoy its fleeting beauty.
"The only thing that will make a soufflé fall is if it knows you are afraid of it."
— James Beard
• 65 sq foot kitchen: Leeks and Gruyère Soufflé, Step-by-Step
• La Tartine Gourmande: Soufflé, if I Blow, Will it Fall?
Next Class
• Bavarois à la Vanille, Coulis de Framboise (Vanilla Bavarian Cream with Raspberry Coulis)
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,425.65 + $8.76 = $1,434.41
($1.46 per serving)
Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 23.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
More to Explore:
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes)
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Pigs, prunes, and potatoes. Not very inspiring. But Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes) is tasty…if you like prunes.First, you butterfly the pork so that you can shimmy all the prunes in the middle. Then you tie up (and curse while tying) the pork with butcher's twine to keep the prunes in place. After searing the pork with the carrots and onions, you roast it in the oven.
Meanwhile, you steep the prunes in Ceylon tea. {I bet you could steep them in all sorts of flavors such as star anise or cardamom.} Sounds crazy, but it's tasty…if you like prunes!
The key to this dish is the sweet and sour reduction called a gastrique. Basically, it's a caramelized sauce of vinegar and sugar. I think any meat tastes better with a sauce, and pork pairs nicely with something a little sweet balanced by the acidity of the vinegar.
After roasting the pork, set it aside and deglaze the pan with some water. Add the pan juices to the gastrique. Taste and season, et violà, you have a delicious roast pork loin with prunes…if you like prunes.
The second part of this course is the puréed potatoes (which should have been puréed celery root, but I forgot about that ingredient when I was at the grocery store and ended up using my baby potatoes which I just smashed, skin and all).
Recipe: Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes)
Serves: 6+and+Mousseline+de+C%C3%A9leri+Rave+(Creamed+Celery+Root+Pur%C3%A9e)+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
For Roast Pork Loin with Prunes:
3-pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1½ pounds prunes, pitted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 carrot, chopped coarse
1 onion, chopped coarse
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 cloves garlic
Large pinch Ceylon tea
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vinegar
Small bunch watercress for garnish
For Creamed Celery Root (or Potato) Purée
1¼ pounds celery root (or potatoes)
Salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (or sour cream)
Freshly ground pepper
Tasting Notes
The light flavor of pork paired perfectly with the prunes hidden inside…if you like prunes, which I do! The sauce lightly drizzled on top added depth, moisture and sweetness to each bite.
I think next time introducing some apricot into the juice would bring an interesting color to the sauce that would complement the prunes and add some zing. In fact, I may also try combining chopped prunes and apricots to stuff the pork, for the same reasons.
Next Class
• Savarin aux Kiwis et aux Fraises (Rum Savarin with Kiwis and Strawberries) pages 409-410
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,346.91 + $22.00 (pork) + $4.23 (other ingredients) + $3.42 (potatoes) = $1376.56
($4.94 per serving)
Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 6.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
More to Explore:
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)
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A simple salad appetizer topped with slippery liver that's been sautéed lightly and finished with a little shallot-wine sauce thickened with crème fraîche. Nothing too tricky and everything is delicious…except the liver.If I had used foie gras, the perfect substitute, I could tell you all about how foie gras is made and possibly get into trouble from activists about how geese are force fed for the last few weeks of their lives. Do the geese mind the funnel-feeding? Does the liver of ethically-raised geese who naturally gorge themselves taste better than geese that have been force fed? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to run out to buy this delicacy as I had intended to.
"Every good chicken has a good liver."
— Peter Hoffman
"On a ritz, on a stick, in a box, with some lox...Chicken Liver."
"Real cooks have hard hearts." — Marjorie Leet Ford
Recipe: Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)
Serves: 6 (I halved the recipe.)+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
1 head escarole
1 head red leaf lettuce
For the Vinaigrette:
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chervil or parsley, chopped
1 pound chicken livers
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ cup port wine
¾ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (or sour cream)
1 tablespoons chervil or parsley, chopped
You can find the recipe for Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!Serve with Chianti.
Tasting Notes
I did a tasting and confirmed that chicken liver is not for me. The vinaigrette was tangy and the pink color of the sauce on the liver was pretty. But next time I'll use regular chicken breast or foie gras instead.
"My idea of heaven is eating patés de foie gras to the sound of trumpets." — Sydney Smith, English writer (1771-1845)
Links
• Washington City Paper: Anthony Bourdain on Foie Gras
• Bay Area Bites: Foie Gras: Duck, duck, goose
• Salon.com: Relax, it's just foie gras
• TED Talk: Dan Barber's foie gras parable
Next Class
• Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes) and Mousseline de Céleri Rave (Creamed Celery Root Purée) pages 122-123
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,341.87 + $5.04 = $1,346.91
($1.68 per serving)
Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 3.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
More to Explore:
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Mouclade (Mussels with Wine and Cream Sauce)
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I love mussels and have enjoyed more than one all-you-can-eat mussel bar. They're easy to prepare and only need a good sauce to transcend them from bland to spectacular. This Mouclade with its simple herbal sauce thickened with crème fraîche does just that. But, you must use crème fraîche, the secret ingredient.More common Mouclade recipes contain curry, and this idea is scribbled in the margin of my cookbook for next time.
"Purists may frown, but curry powder is an essential ingredient in mouclade, one of the most popular mussel dishes served on the Brittany coast".
— Stephanie Alexander, cook, restaurateur, and food writer
"Tradition has it that the farming of mussels in the Vendée, south of the Loire, dates back to 1237, when an Irish sea captain was shipwrecked on the coast. He managed to swim ashore and set bird traps in the water. The sticks supporting the nets were soon covered with huge moules (mussels), much larger than those growing on the rocks. Even now, mussels are cultivated on stakes in much the same way."
— Anne Willan in The Country Cooking of France (affiliate link)
Recipe: Mouclade (Mussels with Wine and Cream Sauce)
Serves: 6+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
3 pounds mussels
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 large shallot, chopped fine
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Freshly ground pepper
½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (I would use sour cream)
1 sprig fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
Serve with Muscadet.
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Tasting NotesPull out the mussel with a fork or an empty mussel shell. Scoop up as much sauce as the mussel will hold. Taste. Repeat. Finish the remaining sauce in your bowl with a fresh slice of baguette. Lick your fingers. Help yourself to another bowl.
Next Class
• Huîtres Chaudes au Muscadet (Poached Oysters with Muscadet Sabayon Sauce) pages 383-384
Links
• Billy Bi (Mussel Soup)
• Video: Mussels Provencal (Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Sauce)
• Times Online: Mouclade
• Bitten: The Mussel Challenge
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,244.26 + $18.33 = $1,262.59
($3.05 per serving)
Butter used so far: 11 pounds, 14.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Bouchées aux Crevettes (Puff Pastry Shells Filled with Shrimp and Mushrooms)
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Before I set out to work through Le Cordon Bleu's cooking school curriculum, I would buy a box of frozen patty shells, or vol-au-vent, to make fancy appetizers for a special dinner. Now, I'm making puff pastry at home and finding satisfaction in seeing all those layers in something I created from flour, water and butter. Although my home versions aren't hexagonal and have a bit of a rustic look, they don't have the hydrogenated soybean and palm oils that are in the store-bought version either.I haven't made puff pastry very often…actually only twice before. The technique came back to me as I worked with it, but I still need some practice to avoid the butter seeping through the layers. It really didn't take that much hands-on time either. In-between, while it rested in the refrigerator, I had enough time to check on Twitter, email and catch up a bit on reading blogs.
After baking the puff pastry, I turned to the filling. This was another recipe review and came together easily. The sauce is a béchamel with both milk and crème fraîche. It is poured over cooked shrimp and chopped mushrooms with a flambé thrown in for extra fun and flavor. A sprinkle of paprika, salt and pepper, a garnish of common parsley, and it was ready for service.
Confession time: I just finished reading Mark Bittman's post, "TV Cooking vs. Real Cooking" and thought that there's Blog Cooking vs. Real Cooking too. I try to keep it real on this blog. I make things from scratch for the most part and tell you when I haven't actually filleted the fish or butchered the cow, and when I've used Cognac instead of Armagnac. Well, for this post I didn't have Cognac. In fact, I didn't have any alcohol that could be substituted. All I had was vodka. So, for my mise en place photo, I added a bit of vanilla to make it look like Cognac, and I'm sure it doesn't even achieve that. (shameful, I know) Then I forgot about it. When the recipe said to flambé, I poured in my "doctored" vodka and lit it up. A lovely vanilla scent wafted up, and a few expletives were said. Vanilla in this savory dish does not work. I should have used vodka or skipped the flambé step altogether, but lighting food is so much fun. That will teach me for not being real. I hope you'll forgive my madness and continue reading my blog!
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Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet
Confession time: I just finished reading Mark Bittman's post, "TV Cooking vs. Real Cooking" and thought that there's Blog Cooking vs. Real Cooking too. I try to keep it real on this blog. I make things from scratch for the most part and tell you when I haven't actually filleted the fish or butchered the cow, and when I've used Cognac instead of Armagnac. Well, for this post I didn't have Cognac. In fact, I didn't have any alcohol that could be substituted. All I had was vodka. So, for my mise en place photo, I added a bit of vanilla to make it look like Cognac, and I'm sure it doesn't even achieve that. (shameful, I know) Then I forgot about it. When the recipe said to flambé, I poured in my "doctored" vodka and lit it up. A lovely vanilla scent wafted up, and a few expletives were said. Vanilla in this savory dish does not work. I should have used vodka or skipped the flambé step altogether, but lighting food is so much fun. That will teach me for not being real. I hope you'll forgive my madness and continue reading my blog!
Recipe: Bouchées aux Crevettes (Puff Pastry Shells Filled with Shrimp and Mushrooms)
Serves: 6 (I halved the recipe.)+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
For the Puff Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups cold water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
28 ounces unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten, for glazing
For the Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups cold milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (I would use sour cream instead.)
5 ounces mushrooms, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and chopped fine
1¾ pounds small cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons Cognac
Pinch of paprika
Chervil or parsley for garnish
You can find the recipe for Bouchées aux Crevettes (Puff Pastry Shells Filled with Shrimp and Mushrooms) in the book Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!
Tasting Notes
I loved the buttery crunch of the pastry, the creaminess of the sauce, the nuttiness from the mushrooms and the chew of the shrimp all in one bite. This was a very satisfying appetizer to make from scratch. If only it didn't have that hint of vanilla!
Next Class
• Mouclade (Mussels with Wine and Cream Sauce) pages 39-40
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,230.06 + $6.14 (puff pastry) + $8.06 (shrimp and mushroom sauce) = $1,244.26
($ 4.73 per serving)
Butter used so far: 11 pounds, 8.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
Tasting NotesI loved the buttery crunch of the pastry, the creaminess of the sauce, the nuttiness from the mushrooms and the chew of the shrimp all in one bite. This was a very satisfying appetizer to make from scratch. If only it didn't have that hint of vanilla!
Next Class
• Mouclade (Mussels with Wine and Cream Sauce) pages 39-40
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,230.06 + $6.14 (puff pastry) + $8.06 (shrimp and mushroom sauce) = $1,244.26
($ 4.73 per serving)
Butter used so far: 11 pounds, 8.5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
. . . . . . . . . .
More to Explore:
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Cuisses de Grenouille aux Herbes (Herbed Frog Legs)
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For the next few weeks, we're learning about shellfish, snails and frog legs, and first up is frog legs. This, of course, reminded me of this video of the Muppets' Swedish Chef.The French love frog legs, and it is a "lovable term for the French — the frogs," says Mort Rosenblum, founding editor of the quarterly magazine Dispatches. "They're kind of identified with it, because it's such a distinctive dish."
Frog Tastin' and Giggin'
It's hard to believe, but frog legs are in danger of being "eaten to extinction." Every year, eight to ten tons of frog legs are consumed, according to Taste France.
These days, French frog ranching is dead and commercial giggin' is illegal. You can catch frogs only during frog hunting season, which is 15 days per year and, after you catch them, you must eat them immediately. Otherwise, you may be fined €10,000 or worse, lose your vehicle. So bring a camp stove and frying pan along on your hunt.
If you can't hunt for your own frogs, then you have to import the critters. And if you want French frogs, you may have to resort to the black market…contraband grenouilles de pays.
"French frogs really taste better to most cooks." — Mort Rosenblum
Frog Fair
A good majority of frog legs were eaten in one weekend at the world's largest frog fair. Since 1972 on the fourth weekend in April, Vittel, France held the Fête de Grenouilles hosted by The Brotherhood of Frog Thigh Tasters.
According to the Harper's Index in July 2004, the last year that the fête served French frog legs was in 1977. After that, they had to import frog legs from other parts of the world, including Indonesia. The Brotherhood of Frog Thigh Tasters wants "to restore la grenouille to glory by persuading the government to put fresh French frogs back on the table."
Frogs in the Frying Pan
This recipe is a simple one-cutting-board-one-knife-one-pan kind of dish.
I would use more butter than called for in the recipe since the frog legs stuck to the pan.
Recipe: Cuisses de Grenouille aux Herbes (Herbed Frog Legs)
Serves: 4+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
1 pound (500 g) frog legs (about twenty pairs)
20 g (1 tablespoon) butter
30 g (¼ cup) flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Serve with a glass of Riesling (according to The Brotherhood of Frog Thigh Tasters).
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Tasting NotesI tasted the frog legs, and I'm not sure what I'll do with the leftovers. Mind over matter didn't work for me with this meal. If someone prepared them for me and took the meat off the bones and served it in a stew, I would have enjoyed it. The meat is tender and moist with a mouth-feel like a sturdy fish such as monkfish. But all I could think about were little hopping frogs, Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection".
My daughter was animated at dinnertime tonight about her animal rights presentation that included a discussion about banning frog dissection in science class. While she was talking, I pulled out my freshly sautéed frog legs from the refrigerator that she could have for dinner. She was not impressed and stormed out of the room while her sisters ribbed her with "ribbit" sounds. It was a moment you had to be here for, maybe. {Although I offered, I didn't make them try a portion.}
Links
• Article: French tradition is on its last legs
• Radio: Well-Traveled Frogs: France Imports Favorite Dish
• Website: Frog Legs Review site
Next Class
• Coquilles Saint Jacques Dieppoise (Scallops with Mussels and Shrimp in Cream Sauce) pages 78-79
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,208.01 + $13.52 = $1,221.53
($3.38 per serving)
Butter used so far: 10 pounds, 5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
• Article: French tradition is on its last legs
• Radio: Well-Traveled Frogs: France Imports Favorite Dish
• Website: Frog Legs Review site
Next Class
• Coquilles Saint Jacques Dieppoise (Scallops with Mussels and Shrimp in Cream Sauce) pages 78-79
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,208.01 + $13.52 = $1,221.53
($3.38 per serving)
Butter used so far: 10 pounds, 5 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Pintadeaux au Chou (Guinea Hen with Cabbage)
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For the next few classes, we're learning about different types of poultry. Cornish hen is on the menu this week (since I couldn't find guinea hen at the butcher). According to Wise Geek, the term "Guinea hen was used to refer to these small poultry servings but Cornish game hen has become more popular."The Cornish hen is a plump all-white meat bird. Its original breeder was Alphonsine "Therese" Makowsky. Here is a video explaining the history of the Cornish hen.
"The Makowskys began cross-breeding the Cornish game cocks with various chickens and game birds, including a White Plymouth Rock hen and a Malayn fighting cock, to develop the Rock Cornish game hen — a succulent bird with all-white meat, large enough for a single serving." Link
Cabbage and Other Vegetables
Again, this recipe calls for many pots. In Saucepan #1, the cabbage is blanched. Mon petit chou. I love boiled cabbage that's then drizzled with butter. Its subtle flavor is very comforting. In this dish, it's blanched and served along with the carrots and onions and plays its supporting role very well.
In Large Casserole #2, the onions are cooked until tender, and then the carrots are added. The cabbage joins the milieu along with a Bouquet Garni and 2½ cups of water and this mixture simmers for about 1 hour.
Poultry
I rinsed and dried the Cornish hens with paper towels and then threw a garlic clove, a thyme sprig, and a bay leaf in each cavity and seasoned them with salt and pepper. After trussing, they were ready for Roasting Pan #3 and a 425˚F oven for about 30 minutes.
Bacon
While the hens were roasting, I prepared the bacon. Although the recipe called for lardons, I used bacon strips. Using Twitter, I asked how people like to cook their bacon and got these answers:
chocolatechic
Bake it.
HighChair
Baking sheet in 400F oven. Nice and crisp and stays straight!
PaniniKathy
I do bacon on the broiler tray in the toaster oven - 12-15 min at 375
HarvardCommon
I like it broiled in the oven. Grease drips off, and makes it "slightly" healthier and usually comes out pretty crispy.
Eat_Real
I always do it on a large sheet pan in the oven at 375 degrees F. Cooks a lot at once and turns out nice and crispy.
kayce_m
my vote is for in the oven on a cooling rack-lined sheet pan (i like crispy, tho, LOL)
astarrynite07
you can also bake bacon too or make it in a non-stick pan without any oil once it's done just place it in a paper towel
judecee
sandwiched between a cast iron skillet and press
brucetraser
here's something I want to try! http://tinyurl.com/a5pvvq
RecipeGirl
I hate all of the grease, so I tend to wrap it in paper towels and microwave it. Not nice & crispy though if you need that.
whatsinyourbox
george foreman grill
Polish Sausage
Polish sausage from Butcher Boy Meats in Regina, Saskatchewan with some dill cream cheese and table water crackers was a staple when I was in university. I haven't been able to find Polish sausage that tastes as good as theirs yet. This sausage was tucked into Sauté Pan #2 along with the vegetables, bacon and hens, and cooked along with everything else for awhile. Once everything had finished cooking (about 20 minutes later), I sliced up the Polish sausage and dinner was ready.
Recipe: Pintadeaux au Chou (Guinea Hen with Cabbage)
Serves: 6+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
1 medium head green cabbage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, sliced
¼ pound carrots, sliced
1 Bouquet Garni
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ pound slab bacon, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 guinea hens, 2 pounds each (I used Cornish hens)
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons softened butter
¾ pound Polish sausageYou can find the recipe for Pintadeaux au Chou (Guinea Hen with Cabbage) in the book Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or a similar recipe here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!
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Tasting Notes
The mixed meat medley was nice. I liked the Polish sausage and bacon coupled with the Cornish Hens, which added extra flavor to this delicate meat. The Cornish Hens were tender and delicious. Because the hens are braised in the pot with all the vegetables with the lid on for the last bit, the skin got soft. Next time I would finish the hens in the oven instead and merge the two dishes at the table. Again, too many dishes to be practical, but tasty all the same.
Next Week (March 4)
• Fricassée de Poulet à l'ail et à la Sauge (Chicken Fricassee with Garlic and Sage) pages 324-325
My Favorite Dish
This week, Michelle from Big Black Dog, who is part of the Whisk Wednesdays group, suggested showing off our favorite dish. Since I started food blogging, food props have become a passion and more fun to shop for than clothes or shoes. Here is my favorite dish which was given to me by my mom. The snowflake dish represents some of my first photos, which were taken on the snowbanks on my back deck last Spring.
Gifts
Michelle from Big Black Dog, who has an amazing list of chef's tips ready to share, set up a little swap among the participants in Whisk Wednesdays. Here is what I received from Jessica from Have We Met? who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been eyeing this slate cheese plate at our local bookstore for quite some time and she must have read my mind. The heavy cheese knives are lovely too with their crackled look. Thank you, Jessica!
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,110.03 + $11.01 (hens) + $8.95 (other ingredients) = $1,129.99
($3.33 per serving)
Butter used so far: 9 pounds, 22 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
+(2).jpg)
Tasting NotesThe mixed meat medley was nice. I liked the Polish sausage and bacon coupled with the Cornish Hens, which added extra flavor to this delicate meat. The Cornish Hens were tender and delicious. Because the hens are braised in the pot with all the vegetables with the lid on for the last bit, the skin got soft. Next time I would finish the hens in the oven instead and merge the two dishes at the table. Again, too many dishes to be practical, but tasty all the same.
Next Week (March 4)
• Fricassée de Poulet à l'ail et à la Sauge (Chicken Fricassee with Garlic and Sage) pages 324-325
My Favorite Dish
This week, Michelle from Big Black Dog, who is part of the Whisk Wednesdays group, suggested showing off our favorite dish. Since I started food blogging, food props have become a passion and more fun to shop for than clothes or shoes. Here is my favorite dish which was given to me by my mom. The snowflake dish represents some of my first photos, which were taken on the snowbanks on my back deck last Spring.
GiftsMichelle from Big Black Dog, who has an amazing list of chef's tips ready to share, set up a little swap among the participants in Whisk Wednesdays. Here is what I received from Jessica from Have We Met? who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been eyeing this slate cheese plate at our local bookstore for quite some time and she must have read my mind. The heavy cheese knives are lovely too with their crackled look. Thank you, Jessica!
. . . . . . . . . .Running total: $1,110.03 + $11.01 (hens) + $8.95 (other ingredients) = $1,129.99
($3.33 per serving)
Butter used so far: 9 pounds, 22 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Blanquette de Lotte aux Petits Légumes (Monkfish in White-Wine Cream Sauce with Vegetables)
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Instead of veal stew, this is fish stew with a delicious white-wine cream sauce and a bunch of perfectly cooked vegetables.Vegetables
In typical French cuisine fashion, I had to prepare all the vegetables separately. Well, actually the pearl onions and peas were allowed to share a pot, and technically the carrots, turnips and mushrooms shared the frying pan (although separately), much like bathing kids, one at a time. The green beans had their own pot to blanch in. So, three pots later (two if you think ahead and blanch the pearl onions/peas and green beans in the same boiling water), the vegetables were cooked and sat on the sidelines while I finished the fish.
Fish and Sauce
Monkfish is an ugly, large bottom-feeder fish. It has a firm texture and a delicate taste that is said to be "poor man's lobster". I was lucky to find some at my local fish store, but other bloggers in our Whisk Wednesdays group had trouble sourcing it. It turns out this fish is one that is overfished or caught in a manner that results in high levels of bycatch. I didn't know this until after I bought it, and my fishmonger said he gets it in every week from the Atlantic. I'll have to investigate this further if I make this again.
I fried the cubed fish in some butter. After it was browned, the fish rested on the side while the shallots cooked in more butter. Then I made a bit of a roux with some flour and the butter from frying the shallots. This cooked for a bit to remove its floury taste. To deglaze the pan, I used some white wine.
I returned the fish to its sauce to finish cooking along with some extra water for added moisture and a Bouquet Garni for added flavor. After simmering for 10 minutes, I removed the fish and set it aside while the sauce simmered for another 20 minutes. By adding the fish first, you're adding more flavor to the sauce, much like using a fish stock would. But you don't want to overcook the fish, so it is removed and the sauce gathers more flavor and mellows the acidity from the wine.
Liaison
After removing the Bouquet Garni, I added the hot sauce slowly to the liaison of cream and yolk, making sure not to curdle the egg. Then I returned everything, including the petits légumes to the pan and warmed it all up (avoiding any bubbles or boiling so that the sauce would not separate). With a sprinkle of parsley, thyme or chervil, this fish dish was ready to eat.
Recipe: Blanquette de Lotte aux Petits Légumes (Monkfish in White-Wine Cream Sauce with Vegetables)
Serves: 6 (I halved the recipe.)+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:3 ounces carrots
3 ounces turnips
3 ounces green beans
Salt
3 ounces shelled green peas
12 pearl onions, peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper
3 ounces button or quartered large mushrooms, trimmed, rinsed, and dried
1¼ pounds monkfish fillets
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ large shallot, chopped fine
2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
½ cup heavy cream
Chervil or parsley leaves for garnishYou can find the recipe for Blanquette de Lotte aux Petits Légumes (Monkfish in White-Wine Cream Sauce with Vegetables) in the book Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!
Tasting Notes
I loved this fish stew (even better than the veal stew we made earlier). The smooth, creamy sauce with its morsels of vegetables was delicious! And monkfish is a very nice tasting meaty fish. It doesn't have the fishy smell or taste that some fish have. I'm sure this recipe would adapt well to chicken too.Next Class
Pintadeaux au Chou (Guinea Hen with Cabbage) pages 44-45
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,083.72 + $17.49 (monkfish) + $8.82 = $1,110.03
($8.77 per serving)
Butter used so far: 10 pounds
. . . . . . . . . .
This week, Kayte from Grandma’s Kitchen Table thought we should all share our cookbook holders, just for fun. We were discussing via email where we put our cookbooks while cooking or whether we print off the recipe or use a cookbook holder. I often just put the book on the counter since my cookbook holder often has a pile of ready-to-try recipes in it waiting for me (leaving no room for a book).
After reading this post, my mom sent me a picture from her kitchen. No recipe holder needed. Scotch tape on the knob of the cupboard . . . and a 44 year old recipe (which happens to be my favorite birthday cake recipe — Mahogany Chiffon Cake from the vintage Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook, 1961)!
Another Blanquette de Lotte post
Lucy's Kitchen Notebook's Man in Kitchen - Blanquette de Lotte
Tasting Notes
I loved this fish stew (even better than the veal stew we made earlier). The smooth, creamy sauce with its morsels of vegetables was delicious! And monkfish is a very nice tasting meaty fish. It doesn't have the fishy smell or taste that some fish have. I'm sure this recipe would adapt well to chicken too.
"Monkfish is called the poor man's lobster. As long as people never see what it looks like whole, they love it." — Werner Auer, Executive chef, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston
Pintadeaux au Chou (Guinea Hen with Cabbage) pages 44-45
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,083.72 + $17.49 (monkfish) + $8.82 = $1,110.03
($8.77 per serving)
Butter used so far: 10 pounds
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays:: We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
This week, Kayte from Grandma’s Kitchen Table thought we should all share our cookbook holders, just for fun. We were discussing via email where we put our cookbooks while cooking or whether we print off the recipe or use a cookbook holder. I often just put the book on the counter since my cookbook holder often has a pile of ready-to-try recipes in it waiting for me (leaving no room for a book).
After reading this post, my mom sent me a picture from her kitchen. No recipe holder needed. Scotch tape on the knob of the cupboard . . . and a 44 year old recipe (which happens to be my favorite birthday cake recipe — Mahogany Chiffon Cake from the vintage Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook, 1961)!
Another Blanquette de Lotte post
Lucy's Kitchen Notebook's Man in Kitchen - Blanquette de Lotte
More to Explore:
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Whisk Wednesdays—Bar à la Normande (Sea Bass with Mushrooms and Cream)
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Here is another fish dish with a creamy and delicious sauce that marks my 200th post!Fish Stock
The first step for this dish is to make some fish stock. We covered this in Class 10. The recipe for the stock makes 4 cups and I only needed 1 cup for the fish, so I put the remainder in the freezer for another time.
Fish
The recipe calls for a whole sea bass, however, I had some leftover pieces from earlier fish classes so I decided to use them up instead.
To cook the fish, I placed it in a roasting pan with 3 tablespoons of butter and sprinkled the fish with salt, pepper and the shallots. I poured the wine and water in and brought everything to a boil while waiting for the oven to heat up. Then, when it was boiling I covered it with buttered parchment and put it in the oven to finish cooking for about 20-30 minutes.
Mushrooms
I love mushrooms. These are just cooked in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper while the fish cooks.
Sauce
When the fish was done, I removed it from the roasting pan and set it aside while finishing the sauce. The sauce couldn't be simpler. I just strained the liquid from the roasting pan and reduced it by half. Then I added the sour cream (since I forgot to make crème fraîche the night before). I stirred this mixture until it thickened.
Crème Fraîche
To make crème fraîche, combine 1 cup (250 mL) of heavy 35-percent cream with 2 tablespoons (25 mL) sour cream in a glass container. Cover and stand at room temperature 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well, cover and refrigerate. Keeps up to 7 days.
Video
You can watch a video, in French, of a chef making this dish. I enjoyed watching his technique.
Recipe: Bar à la Normande (Sea Bass with Mushrooms and Cream)
Serves: 6+mise+en+place.jpg)
Ingredients:
Sea bass, Salmon, Sole
(I had these pieces leftover in my freezer so decided to use them up this week.)
3 pounds sea bass or striped bass
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped fine
Salt
Pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup fish stock (or water)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced fine
1¼ cups crème fraîche
Unsalted butter, softened, for parchment paper
Fish Stock:
2 whole whiting, 8 ounces each
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 leeks (white part only), chopped
10 peppercorns
1½ cups dry white wine
3 cups water
Tasting Notes
I love fish with a sauce. And this one with mushrooms is delicious. The whole house smelled of fish, but it was worth it. The nuttiness from the mushrooms, the delicate fish and the tangy sauce were perfect.
Next Week (February 11)
Pigeonneaux en Papillote (Squab Cooked in Papillotes) pages 219-220 {Substitute salmon for squab.}
— or —
Snapper with fennel en papillote from Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook Home Collection
— or —
Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote from Dorie Greenspan
. . . . . . . . . .
Running total: $1,049.29 + $9.81 (fish and sauce) + $4.06 (fish stock) = $1,063.16
Butter used so far: 9 pounds, 24 tablespoons
. . . . . . . . . .
::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.
. . . . . . . . . .
More to Explore:
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