Smoked Salmon with Cream

Doesn't that sound good?


This continues my series of recipes from my most recent cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education, Vive la Bretagne. If you're looking for a refined appetizer or even a small meal for your next dinner, this is a winner. As if smoked salmon wasn't delicious enough--here, the salmon is stuffed with an herbed whipped cream made from crème fraiche, and garnished with marinated fennel and shallot confit.

Not too shabby on the whole.

The Recipe:


6 slices of smoked salmon
3 regular-sized fennel bulbs
8 ounces lemon juice
6 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup ruby Port
1 thyme sprig
1 tsp sugar
1 quart crème fraiche
Chives
1 tsp cider vinegar
Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

First, wash and clean the fennel. Chop off the leaves just up to the bulb and remove the roots. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel bulbs very thinly (width-wise) so that you have thin slices. Layer the fennel slices along the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Stir the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over the fennel in the pan. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, to marinate.

To make the shallot confit, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the Port, wine, thyme, sugar, and shallots--cut in 1/4" thick slices--in a small gratin dish. Cover with foil and bake for an hour, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Let cool to room temperature, and discard the thyme sprig.

Now, for the pièce de resistance--the salmon with cream. Whisk the crème fraiche as you would whisk whipping cream, until it forms soft peaks. Then add the salt, cayenne pepper, chives, vinegar, and half of the shallot confit.

Now for the tricky part: presentation. This is my way of plating the dish, but don't hesitate to be creative with your presentation. To fill the salmon slices with the cream, take a paper cup and cut off the topmost ring to use as a mold. Place the ring on the plate and drape salmon slices over the edges, so that they touch the plate but will be able to be folded over. Then, put the cream in the center of the ring of salmon, and fold the pieces over. Remove the ring. Place a few slices of the marinated fennel on the side, and garnish with additional shallot confit. Garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon rind curls.

Vive la Bretagne : ICE Revisited

As some of you may remember, I had the pleasure of taking my very first cooking class this past Fall. Ever since attending "Elegant Autumn Desserts" with Chef Vicki Wells at the Institute for Culinary Education in downtown Manhattan, I'd been aching to go back and try my hand on some other delicacies.

The Institute for Culinary Education is located on 23rd street between 5th and 6th avenue, and offers a full range of recreational cooking classes for those interested in cooking, baking, wine and bar-tending, and cheese.

This time around--motivated by the gift of two cooking classes of my choice for Christmas--I decided to opt for a cooking class as opposed to a baking class. People always ask me what I prefer--cooking or baking. I'd have to say that I prefer baking, because it just comes to me more naturally. There seems to me that there is less room for error, and who could say no to working with ingredients like cream, chocolate, and sugar? I do enjoy cooking though, even though it does not come as easily to me.

This time around, I chose Vive la Bretagne, a celebration of tradition Bréton cuisine. The class was taught by Chef Hervé Riou who is an ambassador of Breton cuisine in the United States, representing the Union Culinaire Bretonne. My motivations for taking this particular class were twofold: first, my family originates from Brittany, the northwestern peninsula of France that projects into the Atlantic Ocean, and, second, I was looking to acquire some tricksy cooking skills.

The class was limited to 20 people and was spread over four hours on a Monday morning. The price was reasonable, considering the time in the kitchen, the price of the materials, and the fact that you got to take bags of goodies home. (I have what must amount to three rabbits in my fridge.)

Within our four hours we made Salade de Roscoff (salad of warm seasonal vegetables in an herb vinaigrette), Timbale de saumon aux herbes et fenouil marinée (smoked salmon served with marinated fennel in lemon and creme fouette with shallots confit), Soupe de poisson cotriade (traditional fish soup), Medaillons de veau à la mode d'Iffiniac (sautéed veal medaillons with Muscadet, onion and grated cheese), Coquille St Jacques à la Concarnoise (pan-seared scallops served with a ragout of chanterelles or wild mushrooms and a vermouth reduction), Lapin sauté aux herbes de Bretagnes (rabbit braised with mushroom shallots parsley and a white wine-herb infusion), Flan de St Enogat (flan with marc of cider and apples or pears caramalized), and Traou Mad (traditional butter cake).

Each one was relatively simple to make, and came out looking and tasting divine. Each used tools and ingredients that are easily available and that shouldn't be too much of a drain on the budget.

Look for each recipe as I remake them in the confines of my home kitchen in the next few weeks!

Restaurant Review : Eataly

If you've been keeping up with my Halloween countdown and array of ghostly goodies, you can only imagine how exhausted I was by the end of the month of October. This past week, I have been detoxing with a lot of sleep and a lot of vegetable broth and water. Ok, I'm exaggerating--I have been eating, but I've been slowed down quite a bit.

So, when my friend Lucy contacted me and asked me if I would be available for dinner, I jumped at the opportunity to eat something delicious and healthy that I did not have to cook myself.

We both work in downtown Manhattan, and decided upon the popular and iconic Eataly, located at 200 5th Avenue on 23rd Street, right across from the Flatiron building and on the same block as the Institute for Culinary Education. When I attended my cooking class at ICE, a woman in the class urged me to visit Eataly: "You're right across the street," she said. "It would be a terrible shame to miss it!" That day, as I emerged sleep-deprived and laden with baked goods, I lacked the enthusiasm to go, but this was the perfect opportunity to have a catch up with a friend over dinner and see what all the fuss was about.

Eataly is so much more than a restaurant: it's a market selling meat, fish, cheese, pasta, bread, sweets, beer, coffee, vegetables, and olive oil (to name a few), and a collection of specialized restaurants each serving a different array of meticulously-prepared foods.

As the Eataly website describes, the founder of Eataly Oscar Farinetti wanted to "make high‐quality Italian foods available to everyone, at fair prices and in an environment where people can shop, eat and learn." His partners, the award-winning Mario Batali and Lidia and Joe Bastianich, have collaborated to create a true dining experience that transports you from the heart of Manhattan to the bustle of an Italian marketplace and piazza.

Lucy and I decided to eat at the fish restaurant, Il Pesce. We got seats at the bar that overlooks the kitchen, and each enjoyed our choice of delicious and not-too-pricey seafood. I had the Spiendino di Polpo, a skewer of octopus, fingerling potatoes, and cipollini onions with a fresh lemon taste and a side of crimson beets. Lucy had Mantis Shrimp served in a delicate green pesto with a side of brocoli raab. The quality and presentation of the food was superb, and the flavors welcome and unexpected. Though we had thought of going to the gelateria afterwards for dessert, we were both too full, and instead decided to check out the Caffe Lavazza, which serves coffee, tea, beer, and aperitifs. I had a cold and generous espresso served with Amaretto, and Lucy enjoyed a hot chocolate that was like liquid happiness. All in all, it was a meal worth waiting for.

There are a variety of restaurants and food counters at Eataly, each serving a specialty for--what I would call--fair prices:

Manzo: The most formal dining experience at Eataly, serving a dizzying array of meats, and both modern and traditional Piedmontese beef dishes.
Birreria: A rooftop restaurant and brewery, serving beers brewed on premises with a fantastic view of the New York skyline. Make sure you get there early to avoid a waitist!
La Piazza: A vibrant and bustling (also, standing) eatery serving wine, charcuterie, and cheeses, from Salumi & Formaggi like Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele from Salumeria Rosi and prosciutto cotto from Parmacotto.
Il Pesce: A fish restaurant with a wide choice of whole fish, shrimp, soups, oysters, and daily specialties from chef, Dave Pasternack. Sit at the bar to get a close-up view of the kitchen and to watch your food being cooked.
Le Verdure: A restaurant for those who appreciate a simple harvest, with plates of colorful seasonal vegetables.
La Pizza & Pasta: The Italian classic, refined.
Lavazza Caffe: A stunning coffee bar serving a wide selection of high-quality and inexpensive (compared to most coffee in New York) coffee concoctions, served with or without alcohol.

In addition to these above restaurants, you can take a look at the take-home and to-go options at Caffe Vergnano, the Pasticceria and Gelateria, Venchi Cioccolato, La Pizza & La Pasta to go, the Rosticceria, and the Paninoteca.

Photo courtesy of Mario Batali's website.

Prepared...at Home: California Roll

I think that it's safe to assume that most people would not be comfortable with the idea of making sushi at home. Sushi is one of those foods that holds a certain mystique: it's almost universally liked, comes in infinite varieties, and involves a certain ritual of preparation and eating. Sushi is something that you go out for, as opposed to staying in for.

Last year, I was at a used book sale, where I stumbled across a sushi cookbook for a laughably low price. I bought it, thinking, "How much can I lose?" and got reading.

A few days later, I made my sushi attempt with Alex assisting me. We washed and prepared the rice, making sure to cook and prepare it carefully, before slicing all the ingredients for California Rolls: avocado, cucumber, and imitation crab meat. Then, very, very carefully, we assembled, rolled, and sliced our rolls before digging in with a great deal of satisfaction and pride.

Recently, I purchased some inexpensive sushi making tools from my grocery store; I bought a combination paddle and bamboo mat set and then a fresh pack of nori (seaweed) sheets. Last time, in lieu of a bamboo mat, I had used my placemats wrapped in plastic to roll my sushi (too industrious for words, I know), so I was very excited to have a real mat.

Tonight, I tried again. I once again made the simple California Roll, but this time using my new tools. It all worked out really well, and I had five whopping sushi rolls to show for my efforts.



The Recipe:

Sushi Rice:

2 cups short grain sushi rice

2 cups water, in addition to water for draining

2 tbsps rice vinegar

2 tbsps salt

2 tbsps sugar


Before beginning, you will need to rinse your rice. Put it into a large bowl and cover it with cool water. Swirl the bowl around and pour the water out. Repeat rinsing and swirling until the water is clear.

Put 2 cups water into a medium saucepan. Add the rice and bring to a boil, then put on lowest heat setting. Cook covered and undisturbed for 15-20 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, salt, and sugar and heat them in a small saucepan so that they combine. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice, folding in with a paddle or large wooden spoon so that all the grains are coated. Let sit until room temperature.

To make the California Roll:

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced

1 small cucumber, sliced into long thin slices

1 pack imitation crab meat sticks

1 pack nori sheets

sushi rice from above

Cover your bamboo mat with plastic wrap and place a nori sheet shiny side down. With the paddle, take a heap of rice (about 1/2 cup) and place it in the center of the sheet. Then, using the paddle, spread it out up to the edges of the sheet (like buttering toast). Then, near the edge closest to you, place a piece of cucumber, avocado, and crab meat in a row. Then, pick up the mat side closest to you and flip it over quickly to roll the sushi in a tight cylinder. keep rolling and collecting the mat in your hand until the roll is complete.

Slice your rolls with a very sharp knife, and serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger!

Scandanavian Smoked Fish Quiche

With a removable-bottom quiche pan comes great enthusiasm.

Last Monday, my mom and I made a pilgrimage to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to purchase some additions to our meager collection of cooking supplies at home. Two hours and a great deal of excitement later, we came home with 3 non-slip mixing bowls, a block of knives, and a removable-bottom quiche pan.

Over the summer, I had spent a great deal of time in Boston where Alex was living and working for the summer. On the days when I was there and he had to work, I amused myself by exploring the Boston and Cambridge areas. One of my favourite places to visit was a shop in Harvard Square (also with a location on Beacon Street) called Black Ink. The shop is a treasure trove for all kinds of kooky, fun, clever, and generally unnecessary things that you just have to have. The two things that I purchased there over the summer were both unnecessary, but at least practical--a Not for Tourists Guide to New York City, and a Nordic Bakery Cookbook filled with scrumptious recipes for novel foods. A book with a passage that reads, "This recipe is traditionally made with reindeer meat, but as reindeer meat is not widely available, we have replaced it with bacon" (LMAO).

There are at least six recipes in the book that required this fabled quiche pan, and I wanted to make them. All of them.

The first one I am attempting is a Smoked Fish Tart with leeks and cheese.



The Recipe:

13 tbsps unsalted butter

3 1/2 tbsps sour cream

1 cup flour (the recipe calls for all-purpose, but I made it with whole wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

***

1 tbsp canola oil

2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced

3 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

small handfull of dill

7 oz smoked / cooked fish of any kind (I used cod)

sea salt and pepper

***
For the crust:

Cream the butter and sour cream in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Roll the dough into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is better!).

For the quiche:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you are using fresh fish instead of smoked, cook it at 450 degrees (8 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness).

Start to prepare the filling. Heat a skillet with the oil and add your leeks. Cook them on medium-low for about five minutes or until they become slightly soft.

If you are a first-time-leek-cooker like me, here is how to prepare a leek:

Feel the outside skin of the leek and cut off the leaves where they start to feel tough. If the portion attached to the white part feels tough cut it until you have the white part and a bit of the light green part left. Cut off the roots and cut the leek lengthwise. Then slice into thin slices. Rinsing leeks is important, but is also a pain. Put your leek slices in a collander, and rinse them thoroughly to get the dirt and sand out from between the thin layers.

While your leeks are cooking, prepare the other filling. Combine the eggs, milk, dill, and cheese and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

Here comes the slightly tricky part: you will need to roll out the dough and then place it into the tart pan. My dough was very hard to handle because it became soft very quickly after being taken out of the fridge, which made it impossible to roll and move. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it immediately even if it seems stiff. If you worry about making it into the pan, take the removable bottom of the pan and roll on top of it, before popping it into the rim of the pan. Do this step quickly to avoid a mess / having to re-chill the dough.

Once it is in the pan, press it to the sides and bottom and remove excess dough from the top.

Put the leeks in the crust, as well as the fish. Then pour in the wet mixture. Make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Place in the oven (preferably on a cookie sheet to avoid mess) and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is brown.

Serve wam or cold.

***

Check out Black Ink at their website: http://blackinkboston.squarespace.com/

Buy the book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Bakery-Cookbook-Miisa-Mink/dp/1849750963/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316533222&sr=1-1