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!

Mignon de Porc à L'Ail

Pork medallion with garlic, topped with wine-reduced caramelized shallots.

Last Saturday, I prepared a small dinner for my friend who is going to Germany next Tuesday. I invited him over to lend him some of my winter clothes. One of my friend, Jonathan, wanted to be my sous chef in cooking French cuisine, specifically a pork dish. I decided to try this recipe I stumbled upon a few weeks ago on the net. Apparently, it is one of the most popular dish in Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook.

Basically, this dish is baked pork tenderloin, wrapped in bacon. topped off with caramelized shallots, reduced in wine and dark chicken stock. Yuuum! I'm not much of a pork person, but I tell you, I really like this dish. Even my greatest food critique liked it! Although I think I made it a little dry (not very) and that's because I was unsure if the meat is cooked or not. I kept on removing and placing back the meat in the oven to check. I think the topping really made a difference. The sweetness of the caramelized shallots, infused it with reduction of the wine, and my semi-homemade dark chicken stock gave this dish a wonderful, wonderful flavour. Fantastico!

In order for you to make this, you need: (2-4 pax, depending on cut and appetite)

500 g pork tenderloin
4-5 bacon (enough to wrap the meat)
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled cloves
salt and pepper
thyme
3 tbsp butter
olive oil
4 shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup dark chicken stock* see below

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Season the unpeeled garlic cloves with salt, pepper and thyme. Wrap the in an aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes.

3. After 30 minutes, mash half of the garlic with fork and rub it on the pork tenderloin. Reserve the other half for later. Leave the oven on.

4. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Wrap with bacon strips and tie it with kitchen string.

5. On a hot pan (high heat), add oil and 1.5 tbsp butter. When the butter stops foaming, brown the meat on every side. When the meat is browned all over, place in a roasting dish and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the inside temperature reaches 160F. Discard the fat from the pan.

6. Remove the meat when done, and wrap in an aluminum foil to allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes.

7. Slice the shallots into a "boat", quartered and separate thin layers. Add the rest of the butter in a hot pan and caramelize the shallot, about 5-7 minutes. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Reduce until the mixture is dry (with glaze consistency). Lower the heat and add stock. Simmer until it reduces to half. Whisk in the remaining garlic and add a few more splashes of wine. Season to taste.

8. Cut the tenderloin into 0.5" - 1" slices, and pour over the topping.

9. Serve.


*To make dark chicken stock: (1cup)

bones of chicken, gizzard, chicken scraps
mirepoix (1 celery, 1 carrot, 1 onion)
2 cups water (or if you like, chicken broth)
aromatics (1 bay leaf, 1/8 tsp thyme, 2 parsley sprigs)

1. Brown the chicken and the vegetables in hot pan.

2. Discard the fat, and pour in water, mirepoix and aromatics, and simmer for 1-2 hrs or more. Strain, degrease, and the stock is ready for use)



Please do try this. Very yummy! Even my critiques like it! :D

Enjoy! Bon Appétit!

Boeuf Bourguignon

French Beef Stew in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushroom

Right from the oven.
(This may not look appetizing in my picture, but this is by far the most delicious beef stew I ever tasted.)

I finally have the guts to try what I think the most famous French beef stew, Boeuf Bourguignon. I first heard this dish on Julie and Julia some time ago. Towards the end of the movie, having a chance (Julie) to serve Julia Child a dish, she chose Boeuf Bourguignon. After watching, I really became curious on what this dish tastes like. Basically, it's beef stewed in red Burgundy wine and other aromatic flavors. Cooking this will take you around 4-5hrs, depending on the meat quality.

Following Julia Child's recipe (minus the bacon... I ran out of it), I was so nervous about the outcome halfway through. I tasted the stew before placing it in the oven and it was horrible. I was impatient to find out the end result, thinking that this will waste my time if not cooked properly. Praying that will turn out great, I trusted Julia's recipe, with a little hesitation. Besides, it's only halfway through. When the timer went off, I hurriedly took out the casserole and tasted it, and WOW! That's the best stew I ever had! Plus the fact that the beef is so tender. You can taste the flavor of the reduced Burgundy wine, the caramelized onions, and the beef in perfect harmony. Oh là là!!! It was perfect!

If you have the time to try cooking this dish, I swear, you got to do this one! Yes it's very long, not really tedious, but well worth it! You can use any good, dry red wine. Do not use the very expensive Burgundy wine. I used a younger Burgundy wine (read: cheaper than aged). You can use Pinot Noir if you have, or Boardeux, or any dry red wine of your choice. (Don't use sweet red wine)

(off topic: Today was a day of firsts for me. I met two kitchen-related accidents today while cooking this. Nothing serious, don't worry. First, while cutting some meat, I accidentally poked through my middle finger with the knife. It wasn't deep though, but very uncomfortable. Second was while getting the stew from the oven, my right arm accidentally touched the side wall of a 325F oven. Ouch! Don't get discouraged though. Every cook will encounter these small boo-boo's)

To make this awfully delicious Boeuf Bourguignon, you need the ff: (for 6 servings)

6 oz bacon, cut into 3-4 pcs per slice

3lbs (1.3kg) stewing beef cut into 2" cubes. (I used beef cubes from Monterey)

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

3 cups red Burgundy wine

2-3 cups beef stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

18-24 small white onions braised in stock* (I used sibuyas tagalog)

0.5 kg qtr fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter (I used canned mushrooms)

Parsley for garnish

for braising the small white onions, you need:

oil

butter

1/2 cup brown beef stock, white wine, red wine or water

salt and pepper to taste

herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme)

1. Sauté bacon in oil for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Preheat oven to 450F

3. Pat dry the beef (Very important to pat dry meats. It won't brown if not dry). On a very hot casserole, sauté the beef until brown on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Set aside with the bacon.

4. Using the same oil, brown the carrots and onions. When done, set aside. Discard the oil.

5. Return the beef and bacon into the casserole and toss with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat the beef lightly. Set the casserole uncovered in the oven for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, toss the meat around and return for another 4 minutes. Remove the casserole and cool down the oven to 325F.

6. Stir in the wine and beef stock until the meat is barely covered.  Add tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer on top of stove.  Cover the casserole and place it in the oven for 3-4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. (I basted the meat every hour to prevent it from burning/drying up. But it's not necessary, hence the burnt mark on my arm)

*7. While the beef is cooking, remove the skin of shallots. (You can remove the skin easily by having the onion dip in a boiling water for a few seconds one at a time) In a small to medium pan, when the butter is bubbling, sauté the onions in oil and butter for 10 minutes. Pour in the liquid and season to taste. Add the herbs. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside

8. Sauté mushrooms in butter and oil for 4-5 minutes.

9. When the meat is tender, pour the contents into a sieve over a saucepan. Return the beef and bacon in the casserole. Distribute the vegetables. onions and mushroom.

10. Skim most of the fat off the sauce. Simmer the sauce for a minute to skim off additional fat. If the sauce is too thin, boil rapidly until thick. If too thick, mix in a few tbsp of stock. Taste carefully. The sauce must be perfect after this. Pour the sauce over the meat.

11. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables. Decorate with parsley. Serve.

For later serving, wait until the stew cools. cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, simmer very slowly for 10 minutes.

Overall, it's pretty long cooking, but I assure you, it is really worth it! Just don't let anyone ruin this dish. I can't wait to do this for my lucky friends. 

Poulet Sauté à la Crème

Sautéed Chicken in Cream

Earlier this week, I cooked a beef recipe with creamy sauce in it for my friends and left an opened carton of heavy cream in the fridge. I'm so worried that it might end up unused and spoiled after this week, so I decided to cook another creamy viand for tonight. I browsed through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saw this simple recipe (with a lot of variation from the original recipe).

Basically it's just chicken with heavy cream sauce, with the addition of wine, onions and mushrooms. The moment you take a bite of this fine dish, you will feel the tenderness, the juiciness and the cheesiness of the chicken. Plus add the creaminess with a hint of wine of the sauce. Oh là là, le gastronome! It's very easy to do, very quick, and best if you're going to entertain guests in a hurry. I suggest this dish when you need  quick food for your hungry guests.

(Please note that I greatly varied my recipe from Julia Child's. Nevertheless, I'll give you mine)

What I did was (good for 4-6 people):

8 chicken breasts, pat dried
flour
salt and pepper
paprika*
dried tarragon
grated parmesan cheese*

1 can chopped mushrooms*
unsalted butter
cooking oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 red onion, minced


1. Combine on a plate the flour, salt and pepper, paprika, tarragon and grated parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly. After drying the chicken breasts, evenly coat it with the flour mixture.

1.a.**edit** Sauté the mushroom with oil and butter for around 4 minutes. Set aside <-- I forgot this step

2. On a hot casserole, combine cooking oil and around 2 tbsp butter. Add the chicken when the foam from the butter begins to subside. Sauté the chicken until golden brown (Actually, I fried the chickens until done). Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. Remove all but 3tbsp of fat from the casserole and deglaze with the wine. Reduce to 3tbsp. Add the heavy cream and boil until thick. Add the mushroom and continue to simmer for about 1 minute.

4. Remove from heat. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the hot liquid, stir and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice or noodles. Great with dry white wine.

Bon appétit!


The ingredients with (*) are not in the original recipe.

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!