Category: Produce

Cauliflower Souffle… Cooking with Madame E. Sant Ange


Well I told you I would be back with some inspiration from my new book La Bonne Cuisine De Madame E. Sant Ange…The Original Companion for French Home Cooking. Jessica’s Biscuit offered this book a incredible sale price of $9.00. Its worth far more.Flicking through I see this book is not for the novice, or one who wants a recipe all spelled out for them. First published in 1927 by the folks who also published Laurousse Gastronomique, its been a indispensable guide to the common home cook and the great cooks and chefs like Madeline Kamman and our American Julia Child.Paul Aratow lovingly took on the task of translating this resource in the voice of Madame. Paul Aratow was one of the original founders of Chez Panisse along with Alice Waters, and used this book as his kitchen guide!So you are reading a cookbook for readers at the time of early twentieth century. Don’t expect to find modern equipment mentioned, cooking temperatures, etc. Madame can go on about technique, exact measurements, equipment, utensils, and ‘science’ but this book calls on you to use your prior experience and basically figure it out. So don’t expect a lot of exact instructions. I rather like this way of learning as its more challenging and in the end I learn more.
So today I chose something with cauliflower. I have an abundance of it . Certain Someone loves it , and I find it OK. Bland but OK. I’m challenged finding new ways to cook it.The book describes this vegetable as a basic one found mostly in home cooking. Not glamorous at all. Looking at this I had most of the ingredients and changed some others( which the Madame strongly cautions against). The components of the souffle called for a Bechamel, mashed cauliflower, egg whites, yolks,Parmesan,and butter. I didn’t have Parmesan so I substituted a Colby( talk about Americanization!). Now I thought I knew Bechamel . I don’t know Bechamel. I had to refer to her sauce chapter to find this classic component of a lot of meat free cooking. I went with the Bechamel Maigre( lean Bechamel) because it only requires milk, not heavy cream. It also requires a Mirepoix( carrots, onion, celery finely diced). I never knew. But I never claimed to to be a pro. I didn’t have carrots or celery. I did have leeks, mace for nutmeg, and mushrooms. Some Becahmels can use the whites of leeks, mushroom trimmings, and even ham in the Mirepoix. So I used leek whites and mushrooms to give that Aromatic dimension to this white sauce. After slowly cooking the roux, milk, added sauteed mirepoix, you gently strain out the solids. I got what looked like a cream of mushroom soup with out the mushrooms bits. Nevertheless a good flavor for my souffle. The short recipe calls for you to combine the 87/8 OZ od mashed cauliflower , with 3/4 cup of Becahmel. Add 3 yolks, a walnut sized piece of butter,grated parmesan,fold into 4 whites that have been tuned into ‘SNOW’. Cook for 20 -25 minutes.

Most Souffles I have made had a choux sort of base with flour. This didn’t. I should have baked it in smaller dishes, It rose , but didn’t rise past the top of my larger souffles dish. Nevertheless the outcome was good. A light nice lunch to serve alongside a salad. Great for your non meat eater friends. Is it outstanding. I wouldn’t say that but a great recipe for when your perplexed as to what to do with that head if cauliflower. There are way more better and interesting recipes in this book. I’m just starting with with what I have on hand. That’s what makes you a better cook Ne C’est Pas?

I will be announcing a Giveaway shortly related to an upcoming book review. Stay Tuned!

Roasted Vegetables on Squid Ink Spaghetti

I have been a bad blogger this week. OK, I posted twice last weekend, but I have been slow in visiting others and commenting. This was an intense week at work with all my focus going towards a presentation. And I’m a wee bit lonely. Certain Someone is still in Sweden and his trip has now been extended until the end of next week. Work! On top of all that I’m not really inspired. I normally don’t mind cooking for one, but I’m just not in the mood or can think of anything blog worthy. I’m in more an artistic mood and have been working with some gum paste deigns to add to a cake, if I ever get motivated or an occasion.

Tonight I just threw this together. In that artistic frame of mind ,I was more motivated by the colors of veggies against the black squid ink pasta rather than taste. Although it was good! But who hasn’t had buttered and oiled spaghetti . Takes me back to those starving student days. I just threw in some balsamic roasted veggies for a twist. Until the next time….

Asian Crispy Roast Chicken Salad

I both love and hate salads. A salad really has to rock and capture my attention. Spare me a bland lunch time salad offering. Sometimes the most prep work on ingredients that go into a salad yields a better salad. Otherwise in most cased we have boring, sometimes soggy messes. This morning I woke up not knowing what to so with some chicken in the freezer that I knew would have to me my dinner.
I tossed a packet of some Chinese marinating powder I pick up from time to time. Its made with dehydrated shrimp, and spices and really transforms chicken.I totally picked up this tip from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen and am addicted. There are many types of marinaded and seasoning packet ts to find in the aisles of an Asian grocer. The fun part is reading the labels and trying to figure it out . I had half a head of Napa Cabbage and some string beans that needed to used or chucked soon. I parboiled the beans and chilled them with some thinly sliced raw scallions. I also chopped the cabbage and set to chill. I roasted my chicken thighs with skin on a rack over a pan in the oven . This allowed the fat to drip out and yield a crispier skin. When done I let the thighs cool to room temp to settle. I didn’t have sesame oil so I improvise a quick taste dressing of 1 part olive oil, 1/2 part sweet chili sauce,and a smidgen of fresh diced ginger. Whisk up and you ready to go. Assemble on a plate or bowl the cold chilled Napa Cabbage, string beans, scallions. Top with sliced chicken with skin. Drizzle with dressing and your set.
Can it say it was delicious?! Maybe not the most healthy because of the use of dark meat and skin, but oh so flavorful and juicy. I don’t think this would have worked so well with a boring breast.Play around and see for yourself. The key in the marinade and crispy skin.I am going to submit this one to Jadens contest too. It can be a 15 minute meal if you use store bought rotisserie chicken.

Duck Confit and Pommes Sarladaise… Good Therapy

I know I said I’m taking a brief break. And I did, kind of. But you know what makes me feel better? Cooking.I’m coming to terms with Mama Roxy’s passing and I just feel her love all around.Her children and husband are going to be OK!What a wonderful season we had with her in our lives. There is so much gloom out there lately, so I’m focusing on the the bright side of life. Thank you all for your kind words. Her daughter saw it and is most appreciative.
Last week I found some duck legs in the freezer at the local Treasure Island.Immediately I though Duck Confit. I could only afford the 2 legs and knew I had some chicken fat in the freezer( I use it for chopped liver). A little cheating, but it could work. I also purchased some duck fat for this experiment. The guys in the kitchen at the caterer talk about confiting as its part of an average day. I have never attempted such and knew Certain Someone would love this. I searched the Internet and all the recipes seemed consistent. Some even used a slow cooker.Some just called for herbs with salt in the curing and some offered spices too! I used several cloves of garlic, allspice,coriander,and rosemary( a lot of recipes called for thyme, but I only had rosemary).I ground the salt with the herbs and spices.I realized I used way to much salt at first and adjusted it before resealing in a Ziploc back to cure for 2 days in the refrigerator. Certain Someone was demanding it for Sunday late lunch after his golf. With all going on we had been doing take out all week. He wanted a nice home cooked meal before this weeks travels. He will be gone about 2 weeks( Europe,the house, work, etc). I washed the legs off, dried, and cooked in a baking dish with the garlic and fat covering the legs for 3 hours. The confiting scent nearly drove us insane as it cooked in the oven for 3 hours at 225.
Then on Sunday he called from the golf course to notify me he was on his way and hungry. I had soaked the potato cubes in water to remove some starch. And then I cooked them in the fat from the confit. It was infused with the garlic gloves. Amazing. I cooked them for about 5 minuted to soak up the fat, then with a slotted spoon arranged them on a roasting pan. A slight drizzle of Maldon Salt, pepper, and parsley and into to the oven. I then took the 2 legs and fried them up in a dry skillet until the skin was crisp. All the fat seared it nicely. The potatoes browned up with a few tosses in the oven. The meal was spartan but rich and divine. Certain Someone slowly savored his lone leg. He also loved the potatoes. I noticed how he took off the skin to savor last. When he finished he got up and gave me a big kiss. I guess he liked it! Next time I will be more adventurous and buy a whole duck from Chinatown( cheaper), render my own fat, and confit the whole thing.
I also made a rustic galette from some nectarines and plums that needed to be used ASAP. For a few hours I felt like I was in the French countryside. A nice escape.

Hazelnut Crusted Pork Chops and Nectarines , A Favorite Pudding.. It’s Sunday Dinner!

I don’t know if its summer or what, but my mind is slowing down on blog worthy entries. I am cooking, but just to eat and not to blog.Yesterday I started in the kitchen of the caterer. I arrived promptly at 8 am Saturday morning. It’s a rented commercial kitchen up in a funky yet non gentrified area of Chicago. Anyway I waited and called as no one was in yet. The janitor said they should be there. When I was about to give up I called the head chef, who was not supposed to be there. I feared waking him up. But he answered and was en route. Seems Chef #2 was supposed to be there but was called away for a private cooking assignment in some glamorous Eastern European locale. The caterer has a contract for some private residences and businesses in Europe. How fun.Anyway my first task was washing and slicing a case of strawberries. Then making fruit infused sugar for drink rims,then washing and chopping a case of Romaine for salads, and finally slicing and baking dough for the signature canapes. All went swimmingly well until they started to cook to fast. I’m not used to all the commercial ovens and ranges and some were not crisp enough and some too crispy. Anyway another dough log was pulled out for more and they were cool with them. It’s fascinating watching the detailed organization, lists and prep that go into off premise catering. All to be whisked away to assemble and finish on site.Tough but fun work. I barley looked at the clock and before I knew it it was over. 6 hours of mindless enjoyable tasks. I could have worked the event , but Certain Someone and I had dinner plans at the wonderful Korean BBQ place called Solga later that evening. The only unpleasant part is washing the dishes.That’s an operation in itself. I cant wait to be called back again and actually go on site. I so love being back of house rather than front of house. The atmosphere is way more pleasant. Enough of that lets get home cooking.

So Sunday dinner is always a special for me. If we don’t go out, I like to cook something .So whats new about that? But its a way to unwind and indulge before we go back to the grind. I created both dishes based on what I have on hand.
For the main course we had Hazelnut Crusted Pork Chops and Nectarines. Basically I used toasted hazelnut flour( which is just ground hazelnut not flour, so this can be gluten free) which was sitting the freezer .Pork goes so well with fruit, and I have a lot of fruit. This is rather simple. Dredge your chops in hazelnut flour, chopped fresh rosemary, salt and pepper . Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray . Bake the chops in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until done. Turn once.In a separate sauce pan, add 4 tablespoons butter. Place halved fresh nectarines and 3 tablespoons sugar and cook down. We want to keep the fruit intact but turn occasionally to soften and cook through.The mixture should start to slightly bubble and caramelize.Add about 1 tablespoon of sherry and let mixture cook down some more. You should a nice syrup from the juices, sugar, butter and sherry. Serve atop the chops.

For dessert I made a pudding.Linda over at one of my favorite blogs Make Life Sweeter , has an event going on called Got Milk. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for Word Breastfeeding Week during the first week of August. I know nothing about breastfeeding,other than I was breast fed and it has tons of benefits for both baby and Mommy. If my day ever comes, that’s the route I’m going. Anyway Linda is asking for recipe involving milk as the key ingredient. I wanted to experiment with fried milk, a Spanish treat, but the heat and laziness won. So I decided to use what I had on hand and create a Pistachio Tapioca Pudding. Certain Someone loves puddings, as do I. As I kid my favorite flavor was that instant pistachio pudding you get in a box. Now with more grown sophisticated tastes,I have created my own. I had leftover pistachio paste in the refrigerator.This was a store purchased variety.I also had some granulated tapioca in the pantry. The rest is history. How real and natural a real pistachio pudding looks without food coloring. The flavor has way more depth too.

Coco’s Pistachio Tapioca Pudding

5 1/2 tablespoons of pistachio paste
3 cups of milk
1 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons granulated tapioca( fast cooking variety)
In a large bowl whisk eggs,almond extract,sugar, and pistachio paste. Heat the milk in a pot.Do not burn. Slowly add about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture to the egg/sugar mixture. Note, I used my stand mixer and added hot milk as the it was whisking the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture back to the reaming hot milk. Mix. Add tapioca. In a double boiler heat the mixture over med/high whisking constantly until thickened. It will take approximately 15 minutes for the tapioca for the tapioca to get clear and start thickening the mixture. When mixture coats the back of a spoon it its ready. Pour into serving dishes. Place a film of plastic on top. Let cool at room temp, than place in the refrigerator.
Well I know this was a long post, but I wanted to show the meal altogether. It wasn’t too heavy at all. Certain Someone may have preferred his chops fried more Southern Style, But I was trying to keep it lighter and healthier for us.