Mise En Place

How many of you have started a recipe only to find you are missing one or two of the key ingredients? Pronounced mee zah 'plas, is a French term which means 'putting in place'. It is a chef secret used in professional kitchens to describe the practice of organizing, preparing and arranging the ingredients to a point where it is ready to be used in a dish during food service. 

Mise en place for Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

It may be as simple as chopping vegetables, assembling sauces or washing and separating herbs into individual leaves. Or more time consuming components like caramelizing onions, slow cooking meats or cooking dried beans. It is the reason restaurants are able to deliver many different dishes to your table in a short amount of time. If you have ever eaten in a restaurant with an exposed kitchen, you will have witnessed the magic of mise en place. What you will not see is the hours spent during the day when prep chefs are working to get everything ready for a meal service. In a good restaurant as many hours go into prepping as there are for actual cooking. The main benefit of mise en place is the speed and ease of preparation to get food on the table after the customer has ordered. This translates to time saving and ease of preparation in your home kitchen too.

Stir fry, about 12 minutes to cook

Time sensitive recipes like a stir-fry are a good example; when food cooks quickly and must be added in a certain order. If you have company coming and are serving a dish that must be prepared at the last minute it is very beneficial to have everything prepped before guests arrive. Baking also benefits by say, preventing the use of salt instead of sugar or omitting an ingredient all together.
On cooking shows, TV Chefs use dozens of tiny bowls and ramekins to store measured ingredients they will need for a recipe. Sets of small prep bowls are available but not really necessary. I saw an interesting idea on America's Test Kitchen where they used a muffin tin with paper liners. This makes it easy to remove each from the tin when you're ready for the ingredient. Of course this would not work for liquid where you would use a small drinking glass, custard or measuring cup. Mise en place was taught early in culinary school, I prefer to use my assortment of prep bowls, ramekins and cups. Some may complain about extra dishes and the clean up of piles of tiny bowls used. There are several methods that will lighten the dish load... one, by making little piles on one or two larger plates. Keep each vegetable separate, this will work for the par-cooked vegetables to be all be added at the same time in the top photo. Uncooked veggies, minced herbs etc. can be kept in neat little piles on a cutting board or on another plate.
Another method is to layer all ingredients in one larger bowl. The trick to this method is to put the ingredients in the order you will need for cooking (eg. the one you need first will be on top) and separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap.This way you dirty only one bowl and have extra space on our counter.
Which ever method you choose, the importance of mise en place cannot be over stated for fast and flawless execution of any recipe. If you practice and incorporate this one basic skill before you get started, you will become a more organized and more efficient cook. The experience makes cooking more fun, it is pure joy to see all the colors and textures lined up ready to cook.

Till next week, Bon Appetit!

Photos by Sally Rae 

A Gift of Chocolate

Truffles rolled in Cocoa

Valentine's Day is a chocolate lovers holiday. On February 14th dazzle your sweetheart with a box of handmade truffles!

Of course the most important ingredient in truffle making is chocolate. It is also the most temperamental and difficult to use. Most imported chocolate is of high quality. Although a foreign label does not guarantee quality, but it is a good bet. I use only Belgian Callebaut. Alternately the Swiss brands Lindt and Tobler and Ghirardelli from the United States are also excellent for truffle making. 
Humidity and heat are chocolates greatest enemies; both can cause ‘bloom’ to appear on the surface. Heat-induced bloom is the result of cacao butter crystals rising to the surface and recrystallizing. The flavor is unaffected, but the appearance is ruined. Humidity-induced bloom is more damaging. It is a result of sugar crystals being drawn to the surface, where they dissolve in the moist atmosphere and eventually recrystallize to form an unpleasant grey coating. Once the texture and taste of chocolate deteriorate, it is best to discard it. 
The ideal temperature for storage is 50˚ to 60˚F, slightly warmer than the refrigerator, and the humidity should be 60-70 percent. Chocolate absorbs surrounding odors easily and should be kept in an airtight container.
For sheer intensity and depth of flavor, richness and smoothness, nothing can compare to these divine morsels. From now on; for personal enjoyment, gift giving or entertaining, truffles can be yours for the making.

Chocolate Truffles        Yield: 40 truffles  

The ultimate chocolate indulgence! A truffle filling in its simplest form consists of chocolate and whipping cream... termed 'ganache'. This ganache is dense and easier for beginners to work with.   
1 cup whipping cream 

14 oz. top quality dark chocolate, very finely chopped 
2 Tbsp. liqueur (for alcohol free truffles use; coffee OR flavored syrups) 
1½ lb. dark, milk OR white top quality chocolate for dipping, coarsely chopped 
Garnish: crystallized edible flowers, chopped nuts, cocoa powder, threads or swirls of chocolate 

      In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, scald the cream. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the finely chopped chocolate until completely melted. (If you are using syrup, add it to the cream before scalding.) Cool 5 minutes stirring once or twice to be sure all the chocolate has melted to a smooth ganache then add the liqueur. Pour into a large glass bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

      Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Form the ganache into tablespoon sized balls, roll between your palms until round, place on the bake sheet, cover and refrigerate for an hour or until firm. If the ganache is too soft, spoon them out but do not form them, place them in the fridge and then form.

Tempered Chocolate

     Meanwhile, ‘temper’ the dipping chocolate (see 'To Temper Chocolate'  http://www.gourmetbysallyrae.com/tips.html) and line a bake sheet with parchment or wax paper. Dip each ball into the tempered chocolate, tap to remove the excess chocolate and to prevent a ‘garden slug foot’. Invert the dipped chocolate onto the lined bake sheet. Allow the dipped truffles to set up or harden without touching or your fingerprints will blemish them.

      To garnish; drizzle threads or swirls of different colored chocolate for each variety if you are making multiple flavors so you can tell them apart. If using crystallized flowers or nuts they should be placed while the chocolate is still soft. For cocoa, allow the chocolate to cool completely then roll in cocoa. I use cotton gloves (available from Pharmacies) to handle the chocolates once they are set. Put each chocolate into a paper chocolate ‘cup’ and box to store. These truffles can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the box in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then with tin foil. To defrost, remove to the fridge and defrost in the plastic and foil wrapping.  

 

Till next week... Bon Appetit!

Photos by i-Stock 

Valentine's Day Dinner

This Valentine's Day, fan the flames of romance by cooking for the one you cherish. The recipe is simple; use this easy to prepare menu, add soft music, a splash of champagne and a generous sprinkling of affection. Arrange the table with your best linens, crystal, silver and china then set it off with beautiful flowers and candlelight. What could be more romantic?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Dinner for Two *

 Cornish Game Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing

 Honey-Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Winter Squash

Raspberry Fool
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips... 

*Shopping list: besides all the groceries needed for recipes, don't forget the...
     -Champagne
     -flowers
     -optional Cranberry Sauce
     -heart-shaped shortbread or sugar cookies 

*Preparation the day before:
     -read all recipes you will be preparing... from ingredients to instructions
     -defrost the 'Cornish Game Hens' on a plate, in the fridge
     -cook, cool and refrigerate the 'Wild Rice Stuffing' 
     -trim and wash the Brussels Sprouts-store covered, in the fridge
     -clean, peel and cut the Squash-store covered, in the fridge
     -place the Champagne in the fridge to chill

*Preparation the day of:
     -start the Cornish Hen recipe about 2 hours before you want to serve dinner
     -put both vegetables into the oven 30 minutes before you want to serve dinner
     -once the vegetables are in the oven, prepare the 'Raspberry Fool'...
     -spoon into serving bowls but do not garnish until serving

* RECIPES *

Cornish Game Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing

Also known as 'Rock Cornish Game Hens', these are very small, tender chickens... perfect as a special occasion entree for two! (The Cornish Hen in the photo is almost 2 pounds and was enough to feed both of us.)

2 Cornish Game Hens (1 pound each)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
Cranberry Sauce-optional
     Preheat oven to 375 F. Rinse hens under cold running water and thoroughly clean the cavity. Sprinkle inside the cavity with salt and pepper, stuff with the cooled rice mixture (see recipe below). Spray a rack and a 13"x9"x2" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place with breast side up on the rack and pour a small amount of water in the baking pan. Keep 1/2" of liquid in the bottom of the pan, (this can be made into a flavorful gravy if you wish.) Melt butter, add tarragon and brush some over the hens. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake uncovered another 45 minutes to 1 hour and baste several times with tarragon butter. The hens are done when the internal temperature is 180 F or the juices run clear. Be sure to check the internal temperature of the rice stuffing, it should be at least 165 F. Serve with Cranberry Sauce if you wish.
*NOTE: if you do not want to stuff the hens, heat and serve the rice as a side dish.

Wild Rice Stuffing

'Converted Rice' is long grain rice that has been steamed before it is husked. This process causes the grains to absorb nutrients from the husk. When cooked, the grains are more nutritious, firmer and less clingy than white rice grains.

2 tsp. butter
1 small white onion, finely diced
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms-optional
3/4 cup vegetable stock
2/3 cup water or stock
1 Tbsp. chicken soup base mix or bouillon cube
Pinch black pepper
1/4 cup wild rice
1/3 cup 'Uncle Ben's' Converted Rice
      In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and mushrooms; cook stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add stock, water, chicken soup base, pepper and wild rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 35-40 minutes. Stir in Converted Rice and simmer covered for another 25-30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Honey-Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 cups Brussels sprouts

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. honey

Sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

     Preheat oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, Dijon and honey. Add Brussels sprouts and toss to thoroughly coat in honey mustard mixture. Spread sprouts evenly on a lightly oiled, small bake sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake on the top rack for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and toss so they bake evenly. Place back in the oven and roast another 10 minutes. The outside leaves should be slightly charred and the inside tender.

Roasted Winter Squash 

My favorite winter squash from last year's garden is 'Sunshine' from William Dam Seeds. It is a scarlet orange Kabocha type with smooth, sweet, bright orange flesh. 
1/4 to 1/2 buttercup or butternut squash

Olive oil

1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/8-1/4 tsp. Chipotle chili powder

Coarse sea salt

     Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and peel if desired. Cut into wedges and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with spices and salt. Bake 30-45 minutes or until browned on the edges and fork tender in the middle.

*NOTE for quicker cooking: peel then dice the squash into 1 inch cubes and reduce cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Raspberry Fool

Foolishly simple to make, 'fools' are fast mixtures using stewed fruit and can be sweetened to taste. In the dessert world, a  'quenelle' is an elegant football shaped scoop, made using two spoons.
Total time needed to prepare: 10 minutes!

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

Raspberry Fool Quenelle Trio 
 with Shortbread Hearts

 
2/3 cup whipping cream
1-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2-4 heart-shaped shortbread or sugar cookies
Fresh mint leaves for garnish-optional
      In a medium bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, whisk jam until smooth; fold into whipped cream. Spoon into serving bowls. Just before serving garnish with fresh raspberries and a mint leaf. Place the cookie last so it does not get soggy.

  
Happy Valentine's Day and Bon Appetit! Till next week...

Photos and dinner prepared by Sally Rae

 

Birthday Beauties

January brings another year of birthdays and ideas for a cake to personally complement each recipient. Between friends and family there have already been three birthdays in the past few weeks. One of my most recent creations was a guitar cake. This post is a tutorial of how to make this playful cake.

Guitar Cake - level, cut out using template and crumb coat

Decide how big your guitar will be, roughly sketch it out on a piece of parchment paper then cut out your template. Keep in mind, the size of cake served at a party is typically 1-1/2" x 2". This cake was made with two 9" x 13" sheet cakes; one was used for the neck, the other for the body of the guitar, which served 30.  
As for any cut and formed cake, they should be made from scratch to produce a cake sturdy enough to cut out, manipulate and decorate without crumbling. Madeira cakes are often used for this type of decorating. *NOTE: Cake mixes produce a light, crumbly cake and are not suitable for this type of work. The cakes must be baked at least the day prior to cutting and assembly.
After baking, cool completely then wrap the cakes well in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. When ready to cut and assemble the guitar, level the cakes (remove the rounded tops) then place parchment template on the cakes and cut out the guitar shape.

Refrigerated crumb coat, assemble on cake board

To cut, use a sawing motion with a very sharp knife. Keep the knife at a 90 degree angle to the counter so the sides of the cake are straight. Gently remove the unwanted sections of cake and 'crumb coat' each section. This means, ice all surfaces of the cake with a very thin layer of icing then refrigerate until the icing is firm. (This cake was about 2 feet long, so it remained in two sections until final assembly.) 
Now it is time to ice and decorate; transfer the cake carefully to a prepared 'cake board' for decorating, transportation and serving. Cake boards can be made with clean, heavy cardboard cut to the size you need, covered with tin foil then plastic wrap. A paper doily or colored tissue paper can be placed under the plastic wrap if desired. Color your icing any color you want for the guitar but remember to reserve some white buttercream icing for the guitar strings. 'Glue' the two sections together with colored icing then ice the entire cake and smooth the sides and top. 
The next step is to use 'rolled fondant' for the fingerboard, soundhole, pickguard, saddle and bridge. ('Ready to Use' fondant can be purchased at The Bulk Barn.) Simply open the package and roll out using a small amount of confectioners sugar so it does not stick to the rolling surface or rolling pin. Pipe the strings in white buttercream. Finish by piping a simple border in the same color as the guitar around the base of the cake on the cakeboard and insert jujube candies on toothpicks for tuning keys. 
I hope you found this tutorial easy, informative and has you excited to try creating your own Birthday Beauty!

Guitar Cake in cardboard 'Guitar Case'

Till next week...Bon Appetit!

Photos, cake, cakeboard and 'guitar case' by Sally Rae

The Need for Seed

In a normal year, I would have feverishly pored over the seed catalogs as they arrived a month ago! For 2015, I have decided to give my soil a rest; fallow the main vegetable garden and plant in containers closer to the house. This will result in a much smaller 'need for seed' and I seem to have almost enough in my seed box to accommodate my plans. 
I was doing really well ...I thought... until a friend called asking about 'Cool Breeze' cucumbers. I picked up the William Dam Seeds 2015 edition and felt the excitement of Spring and soil under my nails. I have been bit by the garden planning bug!

Some of my favorite seed varieties

Last year I wrote a list of what I could not live without.... select heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peas, tri-color bush beans and a few scarlet runners, broccoli, romaine, mesclun mix and of course fresh herbs round out the list. Rather than start ordering, I separated those packets from the seed box into a bag with said list, so as not to loose track of 'downsizing'!  
It seems the darling 'Cool Breeze' pickling cucumber is no longer in stock due to crop failure. William Dam has 'Corentine' that looks similar and I will try them this year for comparison. The only other seed I need will be a zucchini. Yes you read it right, I cannot live without at least one zucchini plant! I pick the fruit quite small and it is difficult to find the size I prefer at the markets. I was looking for a space saver variety but recently found a very interesting video on square foot gardening. All plants, including zucchini, were staked and leaves pruned from below the fruit as it was picked. I am excited to try this method.
My sunroom has south exposure with wide shelves at windowsill height, perfect for starting seeds. This is my first attempt at strictly a container garden for food and will keep you posted. I will start the tomatoes and edible flowers in the next 3-5 weeks. Yes, some say that is far too early but between the sunroom and portable greenhouse it works. 
Till next week, wishing you a successful growing season and Bon Appetit! 

Photo and seed selection by Sally Rae
William Dam Seeds www.damseeds.com  

Going to the Dogs

As a continuation to last week's post, 'Sweet Potato or Yam', our canine friends also enjoy this marvelous tuber! If your dog is a fussy eater, has allergies, a sensitive stomach, intolerant to grains or none of the above, they will probably LOVE 'Sweet Potato Chips'. 
This journey began with a gluten intolerance in one of my dogs. My sister had experienced this in the past with one of her horses and her dog. When I asked for help and direction, she sent me a bag of "Crumps' Naturals - Sweet Potato Chews". A great Canadian product  from Ontario, but expensive to use daily with 2 larger dogs. The answer to dog cookies and treats was to make my own version. I have shared this recipe with numerous friends and clients to rave reviews of, "...finally, something my dog will eat!"  and "...my dog will do anything for a sweet potato chip!"

Bake single layer, DO NOT use any fat

To make your own 'Sweet Potato Chip' dog treats; use the larger, orange, sweet potatoes. They will be cooked first, then dehydrated, so will shrink to about half the size you start with. Either scrub the skins and leave on, or peel. With a large French Knife (my tool of choice is a very sharp, serrated 10" French Knife), slice the sweet potato into rounds. If you don't have exceptional knife skills and a very sharp, large knife; for safety, cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise so you have a flat surface on the cutting board. Then slice on a diagonal to get larger pieces. The slices should be uniform in thickness for even cooking and drying. The photos show my first attempts, the slices were quite thick and took far too long in the dehydrator. I now peel, slice thinner and line my bake sheets with parchment paper.

Dry until pliable, not sticky or wet

Place the sweet potato slices in a single layer on non-stick bake sheets... DO NOT use non-stick cooking spray, oil or fats of any kind... and bake in a 350 F. oven for about 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake another 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Once they are fully cooked, place slices in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. (I have a friend who does not have a dehydrator but leaves them in single layers on bake sheets in her gas oven to dry slowly.) No fancy or expensive equipment required, I have a small, home version dehydrator and use the setting for fruit and vegetables at 135 F.
Follow the instructions in your dehydrator manual, or dehydrate until the slices are still pliable but not 'sticky' or 'wet' feeling. Check them every few hours; turn the slices over, remove or rearrange as they dry, making sure they do not overlap. They will not all be ready at the same time even if you were diligent at cutting to uniform thickness!

Package with a desiccant

Once they are dehydrated yet still pliable, remove them and allow to fully cool to room temperature. Test again for any that may be wet or sticky. Place them back in the dehydrator if needed. You will get a feel for this by bending each piece and touching the surface. Package the finished treats in a zip-type plastic bag. It is a good idea to add a small 'desiccant package' inside the bag with the chips. This is the small, usually white package marked 'Do Not Eat' commonly encountered in packaged foods to sustain a state of dryness and retain crispness. 
Your dog will love these natural, digestible, no additive, no preservative, homemade treats!

Photos by Sally Rae 

Sweet Potato or Yam

Four varieties of Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes and yams are both tuberous roots, but are constantly confused for one another. The truth is, what you are calling a yam is most likely a sweet potato.... and even more possible that you have never tasted a yam! 

Depending on the variety, sweet potato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple. The paler skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh. It is not as sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker skinned variety (which is most often called a ‘yam’ in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture. 
A true yam is the starchy, edible root of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) grown primarily in South America, Africa and the Caribbean. The skin is rough, scaly and difficult to peel, not even distantly related to the sweet potato! Yams have a higher sugar content and can grow enormous... sometimes over 7 feet in length! Yams are toxic if eaten raw, but perfectly safe when cooked. 

Both sweet potato and yam have a very low glycemic index and both are loaded with potassium, magnesium and phosphorous. Most people still think of sweet potatoes as yams regardless of their true identity. 

In the fall and early winter, the orange flesh sweet potatoes are available at reasonable prices and are JUMBO in size. Only two of these monsters are required for a big batch of soup! I developed this recipe a few years ago but this year, I had leftovers from Christmas Dinner... cooked meat, 'Apricot Pecan Wild Rice Stuffing' (pg. 279-'For the Love of Food'), roasted diced sweet potato and some frozen peas. I improvised the recipe below, making use of my leftovers and the result will fill the freezer with this nutritious, delicious soup. 
Till next week... Bon Appetit!

Curried Sweet Potato with Wild Rice and Chicken Soup   
            Yield: 8-10 servings              

Christmas Dinner leftovers become delicious soup!

½ c. wild rice 
3 cups water 
1 Tbsp. chicken soup base mix
3 Tbsp. butter
2 red onions, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
1½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sea salt (divided)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼-½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 large, orange flesh, sweet potatoes; peeled and cut ½-inch dice (8-10 cups)
6-8 cups flavorful chicken stock
*3-4 Tbsp. brown rice flour (for thickening), optional
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey meat, dice into bite-sized pieces  
1 c. frozen peas
2 green onions, thinly sliced
 
In a medium saucepan, simmer wild rice in 3 cups water with chicken soup base mix and ½ tsp. salt, stir occasionally until cooked.
Meanwhile, heat butter in large saucepan over medium-low, add onion and garlic, stir occasionally until soft about 3 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, chili, remaining ½ tsp. salt, pepper and Worcestershire; cook stirring for 2 minutes. Add diced sweet potato and chicken stock, stir well; cover and bring to boil. While at a boil, whisk in brown rice flour, if using. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sweet potato is cooked. NOTE:*(If you want an even thicker soup, lightly mash some of the diced sweet potato with a potato masher or use an immersion blender before adding remaining ingredients.) 
Add cooked, diced meat, cooked wild rice with any remaining liquid and frozen peas. Simmer until heated through, taste and adjust seasoning.
Add green onions just prior to serving. 
 

Photos and Recipe by Sally Rae