Sauteed Veal, Chicken and Shrimp

Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) thinly sliced veal cutlets (scaloppini)
4 (4-ounce) thinly sliced chicken tenderloins
2 ounces all purpose flour
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 shiitake mushrooms cleaned and stems discarded, then sliced
6 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed
3 ounces porcini mushrooms chopped
4 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup veal or beef stock
3 T cognac
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 stick butter
chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Preparing the veal, chicken and shrimp:
Pound the veal and chicken into 1/4-inch thick slices, between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Add the flour to a large shallow dish. Dredge the veal and chicken in the flour.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to low heat. Add veal and chicken and brown on 1 side only. Add all of the mushrooms and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the oil from the pan, add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the veal or beef stock and cook down for about 1 minute. Add the brandy and carefully ignite it with a long kitchen match to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the heavy cream and butter and let the sauce reduce for 3 to 4 minutes. Ready to serve.

Arrange 1 piece of veal, 1 piece of chicken and 1 shrimp on each serving plate. Top with some mushrooms and sauce and garnish with parsley. Serve over pasta or with sliced potatoes sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

Serves 4

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Pies and Galettes

Ingredients for pie:
1 recipe pie dough (1 disk)
1 pound (3 cups) fresh fruit pitted, sliced, and peeled, if necessary (cherries, berries, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, apples, rhubarb)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T flour
spices and seasonings, to taste (citrus fruit zest, citrus juice, pure extracts, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, fresh herbs, etc.)
1 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

* * * * * *

Ingredients for pie dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, chilled or frozen
4 to 6 T ice cold water

Preparing pies and galettes:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Stir together the prepared fruit, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and spices and/or seasonings in a large bowl until combined.

On a well-floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large circle, about 12 to 14 inches. Make sure the rolled dough is chilled. Spoon the fruit mixture onto the center of the dough leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, pleating the dough, then dot the fruit filling with the butter pieces. Lightly brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover the crust with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Cool.

Serve the warm galette with ice cream.

* * * * * *

Preparing pie dough:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour and the salt; cut or work the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry blender until you have large pea sized chunks scattered throughout. Alternatively, pulse the dough in a food processor, or mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed.

Add the ice water slowly while stirring with a fork, or in the food processor or mixer, until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough into 2 disks, flatten and refrigerate each for at least 15 minutes.

Roll out one chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Reserve the second pie dough disc for another use. Transfer dough to pie plate, pressing the dough lightly into the plate; trim the edges. Dock the dough with the prongs of a fork evenly over the bottom of the pie plate. Line the docked dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the pie crust until the edges are brown and golden, about 15 minutes Remove from the oven and remove the weights. Return crust to the oven to finish baking for another 5 minutes.

Variations:

Almond Apricot: Season the sliced apricots with almond paste or extract.

Spiced-Apple Pear: Season the sliced apples and pears with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

All-Berry: Fill the baked crust with pastry cream and top with sweetened berries.

Caramelized Onion and Walnut: Caramelize 4 Spanish onions; let cool. Top the dough with grated Gruyere cheese and spread the onions and toasted walnuts over the cheese.

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Chocolate Nutella Spider Cake

Ingredients for the marble cake:
2 1/4 (7 1/8 ounces) cups sifted cake flour - sift it into the measuring cup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 T milk
3 T cocoa powder

* * * * * *

Ingredients for chocolate and nutella buttercreams:
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large egg whites)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt
1/2 cup nutella
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* * * * * *

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache spider body and web:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

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Ingredients for the chocolate spider legs:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Preparing the cake:
To make the marble cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds and grease. Set aside. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix after each, until well combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla.

Add the dry mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk. Split the batter in half and sift the cocoa powder over one half. Stir gently to combine.

Place some of the white batter in the bottoms of the two 8-inch cake pans. Add the chocolate batter in blobs. Very carefully stir the white batter into the chocolate, to achieve a marble pattern. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Once baked cool on a rack.

* * * * * *

Preparing the buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites and sugar. It will be very thick and grainy. Put the bowl over a double boiler and stir it with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted. Brush the sides down with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted.

Feel the egg mixture between your fingers to check for graininess. Once it is completely smooth, put the bowl on the mixer and beat with the whip attachment on medium high speed. Whip until it is light, fluffy, glossy and the bowl feels just about room temperature. If the egg whites are not cooled off sufficiently it will melt the butter when you add it.

Once the egg whites are whipped and cooled, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time on medium speed. WARNING: After you have added about half of the butter, it may look curdled and runny, this is normal and you should continue adding the rest of the butter.

Once you have finished adding the butter and it has mixed on medium speed for about a minute the buttercream will be creamy and glossy looking again. Add the salt, and vanilla. Divide the buttercream in two bowls, 1/3 in one bowl and 2/3 in the other. Add the nutella to the bowl with 2/3 of the buttercream. Add the cooled, melted chocolate to the other.

Unmold the cooled cakes and cut each later in half. Spread about 3/4 cup of the chocolate buttercream on the first layer. Repeat with the next two layers of cake and buttercream. Top with the final layer of cake.

Top the cake with 1 cup of the nutella buttercream. Spread it smooth with a metal spatula. Put more nutella buttercream on the sides of the cake, using enough to cover all the crumbs. Once the whole cake is covered, smooth the icing with the spatula, until it is nice and flat.

To make the ganache spider web:
In a double boiler melt the chocolate and the butter together, gently whisking until smooth.

Use a parchment bag to pipe a thin spiral around the cake. Use a toothpick or skewer to draw lines from the center of the spiral out to the edge to create the web. Use the chocolate ganache to draw a line down the side of the cake and pipe a smaller spiders body there. Repeat with as many spiders as you like.

Cover the rest of the chocolate ganache and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once the chocolate ganache is set up - this may take an hour or two - place it in a pastry bag fit with a round tip. Pipe a large ball of the ganache to create the spider's body.

* * * * * *

Preparing the chocolate spider legs:
Fill another paper pastry bag about 1/3 full with the melted chocolate and pipe out the chocolate in the shape of the number 7 onto a silpat, waxpaper or parchment paper. Make sure you do a size that will fit the size of the spider body you intend to have. Pipe several extra in case you have breakage. Place the sheet into the freezer to set the chocolate.

Remove the spider legs from the freezer and using a small spatula, lift up the legs and place them on the spider, 4 on each side. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn't warm up too much. You may have to return the legs to the freezer if you are doing several spiders.

Serves 16

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Turkey Milanese

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds (about 8 cutlets) turkey breast, pounded 1/8-inch thick
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
5 cups (5 ounces) baby arugula
2 cups (10 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (2-ounce) block parmesan cheese
lemon wedges

Preparing the turkey:
Using a meat tenderizer or a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, pound the turkey until 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick.

Combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Place the eggs in a second medium bowl. Place the bread crumbs in a third medium bowl. Season the turkey on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge the turkey in the flour and shake off any excess flour. Dip the turkey into the eggs and then into the bread crumbs to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the turkey, in batches, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side, adding more oil, if needed. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the arugula on a large serving platter and top with the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the turkey on top of the tomatoes. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan over the turkey. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Serves 4 to 6

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Two-Pork Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 thick-cut slices bacon, roughly chopped
2 (1/4-inch thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 T coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Preparing the potatoes:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon and pancetta are brown and crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and pancetta pieces to paper towels to drain. Add the potatoes and garlic to the pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the thyme, cooked bacon and cooked pancetta to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 4

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Smoked Brisket

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup chili powder
1/4 cup paprika
6 T black pepper
3 T onion powder
3 T garlic powder
3 T ground cumin
1 T cayenne
1 (10 to 12 pound whole, packer trim beef brisket

Preparing the brisket:
Sift all of the rub ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Trim all the hard fat from the brisket. Trim all the soft fat to 1/4-inch. Prepare a smoker or a grill, following manufacturers directions. Stabilize the temperature at 220 degrees F. Use a mild wood such as hickory or cherry for the smoke flavor. Generously cover all sides of the brisket with the rub and gently massage it in. Reserve the leftover rub. Smoke the meat for about 1 hour per pound. For example, a 10 pound brisket may need to smoke for about 10 or more hours. Monitor the internal temperature. When the brisket reaches 170 to 185 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer, in the flat part of the brisket, remove the brisket from the smoker.

Separate the point of the meat from the flat. At this time you can slice the flat part of the brisket and eat. Trim the visible fat from the brisket point and coat it with the reserved rub. Return the meat to the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the brisket point reaches 200 degrees F. Remove the brisket from the smoker to a cutting board and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes. Cut into chunks and transfer them to a serving platter. Serve it hot with your favorite sauce on the side.

Serves 10 to 12

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3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 T, plus more for pasta water
1 pound large elbow macaroni
6 T butter
6 T all purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 T freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white Cheddar, shredded
4 ounces Romano, shredded
4 ounces Asiago, shredded
2 cups panko bread crumbs or crushed Goldfish crackers
2 T chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparing the mac and cheese:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In large pot filled with water add 3 pinches of salt and the macaroni and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Add cold milk and whisk vigorously until dissolved. Cook sauce on medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Add heavy cream, all cheeses, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Cook until cheeses are fully melted, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Place macaroni mixture in a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then cover that with tin foil. Place in oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the foil and plastic wrap and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with fresh parsley and serve.

Variations: Add cooked lobster meat, truffle oil, bacon and/or garden fresh vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6

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Lobster Quesadillas

Ingredients:
2 pounds thawed frozen or fresh cooked lobster meat
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 pounds cream cheese
1 pound Cheddar, shredded
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 roasted red onion, chopped
3 roasted plum tomatoes, chopped
4 T Sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
1 lime, juiced
2 T canola or olive oil

Preparing the quesadillas:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. F. Cut onion and tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Put into hot oven and roast for 15 minutes or until softened. Remove and let cool slightly and coarsely chop.

Combine all ingredients together in a mixer except for tortillas and lobster meat. On an 8 inch flour tortilla, spread 1/2 cup of the mixture and 3 ounces of lobster meat evenly on 1/2 of tortilla and fold over to create a half moon shape. Repeat with each tortilla.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and pan-fry tortilla until brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Makes 10 quesadillas

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Sauteed Haricots Verts

Ingredients:
1/2 pound haricots verts (baby string beans), stem ends removed
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well salted ice water for shocking.

Add the beans to the boiling water and cook until the beans are tender but still toothsome about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and place immediately into the salted ice water. Once the beans are cool, remove them from the water and set aside until ready to use.

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic has become golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard. Add the beans to the pan and saute until they are hot and coated with oil. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Serves 4

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Profiteroles

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick butter
pinch of salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
pinch of ground cinnamon

ice cream
chocolate sauce

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Ingredients for the chocolate sauce:
4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 T butter
1 T corn syrup
1 good pinch ground cinnamon

Preparing the profiteroles:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small saucepan combine the water, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the flour all at once and stir it vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture has formed a ball and has a slightly sweaty sheen to it and it has pulled away from the pan. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture does not have to be cold, just cool enough not to cook the eggs when added. Using an electric mixer or lots of good old-fashioned elbow grease, beat in the eggs one at a time. Do not add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated. Add in the cinnamon and beat for another second to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag equipped with a large straight tip and pipe 1-inch balls onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. When done dip your finger in water and smooth the top of each ball where the pastry bag released the dough. Leave at least 1-inch between each of the balls to allow their expansion. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through the cooking time to insure even cooking. When done, the puffs should be light, airy and dry inside. Cool on a rack.

When ready to serve, cut in half horizontally and fill with ice cream of your choosing. Top with warm chocolate sauce.

Serves 8 to 12

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Preparing the chocolate sauce:
Bring a saucepan with 1-inch of water to a boil. Put the chocolate in a metal or heatproof glass mixing bowl and place on top of the saucepan with boiling water. Pay careful attention that the mixing bowl does not touch the surface of the boiling water. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined. Once the chocolate has melted remove it from the double boiler set up. Spoon over the filled profiteroles.

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