Edition 3.0
RECIPES
That I Otherwise Might Forget
BRYAN A. BENTZ
From the kitchen at:
80 Wilcox Road
Stonington, CT
Bryan Bentz Recipes
Section: 1
Chapter 1 :
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 2 :
Drinks ..................................................................................................................................... 7
The Domani ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Harry's Bar Martini .................................................................................................................................... 8
The Poor Man's Bellini ............................................................................................................................... 8
The Negroni ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Manhattan................................................................................................................................................... 9
The Marmot .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Grog .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Urban Ilk Punch ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Hot Gingersnap Punch ............................................................................................................................. 12
Glögg ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Ramos Gin Fizz ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Chapter 3 :
Breakfast Dishes................................................................................................................... 16
Sausage & Cheese Strata .......................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 4 :
Hors D'oeuvres & Appetizers ............................................................................................. 18
Crostini ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Sweet Potato, Creme Fraiche, and Caviar Bites ...................................................................................... 19
Feta Compli .............................................................................................................................................. 19
Smoked Salmon Avocado, and Horseradish Spirals ................................................................................. 21
Sauteed Sweet Potato................................................................................................................................ 22
Barbecued Shrimp .................................................................................................................................... 22
Salmon, Scallop, & Pea Terrine ............................................................................................................... 23
Stuffed Mussels ......................................................................................................................................... 24
Marinovanaya Riba v Tomatiye ................................................................................................................ 25
Hot Artichoke Dip ..................................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 5 :
Soups & Stews ...................................................................................................................... 28
Chilled Melon, Champagne, and Lime Soup ............................................................................................ 29
Cold Mango Soup ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Oyster Stew ............................................................................................................................................... 30
Bermuda Fish Chowder ............................................................................................................................ 31
Butternut Squash Soup With Blue Cheese and Walnuts ........................................................................... 32
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Butternut Squash and Leek Soup .............................................................................................................. 33
Pea Soup ................................................................................................................................................... 34
Lentil Soup ................................................................................................................................................ 34
Bouillon Soup ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Cioppino (spicy fish stew) ......................................................................................................................... 35
Smoked Fish Chowder .............................................................................................................................. 36
Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup ............................................................................................................ 37
Chapter 6 :
Main Courses ....................................................................................................................... 39
Chicken with Two Sauces ......................................................................................................................... 39
Pullet Surprise .......................................................................................................................................... 40
Provencal Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic ............................................................................................ 40
Tortola Chicken Curry .............................................................................................................................. 41
Poulet aux Apricots, Sauce au Currie ...................................................................................................... 42
Aunt Nellie's Chicken Pie ......................................................................................................................... 44
Turkish Baked Eggplant With Cheese....................................................................................................... 45
Stuffed Flounder ....................................................................................................................................... 46
Poached Haddock with Brocolli ............................................................................................................... 47
Grilled Bluefish with Apician Sauce ......................................................................................................... 48
Mexican Fish ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Stuffed Paupiettes of Veal ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Veal with Asparagus ................................................................................................................................. 51
Shrimp & Hot Sausage Jambalaya ........................................................................................................... 53
Smoked Pork over Creamed Spinach........................................................................................................ 54
Pitrelli Spaghetti Sauce ............................................................................................................................ 55
Jean Greenwood Chicken Casserole ........................................................................................................ 55
Canadian Pork Pie ................................................................................................................................... 56
Bobotie ...................................................................................................................................................... 57
Chapter 7 :
Vegetables ............................................................................................................................. 59
Golden Creamed Onions .......................................................................................................................... 59
Sherried Sweet Potatoes and Apples ........................................................................................................ 59
Mushrooms with Horseradish and Bacon................................................................................................. 60
Asparagus ................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Smothered Okra ........................................................................................................................................ 61
Flambeed Sweet Potato Gratin ................................................................................................................. 61
Mashed Rutabaga ..................................................................................................................................... 62
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Red Cabbage ............................................................................................................................................ 63
Chapter 8 :
Salads .................................................................................................................................... 64
Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing ............................................................................................................. 64
German Potato Salad ............................................................................................................................... 64
House Salad .............................................................................................................................................. 65
Bunny Salad .............................................................................................................................................. 66
Chapter 9 :
Breads, Muffins.................................................................................................................... 67
Mother-in-Law Muffins ............................................................................................................................. 67
Parmesan Puffs ......................................................................................................................................... 68
Chapter 10 : Relishes, Etc. ........................................................................................................................ 69
Onion, Raisin, and Cranberry Confit ....................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 11 : Desserts ................................................................................................................................. 71
Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream ................................................................................................................... 71
Georgia Chess Pie .................................................................................................................................... 72
Genevieve Pie ........................................................................................................................................... 73
Bourbon Balls ........................................................................................................................................... 73
Best Ever Rum Cake ................................................................................................................................. 74
Bananas Foster ......................................................................................................................................... 75
Bailey's Irish Cream Cake ........................................................................................................................ 76
Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce ......................................................................................................... 77
Whiskey Sauce .......................................................................................................................................... 78
Cottage Pudding Cake ("Toddy") ............................................................................................................. 79
Christmas Pudding ................................................................................................................................... 79
Cottage Pudding Sauce ............................................................................................................................ 80
Grapefruit Alaska ..................................................................................................................................... 81
Imperial Fudge ......................................................................................................................................... 82
Proletarian Fudge .................................................................................................................................... 82
Pecan Pralines .......................................................................................................................................... 83
Zabaglione ................................................................................................................................................ 84
Rhubarb Crunch ....................................................................................................................................... 84
Rhubarb, Another Way ............................................................................................................................. 85
Avocado Ice Cream .................................................................................................................................. 86
Indian Pudding with Apples ..................................................................................................................... 86
Tarte au Citron ......................................................................................................................................... 87
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Meringue................................................................................................................................................... 88
Chapter 12 : Menus.................................................................................................................................... 90
Chapter 13 : Attributions .......................................................................................................................... 91
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Chapter 1 : Introduction
Cooking is one of the few remaining activities that require the exercise of all of your
senses. There is nothing quite like the feel of raw chicken, the snap of asparagus, or an
egg yolk held in the fingers. You can simmer a mixture by its sound, or tell how hot a
roast is getting by the spattering of its fat. You'll constantly extend the reach of your
sense of smell, trying to perfect balances of unusual spices. The range of color and value
in foods may suggest several still-life arrangements to your eyes.
Admittedly, there may be times when sensory immersion in raw flesh and uncleaned
vegetables may not appeal. Then, you can think about the final product, and how it is
received. A good dish can make the mouth feel alive, and yearn for more. Presenting a
repast to friends requires time, thought, care, and effort; this is a good way of saying that
you think they're worthwhile.
I think that working with such a basic element as food puts you in touch with living in a
very direct way. This is as much of a necessity for the soul as it is for the stomach. It is a
pleasure to dig your hands into the unshaped raw materials of a feast. Nothing can be
more basic, more appealing to the primitive side of your nature; cooking a meal is a way
of taking a vacation from the complexities of life.
This set of recipes represents a collection of favorites of mine, which I often rely on, or at
least look forwards to. As favorites, they are often repeated, perhaps once every two
months. I wanted to collect them in part so that I can tear out pages and make a mess of
them, rather than having to guard my notes as the only extant records of ingredients, etc.
Yet most of these recipes are concepts, and should be approached as such.
The recipes here lay out a general style, such as taste combinations, texture contrasts, or
ease of labor. The specifics listed will work; but it is best to develop a sense of why
things are being done in a certain way, and then to improvise based on your own tastes,
instincts, and experience. Indeed, I rarely now use recipes for any of these dishes.
The total time entry at the top of most recipes indicates how much time from beginning to
end the dish will take. Much of this is heating or marinating or other time not requiring
involvement, so the work time entry tells how much labor you'll have to put in.
Good luck with them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
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Chapter 2 : Drinks
The problem with most popular drinks is that they are designed to function alone, often to
intoxicate. The drink recipes listed here are intended to be introductions to food; they
may be used to accent tastes, to get the mouth ready for new and exciting adventures.
Thus, they tend to be more flavorful, perhaps with a slight accent on the bitter. A sweet
drink will negatively affect the appetite (that's why desserts are sweet - to shut down your
appetite after a meal).
Of course, having cocktails before a meal is a good way to relax, to make the transition
from a busy day to a relaxed meal; these drinks are not on the weak side. They should be
potent enough to facilitate this transition nicely. I've been known to say that the first step
in some recipes is to marinate the chef.
The Domani
Serves: as many as you like
This drink was invented for me at the bar of the Minerva Hotel in Sorrento. I named it the
"Domani" because the word was reverberating in my brain when I ordered the drink. It
was just about the only thing our comical parking attendant at Rome seemed to say;
perhaps because it took him a day to fetch one's car.
I told the bartender I wanted a gin base, and I wanted a lot of mixer; the rest was up to
him. I was no longer thinking about "tomorrow" by the time I finished my second.
Ingredients
1 part Gin
1 part Lemon vodka
1 part Brandy
1 slice Lemon
Ginger ale
Procedure
1. Mix the alcohol together. Pour into a glass with ice, filling the glass to ½.
2. Complete the glass with the ginger ale; add the lemon slice, and consume.
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Harry's Bar Martini
Serves: as many as you like
Harry's is a unique place; the martini served there is reputedly the most acclaimed martini
in Europe. I'm sure this recipe is not exact; the recipe requires some interpretation; this is
half of the fun.
I've had very good luck with this recipe. I add a squirt of lemon juice, or maybe just a
twist, which adds a bit of floweriness to the drink. It's very good in the summertime.
1. Take a bottle of good English gin and one of dry white wine (I find Soave is good)
and put in the refrigerator early in the morning (preferably while contemplating how
hard your day will be).
2. One hour before drinking, pour one part of the white wine and five parts of the gin
into a carafe that has been half-filled with ice.
3. Mix a little but not too much.
4. Pour into glasses. Put the filled glasses into the refrigerator until the guests arrive.
The Poor Man's Bellini
Serves: as many as you like
To be served when one is too poor to get to Harry's Bar in Venice to try their invention.
They make this drink with fresh peach nectar and champagne; yet I have achieved
satisfactory results by substituting peach schnapps for the nectar.
The result is a respectable solution to mediocre champagne; it is very uplifting - peach
aroma is strongly suggestive of a summer meadow, buzzing bees, an orchard; vary the
schnapps in proportion to your taste and suggestibility. Too much can be overwhelming,
so start on the lighter end of the spectrum.
Ingredients
Cheap champagne
DeKuyper's Peach Schnapps
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Procedure
1. Chill the glasses, the champagne, and optionally the schnapps.
2. Pour about ½ of a shot of the schnapps into each glass, and then fill with champagne.
The Negroni
Serves: as many as you like
I first had one of these in Alfredo's restaurant in Rome, and I really began to like them at
the bar above Anacapri. The tastes require a little getting used to, but they blend very
well. The bitter Campari augments the sharpness of the gin, and the vermouth finishes
the drink with a varnish which covers and smoothes the taste and aftertaste.
Ingredients
1 part
1 part
1 part
1 slice
Campari
Bombay gin
Sweet vermouth
Orange, per glass
Procedure
1. Mix the liquor.
2. Pour into a glass with ice and the orange slice.
Manhattan
Serves: as many as you like
This is a common staple, consumed when I wish to be reminded of summer evenings in
Stonington, sitting on the porch, watching the remnants of the sunset. I include it because
it is a regular drink at home.
Ingredients
1 part
1 part
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Sweet Vermouth
Bourbon
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Maraschino cherry
Angostura bitters to taste
Some maraschino cherry liquid from the bottle (Optional)
Procedure
1. Put all ingredients in a glass with ice.
2. Stir.
3. Serve and/or drink.
The Marmot
Serves: 1
I invented this drink one day at the "T.H.A. Bar". The name Marmot (pronounced "mar
MO") was the pseudonym others and I used while running the M.I.T. Freshman Defense
Corps. The Corps was the first of many large-scale "hacks". On one occasion, our
carefully planned command structure uniformed over 60 freshmen in black T-shirts, and
armed them for a water battle; this ad-hoc army succeeded in occupying an M.I.T.
dormitory for a few hours.
The drink is supposed to be strong yet refreshing. Ideally it should be made with packed
snow; crushed ice will do, and even normal cube ice is acceptable (especially under battle
conditions). The mint taste should just hide the bite of the Bourbon; chilling is important
to curb the sweetness.
Ingredients
½ shot
2 shots
Creme de Menthe
Bourbon
Snow or finely crushed ice
Procedure
1. Pack the snow into a small glass.
2. Mix the liquor, and saturate the snow.
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Grog
Serves: the entire gun deck crew
This is based on the traditional naval beverage. Winston Churchill, when asked what
made the British Navy great, answered “Rum, sodomy, and the lash”. I’m willing to try
only the first third of his prescription, and even then it is more palatable to use brandy.
Ingredients
1 gallon
1 quart
½ Cup
Limeade
Brandy
Falernum (A spicy syrup, available at good liquor stores)
Procedure
1. Mix ingredients. Drink mixture - either warm or cold.
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Urban Ilk Punch
Serves: 4 who don't drink much
This drink began as Bourbon Milk Punch, but my friends who liked it all lived in the city.
The name became Urban Milk Punch - a frightening concept, conjuring up images of
stray, junk-yard cows - and finally has settled down as Urban Ilk.
The rationale here is to produce a very potent drink, which, because of its sweetness and
cream, is disguised nicely. This is very good when you have a guest who is slightly ill at
ease, and might not want to relax or to drink very much.
Ingredients
⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
6 oz.
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 tsp.
1 tsp.
Sugar
Water
Bourbon
Milk
Cream
Vanilla
Nutmeg
Procedure
1. In a saucepan combine the sugar and water, and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Put
aside until cool.
2. Combine all other ingredients, and add to sugar syrup. Serve.
Hot Gingersnap Punch
Serves: 2, perhaps 3
This is an excellent winter drink, with a nice warm and inviting aroma. The taste is
surprisingly like that of gingersnaps, although none are required for the recipe.
Ingredients
1 Tblsp.
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Sugar
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1 Tblsp.
¼ tsp.
2 Cups
½ Cup
Nutmeg
Section: 1
Unsulfered dark molasses
Ground ginger
Milk
Dark rum
Freshly grated for garnish
Procedure
1. In a small pan combine the sugar, 1 tablespoon of water, the molasses, and the ginger
and bring to a simmer, stirring.
2. Add the milk in a stream, whisking, and heat over moderate heat, stirring. Do not let
boil, but get it hot.
3. Stir in the rum, divide between 2 heated mugs (I pour hot water in first, then pour it
out just before serving), and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Glögg
Serves: a decent sized gathering. Often it's good to make this for a small group, and keep
the leftovers for use through the holidays.
This is great for cold evenings; I often served it when my friends have had to brave the
Antarctic conditions on the Harvard Bridge to come visit.
This drink can be a good start to a celebration. Imagine people gathered on a cold
evening, watching the flambéing, then having strong drink. Almost should be a semiformal event!
Ingredients
2 bottles
½ bottle
5 pieces
¾ Cup
5 sticks
1 Cup
1 Tblsp.
1 Cup
Sherry
Brandy
Orange peel, dried in oven
Almonds
Cinnamon (or ½ tsp. ground)
Seedless raisins
Water
Sugar
Procedure
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1. Cover spices, almonds, raisins, and peel with wine. Let this stand overnight, or at
least for several hours.
2. Make a sugar lump by sprinkling 1 Tblsp. of water over the sugar; set this in a warm
oven or on back of stove. It will lump itself.
3. Just before serving time, add the rest of the wine and most of the brandy. Heat
slowly.
4. Put a wire cake-rack over the warm mixture. Put the sugar lump on the rack; pour on
the brandy, and ignite. The sugar will melt and drip through. Dump the remaining
sugar into the pot, and serve.
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Ramos Gin Fizz
Serves: 4
This is an odd drink, but, if done right, it is really special. It's like Urban Ilk punch in that
it hides its strength. I've heard that it was invented at the Fairmont Hotel bar in New
Orleans.
Ingredients
4
6 oz.
2 tsp.
⅓ Cup
2 tsp.
1 Cup
1 tsp.
2 Cups
Egg whites
Gin
Orange flower water
Confectioners sugar
Lemon juice
Half & half
Vanilla
Cracked ice
Procedure
1. Beat eggs until foamy. Combine all other ingredients in a blender, and blend them.
2. Add egg whites to the resulting mess, and chill thoroughly before serving. Tall, thin,
chilled glasses are best.
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Chapter 3 : Breakfast Dishes
Sausage & Cheese Strata
Serves: 4
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This dish has a unique flavor, from the combination of sausage, cheese, mustard,
Worcestershire sauce, and other ingredients. It can be made the night before, and popped
in the oven for a successful brunch.
Ingredients
½ lb.
8 slices
¾ lb.
4
1 ½ Cups
½ tsp.
1 tsp.
A pinch
½ tsp.
3 Tblsp.
Sausage meat
White bread, crusts removed, in 1-inch cubes.
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Large eggs, beaten
Milk
Salt
Dijon-style mustard
Cayenne
Worcestershire sauce
Unsalted butter, melted, cooled.
Procedure
1. In a skillet brown the sausage over medium high heat, breaking it up, and transfer it
to a paper towel to drain.
2. Brush a 1-quart soufflé dish with some of the grease, and arrange ⅓ of the bread
cubes. Sprinkle in ⅓ of the cheese; top this with all of the sausage. Cover with half
of the remaining bread, cover that with half of the remaining cheese. Cover this with
all of the remaining bread. Press the layers together slightly.
3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire
sauce; pour this over the goo in the soufflé dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining
cheese and dribble the butter on top.
4. Cover and chill for one hour, or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit
for a bit (45 minutes). Times here are approximate; I've cooked the stuff right after
making it and no one's noticed.
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5. Put the dish in a baking pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up. Bake in a
preheated 350 F oven for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until golden brown and set.
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Chapter 4 : Hors D'Oeuvres & Appetizers
Crostini
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
An evolving recipe to make the Florentine pleasure. I remember this mixture being
served on small (1" by 2") pieces of toast, which had been done very crisply (Crusts, or
Crostini). Part of the experience is produced by the different textures, the creamy liver
paté and the crisp toast.
Ingredients
2 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
½ Cup
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
¼ lb.
6
Chopped onion
Unsalted butter
Sliced mushrooms
Drained capers, chopped
Marsala
Olive oil
Chicken livers, trimmed and patted dry
½" thick slices of Italian bread
Parsley for garnish.
Procedure
1. In a large stainless steel or enameled skillet cook the onion and the butter over
moderate heat, until soft; add the mushrooms, and heat until all the liquid they give
off is evaporated. Add the capers, the Marsala, some salt and pepper, and simmer
until most of the liquid is gone. Move this mixture to a food processor.
2. In the cleaned pan, heat 1 Tblsp. of the olive oil. Sauté the chicken livers over
moderately high heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are browned on the
outside but pink within. Move them to the food processor too.
3. Puree the mixture. The paté is done.
4. I like to cut up the bread into small rectangles and toast it, and then cover these with
the warm paté. The paté is fine cold too.
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Sweet Potato, Creme Fraîche, and Caviar Bites
Serves: 8
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a simple and colorful hors d'oeuvre. Much of the work (such as it is) can be done
beforehand. The taste is similar to some more common Russian zakuski, which combine
the tastes of potato, sour cream, and caviar.
Ingredients
2
½ Cup
1 oz
Long, narrow sweet potatoes
Creme fraîche
Caviar (nothing too special)
Tiny dill sprigs for garnish
Procedure
1. Cut the sweet potatoes crosswise into ¼-inch slices. With a decorative cutter (I like
to use an acorn shape) cut roughly bite-sized pieces from the sweet potato slices.
2. Steam these slices in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes until they are just tender. Place them in one layer on a plate, and cool them covered
with plastic wrap. You can do this a day in advance.
3. To serve, lay out the sweet potato fragments, ooze on some of the creme fraîche in a
suitably artistic manner, and adorn the top with a little caviar. Stick a dill sprig along
side the creme fraîche, and serve. (Alternatively you might avoid the caviar, and use
a few drops of honey).
Feta Compli
This dish has a very basic, earthy feel about it. As its name suggests, it can be gotten
ready and served before anyone is aware that you're up to anything in the kitchen.
Pour some high-grade olive oil on a serving dish. Take slices of Feta cheese, and lay them
on the plate. Sprinkle Oregano over all, and serve to diners who don't mind eating with
their fingers.
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Some good five-grain bread, cut into one-inch squares, makes a useful addition. Don’t
allow the diners to forego the pleasure of reaching into the oily mixture for the cheese,
though.
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Smoked Salmon Avocado, and Horseradish Spirals
Serves: 8
Total time: 6 hours
Work time: 1 hour
This appetizer is nice because it can be prepared almost entirely beforehand. One makes
a roll of smoked salmon and a paste of the other ingredients, and chills it. When firm,
this is then sliced and served on rounds of bread. The spiral effect is impressive, and the
taste combination is excellent.
Ingredients
1
2 Tblsp.
½
8 oz
3 Tblsp.
½ lb.
18
Pinch
Envelope of unflavored gelatin
Fresh lemon juice
California avocado
Package of cream cheese
Horseradish
Thinly sliced smoked salmon
Thin slices of pumpernickel
Parsley, dill, or chives for garnish
Procedure
1. In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice and let soften. Heat and
stir a little to melt the resulting rubbery goo.
2. In a food processor, smooth out the avocado, cream cheese, horseradish, and gelatin
goo. You want a uniform, smooth, light green mixture. If necessary, let it cool a
little in a bowl so that it's really thick and gooey.
3. Lay out a sheet of wax paper about 1 ½ feet long. On it, overlap the salmon slices.
Think about this. Salmon slices often have a thick side, and gradually taper into
(often) two peninsulas. The "down" side of the salmon will be the outside of the roll;
you want the strong, thick salmon there. Consequently, you should lay the thin part
of the slices over the thick parts.
4. Cover the salmon with the goo, leaving about half an inch of border. You want to
make this about ¼-inch thick. It really doesn't matter too much, as long as you have
enough not to have "thins" where the salmon will touch itself when rolled, or so
much that you can't roll the thing.
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5. Using the wax paper, start to roll along a long side of the rectangle of fish/goo. Roll
the thing up, and twist the ends of the wax paper when done. Chill for 3 hours or
overnight.
6. When ready to serve, use a circular cutter to stamp circles out of the pumpernickel;
slice the roll with a very sharp knife (so as to avoid smearing), and place each slice on
a piece of bread. Soive.
Sautéed Sweet Potato
This is a simple yet elegant way to prepare the orange critters.
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes
Honey
Cinnamon, nutmeg
Procedure
1. Microwave or otherwise cook the sweet potatoes until they are 90% cooked. Chill
them; they should be internally firm.
2. Peel and slice the cold potatoes into ¼-inch slices. Sauté the slices in a light oil
(preferably safflower); while cooking, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pour about ¼ tsp. of honey onto each slice; when the bottom is very lightly browned,
turn and repeat.
Barbecued Shrimp
Serves: 6
Total time: 30 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is an ideal appetizer when you wish to loosen someone up. Being served oily shrimp
in shells, one cannot maintain reserve for very long. It can easily be made with shrimp
out-of-shell, as well.
The spice combination yields a wonderful liquid. It may be used as a basis for other sorts
of sauces.
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You can also sauté the shrimp in the hot sauce; it is simpler and faster, but the results
aren't quite the same.
This recipe is for two pounds of shrimp, which is a lot.
Ingredients
1 Cup
1 Cup
2
3
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
2 lbs.
Butter
Olive oil
Garlic cloves, minced
Bay leaves, crushed fine
Dried basil
Oregano
Salt
Cayenne
Paprika
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce
Shrimp in shells
Procedure
1. Melt the butter and oil together in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients but the shrimp.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring; then reduce heat, and simmer ten minutes. Remove and let
cool briefly.
3. Add the shrimp to the sauce, pour into a roasting pan, and carefully mix.
4. Preheat oven to 350F; bake shrimp, turning frequently, until pink, about 20 minutes.
5. Serve in soup bowls with French bread to soak up the sauce.
Salmon, Scallop, & Pea Terrine
Serves: 8 or more
Total time: 2 or 3 hours
Work time: 40 minutes
This recipe is for a fish terrine, or paté-like mixture, which may be served chilled or
warmed. It is simple and easy to make, like most of the things in this book; it is colorful,
and would even make an excellent light supper on a summer evening.
Ingredients
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¾ lb.
1 lb.
1 Cup
1 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
Section: 1
Sea scallops, rinsed
Skinless salmon fillet, cut into ½ inch cubes
Peas, frozen is ok, simmered 'til tender
Lightly beaten egg white
Heavy cream
Salt
Crumbled dry tarragon
Procedure
1. In a food processor, puree the scallops and the peas until nearly smooth; add the egg
white, the cream, the salt, and the tarragon, and puree until smooth.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl; add the salmon and mix. Pour the glop into a 1-quart
rectangular terrine (or baking dish), smoothing the top and rapping the sides to get air
bubbles out.
3. Cover the dish with either buttered wax paper and its lid, or two layers of foil. Put in
it a baking pan, and add hot water to come halfway up the terrine. Bake at 375
degrees for 45 minutes (I go a little longer because our oven is odd and I don't like
undercooked fish).
4. Remove from the oven and take off the foil or other covering. Let stand about 10
minutes, then carefully pour off any liquid on top. I usually run a knife gently around
the sides, and then chill the dish for about half an hour - this is because I use a baking
dish, and I'm nervous that the stuff will fall apart when unmolding.
5. Invert the dish onto a plate. Either chill, serve at room temperature, or serve warm:
slice ½ inch thick slices and lay them out on individual plates. You can make a
simple sauce with mayonnaise (and maybe saffron), or from chives and butter.
Stuffed Mussels
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is an impressive, colorful appetizer. The "stuffing" adds a zing to the mussels,
creating a nice balance to the seafood flavor.
This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people, but if you like them, you might want to eat most
yourself.
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Section: 1
Ingredients
2 doz.
½ Tblsp.
3 Tblsp.
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
3 slices
1 slice
Mussels, scrubbed and externally cleaned (remove hair)
Finely chopped garlic
Finely chopped parsley
Olive oil
Fine, dry bread crumbs
Bacon, cooked (optional)
Lemon
fresh Parmesan cheese
Procedure
1. Steam the mussels.
2. Remove the mussels from their shells. Save half of the shells (the bigger or nicer
looking ones).
3. Mix the garlic, parsley, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Put the cooked mussels into this
mixture, mix so that all of the mussels are coated, and let marinate for a minimum of
20 minutes.
4. Lay the empty mussel shells on a flat metal tray. In each half of the shell, place
mussels and stuffing, so that the shells are full. You may not use all of the shells.
5. Press a small piece of bacon on top of each shell half.
6. Grate the Parmesan lightly over each shell half - this is partly decorative, so don't use
too heavy a hand.
7. Place the tray under the broiler for about 3 minutes - the contents should be warmed,
the cheese should melt. Serve.
Marinovanaya Riba v Tomatiye
Serves: 6
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Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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Section: 1
This is a Russian zakushka, or an appetizer. It's English title might be something like
Marinated Fish in Tomato Sauce. Typically many zakuski are served together, as a large
course of appetizers before a meal. I like to use this dish as a cold salad when not serving
a large collection of appetizers.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs.
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Fresh firm-fleshed fish, such as snapper, cod,
flounder, or bass.
Plain flour
Oil
Sliced Onion
Tomato Sauce
Water
Shredded carrot
Procedure
1. Cut the fish into roughly 1-inch by 2-inch pieces. Mix some salt and pepper into the
flour (to taste) and spread on a plate. Roll the fish chunks in the flour, and sauté in
the oil until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Use the minimal amount of oil
necessary.
2. In the same oil, sauté the onion until soft and lightly browned. Grate in the carrot to
taste. Add more oil if the mixture becomes too dry.
3. Add the tomato sauce to kill the sautéing. If you want you can thin with some water.
I like a thick consistency when I serve this as a salad, otherwise a thinner, saladdressing like consistency when serving it as an appetizer.
4. Simmer (nearly boil) for 5 minutes or so to blend flavors. Add the fish, turn down to
a simmer. Stir carefully so as not to fragment the fish.
5. Remove from heat and chill, for roughly 45 minutes. Serve either on a large tray, or
individually over lettuce.
Hot Artichoke Dip
Serves: 4
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Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
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Section: 1
My wife and I had this dish as an appetizer at the (now defunct) Amalfi Cafe in Boston.
I asked the waitress if she could persuade the cook to part with the recipe, and she did.
(Either that or she just made up something for us on her own, but it works).
Ingredients
1 Can
½ Can
1 oz
4 oz
6 oz
1 oz
¼ Cup
Artichoke hearts
Black olives
Garlic
Parmesan cheese
White wine
Olive oil
Mayonnaise
Procedure
1. Cuisinart artichokes and olives. Sauté this mixture in heated olive oil with the garlic.
Do not brown the garlic.
2. Add the cheese; mix, add the white wine, mix some more. Remove and place in
mixing bowl. Add in mayonnaise and stir well.
3. To serve, heat in baking dish for 10 minutes at 350F. Add toasted pita bread wedges
for accessing the dip.
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Section: 1
Chapter 5 : Soups & Stews
Gazpacho
Serves: 8 people
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 10 minutes
This is a wonderful summer soup, easy and quick to make. This soup could almost be a
cocktail, it's so light and refreshing. I ran across the recipe while staying in an inn in
Sharpsburg, Maryland. It is very quick to make, and can be served in an elegant setting.
The melon can be either ripe or unripe. The champagne is used to cut the sweetness of
the melon liquid. If the melon is unripe, some sugar (dissolved first in water) may be
added to bring the mixture to the desired sweetness.
Ingredients
1 28 oz. Can
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
1½ tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
Whole tomatoes
Finely chopped green peppers
Finely chopped cucumbers
Croutons
Medium onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
White wine
Olive oil
Ground cumin
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Procedure
1. Place the tomatoes, along with half of the green peppers, cucumbers, and onions, in a
blender. Add the wine, oil, cumin, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Refrigerate for at least one hour
2. Serve with the remaining ingredients (appropriately diced and in separate bowls, or
on a platter) as accompaniments.
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Section: 1
Chilled Melon, Champagne, and Lime Soup
Serves: 2 or 3 people per melon
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 10 minutes
This is a wonderful summer soup, easy and quick to make. This soup could almost be a
cocktail, it's so light and refreshing. I ran across the recipe while staying in an inn in
Sharpsburg, Maryland. It is very quick to make, and can be served in an elegant setting.
The melon can be either ripe or unripe. The champagne is used to cut the sweetness of
the melon liquid. If the melon is unripe, some sugar (dissolved first in water) may be
added to bring the mixture to the desired sweetness.
Ingredients
1
2
1 bottle
½ Cup
Honeydew melon (ripeness doesn't matter)
Limes
Champagne
Sour cream (optional)
Procedure
3. Cut the melon in half. Scrape out and discard the seeds.
4. Using a spoon, remove the meat of the melon and place it directly in a blender (this to
be done in convenient batches). Blend smooth. Place in a metal container (metal to
allow faster chilling).
5. Save enough of the limes to do two decorative slices per bowl. Squeeze the
remaining fragments into the melon liquid. Stir. (If you want the soup to be
completely flat, add the champagne now. I usually wait, to preserve some sparkle.)
6. Chill the mixture, and the bowls in which you will serve the soup. When ready to
serve, add about ⅓ bottle of champagne (per melon used) to the melon liquid. Don't
thin the soup too much, but use enough to make sure it isn't overly sweet. Add more
lime juice to help the balance. Do this by taste.
7. Pour into bowls. If desired, stir in the sour cream to form distinct swirls (do not mix
the liquids very well), spiraling out from the center. Garnish by floating the lime
slices on the soup.
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Section: 1
Cold Mango Soup
Serves: 4
Total time: 20 minutes
Work time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb.
½ lb.
1 Cup
1 to 1½ Cup
¼ Cup
⅛ tsp.
⅛ tsp.
1
Mango, cut into pieces
Mango, cut for garnishes
Plain yogurt
Milk
Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Lime or kiwi
Procedure
1. In a blender, puree the mango pieces with the yogurt, 1 cup of the milk, the sugar, the
cinnamon, and the nutmeg, until smooth.
2. Blend in enough of the remaining ½ cup milk to reach the desired consistency.
3. Serve chilled, garnished with a small pile of mango slices and lime or kiwi slices.
Oyster Stew
Serves: 4
Total time: 20 minutes
Work time: 20 minutes
This recipe makes a light oyster stew, which I think best sets off the delicate oyster flavor.
While it is simple, it does require attention. The double boiler prevents the oysters from
overcooking - although I've found that with care it isn't necessary.
Ingredients
3 tsp.
½ tsp.
1 sliver
1 to 1½
1 ¼ Cup
¾ Cup
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Butter
Grated onion
Garlic
Pints oysters with liquid
Milk
Cream
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½ tsp.
⅛ tsp.
Section: 1
Salt
White pepper
Procedure
1. In a double boiler sauté lightly the onion and garlic in the butter.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. When the oysters float, serve, garnished
with some fresh parsley.
Bermuda Fish Chowder
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 40 minutes
I had this soup the first day I was in Bermuda, at the Hamilton Princess. The Princess is
an interesting old hotel. Its basement was a major center of British Intelligence during
WWII; there is even a legend that "the real James Bond" had a suite there.
I was exhausted from three weeks at sea, on an uncomfortable research ship. I was cold,
it was getting dark, and I badly needed something good. I ordered the soup as a first
course, and liked it so much I had them bring me more before serving dinner.
The soup surprised me - the ingredients were so finely puréed that I couldn't identify any
of them with certainty. I had to buy a cookbook to figure it out. The soup is a brownish
color, unusual for a fish chowder. It is normally served with Sherry Peppers and dark
rum. One uses a few drops of the former, and a tablespoon of the latter.
Ingredients
1
1
1
1
¼ lb.
2
6
1
1
1
¼
6
1
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Large Rockfish head or 2 lbs. fresh fish
Pinch salt
Sprig of thyme
Bay leaf
Salt pork or bacon, diced
Onions, chopped
Stalks celery, chopped
Green pepper, chopped
Tin of tomatoes
Tin of consommé
Bottle of ketchup
Sprigs parsley, minced
Pinch of curry powder
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Section: 1
Lemon
Worcestershire sauce
Rum & sherry
Whole cloves
Peppercorns
Procedure
1. Place fish head (or 3 smaller ones if you can't get a big one, or just the regular fish) in
a large pot. Add water to cover, as well as salt, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, and
peppercorns. Simmer at least an hour, then remove bones and skin and flake the fish
into shreds.
2. In a separate saucepan, fry salt pork (or bacon) with onions, celery, and green pepper.
Then add tomatoes, consommé, ketchup, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and curry
powder. Simmer to blend flavors. Add this mixture to the fish stock.
3. Thicken the chowder slightly with flour or cornstarch. Color with gravy browning.
Simmer about 15 minutes longer. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon, and
serve with dark rum and sherry peppers.
Butternut Squash Soup With Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Work time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup
½ stick (¼ cup)
1 tsp.
1.5 lbs.
2
3 ½ cups
1 cup
6 Tblsp.
6 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
Chopped onion
Unsalted butter
Salt
Butternut squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
Cloves
Vegetable stock
Heavy cream (optional)
Blue cheese, crumbled
Chopped walnuts
Sage
Chopped parsley
Procedure
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Section: 1
1. In a saucepan cook the onion in one tablespoon of the butter until it is softened. Add
the salt, the squash, and the cloves and cook the mixture (covered) over moderate
heat for ten or fifteen minutes until the squash is tender.
2. Add the stock and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Add the cream if you want to,
bring to a boil.
3. In a small saucepan cook the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter until it is nutbrown and add it to the stock mixture.
4. Blend in patches. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the walnuts, blue
cheese, parsley, and sage.
Butternut Squash and Leek Soup
Serves: 8
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Work time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
4½ lbs.
5 Tblsp.
4
7 sprigs
5 Cups
1¼ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ Cup
2 to 3 tsp.
8 slices
Butternut squash, halved lengthwise
Unsalted butter
Large leeks (white and tender green) chopped
Fresh thyme (or 1 teas. dried)
Chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Sour cream
Chopped chives
Crumbled crisp bacon
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and
bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out and discard the
seeds. Scrape the squash meat from the skins.
2. Meanwhile (now I tell you) melt the butter over low heat in a large saucepan or
casserole. Add the leeks and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and
lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.
3. Stir in the squash and the stock. Simmer over moderate heat for 20 minutes. In a
blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Pour the soup
back into the pan and season with salt and pepper.
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Section: 1
4. To serve, bowl the mixture, and garnish with sour cream, chopped chives, and bacon
(I like to do this in three separate wedges on top).
Pea Soup
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 40 minutes
This recipe is drawn from the French Canadian relatives of my wife (formerly Mary Ann
Dionne). It is just what you would want on a cold, rainy afternoon, along with some pork
pie and cretonne (recipes to be included at a later date).
Ingredients
1 lb.
Dried green and yellow peas, rinsed
3
Onions, finely chopped
4 to 6
Celery stalks
1 lb. plus
Canadian bacon, cubed
5 Cups
Water
1
Bay leaf
Ground pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Put everything in a pot; boil it. Reduce to a simmer, do that for about an hour and a
half, stirring every ½ hour or so. The soup should be smooth; if it thickens too much,
add more water.
2. Serve with freshly made biscuits.
Lentil Soup
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a descendent of the previous Pea Soup recipe. Since we have that a lot, we
figured we needed a variant, one with the same basic features but with a different
emphasis.
Ingredients
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1 lb.
3
4
1,2
1 lb.
1 can
4 Cups
1 handful
1
Section: 1
Lentils - rinsed
Onions, finely chopped
Chopped celery stalks
Garlic cloves, chopped
Ham, cubed
Skinned canned tomatoes, with ½ the liquid
Water
Chopped parsley
Bay leaf
Ground pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Bring it all to a boil; simmer for 1 and ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
Cioppino (spicy fish stew)
Serves: 2 or 3
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
This is an easy, low calorie stew, which can be made with whatever you happen to have at
hand. It might be served with French bread for a complete meal. The intent is to
combine complementary flavors, to achieve a warm and inviting soup/stew.
Don't be too straightjacketed by the ingredients list.
Ingredients
2
2
½
1
7
2
3
1
1
1
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Potatoes, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Chicken breast with bone
Hot sausage
Fresh mussels
Clams
Shrimp with shells
Onion
Piece haddock
Garlic clove
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Section: 1
Procedure
1. Remove the chicken meat from the bone. Place the bone in a large pot, and cover
with water. Begin to simmer it, and add the garlic clove, chopped. Wine can be used
in place of some or all of the water.
2. Remove the shells from the shrimp, and add them to the pot, which should simmer
together for about a half an hour to make a reasonable stock.
3. Dice and sear the chicken meat in very little oil or butter. Set it aside. Slice the
sausage and sauté in the same oil. Chop and sauté the onion.
4. Remove the shrimp shells from the water. Dice and add the potatoes and tomatoes.
From now on the idea is to add ingredients depending on time required to cook. Let
the potatoes cook through before continuing (test by tasting).
5. Add the clams and mussels, the sausage, the chicken, and the onion. If you want, add
other ingredients here, such as scallops, lobster tails, fresh vegetables.
6. When the shellfish open and seem cooked, remove the chicken bone and add the
haddock, cut into about 1 inch cubes. Continue to simmer for about 7 minutes.
7. Test the haddock. If it is done, serve the stew.
Smoked Fish Chowder
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a winter soup; it is thick and warm. The flavors are unique for a chowder, ranging
from the bacon taste, through the clam essence, to the accent of fresh dill. The
appearance is very good as well.
Ingredients
1 ½ lb.
2 Cups
1 can
4
1
3 Tblsp.
1 lb.
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Finnan haddie (smoked haddock)
Bottled clam juice
Minced clams
Slices bacon, chopped
Large onion, chopped
Flour
Red potatoes, quartered and cut crosswise
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2
1
1 ½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Tblsp.
Salt & pepper
Section: 1
into ½ inch pieces.
Stalks celery, chopped
Bay leaf
Heavy cream
Milk
Fresh dill
Procedure
1. In a large saucepan, cover the haddock with the clam juice, and the minced clams
(including juice). Simmer, barely, and poach the haddock (covered) for 10 to 15
minutes, until it just starts to flake.
2. Set aside the fish, and save the liquid in a separate container.
3. In another pan, cook the bacon. Save it, and leave 3 Tblsp. of the bacon grease in the
pan. Sauté the onion in the fat, over low heat (just soften it). Add the flour, a cook
the resulting roux for 3 minutes over medium heat. Make sure the flour is cooked.
4. Add the reserved liquid in a stream, whisking. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the
potatoes, celery, bay leaf; simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are done.
5. Stir in the cream, the milk, salt & pepper, and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Add
the haddock in pieces, and a lot of the dill.
6. Cook until the haddock is warmed through. Remove the bay leaf. Pour into bowls,
and garnish with the bacon and the remaining fresh dill.
Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Work time: 15 minutes
This soup recipe is from the Fat Siu Lau restaurant in Macao.
Ingredients
2
1 Cup
1 ⅓ lb.
¾ Cup
½ lb.
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Heads of garlic
Chopped onion
Boiling potatoes
Olive oil
Chouriço or chorizo
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1
½ lb.
Section: 1
Bay leaf
Kale, stems discarded, leaves shredded.
Procedure
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-inch pieces.
2. In a kettle cook the garlic, the onion, the potatoes, in the olive oil over moderate heat,
stirring, until the onion is softened.
3. Add the chorizo, the bay leaf, and 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes; then discard
the bay leaf.
5. Pluck out the chorizo on a plate, and blend or puree the remaining glop. You can put
this through a sieve if you wish.
Put the chorizo back in, add the kale, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the kale is
just tender. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle it with olive oil for serving.
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Section: 1
Chapter 6 : Main Courses
Chicken with Two Sauces
Serves: 12
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
A different way to dress a common bird. The concept is Creole. The first sauce echoes
the sweetness of the chicken skin, but complements it so that it doesn't seem so much like
fat; the Béarnaise sauce brings out the white meat flavor, and accents it so that it stands
up to the first sauce.
The result is that both the skin and the interior are accented, but in different ways. This
makes eating the bird a very different experience.
This recipe is from Gioia Danesi, a girl I knew in Boston. Her father owned a restaurant
in Watertown, and had worked at Harry's Bar in Venice.
Ingredients
3
1
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
¼ Cup
Quartered chickens, baked
Large can apricots, drained and chopped
Salt
Cinnamon
Brandy
Béarnaise sauce
Procedure
1. Put apricots in saucepan. Add salt, cinnamon, and brandy; cook over low heat for 20
minutes.
2. Remove chicken from its pan and place on heat-proof platter in oven set at 170
degrees. Pour off fat from pan and add apricot sauce. Cook, scraping to incorporate
drippings into sauce.
3. Spoon over chicken, and top with Béarnaise sauce.
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Pullet Surprise
This is a chicken dish, which unfortunately doesn't quite yet exist. It is intended mainly
for guests in the newspaper business. Put whatever into it you would like. If it isn't quite
clear what I'm getting at here, say the name of the dish a few times.
This name and other ones like it remind me of a story about a woman applying for a
technical writing position. The application asked her to list some of her favorite books;
one title she wrote down was "Lame is Rob", by somebody called Victor Hugo. (At least
she didn't confuse him with "Evictor" Hugo, the famous absentee landlord and author of
"Lease Miserables".)
Then again, to appreciate the power of names, one should always keep in mind the portly
Comte du Jour, who built a soup and sandwich empire from a small town in northern
France. Most restaurants carry at least one of his products, so I'd bet that you've heard of
him.
Provençal Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
Warming, lively, and herbal - this chicken dish is a great change from the normal baked
and sautéed varieties. The garlic cloves cook inside their skins, softening in both texture
and flavor, and may be spread on toasted French bread.
Ingredients
2
3 lbs. chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
½ tsp.
Salt
1 tsp.
Freshly ground pepper
¾ Cup Extra-virgin olive oil
2 ½ tsp.
Herbes de Provençe:
½ tsp. dried marjoram
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. summer savory
1 tsp. dried thyme (or use all thyme)
40
Whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
1
loaf French bread, sliced and toasted
Procedure
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1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Season the chicken pieces with the salt and ½ tsp. of the pepper.
3. In a large, flameproof casserole, heat 2 Tblsp. of the olive oil over moderately high
heat; add the chicken in batches, and brown evenly, about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the casserole from the heat; put all of the chicken in the pot, and add
everything else (except for the bread). Toss to coat the chicken well.
5. Place aluminum foil over the casserole, and then put the lid on. Bake, without
removing the lid, for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
6. Serve in the casserole dish, with sliced bread on the side, upon which the garlic may
be spread.
Tortola Chicken Curry
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 40 minutes
This is a spicy chicken dish, with bananas, apples, raisins, pecans, and coconut. It
nominally feeds six; I have used it too feed more, but if you like it, it really feeds about
four.
This is strongly based on a Creole recipe, but with additional overtones. I've found that it
is a very good recipe to play with; it is tolerant of all sorts of stretching, shoving, and
deletions.
Ingredients
Seasoning mix:
2 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
Curry powder
Cayenne
Ground cumin
Ground cinnamon
Ground turmeric
Black pepper
Dried sweet basil leaves
Ground coriander
Main ingredients:
½ lb.
Unsalted butter
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Section: 1
2 Tblsp.
3 C.
2 C.
1 C.
½ C.
½ C.
Chicken fat or more butter
Chopped unions
Chopped apples
Sliced bananas
Raisins
Pecan halves or pieces
1 tsp.
¾ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
2 lb.
Salt
Garlic powder
Cayenne
Black pepper
Dried sweet basil leaves
White pepper
Boneless chicken
1 ½ C.
¾ C.
½ C.
4 ½ C.
Basic chicken stock
Canned cream of coconut
Lightly packed shredded coconut
Basic cooked rice
Procedure
1. In 4 qt. pan, combine butter, chicken fat, onions, and seasoning mix; cook over high
heat until butter melts, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer
20 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom.
2. Add 1 cup of the apples, the bananas, raisins, pecans, and stir well. Simmer until
mushy, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more butter (up to 4 Tblsp.) if
dry.
3. Cut the chicken into cubes. Combine salt, garlic, red and black peppers, basil, and
white pepper; mix well and work into chicken by hand.
4. When the mixture is simmering, raise heat to high. Stir in chicken and 1 cup of the
apples; cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock, cream of coconut, and
coconut flakes. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Serve over rice.
Poulet aux Apricots, Sauce au Currie
Serves: 6 to 8
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Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 40 minutes
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This is a neat dish hot or cold. I would tend to de-emphasize the curry sauce, as it can be
potent.
This dish can be served directly, or the chicken can be chilled, sliced, and served with the
sauce.
This recipe came from Gioia Danesi, and is closely related to that used by the restaurant
Le Bocage in Watertown, which her family owns.
Ingredients
4
½ lb.
4 cups
1 Cup
Whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned
Dried apricots
Curry-chicken velouté (recipe below)
White wine
Procedure
1. Soften the apricots in the wine by boiling the apricots in the wine. Remove from heat
and let cool.
2. Stuff apricots in whole breasts. Place breasts on a buttered parchment covered sheet
pan. Place a second buttered parchment sheet over the breasts.
3. Bake in a preheated 450F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Curry Sauce
Ingredients
¼ lb.
8 Tblsp.
4 Cups
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
4
6 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
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Butter
Flour
Chicken stock
Salt
White pepper
Sugar
Egg yolks
Heavy cream
Curry
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1. Melt butter in skillet. Add flour and stir; cook for about 3 minutes - do not brown.
Add stock to roux. Let boil until thickened. It is optional to use the wine from the
apricot marinade in partial place of the stock.
2. Add the seasonings and adjust to taste. Mix together yolks and heavy cream. Add
about ½ Cup of the sauce and mix well, then stir into remaining sauce.
3. Heat, but do not boil. Whisk in one-half of the curry powder; taste and add more if
necessary.
Aunt Nellie's Chicken Pie
Serves: 4
Total time: 2 hour 30 minutes
Work time: 1 hour
This pie uses no spices, unless you count the salt. This is a style not usually found in
modern recipes (see also Pitrelli Spaghetti Sauce). It always surprises me how well such
dishes come out. Perhaps it's due to an underlying harmony of the basic ingredients.
Ingredients
3 lbs.
2 tsp.
1 can
2 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
Roasting chicken, giblets removed
Salt
Onion soup
Butter
Gravymaster (optional)
Water
Flour dissolved in water
Pastry for double-crust pie (recipe follows)
Procedure
1. Stew the chicken, covered with salted water, for about 1½ hours. When done, pull
meat off bones and cut into bite-sized chunks. Refrigerate until the next day.
2. Skim fat from the broth, leaving just enough for flavor. Add onion soup to the broth
and boil. Thicken with a flour/water paste, to desired consistency. Add Gravymaster
for color if desired. Strain to remove onions.
3. Put bottom crust in pie plate, fill with chicken, and cover with 1¾ cups gravy. Cover
with top crust, spread with butter, and bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
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4. Serve hot with extra gravy.
Aunt Nellie's Piecrust
Aunt Nellie say's this is her mother's recipe. Make sure to use lard, and plenty of water.
Ingredients
1 lb.
1 t.
5 ¼ Cups
1 Cup
Lard
Salt
Flour
Water
Procedure
1. Soften lard until it is pliable, and put it in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp. salt and the
flour, and mix thoroughly with your hands, until it is like soft putty. Add water and
mix well.
2. Section off dough for 4 double crusts. Freeze 3 sections in separate plastic bags.
Roll dough thin for 1 double-crust pie.
Turkish Baked Eggplant With Cheese
Serves: 4-6
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Work time: 35 minutes
This recipe was given to me by someone at Bread & Circus in Cambridge.
Ingredients
6 Tblsp.
1
4
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
2 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
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Vegetable oil
Large eggplant
Eggs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Fontina cheese
Cooked rice or mashed potato
Fresh parsley
Fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried)
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1 Tblsp.
2
Some
Section: 1
Fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
Tomatoes, sliced
Salt, to taste
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9” by 6” baking dish with the vegetable oil.
2. Wash and slice the eggplant into ¼” slices. Sauté in oil.
3. Place half of the eggplant slices in the baking dish.
4. Beat 2 of the eggs well; add the cheese and potato or rice. Mix well and cover the
eggplant slices with the mixture.
5. Place another layer of eggplant on top.
6. Cover with chopped, fresh mixed herbs and tomatoes. Beat the remaining eggs and
pour on top of the tomato layer. Season with salt and the remaining oil.
7. Bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a custardlike crust forms.
Stuffed Flounder
Serves: 2
Total time: 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a simple stuffed fish dish. Cooked crabmeat is used in the stuffing, so that when
cooking the fish, the stuffing only needs to be warmed, and not cooked through. This
allows for a much more delicate touch on the fish.
(Please use real crabmeat instead of the chemically processed whitefish which is so
annoyingly common now.)
The scallops are used to make a sauce, upon which the fish is placed. The result is a very
delicate tasting dish, with varying textures to add interest.
Ingredients
¼ lb.
¾ lb.
1 can
1 cup
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Bay scallops
Fresh flounder
Real crabmeat
Light cream
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Have available:
Olive oil
Bread crumbs
Basil, tarragon, white pepper
Procedure
1. Open the can of crabmeat. Pour the juice off into a blender; put the meat in a bowl.
2. Mix the meat with some olive oil and breadcrumbs to make the stuffing. I
recommend just enough oil and bread crumbs to hold the material together; the flavor
of crab is delicate and should not be overpowered. A touch of lemon can help.
3. Lay out the fillets or flounder. Divide the stuffing into lumps, one for the bottom of
each fillet. The crab mixture is highly compressible.
4. Roll each fillet and toothpick tight. Place on baking tray, and paint with a small
amount of melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until done.
5. Meanwhile, add the scallops to the juice in the blender. Add some cream and blend
until smooth. Add very small amounts of the herbs to taste. Add cream as necessary
to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Place this sauce in a pan and simmer very lightly
to cook the scallop meat. If the sauce seems to congeal, don't despair, just return to
the blender and smooth it out.
6. Pour the sauce on the plates, and place the fish onto the sauce.
Poached Haddock with Broccoli
Serves: 4
Total time: 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a relatively quick dish to make, and is impressive in appearance. It is also a good
combination of seafood and fresh vegetable tastes. Almost any meaty, white fish can be
substituted for the haddock.
Ingredients
2
1
1
1 Cup
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Fillets of haddock
Head of broccoli
Red pepper
Heavy or light cream
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2 Tblsp.
Section: 1
Butter
White wine
Procedure
1. Remove 8 or nine flowerettes of brocolli and save them. Cook the remaining
broccoli in your favorite manner (steam, boil, pressure cooker).
2. Dice the red pepper, and put in a small saucepan with the butter. Lightly sauté until
soft.
3. Cut the haddock fillets into serving-size pieces, that you would want to present. Put
these pieces in a large saucepan, cover with wine (and water if you want to dilute it)
and simmer very lightly until cooked.
4. While this is cooking, place the cooked brocolli into a blender, and blend with the
cream. Add white pepper and seasonings to taste. The result should have a saucelike consistency.
5. Just before the fish is done, drop the flowerettes briefly into boiling water, and then,
just when they are cooked but before becoming soft or losing color, remove them and
put them under cold running water. When cool, set aside.
6. To serve, pour the brocolli sauce on a plate; arrange the poached fish radially on the
plate; garnish with the reserved flowerettes and the sautéed red pepper, and whisk to
the table.
Grilled Bluefish with Apician Sauce
The sauce is the interesting thing here, and it isn't really a sauce, it's a basting liquid. It is
from the oldest known cookbook, that of Claudius Apicius, a professional chef of the
time of Tiberius.
The basis for it is a combination of olive oil, honey, and black pepper. It can be added to
with herbs and other flavors; if you go far enough you end up with something like
Teriyaki sauce. The spirit is similar, but Apician sauce is much more delicate. It is
excellent for sautéing beef, as a salad dressing, anything your imagination can think of.
Honey doesn't appear in too many recipes nowadays, probably because of its sweetness.
In small quantities, though, it adds a unique flavor. I've begun to use it more and more.
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The fish can be sautéed in the honey/oil mixture instead of grilled. It may be necessary to
increase the amount of Apician sauce to facilitate the sautéing. Also, I would then add
the honey at the end, as it doesn't stand up to heat that well.
Ingredients
½ Cup
1/6 Cup
Olive oil
Honey
Bluefish fillets
Black pepper
Procedure
1. Heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Gradually add the honey and stir. Add black
pepper and herbs to taste. Taste the mixture frequently, and adjust the amount of
honey to balance the spices.
2. Arrange the bluefish in a grilling rack. Liberally baste the fillets with the oil/honey
mixture. Grill and serve.
Mexican Fish (Red Variant)
Serves: 8
Total time: 45 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a very flavorful way of preparing fish in a low-calorie manner. I usually use a
meaty, white fish. Red Snapper is also very good; I've even done this recipe with
Bluefish.
Part of the fun with this recipe is seeing how the ingredients come together to form a new
flavor.
Ingredients
1 Cup
1 tsp.
2 lbs.
1
¼ Cup
4
2
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Milk
Dried oregano leaves
Fish fillets
Medium onion, sliced
Olive oil
Tomatoes, chopped
Cloves garlic, finely chopped
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2 Tblsp.
½ Cup
¼ Cup
1 tsp.
1
Section: 1
Capers
Pitted olives
Dry white wine
Ground cumin
Lemon (use the juice)
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Cut the fish into serving sizes (roughly 8 pieces). Mix milk and oregano; pour over
fish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Cook and stir onion in oil in a 10-inch skillet until tender. Stir in everything else
except for the fish. Simmer uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain the fish; pat dry with paper towels. Place each fish fillet on a foil square. Pull
the foil up a little bit, and divide the sauce amongst all of the fish pieces. Fold the
foil closed, and seal securely.
4. Put these foil packets on a cookie sheet or equivalent, and bake at 350F for about 30
minutes.
5. You can serve the fish in the foil directly; provide snipped cilantro and lemon wedges
if you want to be fancy.
Mexican Fish (Green Variant)
Serves: 8
Total time: 45 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a different take on the recipe above. It's very good with Sea Bass.
Ingredients
1 Cup
1 tsp.
2 lbs.
1 Cup
¼ Cup
¼ to ½ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
3/9/2016
Milk
Ground cumin
Sea bass, red snapper, or other decent fish fillets
Finely chopped onion
Olive oil
Snipped Cilantro
Chopped green chilies
Salt
Pepper
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Lime or lemon wedges
Procedure
1. Cut the fish into serving sizes (roughly 8 pieces). Mix milk and cumin; pour over fish.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Cook and stir onion in oil in a 10-inch skillet until tender. Stir in everything else
except for the fish and lime wedges. Simmer uncovered until thickened, about 15
minutes.
3. Drain the fish; pat dry with paper towels. Place each fish fillet on a foil square. Pull
the foil up a little bit, and divide the sauce amongst all of the fish pieces. Fold the foil
closed, and seal securely.
4. Put these foil packets on a cookie sheet or equivalent, and bake at 350F for about 30
minutes. Serve with lime wedges.
Veal with Asparagus
Serves: 2 to 4
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
This dish was designed to capture the essence of Springtime. I was at sea, sailing from
Kodiak in Alaska, for about a month in March and April: far away from anything like
Spring. I began to daydream of a trip to the North End in Boston; as I thought about it,
this dish took shape in my mind.
Veal seems the obvious choice for the main theme, with asparagus for a vegetable
contribution. Lemon and white wine, olive oil and butter help merge the flavors. I
sometimes use canned asparagus tips, as they are soft and meld into the sauce nicely. I
grow fresh asparagus, yet if I use that I make sure to simmer them first.
I like to serve it with penne made with red pepper and basil. The result is a simple twodish meal, with a wide range of flavors.
Ingredients
1 or 2 per person
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Veal Cutlets
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1
2 handfuls
1 can
1 Cup
2 Tblsp.
Section: 1
Lemon
Loose mushrooms
Canned asparagus tips, drained, or fresh parboiled
asparagus
White wine
Unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Sifted, fine flour
Grated Parmesan cheese
Procedure
1. Dredge the veal in some of the flour, and shake off the excess. Leave just a light
coating of flour. Do this just before sautéing so that the flour doesn't turn to paste.
2. If you like, sauté whole cloves of garlic in the olive oil, and then throw them away.
This will lightly flavor the oil with garlic.
3. Lightly sauté the veal in the olive oil. Do not overcook; they should be underdone, as
you will be simmering the veal in the sauce later on. Use a fairly high heat, and try to
brown the pieces. Do one or two pieces of veal at a time, and put the finished ones
on a plate in the oven.
4. Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add roughly a teaspoon of
butter. Add a little more than a tablespoon of the fine sifted flour, and stir over
medium heat. The object is to cook the flour, and form a roux-like material. Make
sure to get the brown stuff that is stuck to the pan into the mixture.
5. Add white wine to make the mixture about half an inch deep. Stir, add flour if it
needs thickening. You don't want it too thick - just so that it isn't runny. Squeeze in
lemon juice to taste.
6. Slice the mushrooms, and add them to the sauce. You want these to remain nearly
uncooked, to add variety to the texture.
7. Mix in the canned asparagus tips, and stir. Then bring the veal out of the oven, and
slide the pieces to the bottom of the pan. Let the whole ensemble simmer together
for a few minutes.
8. To serve, place a piece of veal on the plate. Mound the sauce/asparagus/mushroom
mixture on top. Sprinkle some of the grated Parmesan over the sauce, in a thin strip
over the top of the mound.
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Shrimp & Hot Sausage Jambalaya
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 40 minutes
This is a spicy mixture of shrimp, sausage, vegetables, and rice. Ideally, it is a very
smoky rice dice, packed with various flavors; kind of a Cajun risotto.
The key to doing this dish well is to do the stock well. Using the shrimp shells in the
stock is a must.
Ingredients
1 lb.
2 Tblsp.
1
2
1
1
1
⅓ Cup
1
2 lb.
2 Cups
3 Cups
1
½ tsp.
Smoked hot sausage (Andouille sausage is ideal; if you can't get
that, Hillshire Farms Hot Links are recommended.)
Oil
Large onion, chopped
Large clove garlic, minced
Stalk celery, diced
Bell pepper, chopped
Bunch scallions, chopped
Parsley, chopped
Small eggplant, diced finely
Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells)
Raw rice
Stock
Bay leaf
Cayenne
Procedure
1. Simmer the shrimp shells in the stock; keep extra broth available to replace that
which evaporates. Make up the rest with water. I also add the scallion tops to the
pot.
2. Brown the sausage in a large pot -- a Dutch oven, a large Revere two-handled
container, or something that size. Remove the sausage and set it aside. Leave the
remaining sausage oil in the pot.
3. Add the oil to the pot; heat over medium heat, and add the onion, the garlic, the
celery, the bell pepper, and half of the scallions and parley (the remainder will be
added at the end, for freshness). Sauté for five minutes.
4. Add the eggplant and sauté for another five minutes.
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5. Add the shrimp, the sausage, the rice, the broth (minus the solid material), and the
seasonings. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes; stir frequently. Make sure that the
rice doesn't cement itself to the bottom of the pan. Add liquid if the mixture starts to
dry out.
6. Remove from heat, add the remaining scallions and parsley, and serve.
Smoked Pork over Creamed Spinach
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 2 hour 30 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is an excellent winter dish, inexpensive, and fairly easy to prepare. It is a layered
dish, with a spicy top layer, contrasted against the softness of the creamed spinach. The
textures also vary from top to bottom.
Ingredients
1 ½ lb. Smoked pork butt, netting removed
2 Tblsp.
Unsalted butter
2
10 oz. packages of frozen spinach,
cooked and chopped and squeezed dry
½ tsp.
Tarragon
1 Cup
Heavy cream
¼ Cup
Dry white wine
2 Tblsp.
Dijon mustard
2 Tblsp.
Minced fresh parsley
¼ Cup
Bread crumbs
¼ Cup
Fresh grated Parmesan
Procedure
1. Put the butt in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 and ½
hours. Remove from the water and let cool. The water should be saved as stock for
another application. Slice the pork butt into ½-inch slices.
2. Cook the onion in butter over moderate heat until soft. Add the spinach, tarragon,
some salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, until fairly dry. Add the cream, and
reduce over moderately high heat until thick.
3. Mix the wine, mustard, and parsley.
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4. Spoon the spinach mixture into a 2 quart. gratin dish. Arrange the pork slices over
the spinach. Brush the pork slices with the mustard mixture. Sprinkle the
breadcrumbs on the pork to hold the mustard mixture, and grate the Parmesan cheese
lightly over the pork. Drip some melted butter over the pork to keep it moist.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350F, until the pork is golden brown. Serves 4 to 6.
Pitrelli Spaghetti Sauce
John Pitrelli is well known for his sauce. I was surprised at the simplicity of the recipe,
knowing the result.
I suppose you might add various vegetables, such as peppers, or meat, or garlic cloves;
but this isn't necessary at all.
Ingredients
4
1
1 cup
1 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
Large cans of tomato puree
Can water (more if the puree
is very thick. Rinse all of puree out
of the cans.)
Olive oil
Oregano, crushed
Salt
Sugar
Pepper (or to taste)
Light sprinkling of garlic powder
Light sprinkling of MSG (optional)
Procedure
1. Bring ingredients to boiling, while stirring.
2. Reduce to simmer; stir occasionally, simmering, for 2 to 8 hours.
Jean Greenwood Chicken Casserole
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Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
9"x13"
Pan, or 3 quart casserole
8 oz.
Medium noodles
1 can
Cream of mushroom soup
⅔ Cup Chicken broth
½ tsp.
Salt
½ tsp.
Poultry seasoning
2 to 3 oz.
Cream cheese, softened, or 1 6 oz stick.
1 Cup
Cream-style cottage cheese
⅓ Cup
Chopped onion
⅓ Cup
Chopped green pepper
⅓ Cup
Sliced stuffed green olives
¼ Cup
Minced parsley
3 ½ Cup
Diced, cooked chicken
1 ½ Cup
Buttered bread crumbs
Procedure
1. Cook chicken (microwave is quickest). Cook noodles as well, drain and rinse.
2. Mix next four ingredients (soup through seasoning), heat.
3. Beat cheeses together and stir in everything up to the chicken.
4. Into large casserole layer:
½ of the cheese
½ of the chicken
½ of the soup mix
(then repeat)
5. Top with crumbs and bake.
Canadian Pork Pie
Serves: 6 Total time: 3 hours Work time: 30 minutes
This is from Mary Ann’s family.
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Ingredients
1 lb.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp. each:
3 Tblsp.
1 Cup
Ground lean pork
Salt
Black pepper
powdered cloves, marjoram, and allspice
Potato flakes (or breadcrumbs)
Water
Optional onion powder.
Pastry for 2-crust pie.
Procedure
1. Combine all ingredients except pastry; blend well. Simmer covered for 2 hours,
stirring frequently.
2. Roll out half the pastry, lining 8-inch pie pan. Pour in meat mixture. Cover pie with
other rolled-out crust, sealing edge with water. Prick with a fork to allow steam to
escape during baking.
3. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then at 350F for 35 minutes longer, or until the top is
brown.
Bobotie
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a South African "meatloaf", a shell of seasoned meat filled with custard. This dish
goes back at least 300 years, when the Dutch brought Javanese and Malay slaves to South
Africa. The name "Bobotie" is a mixture of Afrikaans, English, and Malay.
The dish itself involves mixing curry, fruit, and chutney with the beef. This brings out
different flavors in the beef then one is normally used to. The Avocado Ice Cream is
excellent for dessert after this dish.
This recipe is from the Dionne family.
Ingredients
½ Cup
8
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Coarse bread
Dried apricots, cut up
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¼ Cup
1 ½ tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
1 ½ lbs.
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
2
1 Cup
Section: 1
Chopped almonds
Curry powder
Salt
Pepper
Ground beef
Chopped onion
Fresh lemon juice
Chutney
Eggs, slightly beaten
Milk
Procedure
1. In a large bowl lightly toss together the breadcrumbs, apricots, almonds, curry, salt,
and pepper. Add the ground beef, onion, lemon juice, and the chutney.
2. In a small bowl combine the eggs and milk. Pour half of the egg mixture into the
ground beef, toss it and blend well.
3. Pat the ground beef into a 1 ½ qt. buttered baking dish, leaving a depression in the
center ¾ inches deep, and forming an edge of meat about 1 inch wide around the
dish.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes. Pour the remaining egg mixture into
the center of the loaf. Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted near
the center comes out clean.
5. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Chapter 7 : Vegetables
Golden Creamed Onions
Serves: 8
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
3 lbs.
Small white onions, blanched and peeled
2 Tblsp.
Unsalted butter
1 tsp.
Sugar
¾ tsp.
Salt
⅔ Cup Heavy cream
⅔ Cup Minced fresh parsley
Procedure
1. In a skillet large enough to hold the onions in one layer, combine the onions, the
butter, sugar, salt, and enough water to cover the onions by 1 inch. Bring to a boil,
and boil until the liquid is almost evaporated.
2. Cook the onions further until they gently brown, swizzling the skillet to get all sides.
3. Add the cream, bring to a boil, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Season with salt
and pepper, stir in/garnish with the parsley, and serve.
Sherried Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Serves: 8
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 1 hour
Ingredients
3
½ stick
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼¼ tsp.
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Large Granny Smith apples
Unsalted butter
Fresh lemon juice
Firmly packed light brown sugar
Cinnamon
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⅓ Cup
Section: 1
Medium-dry sherry
Procedure
1. Boil the sweet potatoes for about 35 minutes until they are just tender. Cool them,
and then peel them and cut them into ½ inch cubes.
2. Core and peel the apples, and cut them into ½ inch cubes.
3. In a large skillet, cook the apples in the butter for 3 minutes (until they are softened).
Add the lemon juice, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the sherry, and bring to a
boil; then simmer about 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stir (don't break up
the potatoes); in 2 or 3 minutes, when all is heated through, soive.
Mushrooms with Horseradish and Bacon
Serves: 4
Total time: 30 minutes
Work time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
5 slices
3 Tblsp.
1 lb.
¼ Cup
2 Tblsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 pinch
Lean bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
Unsalted butter
Small mushrooms, stems trimmed flush with the caps
Heavy cream
Snipped fresh chives
Drained bottled horseradish
Cayenne
Procedure
1. In a heavy skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Move it to paper
towels to drain. Pour off the fat from the pan, but leave the little brown crusty
deposits.
2. In the skillet melt the butter, and in it cook the mushrooms for 5 to 8 minutes (or until
tender) and transfer them to a plate.
3. To the skillet add the cream, the chives, the horseradish, and the cayenne, and simmer
(stirring) for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the mushrooms, the bacon, and salt and pepper to taste.
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Smothered Okra
Serves: 4
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Work time: 15 minutes
Many people don't like okra, mainly because they haven't had it prepared correctly. As
okra is cooked, it oozes a sticky liquid, which is not pleasant in the mouth. However,
further cooking causes this liquid to go away; it mixes with the sauce in this recipe, and in
part is reabsorbed by the okra.
Ingredients
1
1
3 Tblsp.
1 lb.
1 Cup
¼ tsp.
¼ tsp.
Medium onion, chopped
Large garlic clove, minced
Oil
Fresh okra, sliced
Ground tomatoes
Cayenne
Salt
Procedure
1. Sauté the onions and garlic briefly in the oil. Add the okra and continue to cook over
medium heat for three minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cook over low heat for 1 hour.
Flambéed Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour
Work time: 20 minutes
This is an attractive way to present sweet potatoes. It is very easy. For the best
appearance, use a very large round ovenproof dish.
Ingredients
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3 lbs.
4 Tblsp.
¼ tsp.
⅛ tsp.
2 Tblsp.
¼ Cup
Section: 1
Large sweet potatoes
Unsalted butter
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Bourbon
Procedure
1. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes. Cool them under cold running water and peel them.
Preheat the oven to 475F. Melt the butter.
2. Slice them into ¼ inch rounds, and arrange them overlapping slightly in concentric
rings in the buttered dish. Pour the remaining butter over them. Season with salt,
pepper, and maybe a little cinnamon. Bake for about 20 minutes.
3. Mix the bourbon and the sugar; pour over the sweet potatoes and flambé.
Mashed Rutabaga
8 servings.
This came from the Akershus Norwegian restaurant.
Ingredients
½ pound
Rutabaga
¼ pound
Carrots
¼ pound
Potatoes
1 ½ cup
Half and Half
½ oz.
Sugar
Salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
Procedure
1. Place rutabaga, carrots, and potatoes in pan. Add water and boil until soft; pour off
water.
2. Bring Half and Half to a boil, add butter.
3. Mix vegetables in a chopper; slowly add the hot mixture of cream and butter until the
rutabaga reaches the right thickness. Season to taste.
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Red Cabbage
4 servings
This came from the Akershus Norwegian restaurant. While quite simple, indeed obvious,
it was quite delicate – I include it here mainly because the proportions of ingredients
work well.
Ingredients
2 pounds
1 Tblsp.
2 Cups
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
Shredded red cabbage
White vinegar
Water
Sugar
Salt
Caraway seed
Procedure
Put all ingredients into a large kettle and simmer until cabbage is tender (approximately
one hour).
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Chapter 8 : Salads
Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing
I used this when staging "Bryanhana" here at home (a complete hack on the restaurant
chain). Anyway, I thought that the dressing came out very well. I served it over chopped
lettuce with tomato wedges.
Ingredients
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅓ Cup
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
4 tsp.
2 tsp.
2 tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
Minced onion
Peanut oil (I used corn oil for allergy reasons)
Rice vinegar
Water
Minced fresh ginger
Minced celery
Ketchup
Soy sauce
Sugar
Lemon juice
Salt
Black Pepper
Procedure
1. Put everything in a blender and blend, until it is well pureed. Makes 1.75 Cups.
German Potato Salad
This is a basic, high cholesterol, high fat dish, good as a side dish. It may be served warm
or cold.
Ingredients
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8
6
3
1 Tblsp.
1 Cup
½ Cup
1 tsp.
3 tsp.
Section: 1
Potatoes, cooked in skins, chopped.
Strips bacon
Diced onions
Flour
Water
Cider vinegar
Sugar
Salt
Procedure
1. Cook bacon. In the grease, put flour, ½ to ¾ cup water, cider vinegar, and salt to
taste.
2. Cook onion in this mixture. Add sugar; stir until thick.
3. Add crumbled bacon. Add potatoes to sauce and marinate.
House Salad
This is what I serve when I want to concentrate on the rest of the meal. It is simple, and
effective in its stimulation of the mouth. It combines three flavors: avocado, mandarin
orange, and raspberry. This recipe is for four people.
Ingredients
2
1 can
Avocado
Mandarin oranges
Raspberry-Walnut dressing
Lettuce
Procedure
1. Cover the salad plates with lettuce. Peel the avocado, and cut into wedges.
2. Place the avocado wedges radially outwards from the center of the plate. Put the
mandarin oranges in the center of the plate carefully, so that a small hemisphere
covers the intersection of all of the avocado wedges.
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3. Dress with the Raspberry-Walnut dressing and serve. If you can't find this in the
stores, use raspberry vinegar to make a dressing, or add fresh raspberries to a basic
vinaigrette.
Bunny Salad
This would be ideal rabbit food. It is very simple, and needs fresh carrots for best effect.
I like this salad when made in a blender; the texture is sort of like that of Grapenuts.
Some revisionists make this in Cuisinarts, but it just isn't the same.
This is an old family recipe.
Ingredients
Carrots
Lettuce
Mayonnaise
Procedure
1. Clean the carrots of skin and ends. Blend them in a blender, in batches. Put the
resulting material in a bowl.
2. Add a little mayonnaise and stir; if it seems too dry, add a little more. A touch of
lemon juice isn't bad, but the pure orthodox version is best.
3. Let the salad marinate for awhile, while chilling, so that the juices from the butchered
carrots mix with the mayonnaise, and cut its eggy taste. Serve in globules over
lettuce.
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Chapter 9 : Breads, Muffins
Mother-in-Law Muffins
These Blueberry muffins are intelligently designed: only a minimum of muffin is used to
hold together a maximum of blueberries.
This recipe makes about 18 muffins; it's from Jean Dionne.
Ingredients
2 Cups
2 ⅓ Cup
1 Cup
2 tsp.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
¾ stick
¾ Cup
1
½ tsp.
Blueberries
Flour
Sugar
Cream of tartar
Baking soda
Salt
Butter
Milk
Egg, lightly beaten
Vanilla
Procedure
1. In a bowl toss the blueberries with ⅓ cup of the flour, and set them aside.
2. Into another bowl, sift the remaining 2 cups of flour, add the sugar, the cream of
tartar, the baking soda, and the salt.
3. Add the butter (softened) and blend the mixture until it resembles meal.
4. In yet another bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla; then stir this into the flour
mixture until it is just combined.
5. Fold in the blueberries, spoon the batter into buttered 2-inch muffin cups (filling then
⅔ full).
6. Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are golden.
Serve hot with butter.
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Parmesan Puffs
Serves: 8 (one puff each)
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
These are good as an appetizer, or as an accompaniment to other dishes. They are quite
simple to do.
Ingredients
¼ Cup
½ stick (¼ Cup)
¼ tsp.
½ Cup
2
1 Cup
Milk
Unsalted butter
Salt
All-purpose flour
Large eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Procedure
1. In a saucepan, combine the milk, ¼ cup water, the butter, and the salt and boil.
2. Reduce the heat to moderate, add the flour in a lump, and beat the mixture with a
wooden spoon, until it leaves the side of the pan and forms a ball.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, whisk in the eggs one at a time, and add the Parmesan
and pepper to taste.
4. Drop the batter in 8 blobs on a buttered baking sheet and bake in the upper third of a
preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden. Serve
very hot and watch guests yelp in pain.
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Chapter 10 : Relishes, Etc.
Onion, Raisin, and Cranberry Confit
Serves: 8 or more
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 1 hour
This is a nice accompaniment to turkey. By varying the ingredients slightly, you can
place emphasis on the onions, raisins, or cranberries. It is a very attractive dish when
finished. It can be made days ahead of time.
Ingredients
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
2 lbs.
¾ stick
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 ½ Cups
3
¼ tsp.
1 tsp.
1 ⅔ Cups
Golden raisins
Dark raisins
Small white onions, peeled
Unsalted butter
Sugar
White wine vinegar
Dry white wine
Garlic cloves, minced
Dried thyme, crumbled
Salt
Cranberries, picked over
Procedure
1. In a small bowl soak the raisins in 2 cups hot water for 10 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat, for a fairly short
time; Add the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and cook until the sugar is
dissolved and is a golden caramel.
3. Add the remaining 11 tablespoons of vinegar (if you like vinegar) and the wine and
boil for 2 minutes.
4. Add the raisins and the soaking liquid, the garlic, the thyme, the salt, 1 cup of water
(just cover the solids); bring to a boil, and then simmer for 1 hour (until tender).
5. Add the cranberries, and boil uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring sometimes; you
want the mixture to thicken.
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6. Season with salt, transfer to a bowl, and let cook. Serve roughly at room temperature.
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Chapter 11 : Desserts
Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream
Serves: lots of people
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 45 minutes
This recipe is based on a recipe from Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans.
The ice cream is very rich, and can only be eaten in small quantities. It is great fun to
make, because you get to taste lots of chocolate in the process. It is remarkably simple to
do, but can get a little messy.
The only substantial modification in the recipe from the restaurant is that I suggest
cooking the egg yolks, primarily to prevent salmonella. If you have a known source of
sound eggs, this is unnecessary.
This recipe makes about 2 quarts of ice cream, which will fit in small ice cream makers.
It is almost unnecessary to use an ice cream maker - the mousse-like consistency means
that chilling is almost as good. If you don't have an ice cream maker, I'd suggest putting
the mixture in the freezer, and taking it out and stirring it every five or ten minutes until
it starts to get hard.
Ingredients
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 lb.
4 Cups
6
Milk
Sugar
Fine quality semi-sweet chocolate
Heavy cream
Large egg yolks
Procedure
1. In a large saucepan (large enough to hold all of the ingredients) combine the milk
with the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring. Take off the heat and let cool a bit.
2. Mix the egg yolks with a cup of the cream, and stir well. Add this to the cooled
saucepan.
3. Bring the saucepan back to a very low simmer. Stir to prevent the mixture from
becoming an omelet. You want to gradually cook the egg yolks without coagulating
them.
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4. While the pan is warming, take a knife and finely chop the chocolate, pausing only to
sample the odd piece (especially those too small to safely hold while chopping with
the knife). As you do this, add the chocolate to the warm liquid in the saucepan and
stir it in. This will help the eggs from lumping. I know it's hard to believe that all
that chocolate can be added successfully, but it can. If the mixture is really
thickening, add more cream.
5. Add all of the remaining cream and stir.
6. If necessary, blend the mixture in batches. This will smooth out any inhomogeneities
in the liquid. This is really the only messy part, as it's hard to pour from a saucepan
into a blender.
7. Cool the mixture in the 'fridge. Now freeze it in the ice cream maker of your choice
according to the manufacturer's directions.
Georgia Chess Pie
This pie is one of the best ways I can think of to use coconut. It ends up mixing so well
with the other tastes that the result is really a new flavor.
Ingredients
¼ lb.
1 ½ Cup
3
1 tsp.
1 tsp.
1 Tblsp.
1 tsp.
1 Cup
1
Butter, softened
Sugar
Eggs
Cornmeal
Vinegar
Vanilla
Cornstarch
Flaked coconut
Unbaked 9-inch pie crust
Procedure
1. Cream butter and sugar until light.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.
3. Add the cornmeal, vinegar, vanilla, and cornstarch and beat well.
4. Stir in the coconut and pour into the shell.
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5. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour, until firm. The center should remain moist!
Genevieve Pie
I based this on a pie I had in Quebec City some years ago; it was simply called "Maple
Syrup Pie". I've looked in a number of cookbooks at recipes for this and related pies, and
I've made a few attempts; but what I found I liked was basically a new recipe.
Thing you're trying to achieve is something like pecan pie, without the nuts. The flavor
should be a rich maple flavor, augmented with the vanilla.
The flour is intended to help thicken the mixture; it isn't really necessary. It will make the
pie slightly more opaque, which may or may not be what you want.
Ingredients
1 Cup
3
1 tsp.
2 Tblsp.
2 Tblsp.
1 Cup
1
Maple syrup
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Flour
Butter
Heavy cream, whipped
Pie crust
Procedure
Combine everything and mix well. Pour into the piecrust, and bake at 375F for 40 to 50
minutes. Test with a knife, which should come out clean.
Bourbon Balls
This is reminiscent of Christmas time - those clandestine raids into the kitchen, to find the
depository of these carefully hidden creations.
They are best a day or two after they are made. This recipe makes 40 to 48 balls. Vary
the liquid so that they're not too gooey.
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This is an old family recipe.
Ingredients
2 ¼ Cup
1 Cup
⅓ Cup
1 ½ Cup
2 Tblsp.
3 Tblsp.
Vanilla wafer crumbs (one 12 oz. box)
Pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
Bourbon
Confectioner's sugar
Cocoa
White corn syrup
Procedure
1. Blend wafers in blender until they are crumbs; blend the nuts; put in a bowl and mix
the nuts with the crumbs (sounds kind of like a penitentiary).
2. Put the rest of the ingredients in blender and blend well. Pour this over the dry
ingredients and mix.
3. Roll into balls, and roll the balls in more confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight
container. Age 18-24 hours before using.
Best Ever Rum Cake
Serves: 4
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 1 hour
This is an unusual cake, the production of which can be a major event. Be sure to read
the entire recipe through before beginning.
Ingredients
1 or 2 quarts
1 Cup
1 tsp.
2
1 Cup
1 tsp.
1 bottle
Black Rum
Unsalted butter
Sugar
Large eggs
Dried fruit
Soda
Excedrin
Baking powder
Lemon juice
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Brown sugar
Procedure
1. Before you begin, sample the rum to check for quality. It will be used to marinate the
dried fruit, so it is important that it isn't too sweet. We use Gosling's Black Rum.
Toss back a shot for luck, ponder the taste and the aftertaste. Good stuff, isn't it?
2. Select a large mixing bowl, and get out the necessary mixer, spoon, baking dish. Try
another shot of the rum to get an intuition for the effects of oxidation on the flavor.
In fact, since you'll be baking the cake, you'll be bringing the rum to a fairly high
temperature. Try another shot to be sure the flavor can stand up to it.
3. With the electric mixer, beat 1 cup of the butter in a large fluffy bowl. Try the rum to
make sure it is of the finest quality. Add 1 seaspoon thugar and continue to beat.
4. The best way to make absolutely sure of the rum is to quaff a level cup of it. Then
take the fried druit and mince with a dull knife. Set aside.
5. Next sift 3 cups of pepper or salt (it really doesn't matter) into the whipped mixture.
Test it with a shot of the rum. Sift ½ pint of lemon juice. Fold in chopped butter and
strained nuts. Stir.
6. Grease oven and turn cake pan 350 degrees. Open second quart of rum. Add all
ingredients together and wix mel. Add brown sugar or whatever color you can find.
Pour the mess into the coven and ake. Check the rum again and bo to ged.
Bananas Foster
Serves: 4
Total time: 10 minutes
Work time: 10 minutes
A very rich, filling, but nice dish. Simple to produce, and people are impressed,
especially if you do the flambéing at the table.
My friend Pierre suggests adding orange rinds to the sauce. At Brennan's, in New
Orleans, I saw them add Tabasco - and that was for breakfast!
The basic recipe came from a class I took in Cajun cooking at the Boston Center for
Adult Education.
Ingredients
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⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
1 tsp.
3
½ Cup
1 qt.
Section: 1
Butter
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Firm (unripe) bananas, sliced lengthwise
Rum
Vanilla ice cream
Procedure
1. In a skillet, melt the butter, add the sugar and cinnamon, and mix well.
2. Add the bananas and sauté until they soften.
3. Heat the rum, ignite, and pour over the sauce.
4. When the flame dies out, pour over the ice cream in individual dishes.
Bailey's Irish Cream Cake
Serves: 12
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 35 minutes
This is an excellent recipe from our nanny, Tracy.
Ingredients
Cake:
2 Cups
1 ½ tsp.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
⅛ tsp.
¾ Cup
½ Cup
1 ½ tsp.
4
1 ⅓ Cup
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Ground cloves
Bailey's Irish Cream
Butter, cut into pieces
Vanilla Extract
Eggs
Sugar
Frosting:
2 ¾ Cups
⅓ Cup
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Heavy cream
Bailey's Irish Cream
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¼ Cup
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
Assorted
Section: 1
Sugar
Vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Chocolate clovers, e.g. Betty Crocker Real Chocolate Dessert
Decorations
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour 2 nine-inch round cake
pans.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves; set aside.
3. In a small pot over medium heat combine Irish Cream and butter; heat until butter
melts and mixture almost boils. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cover to keep
warm.
4. In bowl with mixer at high speed beat eggs until pale yellow and tripled in volume, 78 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until
combined. Reduce speed to low.
5. In thin steady stream beat hot Irish Cream mixture into egg mixture until combined.
Beat in flour mixture until just combined.
6. Divide batter between pans; bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center
comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes - remove from pans - cool
completely on rack.
7. Make the frosting: combine heavy cream, Irish Cream, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
With mixer at high speed beat until stiff peaks form, 3-5 minutes. Refrigerate frosting
until ready to use.
8. To assemble, trim tops of cakes to level, if necessary. Place 1 cake layer on serving
platter, spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. If desired transfer
1 ½ cups frosting to pastry bag fitted with star tip. Spread top and sides of cake with
remaining frosting. Pipe rosettes over top of cake; decorate with chocolate clovers.
Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Serves: 6
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This is a nice complement to the Jambalaya; it is refreshingly unspiced.
Bread pudding was invented as a way to utilize stale bread. This is still a good idea,
especially if you like to buy a lot of fresh bread.
Ingredients
1
4 Cups
3
1 ¼ Cups
2 tsp.
1 tsp.
½ Cup
½ Cup
Loaf stale French bread
Milk
Eggs
Sugar
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Raisins
Pecans
Procedure
1. Crumble bread in a bowl. Pour milk over it and let it soak for ½ hour.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3. Stir into bread and add raisins and pecans. Pour into a greased 9" x 13" x 2" pan, and
bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Whiskey Sauce
Ingredients
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
3
1 Cup
¼ Cup
1 tsp.
Sugar
Evaporated milk
Butter
Egg yolks
Broken pecans
Bourbon
Vanilla
Procedure
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1. Add ¼ cup of the milk to the sugar in a saucepan. Add the yolks one at a time,
blending thoroughly. Add the remainder of the milk and the butter.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat, add
the pecans, whiskey, and the vanilla.
3. Serve over the warm bread pudding.
Cottage Pudding Cake ("Toddy")
Ingredients
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
2 eggs
2 tsp.
½ tsp.
Butter
Sugar
Milk
(Beaten)
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Procedure
Beat very well. Bake in tube pan at 375 degrees until brown.
Christmas Pudding
Ingredients
¼ Cup
½ Cup
1
1 Cup
1 ½ tsp.
½ tsp.
¼ tsp.
1 tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
½ tsp.
1 can
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Softened butter
Sugar
Egg
Flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ground cloves
Ginger
Tomato soup, undiluted
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¼ Cup
(¼ Cup
A bit
Section: 1
Finely chopped orange peel
Finely diced mixed candied fruit)
Of brandy, if desired.
Procedure
1. Cream butter; add sugar and beat until light.
2. Beat in egg.
3. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternately with soup. Blend well.
4. Stir in fruits, if desired.
5. Put in greased 1 ½ quart mold. Cover with lid or foil.
6. Set on trivet in kettle. Add boiling water to come halfway up the mold. Cover kettle,
and boil gently 1 ½ hours or until done.
7. Serve hot with sauce.
Cottage Pudding Sauce
This is an old family recipe. It may be used warm or chilled; it thickens a bit when
cooled.
Ingredients
1 Cup
1
1 Tblsp.
½ tsp.
1 tsp.
1
Sugar
Beaten egg
Flour
Salt
Vanilla extract
Small piece of butter
Procedure
1. Mix and add everything with two cups of boiling water. Bring just to a boil, and then
remove from heat.
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2. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Grapefruit Alaska
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Work time: 40 minutes
This dish is can be a wonderfully elegant dessert, being both impressive and simple. It is
done in two phases. First one prepares the grapefruit and filling, and leave these to chill.
When it's time to serve them, final preparation is done (including roasting) and they are
immediately served.
The dish combines the sweet and creamy ice cream and meringue tastes with the tart taste
of the grapefruit and the mandarin orange. You should keep this in mind when preparing
the dish, as you can vary the proportions to achieve a range of effects. Depending on
what has come before, you should be able to pick an ideal balance to complete dinner.
Ingredients
3
1 can
16
4 tsp.
2
¼ Cup
⅛ tsp.
Grapefruit, cut in half
Mandarin oranges
Marshmallows
Lemon juice
Egg whites
Fine granulated sugar
Salt
Vanilla ice cream
Procedure
1. Cut the 3 grapefruit in half, then remove the fruit pulp in sections Cut away the
membranes, trim into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl mix with the Mandarin oranges,
lightly sprinkle with some sugar.
2. Mound this mixture in the center of the grapefruit halves, leaving a center hollow to
hold the ice cream, and freeze.
3. Melt the marshmallows with the lemon juice in a double boiler, stirring until smooth.
Cool slightly.
4. Beat egg whites and salt until they will hold a soft peak. Gradually add sugar,
continuing to beat until the whites will form a stiff peak.
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5. Fold in slightly warm marshmallow mixture.
6. When needed, place grapefruit halves on baking sheet, place a scoop of Vanilla ice
cream in each one. Completely cover with the marshmallow meringue, right to the
edge to seal in the ice cream.
7. Place the halves either in a very hot oven (525F) until lightly browned, or under high
broiler heat for about 1 minute. Watch very closely to avoid overcooking. Serve
immediately.
Imperial Fudge
This is the best way to make fudge; below is a simpler, quicker recipe. You should be
warned that eating this is addicting. Soon, your addiction will rob you of the energy and
discipline to make it, so you need the simpler recipe for quick fixes.
Ingredients
4
1 ½ Cup
1 ½ Cup
1 Cup
1
Squares of Baker's chocolate
Brown sugar
White sugar
Milk
Egg-size lump of butter
Procedure
1. Heat chocolate on low heat until it is melted. Add everything else, and bring to
boiling.
2. Stir now and then; cook until drops off of a spoon form clear balls in a cup of cold
water.
3. Cool in a greased pan.
Proletarian Fudge
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This recipe is just about half that for Pecan Pralines, but the flavoring is chocolate. You
could vary the flavoring to produce other forms of candy, a good idea if you need to break
a chocolate addiction.
Ingredients
2
1 ½ Cup
¼ tsp.
¼ Cup
½ t.
Squares unsweetened chocolate
Confectioner's sugar
Salt
Heavy cream
Vanilla
Procedure
1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Add the sugar, salt, and cream, and
mix until smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Spread into an 8"x8"x2" buttered pan.
Cool until firm. Makes 1 lb.
Pecan Pralines
These are insanely sweet but wonderful items.
Ingredients
2 Cups
1 Cup
1
1 Cup
1 Cup
3 Cups
1 tsp.
Brown sugar
White sugar
Pinch salt
Water
Cream
Pecans
Vanilla
Procedure
1. Combine sugar, salt, cream, and water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, until boiling.
Continue to cook until 240 degrees.
2. Remove from heat and beat until creamy - if it hardens too soon, add 2 to 3
tablespoons of cream, heat over medium heat, stirring gently, until smooth.
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3. Add nuts and vanilla, and drop by spoonfuls onto a buttered cookie sheet.
Zabaglione
Serves: 4
Total time: 2 hours (if chilled)
Work time: 30 minutes
This is a foamy, rich dessert. It can be served warm, or chilled.
Ingredients
4
¼ Cup
½ Cup
⅓ Cup
10
¼ Cup
Large eggs
Sugar
Sweet Marsala
Heavy cream
Strawberries
Cognac
Procedure
1. Sauté the strawberries in the Cognac, over low heat; let the juice ooze out, and form a
syrup with the Cognac. Add sugar to taste. Set aside.
2. In a double boiler, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Mix at high speed (using a
mixer) for 5 minutes, until it is thick and foamy.
3. Add the Marsala in a thin stream, beating. Beat until the glop is triple in volume,
holds soft peaks, and feels warm to the touch - this shows that the eggs are cooked.
4. Put some of the strawberry mixture in the bottom of each glass, and pour the
Zabaglione over the top. Chill or serve.
Rhubarb Crunch
A good alternative to the plain rhubarb, should you ever tire of that. It can be very good if
apples are used instead.
Ingredients
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For the topping:
1 Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
1 tsp.
Sifted flour
Uncooked rolled oats (not quick-cook)
Brown sugar firmly packed
Melted butter
Cinnamon
For the fruit mixture:
4 Cups
1 Cup
2 Tblsp.
1 Cup
1 tsp.
Diced rhubarb
Sugar
Cornstarch
Water
Vanilla
Some whipping cream
Procedure
1. Mix together the topping mixture ingredients until crumbly.
2. Press half of this in a greased 9-inch layer cake pan, or preferably a glass ovenproof
baking dish. Cover with the rhubarb.
3. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and water. Cook, stirring
until thick and clear; pour over the rhubarb.
4. Top with the rest of the crumbs.
5. Bake in a 350F oven for about one hour. Serve with the cream, whipped or not.
Rhubarb, Another Way
This is the simplest possible recipe, but makes a very good rhubarb stew. It is excellent
over ice cream.
Ingredients
3 Cups
½ Cup
½ Cup
Rhubarb
Sugar
Water
Procedure
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1. Cut up the rhubarb stalks into roughly ¼ inch chunks. Put them in a pan with the
water.
2. Boil the mixture and stir. Add sugar to taste.
3. Chill and serve.
Avocado Ice Cream
Serves: 3
Total time: 2 hours
Work time: 30 minutes
This really isn't ice cream; it shouldn't be frozen, just chilled. If it sounds strange, just
think of avocado as a pear fruit, which it is. This is very good after Bobotie.
This recipe is from Mary Ann's family.
Ingredients
1
2 Tblsp.
1 Cup
Ripe avocado
Sugar
Vanilla ice cream
Juice of 1 lemon
Procedure
1. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, remove the pit. Peel and mash the green pulp,
and push it through a sieve to be really sure.
2. Add the lemon juice (I recommend using only ½ of it) and the sugar. Combine all of
this with the ice cream, and beat it (while humming Michael Jackson). After all, this
is a fruit ice cream.
3. Chill and serve. If you freeze it it will crystallize, which fights the natural creaminess
of the Avocado.
Indian Pudding with Apples
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This is one of my favorite variants on simple Indian Pudding. The apples make it a little
lighter than usual. This is very good served with vanilla ice cream, while the pudding is
warm.
Ingredients
5 Cups
½ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½
1 tsp.
1 tsp.
¾ tsp.
2 Cups
Milk
Cornmeal
Sugar
Molasses
Stick butter
Cinnamon
Ginger
Salt
Thinly sliced apples (roughly 2 apples)
Procedure
1. Scald 3 cups of the milk.
2. In a bowl, add 1 cup milk to the cornmeal. Add this to the scalded milk slowly, and
simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add everything else except for the last cup of the milk, and pour into a buttered 2quart baking dish. Pour the remaining milk over a spoon so that it floats on top.
4. Bake at 275F for 3 or 4 hours.
Tarte au Citron
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Work time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 Cup
2 Tblsp.
⅛ tsp.
½ Cup
1
3
½ Cup
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Flour
Sugar
Salt
Butter
Egg yolk
Eggs
Sugar
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1 stick
1 Tblsp.
Section: 1
Lemons (rind + ¾ cup juice)
Butter
Butter
Procedure
1. In a bowl combine 1 Cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Blend in ½
stick plus 1 ½ teaspoons cold butter, cut into bits, until the mixture resembles meal.
2. Stir in 1 small egg yolk and 3 tablespoon of ice water. Toss the mixture until the
liquid is gone, and form the dough into a ball. Knead lightly and reform into a ball.
Dust with flour and chill for 1 hour.
3. Roll the dough into a ⅛" thick round on a lightly-floured surface, drape it over the
rolling pin, and fit it into a 9" shallow pan with a removable fluted ring. Press the
dough firmly into the pan and cut off any excess dough with a floured rolling pin.
Chill for 1 hour.
4. In a heavy saucepan whisk together 3 eggs, ½ cup sugar, the grated rind of 3 lemons,
and ¾ cup lemon juice. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until it thickens and
coats the spoon, but do not boil it. Remove from heat and stir in 1 stick plus 1
tablespoon butter, softened.
5. Strain the lemon cream into a bowl and let it cool, covered with a buttered round of
wax paper. Pour the cream into the shell and bake the tart on the lowest rack of a
preheated (400F) oven for 40 minutes. Remove tart from pan, transfer to a rack, and
let it cool.
Meringue
Ingredients
4
5 Tblsp.
¼ tsp.
⅛ tsp.
Egg whites
Fine sugar
Vanilla
Cream of tartar
A few grains Salt
Procedure
Combine everything in a gooey mess. Beat until soft peaks form. Put on the cool tart and
cook at 425 degrees for 5 minutes.
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Chapter 12 : Menus
Sometimes it's the ideas that are the hardest part. I'm including some menu thoughts;
many of the recipes required aren't in this cookbook, of course, but quite a few are. Those
that aren't are probably readily available in standard cookbooks or on the internet.
12.1 Appetizer Buffet
This was a collection of appetizers I did as a buffet-style dinner. It was just sort of what I
felt like at the time.
Smoked Oysters
Ossetra Caviar
Russian Cold Marinated Fish
Caviar eggs with tomatoes
Carpaccio
Hummus in Red Pepper
Scallops wrapped in bacon
Kalamata Olives
Brie
Salmon with lemon, pumpernickel, horseradish sauce
Papaya with salmon and lime
Avocado with bacon on curried mayonnaise toast
Sauteed shrimp (Cajun)
Japanese cucumber salad
Baked garlic and French bread
Chicken wings
12.2 Menus In Bad Taste
For some time I've been thinking of writing a brief cookbook for the holidays, with a
slightly more humorous twist. Here are some of the dishes I'm thinking of:
Christmas Eve - Grilled reindeer steaks
The Ides of March - Caesar salad
Valentine's Day - Beef heart
Easter - (Bunny) Rabbit stew
Fourth of July - Lobsterbacks (grilled lobster tails)
Bastille Day - Cake
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Chapter 13 : Attributions
Harry’s Bar Martini
As reported in Gourmet magazine
Sausage & Cheese Strata
Best of Gourmet for some year.
Smoken Salmon, Avocado, and Horseradish Spirals
Probably from Gourmet
Barbecued Shrimp This recipe is from one of my cooking classes.
Salmon, Scallop, & Pea Terrine
Gourmet publication
Stuffed Mussels
One of my italian cookbooks
Marinovanaya Riba v Tomatiye
My Russian cookbook
Chilled Melon, Champagne, and Lime Soup: This recipe appeared on the cover of a
magazine, I believe on Country Inns. I saw it at an Inn in Sharpsburg, MD.
Bermuda Fish Chowder
This recipe is from "What's Cooking ... in Bermuda" by Betsy Ross. I usually modify it to
use pre-made fish stock.
Smoked Fish Chowder Best of Gourmet
Mexican Fish
Romero’s cookbook
Onion, Raisin, and Cranberry Confit Gourmet
Grapefruit Alaska:
Bermuda".
This recipe is from Betsy Ross's book "What's Cooking... in
Poached Haddock with Brocolli
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