August 17, 2016December 17, 2016 » by Ashley » Theme: Julia Child

Julia Child’s Wine Poached Sea Scallops Poached with Fines Herbes

Julia Child’s Wine Poached Sea Scallops Poached with Fines Herbes
Adapted from Julia Child

1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallots
1/3 cup dry white French vermouth
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 dried bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds whole scallops
1 tablespoon each fresh minced parsley, dill, tarragon, and chives (or any combination thereof)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

To a large saucepan, add shallots, vermouth, water, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Add the scallops and let simmer 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, just until lightly springy to the touch.

Remove from heat and let cool in the liquid at least 10 minutes, to pick up its flavor. Remove scallops, discard bay leaf, and rapidly boil down until almost syrupy.

Stir in minced herbs, then return scallops to the liquid. Briefly reheat scallops, folding in heavy cream at the end.

Note: Simmering times for quartered sea scallops and bay scallops, 15 to 30 seconds; for calicos, bring just to the simmer.

August 14, 2016November 8, 2017 » by Dino » Theme: Julia Child

Julia Child’s Lamb Stew

Ingredients

Chunks of bacon: 6 ounces
Lamb: 3 lb leg (cut into stew cubes)
Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
Onion: 1 (Sliced)
Carrot: 1 (Sliced)
Salt: 1 teaspoon
Flour: 2 tablespoons
Pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
Young red wine: 3 cups (full-bodied)
Tomato paste: 1 tablespoon
Brown beef stock: 2 to 3 cups
Garlic cloves: 2 (mashed)
Bay leaf: 1 (crumbled)
Thyme: 1/2 teaspoon
Rosemary: 1 spring
Dry white wine: 1/2 cup
Pearl onions: 20 (skin removed)
Unsalted butter: 3 tablespoons
Wild mushrooms: 1 lb (quartered)
Chopped parsley: 1 tablespoon

Directions

Remove rind. Next, cut bacon into 1 ½ inch long and ¼ inch thick pieces. Simmer bacon and rind for about 10 minutes in water. Drain the water, and let them dry. Preheat your oven precisely to 450 F. Turn on the heat. Take a pan and put some oil into it. Next, put bacon into the pan and sauté it over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it turn light-brown in color. Remove the bacon from heat and take it out into a dish. Set it aside. Reheat the fat left in the pan until it is almost smoking.
Take the lamb, and dry it with the help of a towel. Sauté it in the hot oil and fat until it is nicely browned on every side. Add it to the bacon you placed aside before. Brown the vegetables in the same fat. Pour out the fat. Put the lamb and bacon into the casserole and add some salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour and toss everything together in order to coat the lamb. Set the casserole in the preheat oven for about 4 minutes. Take it out, toss the meat and put it back into oven. Let it cook for another 4 minutes. Take the casserole out of the oven, and turn the heat to 325 F.
Pour in some stock and wine to cover the lamb. Add garlic, herbs, tomato paste, and bacon rind to the pot. Bring everything to a full boil using the stove. Cover the casserole and set it in the lower-third portion of your preheated oven. Regulate the heat in order to ensure that the liquid simmers slowly for about 3 hours. Test the meat with the fork. If it pierces easily, it is ready.
When the lamb is in the oven, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Melt half tablespoon of butter in a skillet and bring it to bubble. Add the onions to the butter and sauté it over medium heat for about ten minutes. Make sure that the onions are browned evenly from all sides. Pour in the white wine. Season the mixture to taste. Cover the skillet and simmer the onions for approximately 45 minutes. The onions must be perfectly tender. However, they must retain their shape when the liquid is evaporated. Set it aside.
Melt the other half tablespoon of butter in another skillet and bring it to bubble. Add the mushrooms to the butter and toss them for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn brown. Set them aside.
Finally, check if the lamb is ready. If it is tender, take the content of casserole out into a sieve. Skim the fat off the sauce. Put that sauce into a pan and simmer it until it thickens. Pour it back on the lamb. Garnish the dish using parsley, and serve with rich, noodles or mashed potatoes.

June 30, 2016July 21, 2016 » by Michael » Theme: Vietnamese

Bánh Mì Sandwich

This is the recipe I used to compile my pickled carrots & radish with sticky chicken and the modified baguette recipe. I didn’t end up making my own mayonnaise. I couldn’t find Maggi seasoning so I used light soy-sauce.

For each sandwich:

1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeño pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)

Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If necessary, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325ºF, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
Generously spreading the inside with mayonnaise. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you’ll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.) Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.