Thinking Inside the Box

Yes, yes, I know. The phrase is "thinking outside the box." But this week's recipe is one I found inside the box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells.

And I don't recall seeing anything on the outside of the box that would have alerted me to the fact that printed on the plain cardboard side of the box were some recipe gems. This week's is a perfect example and in a few more weeks, you'll see another one I found inside the same box.

 The typical way to make mousse of any flavor takes time, patience and effort. This one is virtually effortless. But I did make a discovery that involves patience and I'll get to that in a little bit. Traditional mousses -- both sweet and savory -- involve the use of beaten egg whites and one must master the technique of folding those egg whites gently into the chocolate or the meat without deflating the egg whites.

 The mousse illustrated in this week's recipe uses whipped cream. I suppose if you wanted to take a shortcut you could buy that artificial dessert topping sold in the freezer case, but freshly whipped cream is so much tastier. And it's not that hard to do. Your electric mixer does all of the work.

But here's another hint to faster and fluffier whipped cream: chill the bowl and the beaters in the freezer.

Let's also mention that white chocolate is not really chocolate at all because it contains no chocolate liquor and has no chocolate flavor. It's a mixture of cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, lecithin and vanilla. Despite this, it still tastes really good, don't you agree?

 Speaking of chocolate, my recipe calls for an ounce or two of bittersweet chocolate to be melted and drizzled over the mousse. I think three or four ounces would be better, as the additional volume makes a drizzling stream of dark chocolate easier to achieve.

 As for that discovery -- I covered the leftover mousse with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge, thinking that I'd get to it later to make some additional desserts for the camera crew to take home. We never got to it the day I made it. But the next day, I checked to see if the mousse was still okay and it acquired the rich and airy texture that traditional mousses (the ones made with egg whites) get when made properly.

 Make no mistake -- the original mousse in the puff pastry shell was delicious. The one left to "cure" in the fridge was, in my opinion, better. Another example of your patience being rewarded.

 Here's the video, followed by the recipe. And once again -- thanks, Pepperidge Farm!

6 Puff Pastry shells
6 oz white chocolate
1/1/2 cups heavy cream (divided use)
1 to 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate

Bake and cool the puff pastry shells according to package directions.

Melt the white chocolate with a 1/4 cup of the cream over medium low heat, stirring to incorporate and until the chocolate is completely melted. Cool for 20 minutes until reaches room temperature.

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, place the remaining cream and whip it until it is between soft and stiff peaks. Fold about half of the whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate mixture to temper it, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream.

Melt the semi sweet chocolate over medium low heat until it is completely liquified.

Spoon the mousse into the pastry shells. Drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the mousse and serve.

Kitchen Guy: Sweetness from the Sea

Kitchen Guy: Sweetness from the Sea: I've always wondered why the word(s) for scallops in French is Saint Jacques . Coquille Saint Jacques was a very popular dish in the ol...

Sweetness from the Sea

http://widget.foodieblogroll.com/?BlogID=18145 I've always wondered why the word(s) for scallops in French is Saint Jacques. Coquille Saint Jacques was a very popular dish in the old classic French restaurants, usually nicely cooked scallops in a flavorful cream sauce and often served in a scallop shell.

Somewhere along the way, however, chefs discovered that a better way to cook sea scallops was to sear them in butter until they turn a deep golden brown. Once that has been achieved on both sides, the scallop is cooked through. Take it too far, though, and you have an overcooked scallop that is rubbery and not very good eating.

Ever since I began operating my own small cooking school, I've had every student learn to make seared sea scallops. I love this dish and it can stand on its own dressed with the butter used in the pan to cook it.

So I decided to bring the lesson to my TV viewers, my blog followers, my Facebook and Twitter friends, to demonstrate the proper way to sear sea scallops and, along the way, make a very flavorful sauce accompaniment, the classic beurre blanc.

Let us begin, then with the method for making the aforementioned sauce. There are actually two approaches to beurre blanc and it depends on what you're going to serve it with. The one I make in this episode is made with a full cup of dry white wine. If I were serving something that needed a little acidic component, then I would have made it with a half cup of dry white wine and a half cup of white wine vinegar.

You'll see in the episode, through time lapse, that the wine (and wine vinegar if using) are reduced until there is, perhaps, a scant tablespoon of liquid left in the pan. This is what is called au sec in cooking school, which means "almost dry." This is when the gradual addition of butter cubes -- a stick and a half in all -- begins.

Because you are using whole butter (as opposed to clarified), while keeping the sauce warm it may "break," meaning that the fat has separated from the milk solids and water content. A vigorous whisking usually resolves this. One other technique I show my students for keeping a sauce warm is to use the double boiler method, with the water at a bare simmer. The other important aspect of this is to drape a paper towel across the top of the saucepan and then place the lid on top of that. There will inevitably be some steam vapor created and the paper towel will absorb it, so that when you remove the lid, the water droplets will not fall into your sauce and dilute it.

I like to use a non-stick pan to sear my sea scallops. It's just one measure I take to ensure that the tender flesh of the scallop does not stick to the pan, even though I'm using a fair amount (3 Tablespoons) of butter. While the first side of the scallop is cooking, you will see the edges begin to brown and it's okay to use a pair of tongs to lift the scallop slightly to check the progress of the browning. Once you see that golden brown color over most of the surface of the scallop, it's time to turn and do the same on the other side.

By the way, you can make beurre rouge using red wine (and red wine vinegar if appropriate). The quantities and method stay the same.

Here's the video, followed by the recipe for both beurre blanc and seared sea scallops:

2 shallots, finely diced
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pats
1/2 cup dry white wine
dash cayenne pepper
1 pound sea scallops, abductor muscle removed
3 Tbsp unsalted butter

To make the beurre blanc, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add shallots, wine and cayenne. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the rest of the pats of butter, one at a time and let melt before adding the next pat of butter.

Strain sauce into a small pot and keep warm. A double boiler works well.

To make the scallops, be sure the scallops are completely patted dry. Salt and pepper each side. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a non-stick pan. When butter is completely melted and bubbling, add scallops and cook on first side until golden brown. Carefully turn each scallop and cook until the second side is golden brown.

Place about 2 Tbsp of beurre blanc on appetizer plates, Place 3 or 4 scallops on top of sauce and serve, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Hungry for Hungarian

This cook's gene pool has Hungarian in it and so this week I have recreated a dish from my childhood. 

When one thinks of Hungarian food, only two come to mind (we'll get to the liquid refreshment part of this week's blog soon enough): Goulash -- basically a beef stew; and Paprikash, basically a chicken stew flavored with Hungary's most well known spice, paprika.

 Capcicum annuum is the scientific name of the red bell pepper used in Hungary to make paprika and, depending on your taste, you can have it mild or spicy. The smoked variety of paprika which has come into culinary favor over the past several years is actually a Spanish creation.

 I used a whole chicken, cut up, excluding the wings and the back. I cut the breasts in half so that I had a total of eight whole pieces, bones and skin included, for my stew. I dredged the chicken parts in seasoned flour and browned them well on all sides. I'm a big believer in layering flavors and the browning of the chicken is an important layer of flavor in my playbook.

After browning, I took out the chicken and covered it with foil to keep it somewhat warm while I caramelized a traditional mirepoix (onion, carrots and celery) with the addition of some red bell pepper and a jalapeño because I could not find the spicy variety of the Hungarian chili pepper. I also added salt, pepper and paprika.

After caramelization, the chicken goes back into the pot along with some tomato paste (to help reinforce the red color you want in the sauce) along with 3 cups of chicken stock. The mixture should come to a boil, then be reduced to a simmer, covered and cook for about a half hour until the chicken is completely cooked through.

The chicken goes into the serving vessel (used something that has sides, because there is a lot of sauce). The sauce in the pot gets strained and the solids are discarded, as they have given up every last bit of flavor they had to offer. I then raised the heat to reduce the sauce and thicken it some. You can help it thicken if you'd like with a cornstarch slurry or even some Wondra.

Then pour it over the chicken and you've got one delicious Hungarian treat.

Oh yes, that liquid refreshment referred to previously actually is best after dinner. The brand is Slivovitz and it's actually a plum brandy -- something else unique to Hungary.

Here's the video, followed by the recipe:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 chicken, cut up (about a 3 to 4 lb bird)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup flour

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 medium chili pepper (Holland, serrano, or red jalapeño, seeded and chopped)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp paprika (sweet is preferred, but you can use hot)

1 tsp ground cumin

3 cups chicken stock

3 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Heat oil in a 6 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in flour Add chicken to pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add garlic, bell peppers, celery, carrot, onion and chili and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, paprika and cumin and cook, stirring until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan along with chicken stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to medium low and cook at a simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter, and pour cooking liquid through a strainer into a bowl. Discard solids. Season liquid with salt and pepper and pour over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley.