Poached Fish Parmesan

HELLO!


After a long while, I finally managed to blog again! First some updates about me...


I enrolled myself in a short culinary class (Fundamentals of Culinary Arts) at First Gourmet Academy. It was fun! Learning new techniques, from knife skills, to plating, all in 8 days. If you want to learn how to properly cook, but can't afford those really expensive schools, inquire at FGA. ;) (btw, our chef instructor is Swedish ah)


And during those times I was busy in class, I also landed a job. So yay me!


Anyway, so I finally found time to cook and blog again. I wanted something cheesy, but with fish. I usually pair cheese with chicken (as you can see in my other blogs). I stumbled upon this recipe called Poached Fish Parmesan by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. 

My version. But since my photo is not really amazing, I'll post the photo from their website :)

photo credit link: Poached Fish Parmesan

This is a really fast, and simple dish to make. You need around 30 minutes or so, including prep time (providing you have good knife skills, and multi-tasking skill :D).This dish reminds me of carbonara, and at the same time, well... pizza. Maybe because of the green capsicum and cheese? It's tasty, and creamy; a blend of milk, cheese, and wine, but something is still  lacking in my opinion. As Grace mentioned it, all the ingredients blended together that it lacks something that will counter the texture. Maybe crispy bacon bits, or I guess the fish can be pan fried with breading. But then this won't be "Poached Fish" anymore.

Overall, I recommend this dish to those who want a simple pasta and cheese cravings. But you may want to cut back on the green capsicum if you're not a fan of it. I like this dish, but it just lacks something je ne sais quoi.

If you want to try this dish out, and maybe you have something in mind, let me know!

For 4-6 servings

500g white fish fillet (I used Dory)

2 cups milk

3tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives (or green onions)

1 red or green capsicum, thinly sliced

salt, pepper (to taste)

500 g fettucini cooked al dente

1. Cut the fillets into small portions (bite size)

2. In a large covered frying pan, poach the fish in milk for 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish are flaky.

3. Transfer the fish to a plate and keep warm. Reserve the milk.

4. On another sauce pan, melt butter. When the butter stops foaming, add the flour. Brown the flour for 2minutes. 

5. Carefully, and gradually add the warm milk, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat until thick.

6. Add the wine, cheese, chives, capsicum. Season to taste. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, cook the fettucini in boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

8. Pour the sauce into the pasta, and serve.

9. Buon appetito!

Fricassée de Poulet À L'Ancienne

Old-fashioned Chicken Fricassee with Wine-flavoured Cream Sauce, Onions and Mushrooms

Another Julia Child's French classic cuisine: Chicken Fricassee. So what is Fricassee, you might ask. According to an online definition: "Fricassée is a traditional French stew made usually made with chicken" (source). It is similar to braising, but when you say fricassée, you do not brown the meat. Basically, it is a white stew.

There something to french cooking chicken dishes (that I made so far) that taste similar. I think that's because of the stock and white wine reduction. But for this dish, the heavy cream and egg gave a more creamy and smooth texture.

For me, the taste of this dish is good. Nothing very special, though I'm not saying this doesn't taste good. It is very tasty, but I think I'll just do this if I have left over heavy cream in the fridge.

But, if you're interested in making a fricassée, whether chicken, duck, rabbit, or any kind of meat, here are what you need:

for 4-6 pax

1-1.5 kg whole chicken, cut into parts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
4 tbsp butter
salt and white pepper to taste (but don't make it too salty)
3 tbsp flour
3 cups boiling chicken stock/broth
1 cup dry white wine
herb bouquet garni (2 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1/8 tsp thyme)
16-20 white braised onions*
250g fresh mushroom stewed in butter, lemon and water**
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
lemon juice
pinch of nutmeg

*white braised onions*
16 - 20 pearl onions/shallots
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 bouquet garni
   Place everything in a sauce pan and simmer very slowly, rolling the onions from time to time for 40-50 minutes. If the liquid evaporates during cooking, add more by spoonfuls

**mushroom stew**
250g fresh mushroom
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
1. Bring the everything to boil except for the mushroom.
2. Add the mushroom and toss.
3. Cover and boil moderately fast, tossing frequently for 5 minutes.

1. Cook the vegetables slowly in butter for 5 minutes or until tender, but not browned. Push to one side, then raise heat to medium high.

2. Add the chicken, and turn it every 3-4 minutes, without coloring to more than golden yellow.

3. Lower heat to medium and cover for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.

4. Sprinkle salt and white pepper to taste (but not too salty). Add the flour to the chicken until it coats all side. Roll it in the cooking butter. Cover and continue to cook slowly for 4 minutes, turning once.

5. Add boiling chicken stock, white wine and bouquet garni. Bring to simmer. Taste for seasoning. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. It is done when juice from drumstick when pricked with fork run clear.

6. Remove chicken to a side dish. Add the juice from the onion and mushroom to the cooking liquid. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, removing the fat. Boil rapidly stirring frequently to thicken the sauce, enough to coat a spoon nicely. Correct seasoning.

7. In a mixing bowl, whisk in egg yolks and heavy cream. Add the hot liquid by small tablespoonfuls while whisking. Pour the sauce in a thin stream while whisking. After whisking, return the liquid to the casserole. Bring to a boil for 1 minute.

8. Correct seasoning, add drops of lemon juice and pinch of nutmeg.

9. Arrange the chicken, onion and mushroom in the casserole. Pour the sauce over it. Serve.

There you go! Bon appétit! :D

Lemon Chicken

Last Monday, the world (or maybe just the Chinese?) celebrated the Chinese New Year. Kung Hei Fat Choi 恭喜發財 for Cantonese speaking people. :)

Anyway, since it is the new year, Grace suggested I try a Chinese dish. So I made Lemon Chicken and fried rice.

I tried doing Asian cuisine for the first time, and to be honest, I suck (I haven't even tried doing Adobo). Or maybe I just don't have the right recipe for this dish to taste a little more Chinese-y. It lacks that unique Chinese flavour. Maybe MSG? I don't know. Well, for me, the dish is so-so. I added sugar and honey to make it a little sweeter for my taste (typical Filipino taste) while retaining the citrusy taste of this dish. I added a little fresh parsley I have in the fridge. Although it tastes good, not good enough to make it in the Chinese restaurant. Grace said she wanted it to be more sour. I think the sourness is just enough. I don't like too much sourness in my dish. Something Chinese-y is lacking. Spice?

I just copied this recipe somewhere (sorry, I forgot where), but here's what I did.

1 whole chicken (recipe requires 8 chicken breasts)

4 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper

flour*

a dash of paprika*

100mL lemon juice

3 slices of lemon

1.5 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp cornstarch

a dash of garlic powder*

sugar and honey* (optional, to taste)

*not in the original recipe

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and soy sauce. Leave it for 30 minutes.

2. Pat dry the chicken and dredge it with flour and paprika. Fry the chicken in oil until golden brown. (If you opt to skip the flour and paprika, fry the chicken breasts in butter). When done, leave it on a plate.

3. Combine the chicken stock, lemon, cornstarch, garlic powder and lemon slices (optional: sugar/honey, to taste) in a sauce pan. Boil until thick. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Maybe you have a better version of Lemon Chicken. Now, what did I miss? Hmmm

Broiled Herb-Crusted Salmon

A few days ago, Chef John of Food Wishes posted a recipe for salmon. I got so excited because it is very easy! I remember I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine who said cooking seafood is very hard. Well, I still don't know. I guess I will probably figure that one myself. However, what I can say is that cooking salmon is really easy! (Plus, it is very healthy, with those fatty acids, omega3+).

Yes, I know that salmon is expensive. A kilo of salmon costs about P774 and that is really expensive for me. My first time cooking with it, I was so nervous. I was like, "I must not screw this up. I must not screw this up. I must not screw this up.... Must not undercook. Must not undercook. Must not undercook. Must not undercook....  Must not overcook. Must not overcook. Must not overcook...." repeat 1000x during the whole cooking process! At the back of my mind, I can hear Chef Gordon Ramsey yelling at me "IT'S RAAAAAWWWWWW!!!!"(especially when I tried cooking the infamous scallops. coming in the near future). But hey, conquer your fear and learn! Buy 1/4 kilo of that and you're good to go for 3-4 people. It only takes 10-15 minutes to cook salmon.

IT'S RAAAWW!
(From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1192181/Why-does-British-TV-make-heroes-nasty-bullies-Alan-Sugar-Gordon-Ramsay.html)

So anyway, back to the recipe. I really enjoy watching the video recipes of Chef John because it is so informative, and witty. When I saw this recipe, I immediately said to myself, "Well, that's easy. I can do that.", and indeed I did. Voilà! Broiled Herb-Crusted Salmon.

Right from the oven. Mmm, I can still smell the aroma from the herbs

He is right, the salmon came out perfectly! Very moist salmon, topped with super simple, but flavourful crust, cooked in 10 minutes! Amazing! You gotta try this one! Don't be afraid of salmon, it won't bite. Oh by the way, you can do this too with other fish (with the same thickness) if salmon is really expensive, or even chicken!

What you need (For 4-5 people)

(I made a little variation with the ratio. To check the original, see Chef John's blog)

500g salmon, with skin

salt and pepper to taste

2 small garlic clove, sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1.5 tbsp chopped tarragon

1.5 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1.5 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp cream cheese*

pinch of cayenne

1-1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

*not in the original recipe

1. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, kosher salt, and the herbs, into a paste for about a minute or two. You can use a blender though, but it is really recommended to use mortar and pestle.

2. Add the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and cream cheese (optional), and continue to mash it for about another minute.

3. Using a wooden spoon (don't use metal), mix in the mixture a pinch of cayenne and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste (or not).

4. Place a foil on a baking pan. Lightly oil. Place the salmon, and season with salt and pepper (depending on how you seasoned the crust mixture).

5. Turn the broiler (top layer of gas inside the oven) to high for a while. While waiting, place the baking pan on top of the stove burner (high) for about 1 minute. You just want to give the bottom of the fish a "head start" since we are baking the fish using the broiler. When you hear crackling sounds, that's about done. Place the baking pan about 8 inches from the top/broiler.

6. Do not leave the fish. Wait for about 5minutes or so until the top is well browned (to your own liking).

7. When the crust has already browned, turn off the broiler and turn on your oven (bottom) to 350F and leave the fish for another 5 minutes or so. Cooking time varies with thickness of the fish.

8. After 5 minutes, serve.

That's it! Very easy, right? Now, tell me, how hard was that? I bet you can do that as well! C'mon, pick up a salmon and try this recipe. You won't regret it! :D

Sole Meunière

Actually, I used Cream Dory Fillet, not Sole. So I guess the appropriate title for this dish is Crème Doris Meunière. Sole is more expensive compared to Dory, so I'd rather use Dory. And besides, I already opened a pack of Dory Fillet (previous dish).

Don't worry, I didn't consume all that butter by myself.
I shared that buttery sauce with my sister. 

Sole Meunière is a classic French dish that uses Sole (kind of fish), dredged in flour, and cooked in butter. Lemon juice is then added to the resulting browned butter and poured over the fish as its sauce, garnishing with parsley. Some add caramelized onions to this dish, which is also very lovely. And I also tried Grace's  version where she added minced chili, together with the onion for that extra kick. YUMMY! But now, this is the very easy, classic version of this dish. Feel free to add ingredients for your own version!

for 1-2 person/s

fillet of sole/dory

1-1.5 tbsp unsalted butter

1-1.5 tbsp lemon juice

flour

salt and pepper

parsley

1. Pat dry the fish with paper towel, then coat it with seasoned flour.

2. On a medium-high skillet, melt the butter. When the foam from the butter starts to subside, add the fish and lower to heat to medium-low.

3. Fry the fish for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fish and place it on a platter.

4. Using the browned butter sauce in the pan, add the lemon juice to the butter. Mix well. Pour the sauce over the fish.

5. Garnish with fresh parsley.

There you go! A classic French dish cooked in 10 minutes. Who said cooking French cuisine is hard? Bon appétit!

Baked Dory à la Troy

I don't know what to call this dish. I just thought of Chicken Parmigiana, and improvised with what I have, and made this! It turned out pretty darn good.

I think the sauce overwhelmed the fish. (I just used up all the leftover spaghetti sauce)

Right after breakfast, I rummaged in our fridge for any leftovers that I can eat for lunch. I saw the spaghetti noodles and the sauce (from the other day), and.... that's it. I already ate spaghetti for lunch and dinner yesterday, I don't want to eat it for the 3rd time. I was thinking of making Chicken Parmigiana. I peeked in our freezer for chicken breasts, no luck. There's a pack of fillet dory though. I don't have chicken, but I do have fish! Improvise?

So that's it! I tried to make Chicken Dory Parmigiana. Naaah, I'll just name it Baked Dory à la Troy. After baking, it turned out really good! Not bad.

Layers include lemon, dory, spaghetti sauce, cheese

I think I used more than enough spaghetti sauce for this. Forgive me, I only used all what was left. I would really like to say that the end result was pretty great! The combination of the flavours: the lemon, the tomato, and the cheese, how heavenly. When you take a bite, you can taste the sweetness of the Pinoy Style spaghetti sauce, and the sourness of the lemon, sandwiching the very soft, and moist fish. I never thought that it would be so yummy! If you are desperate to make Chicken Parmigiana but don't have every ingredients, you can make this alternative.

What you need: (good for 1)

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 fillet of dory (or any white fish)

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (or your favourite tomato sauce. I used 1 cup of sauce and it's more than enough)

grated cheese (cheddar and parmesan)

salt and pepper

a dash of oregano

parsley (for garnish)

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 

2. Slice half of the lemon into 3 circular shapes and line it up in a baking dish. Reserve the end of the lemon for later.

3. Add the garlic to the baking dish.

4. Season the fish with salt and pepper (I added chili flakes for an extra kick). Place it on top of the lemon and garlic. Squeeze in the remaining end of the lemon over the fish.

5. Add the spaghetti sauce, or your favourite tomato sauce over the fish. Add a dash of oregano.

6. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil on top of the cheese.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese browns.

8. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Note: You can make your dory crispy! I think it would be closer to the experience of Chicken Parmigiana. First, pat dry your fish. Dredge it with flour with salt and pepper. Dip in a beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs (with cheese if you like, yum!). Pan fry the fish for 4-5minutes per side on medium-high heat, using cooking oil until golden brown. Then proceed to step 2.

Enjoy your improvised Chicken Parmigiana! Baked Dory à la Troy!

Creamy Baked Chicken

Some time this month, my sister asked me if I can cook for her barkada's little Christmas get-together lunch here. She specifically requested a recipe with wine in it. I searched the net for some inspirations on easy recipes with wine. I stumbled upon a recipe (sorry, I forgot where I got it) that is very easy. Although what I did was not really from the website, I'm not claiming this recipe to be entirely mine (maybe 40% mine?).

However, their little get-together didn't push through. I made this recipe for my friends last night. Their general comment was the meat was tender, moist and very cheesy (in a good way I think). This is a very easy recipe that you can do anytime.

7-9 pcs chicken breast fillets
1 can cream of chicken
1/4 dry white wine
1 can button mushrooms
1 onion
herbs and spices (I used rosemary, thyme, tarragon, and paprika)
grated Parmesan Cheese

Gruyère/Swiss Cheese, sliced

flour

salt and pepper
eggs
bread crumbs


1. Pre heat oven to 350F

2. On 3 bowls, mix together: a) flour, salt, pepper, paprika, b) beaten eggs, c) breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, herbs

3. Pat dry the chicken breast fillets using paper towels. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture completely tapping off the excess. Dip the chicken in the eggs and roll it in the breadcrumb mixture covering it completely.

4. Fry the chicken breast fillets on a frying pan until half cooked (4-5 minutes per side). After frying, place the chicken in an oven safe dish.

5. Sauté the  onion until tender. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms. Continue sautéing until the onions are caramelized. Place the mushroom and the onions on top of the chicken.

6. Thinly slice the Gruyère and top it on the mushroom and onions.

7. Mix together the cream of chicken and 1/4 cup dry white wine until smooth. Spoon it over the chicken.

8. Cover the oven dish with foil and bake it for 30-40 minutes.

9. Serve. Bon appétit!