Oui, Chef

Muppet's Mint-Chip-Brownie Ice Cream

As is clear from the title of this post, our young friend Muppet has been back in the kitchen and busy with me.  In fact, the entire idea of this post was hers, and she had her hands in every aspect of the creation of this dish.  Those of you that remember Muppet from prior posts ( Killer KA Brownies and M Cookies ) will note that she is staying true to form here, rising above the din of the "Oui, Chef" kitchen to advocate for MORE CHOCOLATE in her diet, thank you very much.

As with all posts in which Muppet plays a starring role, this one too has a little story associated with it.  Would you like to hear the story?  Or as one of my favorite chefs at LCB used to say before launching into a colorful tale of his early days in the kitchen, "Voulez-vous une petite histoire?"

Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars

The internet is an amazing thing isn't it?  What with its millions upon millions of recipes to tempt and entice.  I have to fight the urge daily to not spend half my day cruising the web looking for new recipes to incorporate into our repertoire here in the Oui, Chef kitchen.  I love seeing what others, both professional chefs and home cooks are cooking, but if I'm not careful, I can lose hours bouncing from one site to the next, exploring the work of those I've come to trust to do GREAT food.  To be honest, even while exercising restraint, I can accumulate 20 recipes during one of these reconnaissance sessions.  Some, I'll cook with the kids eventually, many I'll file away and likely never get to, but every now and again, I come across a recipe that looks so perfect, that I find myself reorganizing our cooking schedule to make room for my new discovery right away. 

This is one of those recipes. 

Lamb and Fennel Bolognese

Here is another dish from one of my favorite cookbooks, Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont (Shelburne Farms Books) , written by my friend Melissa Pasanen, and the Inn's ex-chef, Rick Gencarelli.  I can't say enough good things about this dish, I could eat it every night.  It's funny, because by appearance it is clearly a bolognese, and texturally it is exactly what you'd expect from this classic Italian dish, but give it a quick taste and you'll find that this is a ragu unlike any you have ever had before.

A Frenchman's Chili?

 

By the time they finish reading this post, I expect that a few of my old friends from Houston will be packing a box of shells, securing rifles in their gun-racks, and starting the long journey north to have a word with me.  They will undoubtedly think that I have lost all my marbles, and am in desperate need of a little "Come to Jesus" parley (that's more or less an intervention for those of us that speak plain English).  Having just read the words "Frenchman" and "Chili" in the same phrase will have left them just this side of insanity, and I suspect that once they've recovered from their apoplexia, they'll be feelin' the need to set me straight.  If you never hear from me again, then you'll know they found me.

Why, you must be asking, am I willing to take such a risk by sharing this recipe?  Because the Frenchman I am referring to is Chef Daniel Boulud, and his chili is the best I've ever had! 

I know...I know, I am as surprised as the rest of you (well, maybe not you Texans), but the texture, depth of flavor, and spice of this chili will make a believer out of you in short order.  Yes, this king of French cuisine does know a thing or two about chili, and I'd wager that this thoughtful and simple recipe will have you singing "La Marseillaise" every time you have a bowl.

Our kids love this dish as well, and there is plenty of chopping, mixing and measuring to keep yours busy in the kitchen with you while you're making it.  If any of you are sensitive to spice you'll want to scale back on the chili powder a bit.  This is not a hell-fire hot chili, but it does pack a punch, as any good chili should.

Recipe:

Smoky Beef Chili:

adapted from:  Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine by Daniel Boulud and Melissa Clark

(Print Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons masa harina (fine corn meal)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 pounds beef chuck roast: 2½ pounds cut into ½-inch cubes; 1½ pounds ground (ask your butcher to do this) finely chopped
• ¼ pound slab bacon, cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into large cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried regular oregano or Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• ¼ cup homemade chili powder *
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 5 large tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1- 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped with juices)
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Grate the zest of the limes, then juice both limes. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups water, the masa harina, and the lime zest and juice.

3. Heat the olive oil in a medium cast-iron pot over high heat. Add the beef cubes and ground beef and sear until golden brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and wipe the inside of the pot clean with paper towels.

4. Lower the temperature to medium-high. Add the bacon to the pot and cook until it renders its fat, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt and cook until the onions are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the chili powder, stir to combine, and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Stir in the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return the beef cubes and ground meat to the pot and add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and masa harina mixture. Bring to a simmer.

5. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven to braise for 2 hours, stirring once or twice. Sprinkle with the cilantro leaves right before serving.

NOTE:  The recipe is best when using Boulud's homemade chili powder (recipe below), but it also delicious if you use freshly bought pre-made powder.  I recently made it with store bought powder (1/2 ancho chili powder, 1/2 plain chili powder) and it was terrific!

* Homemade Chili Powder:

Ingredients:

• 4 dried ancho chili peppers
• 4 dried pasilla chili peppers
• 4 dried guajillo chili peppers
• 2 dried chilies de árbol
• 2 dried pequin chili peppers
• 1 small dried habanero chili pepper

Method:

In a dry skillet over medium heat peppers on all sides for 5 to 7 minutes, making sure that they are lightly toasted, but not burned. Transfer them to a plate to cool. Remove and discard the seeds from the peppers. Blend the peppers in a spice grinder to a fine powder.

Habanero Chili

Penne with Asparagus, Lemon and Proscuitto

This dish is our interpretation of a recipe from the fabulous "Al Forno" restaurant in Providence, RI.  Their original can be found in the terrific cookbook Cucina Simpatica: Robust Trattoria Cooking From Al Forno written  by the restaurant's owners, Johanne Killeen and George Germon. 

The key to it's success comes from baking it in a large enough pan to hold all the pasta in a very thin layer. This allows the pasta to cook to al dente, and the asparagus to just cook through in a short amount of time in a very hot oven. The flavors of the lemon, tarragon, proscuitto and asparagus marry perfectly....don't expect any left-overs.

It is an easy dish to make on a weeknight, requiring just a few minutes to slice the asparagus and par boil the pasta before tossing it into a large baking dish (or roasting pan) and placing it into the oven.  For those of you who have been with us a while, you may notice the breadcrumbs we use as a topping here are the same ones from our Macaroni and Cheese with Ham recipe.  If you haven't already, make yourself a batch of these and toss them in your freezer, you'll reach for them frequently to top pasta, fish, salads, you name it.

There is plenty of slicing and grating to keep idle young hands busy while making this dish, so by all means, grab one of your kids by the ear and drag them along to help.  This one became an instant classic in our household, I'm sure it will in yours as well.  Cheers - S.

Recipe:

Penne with Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Lemon

Inspired by a dish from: Al Forno's "Cucina Simpatica"

(Print Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Penne Rigate
• 3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated fontina cheese
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup rich chicken stock (2 cups good quality low-sodium stock, reduced by half)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh tarragon
• 1 bunch asparagus, washed, dried and root ends trimmed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 5 ounces thinly sliced imported prosciutto, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and a few grinds of white pepper
• 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Method:

• Preheat oven to 500 ℉
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta
• For the breadcrumbs - in a saute pan heat 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium heat and toast 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until golden brown.  Spread on a plate to cool.  (Keep for 2 days in the fridge, or a long time in the freezer)
• In a large bowl, combine the cream, reduced stock, lemon zest, cheeses, salt and pepper
• Slice the asparagus on an extreme bias, about 1/8-1/4” thick and toss into a small bowl with the melted butter, mix to coat
• Boil the pasta for 4 minutes, then drain and toss into the bowl with the cream and other ingredients, mix well
• Pour the pasta into a large baking dish or roasting pan so that it fits comfortably in a thin layer no more than 1” deep.  Sprinkle the sliced asparagus and chopped prosciutto on top and toss it into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, and the pasta is just starting to take on color.
• Remove from the oven and serve, passing breadcrumbs and grated parmesan to sprinkle on top if desired.

Asian Meatloaf

Let me start this post with a sad confession, and that is this.  It is REALLY hard to make meatloaf look good in a photograph.  Sorry.

I mean I tried.....I really did.  I tried to make this meatloaf look as good as it tastes, and give you all a shot that would leave you saying...."OMG, that looks awesome, I can't wait to try this recipe!" Sadly, that was not to be, and I am here to tell you that this meatloaf and my camera have a hate-hate relationship.

So....If you are here looking for a GREAT meatloaf recipe, then by all means, please hang in with me and read on.  If on the other hand you are here for a little taste of food porn, you are best advised to avert your eyes and run away.

Chocolate Bouchons

Santa was good to me this year, I must have been a very good boy.  My brother and his wife were good to me too.  For Christmas, they bought me Bouchon Bakery's snappy new "chocolate bouchon" kit from Williams-Sonoma.  For those of you uninitiated to the joys of the chocolate bouchon to which I am referring, they are yet another brainchild of Thomas Keller, and are famously sold at both his bakeries and restaurants that bear their name.  Think of the ultimate 2-bite brownie and you pretty much have the idea of the thing.  Named, and shaped after the French word for "cork", they are nothing short of magnificent little chocolate bombs, especially good when still slightly warm from the oven.  The kit includes enough mix to make about 18 of the suckers, and a silicone mold in which to cook them.  Joy to the World.....

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

I've been searching for some time for a homemade mac and cheese recipe with which to break Muppet of her addiction to a certain, well known, boxed mac and cheese mix comprised of a tasteless cheese powder and sad little pasta shells.  All prior efforts have failed miserably with the dish either being "too cheesy", "too dry", "too crunchy on top", or "too spicy" due to the incorporation of various seasonings.

The whole "too cheesy" thing makes no sense to me at all (I mean, can there really be such a thing?),  but I have been sympathetic to her other critiques and carried forth in search of a suitable replacement to her favored bowl of cardboard shells and re-hydrated cheese goo.  I am happy to report that finally, with the help of my very talented food-writer friend Melissa Pasanen (long-time correspondent for the Burlington Free Press, as well as a staff writer for Edward Behr's incomparable "The Art of Eating"), and Chef Rick Gencarelli, I have found a mac and cheese recipe that will hopefully serve to banish all boxed versions from my house in the future.

Bouchon's Quiche Lorraine

OK. 

This is not a recipe for the casual, "I just like to throw it together" kind of cook, and certainly not one you will be whipping up in a rush on a weeknight, but if you have any interest at all in making what is likely the best quiche on the planet, I urge you to stop clicking on your mouse and hang with me here for a while.

It also is not a recipe that you can give your kids free reign over, but it does have plenty of elements that the kids can help with, and I encourage you to make them part of the process.  Not only will most kids LOVE this quiche, but I think it important that we make the effort to train our next generation in the fine art of quiche making, an art that is still alive and well in Europe, but sadly died here in the States in the "real men don't eat quiche" days of the early 80's.  Americanized quiches baked in factory-made, soggy pie shells, with over-cooked, curdled custards make me want to scream....our kids deserve better, don't you think?

This dish is actually not difficult to make, but as with every recipe Chef Thomas Keller creates, it IS exacting, and therein lies its brilliance.  Keller is not one of those chefs who lives on the bleeding edge of culinary adventure, like Heston Blumenthal, Feran Adria, or Grant Achats.  These guys make their livings pushing the edge of the envelope with regard to cooking technology and high tech ingredients, that allow them to reconstruct food in ways that leave diners giddily questioning what exactly it was they just ate. 

In contrast, what Keller does better than anyone else is rip classic dishes down to their most basic elements, and then reconstruct them using only the finest ingredients, and with such a finely honed and thoughtful technique, that the end result is a dish that is instantly recognizable for what it is, but is of a quality that has been elevated almost beyond measure.  When finished, you will immediately recognize this dish as a quiche, but what you will have created will make every other quiche you have tasted seem like a cheap, plastic imitation.  Successfully creating this dish will not require technical wizardry on your part, but it will require a tight eye on a few key details.  The rewards for your vigilance will be ample, I assure you.  You game?.....Then let's go.

Rich and Spicy Applesauce

When the boys returned from a visit to their grandparent's house in VT. last weekend with a 1/2 bushel bag of fresh from the tree, organically grown apples, it could only mean one thing....time for some homemade applesauce!  Making your own applesauce is so easy to do, and the quality of the end product so far better than ANYTHING you can buy in a store, that we haven't bought a jar of applesauce in many years.