Epinard au Gratin

Portions- 4

Spinach Souffle In Multiple Layers, Covered in white sauce and Layered with Grated Cheese .

S. no. Ingredients Quantity

1 Spinach – picked and cleaned 500 g

2 Butter 100 g

3 Cheese – grated 75 g

Salt and pepper To taste

Method:

1. Wash the spinach thoroughly.

2. Parboil in boiling salted water and drain thoroughly. Chop or leave whole.

3. Place over high heat with butter to dry. Add grated cheese, season and mix.

4. Place on a buttered gratin dish.

5. Sprinkle with cheese and brown in the oven or a salamander.

POULET A LA KIEV WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Portions- 4

Its a dish of chicken fillet pounded and rolled around cold butter, then coated with eggs and breadcrumbs, and either fried or baked.

S. no. Ingredients Quantity

1 Butter 150 gm

2 Ground Black Pepper 2gm

3 Garlic Powder 1gm

4 Boneless Chicken Breast Halves 2 nos ( 150 gm each)

5 Eggs 2 nos

6 Dried Dill Weed 2gm

7 All-Purpose Flour 50gm

8 Bread Crumbs 100 gm

9 Oil For Frying 200 ml

10 Lemon 1 no

11 Chopped Fresh Parsley 5 gm

Method:

1. Combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. On a 6×6 inch piece of aluminum foil, spread mixture to about 2×3 inches. Place this mixture in the coldest section of your freezer and freeze until firm. This can be done ahead of time.

2. Remove all fat from the chicken breast. If using whole chicken breasts, cut them in half. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of waxed paper and using a mallet, pound carefully to about 1/4 inch thickness or less.

3. When butter mixture is firm, remove from freezer and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of butter on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and then roll to encase the butter completely. Secure the chicken roll with small skewers or toothpicks.

4. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with water until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, dill weed and flour. Coat the chicken well with the seasoned flour. Dip the floured chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on a shallow tray and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. In a medium size deep frying pan, heat vegetable oil to medium-high. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes then turn over and fry for 5 minutes longer or until the chicken is golden brown. To test for doneness, cut into one of the rolled chicken breasts to make sure it doesn’t have a pink interior. Serve immediately, garnished with a sliced lemon twist and a sprinkling or parsley.

Mushroom sauce:

Béchamel + sautéed mushrooms + Thyme + seasoning

Bisque de Ecrevisse

Portions- 4

Bisque D’ecrevisse is a crayfish and vegetable soup. This seafood soup is herbed with a three herb medley and spiced with cayenne, garlic and a dash of tabasco sauce. Served over rice or as desired, it makes a great and filling meal.

S. no. Ingredients Quantity

1 Crayfish small (40 g each) 30 nos.

For mire poix

2 Carrots 50 g

3 Onions 50 g

4 Butter 50 g

5 Thyme 1 sprig

6 Parsley 3 stalks

8 Bay leaf ½

9 Brandy 1 tsp

10 white wine 20 ml

For thickening

12 Rice 60 g

13 White bouillon 1.5 litre

For finishing

15 Cream 10 ml

16 Butter 150 g

17 Salt & pepper To taste

18 Cayenne pepper 2 g

19 Minced fish fillet 50 gms

20 Salt & pepper A pinch

21 Egg- beaten 1/4th

22 Refined flour 5 g.

Method:

1. Cut carrots, onions, parsley stalks into small dices & cook to light brown colour in butter with thyme & bay leaf.

2. Wash the crayfish, remove tails and shell them carefully. Reserve the shelled tails for garnish.

3. Add the heads and the shells to the mire poix and then cook on fierce heat, until they turn red. Season with salt & pepper, sprinkle with the brandy and the wine and allow to cook gently and reduce. Add 25 ml white bouillon and cook gently for 10 mins.

4. Cook the rice with 75 ml white bouillon.

5. Take out some shelled tails for garnish.

6. Finally pound the remainder of the shells, add rice & its cooking liquid together with the cooking liquid from the crayfish.

7. Pass through a fine sieve and dilute this puree with 50 ml white bouillon. Bring to the boil, pass through fine strainer. Correct the consistency and the seasoning. Hold it hot in a bain-marie.

8. Finish the soup before serving with 150 g butter & 10 ml cream & add a little cayenne pepper.

9. Garnish: cut the reserved crayfish tails in dice and add to the soup.

10. Serve separately the crayfish tails stuffed with fish forcemeat and poached.

Tortellini with polenta, basil pesto and cheese sauce

Portion: 1

Piping hot Tortellini served in a simple, delicious cheese sauce with polenta.

INGREDIENTS QUANTITY

FOR PASTA

Flour 100GM

Egg 1

Salt & pepper 2gm

For stuffing

Pumpkin 50 gm

Basil 6 nos

For polenta

polenta 50 gms

Water/ milk 200 ml

Salt & pepper 5gm

For basil pesto

Basil 50gm

Garlic 5gm

Parmesan 2gm

Pine nuts 10gm

Olive oil 100ml

For cheese sauce

Béchamel 100ml

Cheese 20gm

Method:

HOMEMADE PASTA:

1. To make the dough by hand, mound the flour in a bowl or better yet on a flat, non-porous surface — your counter or tabletop work great. Add a pinch of salt to the flour. Without it, the pasta will taste flat.

Make a well in the mound of flour and crack the eggs into the well. Use a fork to beat the eggs in the well, then slowly incorporate the flour from the sides of the well into the egg mixture.

2. Once the flour is fully incorporated and is too thick to mix with a fork, it’s time to knead by hand. Kneading the dough creates the critical gluten structure that holds the pasta together. Knead the dough until it is smooth, very firm, and dry — about 8 to 12 minutes. If it feels sticky, dust your dough and work surface with flour and knead until smooth and firm.

3. The dough is ready to be shaped when you can set the dough on a clean countertop without it sticking. Portion the dough into balls. Keep the balls of dough relatively small for easier handling — about tennis ball-size. As you become more comfortable with the dough, you can shape larger pieces of pasta.

Tightly wrap the pasta dough in plastic and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour to give the gluten a chance to relax. This step makes the dough easier to work with — keeps it from shrinking and snapping back as you stretch it.

POLENTA:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.

3. Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

BASIL PESTO:

1. Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a several times.

2. Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

3. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.Stir in some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Borscht

Portion : 2

Borscht derives from an ancient soup originally cooked from pickled stems, leaves and umbels of common hogweed, a herbaceous plant growing in damp meadows, which lent the dish its Slavic name. With time, it evolved into a diverse array of tart soups, among which the beet-based red borscht has become the most popular. It is typically made by combining meat or bone stock with sautéed vegetables, which – as well as beetroots – usually include cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes and tomatoes. Depending on the recipe, borscht may include meat or fish, or be purely vegetarian; it may be served either hot or cold; and it may range from a hearty one-pot meal to a clear broth or a smooth drink. It is often served with smetana or sour cream, hard-boiled eggs or potatoes, but there exists an ample choice of more involved garnishes and side dishes, such as uszka or pampushky, that can be served with the soup.

INGREDIENTS QUANTITY

Beet root 150 gm

Carrot 75 gm

Savoy cabbage 75 gm

Potato 50gm

Onion 100 gm

Celery 25 gm

Vinegar 10 ml

Vegetable stock 600ml

Salt & pepper 5gm

Tomato pure 50ml

Sour cream 15 ml

parsley 2gm

Butter 20gm

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add sauted garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.

3. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream, if desired, and fresh parsley.

Navarin of lamb

Portion: 2

Navarin is a French ragoût (stew) of lamb or mutton. If made with lamb and vegetables available fresh in the spring, it is called navarin printanier (spring stew).

INGREDIENTS QUANTITY

Lamb shoulder 300 gm

Butter/ oil 50ml

Garlic 20gm

Brown stock 250 ml

Thyme 2gm

Tomato 50gm

Tomato pure 25ml

Bay leaf 1no

Red wine 50ml

Potato 100gm

Carrot 75gm

Turnip 75gm

Beans 50gm

Onion 50gm

Green peas 50gm

Salt & pepper 10 gm

Sugar 5 gm

Parsley 2gm

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add a third of the lamb and cook, turning, for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a plate. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with the remaining lamb, reheating the pan between batches.

2. Add the flour, tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the stock and wine. Add the thyme and bay leaves and bring to the boil over high heat. Return lamb to pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 10 minute.

3. Add the potato to the lamb mixture and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.

4. Meanwhile, cook the carrots in a large saucepan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the spring onions and the beans.

5. Add the carrots, onions, beans and peas to the lamb mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Darne De Saumon Grille

“Darne De Saumon Grille is basically the fish steak. Darne de saumon grille, sauce Bearnaise – salmon cutlet grilled with an egg- and butter based sauce flavored with tarragon.”

Portions- 4

 Salmon – 500 g

Butter or oil – 30 g

Salt and pepper – 60 g

Method:

1. Clean and cut salmon into slices about 2.5 to 3.75 cm thick.

2. Apply salt and pepper, sprinkle with melted butter and grill on a rather brisk fire for the first part.

3. Reduce heat and finish grilling.

4. Serve with maitre d’hotel butter or with any other sauce recommended for grilled fish.

FISH COLBERT

The term colbert means:A method of trimming and presenting a fish, often an inexpensive one, such as codfish, whiting (a member of the codfish family) or sole. You make a slit in the back of the fish from head to tail, then cut the backbone in three places. Then you dip it in egg, roll in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry it. After cooking, you then bone the fish, and stuff it with herbed butter (butter, tarragon, chervil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.) You dilute some of the herbed butter with melted butter, pour it on the fish, and pop in the oven for a few minutes to reheat through.

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY
FISH FILLET	2 NOS
FLOUR	100GM
BUTTER	75GM
MILK	50ML
SALT AND PEPPER	5GM
PARSLEY	20GM
LEMON	1NO
LEMON JUICE	25ML
CAPERS	3-5 NOS
OLIVE OIL	25ML
BREAD CRUMB	100GM

METHOD:

To make the parsley butter: Soften butter in a bowl. Grate in zest from half the lemon (keep other half for garnish). Add parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well, then form butter into a roll (about 2.5cm/1in round) in paper or foil and chill until firm.

Mix flour with seasoning and milk in a shallow bowl to make the batter. Put crumbs on a large sheet of paper or baking tray. Dip each piece of fish in the batter, then in the breadcrumbs to coat them all over.

Heat half of the oil in a frying and fry 2 pieces of fish, skin- side up, for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Flip over and cook for a minute. Take out and keep them warm in the oven, then cook the other 2 pieces in the rest of the oil.

Put the fish on 2 hot plates, adding a couple of slices of parsley butter per portion. Serve with lemon wedges, along with potatoes and green vegetables

Petit Pois a la Flamande

Petits pois…

 

(Cookery) small sweet fresh green peas.The fresh peas are used as accompanying vegetables and are traditionally prepared “à l’anglaise” or “à la française”. In English, the peas are cooked in salt water brought to boil. At the end of the cooking they drain and add butter (The English also add mint ). In the French style, they are steamed in butter, with new onions and lettuce, moistened with a little water. When serving, they are bound with butter or cream ⁷ . They are also used in the preparation of salads, vegetable planters, macedonia and mashed potatoes.

Portions- 4

Peas – 250 G

Carrots – 250 g

Salt –  1 tsp

Butter – 60 g

Sugar – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Shell and wash peas.

2. Cook the carrots as per glazed carrots- turn the carrots to olive shape. Place in a pan and enough

water to barely cover them. Add salt, sugar and butter.

3. Cook till half the moisture evaporates.

4. Add shelled peas and continue to cook so that both are finished at the same time. Add little butter to glaze them. Serve hot.

KROMESKIES

Kromeskies, or cromesquis, are found frequently in early nineteenth century cookery books and appear to be strange hybrids, part-French, part-Polish, part-sausage, part-croquette. In any case they are wholly delicious. This version was the one favoured by the South Kensington School of Cookery in its heyday, over one hundred years ago.

List of Ingredients

Onion –                              1 medium, finely chopped

Mushrooms –                   110g finely chopped

Butter –                             25g

Fresh breadcrumbs –     110g

Egg yolks –                        2

Double cream –               2 tbsp

Salt, pepper and nutmeg

Cooked chicken, turkey, ham or tongue –      225g (8 oz), chopped

Streaky bacon rashers –                              4 thinly cut, rinds removed

Oil –                                                                 for frying

 

BATTER:

Plain flour –                         175g (6 oz)

Salt –                                     pinch

Oil –                                       2 tsp

Tepid water –                      300 ml (½ pint)

Egg whites –                        2

Yeast-                                   5gm

METHOD:

Cook the onions and mushrooms in butter for a few minutes. When they are soft but not browned mix them with the breadcrumbs, egg yolks, cream, salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Stir in the chopped meat.

Stretch the bacon rashers and flatten them with the blade of a knife. Cut each one in half, spread it thickly with the mixture and roll up.

To make the batter, put the flour and salt in a bowl, pour the oil in the centre, gradually add the water, stirring it well with a wooden spoon to make a creamy batter.

Beat the egg white to a stiff foam and fold it lightly into the batter.

                                                             

Dip the bacon rolls into the mixture and deep-fry them to a golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and serve very hot