Get Your
Goat Cheese Soufflés
Serves 6
Unlike a conventional cheese soufflé, this recipe is not only full of flavor but tangy and incredibly stable (that’s chef-speak for its ability to stay nice and puffy). It can be made ahead of time and reheated quite easily, so it is extremely CLK friendly!
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk
8 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
½ lemon, juiced
1 Preheat oven to 350°. Use 2 tablespoons of butter to coat the inside of six soufflé cups (You can find disposable aluminum cups in the grocery store. 10-ounce or 5-inch aluminum baking cups are what you’re looking for), and put them in the refrigerator. Separate each egg, placing four eggs whites into a medium-size bowl and let them come to room temperature, which will take about 10 minutes. Put three egg yolks in the refrigerator, and discard the fourth yolk.
2 Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stirring constantly, gradually drizzle in the milk, and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3 Melt the goat cheese and Parmesan into the milk sauce. Once it becomes smooth again, stir in the mustard, chives, and parsley. The sauce should be thick like glue. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes.
How to Separate Eggs
When I separate eggs, I like to crack one in half and hold it over a clean container to catch the white. Slowly separate the halves allowing only the whites to fall into the container. Carefully transfer the yolk to the other half of the shell (without breaking the yoke), and the rest of the white should fall away into the bowl. This method will get easier with practice (that means you have to try it more than once). You can also crack the egg and drop the yoke onto the fingers of one hand that you’ve positioned over the egg white container. Open your fingers slightly to allow only the white to fall through. The whole, separated yolk should be resting in your fingers.
4 Once cool enough to touch, season it to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the three egg yolks, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Now return to your egg whites, which will be easy to beat at room temperature. Add the juice of half a lemon to your egg whites and beat until they reach stiff peaks. You’ll know they are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down and the stiff peaks stay in place.
5 Add the cheese mixture into the egg whites and gently put your spatula in the center of the bowl. Pull toward yourself scraping the spatula along the bottom. When the spatula breaks the surface of the batter, turn the bowl about an inch, and start again. Each time you pull up and then drop the spatula back into the center, you will be folding in the egg whites to the batter. Continue around the bowl one time or you will deflate all of your egg whites, and immediately divide the soufflé batter among the buttered dishes. Place the dishes onto a baking pan and place them in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the soufflés are golden brown and firm to the touch.
6 If serving immediately, leave them in the cups for a soufflé effect, or pop them out and store in an airtight container until ready to reheat. To reheat, place the soufflés in a warm oven for a few minutes. To serve, position a soufflé at 12 o’clock on a dinner plate and your protein such as Sole Meuniere (p. 108) in the bottom left at 8 o’clock with your vegetable (steamed baby carrots p. 168, for example) in the bottom right at 4 o’clock pointing toward the fish. Very French (very gourmet) presentation!
Better-Than-Nookie
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Serves 6 to 8
I use a freezer bag as a pastry bag for this recipe, making it a super example of Crappy Little Kitchen ingenuity. I love this recipe topped with Spicy Pomodoro (p. 211), and then garnished with slivers of basil and good Parmesan cheese.
1 pound sweet potatoes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese (save some for garnish)
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 egg yolk
Basil, sliced for garnish
1 Preheat oven to 350°. Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil, put them on a baking sheet, and place them in the oven. They should roast about 30 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Hold a hot potato with a dry, clean kitchen towel, and carefully cut a slit running the length of it. Then squeeze the flesh into a medium-size bowl. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
2 Use your whisk to mash any lumps out of the roasted sweet potatoes. Fold in the flour and Parmesan cheese using the traditional folding technique. Don’t overmix the dough once the flour is added or you will make the dough tough. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then mix in the egg yolk. Refrigerate for an hour to chill and set up to a firmer texture.
3 Place your 12-quart stockpot with built-in strainer over high heat and fill it halfway with water. When the water begins to boil, add 2 tablespoons of sea salt.
4 Place your 12-inch sauté pan on medium-high heat. Then take your gnocchi dough out of the refrigerator and put it into a freezer bag. Push all of the contents into a bottom corner of the bag and cut a centimeter-size hole into that corner.
5 Standing by the boiling water, squeeze lightly on the freezer bag to force out some dough, about 1 centimeter in length. Use your chef’s knife to cut each dumpling, making it fall into the boiling water. Use half of the bag of dough in this fashion.
6 When those dumplings begin to float in the boiling water, add ¼ cup of olive oil to the 12-inch sauté pan. Carefully strain the gnocchi from the stockpot by slowly lifting out the strainer and allowing all of the water to drain out. Carefully pour the dumplings into the sauté pan. Move them around slightly to make sure they brown evenly. When golden brown, transfer them to your serving platter.
7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the dough remaining in the freezer bag. Pile the gnocchi high down the center of a large serving platter, top with Spicy Pomodoro (p. 211) and garnish the center of the plate with sliced basil and grated Parmesan cheese
Chefology
GNOCCHI
Gnocchi (pronounced NYOH-kee) is Italian for “dumplings” and can be made from potatoes or flour. Gnocchi are generally shaped into little balls, cooked in boiling water, and served with butter and Parmesan or a savory sauce, but they can also be chilled, sliced, and either baked or fried.
Under-the-Sea Timbales
Serves 6
Anyone will enjoy the beauty of this stunning dish, which is a special treat for seafood lovers. Try topping this with Lemon Tarragon Sauce (p. 192) as a side dish or with Béarnaise Sauce (p. 197), and serve it as an appetizer course. To reheat, simply pop it in the microwave for 1 to 1½ minutes. Super CLK friendly.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound bay scallops
2 eggs, 1 whole plus 1 yolk
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons minced chives
1 Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease six soufflé cups (you can find disposable aluminum cups in the grocery store. Look for 10-ounce or 5-inch aluminum baking cups) with melted butter, using your pastry brush. Set the cups aside. Place your 1-quart saucepot over high heat and fill it most of the way up with water. Finely mince the shrimp and scallops together, until they are almost completely pulverized and turned into a paste. Add this se
afood paste to a medium bowl.
2 Add the whole egg, egg yolk, ricotta, lemon juice, heavy cream, salt, and chives to the bowl of seafood. Fold together until evenly mixed. Divide the mixture amongst the six dishes and cover each one with a piece of foil.
3 Arrange the covered cups in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish , and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Carefully pull the rack out a few inches, and pour the hot water that has been heating in your saucepan into the bottom of the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the side of the cups.
4 Bake the timbales for 35 minutes, and then use your tongs to carefully remove one cup from the baking dish. You’ll really look like a gourmet chef when you do this! Carefully lift off the foil, and, if the timbale has shrunk from the sides and is firm to the touch, it is done. If the timbale has not set, return it to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until firm. Remove the entire pan from the oven, uncover each cup, and allow them to cool slightly. Drain away any liquid that has formed around the timbale, and then turn them out onto a clean plate. To serve as a single course, place the timbale in the center of a salad plate and top with two tablespoons of They Call Me Mellow Yellow Sauce (p. 190 ), allowing the sauce to drizzle down the sides.
Kick-Your-Caboose
Saffron Couscous
Serves 4 to 6
Couscous can be made in a matter of minutes and only requires one pot, making it exceptionally CLK friendly.
1¾ cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ orange, juiced
6 saffron threads
1½ cups couscous
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup natural sliced almonds, toasted
Chefology
SAFFRON
Both beautiful and extremely expensive, saffron is the red stamen— the tiny thread where the pollen catches—in the small purple crocus flower. It is the world’s most expensive spice, so we’re lucky that a little saffron goes an incredibly long way.
1 Put your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat and add the stock, sea salt, and freshly squeezed orange juice. When the liquid is hot and has begun to steam, add the saffron threads, allowing them to “bloom” or dissolve into the stock.
2 Once the water begins to simmer, add the couscous and the butter; cover, and remove from heat. Allow this to stand for 10 minutes, and then open the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork.
3 Taste the couscous at this point to see if it needs more salt, then stir in the parsley. For a restaurant style plating, take a small can (like a tuna can) and wash it thoroughly. Line it with plastic wrap (in case the couscous doesn’t want to release), and then pack the can very tightly with the couscous. Turn over and tap lightly in the center of the plate. A perfect cylinder of golden couscous should be left behind. Garnish with the toasted almonds.
Saucy Sauces
It has been said that the British have three sauces
and 360 religions, whereas the French have three religions and 360 sauces. The number of religions aside, five “mother sauces” serve as the basis for the hundreds of sauces that can be developed. They are espagnole, béchamel, velouté, hollandaise, and tomato. I’ve covered all of them in one form or another in this chapter. Regardless of the state of your Crappy Little Kitchen, with a little practice you will attain new heights as an accomplished CLK chef with your ability to create and master these magnificent sauces.
Not only are sauces the cornerstone of delectable gourmet meals, but they also qualify as genuine one-pot wonders!
They Call Me
Mellow Yellow Sauce
Yields 1½cups
This sauce pairs beautifully with absolutely any seafood including mussels, scallops, white fish, or lobster but will also marry well with any number of grains such as couscous, quinoa, or pasta.
4 threads saffron
¾ cup chicken stock, warm
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ cup heavy cream
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 First, add the saffron threads to the chicken stock, allowing the saffron to “bloom” or dissolve into the stock. Put your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat and melt the butter. Once it has become foamy, add the flour and stir constantly while the light roux cooks for 3 minutes.
2 Gradually stir in the saffron infused stock until it forms brilliant gravy, and then drizzle in the heavy cream. When fully combined, turn the heat down to low, and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning, and stir in the chopped chives. Serve warm.
Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce
Yields 2½cups
This sauce is perfect for pastas and grilled flank steak, and it is delicious drizzled over the Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin (p. 118).
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup roughly chopped walnut pieces
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup heavy cream
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
½ cup grated pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons honey
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, freshly cracked, to taste
1 Melt the butter in your 1-quart sauce pot over medium heat, and add the walnut pieces. Toast the walnuts in the butter for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 Add the vegetable stock and heavy cream, and raise the temperature slightly, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Simmer slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, and then stir in the gorgonzola, pecorino, and honey.
3 Gorgonzola cheeses will vary in salty flavor, so be sure to taste the sauce before you season it with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Serve warm.
Low-Maintenance
Lemon Tarragon Sauce
Yields 3¼cups
One of the chefs I used to work for always sings the praises of tarragon cream sauce with chicken and pasta. Try it, and you’ll agree. This sauce requires very little chopping and therefore, very few crappy dirty dishes. I think the addition of lemon gives the flavor profile a blast of sunshine that is well deserved.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup half-and-half
Sea salt, to taste
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy
Black pepper, to taste
1 Heat your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat, and melt the butter. Once it has become foamy, add the flour and stir constantly while the light roux cooks for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the stock until it forms a thick sauce, and then drizzle in the half-and-half. Season the sauce at this point to taste with sea salt, and then leave it on low heat. This is called a velouté sauce and will be added later.
Swap It
Make the Superlative Stuffed Chicken Breast (p. 117), eliminating the sage so it doesn’t compete with the tarragon, and then pour this sauce over the top for a delightful combination. Toss it through pasta or drizzle over the crispy I’m a Softy for Soft-Shell Crab (p.110) to reinvent these recipes.
2 Combine the lemon zest with the chopped tarragon, and set them aside. Heat your 8-quart stockpot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the chopped shallot to the heated olive oil, season lightly with salt, and allow it to soften for 3 minutes. When it becomes translucent, add the white wine and simmer until it has reduced by half.
3 Stir in the lemon zest and tarragon, the lemon juice, and gradually drizzle in the Velouté. Add the cream and brandy. Turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to infuse with the tarragon and lemon for about 3 minutes. Season to taste wi
th salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve warm.
Apple Cider Beurre Blanc
Yields 2 cups
The very first Christmas dinner I hosted in my home included this sauce served over seared duck breast. A true beurre blanc would not have cream as an ingredient, but this addition makes the sauce more stable (meaning less likely to curdle), and therefore CLK friendly. An incredibly rich sauce, it is best paired with something mild yet able to stand up to the velvety sauce, such as the Hunka Hunka Monkfish (p. 104).
½ cup apple cider
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup dry white wine
2 shallots, sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed
6 black peppercorns
½ cup heavy cream
1 pound unsalted butter
Sea salt, to taste
1 Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium-high heat and add the cider, vinegar, and wine. Allow the liquid to simmer and add the shallot, garlic, and peppercorns. This should simmer away for 10 to 15 minutes as it reduces to a syrup. Once it has reduced to a few tablespoons of liquid, whisk in the heavy cream. Lower the heat to medium, and continue reducing for 10 more minutes. Once large bubbles begin to form, the cream has also thickened to syrup.
2 Lower your heat again to medium-low, and begin whisking the reduction to disperse some of the heat. Drop in 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking to integrate each pad of butter into the sauce; don’t add the next tablespoon of butter until the last is completely incorporated. As you continue to add butter, piece by piece, you’ll notice the sauce begin to emulsify and the color will lighten slightly. Once all the butter is incorporated, remove it from the heat.
Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens Page 15