Daily Archives: June 10, 2011
10/06/11 Cathie’s Cheese Souffle
Cathie's Cheese Souffle
RECIPE
Cath’s Cheese Souffle
Serves 2
For as long as I know Cathie she has mastered replicating Julia Child’s Cheese Souffle, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume 1. When we both are all “fooded” out I’d ask, “Hey Cath how about a souffle?”.
This recipe looks complicated, but according to Cathie it’s quite easy.
METHOD Step by Step
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
6 cup soufflé mold
1 TB Butter
2 TB mixture of Swiss & Parmesan Cheese
Butter inside of the souffle mold and sprinkle with Cheese. Save a little of the Cheese to sprinkle on top of the mold as it goes into the oven.
3 TB Butter
3 TB Wondra Flour (I think regular flour is too heavy)
1 Cup of boiling Heavy Cream (or you can use Milk)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
Melt Butter in 2-1/2 qt. Saucepan. Stir in Flour with a wooden spoon and cook over heat until Butter and Flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat; pour in boiling Cream. Add seasonings. Beat vigorously with wire whip until blended. Return over moderate heat and boil, stirring with whisk, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.
5 Eggs, separated
Immediately start to separate the Eggs. Drop White into a separate bowl and the Yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Beat the Yolk into the sauce and continue in the same manner with the rest of the Eggs. Correct seasoning. (May be prepared ahead to this point. Dot top of sauce with Butter.
The Egg Whites
Pinch of Salt
3/4 C. coarsely grated mix of Swiss & Parmesan or whatever you have on hand
Add pinch of Salt to the Whites and beat until stiff. Stir a big spoonful (about one quarter of the Whites) into the sauce. Stir in the Cheese. Delicately fold in the rest of the Egg Whites. It will not look well mixed, but yellow with crests of white foam.
Turn the mixture into the prepared mold, which should be about 3/4 full. Sprinkle reserved Cheese on top. Set mold on rack in the middle of the oven and immediately turn heat down to 375. (Do not open the door for 20 minutes.) In 30 minutes the soufflé will have puffed up and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4-5 minutes more to firm it up, then serve at once.
Salad of Romaine Lettuce, Portobello Mushrooms & Shaved Cheese
RECIPE
Romaine Lettuce, Portobello Mushrooms & Parmesan Salad
Late in the afternoon the Romaine was picked from the garden. Searching through the fridge I couldn’t find an appropriate complement to the lettuce.
So I decided to broil three large Portobello Mushrooms & hope for the best. The result was all right but certainly not a winning combination. My advice is to be creative & experiment. There’s usually never anything to lose because most ingredients that can go into a salad contribute a dimension of flavor.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS For the Salad
1 Head of Romaine
3 Portobello Mushrooms
Olive Oil for the Mushrooms
Parmesan Cheese
INGREDIENTS For the Vinaigrette
1 tsp of EVOO
1/4 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Large Shallot peeled & thinly sliced.
1/2 tsp of Colman’s Dry Mustard
Salt & fresh Black Pepper
METHOD
1. Set the oven to broil or a BBQ grill to high.
2. Lightly oil the Portobellos on both sides.
3. Broil or grill the Mushrooms cap side up. No need to turn the caps.
4. When cool to the touch cut the Portobellos into 1/4″ slices. Set aside.
5. Cut Romaine into 1″ pieces.
6. With a vegetable peeler take shavings off the Parmesan.
7. Toss the Romaine with the Vinaigrette & plate.
8. On each plate add the Parmesan shavings & the Portobello slices.
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- Posted under Dinner, Side Dishes
10/06/11 On a Night Too Hot To Even Light An Oven, A Delicious Jumbo Crabmeat Salad
On the way home from NYC Cathie stopped at Fairway on 125th Street, a fabulous store, & brought home a pound of unpasteurized Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. The plan was to fulfill our visiting daughter Lissa’s request for Thai Crab Cakes. But after a scorching hot day, the evening called for a cool refreshing salad.
The substitution worked out well.
INGREDIENTS For the Salad
1 lb. (2 cups) fresh Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
Grated zest of a Lime
Sea or Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/2 Cup finely minced Red Bell Pepper
1 Celery Stalk, finely minced
1/2 Cup finely minced Red Onion
1/4 Cup minced fresh Cilantro (or Parsley or Chervil
2 Ripe Tomatoes ( if you can find them)
1 Ripe Avocado if you have it
INGREDIENTS For the Dressing
1 TB freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 tp Sea or Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Heavy Cream or Sour Cream
1/3 cup minced Chives
METHOD
1. Combine all the ingredients for the Dressing.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Crabmeat & Lime Zest and toss with just enough Dressing to lightly coat the Crabmeat. Taste for seasoning.
3. In another bowl, combine the Pepper, Celery, Red Onion, Cilantro & S&P and toss with just enough Dressing to lightly coat the vegetables. Taste for seasoning.
4. Combine the contents of the two bowls, mixing very gently to blend.
5. Mound the Salad in the center of the plate. Arrange the Tomato slices the Avocado slices around the salad.
6. Add more of the Dressing if necessary.
Broccoli Rabe with Baby Sauteed Potatoes
Serves 3
To accompany the Crab Salad, the dinner called for a side dish of a green vegetable, but not another salad green. Garlicy Broccoli Rabe filled the bill, & the sauteed Baby Potatoes added the crunch.
INGREDIENTS
1 Bunch of Broccoli Rabe
1/2 Pound of Baby White Potatoes
2 Garlic cloves finely sliced
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
4 TB of Olive Oil, 2 for the Broccoli &
2 for the Potatoes
METHOD For the Broccoli Rabe
1.in a large pot bring a small amount of water to a boil.
2. Wash the Broccoli Rabe & cut 1″ off the stems.
3. Add the Broccoli Rabe & steam for 6 minutes, covered.
4. Remove & put into a bowl of cold water which both stops the cooking & maintains the vegetable’s color.
5. Drain & cut into 1″ pieces.
6. Heat a deep sided saute pan & add 2 TB of Olive Oil. Add the Garlic & saute until fragrant & lightly colored.
7. Add the Broccoli Rabe, a splash of water & cook until heated & tender. Remove to a bowl. Reserve & set aside.
METHOD For the Potatoes
1. After washing & scrubbing the Potatoes thoroughly, dry & cut in half.
2. Heat the same saute pan & add 2 TB of Olive Oil. When shimmering, add the Potatoes & saute until they are fork tender & brown.
3. Add the reserved Broccoli Rabe & toss it all together.
4. If required, finish with another splash of Olive Oil & your’e ready to plate.
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- Posted under Salads, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetables
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