The "Mother" of all Weeks

After watching Top Chef: Texas I decided to try my hand at the five French "Mother Sauces". These sauces are the basic building blocks for many traditional and gourmet sauces. I unfortunately did not get Tomat sauce (tomato) done this week and will have to save that for the new year.

Bechamel: Bechamel sauce is a blending of scalded milk, butter, and flour. This is also called "white sauce" and most of us made it in Home Economics class at some point. I often remember it from "Shit on a Shingle" which was toast, white sauce, and dried beef.

Artichoke Bottoms au Gratin

The first night I made this recipe I only made two artichokes because 1) I wasn't sure if anyone would like it and 2) artichokes are a pain to prep. However I learned my lesson when my dear husband looked at me and asked "are there more of those artichokes?".

So I actually made this twice this week. The first night I used the recommended pancetta and wasn't overly pleased. pancetta tends to dry into jerky in the oven if it isn't completely submerged in sauce. Since my sauce was a bit thin (too much milk in this recipe!) I wound up with chewy, unappetizing pancetta. The second time around I used prosciutto since Target didn't have pancetta and it was much better. It was softer and more flavorful in my opinion.

Recipe makes more than enough sauce for eight artichokes.

Ingredients

• 8 medium artichokes
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 small bay leaf
• 4 cups Bechamel Sauce
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices prosciutto, cut in half crosswise

Directions

1. Snap off most tough outer leaves from artichokes. Trim 1 1/2 inches from top. In pot of water, place artichokes, 1 1/2 lemons, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover with smaller-size lid to keep artichokes submerged. Cook over medium heat until hearts are tender when pierced with knife, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When artichokes are tender, drain, remove remaining leaves, and discard all but the smallest, most tender ones. Set those aside. Remove choke completely with melon baller or spoon, and rub artichoke bottoms with remaining lemon half. In a glass pie pan or gratin dish, strew leaves and mix in half of be. Lightly butter artichoke bottoms, season with salt and pepper, and place on top of bechamel. Place folded piece of prosciutto in each bottom; fill with a rounded mound of be.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Rub the tops with butter, and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve one or two bottoms per person along with some of the leaves.

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon diced shallots
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF All-Purpose Flour)
• 1 quart whole milk, scalded (Watch the consistency of your sauce. When it is smooth and slightly thinner than pudding I would back off the milk)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup grated Gruyere (definitely grate it or it won't melt and incorporate into the sauce)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent, without browning, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Mix; reduce heat as much as possible.
3. Add flour in thirds, whisking constantly. When fully incorporated, cook without browning, 3 to 5 minutes, until floury taste is gone.
4. Strain through a sieve; add cheese while bechamel is still hot. Adjust seasoning to taste. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of sauce, and refrigerate up to three days.

Volute: Volute sauce is similar to Bechamel in that it involves a roux (flour and butter) mixed with a liquid. In this case the liquid is a stock of chicken, veal or fish stock. While my recipe has volute in the name, this was unfortunately just a tasty acorn squash soup. I will have to reattempt this one in the future.

Acorn Squash Veloute with Ginger and Mustard Seeds
 

This soup has an amazing complexity you wouldn't expect from simple ingredients. The base itself is fairly plain, but the addition of the toasted cumin and mustard seeds really elevates this soup. There is a delicate heat that stays with you, and the texture is very smooth and silky.

Recipe yields six small servings.







Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 8 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 3 1/4 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 4 1/2 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
  

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add squash and ginger; sauté 5 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups broth. Simmer until squash is very tender, about 35 minutes.
2. Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return to same pot. Add tomato purée and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors; add more broth if soup is too thick. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm soup over medium heat before serving.)
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with seed mixture and serve. 

 Hollandaise: Hollandaise sauce is a egg based sauce consisting of carefully warmed egg yolk (not cooked) whisked/blended with lots of butter! Lemon juice gives Hollandaise its traditional tang when paired with Eggs Benedict.

Salmon with Tangerine-Lemon Hollandaise Sauce 

This dish was pretty darn fantastic. I nearly ruined my batch of Hollandaise by whisking for too long in the double boiler and letting the eggs begin to scramble. Fortunately the blender made quick work of my little overcook and I was amazed by science as the eggs and butter emulsified into this smooth, light, delicate sauce. I do believe it could have used a little more citrus juice as the tangerine juice was quite delicate on the palette. I am not sure I would up the lemon as that might just overpower the tangerine all together. Orange juice might also be a choice for bolder flavor.

I did learn however that I really need to work on my salmon cooking (to try and crisp the skin and not leave it welded to the bottom of the pan) and I also desperately need a fish spatula (Amazon wish list yay!).

This recipe yields six nice portions.

Ingredients

• 5 teaspoons fresh tangerine or orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated tangerine or orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
• Coarse salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (about 2 pounds)
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1 tangerine or orange, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds

Directions

1. Combine tangerine and lemon juices in a bowl. Whisk egg yolks and water in a heatproof bowl, and place over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture foams and begins to thicken, 1 minute. Add half the citrus juice. Cook, whisking, until thickened slightly.
2. Puree yolk mixture, remaining citrus juice, the zest, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne in a blender. Reduce speed to low, and add butter in a slow, steady stream. Set sauce aside.
3. Cut salmon in half lengthwise, and then cut each half crosswise into 3 pieces (about 2 inches wide). Gently pound between parchment so that all pieces are about 1/4 inch thick. (Salmon can be covered and refrigerated 3 hours).
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season skinned side of salmon with salt and white pepper. Working in batches if needed, cook for 30 seconds. Flip and cook to the desired doneness, about 30 seconds for medium-rare. Place on a platter. Spoon sauce on top; garnish with citrus rounds. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Cook's Note

The eggs in this recipe are not fully cooked. It should not be prepared for pregnant women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised.

 Espangole: Espangole is a dark brown sauce made from beef or veal stock combined with vegetables and various herbs. It simmers for quite a long time as its flavors slowly build into complex and rustic flavor.

Chicken Skewers with Espangole Sauce 

I have never liked Robert Irvine from food network, so I was a little leary of trying one of his recipes. However I did give this one a try and was quite pleased with the sauce. I did not however make the chicken skewers as directed so I have added my changes in the recipes. This sauce was not my favorite as it was reticent of Beef Stroganoff which has never been a dish I gravitated towards.

 

Ingredients

For the espagnole sauce:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped carrot
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dry red wine
• 2 cups rich brown beef, veal or chicken stock, hot
• 1 tablespoon toasted instant flour (I used raw Bob's Red Mill GF All-Purpose Flour)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• A sachet d'epices containing: 1 sprig parsley, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 black peppercorn (I strained my sauce afterwards so I just threw this all in the pot)

For the chicken skewers:

• 1 liter vegetable or canola oil (if deep-frying) (did not deep fry)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder (used cayenne to season the chicken breasts as I couldn't find my chili powder)
• 2 teaspoons salt (omitted)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (if deep-frying) (did not deep fry)
• 6 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Directions

Special equipment: bamboo skewers

For the sauce:

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and saute scallions, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have caramelized lightly. Add the red wine and beef stock and bring to a simmer.
2. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk together the toasted flour and butter, add the tomato paste, then gradually ladle in the hot stock, whisking as you go to make a smooth sauce. Add the sachet d'epices of parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorn, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 50 minutes. Skim any impurities off the surface.
3. Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
4. Mix the chili powder, salt and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and stir in flour. 
5. Skewer chunks of chicken using bamboo skewers which have been pre-soaked in water, and dip chicken into warm water, then coat with seasoned flour. 
6. Fry until cooked through (about 6 minutes) and serve with Espagnole sauce. (Alternatively, these can be grilled by eliminating the flour and dipping the moistened skewered chicken into the mixed seasonings, then grilling until cooked through.) 

 Coca Cola Cake

I had never heard of a Coca Cola Cake until my friend Rachel asked me to make her one to appease a pregnancy craving she was having. I have since then made a Gluten Free version that turned out quite well tonight.

I need to work on thinning out the frosting a bit though. With the recommended ingredients and technique mine comes out really thick and sticky. I am contemplating perhaps using a tablespoon of maple syrup next time to make it into more of a glaze. By the way this recipe has 6553 calories! Divided into 18 pieces that leaves it at around 350 calories per serving so be ready to splurge some calories on this one!

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups sugar 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (used Bob's Red Mill GF All-Purpose Flour)
• 1 1/2 cups small marshmallows
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 cup Coca-Cola®
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
• 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift sugar and flour. Add marsh- mallows. 
2. In saucepan, mix butter, oil, cocoa, and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well. 
3. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. 
4. Pour into a well-greased 9-by-13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. 
5. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

To make frosting, combine butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a
boil and pour over confectioners' sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract and
pecans. Spread over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

This will be my last blog until the new year so have a great end of 2011!

Tait