I like to make these chips with leftover flour tortillas. They will keep for a week tightly covered, although they never seem to last that long!
6 flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
Preheat oven to 375 F
Cut tortillas into 12 wedges each and toss with olive oil and sea salt
Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cook for 12-15 minutes, until golden
Cool and store in a sealed container until needed
Mire Poix is the basis of all French stock making and the foundation of most soups: a dice of carrot, celery, leek, and onion. This vegetable dish takes that combination and adds a couple of additional flavours to make a great winter vegetable dish. For a vegan preparation, use olive oil and vegetable stock.
2 leeks
4 carrots
1 celery root
2 parsnips
1 rutabaga
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
Wash and trim leeks, and peel carrots
Cut into 1/2 inch rounds
Peel other root vegetables and cut into a large dice (1/2 inch)
Sauté vegetables in butter or olive oil until lightly coloured
Cover with stock, season, and bring up to a simmer
Cover lightly, and braise in a hot oven until tender, 1/2 hour or so
Remove from oven, and add chopped parsley before serving
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
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.
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