saturday, course 2

 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Chops-with-Celery-and-Black-Truffles-105861

saturday, course 1

to the following, i added a full second-long drizzle of white truffle oil, about two teaspoons of chopped fresh dill, and about one teaspoon of chopped fresh taragon:

Parmesan Reggiano Crisps With Goats Cheese Mousse

from “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller

Parmesan Crisps

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese)

Goat Cheese Mousse

180g fresh goat cheese (or other soft goat cheese)

4 to 6 tablespoons pouring cream

1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A clean egg carton

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For the Parmesan Crisps:Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place a 2-1/2-inch ring mold (I used a scone cutter) in one corner of the baking tray and fill it with 3 tsps of the grated cheese. Using your finger, spread the cheese into an even layer. Repeat to make 8 rounds, leaving at least 3cms between them.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crisps are a rich golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 seconds to firm the crisps enough so you can remove them with a spatula. One by one, remove the crisps and gently press each one into a hollow in the egg carton to form a tulip shape. After a few minutes, remove the cooled crisps from the carton and make 8 more crisps.

For the Goat Cheese Mousse:Place the goat cheese in a food processor and process (depending on the cheese used, it may look smooth or crumbly). Pour 1/4 cup of the cream through the feed tube and continue to process until the mixture is smooth but will hold a shape when piped; if necessary, add a little more cream. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and mix just to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mousse can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days; let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly before piping.

Place the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 2 to 3 teaspoons of mousse into each Parmesan crisp and serve.

peachy pork belly

1 lime

1 large, ripe peach, diced

3-4 tablespoons honey

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 lb fresh pork belly, sliced

two small casserole dishes of equal size

in a sautee pan, cook down peaches, cilantro, honey, and juice from the lime while mashing with a fork for about 10 minutes. turn down the heat and let it simmer while you prep the meat.

preheat your over to 225. cut the slices of pork belly to fit when laid flat in a covered caserole dish. cover the bottom of the dish with an even layer of pork belly (mine took three slices). spoon and spread a tablespoon of peachiness over the layer. rotating the dish 90 degrees, add another layer of meat. spoon and spread more peachiness. continue, pressing each layer down tightly, until the casserole dish is full. cover the dish and leave it in the oven for five hours. yes, i said FIVE hours.

after the eternity that is five hours in a house that smells of pork belly you’re not allowed to eat, remove the dish from the oven. drain the excess fat from the dish (there will be a ton of it). you can either be wasteful and dump this lucious fat or save it for cooking or gravy. totally up to you. turn your oven up to broil. broil pork belly, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes, or until bubbly and cripy brown. pull it out and drain it one last time. very, very carefully, place your second caserole dish on top of the first one and flip the pork belly into the new dish. broil for 5-10 more minutes to crisp this side.

slice and serve. the layers are pretty cool.

crockpot rabbit

1 fresh whole rabbit, cleaned

1 can cream of chicken condensed soup

1 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 lb baby bellas, sliced

1 large potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces (red or gold work, i leave the skin on)

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

turn your crockpot on its lowest setting (mine is a 10-hour setting, i believe it cooks between 180 and 200 F). Place rabbit on its side in crockpot. sprinkle in dry ingredients. pour soup over the mixture. fill the empty soup can with water and add to the crockpot. cover it and walk away for ten hours.

rabbit stew

after a hearty approval from the fiancee on the roasted rabbit last night, i gave him two options for leftovers; rabbit picatta over linguine or rabbit stew. his eyes got all sparkly and he said, ‘well, i really wonder what it would taste like, and you do make awesome stew…’ ::sigh:: it seems he has figured me out. all you have to do to get me to cook what you want is flatter me. i’m weak.

for the stew:

3-5 pieces leftover rabbit meat (on the bone)

2 large carrots

1 medium yellow onion

2 medium red potatoes

herbs du provence

3 cloves garlic

handful baby bella mushrooms

clean meat from rabbit bones and reserve. place rabbit bones and any drippings you have left from the leftover container into a soup pot, cover with water, and put on stove over medium heat. quarter one carrot and place in soup pot. peel the other carrot, dropping the peelings into the soup pot along with the tip and top before thinly slicing and reserving. chop half the onion and reserve, placing the peelings, along with the quartered other half, into the soup pot. peel the two potatoes into the soup pot, chop, and reserve. crush two garlic cloves and place in pot. peel last garlic clove into pot and finely chop and reserve. slice mushrooms and reserve. put all your cut veggies and torn meat into the refrigerator and forget about them for a while.

add enough water to the soup pot to cover everything and have some swishing room. add a tablespoon of herbs. boil, covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally because you want to smell it.

strain the broth and salt and pepper to taste. bring back up to a simmer, adding everything but the meat. simmer until veggies are tender. to thicken, pull out a ladle of the broth and whisk in a teaspoon of corn starch or flour at a time, mixing it back into the soup. you can do this two or three or four times to get to your desired stewiness. add meat and simmer until heated through.

i served this with leftover sour cream yorkshire puddings:

several tablespoons olive oil

two large eggs

flour

two tablespoons sour cream

pinch salt

pinch baking soda

crack your eggs into a measuring cup and then pour into a mixing bowl. add sour cream to the measuring cup, whisking in enough water to get the same volume as the eggs. while beating, sift in the same amount of flour. cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer (i waited one hour).

preheat oven to 415F. in a muffin tin, pour about half a teaspoon of oil into each spot. place in oven until smoking and bubbling. uncover batter and whisk one last time. pour batter into sizzling tin, filling each spot about 1/2. immediately return to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

roasted rabbit

for those of you who shudder at the thought of eating a cute little bunny rabbit, please click here for the extensive research i have done on the little-known fact that all bunnies are suicidal anyway. let’s make their death delicious, shall we?

i had a small rabbit, a little over two pounds. i cut it into pieces; two legs, two arms, one back strap (which is a gorgeous little piece of meat!) and one breast. i dropped the breast on the floor, and since there wasn’t too much meat on it anyway, i threw it out. i have to stop doing that.

for the rabbit:

2-3 pounds rabbit pieces

leaves of two sprigs of rosemary

juice of one lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 peeled garlic cloves

place rabbit pieces in baking dish. throw everything else in the food processor, and blend until chunky. pour olive oil mixture over rabbit, turning to coat all sides. sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with foil, and place in refrigerator for 2 or more hours.

when ready to cook, preheat oven to 450. turn pieces once more for a good coat. roast for about 25 minutes, until all meat is tender and juices run clear. finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.

i served this with yorkshire puddings and leftover lentils cooked in chicken broth, garlic, and onions. it would be really yummy with a nice green salad and a tomato vinaigrette or some parmesan mashed potatoes.

rosemary-garlic-lemon olive oil

naked rabbit pieces (before i dropped the rib cage on the floor)

coated rabbit pieces (after the fall of the breast)

roasted chicken with gravy and cilantro yeast rolls

for the chicken:

coarse kosher salt

cracked black pepper

3-4 rosemary sprigs

1 lemon, quartered

1 yellow onion, quartered

1 carrot, eighthed

olive oil

1 2-3 pound fryer chicken

preheat oven to 450. rinse and dry chicken, inside and out. rub with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper, inside and out. stuff with half of remaining ingredients, and if you have twine, truss chicken (i didn’t, but you’re supposed to). add remaining ingredients to roasting dish and drizzle entire dish lightly with olive oil. roast for one hour. remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

for the gravy:

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons sour cream

roasting pan veggies and drippings

heat a sauce pan on med-low. throw all drippings and veggies from your roasting pan into a food processor and puree. strain puree through a tight sieve into sauce pan. this mixture will be thick; if you want more gravy, you’re really going to have to scrape and push through the sieve. whisk in milk and sour cream. salt and pepper to taste. if necessary, sprinkle in flour to thicken, cooking down (i didn’t have to add flour, but you might like a thicker gravy than i do).

for the yeast rolls:

.5 tablespoons active dry yeast

1 finely diced anaheim pepper

.5 bunch finely diced cilantro

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

butter

1 cup warm water

in a large mixing bowl, pour warm water. sprinkle with yeast and allow to sit for ten minutes. stir in peppers, cilantro, salt, and baking soda. stir in 3 cups of flour, forming a large ball of dough. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in as much of the remaining flour as you can. knead until dough is nice and elastic (10-20 minutes). place dough in a buttered bowl, smearing all sides of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth. let rest for one hour. turn out, punch down, and knead for a few minutes. butter all over and let rest one more hour. turn out and roll dough to about .5 inch thick. use a water glass to punch out rolls, placing on ungreased cookie sheet. preheat oven to 375. cover rolls with damp cloth and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes. bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. brush with melted butter and serve.

all dolled up and ready for the party of special things to do (in the oven)

dough

rolls

half of my kitchen

farmers’ market

so saturday morning, we drove up to the dallas farmers’ market about 9:30. first stop…breakfast. scott had to have some barbacoa (why, oh why will the health inspector release cow brains and bellies, but not pig stomach?), and i wanted some charro beans.

we came home with loads of fresh veggies, some lovely peaches, a chicken, and a rabbit. next week, we’re hitting the grass-fed beef farmer that never gives his cattle antibiotics, hormones, or grain, and he has cheaper beef than central market.

brain food

carrots, onions, garlic, avocadoes, red potatoes, anaheim peppers

lemons and the best tomatoes i’ve ever had

bunny

rosemary almond bread

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

8 cups all-purpsose flour

leaves from 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, pulled and chopped

butter (room temperature)

.5 cup crushed almonds

1 tablespoon water

1 egg white

1.5 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

Pour warm water into a warm mixing bowl; sprinkle with the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in about 2 cups of the flour. Beat well; add salt, rosemary, and gradually beat in all but about 2 cups of the flour. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and cover with a clean dish towel; let rest 10 minutes. Knead by hand for 20 minutes or until dough is very elastic, kneading in as much of the remaining flour as necessary for smooth dough. Place dough in a lightly buttered bowl, turning to grease all of the dough surface. Cover bowl with foil then cover with a dish cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

While dough is rising, measure 1/2 a cup of raw almonds and run through a ffood processor until mulchy. Butter cookie sheets and sprinkle almond dust.

Punch dough down and let rise to double again, about 1 hour longer. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half and form each portion into a ball. Cover with dish cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half of the dough into a 15×8-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Roll up tightly, starting with short side, sealing as you roll. Taper ends by rolling out with hands until loaf is 10 to 11 inches long. Place loaves seam side down on buttered, almonded cookie sheets. Add 1 tablespoon of water to egg white in a bowl and beat lightly; brush over and along sides of loaves. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth without touching dough — place glasses or cups around loaves and place towels on them. Place pans in in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk. Place a shallow pan on bottom rack of oven; fill with boiling water. Bake loaves in center of oven preheated to 375° for 20 minutes. Brush with egg white mixture again and continue baking for 20 minutes longer, or until well-browned and done.

ROSEMARY

flour tortillas

i poached rebekah’s flour tortilla recipe and futzed with it; the result was a slightly thinner than traditional flour tortilla, but one with quite a bit of substance still.

these little guys made me feel like i was six years old in minga’s kitchen again. i’ll be using them to fry for chips with tortilla soup this weekend, and if i wanted to be healthier, i suppose i could use wheat flour.

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons comino (because i FELT like it, that’s why)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
about 1 cup warm water

mix dry ingredients with a big fork. cut in butter with fork. add the water a bit at a time, kneading the dough together to form a big uncooked tortilla ball; it’s watered enough when it all sticks together. if it gets a little too mushy, no big, you can always add more flour.

roll and twist these into balls that will fit into your fist when you touch all of your fingers to your thumb. try to roll the dough under, twist, and push up so that when you roll them out, they don’t look like white elephants. if they do, just cook them anyway. they will still taste good. this made 13 tortillas…it would have made 14, but i dropped the first one and my sous chef licked it. i know they SAY dogs’ mouths are cleaner than ours, but i wasn’t chancing it.

i rolled these out with a big german-looking rolling pin and cooked them on high (you do NOT need oil or butter) in a cast iron skillet instead of using a little rolling pin and a comal like a good little honorary mexican. fried eggs, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and refried chili beans with pork chops (it was the only meat i had left to put into chili yesterday)…my favorite kind of brinner.