New Orleans Inspired Dinner

Back in August, the spouse and I got a chance to take a mini-vacation in New Orleans. We ate some amazing food at some fantastic restaurants. A frequent customer asked me to make a meal inspired by our trip.

The menu I ended up doing was an appetizer of a savory asparagus cheesecake with jalapeño aioli, a shrimp bisque with a whole wheat cheddar Parmesan cracker, an entree of chicken en papillote with crab mushroom béchamel, braised chard, and green onion hush puppies, and vanilla bean ice cream with bananas Foster.

The appetizer was inspired by one we had at Dick and Jenny's. Mine was a cheesecake with ricotta, feta, and Parmesan cheese, and blanched asparagus. The recipe I started from is this one from Food.com. 

The crust is a cracker crust using whole grain club crackers. I blind baked the crust before hand, so that it would not be soggy.

It is garnished with a  jalapeño aioli, made from mayonnaise, roasted jalapeño, key lime juice, and sea salt.

I served the cheesecake warm. This resulted in a silky texture that was quite pleasant.The contrast with the crispy crust was spot on.

The soup is a shrimp bisque. The stock was made from about three pounds of crayfish shells, mostly heads, that I simmered for three hours, then ground up with an immersion blender and ran through my chinois.

This provided a solid base for the soup. I added green and red bell peppers, onion, and celery. It was seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, cumin, cayenne, and fresh ground black ground black pepper.

I pouched one whole shrimp per bowl in the stock for garnish,. The rest are cut up in small pieces, and added right before service, so that they were not overcooked.

To go with the soup, I made whole wheat cheddar Parmesan crackers. They had a robust texture that held up well to the soup.

For the entree, I made chicken en papillote with a crab mushroom bechemel. It's a fun way of cooking. En papillote is French for in paper. The food is wrapped in parchment paper, and  baked in a hot oven. It steams in the envelope.

To go with, I braised white chard with apple cider vinegar. That gave it a mild sweetness to counterbalance its natural mild bitterness.  It was cooked with bacon and onion. 

I also made green onion hush puppies, because, really, what is more quintessentially New Orleans than hush puppies. Crispy outside, light and fluffy in the middle, with a hint of heat from a little cayenne.







For dessert, I made bananas Foster over vanilla bean  ice cream. No pictures, my phone died before I could get any. Great flavors of rum, banana, brown sugar, and spices over a good quality ice cream. Didn't have time to make my own, unfortunately.

Recipes

Savory Asparagus Cheesecake

Crust:

5 1/2 oz. whole grain club crackers
2 1/2 oz. butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
spray canola oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Use spay oil to generously grease six 4 1/2" ramekins.

In a food processor, grind crackers very fine. Add butter and eggs. Process until smooth. Press dough into ramekins. Bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven, let cool.

Custard:

1 bunch asparagus
1/2 medium white onion, fine diced
8 oz. ricotta
8 oz. feta
1 oz. grated Parmesan
3 1/2 oz.heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Cut tips of asparagus 1" long. cut an additional 1" of stalks. Blanch asparagus pieces in lightly simmering salted water until al dente. Shock in ice water to stop cooking. Select twelve tips to leave whole. Set those aside, fine dice the rest of the asparagus pieces.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Saute onions until tender. Add diced asparagus, saute lightly. Add cream. and turn down to low.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Temper cream mixture, and whisk into cheese mixture. Season to taste.

Ladle custard into ramekins. Add two
asparagus tips to each ramekin. Sprinkle tops of custard with Parmesan.

Place full ramekins in a shallow baking dish. Add hot water to half way up the ramekins. Bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let rest about 10 minutes. Gently run a knife between crust  Slide cheesecake from ramekin, plate and garnish with jalapeño aioli.

 Jalapeño Aioli

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 medium  jalapeño

1 tsp. key lime juice

salt to taste

Roast  jalapeño in 350 F oven until blackened. Shock in ice bath. Peel, de-stem, and de-seed. 

Blend together  jalapeño, juice, mayo, and salt until smooth.

Shrimp Bisque

Stock:

3 lbs. crayfish shells

5 quarts water

Simmer shells in water for three hours. Using an immersion blender, grind up shells. Filter through a chinois to remove shell bits.

Soup:

1 qt. crayfish stock

1 lb. shrimp tails without shells

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 strips bacon, diced 

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium heat, render fat out of bacon. Add vegetables, saute until tender. Add stock and spices, bring to a simmer.

Take six whole shrimp. Poach in soup until cooked, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Dice remainder of shrimp. Add to soup. Simmer until done, 

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with whole shrimp and cheddar Parmesan cracker.

Whole Wheat Cheddar Parmesan Cracker

4 oz. grated sharp cheddar

2 oz. grated Parmesan

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne powder

2 oz. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. cold water, plus more if needed

Combine Cheese, flour, and seasonings in a food processor. Pulse a number of times to combine ingredients.

Add butter. Plus until dough resembles course crumbs. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, processing until dough just sticks together. If too dry, add additional water, 1/2 tsp. at a time.

Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for two hours.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

On a floured surface, roll out dough very thin. With a fork, poke holes in dough at regular intervals. Using a pizza cutter, cut into diamonds. Transfer to a silicon baking pad lined sheet pan. 

Bake ten minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned.

Transfer to parchment paper to cool.

Crab Mushroom Bechemel

3 oz. butter

1 oz. flour

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin

3 oz. canned crab meat with juice

3 cups cream

salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan over medium high heat, melt 2 oz. butter. Saute mushrooms until tender. Set Aside.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt remaining ounce of butter. Add flour, cook until light brown.

Add cream, whisking in until well incorporated. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. when thickened, Add mushrooms and crab. Set aside.

Chicken en Papillote

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

crab mushroom bechemel

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Cut breasts in half lengthwise. Pound each half breast to 3/4" thick.

Cut six 10" hearts out of parchment paper.

Place each half breast on a parchment heart. Cover with bechemel. Crimp paper closed around breast. 

Put packages on baking sheets. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Green Onion Hush Puppies

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

3 green onions, sliced thin

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

canola oil for frying

Whisk together all ingredients.

Heat oil to 365 F. 

Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until golden brown.

Happy Eating!

Culinary Class: Tempura Battered Chicken and Onion Rings

After two weeks off (Spring Break, and written mid-term) we were finally back in the kitchen. We continued our exploration of dry cooking methods with deep frying. We have been moving from least to most oil in the frying methods. We used a batter to coat the food for the first time. Also, we made an aioli from scratch, which was fun. I've never done my own mayonnaise before. Now that I know how ridiculously easy it is, I may do that a lot more.

We took boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and cut them into strips. We pounded the strips flat. They were dredged in a mixture of seasoned flour and cornstarch. We coated them in a tempura batter. We learned the swim method of deep frying. In the swim method, the food is held in tongs. It is half submerged in the hot fat, and gently moved back and forth for ten seconds. It is then carefully released. It should float, and not touch and stick to the bottom. Just as with pan frying, it is important to not try to cook too much at once. Adding food drags down the temperature of the oil. If the oil is too cool, the result will not be pleasant. The chicken is then drained on a paper towel lined tray.

It came out crispy and juicy. The batter was light, and not thick.

We did the same thing with onions. We cut the onions into half inch wide rings (about a fourth of an onion. As I have said before, I am a sucker for good onion rings.

Just like the chicken, the onions were first dredged in a mixture of flour and cornstarch. They were then battered and deep fried, using the same swim method.

We used a commercial tempura mix. Tempura batter is generally based on a low gluten wheat flour, and commercial mixes may include rice flour, corn starch, or leaveners like baking powder. We used it plain, with just some salt and pepper, for the onion rings. The batter for the chicken was more interesting. It was flavored with curry powder and cayenne pepper.

It is important for the batter that the water used is ice cold. It should be mixed as little as possible, it's OK to have some lumps left. You do not want to develop the gluten. If you develop the gluten, you will get a tough and chewy coating. Not what you generally want in fried foods.

We made a spicy aioli as a dipping sauce to go with the chicken and onion rings. An aioli is essentially a mayonnaise. It is an emulsion of oil and water (in this case lemon juice and vinegar) stabilized by the lecithin in egg yolk. Soy lecithin can be used to produce a vegan mayonnaise. The secret is to slowly drizzle the oil into the vinegar and egg, while whisking vigorously. We included onion, garlic, and sambal for flavor.

If you are concerned about potential salmonella contamination, you can use pasteurized or irradiated eggs. Alternatively, you can heat the egg yolks in a double boiler to 160 F, while whisking to prevent coagulation.

The aioli went really well with the chicken and the onion rings. The acid from the lemon brightened the flavors, and the heat from the sambal enhanced them.

As always, all recipes courtesy of chef Joe Orate.

Recipes

Chef Joe's Spiced Tempura Batter

2 cups Tempura Mix
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Ice water as needed

Mix together tempura mix and spices. Add ice water while whisking, until batter resembles thin pancake batter.

Chef Joe's Spiced Aioli Sauce

5 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced onion
juice of 1/2 a lemon
10 oz. by vol. olive oil
1 tsp. sambal chili paste
salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and onion. Slowly drizzle in oil, while whisking vigorously. Whisk in sambal, salt, and pepper.

Happy Eating!

Garlic-Sage Chicken, Chrispy Fried Okra, and Rainbow Chard with Bacon

Tonight was about using up things that needed to be used. I had about a pound of chicken breast left over from the Chicken Tasting Party. I also had some purple okra and rainbow chard from our CSA that needed to be used before it went bad. So far, I've only found two ways to use okra effectively, throw it into a soup or stew just before serving, or bread it and fry it. Admittedly, just about anything can be made tasty that way. I had some leftover bacon, and bacon and greens is always a good combination. Finally, I had leftover sage, and sage and chicken are a classic.

The chicken is sauteed with onion, garlic, and sage. I used both the stems and leaves of the chard. They have different textures, and I like the contrast. The chard stems are cooked in the bacon fat, then the greens and some rice vinegar added to steam and wilt. I breaded the okra in seasoned cornmeal, then fried in hot canola oil.

Recipes

Garlic-Sage Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
12 large fresh sage leaves, cut into thirds
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Toss chicken cubes with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. In a medium-hot pan, add olive oil and chicken. Saute until browned, but not completely cooked. Add onion and sage, cook until onion is nearly translucent, then add garlic. Cook until chicken is done, but still moist.

Crispy Fried Okra

1/2 lb. fresh okra
1 cup fine cornmeal
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 egg, beaten
canola oil for frying

Trim okra, then cut into approximately 1/2 inch long pieces. Mix cornmeal, salt, and spices in a bowl. In a small saute pan, add about 3/4 inch of canola oil. Heat to 370 degrees. Toss okra with egg, then cornmeal mixture, until well coated. In small batches, fry okra until brown and crispy. Be careful not to crowd the pan.

Rainbow Chard with Bacon

2 bunches rainbow chard
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Chop chard into 1 inch long pieces, keeping stems and leaves separate. In a stock pot on medium heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy. Remove bacon. Cook stems in bacon fat until tender. Add leaves and vinegar, put on lid. let steam until chard is wilted. Return bacon ton pan and toss.

Happy Eating!

Pork and Apple Meatballs with Goat Cheese Chili Rellenos

 

For tonight's dinner, I wanted to use some of the beautiful sweet chilies from my CSA. I've never made chili rellenos, but they are one of my favorite foods, so I thought I'd give them a try. I used these instructions  from about.com as my basis.  I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm not sure what varieties I used, as Suzie's didn't let me know what we had. I used two medium size chilies, and two slightly smaller chilies, which are the ones pictured. I roasted the chilies on the grill, until the chilies were soft, and the skins blackened. Once cool, I removed the skins, then made a small slit in each chili, and removed the seeds and membranes with a small spoon. The filling is a mix of cream cheese with a little goat cheese, and a little cumin.  I whipped the cheese smooth, then piped it into the slits in the chilies. The batter is egg whites beaten to stiff peaks, with the yolks whisked lightly with a little salt, and folded into the whites. I deep fried the chilies in 375 degree canola oil, until golden brown.

For the protein, I had some lean ground pork, so made meatballs with granny smith apple, and an apple cider reduction sauce using some Ace Joker hard cider. This is a medium dry cider with a distinctly champagne-like taste and texture. I added a little rosemary and cinnamon to the meatballs, and the cider reduction had some honey, cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cloves. I browned the meatballs in a pan, then finished them in a 300 degree oven. I reduced the cider by about two thirds. It worked great as a dipping sauce.

For the starch I made rice with black cumin seeds. I placed two cups of white long grain rice, 4 cups water, a tablespoon of black cumin seeds, and a teaspoon of kosher salt in my rice cooker, and cooked it. It went very well with both the meatballs and the reduction sauce.

Recipes

Pork and Apple Meatballs

1.2 lbs lean ground pork
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 granny smith apple, diced
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch nutmeg
2 Tbsp. canola oil

In a large bowl, mix everything except oil together. Form meat mixture into golf ball sized balls. Add oil to a medium hot pan, and fry meatballs until golder brown. Transfer pan to a 300 degree oven, and bake until cooked through.

Apple Cider Reduction  Sauce

24 oz. (two bottles) Ace Joker Hard Cider
4 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
 a pinch ground clove

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until volume is reduced by about 2/3.

Goat Cheese Chili Rellenos

4 medium sweet chilies
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
four eggs, separated

Roast chilies on a gas grill or over a gas burner, until chilies are soft, and skins blackened all around. Cool, then peel off skins. Make a small slit in each chili, and use a small spoon to remove seeds and inner membranes.

In the bowl of a mixer, add cheeses, cumin, and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. beat until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag. pipe cheese mixture into the slit in each chili. Do not over fill.

In a chilled bowl, beat egg whites to medium peaks. Whisk egg yolks with 1/4 tsp. salt. Fold yolks gently into egg whites.

Lightly coat chilies with flour. Dip chilies into egg batter, coating liberally. Fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown on both sides.

Happy eating!




Home Made Tortilla Chips with Cumin Salt

So, I've determined to 'follow my bliss', as Dharma used to say. For me, this means giving up trying to work in the IT industry, and going back to school for a culinary degree.  For the cost of the program, the Culinary Arts department at Grossmont College is very good, and very popular. As a first semester student, my odds of getting the baseline classes for savory and pastry were slim and none. I did get into an elective course, Wines of the World. It's a fun class. Chef Dave is funny, knowledgeable, and passionate.

We, the students, are encouraged to bring foods to pair with the wines. Last week we did a test tasting, and I brought some nice persian cucumbers from my CSA. This week, Chef Dave rrecommended chips as a good accompaniment to what we are drinking. Tonight is Champagnes of the World.

My Original thought was to make sweet potato, or even mixed root vegetable chips. But then I remembered the left over corn tortillas from the other night's soft tacos. No reason to let those go to waste. We bought a kilo, and barely reduced the pile by a noticible amount.

So, I pulled out the deep fryer, and topped off the oil. Got it heated to it's hottest setting, 375 degrees. This is really important; when deep frying use a high temperture oil, like canola, peanut, or grapeseed, and have it as hot as possible without smoking That will help ensure that foods will not be greasy. I cut the tortillas into 16ths, and fried them in small batches, making sure not to crowd the basket.

I mixed a tablespoon of cumin into a 1/4 cup of salt, and sprinkled the chips with it while they were draining on a paper towel. I think they are very tasty. Hopefully my classmates will agree.