 |
recipesPrince Edward Island Mussels, Shallots, Fresh Thyme and Burnt Orange  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 5 Minutes 2 Lbs Fresh PEI Mussels, washed well 3 Whole Shallots, Sliced Thinly 2 Clove Garlic, Sliced Thinly 2 Oranges, Peeled Carefully, No Pith 1 Cup Canola or Grape Seed Oil 3 Table Spoon Burnt Orange Oil 2 Table Spoon Butter 1 Cup White Wine Pinch of Cracked Chili Peppers Chopped Parsley Few Sprigs of Fresh Thyme Salt and Pepper To Taste With a peeler, carefully peel the Orange skins, making sure to avoid the white pith. Put the orange peels in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and cover them with either the canola or the grape seed oil, and place on very low heat. Allow the orange rinds to simmer in the oil, over very gentle heat, until they turn a dark orange color. Avoid their turning brown, they will be too bitter if they reach this point. Meanwhile, carefully wash and beard the Mussels, and discard any that are open and do not close once tapped a couple of time. Place them in the refrigerator until the orange oil is ready, about 20 minutes. Once the orange peels have turned a deep orange color, take them off the heat and allow to cool – it can be put in the refrigerator to accelerate its cooling.. When cooled, blend the oil and the peels well in a blender. To cook the mussels, choose a heavy bottomed pan with a lid, which will hold all the mussels comfortably – keep in mind they will expand in size once they open. Melt the butter on medium heat until it foams, add the sliced shallots and garlic and toss them around until they are a bit soft. Then add the orange oil, a pinch of the chili pepper, salt and pepper, and the mussels. Toss the mussels around a bit, add the thyme sprigs and the wine and cover. Raise the heat to high. Check the mussels after about five minutes. You may have to mix them around to allow all of them to open. Do not over cook them, to avoid their becoming tough. Once all the mussels have opened, uncover, sprinkle them with the chopped parsley and portion them into four soup bowls and spoon over the liquid. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Click here to download the PDF file Filet of Branzino, Humus, Salad of Chick Peas, Preserved Lemon and Dill Broth  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes 2 Whole Branzinis or Small Striped Bass 3 Cups Cooked Chick Peas 1 Shallot, Peeled and Sliced Thinly 2 Cloves Garlic, Sliced Thinly 1⁄4 Cup Lemon Juice 1⁄4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1⁄2 Cup Tahini 1⁄4 Cup Water 3 Lemons 1 Bunch Fresh Dill, Leaves Picked 1⁄4 Cup Vegetable Stock 1 Tsp Anchovy Paste 1 Small Red Onion, Diced 1⁄4 Cup, Black Moroccan or Kalamata Olives 3⁄4 Cup Canola or Grape Seed Oil 1⁄4 Cup Kosher Salt 1 Tsp Granulated Sugar 2 Tblsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil A Small Pinch of Saffron Couple Sprigs of Fresh Thyme Salt and Pepper to Taste For Preserved Lemons Cut the lemons in thin slices, take out any seeds, and place them in a small metal or ceramic bowl. Add the kosher salt along with the sugar, sprigs of thyme and the olives oil. Toss well, cover with plastic wrap and put aside. Toss occasionally. This can be done a day ahead. Allow the lemon mixture to marinade for at least an hour, then place the whole mixture in a blender and blend well. Add some water if needed to obtain a smooth mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieved strainer and put it in the refrigerator. For the Hummus Place 2 cups of the chick peas, along with the 1⁄4 cup of the lemon juice, 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil, tahini, shallots, garlic and a dash of salt in the bowl f the food processor. Blend the mixture well until you obtain a smooth paste. Add the water gradually to obtain a mixture that is not too thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. This can be done a day ahead. For the Dill Broth Bring to boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pan. Once the water comes to a boil, blanch most of the picked dill leaves for about two minutes. (Put a small amount of the leaves aside for the chick pea salad). Strain the blanch dill and rinse them under cold running water until chilled. Place 1⁄2 cup of the canola or grape seed oil in the blender along with the anchovy past. Turn the blender on, and slowly add the dill into the mixture. Allow to blend well. Pour the dill oil in a bowl and put in the refrigerator. This can be done a day ahead. For the Chick Pea Salad In a small bowl, toss the remaining chick peas, with the diced onion, dill leaves and the olives. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and olive oil and set aside. For the Branzino Filet and take out the bones. Place a heavy bottomed sautée pan over high heat, and when the pan is hot, add the remaining canola or grape seed oil. Season the files on both side, and place the fish in the pan with the skin side down. Press the fish down with either with you hands or a spatula, and allow for the skin to crisp. Lower the heat to medium and allow the fish to continue cooking. Mean while, place a small mound of the hummus and the chick pea salad on the plate. Drizzle a small amount of the preserved lemon puree on the side of the plate. Gently heat the dill oil and add the 1⁄4 of the vegetable stock. Flip the fish over onto its flesh side, and after about a minute take the fish out and place it on the mound of chick peas. Blend the dill oil mixture and taste for seasoning. Adjust accordingly and drizzle some of it on each plate and serve. Click here to download the PDF file Roasted Free Range Chicken, Marinated Olives, Preserved Lemons and Herbed Couscous  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes 2 Free Range Chickens, Quartered 1 Cup Couscous 4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock 1 Lemon 1 Shallot, Sliced Thinly 2 Cloves Garlic, Sliced Thinly 1 English or Kirby Cucumber 1 Bunch Radishes 2 Lemons 1 Orange 1⁄2 Cup Olive Mixture 1 Bay Leaf 1⁄2 Cup Canola or Grape Seed Oil 1 Tabls Kosher Salt 1⁄2 Teaspoon Sugar 1⁄2 Bunch Parsley and Cilantro Salt and Pepper To Taste To prepare the couscous, place it in a bowl large enough to allow it to increase in size by at least a half. Add 1⁄4 cup of the canola oil in the couscous and mix thoroughly so all the grains are coated with the oil. Meanwhile, heat 1 1⁄2 cup of either the chicken or the vegetable stock. With a peeler, peel the zest of the orange and one of the lemons, and put them in the stock along with the bay leaf, and on low heat, bring the stock to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, to prepare the preserved lemon, cut the other lemon in half vertically, then slice it thinly. Toss them in a small bowl with one table spoon of the kosher salt, the sugar and 2 teaspoon of either the canola or the grape seed oil. Set aside, and toss the lemon slices occasionally. (This can be done two days in advance and kept in the refrigerator) Set the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. When the stock mixture has come to a simmer, add the whole mixture to the couscous and cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or foil and set aside. Heat a heavy bottomed sautee pan large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Season the chickens with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the remaining canola or grape seed oil, and place the chickens in the pan skin side down. Allow the chickens to cook long enough so the skin will be caramelized and crispy. Then turn the chickens over and allow them to cook for a few minutes on high heat, and then place them in the oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until they have cooked through. Meanwhile cut the radishes and the cucumber in to small dice; segment both the lemon and the orange, and set aside. Chop the herbs and add to the mixtures. Take out the chicken from the oven and place on the stove top over high heat. Drain some of the excess fat/oil, add the sliced shallots, garlic, olives and the preserved lemons. Allow them to cook for a minute or so, then add the remaining chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and allow it to simmer gently. Meanwhile, uncover the couscous and with a fork loosen the kernels, add to it the lemon, orange mixture and the remaining chopped herbs. To serve, mound the couscous in the center of a platter, and arrange the chicken pieces around the couscous and ladle the sauce along with the olives and the preserved lemons. Click here to download the PDF file Mint Crepes Filled, Banana Cream, Chocolate Sauce and Tropical Fruit  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Banana Pastry Cream 1 Cup Whole Milk 1⁄4 Cup Granulated Sugar 1 Vanilla Bean 3 Tblsp Corn Starch 3 Egg Yolks 1 Tblsp Banna Flavoring Place the milk in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, which can hold at least 3 cups of liquid. Scrape the vanilla bean along with half the sugar and add to the milk. Place on very low heat and allow the milk to get hot, but not boil. Mix occasionally to make sure the sugar is melted. Allow for the milk mixture to steep for five minutes or so. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolk and place in a bowl, add the corn starch and the remaining sugar. Whisk the egg mixture well. Bring the milk back to a simmer over low heat. Temper the eggs with milk, then pour the mixture back into the sauce pan, and with a wooden spoon, mix well over medium heat. The mixture will thicken and appear lumpy, continue to mix well over the heat for about three minutes or so, after it has thickened. Pass the mixture through a fine sieved strainer into a bowl. Add the banana flavoring, mix well and cover with plastic wrap, so the wrap touches the cream, as to avoid a crust from developing. (The pastry cream can be prepared up to two days before and kept in the refrigerator). Mint-Crepes 11⁄4 Cup AP Flour 3 Tblsp Granulated Sugar 4 Whole, Large Eggs 1 Egg Yolk 4 Tblsp Butter, Melted 11⁄2 Cups Warm Milk Few Sprigs of Mint Powdered Sugar for Dusting Butter for Cooking the Crepes Tropical Fruit mixture such as, Pineapples, Mangos and Kiwis, etc., Cut into small pieces. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix together the milk and the sugar, and gently heat the mixture. Also, melt the butter. Keep them warm. In a bowl, make a well in the center of the flour, and crack the eggs and the egg yolk in the center. With a whisk, mix the eggs and slowly incorporate the flour as the egg is mixed. Once all the flour is incorporated, slowly add the milk and continue to whisk, then add the melted butter, and mix well to incorporate. Pass through a fine sieved strainer, and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This can be done the day before. Chocolate-Caramel Sauce 1 oz Dark Chocolate 31⁄2 oz Crème Fraiche 3 oz Butter 2 oz Light Brown Sugar 1 Tbls Dark Coco Powder In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring to a gentle boil the crème fraiche, butter and the brown sugar. Then add the chocolate and the coco powder and stir with a wooden spoon well, until smooth. Keep Warm. To cook the crepes, chop the leaves of the mint finely and add to the crepe batter. Heat a non-stick, small sautee pan. Coat the pan well with butter, and ladle enough crepe batter to coat the pan with a thin layer of the crepe batter. Allow to cook for about a minute or so, or until nicely colored, then with your hands, or a spatula, flip the crepe, and cook for a minute longer, and then slide them onto a plate, and continue to cook the rest of the crepes and keep them warm. To serve, place a small mound of the chocolate sauce in the center of a plate, and with the back of a spoon, spread it into a circle. Place a mound of the pastry cream in the center. For the crepes, place a table spoon of the pastry cream on one end of the crepe, fill it with the tropical fruit mixture, and gently roll the crepe, and then place it on the plate, on top of the pastry cream. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Click here to download the PDF file Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes, Chives and Shallots  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes 4 Large, Firm Eggplants 2 Large Ripe Beefsteak Tomatoes, seeded and diced finely 3 Shallots, peeled and minced 2 Lemons 1 Lime 1 Bunch Chives, sliced finely ½ Red Onion, diced finely ½ Bunch Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped ½ Bunch Cilantro, chopped ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, extra for grilling Salt and Pepper to taste Wash three of the eggplants and pierce their skin in several places with a paring knife. On an open flame on the stove, or the grill, char their skin well. Then place them in a heat proof container, cover and bake in a 475 F oven for half an hour or until they are fully cooked through. Test with a paring knife, it should enter the flesh with no resistance. Meanwhile wash the other eggplant. Trim the end, and on a Japanese mandolin or with a sharp knife, slice them in quarter inch slices. Brush slices with olive oil and season with salt and place on a hot grill to mark and cook through. When cooked, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle some of the minced shallots and parsley on them along with a drizzling of olive oil. Put aside When the roasted eggplants are cooked through, take them out of the oven, and when cool enough to handle, scrape their flesh into a colander to allow the extra juices to drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix all the diced tomatoes, chopped herbs, diced onion and minced shallots. Season a bit with salt. Add all the scraped eggplant flesh to the tomato and herb mixture. Add all the olive oil, the juices of both lemons, and the lime. Mix well with a fork to break any large eggplant pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill well before serving. To serve, check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Place a generous mound of the salad in the center of a serving plate. Cut the grilled slices of the eggplant lengthwise in half, and surround the mound of the salad . Garnish with a drizzling of olive oil and fresh parsley and enjoy. click here to download the PDF file Warm Squid Salad with Bitter Greens, Cauliflower and Capers  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes 1 Pound Squid, Cleaned & Thinly Sliced 1 Shallot, minced ¼ Head Cauliflower 2 Heads Frisee, washed and trimmed 1 Head Radicchio, washed and trimmed ½ Teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes 2 Tablespoon Small Capers 1 Bunch Parsley, chopped ½ Bunch Dill, chopped ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Lemons, cut in half Salt and Pepper to Taste In a large bowl, by hand tear into pieces the radicchio and the frisee and toss together. Also, by hand, separate the cauliflower florets, and then with a paring knife, cut them into slices. The florets should not be larger than ¾ inch. Set bowl aside. On a high flame, heat well a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan. When the sauté pan is very hot, add ¼ cup of the extra virgin olive oil to the pan. Wait a few seconds, and then add all the squid at once to the hot oil. Right away, add the minced shallots, and with a spoon, move the squid and the shallots around in the pan. Continue cooking for another minute or so, or until the squid is no longer translucent. Once the squid has cooked through, quickly add the capers, the chili pepper flakes, the chopped herbs, and the salt and pepper. Toss the squid and herb mixture well, and then pour the mixture directly onto the radicchio, frisee and cauliflower. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and add the remaining olive oil. Check for seasoning and portion the salad onto four plates and garnish with some cauliflower florets and serve. click here to download the PDf file Organic Yogurt and Barley Soup with Fresh Herbs and Curry Oil  For Four Servings Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 1 Cup Barley 2 Cups Plain Organic Yogurt 1 Cup Whole Milk 1 Onion, finely minced 1 Celery Rib, cut large pieces 1 Bay Leaf 1 Clove Garlic, finely minced 3 Egg Yolks 1 Tbsp Butter 2 Sprigs each of Parsley, Cilantro and Mint 1 Tsp Curry Powder ½ Cup Canola Oil Half a Lemon Salt and Pepper to Taste Mix together the curry powder and canola oil and set aside. Whisk together the egg yolks and yogurt, and refrigerate. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and sweat the onions and the garlic for about three minutes. Add the barley, celery and bay leaf, mix well, then add enough water to cover by two inches. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until barley is cooked through and tender, but now mushy. Remove celery rib and bay leaf. The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point. To serve, combine the barely with the milk and the egg and yogurt mixture. Gently heat while stirring continuously. DO NOT BOIL. Check for seasoning. Add the herbs, squeeze in the juice of the lemon, then ladle into soup bowls. Finish with the drizzling of the curry oil. click here to download the PDF file |
 | |||||||
 | |||||||
 | |||||||
|