 |
 |
 |
There's a Chef in My Kitchen Culinary musings of an amateur chef and home to The Virtual Supper Club. |
|
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
December Recipes
Orange Flavored Scallops 1 pound sea scallops 1. In a medium bowl, combine scallops, orange juice, grated ginger, and vinegar; set aside. 2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add orange peel, and blanch 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and julienne peel. Set aside. 3. Set a large, straight-sided skillet over high heat until very hot. Add oil; swirl to cover bottom. Remove scallops from marinade; pat dry. Reserve marinade. Cook scallops 2 minutes. Add julienned ginger and garlic; cook until scallops have cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer scallops to a covered bowl. 4. Add leeks, carrots, and orange peel. Season with salt. Cook 1 minute. Add stock and marinade; cover. Cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove lid; reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Return scallops to pan; cook 1 minute. Garnish with cilantro. Per serving : 164 calories, 4 g fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrate, 218 mg sodium, 15 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber.Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce © Copyright Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2003 Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeños that are often canned in sauce; use more or less than we call for here, depending on your tolerance for heat. A preheated pan is essential for good browning, so heat your pan while you prep the ingredients. 2 tablespoons butter, divided Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with paprika and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Add orange juice and chile to the pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1 minute). Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Serve the sauce with scallops, and garnish with the onions. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 4 1/2 ounces scallops, about 1 tablespoon sauce, and 1 tablespoon onions) CALORIES 218 (29% from fat); FAT 7.1g (satfat 3.7g, monofat 1.7g, polyfat 0.7g); PROTEIN 28.9g; CARBOHYDRATE 8.1g; FIBER 0.4g; CHOLESTEROL 72mg; IRON 0.6mg; SODIUM 488mg; CALCIUM 47mg Christmas Recipes POTATO LATKES Recipe based on a traditional, unwritten family recipe; text here adapted from a recipe first appearing in Gourmet, December 2000 5 lb baking potatoes Preheat oven to 250°F. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate about 2/3 of the potatoes by hand. Using a food processor with the largest shredder blade, grate the remaining potatoes. Peel onions and grate onions with the large shredder blade of the food processor. Combine shredded potatoes and onions with grated potatoes in a large bowl. With clean hands, scoop small amounts of the combined potato and onion mixture into your hands squeezing as much liquid as possible back into the bowl, and putting the squeezed mixture into another bowl. Continue until only the extracted liquid is left in the bowl. Carefully pour out the liquid from the bowl, reserving the thick starch that has collected on the bottom. Scoop out the starch and transfer to the potato mixture. Add the eggs, baking soda, baking powder and flour to the bowl and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Heat Crisco in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. There should be about ½" of Crisco in the skillet. Working in batches, scoop potato mixture with a slotted spoon, pressing any additional liquid out of the potato mixture, allowing the spoon to shape the latke. Gently slide the latke into skillet, gently spreading into an even thickness with a flat spatula or fork. Repeat until the skillet is filled with latkes. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven. Chef’s Notes : Latkes may be made up to several hours ahead. Reheat on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, about 5 minutes. Also, use the grated potatoes and onions immediately. Too much exposure to air will make the batter turn brown.Mom’s Pierogies (Crepes filled with cheese filling)Crepes: 3 eggs, slightly beaten 2/3 Cup flour ½ t. salt 1 Cup of Milk 1. Combine eggs, flour, salt and milk. Beat until smooth. Let stand 30 minutes. 2. Pour 2 T. batter on hot lightly greased 6 inch skillet. Cook until set, flip and set underside. Remove to a platter to cool. Cheese filling: 1. Mix all ingredients together. 2. Place one T. of filling in center of each crepe. Fold bottom up and sides up, and fold to form a pillow. Place in 9 X 13 Pyrex baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Dot each blintz with butter; cover with foil wrap. 5. Bake 30 minutes at 350º. Makes 16. To serve, sprinkle with sugar. Pan-Fried Tilapia (Tilapia Piccata)(Serves 2 to 4) 4 Pieces of Tilapia or a flat white fish 1. Season fish with salt & pepper and dredge in flour 2. Heat olive oil in large skillet until hot. 3. Saute the fish over high heat, about one minute on each side. Remove to a warm platter to keep warm. 4. Quickly add the wine, lemon juice and capers to pan and stir. Return fish to pan, simmer covered for two minutes. 6. Platter fish & pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Foie Gras on a Bed of Walnut Oil Dressed Greens (Foie Gras sur salade a l’huile de noix)© Copyright 2003, On Rue Tatin with Susan Herrmann Loomis This recipe is a divine inspiration of the season, a harmonious marriage of simple, straightforward flavors held together with the melting texture of foie gras. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 pound fresh foie gras, cut into ½-inch thick slices, chilled 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and the walnut oil. Whisk in the shallot. Add the greens and toss. Divide the salad among six plates. Sprinkle each salad with an equal amount of toasted walnuts. 2. Heat a heavy pan over medium heat until it is hot. Add the foie gras and cook until it is golden on each side and hot through, but not melted, about 45 seconds per side. Arrange two pieces of foie gras atop each plate of salad, sprinkle with fleur de sel and garnish each plate with chervil sprigs. Serve immediately. 6 appetizer servings Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb This recipe calls for frenched lamb racks, which means the think pieces of fatty meat between the ribs are removed and the bones scraped clean. 2 trimmed and frenched racks of lamb (about 1 ¼ pounds each trimmed) Cooking the lamb. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Unwrap the lamb racks and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a lage (12-inch) oven-proof skillet over high heat until the pan is very hot and the oil smokes steadily. Carefully lower the lamb racks with the top of the rib eye facing down into the pan. Keeping the heat high, sear the lamb until the herbs on the underside turn a deep brown color, about 3 minutes. Turn the racks over and put the pan in the oven (the underside will brown while they roast). Roast the racks until an instant read thermomenter inserted into the center of the eye registers 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare or 130 to 135 degrees F for medium, 10 to 15 minutes. The temperature willcontinue to rise about 5 degrees once they are out of the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven an put it on the stovetop. Transfer the racks to a platter and cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Let themrest while you prepare the sauce. Sauce. Pour off any oil that remains in the skillet but leave behind any browned herbs (keep a hot pad or dry towel over the skillet handle to remind you it is extremely hot). Put the skillet over medium heat, add the wine, and stir and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the stock, roasted garlic paste and mustard and cook at a steady boil until the sauce is reduced to about one-third or its original volume and lightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Carving and serving. Cut the racks beteen the ribs on a cutting board, allowing your knife to find the spot where it can easily slip between the bones. Arrange the chops on warmed serving plates, allowing 3 or 4 per person. Pour the sauce over the top and serve right away. Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crisped Pancetta 1 pound Brussels sprouts, any discolored leaves discarded and stem end left intact Holding each Brussels sprout by stem end, cut into very thin slices with a Japanese mandoline or food processer. Toss slices in a bowl to separate layers. Heat butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then saute shredded sprouts. While sauteeing, add salt and pepper, stir until sprouts are wilted, but still crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar and saute, stirring 1 additional minute. Add crisped pancetta and stir. Remove from heat. Serves 4 Spicy Roasted-Red Pepper-and-Bean Dip © Copyright 1998, Oxmoor House. Recipe first appeared in Cooking Light, September 1998 1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained Chop bell peppers to measure 1/4 cup; set aside. Place remaining bell peppers, tofu, and the next 7 ingredients (tofu through beans) in a food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon mixture into a bowl; stir in reserved 1/4 cup bell peppers and minced jalapeno. Cover and chill. Garnish with a sliced jalapeño, if desired. Yield: 2 1/2 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup) Orange-Basmati Salad with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate Seeds © Copyright 2003, Cooking Light, December 2003 Although best served immediately, this dish can be covered and chilled for a couple of hours. Try it with roast chicken. Pomegranate juice stains, so be careful when extracting the seeds. Here's our favorite way to seed a pomegranate: Carefully cut the fruit in half, submerge in a large bowl of water, and slowly turn the shell inside out to dislodge the seeds. 2 cups water Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and 3/4 teaspoon salt; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff rice with a fork. Cool completely. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper), stirring with a whisk. Combine rice, vinegar mixture, orange sections, and remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup) Donna’s Note: Add the ¼ cup white wine vinegar in small portions and taste. I found the full ¼ cup to offer too much of a tang to the mellow citrus flavors of the dish.Bloody Mary Makes 4 to 5 drinks 28 ounces Campbells tomato juice |
