CHEF'S BLOG

It’s a Roux

OSR — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:05:49 +0000

An easy staple to always have on hand is Roux. It is the most common thickening agent for your classic (French) sauces and hearty soups. You really don’t need a recipe in your box if you can just remember 1:1. Quite simply the ingredients are 1 pound butter to 1 pound flour. I know that many cooks do not weigh their flour, measuring instead with volumetric cups, but it is really the most accurate measurement technique. How a cook places their flour into a measuring cup varies greatly. The best technique is to loosely spoon it into a cup and then level it with a knife, making sure not to tamp the cup down. A packed cup of flour has more volume than a sifted or loosely filled cup, therein may lie a problem in many recipes not producing consistent results time after time. That was a little Baking 101 (to help with your Christmas cookies), so back to Sauces 101. You may remember Grandma thickening her sauces with cornstarch or flour with the addition of water, which indeed works and are both called a slurry, used for more opaque sauces and as a quick thickener, but remember that at some point the flour (gluten) will need to be “cooked out” or you will get a sticky sauce/gravy/soup. Most soups and traditional French sauces utilize roux, which is flour based, and is best if it is prepared ahead of time before your sauce/soup is ready to be thickened. Start by melting your butter in a heavy bottomed pot/pan over medium heat and then add the flour until incorporated (generally I will use a wooden spoon for this blending process, call me old fashioned, just don’t call me old, ha), then reduce the heat to low. You now have a white roux which can be used to thicken cream sauces such as Béchamel. If you continue to cook the mixture over low heat until it is golden and takes on the aroma of hazelnuts, you have now achieved what is called a blonde roux which is used to thicken most soups and velouté sauces. A little more browning and you have a brown roux which is used to thicken brown sauces such as French espagnole and Cajun étouffée. One more caviat: flour can vary even in its own weight due to humidity and brand production. Here’s a quick tip, you really don’t even need to measure this recipe…just add enough flour, spoonfulls at a time, to the melted butter until your mixture becomes the consistency of playdough and cook until it reaches the desired color. You can keep your roux on your counter for several days or in the fridge for up to several weeks if stored in an airtight container. (free additional tip: before you add roux to an item to be thickened, it helps keep the lumps out if you slightly heat the roux up first).

Roux
by Chef Cal DeMercurio

1 lb Butter, unsalted
1 lb All-Purpose Flour (approx. 3 ½ cups)

In shallow, heavy-bottom pan, melt butter over medium heat. Slowly add flour to butter until the consistency of playdough. Allow mixture to cook until it reaches the appropriate color for your soup/sauce, often to a light gold color for most applications. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Filed under: Recipes

Thanksgiving Turkey

OSR — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:45:41 +0000

What kind of turkey do I cook for Thanksgiving? Honestly, a whole bird isn’t my preference. Truth be told, a whole turkey doesn’t cook evenly without the breast getting overdone by the time the extremities cook properly (I know you can rotate the bird and/or use the covering in foil thing). I usually break down my turkeys though and cook the white and dark meat separately, because I have more control and can be more creative with the different pieces, such as the recipe below; of course that means the beautiful bird brought to the table doesn’t happen. But isn’t it more fun to have everyone gathering around in the kitchen, grabbing fresh hot bites from the bird and fighting for the wishbone and the ‘oyster’, as the pieces are being cut and plated for family service? However, if a whole turkey is what you’re looking for, I would lean towards a deep fried turkey, overall they can have the best flavor and texture if done properly.

One of my favorite ways to prepare a turkey is to use the breast and make what’s called a Roulade. This dish includes the stuffing and some cranberries, so it makes a great all-in-one center of the plate featured item for your meal. Here is the recipe below, enjoy.

Roast Turkey Roulade with Cornmeal Stuffing

Turkey
1 each (5-6 lbs.) Turkey Breast, boneless with skin
1 bunch Sage, fresh, medium chopped
¼ cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
String for tying

Cornmeal Stuffing
1 each Yellow Onion, cleaned, small diced
4 ribs Celery, cleaned, small diced
2 whole Carrots, cleaned, peeled, small diced
6 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Cornmeal Polenta, fine ground
1 cup Cranberries, dried
1 Tbsp. Garlic, fresh, fine chopped
2 Tbsp. Parsley, fresh, fine minced
1 Tbsp. Poultry Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
4 cups Dried Bread Cubes

Prepare the Cornmeal Stuffing.
Heat olive oil in medium sized heavy bottom pot. Sauté onion, celery and carrots until al dente. Over medium-high heat, add remaining ingredients, except bread cubes, and combine by whisking continually until cornmeal is without lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until cornmeal is no longer course, approximately 25-30 mins. Remove from heat, add diced bread and allow cooling. Adjust consistency with additional chicken stock if desired.

Butterfly the Turkey.
Rinse and dry the turkey breast with paper towels. Trim off all excess fat, keeping as much skin intact as possible. From side of breast (long side) slice an incision 9/10^th through breast from right to left, leaving muscle intact along left side (still held together). Cover with plastic wrap and gently pound out until even thickness of ¾ to 1 inch is achieved.

Roll the Roulade.
Coat the turkey with olive oil and season evenly with sage, salt and pepper. Layer atop with the cornmeal stuffing. Roll tightly lengthwise and secure with string. Place in a heavy gauge roasting pan and roast uncovered in a preheated 450° oven for 15 minutes. Cover and reduce heat to 325° and continue roasting until an internal temperature of 155° is reached, approx 45 mins. Allow roulade to rest for a minimum of 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes approximately 12-14 portions.

Filed under: Family, Recipes

My Comfort Food

OSR — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:14:37 +0000

What is it that you remember from growing up that brings back memories of comfort? I bet it was something that your mom or grandma made in the kitchen. I love watching the scene in the movie Ratatouille (yes, the Disney cartoon) when the villain Anton Ego is catapulted back in time to his childhood. After simply taking one bite of a particular food, he was all of the sudden once again a little boy sitting in the kitchen with his mom, having his tears and wounds healed by the care of someone who made him something special (click here to watch on YouTube). For Anton Ego, that moment was triggered by eating Ratatouille, a traditional stewed vegetable dish with tomatoes, garlic, onions, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and spices – a very hearty treat. When I think back to my childhood and what brought me comfort, it was my mom’s Chicken and Dumplings. She would have a chicken on the stove, poaching all day until it was so tender it would fall off the bone. She would add celery and carrots and potatoes and secret spices and then cook the dumplings in that wonderful poaching liquid that was flavored by the chicken. It brings me comfort immediately to think about those times spent with her in the kitchen.

So here is my question to you: What is your ratatouille? I look forward to hearing about your favorite comfort food.

Filed under: Cultural Experiences, Family

A Little Garnish for Your Grillin’

OSR — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 01:34:00 +0000

Try this fresh and sweet relish atop your favorite grilled fish or chicken to give it a little extra kick.

Mango Relish
Chef Cal DeMercurio, C.E.C.

1 pint Mango, fresh, diced
1 cup Roma Tomato, diced
1 medium Red Onion, fine diced
4 pieces Green Onion, chopped fine
½ cup Pineapple Juice, fresh
½ cup Lime Juice, fresh
1 ½ pieces Jalapeno, fine minced
1 Tbsp. Cilantro, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp. Pickled Ginger, chopped fine
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

Prepare all ingredients, as directed in recipe. Combine and gently mix together all ingredients (10 minutes before serving “a la minute”, allowing the flavors an opportunity to meld). Present over any grilled item such as chicken or your favorite fin fish. Bon Appetite!

Yield: 8/10 portions

Filed under: Recipes

Using up the last of your garden

OSR — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:03:00 +0000

It’s about time to say good-bye to this year’s garden and I’m sure you’re running out of ways to use your plenty. How about making some simple bread and butter pickles that will be good for months to come and ready to eat in the fridge? I make bread and butter pickles with English style cucumbers because of their mild skin flavor, but many people pickle just about any vegetable they can think of, including carrots and cauliflower, onions and garlic. Pickled fare is always good with a nice meaty sandwich, burgers or even as part of a salad.

Bread and Butter Pickles
Chef Cal DeMercurio, C.E.C.

3 large English cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick on a mandolin
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. turmeric

Combine sugar, vinegar and spices, whisking until dissolved. Add cucumbers and onion, cover and allow to steep for a minimum of three days in the fridge. Store in an airtight container in fridge for the winter season.

Filed under: Recipes

The legacy of Cioppino

OSR — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:53:00 +0000

Growing up, I often heard the stories from my Dad about Grandpa being a fisherman in San Francisco. They tell of him being a part of a legacy…the legacy we know today as Cioppino (chu-PEE-noh). The story goes that at the end of the day, when all the fisherman came in to dock at the wharf, they would begin to trade their catch and pool it together for dinner. Being Italian, they would add a little spicy tomato sauce and some wine and then enjoy a wonderful stew with the freshest catch imaginable. The clams and mussels and crab would still be all in their shells, adding to the flavor of the dish as it simmered. The fisherman would dig in, no fancy utensils needed, just their bare hands to break open the shellfish.

A dish that many have never even heard of, or have even attempted to eat, let alone make, is really quite simple. Just take a variety of fresh fin-fish (deboned and cut) and shellfish and simmer them for about 45 minutes in a simple mixture 1 part of your favorite marinara sauce to 4 parts of your favorite red wine. That’s it. Cioppino goes great with any wine that you love to drink with seafood. Don’t forget the extra-sour sourdough bread and butter and definitely don’t forget the napkins! Ciao.

Filed under: Cultural Experiences, Recipes

A Little Twist for Your BBQ

OSR — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:53:00 +0000

When it’s warm out, I love to BBQ. It’s the last few days of summer, so grab a cold-one, grill up your chicken or meat, and before you serve, jazz it up with your favorite BBQ sauce, but with a little twist (of fresh orange juice that is). Your dish would be great paired with a traditional Blue Moon Ale, served with a wedge of orange. Cheers!

Orange BBQ Sauce
Chef Cal DeMercurio, C.E.C.

2 cups BBQ sauce (any favorite of yours)
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped shallots
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup beer (Blue Moon)
1 large orange (fully juiced + 1 Tbsp. zest)

Heat olive oil to medium hot in small saucepan. Sweat garlic and shallots. Deglaze with beer. Add BBQ sauce, juice and zest. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Filed under: Recipes

My Paella Recipe

OSR — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:34:00 +0000

A big part of recipe building is taking an idea and making it your own. Almost everything has already been done under the sun, but you can still put a unique spin on it. For my paella, I use the traditional arborio rice, prawns, clams, chicken and saffron, but for even more flavor, I add locally made chorizo and the best part, chicken-fennel sausage. Fennel is a wonderful herb that marries well with seafood. Paella is a beautiful dish with lots of color, aromas and flavor. I can’t wait for you to try it.

Wine Pairing: for Paella, try your favorite Sauvignon Blanc or any chilled white wine with enough acidity to balance the creaminess of this dish.

Mixed Paella for Two
By Chef Cal DeMercurio, C.E.C.

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 oz. Chicken Thigh Meat, diced medium
2 oz. Green and Red Bell Peppers, diced, ½ inch squared
4 pc.(2 each) Large Shrimp, thawed
4 oz. Fennel Sausage, sliced
4 oz. Chorizo Sausage, chopped
¼ tsp. Fennel Seed, whole
½ tsp. Paprika, smoked
1 tsp. Garlic, fresh, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. Shallots, fresh, chopped fine
2 oz. Mushrooms, quartered
2 oz. Sherry
6 oz. Arborio Rice (Risotto), rinsed
1 qt. Chicken Stock
Dash of Saffron
2 oz. Parmesan Cheese, shredded
4 oz. Heavy Cream
½ cup Tomatoes, fresh diced
¼ cup Peas, frozen/thawed or fresh/shelled/cooked
8 pc. (4 each) Manila Clams, fresh
4 oz. Meyer Lemon Aioli, reserve for garnish
1Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped, reserve for garnish

Heat medium sauté pan (preferrably a Paella pan) to medium hot. Add oil, chicken and bell peppers. Remove when ¾ cooked and add shrimp and sausages, garlic, shallots and fennel seed. Cook for two minutes until seafood ½ done. Add mushrooms, sherry and paprika, cook until mushrooms are tender. Remove all ingredients, reduce heat to medium, add Arborio rice and slowly add ½ of chicken stock. Continue adding more stock as the liquid is absorbed, until the rice becomes tender, about 20 minutes. Add saffron, parmesan and cream. Simmer one minute and add back pre-cooked proteins and tomatoes and peas. Heat throughout. Top with Manila clams and place in 350° oven until clams are cooked, about 6-7 minutes. Drizzle with aioli and sprinkle cilantro over top for garnish.

Filed under: Recipes

What is Paella?

OSR — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:28:00 +0000

I love to expose people to new foods that they can’t normally get without travelling great distances. There is a vast amount of cultural experiences that many will never discover. So let’s come to the table and visit Spain. Paella (pah-eh-ya) is one of those traditional dishes that heralds from Valencia, Spain back in the 1800′s. It is a rice dish that is filled with various combinations of seafood, chicken, meat and vegetables…and flavor! Saffron perfumes the dish and gives it a rich gold color. This was a dish of kings in Spain, using some of the best ingredients the Mediterranean coast had to offer.

Filed under: Cultural Experiences

Picking Out a Recipe

OSR — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Picking a new recipe to try can be a lot of fun. Tasting the final product is even more fun. As one of the judges for the Last Recipe Standing Contest, we read through several recipes, looking for the ones that made our mouth water. We narrowed them down to 8. Then they went before the Redding.com readers for their vote for the final 4. Then came the final round for tasting at the 4th Annual Taste of Redding. Which one did the audience choose?

When looking for a recipe, you want to consider a couple of key things: harmony of flavors and balance. Harmony of flavors is quite simply whether the ingredients compliment each other. Do they work together or do they clash bitterly? Balance looks at whether there is too much or too little of a certain ingredient in relation to the other ingredients. If you have 5 ingredients in a recipe, you should be able to taste all 5 without one overpowering another. It’s best that you use ingredients that are fresh and seasonal, harvested at their peak when flavor is optimal. Also you want it to have a good mouth-feel with textures that are not too soft or too dry. The final dish should do more than fill you, it should be a feast for the eyes, heavenly to your nose, and excite your taste buds.

So back to which recipe was chosen for the Last Recipe Standing. Drum Roll. And the winner is…Garden Fresh Noodle-less Lasagna. Here is the award winning recipe by Patty Jeantet. It’s fresh, flavorful and even has a little twist…no pasta. Perfect for an Italian themed dinner during the summer. Congratulations Patty on a great dish!

GARDEN FRESH NOODLE-LESS LASAGNA
By Patty Jeantet
Ingredients:
2 pounds hamburger
1 large eggplant
3 medium zucchinis
1 medium red onion
15 mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
4 medium tomatoes
1 10-ounce bag spinach
2 16-ounce jars of marinara sauce
1 16-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese
6 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 16-ounce container cottage cheese
1 bunch basil
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 12x10x3 foil pan

Directions:
1. Brown the hamburger. Drain. Set aside.
2. Dice red onions, tomatoes and garlic. Slice mushrooms.
3. Pour a little olive oil in large pot. Saute onions, mushrooms, then add garlic, tomatoes and the browned meat. Add marinara sauce and celery salt.
4. Cut ¼ cup of basil and add to sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and cook for about an hour. Meanwhile, slice eggplant and zucchini long ways 1/8 inch thick.
5. Preheat oven 350 degrees when sauce is ready.
6. Cover the bottom of a foil pan with meat sauce, then put layer of eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella and sauce. Next, put a layer of zucchini, cottage cheese, mozzarella and half of the spinach and sauce. Repeat the first layer and sprinkle with parmesan.
7. Cover lasagna with foil coated with olive oil, oil side down, to prevent sticking.
8. Place pan on top of cookie sheet to catch spills. Cook covered one hour and cook uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Take it out when you can stick a fork in it and it goes through easily.
9. Top with fresh basil and more parmesan.

Bon Appetit!

Filed under: Local Events, Recipes