CHRISTMAS LUNCH 2008
Lamb Carpaccio with celeriac salad and pear chutney
Ingredients: Makes as many as you want 4 Lamb Tenderloins(One tenderloin makes about 4-6 pieces)Olive Oil SprayPlastic Wrap
Sauce:2 Tbls Dijon Mustard2 tsp Vinegar, TarragonOlive Oil Spray6 Olives, mixed, chopped1 Tbls CapersGarlic Flowers
Procedure:Make sure the silver skin is removed from the tenderloins. Split in two if very large tenderloins. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap, spray with a good quality, good tasting olive oil, place the 1 inch piece of lamb tenderloin on the oiled wrap and spray again with oil.
Lay another sheet of wrap over the meat and flatten with a pounder to about paper-thin. Remove from the wrap and twirl around your finger to make a rose shape and lay on serving plate.
Garnish:Dilute 2 Tbls Dijon Mustard with 2 tsp tarragon vinegar or your favorite vinegar and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture over the prepared rosettes. Spray or splash overall with a good quality olive oil. Garnish the plate with capers, tarragon leaves, chopped olives and garlic flowers.
A reminder:Using mustards, vinegar, or horseradish with raw meat can neutralize any bacteria and make it safe to
Sauce:2 Tbls Dijon Mustard2 tsp Vinegar, TarragonOlive Oil Spray6 Olives, mixed, chopped1 Tbls CapersGarlic Flowers
Procedure:Make sure the silver skin is removed from the tenderloins. Split in two if very large tenderloins. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap, spray with a good quality, good tasting olive oil, place the 1 inch piece of lamb tenderloin on the oiled wrap and spray again with oil.
Lay another sheet of wrap over the meat and flatten with a pounder to about paper-thin. Remove from the wrap and twirl around your finger to make a rose shape and lay on serving plate.
Garnish:Dilute 2 Tbls Dijon Mustard with 2 tsp tarragon vinegar or your favorite vinegar and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture over the prepared rosettes. Spray or splash overall with a good quality olive oil. Garnish the plate with capers, tarragon leaves, chopped olives and garlic flowers.
A reminder:Using mustards, vinegar, or horseradish with raw meat can neutralize any bacteria and make it safe to
Apple Sorbet
Ingredients:Serves 4
1 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples , quartered, cored and roughly chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup apple juice or cider
Apple chips (found at some local markets or health food stores)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, sugar and 1/2 cup water; cover. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Press mixture through a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard apple skins and stir in apple juice and another 1/2 cup water.If making without an ice cream machine, pour into a shallow container and freeze 6 hours, scraping with a fork once or twice to break up crystals. If using a machine, churn until firm enough to scoop. Garnish with apple chips.
Shellfish Cocktail
3/4 pound cooked large shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails removed), halved crosswise
1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, cartilage removed
1/2 pound fresh lobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon drained tiny capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon finely minced red or green jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup highest quality extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
Preparation
1. Place the shrimp, crab, lobster, carrot, celery and capers in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold together the ingredients, being careful not to break up the crab too much. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the jalapeño pepper and parsley, then carefully fold in the olive oil and lemon juice, tasting as you go along. Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately, or chill for up to 6 hours. Divide seafood between 8 wine glasses for serving.
Cinnamon Chili Caramel Cream
Put the milk and cinnamon in a pan and bring to just below boiling point, take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the chilli flakes in 150ml water for 3 minutes then strain back into the pan. Add the sugar, heat until completely dissolved, then boil rapidly until a golden-brown caramel. Pour the hot caramel into 4 small ramekins or metal pudding moulds (about 200ml) and swirl it around the bottom and slightly up the sides. Leave to set.
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, bring the milk back to a simmer, pull out the cinnamon stick, then pour over the eggs, whisking. Strain the custard into the ramekins. Sit the ramekins in a small roasting tin and pour hot water into the tin to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 20-30 minutes until custards are just set. Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
To serve, run a knife around the edges of each ramekin and turn onto a small plate.
Put the milk and cinnamon in a pan and bring to just below boiling point, take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the chilli flakes in 150ml water for 3 minutes then strain back into the pan. Add the sugar, heat until completely dissolved, then boil rapidly until a golden-brown caramel. Pour the hot caramel into 4 small ramekins or metal pudding moulds (about 200ml) and swirl it around the bottom and slightly up the sides. Leave to set.
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, bring the milk back to a simmer, pull out the cinnamon stick, then pour over the eggs, whisking. Strain the custard into the ramekins. Sit the ramekins in a small roasting tin and pour hot water into the tin to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 20-30 minutes until custards are just set. Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
To serve, run a knife around the edges of each ramekin and turn onto a small plate.
Breast of Duck with moral mushrooms and Horseradish-Potato Puree
Pan roasting is one of the great ways to cook meat indoors. Any cut of meat that will fit in a pan (chicken breast, steak, pork chop, etc.) can be seared over high heat, then finished in a moderately hot oven. Searing gives the meat browned flavor and crispness, and finishing in the oven helps the meat cook evenly throughout.
Duck sometimes seems daunting to cook at home. But a duck breast is about as easy to cook as a strip steak, especially when pan roasted. Searing the breast fat-side down helps render and crisp the thick layer covering the meat.
First, I scored the fat side of the breast by making shallow, crosswise cuts. (This helps the fat melt away into the pan.)
Then I seasoned the breast generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
I heated a tablespoon of canola oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat until it was hot but not smoking. Then I seared the breast fat-side down until much of the fat melted away, and the skin turned brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.
I flipped the breast over with tongs and seared the other side for another couple of minutes.
I poured off most of the fat, slid the pan into a pre-heated 350F oven and cooked until it was 125F in the thickest part. I let the meat rest 10 minutes before slicing at an angle.
Pan roasting is one of the great ways to cook meat indoors. Any cut of meat that will fit in a pan (chicken breast, steak, pork chop, etc.) can be seared over high heat, then finished in a moderately hot oven. Searing gives the meat browned flavor and crispness, and finishing in the oven helps the meat cook evenly throughout.
Duck sometimes seems daunting to cook at home. But a duck breast is about as easy to cook as a strip steak, especially when pan roasted. Searing the breast fat-side down helps render and crisp the thick layer covering the meat.
First, I scored the fat side of the breast by making shallow, crosswise cuts. (This helps the fat melt away into the pan.)
Then I seasoned the breast generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
I heated a tablespoon of canola oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat until it was hot but not smoking. Then I seared the breast fat-side down until much of the fat melted away, and the skin turned brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.
I flipped the breast over with tongs and seared the other side for another couple of minutes.
I poured off most of the fat, slid the pan into a pre-heated 350F oven and cooked until it was 125F in the thickest part. I let the meat rest 10 minutes before slicing at an angle.
Berry Compote
ingredients
2 tsp. cornstarch1 Tbs. fruit brandy or water2 10-oz. packages frozen mixed berries (or 4 heaping cups), thawed, with their juices1 cup granulated sugarFinely grated zest from 1 lemon1/4 tsp. ground allspice1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
how to make
In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the brandy or water. Set aside. Combine the thawed berries and their juices, sugar, lemon zest, allspice, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. When bubbles appear on the side of the pan, just before the fruit reaches a full boil, quickly stir in the cornstarch mixture. Let the fruit boil for only 1 minute to cook the cornstarch; overcooking will make the fruit disintegrate. Remove from the heat. The compote will thicken further as it cools. The compote may be served at room temperature or slightly warm.
Make Ahead TipsMake the compote a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate until needed.
