It's All About the Garnish!

Vanilla Win!

I'm SO excited to share this with you:  I've been named the winner in the Spice Islands Flavor Explorer Vanilla Challenge.

The contest challenged entrants to use their Vanilla in a sweet or savory recipe. And, because their new vanilla extract doesn't contain corn syrup, I was happy to give it a try. I don't bake, so I racked my brain for any savory recipes in my arsenal that would be improved with the addition of vanilla. I'd been making my famous butter-poached halibut for a few months now and knew that chefs have been adding vanilla to their trout, lobster and crab dishes lately. Why not halibut? I had also perfected a nice Meyer Lemon Gastrique with which to drizzle on said halibut but thought it was a little too sweet to be paired with vanilla in a savory dish.

Then, inspiration struck and I came up with the Ancho-Orange Drizzle you'll see on the winning recipe here:  Vanilla Butter Poached Halibut with Ancho Orange Drizzle

Special thanks to head judge Matt Armendariz at mattbites.com

Love Chocolate. Hate Baking. -A Cook's Quandary

Chocolate is fascinating as an ingredient. Smooth, buttery texture. Sweet, sensuous flavor. But, those of us who COOK, but can't BAKE (yours truly) have no use of it other than as a forbidden snack.

However...

A few months ago, I learned of a contest asking participants to use chocolate as an ingredient in savory dishes. Flummoxed at first, wondering why anyone would want to mix the two, I decided to take on the challenge and come up with a few dishes. In the coming days, I'll share them all with you. Here's the first one out of the gate:

Roasted Duck Breasts with Cacao Polenta and Chocolate Gastrique

Polenta:

2 Tbsp. – Roasted Cacao Nibs
2 1/2 Cups – Water
1 Tbsp. – Olive oil
1 tsp. – Smoked sea salt
½  Cup – Polenta
1 Tbsp. – Unsalted butter

Mushroom Ragout:
3 – Shallots, large, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp. – Unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. – Olive oil
1 1/2 pounds – Mushrooms (preferably shiitake and crimini), sliced
1 tsp. – Kosher salt
1 Cup – Beef broth
1/3 Cup – Heavy whipping cream
1/3 Cup – Cilantro, coarsely chopped
 

Duck:
4 – Duck breasts, trimmed
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. – Olive oil

Gastrique
¼ Cup – Brown sugar
½ Cup – Water
¼ Cup – Red wine vinegar
2 oz. – 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate

Polenta:
Using a food processor or coffee grinder, grind cacao nibs to a fine powder. Add cacao nib powder, water, oil and smoked sea salt to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Pouring in a steady stream, whisk in polenta. Continue to whisk and cook over medium heat about two minutes. Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 45 minutes or until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, stir in butter and pour into a shallow baking sheet and set aside to cool.

Mushroom Ragout:
In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil on medium heat and add the shallots. Cook for about five minutes, or until softened. Add the mushrooms and salt, then turn heat to medium-high. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring often, until browned. Turn the heat to low, add the broth and stir, cooking for about a minute. Remove from heat, stir in whipping cream and cilantro. Turn heat back to low when almost ready to serve.
 
For duck:
Score the duck skin without cutting into the flesh. Rub with the pepper. Heat the olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet and place duck thick-side-down in the pan. Cover and cook for ten minutes. Turn and cook (covered) for an additional 15 minutes or until done.
Transfer duck to cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes while broiling the polenta.

Gastrique:

Add the sugar, water and vinegar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Break the chocolate into small chunks and add a few bits at a time, stirring to melt completely.

To Serve:
Broil the polenta for about three minutes, or until dark golden brown and sizzling. Using a pizza cutter, slice the polenta into four portions.
Thinly slice each duck breast crosswise on a slight diagonal. Arrange each portion of polenta on four plates. Spoon mushroom ragout onto the center of the polenta, then top with slices of duck breast. Drizzle sauce over the duck and serve.

Recipe from the Dinner Party: Fettucine Alfredo with Portabella Mushrooms and Tarragon

(Use the good stuff, or you'll be sorry!)

I've been making Fettucine Alfred for years, based on my Dad's recipe. What I do mostly follows his recipe, but I've made a couple of changes because it's not the prettiest dish on its own. In an earlier post (Bad Barilla), I chronicled how I discovered that using the right ingredients really does count. Let's move on and get to the good stuff:
In a medium sautee pan, on medium-low heat, sautee sliced portabella mushrooms with a couple teaspoons of butter. Add Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste.

Boil a large pot of water, with a few teaspoons of Kosher salt.

In a large saucepan set on the lowest heat possible, melt a stick of unsalted butter.
When it's melted, whisk in a half pint of heavy whipping cream.
Adding a little at a time, whisk in shredded asiago cheese.
When all of the cheese is melted, shake in some ground nutmeg and white pepper.
Important:  keep this sauce on LOW HEAT! You should be able to put your finger in the sauce and not get burned.

Cook pasta (a good brand!) according to package directions. Drain, plate and add sauce. Garnish with portabellas and a sprinkle of freshly chopped tarragon!

Fancy Ham Makes Everything Better!

 

You know what I'm sick of? Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Sure, they're relatively inexpensive, super healthy and available in bulk-buy bags you can store in the freezer. Throw a couple in a pan, cook on medium and you've got protein for dinner. The thing is, they themselves have absolutely no flavor. A bland color. A shape like a malformed hockey puck. And they're BORING!

The main purpose of this site is to show you ways to take non-expensive, easy-to-deal-with food and make it fabulous. I really don't think there's a better example than this:

Take a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut a pocket into the side of each. Wiggle your finger around in there to open it up. Stuff in some asiago, parmesan (strong, dry cheese). Grind some pepper on them, then wrap each breast in proscuitto. Cook on medium high for about 20-30 minutes. Grab a jar of basil pesto (if you have some light sour cream, stir in about two teaspoons, this will make it a little milder and creamier). Spoon a puddle onto the plate, set the chicken on top and sprinkle with any remaining cheese.

I did this whole thing in 1/2 hour last night, and the husband was quite impressed. Remember, you can take anything dull and dress it up with a couple great ingredients and inventive plating, because it's all about the garnish!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Onion Chutney

I love this dish because it was born of a semi-empty fridge and the need to experiment. I had some random things like pork tenderloin, apples, onions and bacon. And, I was hungry. That's when the fun happens:

Fry up about two to three slices of bacon. Any kind will do. When you're done, drain it and chop it, but don't wash that pan yet! Turn the oven on to 450 degrees and line a broiling pan with foil.

Grab a small pork tenderloin and butterfly it lengthwise. In other words, slice it down the center almost all the way, and open it up. Chop the bacon and scatter it onto the pork. Sprinkle in some gorgonzola (or any strong blue) cheese. Add some chopped flat leaf parsley or any other mellow green herb. Close the tenderloin back up and tie in at least four places with kitchen twine to keep it shut. Sprinkle with pepper (don't use salt in this dish because you already have bacon for that) and brown in the pan you used for frying bacon. When all sides are brown, put it on the broiler pan and throw it in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a thermometer says it's 165 degrees inside. (Keep your pan, we're not done with it yet!)

While the pork is cooking, make the chutney. Dice half a red onion and sautee in that now well-seasoned pan for about five minutes on medium high heat. Dice a Fuji apple and add it to the pan, stirring frequently. Add a tablespoon of unsalted butter, and keep on stirring. When the apple and onion are soft, turn the heat up and add 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice, honey and rice wine vinegar. Stir on high for five minutes. The mixture should turn brown and gooey. Turn down to low until your ready to use it.

When the tenderloin is done, slice it into medallions and arrange on your plate. Top with spoonfuls of the chutney, and put the remainder into a bowl for the table. When your guests ask you if you spent all day making this, nod your head, make a martyr face and say yes.

Crab Cakes: Quick, Easy and Affordable!

Crab season is finally here, so it’s time to make crab cakes! Yes, I know cooked, dipped-in-butter crab is the way to go, but this is an economical way to get that delicious crab fix without making your wallet feel violated: Canned Crab Claw Meat. I’m not talking about the little cans stored next to canned tuna year ‘round. Believe me, I’ve tried it and there’s absolutely no taste or texture. You might as well make a 50’s casserole out of it.

I'm talking about cans of fat, juicy lumps of the very best of the crab, claw

meat. You really need to wait until late December when this treasure

shows up, and it’s so worth it. Look in the refrigerated seafood/meat section of the grocery store for cans that specify ‘premium claw meat’. You can usually get four crab cakes worth of meat for about $10.

Here’s how to do it:

Crab Cakes

1 Egg (beaten)
2 tablespoons Brown or Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/3 cup Finely Chopped Red Onion
1/3 cup Finely Chopped Green Onion
2 tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1 12oz. can Premium Crab Meat
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 ½ cups Panko

(found in the Japanese/Ethnic Foods section of the grocery store, DON’T use Italian Bread Crumbs!)

2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Garlic-Cayenne-Cilantro Aioli

5 cloves Crushed Garlic
½ cup Plain Yogurt (low fat or fat free)
½ cup Sour Cream (low fat or fat free)
1 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
¼ cup Finely Chopped Cilantro

Aioli:
Place garlic in a ramekin with about a teaspoon of water, and heat on high in the microwave for about 40 seconds. We’re not trying to cook it, per se, just ‘kill it’ a little. The water keeps it from drying out. Mix the garlic with the rest of the ingredients, seasoning to taste. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.

Crab Cakes:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the first five ingredients well. Add the onions, peppers, crab meat and old bay, mixing thoroughly. Roll this mixture into 3-inch round balls. One at a time, shape them into patties and press into panko, making sure they’re coated well and evenly.

***Party Food Alert! You can shape the crab into 1/2 –inch to 1-inch balls, then form into bite-size patties for a party crowd!

Crab Cakes Continued: Heat skillet with butter and olive oil to medium-high heat. If your skillet is on the small side, I recommend doing this in batches, so use half the olive oil and butter for each batch. Have a cookie sheet ready. Cook the crab cakes for about five minutes on each side, or until the panko has turned a golden brown. Place them on the cookie sheet and finish in the oven, about 8-10 minutes.

To Serve: Place one crab cake flat in the middle of a plate, and lean the other on it. Spoon a dollop of the aioli around them, and garnish with a sprinkle of leftover cilantro.

Bitchin' Burgers

Yes, I said 'bitchin'. I'm trying to bring it back.

Anyhoo, I'm lagging on posting the Thanksgiving photo/rundown, so thought I'd throw you a baby post on burgers...

Burgers are so subjective. You can add things like eggs and bread crumbs, which just make it sort of meatloaf-y (and icky, in my opinion). You can add things like Worcestershire sauce and seasonings, to pump it up a little, or you can go old school and add Liption Onion Soup Mix. However you do it, I'm not going to sway you in one direction or another. Burgers are like art; you like what you like.

HOWEVER...

Your garnish can make all the difference. Want to serve a pedestrian, ketchup and mustard topped lump of meat? Whatevs. Suffer the absence of taste and extravagance in silence. Do it my way and go gourmet.

The Sauce:

5 garlic cloves, crushed and microwaved for 30 seconds
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (some people hate cilantro, so use a strong herb)
1/3 cup light mayo
1/3 cup light plain yogurt
1/3 cup light sour cream
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
A little Crushed Red Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Spoon some on the burger. On top of that, throw:

Sauteed Mushrooms:

2 Tablespoons Butter
8 Large Criminis (No White Buttons! Gross! 70's! Might as well put kidney beans and Thousand Island Dressing on your burger!)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Red Wine
1/4 cup Green Onions

Sautee the first four ingredients slowly. When you salt mushrooms, it makes them give up their liquid and make their own sauce. Very cool. When they're the way you like them, turn up the heat. When you hear the crackling of buttered things over high flame, add the wine. It will deglaze the pan, make the onions less greasy, and add flavor. Stir constantly for a minute or two. Turn the heat off and add the chopped green onions.

Enjoy! Thank me later!