soupnancy

Pavlova, and a side of rhubarb

Now this is a cook’s dessert, ie. Oh so simple and delicious!

Defining Pavlova loosely: Meringue, some whipped cream plus fruit.

rhubarb vanilla grass pavlova and sorbet, clover strawberry shortbread

fresh rhubarb from the garden

It’s rhubarb season, and I love rhubarb, a tart veg-fruit of which I have an abundant supply in the back yard, so no-brainer – rhubarb pavlova goes on the menu. Besides, I have cooked rhubarb just about every other way in the past few weeks.. In the process, I have also drank quite a bit of fresh rhubarb juice, yum (just chop rhubarb, toss with a bit of sugar, let sit in fridge or freezer, drain and drink, while using the rhubarb in recipe!) Which made me think I should be doing a rhubarb post.. But since everyone else in the food media has rhubarbed out the rhubarb thing before it even really came into season here, I will focus on the pavlova, especially after seeing so many plates licked clean on the weekend. This dessert was the hit of my rhubarb series. It can only get better too, as the first Quebec strawberries, rhubarb’s favourite partner come into season.. To think that I had temporarily forgotten about Pavlova or the usefulness of meringue altogether; it came back to me when I had to test a meringue recipe for my cookbook judging.. I am happy to have rediscovered it but because it is just so darn good, and a terrific vehicle for summer fruit.. It is versatile, open for inspiration and it is one of those desserts that is actually doable at home, or for cooks who aren’t necessarily pastry chefs like me.

When layered, the three simple components of sweet and crispy (the meringue), soft and rich (the Chantilly ), and sweet and sour (the fruit garnish) come together to dance and sing spring once assembled. The result is something greater than the sum of the parts – Pavlova is decadent, but it tastes light.

Now to make it..

First off, try not to choose a rainy day. (I hope this is not a recipe deal breaker for you..)

Then you make your meringue, cook it, let it dry out.

Make a fruit compote or salsa… I made both, and a coulis and gelée too, to have contrasts of fresh and cooked flavours, smooth and jiggly textures, but that’s not necessary.

What is necessary is fruit is some form, even fresh is fine, and making a Chantilly , or whipped cream flavoured with vanilla or flavour of choice. I used vanilla-grass, you can do whatever you want, even add a shot of liqueur.

Pile it all on the meringue, dig in.

It can look as nice as you want it (if you make mini meringues and pipe your toppings), or you can go free form and make one big one family style- but most importantly, you can trust that it will taste great and wow your guests, be they sophisticated gourmands or little ones.

For 8-12

Meringue

4 egg whites

1 cup of sugar

pinch salt

pinch cream of tartar

Whip whites with pinch of salt and cream of tartar to foamy, soft peaks, add sugar and continue beating to stiff peaks. Pipe closed coils with a rim 2-3’’ in diameter onto a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cook for 1 ½ hr- 2 at 200F or until dry, not coloured. Let cool in oven. Store in an airtight container if not assembling right away.

Chantilly

1 c whipping cream

2 Tbsp sugar or to taste

1 vanilla bean or drops of aroma of choice

Rhubarb compote

Cube a bunch of rhubarb stalks, 4-5. Stay away from the leaf ends (toxic). Toss with 1 cup or so of sugar. Let sit for an hour or so.

Remove the accumulated juice and reserve to adjust the consistency (reserve rest for another purpose). Cook up half the rhubarb, add a couple of handfuls of strawberries and some of the juice, cook down to compote (10min). Season with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon and honey (or Labrador tea syrup) to taste.. Allow to cool, stir in the fresh rhubarb (the other half).

What's cooking - The ingredient:

Asparagus!

André Cormier (our local guy) had his first asparagus out on May 9^th, exceptionally early this year; normally they come after, not at the same time as the fiddleheads.. But what an exciting time the first Quebec asparagus sighting is! Just about every night since, I’ve eaten asparagus in some form (and so yes, my pee smells). My favourite way with asparagus is sautéed in a hot pan (or grilled) with olive oil, then deglazed with a good balsamic or lemon, salt and pepper. Sometimes gratinéed with a hard cheese afterwards (like Valbert, Tomme de Kamouraska, Alfred, Piave or Parm..) I also like it steamed or blanched with a bit of butter for a more ‘au naturel' taste, maybe with a poached egg and tomato.  Or in vinaigrette with EVO, lemon zest and almonds, or yet another favourite, thrown into a sauté of mushrooms at the end. Now that the green is a given, I'll be moving on to Daigneault's white asparagus this week.

Daigneault's white asparagus

More asparagus recipes from the web:

Jamie Oliver’s potato asparagus tart, Jamie Kennedy’s classic asparagus vinaigrette..http://gremolata.com/asparagus.htm

Butter braised asparagus with peas, oyster mushroom and tarragon http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/071arex.html?ref=dining

Easy Asparagus with lemon and parmesan http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001146asparagus.php

Potato Asparagus frittata

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/recipe-of-the-day-potato-asparagus-frittata/

Tons of asparagus tips and recipes from the NYTimes: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/asparagus/index.html

And a couple of 'non-asparagus', but timeless recipes ..

Taking out the ‘Q’? Try Beer can chicken from America ’s Test Kitchen http://www.americastestkitchen.com/cookstv/preview/?extcode=L8EN1AE00

Also from Cooks Illustrated :

Almost no knead bread http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=4748&bdc=56976&extcode=L8EN1AF00#topOfPage

More spring recipes (for nettles, ramps, morels, asparagus..) 

http://starchefs.com/features/farm_fresh/spring/2008/html/index.shtml

What's cooking - The ingredient:  Fiddleheads!

The season kicked off the first week of May, and now it’s peaking, I have hundreds of pounds in my fridge, I’m pumped, overwhelmed to be honest. I will be cooking them in a myriad of ways in the weeks to come. Because it’s early in the season, and green is fresh and exciting, I will tend towards cold, light and fresh recipes, but the truth is I like them better cooked, even a long time(!), or pickled. As a cook, keeping a green vegetable crisp and bright green is something that has been ingrained in me, but I have since come to appreciate the long cooked green, a different flavour all together, more deeply savoury and long en bouche (unami rich I'm sure). Think sag aloo or sag paneer or stewed collard greens. I’m still timid in serving them this way at the restaurant, but at
cleaned fiddleheads
Fiddlheads and hamhome I’m sold. When you’re sweating them in butter maybe with some garlic and tamari or meat jus, just let them go a little longer, you’ll see. Or try the old Quebecois recipe below, and let it cook some after reheating. They are also great in a punchy vinaigrette, although again the colour goes if you toss them in sauce early; but if you sauce à la minute, the taste doesn't penetrate, so somewhere in between is best, say 20 minutes before serving. Fresh fiddle talk aside, it’s time for me to get preserving. Mason jars of my pickled fiddleheads will soon be available at the market (alongside the fresh of course). 

François told me that from his two days at the market, he has gathered that most people don't know how to cook fiddleheads (some reaching for them raw - a no no!) despite them being a popular rite of spring, which of course is why a few morons get sick every year, and the government issues an annual warning, advising people to cook them 15 minutes.  This long cooking is hardly necessary especially if you get them from a good source, but in any case, a first cooking in boiling water is a must.  We do a double blanch (2-3 minutes each time), changing the water in between.  Refresh and they are ready to cook or eat.  Proceed to sweat them in butter with garlic and seasonings of choice, or to dress in vinaigrette to serve cold.

Quail and fiddlheads, wild ginger and sesame

Piglet loin, fiddlheads with ham, Rassambleu potato cake

nordic shrimp, fiddleheads, wild ginger, sesame

My two favourite recipes for fiddleheads – oh so simple..

Fiddleheads in an Asian inspired vinaigrette

with wild ginger mustard, chili and sesame

Yield: 8 servings

6 c (1 lb) Fiddleheads, cleaned and double blanched

Vinaigrette

1 French shallot, minced

30 ml wild ginger mustard (or 1 tsp minced ginger and 15 ml Dijon )

1 tsp minced garlic

1 red pepper, finely diced

30 ml Tamari

50 ml cider or rice wine vinegar

30 ml maple syrup

10 ml toasted sesame oil

125 ml olive oil

s.q. salt, pepper

s.q. chilli paste

Garnish:

2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Clean fiddleheads, removing dark tip. Blanch twice in lots of boiling salted water for 2 minutes each time. Refresh each time. Reserve.

2. Make vinaigrette by blending all ingredients.

3. Toss fiddleheads with vinaigrette and sesame seeds and serve. As an accompaniment or entrée. Would go with tofu, shrimp or seafood, chicken duck or pork..

Façon Bas du Fleuve (ie long cooked with salt pork and onion)

(adapted from Yves Cloutier’s family recipe)

8 portions

1lb (6c) fiddleheads

1 chopped onion

1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley and/or celery leaf)

1 c salt pork strips (200g)

2 c water or chicken stock

s.q. salt, pepper

Method:

1. Wash fiddleheads well in several changes of water, trim ends.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add fiddleheads and blanch once for 2-3 minutes, chill in ice water.

3. Meanwhile, bring the onion, water, bouquet garni and salt pork to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the fiddleheads, turn off the heat and let sit overnight. Refrigerate.

4. Shred the salt pork or remove, reheat and serve.

What's cooking - The Ingredient: 

Snow crab and Nordic shrimp!
crab salad bouchée 

nordic shrimp asparagus radish salad with wild shoots

Now in season and widely available (not to mention a local, sustainable choice)..

I like both with just a drizzle of my Pettinicchi chili oil, or my black olive Belle Excuse oil, a squeeze of lemon and sea salt. With some good bread or garlic bread and a salad. For the first part of the season, it’s straight up.

Once the novelty fades, I’ll dress them up, mix and match. I most often make a composed salad, say with celery, dill and red pepper and lemon zest (my fave), and to make a meal, I’ll add a bed of tomato, asparagus, greens, olives, couscous, almonds, something like that… Or on a different slant, I might go for ginger, coriander and sesame, then add some peas or green beans, kimchi, egg, rice or rice noodles.

In any case, I find both Nordic shrimp and snow crab best eaten cold. I don’t really understand why people fry or serve these hot at all, unless out of the shell. Nordic shrimp are only available cooked but you can get the head on (great snacking food), or peeled and neat. Crab is best fresh and very alive, it takes about the same amount of time as lobster to cook in simmering salted water. This is obviously the best option if you want to eat them hot with butter crab-boil style where everyone gets messy cracking their crab. If you’re serving it cold, you’re still best cooking it yourself, but you can also buy it cooked. It’s a pain to clean, messy and labour intensive, but well worth it, especially if you have someone who likes doing it like my François des bois. Figure 140g of meat per crab and 1 crab per person, or as an entrée 2 portions per crab.

Just make sure you’re buying absolutely fresh (of the day, not frozen and thawed) from a reputable fish monger like La Mer or from the Gaspé stalls or fish stores at the markets (Jean Talon, Atwater).

A recipe for crab salad I posted last year around this time..

http://soupnancy.squarespace.com/whats-cooking-recipes/2007/5/9/snow-crab-or-lobster-salad.html

What's cooking

The dish - Gravelax

It’s spelled so many ways I don’t know which is right. But what it is, is cured salmon, (or any fish nowadays) that gets a salt/sugar/spice treatment and is eaten as such, somewhere between cooked and raw, silky and toothsome, easy to love.

This was one of the first recipes I gravitated towards and attacked as a young cook; my first experiments date to even before cooking school. So it was also one of the first dishes I felt I mastered because I made it so much, and maybe because my boyfriend at the time LOVED it. The original recipe involved a cure of fine salt and sugar, some brandy, pepper and allspice, lots of dill of course, pressed for three days. Served with some mustardy homemade mayo with dill and some blinis or toast (at the time), I didn’t think it could get any better.

Nonetheless, as I grew as a cook, I had a lot of fun playing around with the recipe and eventually did get bored.. In fact, I broke up with the dish when I broke up with the guy, suddenly having no desire to go there anymore. It also happened that at that time in nineties restaurant food trends, ‘smoked’ was coming back in, as was everything raw, and so all the restaurants I was working in were into smoking their salmon or serving it fresh in tartare, cured was out. I was all about it. To shake it up every now and again, I’d riff on the smoked, even go to gravelax, but with gin and juniper, with mirin, soy, ginger and coriander, with vodka, citrus and fennel, with maple, cider and tea, with coarse salt and brown sugar instead of regular salt and sugar, I’d go for a shorter intense cure, a longer un-pressed cure, anything but the classic I once loved. Most were successful, but somehow, none measured up to that first taste memory. I suspected it had more to do with matters of the heart than my evolution as a cook, but no matter.

Fast forward ten years. In parallel with my current tendency towards tradition and simplicity, and because enough time has elapsed that the original association with that ex-boyfriend is dead, I am ready to revisit that old recipe.

The only thing I’m doing differently is using arctic char, and maple brandy and some maple syrup (it is maple season after all). And I’ll probably serve it with a maple enhanced mustard condiment and something crunchy and fresh, maybe glaze it, we’ll see.. but that’s only because this is a restaurant and so a few extra touches are in order; it should be great on it’s own. With toast and mustardy mayo like in the old days.

Gravelax off to cure

cured char (end pieces ready first)

char, maple cured and smoked, root veg remoulade with crinkleroot maple mustard, amaranth and pickled daisy buds

Gravelax

Enough for a party (or breakfast and lunch for a week for two)

1 Salmon filet (around 3lb net), preferably wild or organic

3/4 c sea salt

1 c sugar

1/2 c maple syrup

2oz brandy

2 bunches dill

3T peppercorns, crushed

1T allspice, crushed

Clean filet if it’s not already done (debone, trim). Slice filet in two. Mix salt, sugar and spices together with brandy and maple syrup to make a slurry. Layer filets with salt mixture and dill (make a sandwich with skin outward) with some slurry and dill in between, under and over. Cover with saran wrap and weigh down with another baking dish with tomato cans or whatever you have. Let sit for 2-3 days, flipping at least once. For a thick salmon filet or a whole fish, 3 days is better. My char is thin, so two will be enough. Rinse off, dry and slice. It will keep for a week or so.

A la minute version:

Slice fresh (sushi-grade) salmon thinly on a plate. Add a generous splash of maple syrup, a scant splash of brandy, and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Brush on (with a pastry brush) to evenly distribute. Sprinkle with sea salt, a generous amount of cracked pepper and a scant crack of allspice and some chopped fresh dill. Cover with saran wrap and press down so that there is no exposure to air. Let sit for an hour or two, serve. Squeeze with lemon or serve on side.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

I’ve had rabbit on the mind. To my delight, François showed up last week with some fresh specimens from one of our neighbours (maybe because I had been whining that it had been a while since we’d eaten a good rabbit..). So I cooked it up a few different ways and put it on the menu. I also had to get my course outline and orders in for an upcoming class I am giving on the subject, so it helped me get into the mood.

rabbit, fiddleheads, tomato crinkleroot dressing

braising rabbit legs

rabbit two ways, wild ginger mustard sauce, root veg

Since my first taste, I have loved rabbit. I’ve cooked it many times, and when it was on one of my menus or coming from the station I was working, I paid special attention to it; it was always my fetish dish, and inevitably heartbreaking because no one ordered it. I recall one exquisite dish that involved a mousseline with truffle (stuffed loin) and another I loved in gelée with pink peppercorn that I laboured over night after night only to have it sit in my fridge. If only they knew what they were missing out on I would think and swear,  ‘!?%$%*!!!’ (multiple obscenities in both languages). So obviously, when I went out to dinner, I made a point doing the opposite - eager to happen upon the rabbit marvel that was surely hiding quietly in someone else’s kitchen MEP.

If it’ is on the menu when I’m out, you can be sure I’m having it. Which means I’ve had some fabulous rabbit dishes and some less than stellar renditions over the years. I remember being served a brilliant rabbit dish at Globe way back when Dave and Fred were there, and I also once really enjoyed a rustic hunter style dish at Da Emma; I’ve let the flops fade from my memory. The thing is, rabbit is tricky. Well, it’s just that it can easily be dry, especially when the commonly farmed breed (New Zealand) falls in careless hands.

There are meatier, more flavourful breeds like the Silver fox or the American Chinchilla making a comeback; for more info and in depth rabbit talk, see the article in the last Art of Eating (Number 76). Maybe it was that terrific piece that stimulated me (the way AofE articles do), but then there were the two bites of a tease I had on a Valentine's tasting menu at the Relais Champêtre in St-Alexis, or perhaps it’s the fact that I drive by three ‘rabbit for sale’ signs every day on my way to work, although now two are covered in snow.  One is on a make-shift cardboard hand-written sign on someone’s lawn surrounded by knick-knacks strewn about, which are presumably also for sale; another reads ' A Vandre'.  Now I hate to be judgemental, but if you don't know how to spell 'for sale' or if your home looks like a junkyard, I tend to be a bit scared you haven't read the rabbit manual.  I'm hardly jumping out of my car seat dying to buy your rabbit no matter how much I love rabbit.  In any case, I got the message, the signs were sent, it was clear that it was high time I got to cooking rabbit again.  I made sure our rabbit came from the third one, the taxidermist (see sign below).. 

a rabbit sign (on my way to work)

rabbit in the raw

proscuitto rabbit loin rolls, ready to go

It’s unfortunate that rabbit has fallen out of favour because it was once a traditional food, and easy to raise or hunt (after all, rabbits breed like rabbits and like to eat vegetable scraps). People today don’t think to cook rabbit, maybe because they aren’t readily available and only available whole, making it more work intensive than buying ready-to-go cuts of meat.

Then there’s the reality that many Quebecois (and North Americans in general) have a bunny complex, skittish about eating something cute. In a restaurant setting, you know there will always be a chick squeamish about digging into Thumper (and it doesn’t help that we have a set menu at JS..). It’s hard to convince someone who’s emotionally biased like that. Saying it’s just like chicken doesn’t work. Even though it’s true; many compare it to chicken, and indeed many recipes for rabbit and chicken are interchangeable. Of course, it’s not the same, but chances are if you like chicken, you will like properly cooked rabbit. In an old Larousse (I think) there is a note on how to distinguish it from cat, so I guess it resembles cat too (in the skinned raw state I guess)– I can’t comment there; as far as I know, I have never eaten cat. And if it tastes like rabbit, well then I’m game.

Rabbit has such a unique, delicate, delicious flavour, it's fabulous in terrines and confit, and it makes the best stock. That’s why I think it is best stewed gently, but really it’s almost necessary to separate the loin from the legs (as for most birds and beasts) for correct doneness. The legs are easy, a regular braise for a little over an hour with some wine, stock, aromats, maybe some mustard and cream, or some wild mushrooms, or with tomato, herbs and olives.. The saddle or loin is best cooked in a short time, but still gently. Because it is lean, barding (covering in fat like bacon) is a good idea for a pan-roast, but I’ve found the best results with a short but low temperature sous-vide poach for tenderness, followed by a quick sear for flavour, and a rest in the juices. This recipe is inspired from Chapeau Canada (David Hawkesworth at West) - a bit of work maybe, but well worth it.

I can't finish a rabbit speel without mentioning Thomas Keller's treatment in his famous French Laundry Cookbook.  Not only does his reverence for rabbit and enticing recipes inspire and make you a believer, but his rabbit story is a gem.  It was a defining moment in his career when he was faced with a live rabbit hours before service, and he had to kill and skin it himself, after which trauma, he knew he had to do it justice and treat it with care in making the finest dish he could, not wasting a scrap - hammering home the importance of respect for the ingredient.

Saddle of rabbit with fresh herbs and and wild ginger mustard

Yield: 2 servings

- adapted from David Hawkesworth (West, Vancouver)

40 g caul fat (optional)

1 rabbit saddle, deboned

2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, tarragon, chives..)

4 slices proscuitto

s.q. salt, pepper

15 ml olive oil

20 g butter

30 ml wild ginger mustard or wild mushroom mustard

200 ml chicken stock

Method:

1. Lay two pieces of caul fat on counter ( 8” squares) and place the proscuitto in the middle. The caul fat helps hold the package nicely together, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Lay the rabbit loin on top of the proscuitto, then sprinkle with herbs, season with salt and pepper, roll up, wrap in plastic wrap and tie ends with string.

2. Poach in 53C water for 30 minutes, refresh. Alternately, bring water to a boil, add rabbit rolls, turn off heat and let sit for 40 min. Cool immediately.

3. Slice rabbit into thick medallions, remove plastic. When ready to serve, pan sear medallions to nicely brown in olive oil, (standing up on the proscuitto edges to keep the rabbit meat ultra tender). Deglaze pan with chicken stock or a little white wine or water, let medallions sit down in jus and finish in medium-low oven to warm through (5 minutes).

4. Remove rabbit to rest and plate. Meanwhile, reduce pan juices down, whisk in butter to make pan jus, season to taste and serve over rabbit with a smear of mustard. The mustard can also go straight into the sauce if you want.

Another recipe I'll be doing with my students (with the legs this time): rabbit stew or civet revisited, a twist on a traditional recipe without the blood..

Civet of Rabbit

Yield: 4 servings

1 rabbit or hare, cut into serving pieces

1 c diced onion

½ c diced carrot

½ c diced celery

4 slices bacon, cut up

100g mushrooms, sliced

15 g dried porcini, rehydrated (keep soaking liquid, decanted)

30 ml red wine vinegar

250 ml red wine

3 ea parsley, thyme sprigs

20 g salted butter

20 g olive oil

700 mL chicken or duck stock

20 g unsweetened chocolate, chopped

s.q. flour for dredging

s.q. salt, pepper

Method:

1. Cook bacon to render the fat, add the mirepoix and cook, stirring over medium low heat. When soft, remove, leaving fat in pan.

2. Season and dredge rabbit pieces in flour, sauté and brown evenly.

3. Deglaze with vinegar and wine. Return vegetable mixture to pan.

4. Sauté mushrooms in butter and oil on the side and add to pan, along with diced reconstituted dried mushrooms and soaking liquid.

5. Add stock and bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer, and lower the heat to a low simmer. Cook until rabbit is tender (pulling off bone) and sauce is thick, about 1 hour.

6. Near the end of cooking, stir in chocolate. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Serve with rice lightly spiked with cinnamon, and/or roasted root vegetables or sweet potatoes.

Some other recipes, classic and not so..

First, one note: I find the cooking times often on the short side for the legs, probably because they don't want to overcook the saddle when the rabbit is cooked whole. Don't be afraid to throw the legs back in or use only legs for a ragout type recipe and cook longer. If you're cooking a large quantity (as I do), you can figure 2Hr (as opposed to one) for the legs to be perfect, ie. melt in the mouth, easily coming off the bone but not pasty.

Jamie Oliver’s Rabbit stew with dumplings

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/02/cook-the-book-rabbit-stew-with-dumplings.html

Chef Simon’s Lapin à la moutarde (with detailed pictures, but in French)

http://www.chefsimon.com/lapin_moutarde.htm

From Gourmet:

Braised rabbit with egg noodles http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108101

Paella with rabbit and artichokes http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/234657

From BBC:

Rabbit with calvados, port, thyme, bacon and juniper

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/rabbitwithcalvadospo_681.shtml

What's cooking - Ingredient

The holy egg

duck eggs

To follow up on my Ode to the egg for Easter (last year) http://soupnancy.squarespace.com/blog-journalessays/2007/4/6/my-easter-egg.html,

Lets get cooking..

Here are some of my favourite ways with eggs at home: see recipes below for.. 

• Gaby’s cheddar scrambled eggs
• Oeuf en cocotte with truffle and tomato
• Frittata
• Bread pudding with berries and chocolate

And some other Easter recipes..

• Baked Ham  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241636   Following a similar method, you could use a bottle of red wine or cider, 1 cup of maple syrup instead of the sugar and honey, and add some spices (a few cloves, thyme, bay and black peppercorns)..
• Roast leg of lamb http://www.saveur.com/food/2000/roast-leg-of-lamb-15965.html

• Roasted lamb shoulder – I love doing something similar but with Morrocan spices, and a stuffing using more spice with caramelized onions, olives, raisins, almonds and olive oil to bind.. http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2007/11/slowroasted_shoulder_of_lamb_rubbed_with_rosemary_anchovy_and_lemon_zest.php 
• Italian Easter egg bread http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/106188
• Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce http://www.saveur.com/food/classic-recipes/asparagus-with-hollandaise-sauce-1000031047.html  In case you’re dying for something crunchy and green..

Gaby’s cheddar scrambled eggs

Gaby is a wonderful lady I worked with many years ago before I went to cooking school. She was a jolly great cook, putting out 30+ home style lunches back in the day of the Grumpy’s power lunch all by herself. She made the best soups, but her cheddar scrambled eggs stuck with me because she amazed me by making them in the microwave (you only dirty one dish). I think they are better in the pan, but in a jiff, I will occasionally pull out her trick. The key is too use a low power (50%) for 3 minutes (for 3 eggs), a little less or more depending on the quantity. She would just mix all the ingredients together, cover and zap, stopping to stir once or twice. But still, I think the only way hers were so good even in the microwave had a lot to do with the generous amount of cheese and butter. I make them quite a bit lighter, so I find I have more control in the pan.

Gaby's cheddar scrambled eggs

2-4 portions

6 eggs

a squirt of milk

salt and pepper to taste

Tabasco

Butter 2 Tbsp or more

1/2 cup of grated Medium aged cheddar cheese

Whisk eggs with salt, pepper and a squirt of milk or cream. Add a tablespoon of butter to pan and once somewhat hot, add eggs. Lower heat and cook gently, stirring regularly (the more you stir, the creamier they will be). I like curds, so I don’t stir too much, just enough to keep it from caking. When the curds are formed, but still very moist ( a minute or two later), add the cheese and remaining butter and shut off. Allow to sit to finish cooking to desired doneness.

Oeufs en cocotte

oeuf en cocotte with tomato and smoked salt, fiddlehead salad

8 p

8 duck (or hen) eggs

1/2c heavy cream

drops truffle oil

salt and pepper

Tabasco or chilli paste

2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled seeded and diced

salt and pepper

pinch sugar (if necessary)

1 Tbsp good olive oil

drops good balsamic vinegar

Combine cream with truffle oil, salt and pepper, Tabasco or chilli paste. Break eggs into ramekins. Top with a teaspoon of truffle cream. Cook covered in a water bath at 300F for 20-25min until set but still giggly.

Serve with coarse salt and tomato fondue. Fresh tomato salsa or roasted tomato (confit) would be good too. For an extra decadent garnish, add crumbled bacon, sliced ham or smoked duck. This makes an elegant appetizer, or a light lunch or dinner with baguette and salad.. Sometimes I add sautéed mushrooms or some surprise in the bottom before baking for another layer of flavour.

Frittata

I can’t possibly write one recipe for this. I’ve never made the same one twice. Basically, it’s just an omelette with stuff, baked into a round or square format so that you can cut it into wedges or little squares and serve warm, at room temperature or even cold, eaten out of hand.

You start with eggs, calculate 1-2 per person. Then you choose the stuff, ie. the garnish and some cheese. When it comes to garnish, I would say onions are a must, plus some other vegetables to liven up the mix, and maybe some salty meat like bacon or pancetta or proscuitto or chorizo (although optional). For vegetables, anything in season, anything you like is good, sweet peppers are one of my favourite additions. Something green like spinach or asparagus is nice too. Cooked potatoes are the classic Spanish tortilla (omelette) garnish. I even use toasted bread as a base sometimes, making it good finger food once room temperature. Flavour wise, tomatoes are always welcome, although best added late.

One of my favourite old time catering items was a ratatouille frittata. In another restaurant I worked in, we used whatever good leftovers we had on hand to make the frittata of the day (grilled vegetables, caponata, tuna, smoked salmon, pizza toppings, you name it) always for delicious results. Onions and olives, Broccoli and sun dried tomato, ham and swiss chard, the options are endless. Just keep the amount of garnish to less than half that of the eggs or it won’t hold together. Cheese is not absolutely necessary, but it helps the structure wise and even a bit really boosts the oomph factor. Choose a good melting cheese, ie. something firm like an aged Quebec cheddar or Fetard or Baluchon or a Gruyere or a little Parm. Goat cheese is good too, but in that case you would use less or maybe in combination with a hard, mild cheese. Figure about 20g a person or per 2 eggs (say a good pinch of grated cheese), a cup for a medium pan.

In any case, you need to stew, roast or sauté (in other words, cook) the vegetables or meat garnish you will be using first. Then in a greased pan or baking dish, you place the vegetable garnish, then the mixed eggs, top with the cheese and bake. For a small party (say up to 8), the fastest, easiest way is to sauté your onions and peppers or whatever veg or meat in a fry pan until cooked, then add the egg mix, stirring a little; when it starts to set, you add the cheese and stick it in a 325F oven (or less if you’re not in a rush) until it’s set (anywhere from 10-30 min depending on the size and temp). Pull out, let cool slightly and slice up. Serve with a salad and some good bread. An 8” pan will hold 6 large eggs, a 10-12’’ pan with hold twice that. For anything bigger, use a baking dish.

I hate writing ‘real’ recipes, but maybe you’re dying for a proper one, there are plenty out there, so here you go..

A tasty frittata (potato, onion and sausage) http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-tasty-frittata-recipe.html

Asparagus frittata http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/002019asparagus_frittata.php

Frittata with bacon, fresh ricotta and greens http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/233142

Bread pudding with chocolate and blueberries

12 x 3oz portions

8 yolks

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of milk

2 cups of heavy cream

1 vanilla bean or flavouring of choice

1 small loaf of dry country bread (or day old baguette)

125 g blueberries

½ c couverture chocolate pistoles (or chocolate chips)

pinch salt

squeeze lemon and/or orange

Cube bread. Gently heat cream, milk, pinch of salt and half of sugar with vanilla bean or flavouring of choice. I like to use Labrador tea or wintergreen or spices like star anise, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg or almond paste.. When scalding, shut off, let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, break eggs, whisk yolks with remaining sugar and slowly whisk in hot cream mixture, strain. Pour over bread cubes and mix. Let sit for an hour or overnight (refrigerated) until the bread has soaked up most of the liquid. The mixture should be thick but pourable or at least scoopable. Add a little extra milk or cream or maple syrup to loosen up if necessary. Mix in blueberries and chocolate pieces, spoon into buttered ramekins (or a buttered baking dish). Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake in a 325F oven for 30-40min or until set.

making bread pudding

bread pudding ready to bake

What's cooking

The dish - Duck gnudi

'Gnudi' means ‘nu’ or ‘naked’, and here, it refers to a naked filling. I forget when and where I came across this; it went from a scrap of paper to the back of my mind a while ago now. When I saw it, I remember it consisting of greens with ricotta and egg, as in a ravioli without the pasta wrapper. I believe it was poached and then pan-roasted, but anyway, I loved the idea and decided I wanted to try it out one day with sea spinach. It’s not as if it’s anything revolutionary; like I said it is filling. More accurately, it’s a dumpling; add some flour or starchy potato and it is gnocchi, add bread and it’s fancy turkey stuffing, add meat and it’s a meatball. In any case, there was something about the naked name, so catchy and cute, and the appealing notion of straight stuff with no excess dough, most appropriate for certain dishes.

However, good ideas come and go, and I never got around to doing it, almost forgot about it. Until I was composing my duck event menu and looking for something to float in my soup, which of course is a duck broth. I love consommé au naturel, especially if extracted from duck carcass, but customers might find it boring. I have done the traditional stuffed pasta, noodles of all kinds, wild rice, the royale garnish, various vegetable garnishes, blah. I considered making duck egg noodles (but that’s still noodles) or doing a stratiatella with duck eggs, maybe some sea spinach and parmesan, but although delicious, what a mess it is to look at, and what a waste of consommé really. Since meatballs are the rage, I thought of doing duck balls, maybe even duck-matzo balls. No, that would be too heavy. What I wanted was for the consommé to remain intact, clear and flavourful, with a small separate package of flavour to surprise the guests. In came the gnudi idea. Maybe, I could deliver spinach, egg and parmesan without muddying my consommé.

So I mixed the wilted greens (plus some cooked garlic and shallot) with the ricotta, and added the eggs. Seeing that it is a duck menu, I decided to add some ground duck meat to the mix, and a little parmesan to bind. I dusted them in flour and poached them. They turned out just as I had imagined - a cloud of spinach, cheese and duck. If I whipped the egg whites separately, I could perhaps make them even lighter, more like a mousseline.  Even as is, I could brown them in a bit of butter for extra umph, or poach them in my broth. But to keep the flavours clean and my broth grease free, I prefer to poach them on the side and add them to my soup. I sautéed a few up on the side for myself with a drizzle of boletus oil – wow. They would be terrific as a main course, topped with some extra cheese, some more duck, or ham and tomatoes, or some lemon zest, parm and olive oil.

shaping the gnudi

tasty floaters

If you want to make my gnudi, go ahead; you could use ground pork or veal or even leave out the meat altogether and add more cheese. The moral of the story is - next time you’re making meatballs, consider lightening them up with some ricotta and greens, or if you’re making ravioli or manicotti, maybe skip the pasta making and stuffing steps. Naked is kind of fun, and easy.

Duck gnudi

12p  (or 6 main)

1 cup wilted greens (spinach, chard, kale, mustard greens ..), 6 cups fresh

s.q. butter/olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 French shallot, minced

2 cups ricotta

2 duck eggs (or 3 eggs) 

200g ground duck (or chicken, veal, pork..)

¼ c freshly ground parmesan

salt and pepper

pinch nutmeg

Sweat garlic and shallot in olive oil or butter over low heat for 5 min or so. Optional: Deglaze with a splash of white wine or lemon. Cool.

Blanch greens in lots of salted water, refresh, drain and squeeze dry. Chop.

Drain ricotta in a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to get rid of excess moisture.

Mix all ingredients together.

Form into little balls, dust in flour.

Poach in boiling water (gently) for 3 minutes. Lift out and put on a greased tray or in a casserole dish (don’t stack).

Serve as is with a pat of butter, in a broth or sauce, or pan fry in with butter, topped with herbs and parmesan.

Snow Crab Salad

Yield: 8 appetizer portions

2 2 ½ lb crab (or about 400 g crabmeat)

6+ L water

2 Tbsp salt

1 celery stalk, minced

½ small red pepper (no pith), brunoise

2 green onion, minced

1 Tbsp chopped chives

1 tsp chopped dill

pinch chili or tabasco or Sambal or cayenne

50 ml homemade mayo (2 yolks, dijon , lemon, extra virgin olive oil)

s.q. lemon

s.q. extra virgin olive oil

s.q. salt

Method:

1. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil, submerge crab and lower heat. Cook for 8-12 minutes (until bright orange and legs come off easily). Refresh.

2. Make mayo.

3. Blanch salicorne if fresh. If frozen, just thaw (it’s already been blanched). Set aside for garnish.

4. Remove crab meat from shells, being careful not to get any bits of shell, especially when extracting the meat from the body.

5. Combine meat with seasonings and season to taste.

Serve as is, in a bun or as an hors d’oeuvre stuffed into a tomato or zucchini slice..

I like it straight up alongside a crunchy sea asparagus or green salad and some toasted baguette (with ramp butter).

You can change it up by lightening up by omitting the mayo (using just lemon and olive oil), or by changing the flavour combination by using ginger, soy or fish sauce, lime and coriander for an Asian slant, instead of the Greek lemon, dill combo.  You could also go tomato, tarragon, and horseradish for that cocktail sauce taste or just garlic and olive oil, whatever you feel like really.. Just be sure not to overdo the garnishes and seasonings so that you can taste the seafood!

Fiddleheads – 5 recipes

Oh so simple, with butter and garlic. 

Pickled, as a condiment or to jazz up a compound salad, as in a shaved fennel salad with dill and smoked salmon. 

Hot with shallots, bacon and meat jus, sherry vinegar for a nice side dish to accompany meat, fish, eggs, cheese or pasta. 

With Bercy butter for the veg wary carnivore. 

In an Asian inspired vinaigrette with wild ginger mustard, chili and sesame for a sure crowd pleaser. 

For an elegant, hearty entrée, dress them up with duck confit, balsamic glaze, black pepper and shaved parmesan.

Fiddleheads with butter and garlic

Yield: 8 servings

400 g 1 lb Fiddleheads, cleaned and double blanched

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp salted butter

pinch chilli flakes

spash Tamari 

s.q. salt, pepper

s.q. water

Method:

1. Clean fiddleheads, removing dark tip. Blanch twice in lots of boiling salted water for 2 minutes each time. Refresh each time. Reserve.

2. Sauté garlic for a minute or two in butter (no color). Add blanched fiddleheads to pan and warm through, adding a few drops of water if necessary (to emulsify butter). Season and serve as is, or add garnish of choice (chopped herbs, ramps, bacon, sundried tomato...)

Fiddleheads with Bercy butter

Yield: 6 servings

300 g fiddleheads

200g beef marrow

100 g butter

1 tbsp minced shallots

100ml white wine

1 tbsp chopped parsley

10 ml lemon juice

s.q. salt, pepper

Method:

1. Wash and trim fiddleheads, discarding any that are opened or black.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch twice for 2-3 minutes at a time, refreshing after in an ice bath, and using fresh water the second time.

3. Meanwhile, poach diced beef marrow in salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain.

4. Combine marrow and shallots, sweat a couple of minutes in a saucepan, deglaze with wine, cool.

5. Add softened butter, seasonings and combine to make compound butter.

6. When ready to serve, warm butter with half as much water and reheat fiddleheads.

Fiddleheads with shallots, bacon and meat jus, sherry vinegar

Yield: 6 servings

300 g fiddleheads

100g bacon

20 g butter

1 tbsp minced shallots

30 ml sherry vinegar

100 ml meat glaze (or reduced meat stock or demi-glace or pan drippings or miso)

1 tbsp chopped parsley and tarragon

s.q. salt, pepper

Method:

1. Wash and trim fiddleheads, discarding any that are opened or black.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch twice for 2-3 minutes at a time, refreshing after in an ice bath, and using fresh water the second time.

2. Meanwhile, slowly cook bacon in a frying pan. When just about cooked, pour off excess grease (keeping a little), add shallots, cook until translucent. Deglaze with sherry vinegar, then meat jus or stock. Reduce down until a sauce like consistency.

3. Add fiddleheads and warm through. Toss in butter, fresh herbs and season to taste.

Add softened butter, seasonings and combine to make compound butter.

Pickled Fiddleheads

With shaved fennel salad, lemon, walnut oil

8p

400 g 1 lb Fiddleheads, cleaned and double blanched

1 c mirepoix (chopped onion, celery, leeks)

2 c dry white wine

2 c water

1 c white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

½ c sugar

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp. pickling spice

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 sprigs each of parsley, thyme and dill

1 head of fennel, trimmed and sliced finely on the mandolin

2 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (parsley, dill, chives)

s.q. lemon juice (1-2 lemons)

¼ t extra virgin olive oil

s.q. salt, pepper

1 tsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp walnut oil

2 Tbsp chopped fresh walnuts or almonds or pine nuts

Garnish: (Optional)

120 g shaved parmesan or aged cow or sheep’s milk cheese

Note: You could remove walnuts and serve this with smoked salmon or fish..

Method:

1. Clean fiddleheads, removing dark tip. Blanch twice in lots of boiling salted water for 2 minutes each time. Refresh each time. Reserve.

2. Make a court bouillon by boiling water, wine, vinegar, sugar, salt, pickling spice and herb stems for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, slice fennel thinly and toss with lemon juice, a bit of olive oil and half the chopped herbs. Season and mix. Allow to sit so that fennel softens.

4. Strain court bouillon and reduce by 1/3. Pour over blanched fiddleheads. Toss in the lemon zest, allow to cool. Add the rest of the chopped parsley, dill and chives, and the rest of the olive oil. Season to taste.

5. To assemble salad, spread fennel mixture on plate as a bed, top with a mound of pickled fiddleheads in center, top with nuts and cheese, drizzle with walnut oil or hazelnut oil.

Fiddleheads with duck confit, Reggianno and balsamic glaze

Yield: 8 servings

400 g 1 lb Fiddleheads, cleaned and double blanched

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced shallot or onion

1 Tbsp unsalted butter or duck fat

8 confit duck legs (prepared/bought)

80 g shaved parmesan Reggianno or Quebec cheese of choice

s.q. chopped fresh herbs (parsley and/or chives and basil)

s.q. mixed greens

Balsamic reduction

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp sugar

Optional

4 ripe tomatoes

¼ c basil leaves

Method:

1. Make balsamic reduction by combining balsamic vinegar and sugar and reduce gently until slightly syrupy, cool.

2. Clean fiddleheads, removing dark tip. Blanch twice in lots of boiling salted water for 2 minutes each time. Refresh each time. Reserve.

3. Heat up duck confit in oven.

4. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and shallot gently in butter or duck fat until soft and translucent (a few minutes), add blanched fiddleheads and warm through. Season with salt and pepper and parsley, chives, and/or basil.

5. Serve duck hot with warm fiddlheads, top with balsamic glaze and shaved parmesan. Serve with a simple green salad and or a tomato salad.

Asian style soup

First you need a flavorful light stock. A homemade duck, chicken, oxtail or beef stock is ideal. You can also make a good vegetable stock with onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms, some dried porcini or shitake.... If you use canned stock, I would definately add some vegetables or meat to the soup and watch the soy so that it doesn’t turn out to salty.

You make the soup base, then you can add noodles, wontons or julienned vegetables, a tofu or meat garnish, whatever you like. You can make it more like a hot and sour by adding some sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar and more chili. This can be served as a meal too, just pump up the garnish ...

4L ( 12 p)

225g mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp minced shallot or onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger root

s.q. chili paste (like Sambal or Sriracha)

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp Chinese five spice or (star anise, coriander seed, cinnamon, fennel, peppercorn)

1tsp black bean paste

3 L Duck or chicken stock or beef stock or vegetable stock

1 c Bok choy or Napa cabbage, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp hoisin

1Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

¼ c coriander leaves, chopped

1 bunch scallions, chopped

2c fresh bean sprouts

3c par-cooked rice noodles or wontons

s.q. salt, pepper

s.q. tamari

Sauté mushrooms, lower heat, add shallot or onion and cook a few minutes to soften. Add garlic, ginger, black bean paste and spices. After a minute, add stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, the hoisin and season to taste. You might want to add a little vinegar or more lime, some tamari or soy, more chili or a pinch of sugar. Then add the cabbage, and any meat or vegetable garnish you are adding. Add your cooked noodles. You could use pre-cooked wontons instead. When hot throughout, check seasoning and serve, generously garnishing bowls with fresh coriander, scallions, and bean sprouts.