demystifying haute cuisine for the home gourmand

Yield: 2

Preparation time:  25 minutes

Techniques:  Vinaigrette, sauteing, deglazing, roasting, knife skills

Hardware:

1. Large mixing bowl.
2. Large Pyrex dish.
3. Three quart sauce pot.
4. Aluminum foil.
5. Large saute pan.
6. Knife
7. Composite cutting board (for raw proteins.)
8. Wooden spoon.
9. Tongs.
10. Two soup bowls.
11. Three plates.
12. Teapot.
13. A strainer.
14. Olive oil.
15. Salt and pepper.
16. Stove.
17. Running water.

Ingredients:

I.     For the vinaigrette:

1. Three slices of bacon.
2. One small sweet onion.
3. One granny smith apple.
4. Apple cider vinegar.
5. Apple juice.
6. Two Tablespoons brown sugar.
7. A pinch of red chili flake.
8. Four crimini mushrooms.

II.     For the nuts:

1. One pound bag of walnut pieces.
2. Two tablespoons maple syrup.
3. Two tablespoons light brown sugar
4. One Tablespoon creole seasoning of choice.
5. One pinch of smokey paprika.
   

III.     Other:

Method:

I.     Get your prep ready:

1. Place the eggs gently in the saucepan half full of cold water.
2. Place the pot on the stove, and turn it to high.
3. Add a pinch of salt to the eggs.  It helps with the peeling.
4. When they come to a boil; cut the heat to medium high, and set a kitchen timer for eleven minutes.
5. Meanwhile chop up all of your veggies on the plastic cutting board.  Slice the mushrooms thinly, julienne the onions, cut the broccoli into florets, core and slice the apples.
6. Turn on the teapot.
7. Place the florets in one of the soup bowls.
8. When the kettle comes up, pour the water over the broccoli.  Put the small plate on top.
9. In four minutes, you will drain the broccoli, and shock it with cold water.
10. In the meantime, place your salad plates in the freezer.
11. Cut your bacon into small strips, across the grain of the belly.
12. When the timer goes off, carefully drain the eggs, and run a s-l-o-w stream of cold water over them for about five minutes.

II.     Make the nuts:

1. Pour the nuts in a mixing bowl,
2. Drizzle with the syrup.
3. Stir well.
4. Add the brown sugar.
5. Stir well.
6. Add half the cajun spice and smokey paprika.
7. Stir well.
8. Add the other half of the cajun spices and smokey paprika.
9. Guess what?  Stir some more.
10. Line the large Pyrex with aluminum foil, and lightly oil it.
11. Spread the nuts out evenly over this surface, and place in a 350° oven.  Set a timer for five minutes.
12. When the timer goes off, stir the nuts and set the time again for five minutes.
13. They should be done after ten minutes.  Pull them out of the oven, stirring often as they cool.
14. Sprinkle regular granulated sugar on the nuts just before you stir.  This will help the nuts from clumping together.
15. Adjust the seasoning.  If they get too sweet, add a little more cajun spice to them.  Voila!

III.  Make the vinaigrette:

1. Place the saute pan on medium high heat.
2. Cook the bacon until crispy.
3. Add the julienne of onion.
4. When the onions are caramelized, add the slices of apple.
5. Caramelize them too the best you can.  Pat them dry, just before putting them in the pan.  That seems to help.
6. When the apples are cooked, add the vinegar, followed by the sugar, followed by the apple juice.  You can add the chili flake too, just not too much.
7. Reduce by half.
8. Place sliced mushrooms into one of the soup bowls.
9. When the dressing is nicely reduced, pour it all over the thinly sliced mushrooms waiting in the soup bowl.  Let it rest for three or more minutes.

 IV.     Assembly:

1. Rinse the sugar out of the bowl, and place the greens in the bowl.
2. Using the tongs, hold the apples as you tilt apple bacon vinaigrette out of the bowl over the greens.  Drizzle enough of the vinaigrette to coat the lettuce, and toss with the tongs,
3. Grab the plates from the freezer.
4. Plate the greens.  Toss the broccoli with the the remaining vinaigrette, and place them around the outside of the lettuce pile.
5. Add the contents of the bowl to the top of the salad.  Use your tongs, and careful . . . don’t over dress the greens.
6. Slice the egg, and place around the top.
7. Finish by adding the goat cheese, and the nuts.
8. Bon appetite!

Serves: 4

Preperation time:  10 minutes

Cook time:  45 minutes

Techniques:  Veloute, sweating, deglazing, and stewing

Hardware:

1. Soup pot.
2. Knife
3. Cutting board.
4. Peeler.
5. Cheese grater.
6. Ladle.
7. Immersion blender.
8. Tongs.
9. Stove.
10. Salt and pepper.
11. Running water.

Ingredients:

1. Two quarts low-sodium chicken stock.
2. Five small russet potatoes (about a pound and a half.)
3. Three small bunches of leeks (two if their really big.)
4. Four cloves garlic.
5. Four tablespoons butter.
6. Three tablespoons flour.
7. Two cups shredded cheddar cheese.
8. One teaspoon white pepper.
9. A splash of half and half (if you want.)
10. Small baguette.

1. Put the soup pot on the stove, and turn on the burner that’s under it to medium heat.
2. Chop the tops and bottoms from the leeks.  Cut them down the middle.
3. You’ll need to wash the leeks at this point.  Under cold running water, fan the leeks as you would a deck of cards.  Allow the water to run through the layers best you can.  Turn the leek around in your hand, and rinse it from the opposite direction too.
4. When they’re clean; chop them into half moons, and add them to your now warm pot.  You should hear a little hiss come from the pot; but if it’s loud, your heat is up too high.
5. In that case cut the heat back, and move the pot to a cold eye (if using electric) for the next step.
6. Add three tablespoons of butter, and stir well.  The butter should cover the pot, and the leeks.  Add some salt to the mix to encourage the sweat.
7. Continue over a medium low heat covered, stirring occasionally.
8. Mince up the garlic while this is going on.
9. Peel and chop the potatoes into uniform pieces too.  No need to put them in water.  Your working fast, so they won’t have a chance to oxidize.
10. Shred the cheese.
11. When the onions are nice and soft (about eight minutes), add the garlic.
12. After about thirty seconds, add the flour.  Make sure it mixes well with the butter and vegetables.
13. Just when the flour starts sticking to the bottom a bit, it’s time to deglaze.
14. Using the chicken stock, slowly add the first quart making sure the roux is properly stirred into the broth.
15. Add the potatoes, stir it again.
16. Add enough stock to cover the potatoes.
17. Throw a pinch of salt, and the white pepper in for the simmer.  Be careful with the salt though, especially if your using store-bought stock.  Even the low sodium ones can be quite salty.
18. Bring this to a high simmer, stirring frequently.
19. Put the bread in a 350° oven.
20. Turn the heat down to a slow simmer.  Cook until the potatoes are nice and soft, stirring occasionally.
21. Blend the soup with an immersion blender.  If you don’t have an immersion blender; put the soup on low, and go get one.  Trust me, you need it.  Do not attempt to use a counter top blender for hot soups.  It’s very dangerous.
22. Add a cup and a half of the cheese, and blend until smooth.
23. This is the point at which you would add your half in half if you prefer a richer soup.
24. If it’s still a little thick you can add more stock, or even a little bit of water too.  Just blend it in.
25. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
26. Remove the bread from the oven, and rub the outside of it with the rest of the butter.  I like to sprinkle a little grated Parmesan over the top of the warm buttery bread too, but that’s just me.
27. Ladle soup in large bowls, and top it with the leftover cheese.  Grate more if needed.  Every bowl should get a little.  Slice the bread, and serve with a little soft butter.
28. Bon appetite!

This is a picture of leftovers that have been warmed up for lunch, sorry. I'll get a proper one soon, I promise.

Makes: 2

Time of Preperation: 10 minutes TOPS

Techniques:  Short order, Hollandaise, poaching, sauteing, and deglazing

First get your hardware ready:

1. A sauce pot that will serve as my ban marie as well as my poaching vessel.
2. A large saute  pan.
3. A toaster (or broiler.)
4. A mixing bowl just big enough for the bottom to comfortably cover the the sauce pot.
5. A wire whisk.
6. A slotted spoon.
7. Two (or more) plates.  Plates are handy.
8. Salt and pepper.
9. A few small bowls.
10. A hand towel.
11. A pair of tongs.
12. A stove.
13. Running water.

Now for the ingredients:

1. One pound of fresh baby spinach.
2. One half of a small yellow onion.
3. Two cloves garlic.
4. Two whole wheat English muffins.
5. Four whole eggs.
6. Two egg yolks.
7. Five tablespoons of butter.
8. A quart of tap water.
9. A quarter cup of white vinegar.
10. One half of a half a lemon.
11. One tablespoon of grapeseed oil (canola will do.)
12. A pinch of salt.
13. A pinch of white pepper.
14. A dash of each . . . Tabasco and Worcestershire.

Method:

1. First mix the vinegar and water in the sauce pot. Put it on the stove, and turn the eye to medium high.
2. In the meantime; whisk the yolks, the juice of the lemon, the two pinches and both of the dashes together in the mixing bowl.  Soon you’ll be makingí Hollandaise.
3. Microwave FOUR tablespoons of the butter until it’s just melted (not too hot.)
4. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Saute the onion on medium high heat util it’s translucent.  Add the spinach, and wilt. Add the garlic.  Deglaze the pan, turning the spinach in the juice. Set aside when done.
5. Toast the English muffins in either your toaster, or in your oven with the broil setting.  Treat the bread with the last tablespoon of butter.
6. Start the Hollandaise by cooking it in the mixing bowl over the now simmering sauce pot. Use a hand towel for this. Your bowl is going to get hot. With the whisk, keep the yolks moving around the pan as the steam gently cooks them into a shiny ribbon consistency. DO NOT cook the eggs too quickly, otherwise they will scramble. In which case, you will need to start over. Just remember to remove the bowl from the steam periodically, continuing to whisk.
7. Slowly drizzle the butter into your yolks, whisking the whole time.  Sometimes it helps curling a hand towel into a cradle for bowl on the countertop.  This will act as an extra pair of hands while doing this step.
8. Try and leave out the white stuff in the bottom of the butter, unless it’s too thick.  In that case, go ahead and add the milk fat.  If it’s still too thick, add drips of HOT water until your desired consistency.
9. If it breaks (the butter seperates from the egg), DON’T PANIC.  This video will show you how to fix your greasy, lumpy mess. 
10. When the Hollandaise is to your liking, set it aside.  Turn the burner to meduim low, bringing the poaching liquid back to a slow simmer.
11. Carefully crack the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl.  Then slip the egg, from the bowl, into the water.  You need to this four times, quickly, and don’t break any yolks.
12. Using the slotted spoon, extracate the  eggs from the bottom of the pan.  It’s important not to do this too early.  Give whites time to coagulate, before scraping them from the bottom.  Otherwise, you run the risk of breaking a yolk.
13. While the eggs are poaching away, begin plating your dish.
14. Put some of the spinach on each slice of muffin.
15. Use the end of your finger to “polk the yolk”, and test for doneness.  When the eggs are done the way you like them, start taking them out of the water with the slotted spoon.  Pictured below is the way I like them.  I guess you would call these eggs medium easy.
16. Place the poached eggs, one by one, on top of each pile of spinach.
17. If your sauce got a little thick while waiting for the eggs to cook, just add a few more drips of HOT water to loosen it up again.  Sauce the top of each egg and serve with your favorite brunch beverage.
18. Bon appetit!

I use a bunch of different techniques when I make this dinner.  You will see me blanching, sauteing, roasting, deglazing, and even mounting (with butter) in this one.  It sounds like a lot I know, but it will be worth it.  As you get more and more adept in the kitchen; The quickeryou will become , and the more fun cooking ‘s going to be.  This menu is a great opportunity to practice your speed and timing in the kitchen.

I would be remiss if I did not offer you a warning at this point so here goes . . . WARNING!  When pan roasting things like this; you’ll start getting multiple handles on your stove top, and hot handles can cause severe injury VERY quickly to the unaware.  When using multiple pans, it’s easy to forget which one is hot, and which one is safe.  Just keep a dry towel in your least favorite hand.  You can then use that to manage everything in the oven, and on the stove top.  The secret is to keep it in your hand once you get going, and assume everything’s hot.  When you’re finished plating, you can always use the towel to wipe the rim if you made a mess.  In which case you would more than likely switch to your dominant hand.  Suddenly, the immortal words of the late [and great] Douglas Adams come to mind.  “Don’t panic, and always know where your towel is.”

Ingredients (for two):

1. 3/4# Red potatoes, rough chop.
2. 2 Garlic cloves, minced.
3. 1 1/2 Tbl Italian herbs, dry
4. 1/2 cup Canola oil
5. Salt
6. Pepper
7. 4 0z.  Chantrelle mushrooms (criminis okay), cleaned and large slice.
8. 8 oz.  Green beans, cleaned and trimmed.
9. 2 Dover sole filets (or flounder).
10. 6 oz.  Crab cake, prepared (or, Paula Dean has a good recipe here.)
11. 4 oz.  All-purpose flour.
12. 1/2  White onion, jullienne.
13. 6 oz.  Light domestic beer, ice cold.
14. 1 Tbl. Butter

Hardware:

1. Small saute pan – This is where you will sear and bake the fish.  If you decide to do this for more than two diners, you’ll need another saute pans.  Point is, you’ll need two pans to pull this off quickly . . . so get a couple of extras.  They’ll come in handy, I promise.
2. Large saute pan
3. Thin metal spatula – A fish spatula is ideal for this operation.  They are super thin, and have a handy lip on the end that helps handle delicate fish.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have one at the time of this editorial.  However look for it in the upcoming post “Fried Catfish, Tailgate Slaw, with Homemade Tartar Sauce.”
4. Tongs – I have two pair of tongs, just in case I need to handle raw product then cooked product.  Otherwise you have to stop, and wash the tongs to plate.
5. Wooden spoon – Everyone should have a few wooden spoons around (my article on home kitchen essentials is here.) Just be sure to get new ones if they start to splinter.
6. Steamer set-up (stockpot, colander, lid) -
7. Large Pyrex baking dish –  Can’t have too much of this stuff around.
8. Knife/cutting board
9. Dry towel – It MUST be dry.  Otherwise, you will burn your hand when pulling the fish out of the oven.  It’s a good habit to always work with a dry towel.  If your towel gets too damp, get another.  If you only have another, you need to buy some more next time your at the “big box” store of choice.

Slideshow:

For those of you who learn by seeing, I have provided some visual aids for you here.  Just use the arrows at the bottom of the slideshow to navigate through the steps.  The method for the burre blanc is not pictured here.  I’m saving that for a stocks and sauces category I’ve been working on.  Stay tuned.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°.
2. Chop the potatoes, and place them in a slightly oiled Pyrex baking dish.  Season them with salt and pepper, toss them with the dried herbs, half of the garlic, and little olive oil.  Stick them in the oven.  They take a good while to cook, so you want to get them going right away.
3. Put some water in the steamer pot, and turn the burner underneath up to high.
4. Get everything else ready in terms of prep such as; clean and slice your mushrooms, tip the beans, and cut the onions.   Get your fish out, and open the paper.  This will be your mise en place.
5. Now get all the rest of the hardware ready to go like;  the saute pans, the spatula, the spoon, and the tongs.
6. When the steamer water comes to a boil; just cut the heat to medium-low, and put on the lid.  That will maintain your heat, but won’t boil the water out.
7. Check the potatoes.  When they’re about halfway to fork tender, turn the steamer back up so it begins producing steam again.  Turn the burner under both saute pans to medium-high.
8. It’s a good idea to brown the crabcake now, then stuff the fish by rolling the filet around the warm crabcake.  That way, the fish will not overcook waiting for the stuffing to get hot all the way through.
9. Season the outside of the fish, and dredge it in flour right on the paper the fish came in.
10. Use a good bit of the oil in the small fish pan.
11. Brown the fish well on one side, then flip it.  Stick it in the oven next to the potatoes.
12. Make the burre blanc (a separate pan, a separate lesson.)  For now, here’s a link to Wikipedia about butter sauce.
13. Throw the beans in the steamer, and put the lid over the collander.
14. Toss the Chantrelles in the large saute pan.  Make sure they brown well.
15. When the mushrooms have a nice color, toss in the Vidalia (or yellow) onion.
16. Using the sweat from the onions and a wooden spoon, scrape up the little brown bits the mushrooms left on the pan.  That’s the good stuff.
17. Add a little more oil to the big saute pan, and cook the onions until they begin to caramelize (medium-high the whole time.)
18. Add the beans straight to the pan from the steamer.  Season with a little salt and pepper.
19. After three minutes (the beans should have some color on them), add some minced garlic.  Saute for thirty seconds.
20. Deglaze with four ounces (one-third) of a domestic beer.  Drink the rest.  Smack your partner on the ass with the wooden spoon.
21. Reduce this until the beer is almost gone, cut the heat, and stir in a tablespoon of butter.
22. Plate, sauce, and serve.
23. Bon apetite.

Regarding the finished pasta featured on the plate here . . . I just drop the pasta in the boiling/salted water when the chicken is done.  By the time the pasta is done, the veggies and sauce should be close too.  This recipe is designed for two diners, but can easily be adjusted to accommodate additional guests.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup All-purpose flour
2. 6 Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
3. Kosher salt
4. Cracked pepper
5. 1/4 cup Grapeseed oil (or canola if you prefer)
6. 12 oz. Angel hair pasta
7. 10 oz. Crimini mushrooms (1 package sliced)
8. 1/2 Yellow onion (small dice)
9. 3 Garlic cloves (minced)
10. 2 Tbsp. Capers
11. 1 cup Chicken stock
12. 1 cup White wine
13. 1 Lemon (rolled, and cut in half)
14. 1 Tbsp. Butter (unsalted)
15. 1/2 Bunch parsley (chopped)
16. 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Method:

There are some things I should mention about the method pictured here.  While creating another slideshow for a separate post, I inadvertently saved over the slideshow for this recipe.  I know, rookie mistake right?  As a result, I have given up the ability to edit this Flash file.  So instead of starting over from scratch, I figured I would just write in the steps that are missing . . . just for now.  I will create an updated slideshow for this recipe soon, I promise.

1. First of all, there is no wine pictured in the method.  You will need about a cup of dry white wine to add to the pan after deglazing with the chicken broth.  Reduce this liquid by half, then add the lemon.  Drink the rest at dinner.
2. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the butter going into the pan.  So after your sauce is done, cut the heat and stir in a couple of tablespoons of butter to finish.
3. Also, I didn’t have any parsley on hand, so I failed to mention it as an ingredient in the slideshow.  That being said, add a little chopped parsley to your sauce just before plating.
4. The chicken should be cut into manageable (bite size) pieces before serving.  The chicken will lose a lot of it’s residual heat during this process.  Just add it back to the pan, and the sauce will warm it back up.
5. I finished the plate with a little Parmesan too.  That didn’t make it in there either, sorry.

So that’s it.  The rest of the method is sound.  Have fun, and bon appetit!

For step by step directions, navigate the slideshow below by clicking on the arrows.