2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp buttermilk, sour cream, or previous batch of crème fraîche
Whisk together all ingredients
Cover and stand at room temperature until thickened, 2-3 days
Refrigerate until needed
All posts by Dennis Green
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
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 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
Steak Spice
This will make a nice sized jar, mix well, grind as needed and use to season meats and poultry.
3 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp green or pink peppercorns (dry)
1 tbsp Szechuan pepper
1 tbsp fennel seed
1 tbsp dill seed
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp yellow mustard seed
1 tbsp brown mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp chili flakes