The Fumbling Foodie

Easter Rack of Lamb

I broke one of cardinal rules today but it worked out fine.

I have a rule that I don't use dinner guests as guinea pigs. I normally serve dishes to guests that I have made at least once before.

But we have a new grocery chain in town, Fresh & Easy. My Sweet Lady Wife and I checked it out last week and I discovered that they carry rack of lamb. I've never prepared lamb, but I've wanted to. I decided right there on the spot to break my rule and prepare lamb for easter. Coincidentally, Fine Cooking's special Dinner Parties issue just arrived and lo and behold there was a recipe for lamb that did not look beyond my meager capabilities.

It was actually pretty easy: sear the rack on the stove top, mix up a paste of Kalamata olives, parsley, thyme, and garlic, rub the paste on the browned rack, dredge it in some breadcrumbs, and finish it in the oven.

I was easy. And the lamb was sooooo tender.

they were accompanied by my wife's favorite potatoes. (I call them 'Forgiveness Potatoes' because my wife likes them so much I think I could prepare them and get forgiveness for any sin.)

Macaroni Grill's Lemon Butter Sauce

OK, I confess, I have a weakness for Macaroni Grill's Chicken Scaloppini.

I've tried to duplicate the flavor with no success. The stumbliing block has been the Lemon-Butter sauce. There are innumerable copycat recipes on the web; They are all about the same and the flavor of the lemon-butter sauce doesn't match Macaroni Grill's.

It just so happens that I have a nephew who is a proffessional chef. And it just so happens that he worked at Macaroni Grill back in the days when their chefs made the sauces themselves. (I understand that their sauces now come premixed in a plastic bag).

We were celebrating the 4th of July at his house. Knowig my plight, he said, "Uncle Dave, How about if I show you how I made Lemon-Butter Sauce at Macaroni Grill?". Well, he did. I took notes and I can tell you that it bears little resemblence to the recipes all over the web.

3 Leeks
5 Bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon whole back peppercorns
Juice of 6-8 lemons (depending upon size. Our lemons we small so we used 8)
1 Cup Chardonnay
1 pound unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 Tablespoons heavy cream

Cut the leafy end and root off the leeks. Split them lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch widths. Wash them thoroughly.

Use your mixer to whip the butter. You want to get lots of air incorporated into it. Whip until light and creamy. Set aside.

Put a saute pan over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Toss in the leeks before the oil gets hot and saute until just tender. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and a pinch of salt.

Let the ixture saute for another minute, then turn the heat to high and let the mixture get good and hot. Let the mixture cook for another minute or so then add the chardonnay. Let the mixture reduce by half then add the lemon juice and the heavy cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture slowly reduce until it just coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the lemon juice mixture into a small bowl. Start whisking in the butter a 1/4 cup or so at a time, whisking thoroughly to make a nice smooth mixture. Keep adding butter and tasting until you get the taste you are looking for.

I made some up and served it over sear-roasted salmon tonight, but it was consumed so fast I never got the chance to take a picture.

It is possible, BTW, to make the sauce right up to the point of staining the lemon juice-wine mixture. Instead of straining, put it in an airtight bown in the refridgerator. When you are ready to use it, add a little more wine and heat it back up.

Rod's Rub

Everyone knows that I am not the master of the grill like Adam. My preferred technique is to sauté. I have been experimenting lately with using rubs. While rubs are more prevelant in grilling, they seem to work equally well on sautéed foods as well.

Tilapia is a rather bland-tasting but inexpensive and readily available fish that benefits from this treatment. Previously, I have used Old Bay Seasoning as a rub but it is too spicy for my family's taste.

Melanie Babcock from Rod's Rubs graciously offered me samples of their products to try and both my wife and I are ready to adopt a couple of them as the official rub of the Fumbling Foodie household.

I bought three tilapia filets, applied a different rub to each, and then sautéed them in butter. The filet in the rear has Sweet Mesquite on it, the one in the front has Citrus Tang. I used Original All Purpose as well but perpared it separately so as not to crowd them in the pan.

Results:

The Original All Purpose was our least favorite because (at least in this application) it seemed too mild. Remember however that this is Arizona - Salsa outsells catsup - where our tastebuds are used to spicy foods. The Sweet Mesquite was excellent, lending a nice smoky mesquite flavor. Our favorite - hands down - was the Citrus Tang. My wife is not a fish-lover so her opinion was the acid test. She Loved it! Think of it: I can take a piece of inexpensive, readily-available, healthy fish and convert it from something that tastes almost as good as cardboard into a really tasty dish just by rubbing in some Citrus Tang!

I'll see how it does on some grilled chicken tonight.

French Cooking Class Part I

My favorite gourmet kitchen tools store in Glendale, AZ frequently holds classes taught by some of the top chefs in the area.

If you are a foodie and live in the Phoenix area, I really highly recommend that you try out one of the classes at Plate It Up! Heather has made the place very friendly and inviting, and depending upon whether the class is a demonstration or hands on, you get so see or work with the highest quality tools and equipment. So far in every class I've taken the company has been friendly and a lot of fun. And getting to learn from professional chefs has been so valuable for me.

While I've not attending cooking classes anywhere else in the Phoenix area, I have to tell you that Heather has really figured out how to do it right.

As you know, I was long ago seduced by the siren call of French cooking. I own three of Saint Julia's cookbooks. I own the Bistro cookbook from Sharon O'Connor's Menus and Music series. I own a beautiful coffeetable cookbook called France the Beautiful. The French Chef series on DVD is on my Christmas list. On our last trip to San Francisco I think we ate at nothing but French restaurants (oh yes, we did it at my favorite Chinese place). The slightest mention of French Cuisine perks up my antenna. Tuesday evening's class at Plate It Up! was French Cuisine taught by Chef Patrick Karvis. There should be no doubt by now where I was.

First course was Salad of Frisee with Poached Egg, Lardons, and Sherry Vinagrette. Lardon is the French term for hunks of bacon that have been diced, blanched, and fried, but we used apple wood-smoked bacon cut into small squares.

This would make a nice light lunch. It was light, tasty, and the vinagrette was not overpowering.

Salad of Frisee with Poached Egg, Lardons, and Sherry Vinagrette

2 bunches frisee, coursely chopped.
4 eggs
1 pound apple wood smoked bacon, diced
1 cup sherry vinegar
2 cups olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper

Pour the sherry vinegar into a small bowl and slowly add the olive oil while wisking to incorporate the two together. Add the shallots, garlic, sugar, and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the bacon over medium heat until crisp.

Place some water into a saucepan, add some white vinegar and salt. Bring the water to a boil. crack the eggs into the boiling water and let them poach for about 4 minutes. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.

Toss the frisee with the sherry vinegrette, bacon, salt, and pepper. Divide into four portions and put each portion on a salad plate. Top with a poached egg. Serve with some baguette that has been cut into inch-thick slices and lightly toasted.

Serves four.

Next up: Sole Meuniere

Quiche Lorraine and Salad Nicoise

In case you were wondering how that quiche turned out using the pie crust I made earlier, here was dinner: Quiche Lorraine and Salad Nicoise:

Bruschetta

This is my second attempt at brushetta. My first attempt was a couple of weeks ago but I got distracted partway through the grilling of the bread and by the time I remembered, my bruschette could best be called 'briquetta'

I'm not sure what is going on but I could not get grill marks on the face of the bread before the sides were charred. Perhaps I need to coat the edges with olive oil too.

And rather than use straight olive oil, I used Garlic Rosemary oil from Robert Rothschild Farms. Heather at Plate It Up! carries it.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta
1 loaf French Bread
Rosemary garlic oil
1 pound tomatoes
1/8 tablespoon kosher salt
3-4 basil leaves

Dice tomatoes into 1/4 inch dice. chop or tear basil into small pieces. Combine tomatoes, basil, salt, and 1/4 cup rosemary garlic oil. Mix will and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Cut French bread into 1-inch thick slices. Brush Rosemary garlic oil on both sides. Grill until you get grill marks. Remove from heat and top with tomatoe mixture.

Sparkling Pomegranate Juice Cocktail

Here is a refreshing drink that I just love, and it's suitable for occassions when you want to serve something nice but it must be non-alcoholic.

Pomegranate Juice Cocktail

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup unsweetened pure pomegranate juice, chilled
Seltzer water, refrigerated

Pour the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let boil for one minute. (This makes enough for about 15 cocktails).

Mix the pomegranate juice and 3 tablespoons sugar-water. Fill each glass or champagne flute about one-third full. Top off with seltzer water.

Tags:Beverage, Pomegranate Juice

Chocolate Heartlettes with Citrus Mousse Filling

Today I came home from Plate It Up! with a Nordicware Heartlette Desert Pan.
I figured Valentines Day is approaching, and I wanted to be able to make something special for my wife on that day (Valentines Day also happens to be our wedding anniversary). It would give me a chance to once again make a recipe that local chef Rodney Jankowski shared with me a year ago. Of course like any certified tool junkie, when you buy a new tool you just gotta try it out. These are reasonably low-cal (approximately 63 calories each.)

Chocolate Heartlettes

1-1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons water
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces, and then use a couple of forks or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. (The last time I made this I promised myself I would buy a pastry blender before making it again, but here you can see I am still using a fork). Keep mixing until the mixture looks like course meal.

Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until moistened and the mixture almost cleans the sides of the bowl. Six tablespoons has always been just right for me.

Gather the mixture into a ball and flatten slightly. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and press into one of the pan's heartlettes. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and bake for 6 - 8 minutes. Cool and remove from pan.

Citrus Mousse

12 oz Cool Whip
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup line juice

In a large bowl, beat together Cool Whip and condensed milk. Gradually beat in lemon and lime juice until evenly blended.

Fill each heartlette with mousse.

Here is the finished product. They don't look quite as nice a Chef Rodney's but they taste great and I can almost guarantee that if you make them for your sweety on Valentine's Day she will be impressed.