Lamb With a pomegranate gastrique
Ingredients:
- 3 lamb chops
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Juice of 1 pomegranate and 1 ½ tbsp. Raspberry vinaigrette
- Seeds of 1 pomegranate
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 4 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. pecans (toasted)
- 6 tbsp. plain yogurt
- 8 fresh mint leaves (minced)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. Rubbed sage
- 3 cups mixed greens
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 375 °
- Marinate lamb in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rubbed sage and set aside.
- Combine sugar and water in small pot.
- Allow sugar to caramelize and distribute a nice golden auburn colour.
- Slowly add the pomegranate juice.
- Allow gastrique to become a reduction until thick.
- Combine salt, pepper, and mint leaves to yogurt and allow it to sit to develop flavour until service.
- Place in freezer with spoon in small bowl so that it can speed up the process.
- Heat small skillet until borderline smoking and add 1 tbsp. olive oil once pan is hot.
- Place lamb in skillet until brown flip in oven for 3 minutes to finish cooking lamb.
- Allow 5 minutes resting time for lamb.
- For presentation, place bed or arranged arugula on plate.
- Finish carefully composing the plate with remaining ingredients.
Serves: 3
Beef tenderloin stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
- 4 large sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded fresh basil
- 4.5 oz (130 g) log creamy goat cheese
- 2 to 2-1/2 lbs (1 to 1.25 kg) beef tenderloin
- Olive oil
- Pinches of coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Mince garlic. Finely chop onion. Melt butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion. Stir often until soft, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, pat tomatoes dry with paper towels, then finely chop. Once onion is soft, add tomatoes and brandy. Stir frequently until tomatoes soften a little, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, shred basil. Place 1/4 cup (50 mL) in a medium-size bowl. Crumble in goat cheese. Stir in hot onion mixture until evenly mixed. Lay waxed paper or plastic wrap on counter. Spoon cheese mixture along one long edge. Roll into a log about 6 inches (15 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Freeze until firm, 50 to 60 minutes.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 500F (260C). Lightly oil or spray a large, rimmed baking sheet. Stand beef up on a cutting board so that flat end is on board. Using a wooden spoon, insert tip of handle into centre of top end of meat. Push into meat until tip pierces other end of beef. Widen hole by inserting your fingers at both ends of meat and wiggling back and forth.
- Remove cheese from freezer. Slice log in half. Refrigerate one half and slice remaining half lengthwise into quarters. Stand meat on its end. Push 2 pieces of cheese mixture into hole to centre. Turn beef over and stuff from other end with remaining cheese. Don't worry if you can't get all of the cheese inside. Leave about 1/2-inch (1-cm) space at either end. Stuffing expands as it cooks. Lightly brush all over with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then place on baking sheet.
- Roast in centre of preheated 500F (260C) oven 15 minutes. Turn meat over, then continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into centre reaches 130F (55C) for medium-rare, 20 to 30 minutes. Place on a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Temperature will rise several degrees as it rests. Meanwhile, remove cheese log from refrigerator. Thickly slice beef into 6 rounds and place on plates. Top each with a round of goat cheese and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup (50 mL) basil.
Entrée side vegetables
Ingredients:
- 9 carrots
- 9 red pearl onions
- 15 green beans
- 2 parsnips
- Butter
- Turn on a medium sized pot of boiling water.
- Peel carrots and trim down, peel sweet potatoes and slice, peel parsnips and slice thinly on mandolin
- Place the carrots in boiling pot of water, for approximately 8 minutes.
- Add pearl onions and green beans and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove all vegetables and place in ice bath until cool.
- Place butter in a large skillet and allow to heat, Sauté carrots, green beans and pearl onions until warm.
Garlic & Jalapeno Sweet Potato Mashed
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (3 small or 2 medium), peeled and quartered
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 11/3 cup buttermilk
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut a square of aluminum foil large enough to hold jalapeno and garlic (5 x 5 inches works well). Place jalapeno and garlic on foil and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 30 minutes.
2. Fill a 2-quart saucepan about 1/3 full of cold water and add potatoes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in a potato meets little resistance. Drain; return potatoes to saucepan.
3. Add roasted jalapeno and garlic, butter and salt and mash with potato masher until large lumps are gone. Add buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on low speed with a hand mixer, until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.
2. Fill a 2-quart saucepan about 1/3 full of cold water and add potatoes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in a potato meets little resistance. Drain; return potatoes to saucepan.
3. Add roasted jalapeno and garlic, butter and salt and mash with potato masher until large lumps are gone. Add buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on low speed with a hand mixer, until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients:
6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favourite 70% dark chocolate bar)- 6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Butter for Ramekins
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take off flame.
3. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
5. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
6. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.
7. Cook for about 10 minutes.
8. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take off flame.
3. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
5. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
6. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.
7. Cook for about 10 minutes.
8. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Raspberry coulis
- Package of raspberries
- Tsp lemon juice
- Tbsp sugar
1. Process raspberries sugar and lemon juice in food processor until it becomes liquid
2. Poor through strainer over a metal bowl and stir until only seeds are left in the strainer
Chocolate sauce
- Two blocks of chocolate
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup of 10% cream
- Melt butter in a sauce pan
- Add chocolate and melt once melted take off heat
- Slowly whisk in cream
Creme anglaise
- 1 vanilla bean
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup of 35% cream
- 1tbsp sugar
- Heat cream using a double boiler
- While waiting whisk eggs and sugar together until light in colour and thick
- Slowly add cream to egg and sugar mixture
- Add vanilla
- Heat over double boiler until thick
- Put in cold water bath
The Following are recipes I used during a Community Luncheon, try them out and let me know what you think!
Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Ragu
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 pounds wild mushrooms, stemmed and diced if large (may substitute for canned mushrooms – if substituted do not sauté)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh gnocchi
- Mascarpone and/or fresh mint, for topping
Directions
Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add half of the wild mushrooms and cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then push to the edges of the pot. Add the remaining olive oil and wild mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 more minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add the wine; cook, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, about 30 minutes (thin with water if needed). Season with salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir and cook for 1 minute after they float, about 3 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the pot with the sauce and gently stir over low heat. Serve topped with mascarpone and/or mint.
- Cook Time: 1 hr Level: Intermediate Yield: 6 servings
Made an original recipe from - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gnocchi-with-wild-mushroom-ragu-recipe/index.html
Gnocchi Recipe
cook and mash a batch of potatoes a day ahead of time, put them in a covered bowl overnight, incorporated the egg and flour the next day when was ready to cook the gnocchi.
Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets)
1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
fine grain sea salt
Fill a large pot with cold water. Salt the water, then cut potatoes in half and place them in the pot. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender throughout, this takes roughly 40-50 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the water one at a time with a slotted spoon. Place each potato piece on a large cutting board and peel it before moving on to the next potato. Also, peel each potato as soon as possible after removing from the water (without burning yourself) - I've found a paring knife comes in handy here. Be mindful that you want to work relatively quickly so you can mash the potatoes when they are hot. To do this you can either push the potatoes through a ricer, or do what I do, deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. I run the fork down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work with (see photo). Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even consistency with no noticeable lumps.
Save the potato water.
Let the potatoes cool spread out across the cutting board - ten or fifteen minutes. Long enough that the egg won't cook when it is incorporated into the potatoes. When you are ready, pull the potatoes into a soft mound - drizzle with the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top. I've found that a metal spatula or large pastry scraper are both great utensils to use to incorporate the flour and eggs into the potatoes with the egg incorporated throughout - you can see the hint of yellow from the yolk. Scrape underneath and fold, scrape and fold until the mixture is a light crumble. Very gently, with a feathery touch knead the dough. This is also the point you can add more flour (a sprinkle at a time) if the dough is too tacky. I usually end up using most of the remaining 1/4 cup flour, but it all depends on the potatoes, the flour, the time of year, the weather, and whether the gnocchi gods are smiling on you. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It should feel almost billowy. Cut it into 8 pieces. Now gently roll each 1/8th of dough into a snake-shaped log, roughly the thickness of your thumb. Use a knife to cut pieces every 3/4-inch (see photo). Dust with a bit more flour.
To shape the gnocchi hold a fork in one hand (see photo) and place a gnocchi pillow against the tines of the fork, cut ends out. With confidence and an assertive (but light) touch, use your thumb and press in and down the length of the fork. The gnocchi should curl into a slight "C" shape; their backs will capture the impression of the tines as tiny ridges (good for catching sauce later). Set each gnocchi aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed, until you are ready to boil them. This step takes some practice, don't get discouraged; once you get the hang of it it's easy.
Now that you are on the final stretch, either reheat your potato water or start with a fresh pot (salted), and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches by dropping them into the boiling water roughly twenty at a time. They will let you know when they are cooked because they will pop back up to the top. Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or so after they've surfaced. Have a large platter ready with a generous swirl of whatever sauce or favorite pesto you'll be serving on the gnocchi. Place the gnocchi on the platter. Continue cooking in batches until all the gnocchi are done. Gently toss with more sauce or pesto (don't overdo it, it should be a light dressing), and serve immediately, family-style with a drizzle of good olive oil on top.
- Serves: 6
Recipe from - http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/how-to-make-gnocchi-like-an-italian-grandmother-recipe.html
Rosemary Skillet Chicken
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
- Kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
- 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.
Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon.
Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
Recipe from - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/skillet-rosemary-chicken-recipe/index.html
Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 5 cups hot chicken stock
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Place squash cubes into a steamer basket in a saucepan. Add water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to steam until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes), then drain, and mash in a bowl with a fork.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
- Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Here is a delicious healthy dessert! If you would like to enjoy something that will both please your palate and not risk many extra calories this is the one to try! It's so simple to make! Try it out!
Chai Tea Pudding with Raspberry & Mango Coulis
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk, reserve 1/2 cup
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 Chai tea bags, contents removed
- 1/4 cup honey
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
Directions
- Stir cornstarch into 1/2 cup of milk until smooth. Pour the milk, cornstarch slurry, tea leaves, honey and salt into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens.
- Divide the raspberries evenly between each of four large ramekins; pudding cups or festive glasses, then fill each with hot pudding. Chill for at least one hour, until the pudding has set.
- Meanwhile puree the mango, orange juice and ginger in a blender until smooth. Spoon the mango sauce on top of the pudding then serve.
