Crispy-skin Duck Breast with Stewed Cherries

                                                   Portion: 6-8

Ingredients:

3 duck breasts
4 minced shallots 

2 T. olive oil 

1⁄4 C. balsamic vinegar 

1 T. honey 

1 bay leaf 

2 sprigs fresh tarragon or fresh basil 

Salt, pepper 

2 C. pitted, halved cherries

Procedure:

• Gently cook shallots covered in 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 10 minutes with no browning. 
• Add all other ingredients except for fresh herbs and simmer 5 minutes, then add tarragon at the end of cooking. 
• Be sure to test for a good balance of sweet and sour before serving. 
• Trim excess fat from duck breasts, slash the skin and place skin side down in hot pan, no oil if using non-stick pan. 
• Brown duck skin till crispy, draining fat from pan once or twice, about 10 minutes over medium heat. 
• Flip to sear bottom side one minute, salt skin only, then place in very slow oven, about 250 F, just long enough, about 10 minutes, to bring interior from bloody rare to pink, firm but juicy.    
• Salt bottom, rest 5 minutes as with a good steak, then serve with cherries. Sprinkle duck with “Fleur de sel” to accentuate the flavors.
• Serve with celery puree.
  
  

Wine Suggestions:

Young, deep reds, not too dry : Corbières, Minervois, Cotes-du-rhone, Saint-émilion, St-Chinian

This recipe tried and tested in the Morning Market class with Chef Brian this week.

Artichoke Veloute Creamy Truffle Oil

                                                        Portion 6

Ingredients:

6 artichokes

1 onion

left over white wine if you have

Cream

Black truffle oil

Salt, pepper, thyme , bay leaf

4 slices of bacon

Procedure:

• First, prepare the artichokes, cut the stem and clean up the leaves, keep only the heart.
• Cut them in four and take out the center ( the blond hair!).
• Chop the onio.
• In a deep frying pan sweat the onion then add the artichokes, the thyme and bay leaf.
• Deglaze with the wine then cover with water and turn the heat down, let it cook slowly with a lid on.
• Meanwhile whisk the cream add salt and pepper and a drizzle of truffle oil.
• When the artichokes are cooked, blend them with the cooking water
• Add a little of cream to have a creamy consistency.
• Chop the bacon in small pieces and sear them on a frying pan with no fat.
• On a deep plate pour the veloute, add the bacon and a scoop of truffle cream.
• Decorate with herbs and enjoy!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Tarte Bouquet De Framboises

8 Portion

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Ingredients:

Dough
250g flour (all purpose)
150g butter, room temperature
70g icing sugar (superfine sugar)
2 yolks
1 pinch of salt

Almond frangipane filling
125g butter, soft
1 pinch of salt
125g icing sugar (superfine sugar)
125g eggs
125g almond flour
50g flour
1tbsp vanilla extract

Framboises (raspberries)
400g fresh raspberries
100g seedless raspberry jam
icing sugar
pistachios chunks

Procedure:

Dough  (pate sucree)
In a standup mixer, cream butter, icing sugar and salt until light and fluffy, add eggs and keep mixing, finally add flour. Mix until well combined, then rap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
Frangipane filling
15 minutes before rolling the dough mix all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer in a piping bag and refrigerate if kitchen is too hot or you're late with the dough preparation/rolling.
Raspberries
Make a paper cornet and fill the raspberries, set aside.

Baking
Roll the dough to 4mm thickness and line a 26cm tart pan, fill with frangipane and bake for 35' at 170C. Let rest 5 minutes then arrange the filled berries, sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with pistachio chunks or mint leaves.

Variation: on top of the frangipane pipe a think layer of vanilla pastry cream, it will help glueing the berries in place and adds another flavour to the tart.

 

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Learn this and more recipes in the Advanced French Desserts class with Cookn With Class.

Ile Flottante (Floating Island)

                                                        Portion 6

Ingredients:

180g egg white

80g sugar

100g sugar

25g water

200g nuts (any kind)

10g butter

salt

 

Procedure:

• First, whip the egg white slow speed and add the sugar little by little until the eggs are raise.
• In a large sauce pan cook the syrup  - sugar and water together and bring to boil until the bubbles get bigger. Add the nuts, stir and then add the butter and the salt , stir until it gets brown and starts to smell nice. Store on parchment paper with oil so it doesn’t  stick.
• Take the whipped egg white and spread them in  a mould that you have brushed with oil. Bake 3 min a 300 f ( 280c)
• Serve this with a crème anglaise (see recipe below) and the caramelized nuts.

Recipe for Creme Anglaise:

Ingredients:

250 ml milk and 250 ml cream - mixed together

75 grams sugar 

1/2 vanilla pod 

4 egg yolks

Procedure:

• Cut the pod in half and scrape the vanilla out and put it in the cream (pod and all). 
• Add the sugar to the cream and heat to just under the boil. Slowly add the hot cream to the egg yolks while whisking to temper. 
• Then mix all ingredients together back on the stove. On medium heat cook while moving constantly with a spatula until it gets to 180 degrees or nice and thick.
  Cool down in the fridge with contact film until cold (3 hours), then it’s ready. 

 

Vacherin aux fruits

Ingredients:

Yield 10

For Vacherin cup (Conticini):

75 g Egg Whites

75 g Sugar

75 g Powdered Sugar

2 pinches salt

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Whipped Cream

Ice-cream

Strawberries or Raspberries

Procedure:

Make stiff peak Meringue with regular sugar and egg whites, plus the salt.

Fold in the powdered sugar.

Pipe to a hallow shape and dry in the oven at 200 F / 95 C until completely dry.

Fill with Vanilla Ice Cream, and garnish with Chantilly and strawberries or raspberries.

It’s the best summer Dessert made in the Market Class with Chef Alex !

Trout with Almonds

                                                       4 Portions

Ingredients:

4 Filets of Trout (De-Boned and skinned)

200 grams Sliced Almonds

400 grams Fresh Green Beans

1 stick of butter

1 lemon

2 Shallots

Salt / Pepper

Procedure:

• Cut the fish filets in 2 pieces and reserve. In a large pot, bring 3 quarts and 3⁄4 of a cup of salt to a rolling boil. Cut the top and bottom off the green bean and cut in 2 pieces.
• Add the beans to the boiling water and cook for about 3-4 mins. Checking by eating one or two in the cooking process. After about 4 mins they should be softer but still have some form and not mushy. Remove and put into cold icy water.
• When cool, drain and reserve on a plate with paper towels. Peel and small dice the shallots. Juice the Lemon.
• In a large wide pan, preferably cast iron or non- stick, heat over a medium heat. Season and add the filets to the oil (Skin side down) keeping a bit of pressure on the filets for the first 5 seconds.
• Cook only on one side until skin is crispy, (5-8 mins) then flip and immediately remove from the pan.
• Drain the oil out and add the stick of butter. Cook until foamy and brown (Beurre Noisette). Then add the shallots and almonds and cook for 1 min.
• Add the Green beans and cook for 2 mins. Then finish with the lemon juice and serve with the filets.  

Zucchini provencal stuffed with Beefsteak tomatoes and fresh basil

Courtesy of Chef Brian Defehr

Ingredients:

6 Round zucchini 

3 Beefsteak tomatoes 

2 large onions 

1 clove garlic, 

minced 10 sprigs fresh basil 

Salt and pepper 

Optional fresh goat cheese, 

pine nuts

Procedure:

Hollow out zucchini, dice and reserve the pieces you've just removed. 

Fine-dice onions, and soften over medium heat in a wide saucepan moistened with olive oil, about 10 minutes.

Add zucchini bits, garlic, and saute over medium heat 5 minutes. Dice tomatoes, draining excess seeds or water, and add, simmering till mixture has thickened. Optionally add 1⁄2 C grated parmesan to increase thickening if veggie mix remains runny after 10 minutes simmering. Chop basil and add. Salt to taste and stuff hollowed-out zucchini.

Optionally enhance flavor with dry hot pepper or mix with leftover rice before stuffing. 

Another option is topping with fresh goat cheese, crumbled, before baking.

Bake at 375 F, 180 C, 20-30 minutes, depending on size.