Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens (24 page)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chervil

Sea salt, to taste

Ground white pepper, to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium to high heat and add the vinegar, water, shallot, tarragon, and black peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half. Strain out all of the solids and allow your reduced vinegar to cool slightly.

2
While this mixture is cooling, add about 1½ cups of water back into the 1-quart saucepot and put it over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks while slowly drizzling in the vinegar. Put the bowl over the pot of water and continue whisking while the mixture becomes light and fluffy. If the water begins to boil, turn down the heat; you only want a light simmer.

3
Slowly whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, continuously whisking until each cube is completely incorporated. Whisk in the herbs and season to taste with salt, white pepper, and cayenne. Serve warm.

Finger-Licking Chipotle Aioli

Yields 1½cups

This aioli will compliment any meat, but it is especially wonderful on thinly sliced venison in all its gamey glory.

2 pasteurized egg yolks

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chipotle, minced

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

Sea salt, to taste

1
Place a medium size bowl on top of a damp dishtowel. (This will keep the bowl from rolling around while you whisk.) Put the egg yolks, vinegar, and garlic into the bowl and whisk to combine.

2
While whisking vigorously with one hand, slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the other hand. If you add the oil too quickly, it won't emulsify (blend) with the yolks—so add the oil slowly. When properly emulsified, the sauce should be thick like mayonnaise. If yours seems too thin, simply continue whisking and drizzling in more oil until it thickens.

3
Fold in the chipotle and adobo, and season to taste with salt.

Stinky Cheese Crab Sauce

Yields 3 cups

Everyone should try this quick and easy sauce on a juicy steak, and those with a true love of stinky cheese can omit the crab and use this sauce on anything! Or start with, My Personal Wellington recipe (p. 126), but stop at the end of step 1. Once the steak is crispy on all sides, allow it to rest for 5 minutes (to let the juices inside settle down so they don't come pouring out when your guest cuts into their steak), and pile the cheesy crab sauce on top. Alternatively, serve it with steamed vegetables (p. 168), drizzle it over your Seafood Risotto (p. 160), or put a bowl of it next to a crusty baguette for a delicious bread dip.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup very small diced yellow onion

1 garlic clove, mashed

Sea salt, to taste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1 fresh bay leaf or substitute 1 dry

8 ounces Taleggio cheese, rind removed

8 ounces select crabmeat

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1
Melt the butter in your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic clove, sautéing them until they become soft. Season lightly with salt. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and allow it to cook slowly for 8 minutes, whisking often. Slowly drizzle in the milk while whisking constantly to keep the sauce from being lumpy, and add the bay leaf. Allow this mixture to simmer, whisking often, until it becomes thick and smooth, about 10 minutes.

2
Remove from the heat and add the Taleggio and crab. Stir until the cheese is melted, and remove the bay leaf and garlic clove. Season to taste with sea salt and a pinch of cayenne. Serve warm.

Duck Hollandaise Sauce

Yields 1 cup

This recipe calls for duck fat, which most specialty markets carry in the freezer section, but you can also order it from your butcher. Because the melted duck fat is pure golden fat, void of the milk solids present in melted butter, this hollandaise whisks up clean and easy.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

6 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 egg yolks

½ cup duck fat, melted in the microwave

Sea salt, to taste

Ground white pepper, to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium to high heat and add the vinegar, water, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half. Strain out all of the solids and allow your reduced vinegar to cool slightly.

2
While this mixture is cooling, add about 1½ cups of water back into the 1-quart saucepot and put it over low heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks while slowly drizzling in the vinegar. Put the bowl over the pot of water and continue whisking. If the water begins to boil, turn down the heat; you only want a light simmer.

3
Slowly drizzle in the melted duck fat, continuously whisking until all the fat is completely incorporated. Season to taste with salt, white pepper, and cayenne. Serve warm with roasted potatoes or the Asparagus Salad (p. 92).

Champagne Velouté Sauce

Yields 2 cups

I paired this sauce with wild striped bass on one of my very first menus. I was so proud of the dish I served it to my father while he was entertaining business associates in my restaurant. Use a sparkling wine you enjoy drinking, because this recipe only needs two cups—you get to drink the rest!

2 cups Champagne

½ cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons half-and-half

Sea salt, to taste

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch ground ginger

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over high heat and add the Champagne and chicken broth. Simmer them together until the mixture has reduced slightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer the liquid to a heat-resistant container to hold for a few minutes.

Rinse the pot, put it back on medium heat and melt the butter. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and allow it to cook slowly for 8 minutes, whisking often. Slowly drizzle in the reduced Champagne while whisking constantly to keep the sauce from becoming lumpy. Then add the half-and-half. Allow this mixture to simmer, whisking often, until it becomes thick, yet light and creamy. Season to taste with sea salt, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Serve warm drizzled over any white meat, but especially white flaky fish.

Artichoke Mousseline Sauce

Yields 1 cup

The ingredient of whipped cream helps to stabilize this sauce, so you'll have no worries about messing it up! Pair it with the Snake-Charmin' Moroccan Lamb Chops (page 130), for a gourmet taste sensation.

2 egg yolks

1 lemon juiced

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup chopped canned artichoke hearts

6 tablespoons heavy cream

Sea salt, to taste

Ground white pepper, to taste

1
Add about 1½ cups of water into your 1-quart saucepot, and put it over medium heat. Place a medium bowl on top of the pot of water, and whisk the egg yolks while slowly drizzling in half of the lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously until the mixture is very thick and fluffy. If the water begins to boil, turn down the heat; you only want a light simmer.

2
Slowly whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, continuously whisking until each cube is completely incorporated. Using a heat-resistant spatula, fold in the artichoke. Clean and dry your whisk and then in another bowl, whisk the heavy cream until it will stand up on the edge of your whisk. Using the spatula, carefully fold the whipped cream into the artichoke mixture.

3
Season the sauce to taste with the rest of the lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Serve warm.

Chefology

MOUSSELINE (pronounced moos-LEEN)
Any sauce that uses whipped cream or beaten eggs to give it a light and airy consistency.

Espagnole Sauce

Yields 3 cups

Espagnole, the classic French brown sauce, is perfect for any red meat, especially wild game. This recipe calls for veal stock, but feel free to substitute beef stock, particularly if you already have some in your crappy little pantry.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups veal or beef stock

1 thin white sock, new

2 parsley stems

2 thyme stems

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 fresh bay leaf, or substitute 1 dried

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium to high heat, and add the butter and vegetable oil. When the butter has completely melted into the oil, add the shallot, carrot, and celery, stirring them once to allow them to coat with oil and butter. Now allow them to brown, by only stirring once every few minutes.

2
When the vegetables are a golden brown, turn the heat down to medium and add the tomato paste. Whisk constantly until all the tomato is evenly dispersed, and then do the same with the flour. Cook this roux for 8 minutes, stirring constantly until it turns a rich brown color.

3
While stirring vigorously, drizzle in the veal stock. Allow this to come up to a simmer. Put the parsley, thyme, garlic clove, black pepper, and bay leaf into the white sock, and tie the top tightly. This is called a sachet. Add it to the sauce.

4
Simmer for about 30 minutes and skim off any foam that forms. Remove and discard the sachet. Strain the sauce, and taste for salt or black pepper.

Charred Tomato
Red Wine Demi Sauce

Yields 4 cups

Don't think it's a cop-out to buy prepared demi glace for this recipe. A proper demi glace takes hours to cook to the right consistency at home. Demi glace is available in the freezer section at specialty markets and makes this recipe a cinch to prepare.

6 Roma tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on tomatoes

cup thinly sliced shallots

3 garlic cloves, sliced