Flounder en Papillote

 

I remember having fish prepared in parchment a few years ago, at Not Your Average Joe's in Lexington. It was really tasty, the presentation was excellent (like opening a present!)… Finally got around to trying it myself. Why did it take me so long??!! Consider cooking chicken this way, just needs an extra 10 minutes. The food steams inside and all the juices are delicious. Soak them up with rice or mashed potatoes.

Some veggies need more cooking time- so you partially cook then cool them before adding to the packet. Since it's still Valentine's season, I made the packets heart shaped. The taster was not in on this one, he feasted on sushi earlier.

This recipe was torn out of magazine in March of 2006. Can't guess which one, on the back is an ad for Central Kitchen and The Kendall. One cookie sheet fits 2 hearts.

Flounder en Papillote
Total time: 30 minutes; active time: 12 minutes

1/2 lb fresh green beans
8 15x12" sheets parchment paper
3 Tb olive oil, divided
4 flounder fillets (or other firm white fish), about 6 oz each
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Garnish: lemon wedges

Heat oven to 450º.
Cook green beans in boiling salted water about 3 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Fold parchment sheets in half (but don't crease), in order to cut out hearts.
Place on sheet pan(s) for assembly.

Drizzle about 1 tsp olive oil on one side of each heart.
Place a fillet on top, sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Top with green beans, tomatoes, scallions & Italian seasoning.
Drizzle with about 1 tsp olive oil.
Seal packages, forming a heart shape, and put in oven.

Bake for 12 minutes or until bags are puffed and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (I baked for 11 minutes without testing it). Garnish with lemon wedges, serve immediately. Have water with lemon to drink.

Guests can eat directly from the parchment (I recommend) or empty the contents onto their plate.
Beware of the steam!

Fairy Gingerbread Cookies

These cookies are so light and delicious, you'll love them!  Interesting: no eggs used. 

They are a great accompaniment to tea or coffee.  After making them I am now inspired to try making various thin crackers…. 

From Cook's Country | February/March 2011

The original recipes for Fairy Gingerbread Cookies melted in our mouths but were also severely lacking in flavor. A bit of vanilla extract and salt helped boost the otherwise bland confections. Doubling the ginger added a much-needed kick, but without any competing flavors it was overwhelming.… 

MAKES 5 DOZEN COOKIES

Use cookie or baking sheets that measure at least 15 by 12 inches. Don't be disconcerted by the scant amount of batter: You really are going to spread it very thin. Use the edges of the parchment paper as your guide, covering the entire surface thinly and evenly. For easier grating, freeze a 2-inch piece of peeled ginger for 30 minutes, then use a rasp-style grater.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4teaspoon Salt
• 5tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 9tablespoons packed light brown sugar (or 1/2 cup + 1 TB)
• 4teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 3/4teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4cup whole milk, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 cookie sheets (or inverted baking sheets) with cooking spray and cover each with 15 by 12-inch sheet parchment paper. Heat ground ginger in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Combine flour, toasted ginger, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
   2. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add fresh ginger and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk.
   3. Following photo 1, evenly spread ¾ cup batter to cover parchment on each prepared cookie sheet (batter will be very thin). Bake until deep golden brown, 16 to 20 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Following photos 2 and 3, immediately score cookies into 3 by 2-inch rectangles. Cool completely, about 20 minutes. Using tip of paring knife, separate cookies along score mark. Serve. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.)

MAKING FAIRY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

While making several dozen batches of Fairy Gingerbread, we had time to perfect our technique. The cookies are made with an unusual method we'd never encountered before. Here's how:

1. SPREAD BATTER

To form cookies of the requisite thinness, use a small offset spatula to spread the batter to the edges of a 15 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper.

2. SCORE COOKIES

Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, use a chef’s knife or pizza wheel to score 3 by 2-inch rectangles. Work quickly to prevent breaking.

3. SEPARATE COOKIES

Once the cookies are cool, trace over the scored lines with a paring knife and gently break the cookies apart along the lines.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup with Sage

This is a healthy and delicious soup for a cold winter day. Serve with nice mozzarella garlic bread.

3 TB olive oil

4 TB fresh sage, chopped

4 cloves garlic, fine mince

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup green beans, cut in 1/2" pieces

1 cup zucchini, diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 stalk celery, diced

1 sweet potato, peeled & diced

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

6 cups (2 big packages) vegetable broth

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt & pepper to taste

ricotta is optional  

Heat oil, cook garlic & sage.

Add all ingredients except for broth and kale, cook 5 minutes.

Add broth & kale.

Simmer 20 minutes. 

Slow Cooker Country Style Beef Ribs

Unlike short ribs, country style beef ribs do not render much fat. This recipe calls for a simple tomato and red wine barbecue sauce that is lightly sweetened with honey. With the addition of cayenne it is slightly spicy so you may want to cut down on that.

Serve in bowls over rice pilaf.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds country style beef ribs
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup red wine, reserving half for deglazing pan
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons herbes de provence
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• salt

Preparation:

Combine ketchup, 1/2 of the red wine, soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, dry mustard, black pepper, and cayenne in a bowl. Set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for an additional 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and set into bowl with sauce mixture. Sprinkle both sides of ribs with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and sear the meat on all sides (about 2 minutes per side). Make sure the pan is good and hot. When meat is done searing, remove and place them into slow cooker. Keep pan hot and add 1/2 of the red wine (1/4 cup) to pan allowing it to deglaze. Let the mixture bubble for 30 seconds. Turn down heat. Add sauce mixture to pan and heat through. Once the sauce is well mixed, pour over meat and turn on slow cooker for high heat. Cook for 30 minutes on high and reduce heat to low and cook for 6-8 hours.

Soy Concentrate

This sauce is delicious drizzled over fish. Also is good used as a glaze (be careful not to burn it).
Soy Concentrate

(adopted from Washoku Cookbook by Elizabeth Andoh, this post copied from Helen Rennie's blog, beyond salmon.com)

20 square inches kombu (5 g)
1/2 cup dry shiitake mushrooms (8 g)
1 1/3 cup soy sauce (10 oz)
2/3 cup sake (buy the real stuff, don’t use “sake for cooking”)
1/4 cup mirin
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup, plus 2 tsp sugar
1 cup lightly packed katsuo-bushi (or 10 large slices of thick bonito shavings, atsu kezuri)

1. In a small saucepan, combine everything together except for katsuo-bushi (unless you are using atsu kezuri, in which case, add it right in).  Let sit for 1 to 12 hours at room temperature.  
2. Bring to a boil on the stove top and regulate heat so that the mixture bubbles, but doesn’t bubble out of the pot (watch out, this sauce gets foamy, so don’t leave it unattended).  Simmer until syrupy and reduced to your liking.*  Take off heat.
3. If using katsuo-bushi, stir them into the sauce and let sit for 3 minutes.
4. Dampen a paper towel in water and line a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl.  Strain the sauce through this set up forcing it through with the back of a ladle.  
5. Cool until barely warm and move to a jar or squeeze bottle.  When the sauce cools completely, cover tightly and store in the fridge.  This sauce doesn’t spoil, but is best if used within 3 months.

*Judging doneness with this sauce is tricky.  Luckily, it will still be good whether you make it thicker or thinner.  After you make it a few times, you’ll develop your own preference for how thick and syrupy you like it.  I like mine very thick (after refrigeration, I want it to feel like molasses) and this recipe only yields about 2/3 cup sauce for me.  You might like yours thinner.  The thicker you like it, the harder it is to push the sauce through the paper towel, so you might want to reduce it only in half, add katsuo-bushi, strain, then return the sauce to a clean saucepan and continue to reduce it.  Keep in mind that the sauce becomes a lot thicker as it cools.  To help you make a guess about its texture as it cooks, put a few drops on a cold plate and wait a few minutes.  Touch the drops with your finger to see how they feel.  You are aiming for the consistency of maple syrup.  

Blue Cheese Dressing

Wow! It's been a while since I've blogged here.. Anyhow, had to add this gem to the archives. 

Since it's summer, instead of dried chives and dill I used fresh. I also determined my own amounts and used milk instead of buttermilk with added lemon juice. 

1 Pint Sour Cream
1 Pint Mayo
1 Pint Buttermilk
1 cup crumbled blue cheese - I used stilton which crumbled easier after a time in the freezer when everything else was prepped
Juice of 1 small lemon - about a 1/4 cup
1 T. Onion Powder
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Fish Sauce - the secret ingredient!
1 T. Dried Chive
1 t. Dried Dill Leaf
1 t. Salt (I used black truffle salt)
1 T. Ground Black Pepper or more, lots more!

Whisk together in a bowl - best if made the day ahead. I've had it last a week in the fridge, but it usually disappears before then and I usually make a double batch.

Cook up some thick pepper bacon and sprinkle crumbles of that on the wedge salad along with a half dozen croûtons.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

1-2 cups thin slices of ham

1 stalk celery, finely chopped 

1 small or 1/2 large onion, finely chopped 

1 cup chopped mushrooms 

1 chopped garlic clove

1 cup chicken or beef or vegetable stock

3/4 Tb thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup cream

2 large russet potatoes 

1 1/2 cups favorite cheese (smoked Gouda) 

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a covered pot (dutch oven or large sauce pot) melt 1 Tb butter and 1 Tb olive oil. 

Saute 1 stalk of fine chopped celery, half a fine chopped onion and 1 cup of chopped mushrooms until softened. Toss in a chopped clove of garlic and cook another 30 seconds-minute.
Add 1 cup of beef stock (or chicken), 3/4 Tb dried thyme (or 1 Tb fresh), 2 bay leaves and 1 cup of cream. Season with pepper. You probably don’t need salt since the ham can be salty. 
As you bring to a simmer, peel and slice 1/8" thick russet potatoes (2 large). I use a mandolin.
Add to the pot, bring to a simmer over medium, turn to low and simmer for ten minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Slice up your ham (1-2 cups or so) into thin slices to layer with the potatoes.
Shred up some yummy cheeses. Or use pre shredded, whichever you prefer. I went for a mix of cheddar and fontina this time. 1-1 1/2 cups to add as topping.

Butter a 8x8" baking dish of 1 1/2 quart casserole. When the potatoes are ready, using a slotted spoon, layer your casserole dish: potatoes, ham, potatoes, ham, potatoes, liquid, cheese.

Bake for 1 hour until the cheese browns on top and the edges are bubbling.

Let sit for 10 minutes to cool.

Enjoy!