Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Dukkah September 18, 2014 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Dukkah 2014-09-18 13:08:58 Print Soup 2 large heads of cauliflower, broken into flowerets Olive oil for tossing with cauliflower to roast Peanut or sesame oil for the pan 2 small shallots, small dice 1 large rib celery or a portion of a celery root, cut into small dice 1 apple, peeled, cored, small dice 2 t. curry 1 t. coriander 2 T. dukkah (recipe to follow) 2 cloves garlic 1 T. minced fresh ginger (from about 1/2-inch piece, peeled) 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper 2 c. vegetable stock, more may be necessary Dukkah (recipe to follow) Cilantro for garnish Dukkah ½ c. almonds 2 T. sesame seeds 2 t. coriander seeds 2 t. cumin seeds ½ t. fennel seeds ¼ t. whole black peppercorns 1 t. kosher salt For the soup Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower flowerets with olive oil until they are well coated. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment in a single layer, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast until they are charred and begin to brown, about 20 minutes. To a Dutch oven, add about a tablespoon of sesame or peanut oil and set over medium heat. Add the shallots, celery, and 2 T. dukkah, curry, and coriander; cook until translucent and fragrant, about five minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, sautéing for an additional minute or two. Add the roasted cauliflower and stock; bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and cover. Simmer soup, covered for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender. Transfer soup in batches to a blender to puree or alternately use an immersion blender until soup is creamy and smooth. Transfer soup back to pot and thin with additional vegetable stock if necessary or desired. Return to heat to bring to serving temperature. Ladle into dishes, garnish with a dusting of Dukkah and chopped cilantro. Dukkah Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown; cool. Toast sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and peppercorns in the same skillet as the almonds were toasted in until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. With a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder, grind nuts and spices to a course grind. Spice blend can be made a week in advance and stored airtight at room temperature. Notes Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend of toasted nuts and seeds. By Kelly Sears Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Cardoon Gratin September 18, 2014 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Cardoon Gratin 2014-09-18 12:43:54 This delicious gratin highlights the delicate, artichoke like flavor of cardoons. Print Ingredients 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup Chicken Stock 1 bay leaf Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 lbs. cardoons 1 cup grated gruyere Instructions 1. Place cream, stock, and bay leaf in a large saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Wash cardoons, then remove and discard tough outer stalks. Cut away thorns and pull off stringy fibers. Cut cardoons into 1½"–2" pieces, placing them immediately into cream mixture as you go, to prevent them from discoloring. 2. Bring cream mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cardoons are tender, about 1 hour. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cardoon pieces to individual gratin dishes (or a 1-quart baking dish). 3. Preheat oven to 350°. Reduce cream mixture to about ¾ cup over medium heat, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and divide reduced sauce equally between gratin dishes, sprinkle gruyère on top, and bake until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes By Saveur Magazine Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Tomato and Corn Pie September 10, 2014 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Tomato and Corn Pie 2014-09-10 12:48:04 Print Ingredients Dough 2 to 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 T baking powder 1 3/4 t salt, divided 6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 3/4 cup cold whole milk Filling 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 T fresh lemon juice 1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, large dice (about 4 large) 1 1/2 cups corn (from about 2 ears), coarsely chopped by hand, divided 2 T finely chopped basil, divided 1 T finely chopped chives, divided 1/4 t black pepper, divided 7 ounces coarsely grated Smoked Fontina (1 3/4 cups), divided 1 egg for egg wash Instructions Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms dough, then gather into a ball. Divide dough in half and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes Roll dough into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Place in 9-inch pie plate. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang. Prick bottom with fork all over. Put the second half of the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice. Blanch tomatoes. Peel and dice large pieces of tomato and gently remove seeds. Let tomatoes drain on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, sprinkle with ½ the corn, 1 T basil, 1/2 T chives, 1/2 t salt, 1/8 t pepper and 1 cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round and fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush with egg wash. Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Do ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 30 minutes. By Jamie Bordoshuk Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Half Empty or Half Full? by Kelly Montgomery September 10, 2014 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment We recently dropped off our two boys at Butler University, where Egan returns for his junior year and Max begins to navigate his first year away from home. Back here, things seem a little empty right now. The foyer is missing its usual collection of what always seemed like dozens of very large shoes. Two of our four bedrooms are looking stripped-down, if not exactly clean. (Picture the Whoville houses after the Grinch’s visit on Christmas eve). The basement is no longer full of boys and their games and their mess and their noise. The calendar has empty spaces that used to be occupied with basketball games and volleyball games and practices and tournaments. And the table looks a bit too spacious with only 3 diners instead of the usual 5. I think we’re going to have to remove the leaf. Even the pile of laundry waiting to be folded looks disturbingly small. Weird. And yet, I discovered something interesting yesterday in the kitchen. The refrigerator was FULL! The pantry too! We have long struggled with keeping enough food in the house for our growing young men and their friends. “But I just went to the store!!” was my usual response to their constant pleas of “There’s nothing to eat!” Now, suddenly, I’m beginning to see some possibilities here. I could try more new recipes, splurge on premium ingredients, replace quantity with quality. I could fill the shelves with the finest produce, cheeses, meats, and wine! I could try some new things from Marcel’s Market. This is an upside I hadn’t considered. We are so grateful to have our youngest, Lily, at home with us for just a while longer. For her, this year will be full of all the excitement and challenge of her first year of high school at Glenbard West. Full of dances and softball, auditions and homework, critical wardrobe decisions and teenage girl drama. But PLEASE, no boys. I don’t know if any of us are ready for that yet. According to experts (friends and coworkers who have already been through it), this empty-ish feeling will soon pass and everything will feel normal again. And the boys will come home for holidays and even summers, if we’re lucky. Everything will fill up again. Except the fridge and the cabinets and the pantry, which we will struggle to keep stocked once again. And that will be just fine with us.
Quinoa Cauliflower Patties September 9, 2014 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Quinoa Cauliflower Patties 2014-09-09 13:46:19 Yields 16 Print Ingredients ½ cup quinoa (3¼ ounces / 95 grams) 1 cup water 2½ cups cauliflower florets (10 ounces / 280 grams) ⅓ cup rolled oats (1 ounce / 30 grams) 1 medium shallot, diced fine (3 tablespoons / 1 ounce / 30 grams) 3 serrano chiles, seeds and veins removed, chopped fine ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped fine 2 large egg whites 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons corn starch ¼ cup milk ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup crumbled feta (4½ ounces / 125 grams) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon butter Instructions Rinse the quinoa. Put the quinoa and 1 cup water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes or until the water is just fully absorbed. Turn cooked quinoa into a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large, shallow, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and chiles and sauté for 3 minutes, until shallots begin to soften (avoid browning the shallots). Meanwhile, pulse the cauliflower and oatmeal in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal, about 6 to 8 one-second pulses. When shallots and chiles are sauteéd, add them to the processor and pulse 2-3 times to distribute. Turn cauliflower mixture into the quinoa. Add the parsley, salt, pepper, and feta cheese and stir thoroughly. Whisk corn starch thoroughly into the egg whites. Add this mixture to the quinoa/cauliflower along with the yolk and ¼ cup milk. Mix thoroughly to distribute liquids. Using a spoon or spatula, press the batter down firmly in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest batter in refrigerator at least 30 minutes, or up to two hours. To prepare patties, heat vegetable oil and butter in a large, shallow, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Drop batter, ¼ cup at a time, into skillet. Let the lumps of batter fry for about one minute and then gently squash batter into patty form with a spatula. Cook another 5 to 6 minutes until first side is nicely browned. Flip the patties and cook another 6 or 7 minutes. Serve. The batter will keep covered in the refrigerator for a day or two, and makes excellent leftovers. By Michael Stange Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/