Food Pearing

Today we have two recipes. I've decided to provide two side dishes that you may want to serve during the holidays. These recipes are extremely simple yet add a little elegance to the norm.

Apple sauce has always been a staple for large pork roasts. Personally, I am a fan of combining a little sweetness to a savoury roast. Though, there is no need to limit to pork. I'm sure many of you serve Cranberry Sauce with your turkey dinner. But, for a change I have a recipe that will certainly make your guests raise one eyebrow with the name, then both eyebrows with the taste.

As for the potatoes, during a busy time I like to keep things simple and still tasty. For large groups of people, I don't recommend a complex sides like Pomme Dauphine. But, you could go for my Mashed Potatoes and have it done in advance. However, roasting your potatoes is easy, tasty and a little more elegant than mashed. Well, at least, I think so.

Kiwi Pear Sauce

4 Kiwis, peeled and roughly chopped
8 Bosc Pears, peeled and roughly chopped
100 g Sugar
100 ml Water
Pinch of Cinammon
1/2 Stick of Butter

In a sauce pan, combine everything but the butter. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 12 - 15 minutes.

Remove from heat.

In a frying pan, melt butter until golden and frothy. Here you want to caramelize the milk solids to make a Beurre Noisette. Fold into sauce and serve.

Serves 8 - 10.

Herb Crusted Potatoes

16 Mid-Sized Yukons, cut into 8's, in cold water
Small Bunch of Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
Small Bunch of Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
Small Bunch of Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
Pinch of Cayenne and Paprika
Drizzle of Peanut Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 400.

In a tall sauce pan, fill with water and table spoon of salt. Bring to slight boil. Blanch potatoes until three quarters cooked. Remove from water and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine oil, salt and pepper, seasonings and herbs and mix. Add potatoes and toss. Lay out evenly on a baking sheet with parchement.

Cook in oven for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Serves 16. Two if they're Irish.


A Humble Chef's tip: if you have a food mill, don't bother peeling and seeding the pears when cooking. Then run your mix and puree through the mill.

Variation: for the potatoes, go ahead and try some of your herbs leftover from the summer garden. Oregano, sage, savory. Whatever you have.

Read more »

Time to Book Your Hollandaise

I believe classics exist in cooking for a reason. Like many works of art, when something strikes a chord with people, the chances of longevity are increased. There are films, operas and symphonies that have passed the test of time and still continue to please it's audience. Cuisine isn't much different. No doubt there are many recipes and dishes from 19th century France that were popular then, but over time fall into obscurity. Chaud-froid sauce is an example of a sauce that is rarely used these days. While others have actually increased in popularity.

Eggs Benedict isn't a classic french recipe (or maybe it is, the origin is in dispute). However, it uses a classic sauce in hollandaise. Which happens to be one of the five mother sauces.

I've recently taught this recipe in a few cooking schools and it seems that not many people make it. In fact, the people who had made hollandaise did not make it recently and had no intention of tackling it again. It appears the sauce may be used in restaurants but is taking a split from popularity at home.

It's not hard to understand why: it's very rich, high in fat, intimidating to make and, without a demonstration, can be incorrectly made. But don't let that stop you! Trust me. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few . . . well, eggs.

There is a drawback of the sauce and it is the shelf life. It should be kept at room temperature and not be either refridgerated or kept hot. Because of this, the sauce is kept right in the middle of the danger zone of bacteria growth. Unfortunately. You have about 2 hours to use it up and then it is discarded. So that means you have to eat it all up. If you want to gain weight, try dipping crispy bacon into it. Hangover cure.

This recipe is a variation on the Benedict with a very simple, yet common twist.

Eggs Florentine

6 English Muffins, halved
1 Bag of Baby Spinach
1 Glove of Garlic
12 Whole Eggs
6 Egg Yolks
Splash of White Vinegar
Splash of White Wine
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 lb. Butter, clarified
Pinch of Cayenne
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Place sauce pan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add wine to egg yolks and whisk well. Whisk over water back and forth until eggs triple in volume, about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add butter while whisking. Add worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and pinch of salt. Hold at room temperature.

In a large frying pan, heat small amount of butter until hot. Add garlic and spinach and saute for 4 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In sauce pan, add white vinegar and keep on simmer. Add eggs (6 at a time works for me) and poach to desired doneness. 3 - 4 minutes for soft yolks. Toast muffin and top with spinach, egg and coat with hollandaise.

Garnish with cayenne.

Serves 6.

Variation: hmmmm, let me see, there's Eggs Benjammin with smoked salmon, red onion and capers, there's Eggs Neptune with lobster, there's Eggs Commander with Andouille sausage, recently created an Eggs Pope Benedict that I believe uses pumpernickel and Bratwurst sausage. I'm certain many breakfast joints have their own interpretation that only reinforces the idea that you can do whatever you like to the dish.

A Humble Chef's tip: you can poach the eggs then shock them in ice water if you have many people to serve. What I do is lay out the muffins on a baking sheet, untoasted, topped with cooled spinach, ice cold poached eggs and hollandaise. Then place in oven for 8 minutes at 350. Very simple.

Read more »

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Know How To Cook Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Servings: 08

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets



Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Your Daily Recipe Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Read more »