As you will have noticed, there are loads of recipes in this blog that use lemons, but......
There is more to the humble lemon than you might think. Below are 10 medicinal uses for lemons – all easy to use
1. Lemons are invaluable in cases of gout, malaria, rheumatism, and scurvy. They are also useful in fevers and liver complaints. People have found the juice of one lemon taken in a little hot water remove dizzy feelings in the head, accompanied by specks and lights dancing before the eyes, because of the liver being out of order, in half an hour.
2. Lemon-juice acts as a powerful antibacterial. Experiments have proven that the bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid and other deadly diseases are destroyed in lemon-juice.
3. The juice of a lemon in hot water may be taken night and morning by sufferers from rheumatism. In the "lemon cure" for gout and rheumatism, the patients begin with one lemon per day and increase the quantity until they arrive at a dozen or more. Probably this is carrying it to excess! Try the juice of one lemon mixed with an equal proportion of hot water, to be taken pretty frequently, in cases of rheumatic fever.
4. A prescription for malaria, given in the Lancet, is the following: "Take a full-sized lemon, cut it in thin transverse slices, rind and all, boil these down in an earthenware jar containing a pint and a half of water, until the decoction is reduced to half a pint. Let this cool on the window-sill overnight, and drink it off in the morning."
5. A Florentine doctor discovered that fresh lemon juice will alleviate the pain of cancerous ulceration of the tongue. His patient sucked slices of lemon.
6. A German doctor found that fresh lemon juice kills the diptheria bacillus, and advises a gargle of diluted lemon juice to diptheric patients. Such a gargle is excellent for sore throat.
7. Lemon juice has been used in the case of nervous palpitation of the heart.
8. Lemon juice rubbed on to corns will eventually do away with them, and if applied to unbroken chilblains will effect a cure.
9. Lemon juice is also an old remedy for the removal of freckles and blackheads from the face. It should be rubbed in at bedtime, after washing with warm water.
10. If you are suffering from diarrhea try squeezing half a lemon in goat’s milk and drink it.
Amazing things lemons!
Find out even more about lemons and how you can use them, by checking out the book below
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Monday, 29 November 2010
SPECIAL APPETIZER RECIPES - SEAFOOD
Apart from hors d'oeuvres and antipasto the shrimp cocktail is probably best known . . . and remember fresh crabmeat or lobster is interchangeable with shrimps
FISH COCKTAIL SAUCE #1 - Bland
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 T each - horseradish, lemon juice, grated onion
Mix thoroughly, cover and chill before using
What could be easier!
FISH COCKTAIL SAUCE #2 - Sharp
1/2 cup catsup
1 T choppen green pepper
1/4 cup chile sauce
1 T chopped scallions
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 T dry sherry
1 tsp horseradish
Mix thoroughly, chill before serving.
HOT SHRIPMS
1/2 pound raw cleaned shrimps ( or thawed frozen package)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
4 large fresh mushrooms, coursely chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Nepal pepper ( or 1/4 tsp black pepper)
1 tsp paprika
Saute shrimps in butter for 4 minutes, add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes over gentle heat.
Separately combine sour cream and seasonings, color with the paprika and heat.
Combine shrimps and sauce, cook gently for 10 minutes or until thick and velvety.
Spoon the mixture into 4 buttered ramekins or large scallop shells, dust with grated Parmesan, and brown for a minute under broiler flame.
FRUITS DE MER
A thin pancake, rolled around creamed seafood, topped with Parmesan cheese, lightly broiled before serving.
These are not too difficult to prepare—and sometimes a double portion might take the place of an entree
1 cooked lobster tail or small tin of lobster meat
1/4 cup madeira, Marsala or dry sherry
1/2 cup fresh crabmeat, or a medium tin
1 tsp lemon juice
6 cooked shrimps, coursely cut
6 scallops, cousely cut
4 Cherrystone clams
4 oysters
4 mushrooms, chopped
1 cup mushroom soup, condensed
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chopped chives
1 T minced parsley
1 T butter
1 T cream salt, fresh pepper, grated Parmesan cheese
4 thin pancakes of 4 large scallop shells
Fruits de mer literally means "fruits of the sea." While it is usually served in a crepe (thin French pancake), it may also appear in scallop shells, buttered ramekins, or simply atop a buttered toast triangle.
Heat oven to 500.
Combine fish and shellfish with condensed mushroom soup, chopped fresh mushrooms, cream and wine, stir constantly and bring to high heat, then place over boiling water in a double boiler. Simmer gently while you prepare pancakes from any packaged mix. The pancakes should be very thin, cooked individually in butter, in a small skillet. Set them aside to keep warm.
Add all other ingredients (seasonings) to fish mixture and continue simmering for 5 minutes, while you butter a long shallow baking dish.
Place the pancakes one at a time: that is, place one at the end of the dish, spoon some of the creamed mixture into the center and fold over both pancake edges to cover the filling. Place the next pancake beside the first, etc. until all four crepes have been filled and are neatly distributed along the baking dish.
Cover with the remaining sauce, sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese, and broil for 3 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Most importantly of all...Enjoy!
FISH COCKTAIL SAUCE #1 - Bland
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 T each - horseradish, lemon juice, grated onion
Mix thoroughly, cover and chill before using
What could be easier!
FISH COCKTAIL SAUCE #2 - Sharp
1/2 cup catsup
1 T choppen green pepper
1/4 cup chile sauce
1 T chopped scallions
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 T dry sherry
1 tsp horseradish
Mix thoroughly, chill before serving.
HOT SHRIPMS
1/2 pound raw cleaned shrimps ( or thawed frozen package)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
4 large fresh mushrooms, coursely chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Nepal pepper ( or 1/4 tsp black pepper)
1 tsp paprika
Saute shrimps in butter for 4 minutes, add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes over gentle heat.
Separately combine sour cream and seasonings, color with the paprika and heat.
Combine shrimps and sauce, cook gently for 10 minutes or until thick and velvety.
Spoon the mixture into 4 buttered ramekins or large scallop shells, dust with grated Parmesan, and brown for a minute under broiler flame.
FRUITS DE MER
A thin pancake, rolled around creamed seafood, topped with Parmesan cheese, lightly broiled before serving.
These are not too difficult to prepare—and sometimes a double portion might take the place of an entree
1 cooked lobster tail or small tin of lobster meat
1/4 cup madeira, Marsala or dry sherry
1/2 cup fresh crabmeat, or a medium tin
1 tsp lemon juice
6 cooked shrimps, coursely cut
6 scallops, cousely cut
4 Cherrystone clams
4 oysters
4 mushrooms, chopped
1 cup mushroom soup, condensed
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chopped chives
1 T minced parsley
1 T butter
1 T cream salt, fresh pepper, grated Parmesan cheese
4 thin pancakes of 4 large scallop shells
Fruits de mer literally means "fruits of the sea." While it is usually served in a crepe (thin French pancake), it may also appear in scallop shells, buttered ramekins, or simply atop a buttered toast triangle.
Heat oven to 500.
Combine fish and shellfish with condensed mushroom soup, chopped fresh mushrooms, cream and wine, stir constantly and bring to high heat, then place over boiling water in a double boiler. Simmer gently while you prepare pancakes from any packaged mix. The pancakes should be very thin, cooked individually in butter, in a small skillet. Set them aside to keep warm.
Add all other ingredients (seasonings) to fish mixture and continue simmering for 5 minutes, while you butter a long shallow baking dish.
Place the pancakes one at a time: that is, place one at the end of the dish, spoon some of the creamed mixture into the center and fold over both pancake edges to cover the filling. Place the next pancake beside the first, etc. until all four crepes have been filled and are neatly distributed along the baking dish.
Cover with the remaining sauce, sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese, and broil for 3 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Most importantly of all...Enjoy!
Sunday, 28 November 2010
APPETIZERS - Recipes
Classic first courses for a gourmet dinner are:
Hors d'Oeuvres (French) Smorgasbord (Swedish)
Antipasto (Italian)
There are small but important differences between these, traditionally . . . and tradition is important in gourmet cookery.
Smorgasbord is an array of innumerable dishes, spread upon a separate buffet table, from which guests choose whatever they fancy and serve themselves on a salad-sized plate. It is served either as a first course, to be followed by meat-salad-dessert, or may be used as the main meal—in which case, guests are expected to return to the Smorgasbord table for second and third helpings, if they wish, and the meal is complete with dessert and coffee.
A true Smorgasbord offers a huge bowl of cold boiled shrimps, a whole turkey, and a large cold roast of beef, plus cole slaw, cucumber salad, potato salad, and a variety of molded fruit gelatines, flanked by dishes of cold salmon, herring fillets, tuna fish, all the usual garnishes of olives, pickles, carrot sticks, etc. There are usually also hot dishes of tiny boiled potatoes, meat balls, tiny frankfurters and baked beans.
A real Smorgasbord provides enough food for a small army! It is impossible to scale down a Smorgasbord for four—or even eight—people, but it can be presented to great advantage for the large buffet party.
Antipasto is prepared on individual plates in the kitchen, and served with a cruet of red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Hors d'Oeuvres, like the French who originated them, may go either way: served ready-prepared in the kitchen on individual plates, or in a series of dishes on rolling tea cart or Lazy Susan, from which seated guests select what they fancy.
The major difference between antipasto and hors d'oeuvres is that the latter are ready-mixed in their correct sauces, while Italian appetizers are plain and to be sprinkled at table with oil and vinegar. Salad-sized plates are used in all cases.
TRADITIONAL ANTIPASTO (for each serving)
Half a hardboiled egg
Tomato slice
1 slice of salami
Celery stalk
2 or 3 drained sardines
Radishes, green and black olives Greek olives
1/4 tin tuna fish, drained
and sprinled with lemon juice
Pimiento section, criss-crossed with 2 anchovy fillets
A cooked cold vegetable, asparagus tips, green beans, beets
Lentils or chickpeas (Garbanoz beans)1T drained
Arrange the components attractively, starting with a tablespoon of lentils in the center, covered with pimiento and anchovy fillets, and surrounded by sardines next to salami, and tuna fish next to tomato slice, with the egg, celery, and garnishes used for color accents, and so on.
HORS D'OEUVRES
Includes many of the same ingredients used in Antipasto, but each is varied by the sauce. A traditional hors d'oeuvres includes:
Hardboiled egg, masked with mayonnaise and decorated
with drained capers
Celery stalk and scallion, radishes, olives A small slice of Pate Maison Sardines and tuna fish, but put a dab of mayonnaise on
the tuna fish and decorate with a strip of pimiento Tomato slices
Haricots Blancs (white bean salad) Vegetable
Salads...any plain-cooked chilled vegetable,
coated with Vinaigrette dressing
Celeri Remoulade
Artichoke Hearts
Anchovy fillets
The essential dressings for an hors d'oeuvres are mayonnaise; and Vinaigrette, which is also the true French dressing used for salads.
For last minute preparation of hors d'oeuvres vegetables, a basic Vinaigrette is 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste, and these may be sprinkled directly into a mixing bowl after which the gentle mixing and turning will suffice to combine the dressing.
HARICOTS BLANCS (2-Step Cookery because it needs overnight chilling)
A white bean salad, usually pea or Navy beans, but a quick substitute is chickpeas (also called Garbanzos beans).
Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator
1 can chickpeas drained
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
2 white onions peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator
LENTIL SALAD
1 can drained chilled lentils 1/4 cup vinaigrette dressing
Combine and mix thoroughly; serve 2 small tablespoons for each hors d'oeuvres plate.
VEGETABLE SALADES
All true hors d'oeuvres present one or more vegetable salades—which are simply a thrifty French way to use up leftovers!
Suitable vegetables are: cauliflower, asparagus tips, French-style green beans, beets, carrots, a mixture of peas-limas-corn, artichoke hearts.
All vegetable salades are simply cold cooked vegetables coated with Vinaigrette dressing . . . and for home presentation, there is nothing wrong with placing different single-portion leftovers on each plate.
Vegetable salades are equally good in a Remoulade Sauce (see below): 2 cups mixed cold leftover vegetables, to V4 cup Remoulade mixed with 1 T Vinaigrette dressing.
CELERI REMOULADE (2-Step Cookery)
Celeriac marinated in French dressing, and served with a mustard-mayonnaise, either by itself or as part of a typical French hors d'oeuvres plate.
1. Peel a celery knob and cut in julienne strips. Cover
with plain French dressing (1 tablespoon of vinegar to 3
tablespoons of olive oil, plus salt and pepper). Mix thoroughly
to coat every piece of the celeriac with dressing; cover tightly
and chill overnight.
2. Drain off the marinade, and replace with Remoulade
Sauce, mixing well until celery is completely coated.
REMOULADE SAUCE
2 cups mayonnaise
1 T prepared mustard
1/2 cup sweet gherkins
1 T each minced parsley, tarragon, chervil
3 T drained capers
Drain gherkins and capers; chop together finely and drain away any liquid. Combine all other ingredients and mix smoothly.
Variation:
Substitute 3 anchovy fillets for gherkins and a small tin of tomato paste for mustard. Substitute minced green pepper for 1 tablespoon of capers.
CELERIAC CHARPENTIER ( 2 step cookery)
1 celery root scraped and cut into julienne strips
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T tarragon vinegar
1 tsp salt
Mix, cover tightly and chill overnight
Sauce
2 T heavy cream
1 tsp meat stock (Bovril or equivalent)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 oz brandy
1 egg yolk
Mix the sauce thoroughly. Drain the celeriac and add to the sauce, turning gently to coat each sliver.
To serve: place a lettuce leaf on each plate, top with a slice of ripe tomato, and cover with the celeriac. Dust with paprika.
Hors d'Oeuvres (French) Smorgasbord (Swedish)
Antipasto (Italian)
There are small but important differences between these, traditionally . . . and tradition is important in gourmet cookery.
Smorgasbord is an array of innumerable dishes, spread upon a separate buffet table, from which guests choose whatever they fancy and serve themselves on a salad-sized plate. It is served either as a first course, to be followed by meat-salad-dessert, or may be used as the main meal—in which case, guests are expected to return to the Smorgasbord table for second and third helpings, if they wish, and the meal is complete with dessert and coffee.
A true Smorgasbord offers a huge bowl of cold boiled shrimps, a whole turkey, and a large cold roast of beef, plus cole slaw, cucumber salad, potato salad, and a variety of molded fruit gelatines, flanked by dishes of cold salmon, herring fillets, tuna fish, all the usual garnishes of olives, pickles, carrot sticks, etc. There are usually also hot dishes of tiny boiled potatoes, meat balls, tiny frankfurters and baked beans.
A real Smorgasbord provides enough food for a small army! It is impossible to scale down a Smorgasbord for four—or even eight—people, but it can be presented to great advantage for the large buffet party.
Antipasto is prepared on individual plates in the kitchen, and served with a cruet of red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Hors d'Oeuvres, like the French who originated them, may go either way: served ready-prepared in the kitchen on individual plates, or in a series of dishes on rolling tea cart or Lazy Susan, from which seated guests select what they fancy.
The major difference between antipasto and hors d'oeuvres is that the latter are ready-mixed in their correct sauces, while Italian appetizers are plain and to be sprinkled at table with oil and vinegar. Salad-sized plates are used in all cases.
TRADITIONAL ANTIPASTO (for each serving)
Half a hardboiled egg
Tomato slice
1 slice of salami
Celery stalk
2 or 3 drained sardines
Radishes, green and black olives Greek olives
1/4 tin tuna fish, drained
and sprinled with lemon juice
Pimiento section, criss-crossed with 2 anchovy fillets
A cooked cold vegetable, asparagus tips, green beans, beets
Lentils or chickpeas (Garbanoz beans)1T drained
Arrange the components attractively, starting with a tablespoon of lentils in the center, covered with pimiento and anchovy fillets, and surrounded by sardines next to salami, and tuna fish next to tomato slice, with the egg, celery, and garnishes used for color accents, and so on.
HORS D'OEUVRES
Includes many of the same ingredients used in Antipasto, but each is varied by the sauce. A traditional hors d'oeuvres includes:
Hardboiled egg, masked with mayonnaise and decorated
with drained capers
Celery stalk and scallion, radishes, olives A small slice of Pate Maison Sardines and tuna fish, but put a dab of mayonnaise on
the tuna fish and decorate with a strip of pimiento Tomato slices
Haricots Blancs (white bean salad) Vegetable
Salads...any plain-cooked chilled vegetable,
coated with Vinaigrette dressing
Celeri Remoulade
Artichoke Hearts
Anchovy fillets
The essential dressings for an hors d'oeuvres are mayonnaise; and Vinaigrette, which is also the true French dressing used for salads.
For last minute preparation of hors d'oeuvres vegetables, a basic Vinaigrette is 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste, and these may be sprinkled directly into a mixing bowl after which the gentle mixing and turning will suffice to combine the dressing.
HARICOTS BLANCS (2-Step Cookery because it needs overnight chilling)
A white bean salad, usually pea or Navy beans, but a quick substitute is chickpeas (also called Garbanzos beans).
Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator
1 can chickpeas drained
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
2 white onions peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator
LENTIL SALAD
1 can drained chilled lentils 1/4 cup vinaigrette dressing
Combine and mix thoroughly; serve 2 small tablespoons for each hors d'oeuvres plate.
VEGETABLE SALADES
All true hors d'oeuvres present one or more vegetable salades—which are simply a thrifty French way to use up leftovers!
Suitable vegetables are: cauliflower, asparagus tips, French-style green beans, beets, carrots, a mixture of peas-limas-corn, artichoke hearts.
All vegetable salades are simply cold cooked vegetables coated with Vinaigrette dressing . . . and for home presentation, there is nothing wrong with placing different single-portion leftovers on each plate.
Vegetable salades are equally good in a Remoulade Sauce (see below): 2 cups mixed cold leftover vegetables, to V4 cup Remoulade mixed with 1 T Vinaigrette dressing.
CELERI REMOULADE (2-Step Cookery)
Celeriac marinated in French dressing, and served with a mustard-mayonnaise, either by itself or as part of a typical French hors d'oeuvres plate.
1. Peel a celery knob and cut in julienne strips. Cover
with plain French dressing (1 tablespoon of vinegar to 3
tablespoons of olive oil, plus salt and pepper). Mix thoroughly
to coat every piece of the celeriac with dressing; cover tightly
and chill overnight.
2. Drain off the marinade, and replace with Remoulade
Sauce, mixing well until celery is completely coated.
REMOULADE SAUCE
2 cups mayonnaise
1 T prepared mustard
1/2 cup sweet gherkins
1 T each minced parsley, tarragon, chervil
3 T drained capers
Drain gherkins and capers; chop together finely and drain away any liquid. Combine all other ingredients and mix smoothly.
Variation:
Substitute 3 anchovy fillets for gherkins and a small tin of tomato paste for mustard. Substitute minced green pepper for 1 tablespoon of capers.
CELERIAC CHARPENTIER ( 2 step cookery)
1 celery root scraped and cut into julienne strips
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T tarragon vinegar
1 tsp salt
Mix, cover tightly and chill overnight
Sauce
2 T heavy cream
1 tsp meat stock (Bovril or equivalent)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 oz brandy
1 egg yolk
Mix the sauce thoroughly. Drain the celeriac and add to the sauce, turning gently to coat each sliver.
To serve: place a lettuce leaf on each plate, top with a slice of ripe tomato, and cover with the celeriac. Dust with paprika.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
More Starters - Rolled Cheese Toast and Pate Maison
ROLLED CHEESE TOAST
8 slices very fresh white Butter
bread, crusts removed Soft Cheddar spread
Butter the bread, spread with cheese; roll up the slices— easily done by placing the bread buttered-side up on a damp kitchen towel. Fasten the rolls either with extra butter or by a toothpick; place in a shallow pan beneath the broiler flame and toast evenly on all sides . . . about 5 minutes over all.
PATE MAISON ( 2 step cookery)
A traditional moulded chicken liver paste to be used either as a cocktail spread with salted crackers or served in a small wedge as part of an hors d'oeuvres plate.
1 pound chicken livers 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 white onion 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup rendered chicken fat 1/8 tsp anchovy paste
(or melted butter) 4T grated white onion
1 tsp salt 1 T cognac brandy
1/s tsp mace
Step 1:
Wash livers, trim away any discolorations, place in a saucepan, add the whole peeled onion, barely cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Drain and discard the onion.
Grind the livers very very finely, using the finest blade of the grinder and putting them through a second time if necessary to reduce them to a smooth paste.
Add all the other ingredients, mixing very thoroughly. Pack in a straight-sided mold, cover with waxed paper, and chill overnight.
Step 2:
Unmold on a plate and slice thinly, for hors d'oeuvres— or serve in a ring
8 slices very fresh white Butter
bread, crusts removed Soft Cheddar spread
Butter the bread, spread with cheese; roll up the slices— easily done by placing the bread buttered-side up on a damp kitchen towel. Fasten the rolls either with extra butter or by a toothpick; place in a shallow pan beneath the broiler flame and toast evenly on all sides . . . about 5 minutes over all.
PATE MAISON ( 2 step cookery)
A traditional moulded chicken liver paste to be used either as a cocktail spread with salted crackers or served in a small wedge as part of an hors d'oeuvres plate.
1 pound chicken livers 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 white onion 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup rendered chicken fat 1/8 tsp anchovy paste
(or melted butter) 4T grated white onion
1 tsp salt 1 T cognac brandy
1/s tsp mace
Step 1:
Wash livers, trim away any discolorations, place in a saucepan, add the whole peeled onion, barely cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Drain and discard the onion.
Grind the livers very very finely, using the finest blade of the grinder and putting them through a second time if necessary to reduce them to a smooth paste.
Add all the other ingredients, mixing very thoroughly. Pack in a straight-sided mold, cover with waxed paper, and chill overnight.
Step 2:
Unmold on a plate and slice thinly, for hors d'oeuvres— or serve in a ring
Friday, 26 November 2010
More Great Starters - Angels on Horseback and Parmesan Cubes
ANGELS ON HORSEBACK
8 oysters salt, pepper, paprika
8 thin slices of bacon
Sprinkle oysters with salt, pepper and paprika. Wrap each oyster in a thin slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Broil until bacon is crisp, turning once to brown evenly. Serve hot.
PARMESAN CUBES
Bread cut in 1 inch cubes ( best with day old French bread or Italian)
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 pound melted butter
Dunk the bread cubes in the butter—briefly, or they will absorb too much!—roll in grated Parmesan, and bake in the oven until golden brown—about 5 to 10 minutes in a very hot oven.
What could be easier! Enjoy
8 oysters salt, pepper, paprika
8 thin slices of bacon
Sprinkle oysters with salt, pepper and paprika. Wrap each oyster in a thin slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Broil until bacon is crisp, turning once to brown evenly. Serve hot.
PARMESAN CUBES
Bread cut in 1 inch cubes ( best with day old French bread or Italian)
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 pound melted butter
Dunk the bread cubes in the butter—briefly, or they will absorb too much!—roll in grated Parmesan, and bake in the oven until golden brown—about 5 to 10 minutes in a very hot oven.
What could be easier! Enjoy
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Starters to Die For
Here a couple of starters which guarantee getting the juices flowing
GUACAMOLE
A traditional south-of-the-border cocktail dip, to serve with sturdy potato chips or crisp crackers.
Mash the avocados through a sieve, add other ingredients, mix very smoothly and serve in a bowl lined with a few let-tuce leaves. Dust the top with paprika.
NOTES: Avocados quickly blacken with air; guacamole should never be made more than half an hour in advance...in which case, cover the bowl with Saran wrap and keep in the refrigerator until the final moment.
Guacamole variations: add 2 crumbled crisp cooked cold bacon slices or 2 tablespoons of ground nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts) or a tablespoon of chili sauce or a tablespoon of grated raw carrot or a tablespoon of sherry and 6 minced black olives. . . .
STUFFED EGGS (2-Step Cookery)
Anyone can make deviled eggs, but a gourmet cook is not content with the dull mustard-cayenne variety. Stuffed eggs are best prepared in advance and allowed to chill gently for a minimum of two hours before serving.
For a very special cocktail hour, provide two or even three different stuffings. All start with peeled, halved hardboiled eggs—place the yolks in a bowl and mash:
1. 6 hardboiled eggs yolks 1 T curry, 1 T mayonese, 1 tsp prepared mustard, 4T fish or chicken paste,
Garnish with drained capers
2. 6 egg yokes mashed, 1 tsp chili sauce and 2T flaked crabmeat, shrimp or lobster
Place in the empty egg whites, and mask with the following mixture: 2 T mayonnaise, combined with 1 tsp curry powder. Garnish with an anchovy fillet.
3. 6 egg yolks mashed, 6 minced black olives, 2 T Roque¬
fort or Bleu cheese. Mash thoroughly, and thin with a
few drops of milk if necessary.
Garnish with toasted slivers of almonds, or pistachio nuts.
4. 6 egg yolks mashed, 2 T liver paste (or 2 mashed
cooked chicken livers), 1 tsp curry powder, 1 T mayon
naise, salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
5. 6 egg yolks mashed, 3 T pate de foie gras, 1 tsp each
of chervil, parsley and chives, salt and pepper.
Garnish with a black olive.
GUACAMOLE
A traditional south-of-the-border cocktail dip, to serve with sturdy potato chips or crisp crackers.
Mash the avocados through a sieve, add other ingredients, mix very smoothly and serve in a bowl lined with a few let-tuce leaves. Dust the top with paprika.
NOTES: Avocados quickly blacken with air; guacamole should never be made more than half an hour in advance...in which case, cover the bowl with Saran wrap and keep in the refrigerator until the final moment.
Guacamole variations: add 2 crumbled crisp cooked cold bacon slices or 2 tablespoons of ground nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts) or a tablespoon of chili sauce or a tablespoon of grated raw carrot or a tablespoon of sherry and 6 minced black olives. . . .
STUFFED EGGS (2-Step Cookery)
Anyone can make deviled eggs, but a gourmet cook is not content with the dull mustard-cayenne variety. Stuffed eggs are best prepared in advance and allowed to chill gently for a minimum of two hours before serving.
For a very special cocktail hour, provide two or even three different stuffings. All start with peeled, halved hardboiled eggs—place the yolks in a bowl and mash:
1. 6 hardboiled eggs yolks 1 T curry, 1 T mayonese, 1 tsp prepared mustard, 4T fish or chicken paste,
Garnish with drained capers
2. 6 egg yokes mashed, 1 tsp chili sauce and 2T flaked crabmeat, shrimp or lobster
Place in the empty egg whites, and mask with the following mixture: 2 T mayonnaise, combined with 1 tsp curry powder. Garnish with an anchovy fillet.
3. 6 egg yolks mashed, 6 minced black olives, 2 T Roque¬
fort or Bleu cheese. Mash thoroughly, and thin with a
few drops of milk if necessary.
Garnish with toasted slivers of almonds, or pistachio nuts.
4. 6 egg yolks mashed, 2 T liver paste (or 2 mashed
cooked chicken livers), 1 tsp curry powder, 1 T mayon
naise, salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
5. 6 egg yolks mashed, 3 T pate de foie gras, 1 tsp each
of chervil, parsley and chives, salt and pepper.
Garnish with a black olive.
Planning Your Gourmet Meal
Meal-planning can be a terrible trap for the unwary.
A gourmet menu must be considered as a whole; each course is
a subtle bridge between all others; each flavor should be separate, yet blend with everything else; wine is used as an accent to clear the palate.
In the excitement of mastering gourmet-cookery, do not go overboard, and create an end product of indigestion for all!
1. The theme of the meal depends on the main dish; other
courses should support this. If East Indian curry is the entree,
do not precede it by Italian antipasto or follow with crapes
Suzettel.
2. Emphasize one course, and simplify all others so they
will point up you masterpiece.
3. Never serve more than one rich sauce within the same
course. A Chateaubriand with Sauce Beamaise does not team
with Broccoli Hollandaise, although this will be wonderful
with plain broiled hamburger.
4. Salad is used to clear the palate, in preparation for the
final sweet dessert. Following a richly sauced main dish,
serve a plain salad with tart dressing...and because salad is
basically used in this way by gourmets, wine is never served
with it.
5. Learn to think of food in its colors: green peas, red
tomatoes, white fish, yellow squash, and so on. No gourmet
cook would schedule creamed cauliflower with mashed pota¬
toes and boiled codfish, for no amount of paprika or minced
parsley could relieve the general colorless appearance.
Think, too, of the color of china, tablecloth, candles and flowers; gourmet cooks display a delicious dish to advantage . . . red tomatoes in a white dish, lettuce in a brown wooden bowl, white mashed potatoes against pink roses . . .
6. Some foods (spinach, asparagus, broccoli) are always
watery; French fried foods grow soggy in contact with plate
juices; noodles, mashed potatoes and such acquire added
savor from meat sauce. A gourmet cook considers which foods
may be combined on one dinner plate—and which should be
served at the side, such as Asparagus Hollandaise.
7. No matter how small your flat or apartment, get the guests on
their feet and away from the dinner table after the dessert
course! If you like to be lazy over coffee and liqueurs, serve
them elsewhere (even if only three feet from the table; the entire effect of a delicious meal is dissipated by sitting too long over the remnants. Furthermore, even this small move-ment will prevent torpidity as an aftermath of good food, and allow everyone to digest, feel good, and sparkle conversationally.
Follow the above tips and your gourmet meal WILL be a success!
A gourmet menu must be considered as a whole; each course is
a subtle bridge between all others; each flavor should be separate, yet blend with everything else; wine is used as an accent to clear the palate.
In the excitement of mastering gourmet-cookery, do not go overboard, and create an end product of indigestion for all!
1. The theme of the meal depends on the main dish; other
courses should support this. If East Indian curry is the entree,
do not precede it by Italian antipasto or follow with crapes
Suzettel.
2. Emphasize one course, and simplify all others so they
will point up you masterpiece.
3. Never serve more than one rich sauce within the same
course. A Chateaubriand with Sauce Beamaise does not team
with Broccoli Hollandaise, although this will be wonderful
with plain broiled hamburger.
4. Salad is used to clear the palate, in preparation for the
final sweet dessert. Following a richly sauced main dish,
serve a plain salad with tart dressing...and because salad is
basically used in this way by gourmets, wine is never served
with it.
5. Learn to think of food in its colors: green peas, red
tomatoes, white fish, yellow squash, and so on. No gourmet
cook would schedule creamed cauliflower with mashed pota¬
toes and boiled codfish, for no amount of paprika or minced
parsley could relieve the general colorless appearance.
Think, too, of the color of china, tablecloth, candles and flowers; gourmet cooks display a delicious dish to advantage . . . red tomatoes in a white dish, lettuce in a brown wooden bowl, white mashed potatoes against pink roses . . .
6. Some foods (spinach, asparagus, broccoli) are always
watery; French fried foods grow soggy in contact with plate
juices; noodles, mashed potatoes and such acquire added
savor from meat sauce. A gourmet cook considers which foods
may be combined on one dinner plate—and which should be
served at the side, such as Asparagus Hollandaise.
7. No matter how small your flat or apartment, get the guests on
their feet and away from the dinner table after the dessert
course! If you like to be lazy over coffee and liqueurs, serve
them elsewhere (even if only three feet from the table; the entire effect of a delicious meal is dissipated by sitting too long over the remnants. Furthermore, even this small move-ment will prevent torpidity as an aftermath of good food, and allow everyone to digest, feel good, and sparkle conversationally.
Follow the above tips and your gourmet meal WILL be a success!
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Before The Meal
THE FREE LUNCH, or canapés
The expression "free lunch" originated in Victorian saloons —when immense platters of excellent cold meats, potato salad and cheeses were strategically placed along a bar to encourage the greater consumption of beer.
In those halcyon days, a nickel glass of beer assured the impecunious of as much food as he could tuck away in preparation for the next 24 hours.
Today's canapé tray is entirely different—due to rising costs, increased knowledge of calories, and so on. It may be no more than a well-ripened Camembert, a tin of smoked mussels or pate de foie gras with salty crackers—or there may be a special titbit.
There are three points to remember:
First: No more than two drinks should ever be served before dinner . . . and food (in the form of canapés, titbits or bouchees) should accompany the liquor. This is an absolute and positive rule among true gastronomes and it must not be broken! For one thing, there is little point in creating a gorgeous dinner for a group who have drunk too much to appreciate it.
Second: No matter how simple or few the components, a cocktail tray must look inviting . . . and black olives, crisp carrot sticks or bright radishes will fill innumerable chinks.
Third: The service of a special cocktail titbit may often gain an extra 15 minutes for the harassed chef to create the dinner masterpiece!
The expression "free lunch" originated in Victorian saloons —when immense platters of excellent cold meats, potato salad and cheeses were strategically placed along a bar to encourage the greater consumption of beer.
In those halcyon days, a nickel glass of beer assured the impecunious of as much food as he could tuck away in preparation for the next 24 hours.
Today's canapé tray is entirely different—due to rising costs, increased knowledge of calories, and so on. It may be no more than a well-ripened Camembert, a tin of smoked mussels or pate de foie gras with salty crackers—or there may be a special titbit.
There are three points to remember:
First: No more than two drinks should ever be served before dinner . . . and food (in the form of canapés, titbits or bouchees) should accompany the liquor. This is an absolute and positive rule among true gastronomes and it must not be broken! For one thing, there is little point in creating a gorgeous dinner for a group who have drunk too much to appreciate it.
Second: No matter how simple or few the components, a cocktail tray must look inviting . . . and black olives, crisp carrot sticks or bright radishes will fill innumerable chinks.
Third: The service of a special cocktail titbit may often gain an extra 15 minutes for the harassed chef to create the dinner masterpiece!
What Is Courmet Cooking?
Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen
So what exactly is “gourmet” cooking?
Have you ever eaten at Maxims in Paris, or any of the really fabulous places whose spe¬cialties are as tempting to look at as they are to eat?
That's Gourmet cooking at its best
Unlike basic cooking, which we all do every day, Gourmet cooking can be considered an art.
What we are trying to do is to give your guests ( you are unlikely to prepare a gourmet meal for yourself, though there is nothing stoppping you!) a lasting, memorable experience and to do this we are striving for perfection.
Saying that, don’t let this put you off - Anyone can prepare gourmet foods...you only need to know how!
On this blog and the resources provided, there is a wealth of information and recipes to help you do just that.
Some of the basics you need to consider are:-
• Ingredients. No cutting costs here. Only the finest cuts of meat are used with only the freshest of ingredients. Many of these are expensive and hard to find. This extravagance is part of what makes gourmet cooking special .
• Preparation. The food is cooked to perfection in gourmet cooking. It is cut, cleaned, and cooked to precision. It must not be overdone or undercooked. Each vegetable is cut precisely, with care paid to the details. This means a gourmet meal will always be the finest quality but will require more work and time in preparation and cooking. This is part of the reason that gourmet cooking is more expensive.
• Presentation The final part of what is gourmet cooking is about is the way in which it is presented. Unlike visiting a local restaurant where your plate is stacked high with food, here you have a smaller portion (in most cases) that is presented in an artful and unique arrangement. Your goal is to make the food look just as appealing as it tastes.
The bottom line is “Gourmet cooking is cooking at its finest.”
Again although this may sound daunting, you CAN prepare meals like this at home, .
When you master gourmet cooking
SPECIALTIES OF THE HOUSE .. will refer to YOUR HOUSE!
This blog contains a unique collection of very special recipes, tips, hints and resources, that can help you prepare real gourmet food in your own home.
From subtle and exotic Ori¬ental dishes to the superb cuisine of the Mediterranean, they are all here...designed to make the simplest table elegant and please the most discriminating palates.
You will also find culinary secrets gleaned from years of experience by the best chefs of the world.
Your friends will be delighted and you will probably be amazed—because these deli¬cious recipes are easy to understand, and easy to cook, too.
Enjoy...
I have ALL the recipes feaured in this blog in a recently discovered cookbook. If you would like a free copy of the complete cookbook, just leave a comment with you email address to this blog, or drop me an email at stewartalves@uwclub.net and I will send you the complete book immediately.
Top Stories
So what exactly is “gourmet” cooking?Have you ever eaten at Maxims in Paris, or any of the really fabulous places whose spe¬cialties are as tempting to look at as they are to eat?
That's Gourmet cooking at its best
Unlike basic cooking, which we all do every day, Gourmet cooking can be considered an art.
What we are trying to do is to give your guests ( you are unlikely to prepare a gourmet meal for yourself, though there is nothing stoppping you!) a lasting, memorable experience and to do this we are striving for perfection.
Saying that, don’t let this put you off - Anyone can prepare gourmet foods...you only need to know how!
On this blog and the resources provided, there is a wealth of information and recipes to help you do just that.
Some of the basics you need to consider are:-
• Ingredients. No cutting costs here. Only the finest cuts of meat are used with only the freshest of ingredients. Many of these are expensive and hard to find. This extravagance is part of what makes gourmet cooking special .
• Preparation. The food is cooked to perfection in gourmet cooking. It is cut, cleaned, and cooked to precision. It must not be overdone or undercooked. Each vegetable is cut precisely, with care paid to the details. This means a gourmet meal will always be the finest quality but will require more work and time in preparation and cooking. This is part of the reason that gourmet cooking is more expensive.
• Presentation The final part of what is gourmet cooking is about is the way in which it is presented. Unlike visiting a local restaurant where your plate is stacked high with food, here you have a smaller portion (in most cases) that is presented in an artful and unique arrangement. Your goal is to make the food look just as appealing as it tastes.
The bottom line is “Gourmet cooking is cooking at its finest.”
Again although this may sound daunting, you CAN prepare meals like this at home, .
When you master gourmet cooking
SPECIALTIES OF THE HOUSE .. will refer to YOUR HOUSE!
This blog contains a unique collection of very special recipes, tips, hints and resources, that can help you prepare real gourmet food in your own home.
From subtle and exotic Ori¬ental dishes to the superb cuisine of the Mediterranean, they are all here...designed to make the simplest table elegant and please the most discriminating palates.
You will also find culinary secrets gleaned from years of experience by the best chefs of the world.
Your friends will be delighted and you will probably be amazed—because these deli¬cious recipes are easy to understand, and easy to cook, too.
Enjoy...
I have ALL the recipes feaured in this blog in a recently discovered cookbook. If you would like a free copy of the complete cookbook, just leave a comment with you email address to this blog, or drop me an email at stewartalves@uwclub.net and I will send you the complete book immediately.
Top Stories
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
SAUCES
The saying goes (although it's a gross libel today) that "The French have a hundred sauces to disguise a few foods —and the Americans have a hundred foods disguised only by White Sauce!"
It is true that many great gourmet dishes involve a special sauce, which used to take hours to prepare. For the quick gourmet chef, there's a way around this:
1. Hollandaise and Béarnaise: Both are available in glass
jars. If should find them in your local gourmet shop,
2. Madeira, Armoricainet Newburg, Supreme, et al: These,
too, are available tinned or frozen, and will transform the humble hamburger or leftover into a gourmet's dream.
3. Bottled Meat Sauces: Heinz A-l, H-P, Escoffier's Diable,
Robert or Cumberland sauce, Worcestershire, and a wide
range of mustards from Devilled to Bahamian to Dijon
Wash your hands thoroughly, use a judicious few tablespoons
of whatever you fancy, and rub it thoroughly into chops and
steaks. This replaces the marinades which used to take hours.
4. Dessert Sauces: Be cautious about these! There are lots
of edible varieties, but very few that come up to a gour
met's standard! but as you will see in a later blog, there are many many quick tricks with liqueurs and fresh fruit for presenting gourmet
desserts in a minute.
5. Basting Sauces: Here you begin to be a gourmet chef,
for a basting sauce is largely invention based on experience
as you grow proficient with recipes.
Basting sauces are used with fish, meat and poultry. Generally, they are melted butter blended with herbs—or spices —or fruit and fruit peels—with or without a dash of cooking wine. The precise ingredients depend upon the final flavor desired: tangy, sultry, or sweetish.
The basting sauce should be made at the start of the cooking operation, placed over the lowest possible heat, allowed to sit and grow acquainted with itself. A quarter pound of butter makes an adequate basting sauce; half a pound is sometimes better—if you can bring yourself to it!
The basic procedure is to combine butter chunks and desired seasonings or flavorings in a small saucepot (a stainless steel one-cup measure with a handle is satisfactory), and to obtain the full savory blend by simmering gently during the first steps of searing meat or poultry, firming the fish flesh, etc.
A basting sauce is used to moisten and flavor a dish during its cooking; it is brushed directly onto roasting meat or poultry with a pastry brush at 10 or 15 minute intervals, or poured over fish and broiled dishes every 5 minutes for quick cookery.
For long cooking roasts, when the basting sauce has all
been used, a roaster-baster will pick up pan juices for moistening the dish.
6. Wine Sauces: "The better the wine, the better the dish" is the gourmet standard ... although it's not necessary to buy fine vintage drinking wines for use in the kitchen.
Never buy cooking wine or liquor purely on a price basis; the cheap brands do not have sufficient alcoholic content to create a fiambee dish—and will not have enough flavor to remain in the sauce. White wines can be used for any recipes, but red wines can only be used for dark meats . . . when they will not discolor the dish.
At table, the only standard today is flavor, and red or white wines are served interchangeably.
When wine is added directly to a dish during cooking, lower the heat immediately or the meat will toughen.
7. Fats and Oils: For true gourmet cookery, there is no
substitute for butter unless particularly specified. Sweet but
ter is preferable, because the amount of salt varies in com
mercial brands; if salt butter is used, decrease the amount of
salt in a recipe and check seasoning just before you serve.
Butter is absolutely essential for sauces and basting, but cannot be used for frying; at high temperatures, it decomposes chemically and burns.
For Deep-Fat Frying, use liquid or hydrogenated oils such as Wesson, Crisco, Spry, etc. These can be re-used once or twice, if you allow sediment to settle and decant (pour off) the clear top fat after each frying. Once frying fat has been used for fish, it cannot be used for anything else! If you enjoy fried foods, it's wise to have two fat kettles—one for fish, and one for everything else.
For all Italian, Spanish or Latin-American dishes, a tablespoon of olive oil can replace butter in starting the dish.
Lard is excellent for greasing baking potatoes or pan-frying fish. It cannot be re-used, but is inexpensive enough to discard and start fresh next time.
Bacon grease is equally good for baking potatoes or to saute fish, and can be smeared thickly over chicken breasts or squab before roasting. Because of its positive flavor, only tangy herbs will combine with it for added taste.
If you have time to melt it, or can buy it in jars, chicken fat also has many uses, either to baste poultry or (solidified) in place of half the butter required for pastry dough’s.
No gourmet cook ever uses margarine for anything.
8. Meat Glazes: For a handsome browned surface to meat
or poultry, mix a tablespoon of commercial gravy coloring
such as Kitchen Bouquet, Gravymaster, etc. with two table
spoons of water. Paint all exposed parts of the poultry or
meat before placing in the oven.
9. Shallots are a small onion bulb resembling garlic in
formation of cloves, but very mild in flavor. Typically French,
they are not always available but make all the difference in
a sauce if they can be had. Minced scallions (spring onions)
are an acceptable substitute—and in moments of stress, a
tablespoon of grated white onion will equal 2 minced shal
lots.
10. Grated orange and lemon peel are readily available
in jars; a teaspoon equals the grated rind of a whole medium-
sized fruit.
11. Garlic can be bought powdered (a quarter teaspon
equals a fresh clove), but a garlic press will produce a much
better flavor from a peeled garlic clove—if you can afford
the time.
Onion and garlic juice are also available; use them purely for flavoring, as many dishes are better with sauteed pieces of onion. Onion flakes are good for home-cooking, but not sufficient for gourmet results.
It is true that many great gourmet dishes involve a special sauce, which used to take hours to prepare. For the quick gourmet chef, there's a way around this:
1. Hollandaise and Béarnaise: Both are available in glass
jars. If should find them in your local gourmet shop,
2. Madeira, Armoricainet Newburg, Supreme, et al: These,
too, are available tinned or frozen, and will transform the humble hamburger or leftover into a gourmet's dream.
3. Bottled Meat Sauces: Heinz A-l, H-P, Escoffier's Diable,
Robert or Cumberland sauce, Worcestershire, and a wide
range of mustards from Devilled to Bahamian to Dijon
Wash your hands thoroughly, use a judicious few tablespoons
of whatever you fancy, and rub it thoroughly into chops and
steaks. This replaces the marinades which used to take hours.
4. Dessert Sauces: Be cautious about these! There are lots
of edible varieties, but very few that come up to a gour
met's standard! but as you will see in a later blog, there are many many quick tricks with liqueurs and fresh fruit for presenting gourmet
desserts in a minute.
5. Basting Sauces: Here you begin to be a gourmet chef,
for a basting sauce is largely invention based on experience
as you grow proficient with recipes.
Basting sauces are used with fish, meat and poultry. Generally, they are melted butter blended with herbs—or spices —or fruit and fruit peels—with or without a dash of cooking wine. The precise ingredients depend upon the final flavor desired: tangy, sultry, or sweetish.
The basting sauce should be made at the start of the cooking operation, placed over the lowest possible heat, allowed to sit and grow acquainted with itself. A quarter pound of butter makes an adequate basting sauce; half a pound is sometimes better—if you can bring yourself to it!
The basic procedure is to combine butter chunks and desired seasonings or flavorings in a small saucepot (a stainless steel one-cup measure with a handle is satisfactory), and to obtain the full savory blend by simmering gently during the first steps of searing meat or poultry, firming the fish flesh, etc.
A basting sauce is used to moisten and flavor a dish during its cooking; it is brushed directly onto roasting meat or poultry with a pastry brush at 10 or 15 minute intervals, or poured over fish and broiled dishes every 5 minutes for quick cookery.
For long cooking roasts, when the basting sauce has all
been used, a roaster-baster will pick up pan juices for moistening the dish.
6. Wine Sauces: "The better the wine, the better the dish" is the gourmet standard ... although it's not necessary to buy fine vintage drinking wines for use in the kitchen.
Never buy cooking wine or liquor purely on a price basis; the cheap brands do not have sufficient alcoholic content to create a fiambee dish—and will not have enough flavor to remain in the sauce. White wines can be used for any recipes, but red wines can only be used for dark meats . . . when they will not discolor the dish.
At table, the only standard today is flavor, and red or white wines are served interchangeably.
When wine is added directly to a dish during cooking, lower the heat immediately or the meat will toughen.
7. Fats and Oils: For true gourmet cookery, there is no
substitute for butter unless particularly specified. Sweet but
ter is preferable, because the amount of salt varies in com
mercial brands; if salt butter is used, decrease the amount of
salt in a recipe and check seasoning just before you serve.
Butter is absolutely essential for sauces and basting, but cannot be used for frying; at high temperatures, it decomposes chemically and burns.
For Deep-Fat Frying, use liquid or hydrogenated oils such as Wesson, Crisco, Spry, etc. These can be re-used once or twice, if you allow sediment to settle and decant (pour off) the clear top fat after each frying. Once frying fat has been used for fish, it cannot be used for anything else! If you enjoy fried foods, it's wise to have two fat kettles—one for fish, and one for everything else.
For all Italian, Spanish or Latin-American dishes, a tablespoon of olive oil can replace butter in starting the dish.
Lard is excellent for greasing baking potatoes or pan-frying fish. It cannot be re-used, but is inexpensive enough to discard and start fresh next time.
Bacon grease is equally good for baking potatoes or to saute fish, and can be smeared thickly over chicken breasts or squab before roasting. Because of its positive flavor, only tangy herbs will combine with it for added taste.
If you have time to melt it, or can buy it in jars, chicken fat also has many uses, either to baste poultry or (solidified) in place of half the butter required for pastry dough’s.
No gourmet cook ever uses margarine for anything.
8. Meat Glazes: For a handsome browned surface to meat
or poultry, mix a tablespoon of commercial gravy coloring
such as Kitchen Bouquet, Gravymaster, etc. with two table
spoons of water. Paint all exposed parts of the poultry or
meat before placing in the oven.
9. Shallots are a small onion bulb resembling garlic in
formation of cloves, but very mild in flavor. Typically French,
they are not always available but make all the difference in
a sauce if they can be had. Minced scallions (spring onions)
are an acceptable substitute—and in moments of stress, a
tablespoon of grated white onion will equal 2 minced shal
lots.
10. Grated orange and lemon peel are readily available
in jars; a teaspoon equals the grated rind of a whole medium-
sized fruit.
11. Garlic can be bought powdered (a quarter teaspon
equals a fresh clove), but a garlic press will produce a much
better flavor from a peeled garlic clove—if you can afford
the time.
Onion and garlic juice are also available; use them purely for flavoring, as many dishes are better with sauteed pieces of onion. Onion flakes are good for home-cooking, but not sufficient for gourmet results.
GO-TOGETHERS AND SUBSTITUTES
Before we get to the juicy part and start going through the recipes in this blog, lets first look at some of the basics - things like what goes with what and how to get your ingredients to go further
1. Any recipe requiring: green pepper, scallions, celery,
mushrooms, tomatoes or parsley, may be amplified or extended by
adding an equal amount of any of the others.
2. Shrimp, crab, scallops and lobsters respond to a rich
sauce of cream, white wine and mushrooms, plus a dash of
nutmeg—or thin tart lemon-butter-parsley sauces . . . but
oysters, clams and mussels prefer the thin sauce.
3. Salted or corned meats are exclusive and do not com¬
bine happily with anything but chicken and eggs. All other
plain-cooked meats and poultry can be teamed for a chefs
salad, a potluck curry, sliced meat platter, or creamed in
patty shells.
4. In a dire emergency, chicken creamed or curried can
be stretched by a tin of white meat tuna. Cut the oil with
lemon juice, douse in cold water, and slice into neat pieces.
5. Yoghurt and sour cream are interchangeable—although
the flavor will be slightly different in the final dish.
6. Use condensed cream soups for a quick white sauce:
MBT soup packets are quicker to use than pressed bouillon
or consommé cubes. Dilute cream soups % to % when used
as a sauce. For dishes with plenty of cooking liquid, sprinkle
powders directly into hot liquid and stir gently until dis¬
solved.
1. Any recipe requiring: green pepper, scallions, celery,
mushrooms, tomatoes or parsley, may be amplified or extended by
adding an equal amount of any of the others.
2. Shrimp, crab, scallops and lobsters respond to a rich
sauce of cream, white wine and mushrooms, plus a dash of
nutmeg—or thin tart lemon-butter-parsley sauces . . . but
oysters, clams and mussels prefer the thin sauce.
3. Salted or corned meats are exclusive and do not com¬
bine happily with anything but chicken and eggs. All other
plain-cooked meats and poultry can be teamed for a chefs
salad, a potluck curry, sliced meat platter, or creamed in
patty shells.
4. In a dire emergency, chicken creamed or curried can
be stretched by a tin of white meat tuna. Cut the oil with
lemon juice, douse in cold water, and slice into neat pieces.
5. Yoghurt and sour cream are interchangeable—although
the flavor will be slightly different in the final dish.
6. Use condensed cream soups for a quick white sauce:
MBT soup packets are quicker to use than pressed bouillon
or consommé cubes. Dilute cream soups % to % when used
as a sauce. For dishes with plenty of cooking liquid, sprinkle
powders directly into hot liquid and stir gently until dis¬
solved.
QUICK TIPS TO QUICK COOKERY
These days, nothing is more fun—nor more socially acceptable—than "messing about in the kitchen." What with pressure cookers, electric broilers and blenders, packaged mixes, bottled sauces, every possible herb or spice from the Indies, and something new every day in the frozen food sec-tion of any supermarket, Cookery is the latest game, the newest fad.
Now that women find it's fun to cook, and men are remembering that every great name in gastronomy from Epicurus to Escoffier is masculine, the next step is Gourmet Cookery —and turning yourself into a Cordon Bleu is no longer difficult.
In this blog we will present a selection of great traditional dishes, as well as some "novelties." All are designed to be prepared in a limited time for the modern-day reproduction of a Lucullan Feast—and all are proportioned for four hungry gourmets.
Note, that all gourmet recipes are intended for adults—because a child's palate does not develop until the late teens.
A few years ago, many of these recipes could not have been included, and there is no denying that some great culi-nary masterpieces still cannot be prepared in only thirty minutes. Even with a pressure cooker, the true Coq au Vin, Blanquette de Veau or Boeuf BourguigNonne, while edible cannot possess the suave blend of flavors that comes from leisurely simmering.
Time is essential, too, for chilling or resting of some dishes that can easily be prepared in a few minutes. Therefore, a few recipes will be included that require 30minutes or less to prepare—but which must be allowed to stand overnight be-fore the final minutes or preparation and service.
These are marked Two-Step Cookery; neither step requires more than 30 minutes—but if you like to think this a quibble,we can only recommend that you try the dish and hope it wall be found worthy of inclusion.
BASIC TIPS TO THE CHEF
1. It may actually be easier to prepare a glamorous dish
(foreign name and all), than the run-of-the-mill dishes you've
been eating all your life.
2. Read all the way through a recipe first; check to be sure
ingredients are at hand. You will save time and achieve bet¬
ter results if you understand, in general terms, what you are
going to do before you start to do it.
3. Never try to make more than one unfamiliar recipe for
the same meal! A wise chef never tries a new recipe when
there is "company," either. Always get the recipe under your
belt at least once before you attempt to produce it with eclat
for strangers.
4. Accurate measurements are essential; accurate timing is
essential. Never hesitate to make your personal penciled
comments next to the recipe; the annotated cookbook is a
chefs most valuable possession.
5. Gourmet cookery requires the best quality in ingredient. Please, no substitutions -Real butter, real cream, the freshest mushrooms, the best olive oil ... all are essential for a gourmet dish.
6. When there are 4 or 6 people for dinner, the chef dic¬
tates the schedule: Finish the drinks, wash the hands, and
sit down! But for more than 6 people (even if they will be
formally seated at the table), it's wise to plan a main dish
that can only improve with overcooking!
7. Never season before cooking, as this
toughens the flesh. Seasonings go into sauces, or should be
added at the end of the plain-cooking.
8. Spaghetti sauces, curries and stews are easy ways to
use up leftovers—the easiest things to stretch for unexpected
guests—and the simplest things to prepare when the cook
wants to enjoy the fun as well as set a distinguished meal
on the table.
You will find many great gormet food recipes in this blog. They have all been taken from a recently discovered cookbook. If you would like a free copy of the complete cookbook, just leave a comment with your email address on this blog, or drop me an email at stewartalves@uwclub.net and I will send you the complete book immediately.
Now that women find it's fun to cook, and men are remembering that every great name in gastronomy from Epicurus to Escoffier is masculine, the next step is Gourmet Cookery —and turning yourself into a Cordon Bleu is no longer difficult.
In this blog we will present a selection of great traditional dishes, as well as some "novelties." All are designed to be prepared in a limited time for the modern-day reproduction of a Lucullan Feast—and all are proportioned for four hungry gourmets.
Note, that all gourmet recipes are intended for adults—because a child's palate does not develop until the late teens.
A few years ago, many of these recipes could not have been included, and there is no denying that some great culi-nary masterpieces still cannot be prepared in only thirty minutes. Even with a pressure cooker, the true Coq au Vin, Blanquette de Veau or Boeuf BourguigNonne, while edible cannot possess the suave blend of flavors that comes from leisurely simmering.
Time is essential, too, for chilling or resting of some dishes that can easily be prepared in a few minutes. Therefore, a few recipes will be included that require 30minutes or less to prepare—but which must be allowed to stand overnight be-fore the final minutes or preparation and service.
These are marked Two-Step Cookery; neither step requires more than 30 minutes—but if you like to think this a quibble,we can only recommend that you try the dish and hope it wall be found worthy of inclusion.
BASIC TIPS TO THE CHEF
1. It may actually be easier to prepare a glamorous dish
(foreign name and all), than the run-of-the-mill dishes you've
been eating all your life.
2. Read all the way through a recipe first; check to be sure
ingredients are at hand. You will save time and achieve bet¬
ter results if you understand, in general terms, what you are
going to do before you start to do it.
3. Never try to make more than one unfamiliar recipe for
the same meal! A wise chef never tries a new recipe when
there is "company," either. Always get the recipe under your
belt at least once before you attempt to produce it with eclat
for strangers.
4. Accurate measurements are essential; accurate timing is
essential. Never hesitate to make your personal penciled
comments next to the recipe; the annotated cookbook is a
chefs most valuable possession.
5. Gourmet cookery requires the best quality in ingredient. Please, no substitutions -Real butter, real cream, the freshest mushrooms, the best olive oil ... all are essential for a gourmet dish.
6. When there are 4 or 6 people for dinner, the chef dic¬
tates the schedule: Finish the drinks, wash the hands, and
sit down! But for more than 6 people (even if they will be
formally seated at the table), it's wise to plan a main dish
that can only improve with overcooking!
7. Never season before cooking, as this
toughens the flesh. Seasonings go into sauces, or should be
added at the end of the plain-cooking.
8. Spaghetti sauces, curries and stews are easy ways to
use up leftovers—the easiest things to stretch for unexpected
guests—and the simplest things to prepare when the cook
wants to enjoy the fun as well as set a distinguished meal
on the table.
You will find many great gormet food recipes in this blog. They have all been taken from a recently discovered cookbook. If you would like a free copy of the complete cookbook, just leave a comment with your email address on this blog, or drop me an email at stewartalves@uwclub.net and I will send you the complete book immediately.
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