Showing posts with label Pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pumpkin. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2017

Enriched Sauces


Basically enriched sauces are a liquid that is emulsified with egg yolks.  The liquid can be one thing, like clarified butter in Hollandaise Sauce, or another sauce thicken or enriched, as with Allemande sauce.  These are rich sauces that should not be over used, a little goes a long way.  Often seasonings are added to the sauce.

 

Allemande or Hollandaise are the two most common enriched sauces.  And you should be familiar with making them.  You may even want to try to making or inventing your own enriched sauce. 

 

It is important that the eggs you use should be fresh.  Some sauce call for just the yolk, others for the whole egg.  Some sauces are cooked and others are not.  So inspect your eggs carefully and the fresher the eggs the better.

 

Types of sauces in this category are Aioli Sauce, Remoulade, Mayonnaise, Butter Sauces, Andalouse Sauce, Bearnaise Sauce, Bohemian Sauce, La Varennes Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Mousquetaire Sauce, Cambridge Sauce, White Wine Sauce, Gloucester Sauce, Gaibriche Sauce, Malliese Sauce, Noisette Sauce, Dijon Sauce, Choron Sauce, Foyot Sauce, Mousseline Sauce, Maltaise Sauce, and Russian Sauce.

 

This Week’s Challenge - Make a Hollandaise sauce

 

            Go online and research how you will use your hollandaise sauce. Then choose a recipe that will meet your needs.  Put together a meal around your hollandaise sauce.  Remember to record it in your journal

 

Tip for this Week – Mayonnaise

            Mayonnaise is a basic sauce and condiment and is very easy to make fresh.  This requires a blender or food processor.  You want to use very fresh ingredients.  Since you are making the mayo fresh, it doesn’t have the preservatives that store bought mayonnaise has and will not keep long in the refrigerator. The trend today is to use flavored mayo and you can do this with your homemade mayonnaise.

the Ingredients


1 whole very fresh egg

¼ t dry mustard, but prepared mustard can be used

½ t salt

Place in a blender and whip to mix.
 
 
Place the eg in the blender.bhgfg     vbnnn
 
 

            1 T lemon juice or vinegar

I use white wine vinegar, sea salt
and Dijon mustard.
The vinegar solution added to the egg
in blender.



Add half the vinegar and blend.

            ¾ C light oil like canola or safflower

I used canola oil, but try different oil.
The egg mixture will slightly thicken.


While the blender is going add about half oil is a continuous thin stream.  The mixture should thicken.  Add the remaining lemon juice and then continue with the oil until the oil is used up.  Flavorings can be added at the end.

Add the oil in a thin stream while the
blender is running.


            This makes about one cup of mayo.  The type of mustard you use, the kind of acid (vinegar or lemon juice) and the type of oil all add to the flavor of the mayonnaise.  I use dry mustard, prepared mustard has some vinegar in it.    I prefer lemon juice, but vinegar, particularly flavored vinegars, add flavor.  The oil is very important.  The lighter in color and weight the oil, the more white the mayo.  Oil does add flavor and any kind of oil will probably work.

The mayonnaise will thicken and turn white.

Remove the mayonnaise from the blender.


            Some flavorings I heard of are siracha, wasabi, sweet pickle juice (the flavoring in Miracle Whip) horseradish, hot sauces, mixing different mustards with the mayo, and the list can go on and on.


I flavored half the mayo with sirachi

A little sirachi goes a long way

It turn the mayo into a beautiful
light pink.




This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

Allemande Sauce


            This sauce is also call Blonde Sauce or Sauce Parisienne. It is basically Velouté sauce emulsified with egg and is good for use with veal, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and vegetables.  The recipe for velouté was posted on October 7, 2016.




Allemande Sauce
 

2 C      Velouté sauce, veal or chicken

¼ C     Heavy cream

1          Egg yolk

            Salt and white pepper to taste

            Squeeze of lemon juice

            Bread crumbs for garnish

 
The ingredients

1.    Make the velouté sauce and continue to cook and reduce to the desire amount.
 
Beat the egg yolk very thoroughly
.

2.    Beat the egg yolk in small bowl.  Temper the yolk with a tablespoon of the hot velouté.

3.    Add to the sauce and whisk quickly to incorporate the egg in the sauce.
 
I used chicken veloute.  Work quickly
to incorporate the egg yolk before it
curdles. 
 

4.    Add the cream, salt and white pepper and taste.
 
Whisk to incorporated the cream and
seasonings
 

5.    When the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.

6.    Plate the meat or what you will be serving the sauce over.  Pour the sauce over.

I served the sauce of slices of roast turkey.


7.    Garnish with a dusting of bread crumbs.

8.    Serve remaining sauce in a gravy boat or side dish.

 

Turkey with allemande sauce, mushroom
 risotto and sliced baby bok choy.
 

 

Soup of the Week

Red Lintel Soup

 


2 T       Olive oil

1 lg.     Onion, peeled and finely chopped

2          garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

32 oz. Vegetable broth

8 oz.    Tomato sauce

¼ C     Red lentils

1 med Carrot, peeled and finely chopped

10 oz. Pumpkin or orange winter squash, diced, fresh or frozen

1 T       Cumin, ground

1/8 t     Cayenne pepper

            Juice of ½ lemon

            Salt and pepper to taste

¼ C     Plain yogurt for garnish

¼ C     Cilantro, peeled and finely chopped, for garnish

 
The ingredients
 

1.    In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

2.    Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes.
 
Saute the onion and garlic
 

3.    Add the broth, tomato sauce, lentils, carrot, pumpkin, cumin, and cayenne.
 
The carrot added to the onions
 
 
The broth added.  I used vegetable broth.
 

The tomatoes, lentils and pumpkin added.
I had some pumpkin in the freezer and used
it instead of winter squash.


4.    Increase the heat and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. 

5.    Cover and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 25 minutes.

6.    Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
 
I used a stick blender to puree the soup.

The finished soup
 

7.    Serve as is or puree in the soup pot until smooth.

8.    Add enough broth to cover and bring to a boil adding a little water if it is too thick.

9.    Serve in soup bowls and garnish with a table spoon of yogurt and sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

 
Serve with yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro

From: The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet, by Barbara Rolls, p. 200

 


Happy Cooking!









 

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Review and Direction


 

Over the last year we have worked on getting started as self-taught cook.  If you have been following me, I hope you have seen improvement and have stretched yourself in the kitchen.  I hope you have worked on creativity, tried new things, and cooked with success.  We all have failures, including me.  Failures are not bad, if you learned from it.  You should be thinking critically about what you cook and the food you eat.

 

Now we are going to work on building skills.  Over the next year, we will be looking at cooking methods and meal courses.  I’ll continue with the same format.  My goal is to post weekly, but it hasn’t worked out that way.  I’ll try to do better.

 

 

As I mentioned last week, I’m on a weight loss program.  I’m learning so much about nutrition and would like to start including healthy food and recipes.  We are using the Volumetrics program by Barbara Rolls.  I’m doing very well on the program and I’m trying new foods.  So far I have tried red quinoa and mayocoba beans

 

This Week’s Challenge - Try Something New

 

              On your next grocery shopping trip, buy something you have never tried.  It can be anything in the store, like produce, a meat or dairy product.  It can be new kind of dried beans or lentil or grain or flour.  It just has to be something you have never tried before. 

              When you get home, do some research online.  Decide what you are going to make with your new food item.  Then make something with it.  Be sure to record your impressions in your journal.

 

 

Tip for this Week -  Look for seasonal produce

 

            In fall apples are in season.  Pumpkins are in season, but hard to find after Halloween,  Winter squash is also in season and make great additions to soup.  Cranberries are here also.  Think about using some of these in season produce in your everyday cooking. 

 

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

 

Punkin’s Cheesy Refried Beans


 
 


The ingredients


Spray the dish with Pam and spread a
layer of beans on the bottom

Top with cheese slices and salsa
 



Top with another layer of beans


 
Top with more cheese slices
Bake until hot, melted and bubbly


 


print recipe

Punkin's Cheesy Refried Beans
I came up with this idea when I wanted more cheese in the refried beans. I’m sure it is not an original idea.
Ingredients
  • Canned refried beans of your choice and amount.
  • Cheese of choice, sliced in ¼ inch thick slices. I like to use cheddar but any kind will do. This recipe calls for slices of cheese, but grated cheese can be used.
  • Salsa of your choice. I like to use Picante chunky garden style.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a prepared casserole large enough to accommodate the amount to be served, spread half of the refried beans, smooth as much as possible into a layer. 3. Place over lapping slices of cheese over the beans. 4. Spoon a small amount of salsa over the cheese. Spread the salsa evenly. 5. Add the remaining beans and smooth evenly. 6. Top with another layer of overlapping cheese slices and salsa. 7. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes to an hour.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 servings





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Punkin’s Cheeseball
 
The ingredients

Place everything in a bowl and mix
with your hands 

Form into a ball or log.  Roll in
chopped nuts or herbs




Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate
until time to serve


This time I made a pumpkin cheeseball.
Use four rubber bands over the plastic
wrap.  Refrigerate until time to serve

Remove the rubber bands and plastic
wrap and add the stem of a bell pepper.
 


print recipe

Punkin's Cheeseball
Try rolling the ball or log in different spices, herbs or nuts. I like to divide the ball into two smaller balls and roll one in finely chopped fresh parsley and the other in paprika for Christmas red and green. Almond and walnuts work well as substitutes for pecans. Use your imagination. I came across this ideal on Pinterest.
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz. package Cream cheese, softened
  • 1 8 oz. package Grated Colby cheese or other cheese
  • 3/4 t Paprika
  • 3 T Canned diced Ortega Chiles or jalapenos
  • 1/4 C Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 t Worcestershire sauce.
Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients together using your hands. Mix well. 2. Roll into a ball or log. 3. Roll ball in chopped pecans. 4. Wrap ball in foil or plastic wrap and chill completed, at least two hours. 5. This may be made a day or two in advance. 6. Serve with crackers or crostini.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 10-12 servings


Soup of the Week

 

Punkin’s French Onion Soup

 


This is my version of the classic French Onion Soup.
 
The ingredients, except the sesame
seeds are not used.  I grab it instead
of the tarragon.
Using a large skillet, melt the butter
Thinly slice the onions in rings.  Sometimes
I half the onion and then thinly slice them.
 
Add the onion rings to the butter and stir to coat.
 
 
 
Cook until the onions are very soft.

Use a good sherry or brandy

Add the flour and cook, then add the
sherry and seasonings.
Add the warm broth and simmer.

I like to use sourdough bread and cheese
 from the Swiss cheese family.  I used
Jarlsberg this time.

Toast the bread lightly.  This can
be done in the oven, broiler, toaster
 oven or toaster
Dish the soup and place on a tray.
Place the bread over the pot and top
with slices of the cheese.

Set in the hot oven to melt.

Break through the cheese to get
to the soup below.
 


print recipe

Punkin's French Onion Soup
This is my version of the classic French Onion Soup.
Ingredients
  • 1/4 C Butter, unsalted
  • 4 medium Onions, sliced
  • 1 T Flour
  • 1/4 C Sherry or brandy
  • 1 t Tarragon or Thyme leaves, dried
  • 1 qt. Beef broth, warmed to nearly boiling
  • Salt and pepper to taste (prefer white pepper)
  • French or Sourdough bread, one slice per serving
  • Emmental or Gruyere cheese, other Swiss type cheese
Instructions
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter.2. Peel the onions. Thinly slice each onion into rings. I usually use four small onions or three large onions.3. Add the onion slices to the butter and stir to coat. Cook the onions until transparent.4. Add the flour and mix cooking about a minute or two.5. Add the Sherry, tarragon and white pepper.6. Cook a few minutes, stirring constantly.7. Slowly add the warm beef broth.8. Simmer for 20 minutes.9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.10. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 11. Using one slice of bread for each person, lightly toast the bread.12. Place one slice of cheese on each slice of toast. Grated cheese can also be used.13. Dish the soup into serving dishes. 14. Place the dishes on a tray, top with the bread and cheese and set the tray in the oven to melt the cheese. About five minutes.15. I like to use bean pots. If you are using soup bowls, place the slices of toast topped with cheese on the tray and place the tray in the oven. Float the toasted cheese in the soup bowl or allow your guests to place it themselves.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 Servings


Happy Cooking!