Tag Archives: cooking techniques

Appetizer, Recipes, Seafood

Smoked Salmon with Potato Crepes and Crème Fraîche

Crepes

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cooked potato, riced
pinch salt
pinch pepper

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz smoked salmon, sliced
1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and potato
Whisk together eggs, milk, and oil
Add to dry ingredients and mix well
Allow to rest for 1 hour, then strain before using

Heat a nonstick pan and brush with a small amount of oil.
Pour in 1/4 cup batter and swirl to distribute evenly
Cook until dry and lightly coloured on first side, flip and cook for 30 seconds more on second side
Transfer to a sheet pan to cool
Once cooled to touch, stack crepes and cover lightly until use

Top each crepe with crème fraîche and a thin layer of smoked salmon
Cut crepes in half lengthwise and roll each half into a cone shape
Serve 3-4 cones per person as an appetizer, or individually as hors d’oeuvre

Appetizer, Recipes, Sauce, Side dish, Vegetable

Steamed White Asparagus with Cara Cara Orange Sabayon and Toasted Almonds

1 lb white asparagus
2 Cara Cara oranges (or blood oranges)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds

Peel white asparagus and trim ends
Peel and section oranges, reserving juice
Place two pots of water on stove:
one 3/4 full of salted water (for cooking the asparagus) and bring to a boil,
the other 1/4 full of warm water (for making the sabayon) but don’t turn it on yet.
Place orange juice in a medium bowl and add egg yolks and a pinch of salt
Place bowl over the pot of warm (not hot) water and turn onto medium high heat
Whisk continually until light, airy, and very hot to the touch.
Add butter, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking until well incorporated
Turn off heat, but leave bowl remaining on top to stay warm until asparagus is cooked.

Place asparagus in boiling salted water and cook until tender, 3 minutes or so
Place 4 spears asparagus on each plate, and top with 1/4 cup of the sabayon
Top with 4 orange segments and 1 tbsp chopped almonds.
Serve immediately

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Entree, Meat, Recipes, Sauce, Side dish, Vegetable

Seared Beef Tenderloin with Shiitake Mushroom Ragout

4 portions beef tenderloin (5-6 oz each)
steak spice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Season tenderloin well with steak spice and rub with chopped garlic and olive oil.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (may be left overnight)
Bring back to room temperature before cooking
Season steak well with sea salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until very hot
Place tenderloin into pan and sear until nicely browned on one side
Turn over, brown lightly on second side, and place entire pan into the preheated oven
Cook for 5-7 minutes, until pink in centre and temperature registers 130 degrees for a nice pink
Remove pan from oven (and steaks from pan) and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Ragout

2 Tbsp. butter
2 shallots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 cup beef or veal demi glace

Melt butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Sauté shallots and garlic until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with sherry.
Add demi glace and simmer until hot.
Season to taste and reduce to adjust consistency if required.

Potato, Recipes, Side dish, Vegetarian

Potato Puree

2 lb Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, drain well and rice while still hot.
Bring cream and butter to a boil and pour over potatoes
Whisk well and season to taste
Adjust consistency with milk or cream if desired

Dessert, Recipes

White Wine Poached Pear and Chocolate Ganache Tart with Almond Sweet Pastry

Yield: 1 10” tart or 12 individual (1 ¾ oz each)

Almond sweet pastry crust

250 g flour
75 g sugar
pinch salt
50 g ground almonds
170 g butter, cubed and chilled
1 egg
1 tsp rum

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and almonds in food processor
Add butter cubes and process until mealy
Add egg, yolks, and rum and process until dough comes together
Turn out and knead lightly
Pat into disc
Wrap and chill for 1/2 hour
Roll out into a 12 inch circle and line a 10 inch tart shell with a removable bottom
Chill thoroughly

Preheat oven to 350 F

Dock and blind bake for 35 minutes, until fully cooked and golden brown
Set aside until needed

White wine poached pears

2 cups white wine
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 inch piece ginger, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 star anise
6 peppercorns
1 tbsp fennel seed
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
6 pears, peeled, halved, and cored

Bring all ingredients except pears up to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to develop flavour
Add pears and simmer until tender, 20-40 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the fruit
Remove with a slotted spoon, and place in a shallow dish
Pour poaching liquid over and allow to cool to room temperature
(pears may be poached and refrigerated for a few days in advance)

Ganache filling

2 cups pear poaching liquid
1 cup whipping cream
250 g dark chocolate, chopped

Reduce poaching liquid until it measures 1/2 cup and is thickened slightly (it should look like liquid honey in colour and viscosity) Keep warm
Place chocolate in a medium bowl
Scald cream and pour over chocolate, mixing well to melt.
Add reduced pear liquid and whisk well, making sure there are no lumps (you can set the bowl over a pan with a small amount of hot water if necessary to aid in the melting process)
Pour filling into prepared tart shell and set in fridge to set.
Once filling is firm, remove pears from liquid and pat dry ( I usually blot them lightly on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel)
Slice thinly almost all the way to the stem end and fan around tart (stem end should point towards the centre)
Allow to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
If you like, you can reduce the remaining poaching liquid as before and use the glaze to either brush over or use as a sauce