Perfect Summer Meal

This past week I have been craving a summer meal consisting of fresh seafood and a bright summer salsa. I have made Ellie Krieger's crabs cakes many times in the past and it has always been a hit. With a minimum amount of fillers, but a lot of flavor, this is the perfect healthy version of a crab cake. You can find the recipe here... I followed the recipe exactly, except I used whole wheat bread crumbs and did not use the tarter sauce.

To go along with the crab cakes, I made a salsa that I have been thinking about all week! I didn't know how it would turn out, but it was AWESOME and the perfect addition to the crab cakes. It was a bit spicy from a jalepeno pepper and sweet from the mango. Here's the recipe:

1 ripe mango, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped roma tomatoes
1 jalepeno pepper, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

I served the crab cakes over a small bed of peppery arugula, topped with the salsa and a few drops of siracha. Of course I added more siracha after this picture was taken :) I like everything super spicy!!
I also made a mustard sauce for dipping, since I knew my dad wouldn't like the salsa or siracha and my family loves a selection of condiments! I mixed dijon mustard with non-fat strained yogurt (siggi's..but you can also use any greek yogurt) and apricot preserves. This was an amazing sauce that was tangy from the yogurt, sweet from the preserves and a bit spicy from the dijon. I will definitely be making this sauce again to top fish, chicken, or even steak!

We also had some fresh corn on the cob with our crab cakes. I love having corn on the cob in the summer!

Snow and Lasagna!

I actually ended up missing my first class yesterday so I will not be blogging about deep frying!  I wasn't feeling good yesterday morning and knew there were delays and cancellations on the NJ Transit so I decided to take the day off.  

This morning it was snowing out!  It was the perfect day to stay nice and warm in the kitchen and make Christmas lasagna!  My mom and I made a big pot of sauce for our traditional lasagna with mini meatballs and dried hot sausage.  We also made a separate sauce for our non-traditional lasagna with spicy poultry sausage.  We only assembled the non-traditional lasagna and put it in the freezer so that it is good for Christmas day!

So, first up: Tomato Sauce with spicy poultry sausage

1 package spicy italian poultry sausage (about 1.5 pounds)

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, small diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes, crushed

1 bouquet garni (I used 2 bay leaves, parsley stems, and thyme sprigs)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup red wine or chicken stock

salt and pepper

evoo

We began by simmering the tomatoes with the bouquet garni.  In a large skillet, brown the turkey sausage on all sides.  Add to the tomato sauce.  In the same skillet, coat the pan with EVOO and add the onions and carrots.  Saute until soft and a bit caramelized.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the mixture to the tomatoes.  Deglaze the pan with chicken stock or wine (we actually added a little of both).  Add the pan drippings to the sauce.  Season the sauce with sugar, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Simmer for about an hour.  When the sausage was done, we sliced the links and added them back to the sauce.  

When sauce #1 was done, we got started on our second sauce with dried sausage and mini meatballs.  This sauce was made in the same way as the other one except we grated the carrots, and basically doubled all of the ingredients to make a huge pot of sauce.   Instead of poultry sausage, we browned partially-dried hot italian pork sausage:

Next, we made mini meatballs.  We didn't measure anything, and just eye-balled all of the ingredients.  In a large bowl, we mixed together 2 packages of ground beef, parmesan, 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, chopped parsley, and a splash of milk.  

Then, we formed them into cute little meatballs and browned them in a skillet to add to the sauce.

Here's the final product of our huge pot of traditional tomato sauce:  

Next, it was time to assemble out non-traditional lasagna.  My mom and grandma are putting together the other lasagna on Tuesday.  

First, we layered a little sauce and a layer of fresh whole wheat pasta sheets (cooked just shy of al dente).  Then we spread on part-skim ricotta, chopped spinach (mixed with salt, pepper, and a hint of fresh nutmeg), fresh mozzerella, a sprinkle of pecorino, and more sauce and sausage.  We continued to layer for 2 more layers.  I CANNOT wait to try this lasagna.  We usually just make 2 traditional lasagnas, but I figured it would be nice to change it up and make 1 lasagna a little different :)

Lessons 18 & 19: Emulsion and Contemporary Sauces

I seem to slack on Mondays and never take pictures or blog... I've never liked Mondays!  Well, I'll catch you up on our continuation of sauces.  Yesterday we spent the day learning how to make different emulsion sauces.  An emulsion sauce is basically the mixture of a fat and an oil.  Air is beaten into the sauce to hold it up.  Emulsion sauces are difficult because they can break if you don't have the proportions correct, you don't whisk enough or fast enough, or even if you whisk too much!  We started off with two of the easier sauces (because they are cold)-- vinaigrette and mayonnaise.  I have to make the mayonnaise for my practical exam on Friday!! Here's the recipe for a basic homemade mayonnaise.. I must say it is very tasty! I really don't like Hellman's mayonnaise or any other commercial mayo..but the homemade stuff is more like a sauce than a gooey condiment.

1 Egg yolk

1 T. Lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon

8 fluid oz (or 1 cup) Canola oil

Salt

Whisk the yolk, lemon juice and dijon.  Add the canola oil in a thin stream, constantly whisking.  Season with salt.  

Simple as that!  Salt is really key in this recipe because it counteracts the acidity.

Another interesting thing I learned regarding vinaigrettes:  Never use olive oil when whisking or blending a vinaigrette together!  The intense mixing causes olive oil to be bitter.. so if anything add a good olive oil at the very end and don't whisk it too much!

Next, we made the warm emulsion sauces: hollandaise, beurre blanc, and bearnaise.  These were more difficult because they break more easily and you have to be careful not to get the sauce to hot and scramble the egg yolks.  I partnered up with Emily and Dana to make these sauces and we did really well-- didn't break any of them!!!   Unfortunately, we had to throw out most of the sauces because they just break once you let them sit.  We made the beurre blanc sauce last (which is basically a butter sauce--soo good!) and dipped some warm bread in it!

After class I stopped in whole foods to pick up dinner for my mom and I.  I got the spinach and quinoa pie in the prepared food section, along with some broccoli rape.  It was a delicious dinner that we both enjoyed.  Unfortunately I didn't really like the broccoli rape.. It's the one vegetable I'm not a fan of because of its bitterness.. I REALLY want to like it though! So I always give it another chance and try it prepared in different ways.

Today I decided that I should probably add some more pictures to my blog and talk about some of my favorite food products :)    While I was at Whole Foods yesterday, I found pumpkin spice cream cheese and just had to get it!  I've expressed my love for anything pumpkin-flavored before..so it's clear why this cream cheese stood out to me!  This morning for breakfast I tried it on a pumpkin muffin.  I made the pumpkin muffins with a William Sonoma mix.  Instead of following the directions on the package, I always just add 1 egg, 1 cup of pumpkin, the amount of water listed on the package, some golden raisons, and a small amount of crushed walnuts.  I also cook it a little less just because I like it extra moist!  The pumpkin cream cheese was good on it, but I decided I like regular cream cheese on it better, because the pumpkin on pumpkin was just too much for me.  I will definitely try it on an english muffin or even make a "pumpkin cream cheese and jelly sandwich"!

Another new obsession of mine is greek yogurt!  I love the greek yogurt with honey (I usually get the Oikos brand, but could only find this brand in the grocery store).  I tried the vanilla flavored today and decided honey is still my fave.  Strawberry comes in second.  I'm thinking I should try making my own pumpkin greek yogurt with plain greek yog + pumpkin puree + pumpkin pie spice + sweetener?  If I try it, I'll let y'all know how it is!

Today was our last day on sauces.  We made contemporary sauces, which were a lot of fun.  These sauces included salsas, chutneys and coulis'.  We worked in our groups to prepare all of the sauces in our binders: roasted tomato coulis, tomatillo salsa, mango chutney, corn and red pepper relish, rosemary and basil infused oil, citrus juis, and jus de veau lie.  At the end of class we got to sample all of the sauces we made with bread, chips, and even grilled duck breast that Chef whipped up!After my less than comfortable train ride home (I was squished in the middle of a 3 seater with a guy falling asleep on me), I came home to a wonderful dinner prepared by my mom!  I wish I was hungrier and could have enjoyed it more because it was just delicious!  She roasted veggies (which in my opinion is the best way to make veggies--brings out so many flavors and makes them crisp and caramelized) and topped it over Israeli cous cous.  It was my first time having Israeli cous cous and I must say I'm a fan!  As Giada would say, "they're like little pearls of pasta".

Finished my night off with a slice of cheesecake in bed with my mom and Lillie the pug while watching The Biggest Loser finale.  Coming up tomorrow: Soups + Marcus Samuelson demo after class!  Hopefully the weather won't mess up my commute tomorrow :/

Lesson 17: More Sauces!!

Today was definitely not an easy commute!  I didn't think I was going to even make it to class!  First, I was waiting for the 10:23 train from Matawan and they announced that the train was cancelled because of mechanical difficulties.  The next train wasn't going to come until 11:23, which would get me at Penn Station a little after 12:30.  I was bummed because I knew I would be a little late for class and had to wait around for the train to come.  I decided to drive to Starbucks around the corner and reviewed some of  the recipes we were going to be making that day.  I had to pay for parking again and finally got on the train.  

THEN to make matters worse, there was an announcement on the train that the bridge was stuck open and they couldn't get into NYC.  They got us to Newark Penn Station and told us we could take the path train to 33rd street.  I had no idea how to take the path train, so I figured I'd go on an adventure and just follow everyone else ;)   .. I had to switch trains at Journal Square and miraculously ended up at 23rd street right by my school!  I ended up being only 30 minutes late, so it wasn't a big deal.

We spent the entire day making different sauces from the "mother sauces" that we prepared yesterday.  The homemade tomato sauce was DELICIOUS... so rich and thick.  I also loved the sauces we made from the bechamel, like the mornay (which is just the addition of cheeses to the bechamel + we added some green wind for color--very finely chopped parsley) and suboise (the addition of a lot of cooked, chopped onions pureed into the sauce and some reduced tomato puree).  I made the Allemande sauce in my group (with help on the prep).. I sweated onions and mushroooms and added some veloute sauce (from yesterday--thickened chicken stock with a blonde roux).  After straining the sauce, I tempered in egg yolks and cream for richness.

The last sauce we made was the creole sauce (because it included some of homemade tomato sauce that had to simmer for 1 1/2 hours).  I made a bitty mistake when I was adding the ingredients to the sauce :/.  All of the ingredients for the sauce were next to the stove and I was basically just adding them into the pot.  The very last ingredient I added was the cayenne.  I should have checked the recipe, but figured the cayenne was already measured out like the rest of the ingredients, so I just poured it all in (while thinking "wow that sure is gonna be spicy").  I tasted the sauce, and it tasted great at first..until the spice hit me at the back of my throat.  I made the rest of my group members try it and they all reacted the same way, turning red in the face and agreeing that it was verry spicy.  Finally, Matt asked me just how much cayenne I put in.  I told him, "well the amount you measured out, duh!"  He then informed me that the recipe calls for cayenne "to taste" and he just put some in a cup for me to put SOME in...definitely not all of it!!!  WOOPS!  I still thought it tasted good and brought a little home.  I even put some on my spinach omelet for lunch and it was delicious!!  Granted my nose was running and my heart was racing while I ate it, but it was definitely tasty!

We finished our Friday afternoon class with....... ya guessed it, more mac & cheese!  This time it was made with a mixture of the suboise sauce and the mornay to form 2 layers of macaroni cheesiness.  A few of us headed across the street to Limerick's for a cocktail to celebrate the end of the week and then headed on our different commutes home.  Luckily, the bridge was fixed and I didn't have to go on another journey to get back to Matawan!

Lesson 16: The Mother Sauces

Today our class got a nice intro to sauces by making 3 of the "Mother Sauces" in the culinary arts.  A "mother sauce" is a base sauce for tons of other sauces...so today's lesson was very important!  The sauces we made were espagnole, veloute, and bechamel.  I've always looved bechamel, especially when paired with pasta like lasagna and mac & cheese.  Actually, I just found out today that the homemade mac & cheese my mom used to make (which I was one of my favorite dishes) was made with bechamel.  It's really simply to make too... First, heat equal amounts of flour and butter (we used melted clarified) until it forms a white roux.  Add milk to the roux while constantly whisking.  Whisk until the mixture comes to a simmer and add an onion pique (which is just an onion studded with cloves).  Simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.  Strain the sauce and season with salt, white pepper, fresh nutmeg, and a dash of tabasco or cayenne.

The veloute sauce did not seem as rich and creamy as the bechamel, so I didn't like it as much.  A veloute is used more often as a base for other sauces.  It's the same recipe as bechamel except without the onion pique and with chicken stock instead of milk.

The espagnole sauce takes longer to cook, so we actually started this one first and simmered it for two hours.  We caramelized mirepoix, added tomato paste, and then finally added flour and butter to make a roux.  Then, we added simmering veal stock to the mixture and a sachet d'epices.  We seasoned this sauce the same as the others (salt, white pepper, tabasco, and nutmeg).  After the mixture came to a simmer, we lowered the heat and cooked it for another couple of hours then strained it.  We will also use this sauce tomorrow as a base to make other sauces.

It was Dana's birthday today!!! So obviously we needed to have something delicious to eat (other than just plain sauces).  Chef let us make mac and cheese with some extra bechamel sauce we made.  We mixed pasta with the sauce, 3 different cheeses (gruyere, cheddar and parmesan), and I think I saw him add some extra heavy cream for good measure!  Chef made a delicious crumb topping with a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheeses we used inside the mac.  MMM it was soooo good!

There was also a cracked wheat salad (I forget the exact name of the dish) that another girl in the class made.  It was a delicious blend of cracked wheat (kind of like whole wheat cous cous), herbs, and citrus:It was definitely fun getting to the stoves today and actually following a recipe.  There was a lot going on at once and much hustling in the kitchen!  Just a preview of what's to come I'm sure!