The Softest Scramble

Adapted from Bon Appetit April 2012

This month’s issue of Bon Appetit is dedicated to eggs (I guess with Easter approaching). Here’s a scramble recipe from Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which he recommends serving topped with whipped cream and black caviar.

In this recipe, you whisk eggs continuously over medium-low heat to aerate them and form tiny curds. I personally still prefer big curds but the buttery taste didn’t leave me impartial. As much as I would have loved it with a generous spoonful of caviar atop, sundried tomatoes and fresh parsley was all I had in the fridge on a Sunday morning.

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, divided
• a pinch of cayenne
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions:

Combine eggs and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and season lightly with cayenne and salt. Place over medium-low heat and cook, whisking gently and constantly while scraping bottom and sides of pan, until eggs are just thickened, creamy, and small curds begin to form, 3-4 minutes total. If mixture begins to stick to the pan while cooking, remove from heat; whisk gently for 30 seconds, then continue cooking over heat. Remove from heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon butter, whisk until melted. Season with salt and plate. Top with whipped cream and caviar, if desired.

Tags: Butter, Eggs

Pan-Seared Cod with Green Gazpacho Sauce

I don’t think I can sing enough praises to Steven Dunn at Oui, Chef . Here’s another dish that is a treat for both the eye and the palate. I posted Steven’s original recipe but I did make one small change. Cod fillet is flaky and it is very likely to fall apart when you sear it or try to flip it on the other side. I rolled my pieces of cod in a mixture of flour, salt and black pepper before I put them in a hot skillet.

I served my cod fillets on top of a heap of potato and parsnip puree.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 large English cucumber, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup  coarsely chopped scallions
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 tablespoons EVOO, divided
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or more to taste)
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 6-8 ounce cod filets
• halved grape tomatoes and fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the cucumber, scallions, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, 5 tablespoons of the EVOO, and the balsamic in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse the machine to create the sauce, making sure not to overdo it, you do want some texture here, not a perfectly smooth sauce.  remove the sauce to a bowl and adjust seasoning to your taste with more EVOO, balsamic or salt and pepper.  Cover and chill until ready to use.
2. Heat remaining tablespoon of EVOO in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of each fish filet with with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.  When hot, slip the fish into the pan giving it a quick shake as you place each piece in the pan to keep it from sticking.  Cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, then carefully flip them and cook another 3-4 until the filet is just opaque, but still very moist in the center.
3. To serve, you can simply spoon some sauce into a shallow bowl and top with a piece of fish, and sprinkle with tomato halves and some fresh chives.  Or, for a little more substantial plate, spoon some of your favorite mashed potatoes into the center of the bowl, surround with some sauce and top with the fish, tomatoes and chives.  

Tags: Cilantro, Cod, Cucumbers, Jalapeno Pepper, Scallions

Herb Stuffed Pork Chops with Blueberry Gastrique

 

Yet another great recipe from Steven Dunn of Oui, Chef. I find that if I need to wow my guests, this is the place where I should look for a recipe. Easy to find ingredients + clear instructions written in Steven’s lovely voice = a recipe for success. Literally

A couple of practical notes:

• know your pork chops: gauge your cooking time according to their thickness
• don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before plating (ouch!)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 1 to 1 1/2” thick bone-in pork chops (I bought mine at Whole Foods Market)

 For the pesto:

• 1/2 cup of fresh tarragon, washed, dried and stemmed
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil, washed, dried and stemmed
• 1/2 cup of fresh mint, washed, dried and stemmed
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, washed, dried and stemmed
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 5-6 tablespoons EVOO
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• A pinch (1/8 teaspoon) of pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)

For the gastrique:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) blueberries

Directions:

1. To make the gastrique measure out the vinegar and keep it handy.  Place the sugar and water in a high sided, heavy bottomed pan set over medium high heat.  Stir just enough to wet the sugar (it should look like wet sand) then leave it alone to melt and start to caramelize.  When the liquid sugar starts to turn color at the edges slowly swirl the pan to evenly distribute the browning sugar.  Cook the sugar to a dark amber and pull it from the heat just as it starts to smoke.  Moving quickly, tilt the pan away from you and pour in the vinegar.  It will splatter and steam like nobody’s business (this is why you want a high-sided pan), so be careful.  When it all settles down, place it back over medium heat and scrape any hardened sugar from the bottom of the pan, stirring it to reincorporate it into the vinegar.  Add the berries and continue to cook over medium heat until the gastrique is reduced slightly and achieves a syrupy consistency, 5 – 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
2. Make the pesto by placing all the herbs, the garlic and a pinch of pimenton in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times till roughly chopped, then with the blade running pour the EVOO through the feed tube and process to a smooth paste.  Remove the pesto to a small bowl, add the pine nuts, and zest the lemon into the mix.  Stir to incorporate, add a little more pimenton to taste if desired.  Set aside.
3. Heat the oven to 400℉
4. Cut a horizontal slit 4-5 inches long through the center of each chop all the way back to the bone.  Season each side of the chop and the inside of the pocket with some freshly ground black pepper.  Spoon 1/4 of the pesto mix into each chop spreading it evenly through the pocket.  Seal the edge of the pocket with 1 or 2 toothpicks piercing the meat at a diagonal.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add a glug of canola oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Place the chops in the pan and cook about 5 minutes untouched to caramelize the bottom surface.  When nicely browned, flip the chops and move the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about another 7 minutes.  Remove the cooked chops to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
6. Serve each chop with a generous spoonful of the gastrique, passing more at the table.  Any leftover gastrique will keep well in the fridge for at least a week, probably more like two.

Tags: Basil, Blueberries, Garlic, Mint, Parsley, Pine Nuts, Sugar, Tarragon, Vinegar

Tabbouleh Salad (Served with Grilled Halloumi Cheese)

I have an indescribable admiration for all things Mediterranean. I love how a few humble ingredients can be combined to create an amazing balance of flavor and a colorful feast for the eyes!

Lately, I have been on a very pronounced baklava streak. Inspired to find the best sweet delight in town, I paid a visit to all places around my house and my office that had it on offer. That’ s how I ended up at one of the numerous Armenian markets in Watertown, MA. Here, I, of course, went crazy with my addiction, but I also found something that I had been looking for all along: bulgur, halloumi cheese, and many other Mediterranean specialties.

I purchased the “largest grade” bulgur – number 3 - because I love the texture and the bite it adds to my tabbouleh, but you can go classic with a smaller number (1 or 2).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 Persian cucumber, unpeeled and medium-diced
• 1 tomato, medium-diced
• a bunch of chopped fresh parsley
• a bunch of chopped fresh mint
• freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
• olive oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the bulgur in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over. Add some salt, cover and let sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Add the chopped veggies and herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper if desired. Mix well and serve with grilled halloumi cheese or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the salad sits for a couple of hours.

Cut the cheese into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine some olive oil, lemon juice, dry oregano, and paprika in a medium bowl. Roll the cheese slices in the mixture, place in a hot grill pan and cook for 1 minute per side or until you see beautiful griddle marks develop.

Tags: Bulgur, Cucumbers, Halloumi, Lemon, Mint, Parsley, Tomatoes

Pan-Seared Cod with Butter and Lemon

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cod fillets (about 1.5 lbs), cut into 6 pieces
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• a splash of olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow dish. Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt. Cook the fillets in two batches.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oi in a large saute pan over medium heat. Dredge the first batch of cod fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides, shake off excess, and place in the hot butter. Cook for about 3 minutes, then carefully flip on the other side. Sprinkle with lemon zest, juice half a lemon over, and cook for 3 more minutes basting with butter occasionally. Top with some chopped fresh parsley. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Repeat with the second batch.

Serve with garlic home fries and sliced cucumbers.

Tags: Butter, Cod, Lemon