Inside the Box - Part Deux

Sometimes people send me nasty emails. I got one this week after I sent the weekly newsletter with the recipe and video for "Seafood Au Gratin." This particular recipe, which I copied word-for-word and step-by-step from the inside of the Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry box (mentioned in the video), called for garlic powder and chopped parsley to be added to the bechamel.

So the email was very curt: "You're a chef. You should know you never use garlic powder and you never cook parsley."

Really?

Well, truth be told, I wasn't really cooking either one. I added each as a flavoring agent. And then I used more parsley as garnish to add a little color to the dish.

Anyway, each is entitled to his or her opinion. I liken this to my recipe for Tiramisu, the delicious Italian dessert that uses ladyfingers dipped in espresso with mascarpone and cream. I've often said that this is but one version. And there are probably tens of thousands more that have slight variations. In fact what I said was that there was probably a tiramisu recipe for every grandma in Italy.

Nevertheless, my recipe this week is not an original. It is, as noted above, from the inside of the puff pastry box. And the reason I called this week's blog "Part Deux" is because a few weeks ago I used another recipe from inside the same box -- for White Chocolate Mousse.

So I don't have very much else to say about this recipe because it speaks for itself. The technique for making the sauce is fairly classic: A roux, consisting of equal parts of unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, then some milk that is stirred until it's hot enough that the roux thickens it. Then further thickening with the addition of shredded cheese.

Actually, there is one other note on this. A colleague who is a personal chef asked if this dish could be frozen. The answer is a resounding "No." Roux-based cheese sauces do not freeze well. They become grainy as the ice crystals work their way into the sauce. And puff pastry couldn't stand up to the humidity that is part of every freezer.

So here's the video, followed by the recipe. And don't worry about the garlic powder and parsley. I give you my permission to cook with both.

10 puff pastry shells
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb scallops, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Bake pastry shells according to package directions.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt half of the butter. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook until done -- about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add mushrooms and garlic powder to the pan and cook over medium heat until tender. Set mushroom mixture aside.

In another pan, add the remaining butter and stir in flour until smooth. Add milk and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until the mixture thickens. Add the cheese and the parsley and cook over low heat until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce.

Return seafood and mushrooms to the pan you cooked them in and heat through.

Divide among the puff pastry shells and pour the sauce over. Garnish with additional parsley.

Those Saucy Spanish Sauces!

When I learned how to make Romesco sauce, a signature sauce in Spanish cooking, I knew I had hit culinary gold.

Given the consistency is more like thick mayonnaise, I regard it more as a topping than a sauce and that's why it lends itself so beautifully to seafood appetizers and first courses.

And in researching Romesco, I found that there are numerous varieties, but all have two things in common: the use of almonds and roasted peppers of some sort. I use red bell peppers, but I've seen pequillo peppers and other similar reds used. I've also made versions combining both almonds and hazelnuts, carefully toasting the nuts before adding them to my food processor.

And, with the essential oils of the nuts left in the pan, it makes for an interesting way to toast the French bread slice, torn into pieces, and then added to the food processor. I like using this sauce to show my cooking school students how bread can act as a thickener when making sauces.

With just a dash of cayenne, the background heat really makes for an interesting flavor profile. I've also experimented with this aspect of the sauce, adding and subtracting various forms of heat -- including piri piri, chipotle, jalapeño, Tabasco, etc. In the end, I've decided that cayenne works best.

I chose jumbo shrimp as the "vehicle" to show this sauce/topping. But I'm confident you'll enjoy it with vegetables -- raw, roasted, sautéed or steamed. Here's the video and recipe. Let me know what you think.





2 Tbsp slivered almonds
1 slice French or Italian bread, crust removed
1 large garlic clove, smashed
7 oz. roasted red peppers (jarred is okay)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
16 large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Stir almonds in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they begin to release their essential oils and start to brown. Be careful not to let them burn. When they are toasted, add them immediately to the bowl of a food processor.

In the same skillet, tear the bread slice into pieces and toast. When toasted, add it to the food processor with the almonds.

With the food processor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube and process until almonds, bread and garlic are finely chopped. Add the roasted red peppers, olive oil, sherry vinegar and cayenne pepper and process until the mixture is the consistency of thick mayonnaise, scraping down the sides to ensure that everything is incorporated.

Arrange cooked shrimp on plates and top with Romesco sauce.