Crepes (Multi-National)

      For many years there has been a great debate about which country was the originator of this very intriguing carbohydrate.  The answer itself is in the history books.  The making of this very thin pancake like dish actually originated in the middle east where it was made as a savory dish.  It was during the period of the crusades and the fall out of the dark ages that this dish gained a sweet side and made its way to Europe where the french turned it into an iconic dessert known as 'Crepe Suzette'.
      The recipes listed below, are something I usually use in the early morning but they can be used as en entree or dessert depending on what your tastes are.  My strawberry crepes recipe uses a white chocolate mousse with infused strawberries and a basil syrup (no that is not a typo it is basil) which is why you can use it as a dessert.  If you want the savory then spinach and leek crepes are what you should serve as the cheese and green vegetables make a great side dish or main course.  But if you enjoy the traditional then just take some melted chocolate and drizzle them over the finished crepes.

Basic Crepes

 1 1/2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Butter (alot of butter)

In a small mixing bowl, combine the milk and eggs.  Sift together the flour, salt and sugar and slowly mix this into the milk mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

In a 8 inch skillet melt 1 teaspoon of butter.  Using a spatula pat down any bubbles that form when the butter is good and melted.  Pour a 1/8 cup of the chilled crepe batter into the pan and begin to tilt the pan so that the batter can evenly coat the bottom.  Cook the crepe until you begin to see the crepe firm up flip the crepe and cook it for a additional 10-15 seconds. 

Remove the crepe to a rack to cool and continue to cook with the remaing batter.  If you do not intend to use the crepes immediately then you can actually store them in the freezer for about 2 months.  If you intend to do this then you must separate the crepes with either parchment or wax paper so that they do not stick together. 

Makes about 12 crepes

Nick's Strawberry Crepes

2 cups heavy cream

4 egg whites

1/2 cups sugar

8 ounces melted white chocolate

4 ounces finely chopped white chocolate

1 carton (12 ounces) strawberries

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves (firmly packed)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

6 crepes

In a large pan of boiling water and a bowl of ice water blanch the basil leaves.  Blanch the leaves in hot for 30 seconds pat dry with a paper towel and place in ice water.  Drain the leaves and squeeze dry.  In a mixer puree the basil and corn syrup.  Transfer the syrup into a container and chill for 2 hours, or overnight allowing the flavors to develop.  Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer disposing of the solids.  Chill the syrup for an extra 15 minutes.

In a large bowl whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, cover and refrigerate until needed.  Over a pan of simmering water, place a bowl of coarsely chopped white chocolate to melt stirring often.  When it is melted set aside.  Place over the same pan of water, after the chocolate is melted, combine the sugar and egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk together until the sugar is melted and the egg whites are warm.  Place the egg white mixture and whip until it is thick and stiff about 5-7 minutes.  Fold the melted chocolate into the egg white mixture.  Add the whipped cream and finely chopped chocolate and fold in.  Chill it for about 2 hours. 

When you  are ready to serve, hull and slice the strawberries length wise.  Fill each of the crepes with an even portion of the mousse.  Fill with the strawberries reserving for some for a garnish.  Drizzle with the basil syrup and garnish with the remaining strawberries.  Serve immediately

Serve 6

 

Leek and Spinach Crepes

7 ounces of leeks, halved, rinsed and finely shredded

3 ounces of soft goat cheese, chopped

8 ounces spinach washed, dried and shredded

6 crepes

2 tablespoons butter

freshly grated nutmeg to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400*.  Melt the butter in a heavy bottom skillet with a lid over high heat.  Add the leaks and stir around so that they are well coated.  Stir in the salt and pepper to taste.  Add a few grating of nutmeg, and then cover the leeks with a sheet of wet wax paper and put the lid on the pan.  Reduce the heat to very low and let the leeks sweat for 5-7 minutes, until very tender but not yet brown.  Stir in the spinach and season if needed just till wilted.

Divide the spinach and leek mixture among the 6 crepes and due so with the cheese as well.  Place the crepes in a 9x13 pan and bake the crepes covered for about 5 minutes until the cheese has began to melt.  Serve immediately

Serves 6

Red Velvet Cake (United States)

     Comfort food is something that everyone has.  Whether it is a favorite flavor of ice cream that helps you get happy after a ruff day at work, or if it is a large piece of red meat cooked extra bloody with just a bit of seasoning we all have that one food that just makes your hear skip a beat. 
      When it comes to Southern Cooking the term comfort food applies to an entire variety of different dishes that can not only make your hear skip a beat, but stop all together if eaten in excess.
      Of all of these dishes, the one which I can not resist sinking my fork into is Red Velvet Cake.  The taste is not chocolate, even though it has cocoa powder; it has no raspberries or strawberries, despite the brilliant red color; and the flavor is something that you can not compare to anything else. 
      When ever I make this cake I actually meditate on the image of Scarlett O'Hara in gown with the wind, when she had downed her iconic red velvet party dress with the feathers.  The cake should not be heavy, it should have a light red color (not to deep), and the frosting should be creamy and not to sweet.  In other words it should be elegant.

(As with any cake, it can be turned into a cupcake.  All this took was a star tip some sanding sugar and a raspberry for the topper and it becomes a real crowd pleaser.)

 

Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs

4 ounces good quality white chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

Red Sugar for decorating

Preheat your oven to 350*.  In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla just until blended.  In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs 1 at a a time mixing well after each addition.  Alternatively add the wet and dry ingredients 1/4 at a time mixing well after each addition.

Grease and flour two 9" cake pans and divide the cake batter between the two pans.  Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of each of the cake comes out clean.  When finished, removed from the oven and allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling the rest of the way.

While the cake is baking place the white chocolate onto a the top pan of a double boiler over simmering water.  Stir the chocolate until constantly until it has melted completely, and then allow it to cool until it is barely warm but still stirrible.

Using a mixer beat the butter and cream cheese together until light.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Using a spatula combine the powdered sugar until well combined (do not use a mixer as powdered sugar and mixers tend to end in a mess).  Add the melted chocolate and beat until well combined, gently fold in the sour cream and place the frosting into the refrigerator and chill until ready to spread. 

On the intended serving platter place a tiny dollop of the frosting onto the center of the platter to hold the layers in place. Place the first layer of the cake onto the serving platter and spoon 1/3 of the frosting onto the top of the slice and smooth it over.  Place the top layer of the cake onto the first layer and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.  To decorate the cake use use the colored sugar and gently sprinkle half way up the sides of the cake. 

(Makes 12 servings)

Coq Au Vin (France)

      Throughout the kitchens of France there is a particular stew that is served almost on a weekley basis.  But, calling it a stew just doesn't do it justice.  In all the world, I do not know of any other stew which use an entire bottle of good quality burgundy, and there is also no other stew which uses the best part of a chicken.  Unfortunately, there is not other type of food which Coq Au Vin resembles.  So like many of the other French classics a stew it remains.
      The rules of classic french cuisine dictate that Coq Au Vin should be made using a well aged cock, aka an older male chicken.  But as this would require an extreme amount of control over livestock it has become nearly impossible to follow this rule, and most simply use what they can get from their local grocer. 
      My recipe for Coq Au Vin calls for chicken leg quarters, which is a fancy way of saying the still attached chicken leg and thigh.  I call for this because white meat never seems to hold the moisture as it should, which cause you to lose alot of that great flavor from the wine.  Also I call for a good quality burgundy, which means that it may cost you a good thirty dollars rather then ten.

Coq au Vin

5 pounds chicken leg quarters

1/2 pound slab bacon

12 baby onions

5 cups baby bella mushrooms

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bottle (750 ml) of a good quality burgundy

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons fresh basil

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

Season the chicken leg quarters with salt and pepper.  Slice the bacon thin and place in a large dutch oven, when the bacon has browned remove it from the heat and place on a paper towel lined plate until needed.  Meanwhile saute the onion in the bacon drippings.  Add in the garlic and mushrooms and saute just until tender. 

Add in the chicken and brown it on all sides.  Add in the wine, broth and the herbs.  Cook the mixture for 45 minutes over high heat, until chicken has cooked through.  Re-introduce the bacon and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

In a bowl melt the butter in the microwave.  Mix in the flour to make a rue and set aside.  Remove the chicken and vegetables from the dutch oven and place on the intended serving platter.  Mix the rue in with the sauce that is in the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. 

Serves 6

Stuffed French Toast (United States)

      It is very hard to say where the technique for making french toast originated.  After all, dipping day old bread in an egg batter and frying it with some butter has been around ever since people began baking bread.  In England they call it Eggy Bread, in France it is called Pain Perdu (lost bread), and for some reason Americans call it French Toast.
      Now stuffed french toast is very American.  Filling a breakfast item with sweet custard and an assortment of different flavors just screams "Melting Pot".  Now if you want to make a more traditional Stuffed French Toast you should use slightley stale Texas Toast and fill it with some sweetened cream cheese.  Cook it as you usually would by frying each side and then garnish with berries.
      For people like me simple is well and good, but something that I refuse to serve.  Not because I like to be an educator of fine foods or because I like to show off.  For me cooking with great presentation is one of the few skills I have that I can give my friends and family to show that I care.  Which is how this recipe actually came about.  Lemon Rosemary French Toast, instead of bread I make it with pound cake and fill it with a lemon cream and a rosemary lemon syrup.  If you need a good wake up call for a person you love, then this is the recipe for you.

Lemon Rosemary French Toast

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoons  lemon juice

4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoon sugar

12 slices slightly stale pound cake (1 inch thick)

5 eggs

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons powder sugar

3 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced rosemary

mint sprigs and fresh blueberries for garnish

In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream, tablespoon lemon juice, cornstarch and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for up to two hours.   

In a medium bowl mix together the eggs, half and half, powdered sugar, rosemary, and lemon rind.  Whisk the mixture thoroughly and gently dip each piece of the pound cake into the egg mixture.  Butter a 10 inch skillet and cook over medium heat.  Place the soaked french toast into the heated skillet and cook for about 3 minutes per side.  Or until the bread has become golden brown.

Once you have completed all 12 pieces of pound cake.  Place on a large plate to allow it to cool while you make the syrup.  To make the syrup combine the 1 cup sugar, water, and 1/2 cup lemon juice bring to a boil and then remove from heat and allow to thicken.  Add in the rosemary and and set aside until ready to use. 

To assemble place four slices of the French Toast onto four separate plates.  Spoon some of the cream mixture onto each and repeat the layering process ending with the third piece of French Toast.  Drizzle the french toast with the syrup and garnish with the mint sprigs and blueberries.  Serve Immediately

Serves 4 

Christmas Pudding (England)

      Over the past five years that I have catered parties independently I have come across one thing which I swore I would never attempt to make again while in a time crunch.  This dish was Christmas pudding.  To be fair it didn't have anything to do with the dessert itself, if made properly the dessert is a very rich way to end a good meal.  But the first time I attempted to make the dessert I had once again bitten off more then I could chew.  The week before I was to cater the party is was working as the master electrician for a Christmas show which had me spending all of my time at the theatre and game me only about 5 hours to sleep every night, making it very hard to prepare anything.  To make matters worse my obsessive compulsive client, who will remain nameless, had asked for a dish I had never attempted let alone perfected... Christmas Pudding. 
      The recipe she had requested I use was the old way of preparing Christmas Pudding, which I will explain in just a bit, and require the use of suet, something else I will explain in just a moment.  I had my pumpkin cognac cheesecake, a mass amount of sugar cookies, black forest cake, and a tower of cake truffles.  And in the center off all these beautiful desserts was my first Christmas pudding, which had split in half when unfolded.  Luckily with some powdered sugar no one had noticed my flop, but what my client did notice was that I did not flambe the thing during the course of the night.  Something which she had wanted very much for the ascetic appeal.
      Now that I have grown from this experience the recipe I use it a bit different from the classic.  But enough about horror stories from holidays past.  The Christmas Pudding is the last of the suet puddings that still are actually made in England.  The concoction uses bread crumbs and a variety of different dried fruits to create a cake like dessert which was originally made in a molded pan and flavored with chopped suet. 
      For those of you asking yourself what the heck suet is, it is the fat extracted from kidneys.  Usually beef kidneys.  This is most likely more modern recipes from trend setting ladies like Betty Crocker do not call for suet as telling people that kidney fat is in your dessert tends to turn the stomach. 
      The use of alcohol to flambe the dish was not introduced until 1714 when King George I brought the dish back to England after a very long Protestant ban on the dish.  His kitchen staff was actually primarily French and they could not resist giving the dessert a bit of the famous French flair.  George love it so much that it just stuck. 
       The recipe I use now is what my one friend calls, a Caribbean Christmas pudding as I changed the liquor from brandy to dark rum and use panko bread crumbs (Asian coconut bread crumbs).  If you really want an eye pleasing presentation at your Christmas dinner make this dish and flambe it, just make sure that you do so with a very long match. 

Light Christmas Pudding

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup candied orange peel (recipe follows), finely chopped

1 cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried currants

1/3 cup dark rum, plus extra if you intend to flambe the pudding

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons lime zest

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl combine the 1/2 cup rum and the dried fruits and orange peel.  Allow to sit in the rum for about a half an hour giving a light toss every often.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and the spices. Stir in the lime zest and set aside.  Cream together the butter and the brown sugar until it is very smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in the bread crumbs mix well, and then add in the flour mixture.  Fold in the rum soaked fruits and the the cream.  Mix until well combined.

In a very wide stock pot or dutch oven pour about an inch of water into the pan and bring the water to a boil.  Meanwhile heavily grease a 6 cup souffle pan and pour the batter into the souffle dish.  Place either a trivet or a set of three inverted Ramekins into the pan of water. 

Adjust the temperature on the stove so that you get a nice gentle boil going, place the souffle dish onto the trivet/ramekins.  Cover the pot and steam, check about every 45 minutes so that you can replace the water if need be.  Cook until the mixture has cooked through he center and risen slightly in the center.  This should take about 3 hours. 

Remove the pudding from the pot and allow it to cool.  Invert the pudding onto your intended serving plate.  Warm about an extra 4 tablespoons of rum in the microwave and pour over the pudding, ignite it with a long match and allow the flames to die down.  Serve when the flames have died out with a dollop of whipped cream.  Refrigerate all leftovers. 

Serves 10-12



Candied Orange Peel

3 firm, ripe oranges

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Using a a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, remove the orange peel making sure to leave behind the white pith.  Use a knife to cut the peel into this strips and place the strips into a saucepan.  Cover the orange peels with cold water, bring the water to a boil and drain.  Rinse the peel under cold running water for a few minutes. 

Return the peel to the saucepan with the sugar and water and cook until the peel is bright and shiny with no liquid remaining at the bottom of the pan.  Spread the candied peel on a prepared aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.  Allow to cool, making sure to separate the peel so that the strips do not stick together.  Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Makes 1 cup of candied peel

Cheesecake (Europe)

      The funniest thing about cheesecake, is not how it is made or how insanely addictive it is.  The funniest thing about cheesecake is where it originally came from.  Maybe it's just me, but I find it funny that a dessert that is so extremely sinful came from a people who are so devoutly religious.  The first cheesecakes where made by the Jewish people.  These original cheescakes were more of a cream pie made using cottage cheese.  Somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century the dessert made the leap to Europe where different cultures used different ingrediants until it became the wonderful dessert that we know today.
      In the last thirty or so years cheesecake has hit the culinary world by storm.  After all cheesecake is one of the most versatile desserts known to man.  You can make them with strawberries, chocolate, irish cream, mango's, coffee almost any flavor can be added to Cheescake and taste good. 
      For Oscar and Evelyn Overton cheescake was much more than a dessert in 1971 they opened a little restaurant known as "The Cheescake Factory" which would later become one of the highest grossing restaurant chains in the United States with additional restaurants in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
      When you make a cheesecake, you need only follow a few simple rules.  First make sure that you always use a good quality cream cheese and allow it to soften.  Second always mix the cheesecake by hand, I know this is a pain to do but if you use a mixer it will become far to airy and you will have that cracked top effect which will make you so very sad.  Third if you are going to make a cheesecake make the sour cream topping which is in the original recipes, it is so much better than whipped cream.

Baked Cheesecake

5 cups pecan shortbread cookies

3/4 cup butter

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

5 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 containers (16 ounces each) sour cream

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Place the shortbread cookies into a plastic bag and pound them using either the flat side of kitchen mallet, or a rolling pin.  Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and mix in the graham crackers.  Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-inch spring form pan (the best way to do this is to to use a sheet of parchment paper and use a coffee cup or measuring cup).  Place the crust into the refrigerator until needed.

In a large bowl cream the cream cheese with a wooden spoon (it is very important that you do not use a mixer to make this cheesecake using a wooden spoon may be hard to do but it gives the best results).  Add one egg at a time to the creamed cream cheese, making sure that you have fully incorporated each egg before adding the next (VERY VERY IMPORTANT).  Add the 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and mix well.

Pour the mixture over the crust.  Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the spring form pan just in case the melted butter leeks from the pan.  Place the spring form pan on top of the cookie sheet and into a 300* oven for 35 to 45 minutes (If the cheesecake cracks remove it immediately from the oven or it will become dry).  The cheesecake should appear very puffy but when removed from the oven it will deflate.

Allow the cheesecake to settle for 10 minutes while you prepare the topping.  In a small bowl mix together the sour cream, sugar, remaining vanilla, and lemon zest.  Pour the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and place back in to the oven for five minutes so that it will set.  Remove the pan from the oven and refrigerate with the top covered overnight. 

After the cheesecake has chilled overnight place the bottom of the spring form ban on top of the bottom of a coffee can.  Release the sides of the pan.  Serve the cheesecake immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve ( if you like you can freeze the cheesecake for 3 months, just allow to thaw before serving).

Serves 10

Blondies (United States)

      What do you call a brownie without chocolate?  A Blondie.  Not its not a joke, just a simple fact that every baker should know.  Unlike it sibling the brownie, a Blondie is made with no coco-powder, and the addition of brown sugar which give it its unique golden brown color.
       More recently the Blondie has gotten a makeover with additions of fruit, white chocolate, and a wide assortment of different nuts.  I welcome you to try any sort of mixing with these unique bars since, like a brownie, the taste should be based off your personal preferences. 

White Chocolate Pecan Blondie's

1/2 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans (chopped into quarters)

1/2 cup white chocolate chips.

Spread the pecans onto a cookie sheet and place in a 350* oven for about 5 minutes to toast.  In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugars together.  Add in the vanilla, mix, and then add in the eggs one at a time. 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the toasted pecans.   Line a 9x13 baking pan with a piece of parchment paper (do not use wax paper, trust me).  Pour the batter into the pan and place in the oven for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes remove the Blondie's from the oven and place the white chocolate chips into the batter (may require you to push them into the mixture if your oven cooks slightly hotter).  Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the Blondie's comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes and then cut into bars of desired size.

Serves 12