Chicken Thighs with mustard on Polenta

What you need

• chicken thighs
• dijon mustard
• green onions
• garlic
• lime juice
• corn meal (polenta)
• kernel corn
• buttermilk
• salt and pepper

De-bone the chicken thighs, rub with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a cast iron skillet and heat it up
Mix finely chopped green onion, finely chopped garlic, dijon and lime juice together
Spoon a little of the mixture onto the frying chicken thighs
Put a lid on the skillet so that the meat steams
Heat a little water and the juice from the kernel corn can in a pot and add the polenta
Add buttermilk, salt and pepper to the polenta until you get a good consistency
Add enough of the kernel corn to make it interesting
When the chicken skin is crisp, turn over the thighs
Spoon some of the mustard mixture on the skin and put in the oven to finish
Spoon some creamy polenta onto a plate and place chicken thighs in the centre

The kernel corn adds some sweetness to the polenta (and a bit of crunch) that contrasts with the sharpness of the mustard

Espinacas a la Catalan

I had this in a tapas restaurant and it was so dammed good I had to make it myself.  It's spinach and lots of it reduced down to this dense flavourful dish

What you need

• spinach
• pine nuts
• garlic
• rasins (or dried cranberries, dates)
• olive oil
• cider vinegar (or balsamic)
• salt and pepper

To do this in a single pot
Put some olive oil in a pot and sautee the finely chopped garlic.  Toss in the pine nuts too.
Add all the spinach... a whole bag... if the leaves are too large, chop them up a bit... fill the pot and put a lid on it
The spinach will reduce down to about 1/5 it's size when cooked
Stir in the dried fruit with a spash of vinegar and olive oil (if needed) some salt and pepper
Serve warm

Fried Endive

I made this last night to go with some veal chops

What you need

• endives
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• bit of sugar

Turn the heat on high under your big cast iron skillet
Pour in some olive oil
Slice endives lengthwise and rub with a bit of olive oil
Sprinkle salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar over them
Place cut side down into the frying pan and let them sizzle away
Let them carmalize away, checking occasonally until the cooked side turns dark brown
When they're brown enough for you, flip them over to do the backs a bit
Serve warm

Strawberry Galette

Two different types of galettes in france.  What we're making here is a rustic tart with crusty crust.  A galette can also mean a buckwheat crepe.  When I was at Mont St Michel I ordered a galette au fromage thinking I'd be getting a cheese tart instead it was a buckwheat cheese crepe.  Ahhhh, c'est bon.

What you need

• flour
• butter (cold)
• water
• sugar
• salt
• strawberries
• almonds
• egg

Mix flour, sugar, salt, (I toss in a pinch of baking powder too) and cut in your cold cold butter.  Don't be afraid to leave pea sized chunks of it.
Mix in a couple tablespoons of cold cold water until you have a big firm ball
Put that in the freezer
Grind up some almonds (or you can buy them pre-ground - geesh)
Slice up your strawberries into a bowl and add whatever your heart desires
sugar, a dash of OJ, Cointreau, some different berries, rasins, prunes
Take your cold cold ball-o-dough and start to roll it out on a floured surface
Try to keep it as circular as possible - but hey, it's rustic... it can be any shape it wants to be
When you have it as thin as you can manage without it falling apart, put it on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet
In the centre, away from the edge, pour in your ground almonds and spread kinda flat
On top of the almonds, plop the mound of your strawberry mix
Start folding the edge of the pastry partly covering the mound overlapping as you go until you've made folds completely around the tart
Beat the egg and brush it all over
Pour the remaining part of the egg into the opening on top
Bake it at 350 until it's nice and brown
Let cool before you start to eat this baby

Cherry Clafoutis

Kla-foo-tee
Ultra simple dessert that makes little cherries oh-so-good.

What you need

• cherries
• flour
• cream
• sugar
• eggs
• butter

Put a layer of cherries in ramakins or a pie dish if you want to make a big one.
Do not pit the cherries!  I've seen debates on whether or not to pit.  If you don't pit, the cherries hold their shape, plump up to be little explosions of cherry-ness and the pits cook adding an almond like flavour.  Sure you have to spit the pits out - so what?  Provide your guests with a spitoon, it might be a use for those old ashtrays, encourge them to hork pits on the persion rug.  Just do it.

Put a single layer of cherries (sans stems, pits compris) in buttered ramakins or buttered pie dish
Sprinkly with a little bit of sugar
Mix together flour and sugar and beat in eggs and cream until you have a thick pancake mix
you know, nutmeg would be good too... or cinnamon... or both...
Pour the mix over your cherries just covering them a bit
Bake in an oven at around 350 until the tops turn brown
If you cook it longer, it will be more cakey.  The batter around the cherries sould be like a creamy custard
Let cool a bit before diving in

Gnocchi

Ah gnocchi, the simplest little pasta going.  I remember back when I would buy vacuum sealed packages of it.  My life changed watching Michael Smith make it on one of his Food Network shows.  Even before he was finished making the gnocchi, I was in the kitchen baking a potato.  I didn't believe it could be that easy.  Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer.

Potato Gnocchi
What you need

• potato
• flour
• egg
• salt

Start boiling a big pot of water
Take a baked potato and mash it up (I've also nuked a potato.  I like to leave the skin on 'cause it's good for you)
Add an egg and some salt.  Keep mashing
Start adding flour until you get the consistency of non-sticky dough
Bust up into manageable pieces
Roll on a floured surface into a snake
Chop up the snake into bite sized pieces
Drop one at a time into the boiling water
When they rise they're done

Toss in some sauce and eat them.

Now I went as far as getting a gnocchi board

So when you have little bite sized pieces you roll them on the board before you plop them in the water to get little groves on each gnoccho to help grab onto sauce.

            comme ca

Now potato gnocchi is like carb on carb so I soon moved into ricotta gnocchi but I wouldn't just stop there.  Instead of potato one could puree some onion or celery use parsnips, turnip or celariac.  I just had an idea for some roasted garlic gnocchi that I have to try.

As for the sauce... whatever you want - a pesto, tomato, brown butter sage, cheese, mushroom pick one.

Pork Tenderloin Saucisson - Tasso seasoning

What you need

• pork tenderloin
• salt
• sugar
• cognac - or brandy, bourbon, whatever
• tasso seasoning - let's go NOLA

Rub the pork tenderloin in a 50/50 salt/sugar mix
Throw into a zip lock bag, pour in the rest of the salt sugar and toss into the fridge
Occassionally pour out the accumlated liquid
Let sit for a couple of days
Rinse off salt/sugar
Rub with cognac, whiskey, whatever
Now in Jacques Pepin recipe he uses herbs de provence
I chose to go tasso.  Tasso is a New Orleans pork seasoning.

Tasso seasoning
What you need

• brown sugar
• cayenne
• paprika
• salt
• black pepper
• white pepper
• garlic powder
• cinnamon

Portions and amounts to taste, Cher. Laissez le Bon temp rouler.
Rub your loins with tasso, Cher
Wrap in cheesecloth
Truss up with butchers twine
And dangle off a shelf in your fridge
Let it dangle for a couple or three weeks
Slice thinly and enjoy any way you want.  Put on some crackers and cream cheese.  C'est bon.

Pea Soup

What you need

• peas (Well, duh!)
• chicken Stock
• milk
• basil
• salt and pepper

Heat up some of your frozen homemade duck stock.  Or you can use a carton of chicken you lazy bastard.
Toss in either a can of peas or a cup of frozen peas
Chop up about half a package of basil leaves and toss that in
When it's nice and hot throw it into the blender 'cause blending hot liquids is fun and dangereuses...
Pour it back into the pot
Clean out the blender with a bit of milk and pour that in too
Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with a big dollop of sour cream or youghurt

Gravlax - Cured Salmon

What you need

• salmon
• salt
• sugar
• dill

This struck me as something simple to do and after the success I've been having with the duck proscuitto and pork saucisson I thought I'd turn my attention to fish.

Take a skin on salmon fillet and rub with a 50/50 salt/sugar mix
Put it into a container and cover with dill (I used dry but you can use fresh)
Cover with plastic wrap
Put another container on top and weigh it down (I used pickle jars)
Drain off the accumulated liquid occassionally
Let it sit for 48 hours

... now I did this yesterday so I haven't even tasted it yet... stay tuned

OK, ate it.  Can't say I'm nuts about it.  I kept expecting the taste of smoked salmon... and then when that's not there it's like... Awwwwww.  Now the flesh did firm up.  Tons of liquid came out during the curing process.  But you should try it - maybe you'll like it.

Homemade Ricotta

What you need

• milk
• lemon juice

I used whole milk
Put milk in a pot and bring it to almost boiling
Toss in some lemon juice (a couple table spoons) You can also use vinegar
Turn the heat down
Put a couple layers of cheesecloth in a strainer
Strain out the solids
Now you can either keep the liquid and do it again to get the last little bits of cheese out of it.  Or you can use the liquid for another purpose like a soup base, baking or an invigorating health drink.  Or you can just throw it out.
You can squeeze it as much as you want.  The more you squeeze, the firmer it gets.
You can add salt or how about honey for a sweet treatment, rosemary, cayenne... the world is your ricotta.

Pate a Choux Cheese Puffs

I blame Alton Brown.

What you need

• water
• butter
• flour
• cheese - pecorino, parmesean, romano (something hard)
• salt and pepper

Boil 1 cup of water
Toss in 3/4 stick of butter and as much salt as you feel like
Throw in 1 cup of flour and stir util you have a big firm ball (if too liquidy add more flour, if too firm add some water)
Let it cool a bit in the pot
Crack in one egg and work it in.
Crack in a second egg and work it in.
Add some grated peccorino, parmesean, romano, all three, or any hard cheese you feel like. And some pepper.
Now, you can either stuff this mix into a piping bag and squeeze out your profiteroles onto some parchment paper
Or, stuff it into a freezer bag, slice off a corner and squeeze away
Or, put some water in a bowl and with very wet fingers grab little balls of it and place on some parchment
They should be kinda round and smooth out the tops or any little pointy bits will burn
Preheat an over to 425 and toss in when it's at temperature
Five minutes later turn down to 350
When they look purdy they're done

And then you eat them all.  As Anne said, "These won't keep so we might as well finish them off."

Pork-u-Pear

Ever get tired of pork with some kind of apple treatment?  I chose pears just to try and make life that much more exciting.

What you need

• pork
• pear
• sage
• salt and pepper

Pork, pork, pork.  Pork chop, Sliced pork loin, Sliced pork shoulder.  Pick one or two.
Rub with salt and pepper
Put in an oven proof dish
Put some finely sliced sage on top (or use dried)
Slice some pear and put on top of the pork
Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 (longer if they're thicker)
With the remaining pear bits (or chop up another pear - go ahead be brave)
Put it in a bowl with some water, lemon juice and sugar and nuke for a few minutes
Mash it up and you have some pear sauce to accompany your pork

When I first made this I covered the pork/pear with molasses.  You can to if you want.
I've also smeared some dijon on the pork before putting the pears on it.  You could do that too if you want.

Duck Proscuitto

What you need

• duck breasts
• salt
• sugar
• congnac
• pepper
• cheesecloth, butcher's twine

Using the duck breasts I harvested from the duck for the duck rillettes, I made some duck proscuitto.

Make a 50/50 mixture of salt and sugar
Rub all over the breasts
Toss into a zip lock bag and pour in the extra salt/sugar
Put in the fridge for a couple of days
Pour out the accumulated liquid once a day or whenever you feel like it
Rinse off the sugar/salt and pat dry
Rub with some cognac (brandy, whiskey, burbon, sherry - whatever)
Sprinkle some pepper
Wrap each breast in cheesecloth
Using butcher's twine, tie each one up and dangle it from a fridge shelf
Let it dry for a couple weeks

You can then liberate it and slice very thinly.  Put it on some crackers and cream cheese.
Chop it up and sprinkle it on a salad like bacon bits.
Or just chew on it like jerky - you are your own master.

Cold Beet Soup - Cold Borscht

This is great on a hot summer day and there's no cooking involved.  All you need is a blender.  Well, and the food listed below...


What you need (for two)

• can of sliced beets
• half an english cucumber
• 4 scallions
• 2 cups buttermilk
• sour cream or yoghurt
• salt and pepper

In your blender toss in the can of beets with liquid, cucumber chopped, scallions chopped (I begin blending the solids before adding), buttermilk, salt and pepper.  If it's too thick, add some more buttermilk, plain milk or just water.  If it's too thin, then you added too much buttermilk - shame, shame on you.

I put the whole blender jar in the freezer to get it nice and cold.

When you're ready to serve, give it a final spin, pour into bowls and put a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt on top.

Pancetta Asparagus or Brussel Sprouts

What you need

• Pancetta
• Asparagus or Bussel Sprouts

This couldn't be easier.

Chop up your pancetta into little pieces and toss into a hot skillet.

Clean your asparagus anyway you feel comfortable.  I've snapped, cut, peeled with little difference.  Cutting is quicker but peeling gets you more product - you choose.

If you're doing brussel sprouts, trim the bottoms and either cut into quarters or peel all the leaves off if you want a more delicate presentation and have nothing better to do with your life.

Once the fat has rendered out a bit, toss in your veg to enjoy the hot oil bath.

Don't overcook the veg - it just needs a bit to add flavour.

Serve covered with the little meaty bits scraped from the pan. OMG.

Since Pancetta is already salted and spiced, you don't need to add more but you can if you want.

Duck Rillettes

This all began when I went to Chinatown to pick up a duck.  Now normally I do a whole duck butterflied in a large baking dish so the flesh confits itself - but that will be another post.  This time I wanted to make Rillettes de Canard.

So, whole duck.  I harvested the breasts to make some duck proscuitto.  Since this bird came from Chinatown, it had feet, head, the whole shebang.  I harvested all the big bones for stock.  What I was left with was legs (bone in), wings (yes with bones), skin, miscellanous scraps of meat.

Toss all the meat into a pressure cooker
Add salt and pepper and cooked that sucker at pressure for a couple of hours
Let it cool down, don't be too eager
Scrape the meat from the bones (keep the bones for stock)
Take the skin and crisp it up in a frying pan
Used a mesh strainer to get duck fat out of the meat (keep the confit)
Shred the meat in a bowl
Chop up the crispy skin and add that to the meat
Add cognac, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and orange zest
Spoon the mixture into ramekins and push it down with a fork to create a level surface
Spoon the duck fat onto the ramekins until there is about a 1/4 inch of fat over the meat
Put in the fridge and don't touch for two days

Now, you make some toast points.  Slice up some cornichon (baby dills).  Fork on some Rillettes to the toast.  Put a pickle on top.  OMG.

What you need

• A duck
• cognac
• chopped parsley
• orange zest
• salt and pepper
• toast points and cornichon for the eating

Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Sauce

What you need

• chicken thighs
• mushrooms - crimini, button, shitake, oyster - whatever floats your boat
• onion
• garlic
• butter
• flour
• buttermilk
• dried sage
• chinese five spice
• salt and pepper

Debone the thighs yourself - you can do it.  Season with chinese five spice, salt and pepper.

Put skin side down in a skillet and turn up the heat to high.  Put a lid on the skillet.  You want the skin crisp and the flesh to be steamed

While the chicken is frying I started to saute the onion and garlic in butter in a separate frying pay.  Once the onion is good and soft, throw in the mushrooms.

When the chicken has crispy skin, turn skin side up and finish in the oven.  Now I poured the excess chicken fat into the onion/mushroom pan.  Oh yes, you know I did.

I added some flour to the onion/mushroom/chicken fat pan to make a bit of roux.  I also tossed in some dried sage - that seemed to be right.

Then added the buttermilk.

I placed the chicken on some rice I whipped up and gooped on the mushroom sauce.

There done.  Not pretty but oh so good.  Another Jacques Pepin rip off.

Radish Toasts

This is based on a Jacques Pepin recipe.  It's just toast and radishes.

What you need

• Radishes
• Bread - sour dough, baguette, whatever
• cream cheese
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

To make toast I like to slice the bread and drizzle some olive oil on it then put it under the broiler.

Slice the radishes with a mandolin to get nice even slices or brush up on your knife skills.

Smear cream cheese on the toasts.  I first cut the toast into small two-bite sizes.

Layer the radish slices like scales.

Sprinkle salt and pepper.

There, done.  In Jacques' recipie he used butter but I thought cream cheese would work better.  You don't need a lot of it either - unless you really want a lot of cream cheese then smear away.