Bechamel Sauce

One of the mother sauces, this is a great addition to any vegetable dish, meat dish, or even pasta if you want it. It is a good white sauce that compliments many dishes.

Ingredients:
              1 gallon milk
              1 onion, piquet
              6 ounces clarified butter
              6 ounces flour, sifted
              Salt to taste
              Black pepper to taste
              1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Gather all ingredients and equipment

2. In a saucepan, heat the milk with the onion piquet and simmer for 10 minutes

3. In another saucepan heat the clarified butter

4. Gradually add the flour to the butter to make a roux. Using a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly, and cook it approximately 5 to 6 minutes to make a white roux. Remove from the heat and cool slightly

5. Remove the onion piquet from the milk

6. Temper the milk into the roux by gradually adding the hot milk, whisking constantly. Heat to a boil; reduce to a simmer

7. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Cauliflower and Broccoli au Gratin

This is a great side dish for any broccoli/cauliflower fans. The sauce holds the vegetables together and makes for a delicious taste, especially with the bread crumb topping.

Ingredients:
              1 1/2 pounds broccoli, washed, trimmed, stems peeled
              1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, washed, trimmed, stems peeled
              20 ounces Bechamal sauce
              1 1/2 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
              1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
              1 1/2 ounces heavy cream
              Salt to taste
              Black pepper to taste
              4 ounces melted butter
              4 ounces bread crumbs
              4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

1. Gather all ingredients and equipment

2. Preheat oven to 350

3. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets and cut the stems on a bias. Place in a perforated hotel pan until crisp/tender, about 6 minutes. Shock in an ice bath, strain and set aside

4. In a saucepan, make a mornay sauce by combining the bechamal, gruyere, parmesan, and heavy cream. Bring the mornay to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until cheeses have melted and sauce is smooth, stirring constantly. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed

5. Place the steamed broccoli and cauliflower in a hotel pan. Place the mornay sauce over the vegetables

6. Place in oven and heat throughout

7. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, and cheddar and sprinkle this mixture over the broccoli and cauliflower

8. Place under a salamander to brown

9. Serve immediately

Sauce Chasseur

This sauce is a very heavy sauce that works well with meat dishes and has a great assortment of spices and herbs to give it a perfect taste to compliment many dishes.

Ingredients:
              Clarified butter as needed
              2 ounces shallots peeled, diced brunoise
              4 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch
              4 ounces dry white wine, reduced
              2 tablespoons fresh parsley, stemmed, chopped
              1/2 teaspoon dry chervil leaves
              1/2 teaspoon dry tarragon leaves
              1 1/2 pint demi-glace
              4 ounces tomato or concasse
              Salt to taste
              Black pepper to taste

1. Gather all ingredients and equipment

2.  Heat a small amount of butter in saute pan, and saute shallots and mushrooms until softened

3. Add the wine and reduce the mixture by half

4. Add the herbs to the reduction with the demi-glace and tomato sauce. Heat to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer until quality factors of sauce are achieved. Depouille.

picture from recettes.aujourdhui.com 

Beef Tournedos Chasseur

This is a great dish that taste delicious. When finished it has a great appearance to it that just makes you want to devour it and go back for seconds.

Ingredients:
              4 pounds beef tenderloin, peeled
              Clarified butter, as needed
              Salt to taste
              Black pepper to taste
              20 large mushroom caps, fluted
              20 croutons, round, seasoned, brushed with butter, toasted
              16 ounces Sauce chasseur

1. Gather all ingredients and equipment

2. Cut the tenderloin into 3 ounce medallions, allowing 2 per portion

3. Saute the medallions in clarified butter until minimum temperature of 145 degrees F. Season with salt and pepper

4. Saute the mushroom caps in clarified butter and season to taste with salt and pepper

5. Per portion: Place two medallions on two croutons and nappe with sauce chasseur

6. Garnish with two mushroom caps and serve immediately

Polenta with Tomato and Fontina Cheese

This dish is a great side dish for any meal. The polenta taste amazing and is topped with a delicious tomato cheese topping that ties the flavors together.

Ingredients:
              2 quarts white chicken stock
              Salt to taste
              Black pepper to taste
              8 ounces butter
              24 ounces corn meal
              2 cups tomato concasse
              1 1/2 ounces olive oil
              1/2 ounce Parsley, washed, stemmed, squeezed dry, chopped
              4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
              6-8 ounces heavy cream (optional) (our picture is with using heavy cream)

1. Gather all ingredients and equipment

2. Preheat oven to 350

3. In a saucepan, combine the stock, salt, pepper and butter. Heat to a boil

4. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the boiling stock, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until polenta is very thick. Stir constantly to prevent the bottom from sticking

5. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Spread the cooked polenta onto a plastic-or parchment lined sheet pan, 1/2-3/4 thick. Cool to 40 degrees or lower. When totally cooled, cut into desired shapes for service.

6. Combine tomato concasse, olive oil and parsley; season to taste with the salt and pepper

7. For service , arrange the polenta pieces on parchment-lined trays, and sprinkle with fontina. Top each with a bit of the seasoned concasse , and place in the oven. Bake until the polenta reaches 165 or is hot throughout. Hold briefly at 136 or higher.

Chef’s Notes:
• If shapes are not wanted, pour seasoned, cooled polenta into a greased 1⁄2 hotel pan, top with cheese and bake until brown.
• Tomato can be used as a garnish.
• Heavy cream can be added with the stock. 

Veal Roulades with Lobster and Parsley-Dill Sauce

This is a perfect combination of meat and seafood. They compliment each other perfectly and are tied together with an amazing savory parlsey-dill sauce that finishes the dish off just right.

Ingredients:
              1 large eggplant, washed, trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/6 inch slices
              Salt to taste
              10 (3 oz) Veal cutlets pounded thin (the picture of this recipe, we used twice the veal cutlets)
              Black pepper to taste
              Salt to taste
              4 ounces clarified butter
              4 ounces vegetable oil
              5 (6-7 oz) Lobster tails, raw, shell and vein removed, split lengthwise
              10 ounces spinach, washed, trimmed, sautéed
              10 ounces ham, cut batonnet
              8 ounces seasoned flour
              10 eggs, lightly beaten
              Bread crumbs as needed
Parsley-Dill Sauce Ingredients
              1 quart white veal sauce
              3 ounces lemon juice
              3 ounces butter, cut into tiny pieces and softened
              1 teaspoon lemon zest
              1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, wash, dried, finely chopped
              1 tablespoon parsley washed, stemmed, squeeze dried, finely chopped

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.
   
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F (177 ̊C)

3. Line a sheet pan with 3 layers of absorbent paper. Lay out the eggplant slices in a single layer, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover with more absorbent paper. Let sit for about 20 minutes to release moisture.
   
   
4. Lay out the veal cutlets on a sheet pan, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cover, and store in the refrigerator at 40 ̊F (4 ̊C) or lower until needed.
   
   
5. Combine the clarified butter and oil to make a fortified butter.
   
   
6. In a sauté pan, heat a small amount of the fortified butter. Fry the eggplant slices until golden on
   each side. Remove, and set in the refrigerator to cool.
   
   
7. Meanwhile, wrap each half lobster tail with the blanched spinach leaves.
   
   
8. Place one slice of cooled eggplant on each veal cutlet, and then place one spinach-wrapped lobster tail on top of the eggplant. Lay two of the ham batonnets next to the lobster tail, and roll tightly into a roulade. Secure with a bamboo skewer.
   
   
9. Using the standard breading procedure, dredge the roulades in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg wash, and then coat with bread crumbs. Dip a second time in egg wash; recoat with bread crumbs.
   
   
10. Heat the remaining fortified butter in an appropriate sized pan; if there is not enough fortified but- ter to shallow-fry the roulades, add more. Shallow-fry the roulades, browning on all sides, taking care not to crowd the pan. Transfer to a 1⁄2 sheet pan.
    
    
11. Place in the preheated oven to finish cooking to an internal temperature of 145 ̊F to 150 ̊F (63 ̊C to 66 ̊C). Hold at 136 ̊F (58 ̊C) or higher.
    
    
12. While the roulades are cooking, prepare the parsley-dill sauce. Combine the veal stock and lemon juice in a small, non reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and reduce to approximately 1 1⁄2 cups (355 milliliters), until reaching a rich, intense flavor.
    
    
13. Meanwhile, combine the softened butter with the lemon zest, chopped dill, and parsley.
    
    
14. Whisk the butter, in batches, into the reduced stock/lemon mixture.
    
    
15. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
    
    
16. To serve, arrange one roulade, cut through the center on a bias if desired, on a preheated dinner plate with the sauce.
    

         

Sautéed Fish Fillets with Lemon Butter

If your  fish lover, this dish is easy delicious. It cooks the fish to perfection and the lemon butter sauce is  a perfect addition to give the fish a great taste.

Ingredients:
               10 (6 oz) fish fillets (sole, salmon, catfish, trout flounder)
               5 ounces lemon juice
               Salt to taste
               Pepper to taste
               Clarified butter as needed
               7 ounces sifted flour
               12 ounces whole butter, softened
               1 1/2 ounces parsley, stemmed, washed, squeezed dry, chopped

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.
    

2.  Lay fish in a single layer in a hotel pan

3. About 10 minutes before cooking, sprinkle the fish lightly with 2 ounces (60 milliliters) of the lemon juice (save the rest for the sauce). Turn each fillet over to coat both sides with the lemon juice, and then season with salt and pepper. 

4. Heat a thin layer of the clarified or fortified butter in a sauté pan.
        

5. Dredge the fish in flour, shaking off excess.
       

6. Lay the fish, presentation side down, into the hot fat, and sauté until brown. Carefully turn the fillets without breaking, and cook the second side until brown. The fish is done when it flakes easily under gentle pressure and the internal temperature is 145°F (63°C).
        

7. Carefully remove the fish with a slotted spatula, and hold at 136°F (58°C) until service.

8. To make the sauce, discard the cooking fat, and deglaze the pan with the rest of the lemon juice (3 ounces or 90 milliliters). Add the whole butter, and swirl pan to melt and emulsify the sauce. Remove pan from heat, add the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.   

9. To serve, place one fillet of fish onto a preheated dinner plate, and nappé with the lemon butter sauce. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Note:
Fish loses quality rapidly in a holding process. Try to cook the fish as close to service as possible.