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Snow Days

February 18th, 2011

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, well, if you reside anywhere further North than Tallahassee this most assuredly pertains to you.  Have been keeping tabs on friends and family who are frolicking outside – aka – shoveling massive amounts of snow, in my home state of Ohio.  This extreme weather immobilizing most of the country adds up to one sure thing:  Snow Days!  Ahh, the memories of no school, building snowmen and drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate.  Made me wonder, what if today we had a Snow Day.  What would I cook ?

Am dusting off that fabulous kitchen icon lovingly referred to as the “McFadden Family Cookbook.”  A classic creamy creation and one of many of our family’s favorites, Chicken ala King, made and always served in her silver chafing dish by my precious Great Aunt Mary McFadden. I’m getting warmer just thinking about it.

•    8 each 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil
•    3 Cups sliced fresh mushrooms
•    1 Cup green pepper cut into strips
•    1 Cup red pepper cut into strips
•    1 ½ TBSP. chopped onion
•    1 Cup flour
•    ½ Cup butter
•    2 Cups milk
•    2 Cups light cream
•    ¼ Tsp. white pepper
•    1 ½ quarts chicken broth

Bake 8 chicken breasts at 325 for 30 minutes.  Let cool, dice and set aside.

Saute onion, peppers and mushrooms in half of the butter on low heat.  Stir in flour blending well.  Remove vegetables and mix in remaining butter gradually, add broth and in blend milk and cream.  Stir over low heat until thick and smooth.  Add vegetables and diced chicken.  Simmer on low heat 15 minutes.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Lovely!

February 8th, 2011

Lovely.  What a wonderful word for February.  I’m thinking lovely thoughts to chase away the winter doldrums, and a recipe which happens to be a favorite.

To most, Valentines Day is a day to celebrate (or maybe not) your loved ones, showering them with an array of novelties.  Being a chef, I am not the type for such trivial trinkets but more inclined to create a treat that combines a harmonious blend of complex favors resulting in something quite more sophisticated, Salted caramel, where sweet meets savory.

A quick thought about the ingredients.  Sea Salt awakens the taste buds accentuating all of the even more subtle caramel flavors.  The sea salt doesn’t melt into the caramel so there are fine grains of salt that add texture and crunch.

Salted Caramel Sauce
Makes approximately 2 Cups

  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 1 ½ Cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 TBSP. salted butter
  • ½ tsp. sea salt

Spread sugar evenly in a large heavy metal pot.  Place on medium heat and cook without stirring until the sugar around the edges start to liquefy.  Next, using a wooden spoon gently stir the sugar.  As it begins to look like little pebbles keep stirring until the amber color turns a deep brown. Remember to stir constantly!  Now, remove the pot from the heat and carefully add in ½ of the cream.  Use caution as the sauce will bubble up dramatically.  Add the remainder of the cream until the sauce is smooth.  Finally, stir in the butter and salt.

Serve immediately warm over apple fritters, bread pudding, your favorite ice cream, a warm chocolate brownie or a combination of the above.

So,  go ahead and cancel that order of fine chocolates for your Valentine and spend some quality time in your kitchen this 14th of February creating something lovely for your loved one.

Rhubarb!

January 24th, 2011

One of the many benefits of growing up in Ohio was the bountiful gardens of my relatives.  My Aunt Dolores’ garden was adjacent to our yard and I spent countless boyhood hours with her as she tendered to her plants, savoring all of her fresh vegetables – peas, green beans, potato’s, tomato’s, the list is almost endless.  One of my favorites and it is coincidentally celebrated this month – rhubarb!  January 23 is National Rhubarb Pie Day.

We Floridians cannot grow it, and gardeners in the northern states can’t give enough of it away.  It is described as an uncommon vegetable, quoting the Joy of Cooking “Only by the wildest stretch of imagination can rhubarb be included in this fruit chapter, but its tart flavor and its customary uses make it a reasonable facsimile, when cooked, of fruit.”

Rhubarb is almost unbearably tart on its own and needs the sweetness of sugar, fruit juice or honey added to balance out the acidity.  From personal experience I will tell you that the deep red stalks are sweeter and richer.   It would be remiss of me to not include this warning.  Never eat the rhubarb leaves either cooked or raw, they are poisonous containing the toxin oxalate.

Two recipes , simple but treasured, Aunt Dolores, this is for you from my heart.

RHUBARB SAUCE:

  • 3 Cups chopped rhubarb
  • ¾ Cup sugar
  • ¼ Cup water

Combine the above and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat until tender 5 to 10 minutes.  Cool and refrigerate.

RHUBARB PIE:

  • 2 Cups diced rhubarb
  • 1 ¼ Cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 Tbsp. instant tapioca pudding
  • 1 Cup cream
  • ¼ Tsp. salt
  • 2 Egg yolks

Fill a pie crust evenly with diced rhubarb.  Whisk cream and egg yolks.  Combine dry ingredients to cream mixture and pour over rhubarb.

Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes or until pie is set.

Cuisiniers Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

January 18th, 2011

8 servings

2 each rotisserie chickens, skin discarded, meat removed from bone and meat diced

8 cups prepared chicken broth

1 pound carrots, peeled and diced

3 ea. Celery stalks, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup turnips, diced

3 tbsp. Parsley, minced

1 ea. Sweet onion, diced

2 ea. Green onions, diced

2 bay leaves

3 ea. Sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp. Dry oregano

2 tsp. Each salt and pepper

2 cups cooked egg noodles

Procedure:  Place above ingredients in a 4 quart soup pot.  Set pot on high heat and bring to boil for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer gently on low heat for two hours.  Fifteen minutes before serving, remove thyme sprigs, and add in two cups cooked egg noodles.    For service, divide into soup bowls, garnish with oyster crackers, and enjoy!

Culinary Torch and Créme Brulee

October 25th, 2010

One evening just 30 years ago, Americans sat down to watch their favorite chef Julia Child making Crème Brulee at home for the very first time. Julia had no problem with making and chilling the custard, her challenge was running a 30 foot hose from the propane tank in her garage to the kitchen counter to caramelize this professional delicacy!

Thankfully, we now have the Culinary torch, a specialty item that will consistently give you exceptional results.  A few helpful hints when shopping for one of these  gadgets,  it should be as safe as it is convenient, have a professional metal body with an adjustable temperature and anti flare system.  As for procedure, always torch the sugar on cold custards taken directly from the fridge.  Sprinkle the sugar as evenly as possible.  The caramelizing should be gradual by making quick small spiraling circles with the flame.  The finished result should be light amber to medium dark in color.

As always I’ve included my variation of this awesome dessert, the contrast between the cool creamy custard and the crisp warm caramelized sugar is classically superb! Bon Appetit Everyone!

RECEIPE:  WHITE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CRÈME BRULEE

Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup heavy cream
  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1   Oz. white chocolate
  • ½ Tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2  Oz. canned pumpkin
  • Pinch of nutmeg & cinnamon

Heat cream, 1 tablespoon of sugar, pumpkin and white chocolate slowly until it boils.  Add vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon and remove from heat.  Add remaining sugar to egg yolks and whip until it becomes very pale.  Temper yolk with cream, hot to cold a little at a time stirring constantly, then strain.  Fill ramekins ¾ full and place in water bath baking at 300 degree oven 20-30 minutes.  Cool in refrigerator and finish with caramelizing process as described above.

Are You Ready for Fall?

October 25th, 2010

It’s tailgating season, and our gridiron gourmets are ready to grill whether its at a stadium or their own backyards.

Burgers anyone? What makes the ultimate burger?  Noted gastronome James Beard mixed cream into his favorite burger recipe and cooked the patties in butter!  Here is Chef Jamie’s ultimate burger recipe.

RECIPE:

  • 2 lbs. ground chuck
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. McCormick’s Bayou Cajun Spice
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 – 1oz. balls of bleu cheese (optional)
  • 4 slices cheddar and or baby swiss cheese

Mix first 6 ingredients and pat into four 8 oz. hamburgers.  Bleu cheese balls are place in center (optional).  Grill until desired doneness/approximately 8-10 minutes.  Melt cheddar and or swiss on finished burger.

Yields 4 servings

Whether you’re a football fan or simply a fan of good food Chef Jamie has created a football season menu packed with tailgating perfection!

Mother’s Day Brunch

May 4th, 2010

Make a Sweet & Simple Mother’s Day Brunch

This Mother’s Day give mom the day off by preparing a sweet and simple brunch that will let her know just how much she means to you and your family!

How does Frittata Bouchons, Apple and Sausage Scones and French Toast Souffle sound?  You’re probably thinking the menu is way to ambitious for dad and the kids, right?  Wrong!

We’ve created three simple, easy-to-follow recipes that will allow dad and the kids to have fun while treating mom to scrumptious culinary creations this Mother’s Day!

Entertain Deliciously!

Frittata Bouchons (Makes 2 dozen)

8 eggs
1 qt heavy cream
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tsp sun-dried tomatoes Diced
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease mini muffin pan. In a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, oregano, basil, salt and pepper until frothy. Blend in remaining ingredients. Fill muffin cups to the top and carefully place in preheated oven. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes until set and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around each Bouchon to loosen from pan. Pop out Bouchons and serve.

Apple and Sausage Scones
2 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1/4 cup cooked crumbled sausage
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup diced apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium size mixing bowl combine flour, sugar baking powder, salt, pepper, sausage and cheese. Blend gently and create a well in the center of the bowl. Add heavy cream and diced apples. Gently mix all ingredients. DO NOT OVER MIX. The dough should still look a little “unmixed” when ingredients are incorporated. Next using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out dough onto cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 12-15 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.

French Toast Souffle Mix (Serves Eight)

8 eggs
3 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 loaf challah diced

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk first 6 ingredients together until frothy. Add diced challah,and pour into a medium sized casserole dish. Place in oven and bake at 300 for 30minutes until golden.

Spanish Paella

January 27th, 2010

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Jamie McFadden/Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

Spanish Paella

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 8 mild Italian sausages, roughly chopped into 1-inch rounds
  • 1 pound chorizo, roughly chopped
  • 7 chicken thighs, seasoned to taste with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 20 peeled, large uncooked shrimp seasoned to taste with paprika, salt and pepper
  • 2 carrots, finely minced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup Piquante peppers, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely minced
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed
  • 10 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups Arborio rice/risotto
  • 3 cups white wine
  • Ham hock flavored broth, recipe follows
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Sea Salt

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and then fresh sausage. Sauté for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until sausage is well browned. Add chicken and dried sausage to pot and saute 5 to 8 minutes, or until chicken starts to brown. Add the shrimp and sauté just until the shrimp begins to turn red and curl, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove all meats from the pot, using a slotted spoon, and place them on cookie tray to cool.

In the now empty pot, sweat the carrots, onions, and celery for about 15 minutes. Add garlic, piquantes, canned tomatoes, and saute with vegetables for another 2 minutes. Add the risotto rice, stir and sauté until the grains are pearly white. Add white wine, and allow to cook down until almost completely gone. Then begin to add broth, about 2 ladles at a time, every 7 to 8 minutes until 35 to 40 minutes have passed, or until broth is fully incorporated into rice and vegetables and rice are tender al dente.

Stir meat and seafood back in before serving.

Ham Hock Flavored Broth:

  • 6 ham hocks
  • 2 roughly cut onions
  • 1 1/2 cups olive oil
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly cut
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2(8-ounce) cans tomato puree
  • 2(32-once) cartons chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 pinch saffron

Preheat a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add ham stocks and olive oil. Allow to caramelize, both sides, for about 10 to 20 minutes. Add carrots, onions, and celery, stir in thoroughly. slice bulb of garlic in half. With wooden spoon, push mixture aside to create room at bottom of pot for caramelizing the garlic. Place each side of the garlic into pot, garlic side down. Leave to caramelize for about 10 minutes. Mix paprika, tomato paste, tomato puree, chicken stock, bay leaves, and water. Allow to simmer for another 45 minutes.

Skim off any fat that has formed and add saffron. Allow to simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain and refrigerate to cool.

Serve Immediately and Enjoy!

Executive Chef Jamie McFadden | Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

5470 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, FL

www.cuisinierscater.com

Cuisiniers’ Salted Caramel Sauce

January 5th, 2010

The following is a sauce recipe you are sure to see a lot of in 2010.  Enjoy!

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Jamie McFadden/Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

(Makes approximately 2 cups)

Cuisiniers’ Salted Caramel Sauce:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

In a large heavy metal pot or Dutch oven spread sugar in bottom of pot.  Place on medium heat and cook without stirring until the sugar around the edges starts to liquify.  Next, using a wooden spoon, gently stir the sugar.  As it begins to look like little pebbles, keep stirring until the amber color turns a deep brown.  Remember to not stop stirring!  Finally, remove the pot from the heat and carefully add in 1/2 of the cream.  Use caution as the sauce will bubble up dramatically.  Add in the remainder of the cream until the sauce is smooth.  Finally, stir in the butter and salt.  Serve warm over apple fritters, bread pudding, your favorite ice cream, a warm chocolate brownie, or a combination of the above!

Serve Immediately and Enjoy!

Executive Chef Jamie McFadden | Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

5470 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, FL

www.cuisinierscater.com

Catalonia “Cupcakes”

October 28th, 2009

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Jamie McFadden/Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

(Serves 18 servings)

Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 1 ⅔ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
  • ½ cup chorizo, finely diced
  • 1 tsp jalapeño, finely diced

Preheat oven to 375°.  Lightly mix all of the above ingredients in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the following:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • ⅔ cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted and strained

Whisk above ingredients until blended.  Create a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients.  Lightly mix and scoop into greased muffin pans.  Place in preheated oven and bake 10-14 minutes until set and golden.  While cupcakes are baking, combine the following ingredients for the “icing.”

Icing:

  • 1 cup softened cream cheese
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp jalapeño minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Mix with hand held blender until smooth.  Remove cupcakes from pan.  Top with jalapeño maple cream cheese “icing”.

Serve and Enjoy!

Executive Chef Jamie McFadden | Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events

5470 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, FL

www.cuisinierscater.com

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