French New Year recipe - Chicken liver parfait with mushroom coulis

Chicken liver parfait's recipe for 8 small individual molds:


400g chicken livers, trimed and cleaned
20 cc double cream
1 egg
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of mixed spices

Mushroom coulis (sauce):

300g button mushroom, thoroughly washed and sliced
2 finely chopped shallots
20 cc double cream
salt and pepper
30g salted peanuts, quickly panfried


1) Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees Centigrade (gas mark6, 350F)
2) Put the livers, cream, egg yolks, egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mixed spices in the food processor. Blitz the lot for a minute or so and pass it through a fine sieve.
3) Place your molds in an oven tray. Fill them up with the chicken liver mixture. Then fill the oven tray, half way with some boiling water. Cook for 35 minutes.
4) As your liver parfait are cooking, prepare your mushroom coulis: sweat off the mushrooms in a pot along with a nob of butter and the shallots. Season well and let this cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
5) Add the cream and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Quickly blitz the sauce (10 seconds at the most, it should be some tiny mushroom bits left).
6) When the parfaits are cooked, take them out of their molds and place them at the centre of each plates. Place a small sprig of chervil on the top of them. Pour a little bit of the mushroom sauce all around each chicken liver parfait.
And the finishing touch: sprinkle some crushed peanuts on the coulis.

Romanian dessert - Apple cake

This Romanian apple cake is a wonderfully simple, yet delicious one! It is so moist and fresh, it will surely be a favorite with your family, just like it is with mine! The main length of the preparation time is cutting and peeling the apples. A mixture of apples works great, although I usually use Golden Delicious.

INGREDIENTS

5 apples, peeled and cored
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Cut the apples into 1 inch wedges. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until blended. Mix in the baking soda, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in the flour, just until incorporated. Fold in the apples and walnuts.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Italian New Year Recipe: Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

Beef Roast:
1 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip or chuck beef roast
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil


To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on all sides. Turn off heat. Place the seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees F. for medium rare, 135 for medium, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should rise 5 degrees F more and the juices will redistribute into the roast.

To make the sauce, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from the beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.

To serve, slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.

Italian Christmas recipe: Spaghetti with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

450g spaghetti
l 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly grated Romano cheese or Parmesan to serve

Meatball:

1 thick slice of white bread
4 tbsp milk
340g lean minced beef
3 tbsp chopped parsley

Sauce:

3 cloves of garlic crushed
Salt and pepper
1 egg beaten
3 tbsp olive oil
l 1/2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1/2l tsp sugar
1 glass of red wine or water
1 tsp dried oregano


Directions:

First make the sauce.

1. Add all the remaining ingredients including the rest of the parsley and garlic. Stir gently to mix without breaking up the meatballs.
2. Cook until simmering then reduce heat to low and cover.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning adding a hint more sugar if the sauce seems on the sharp side.
5. Reheat when needed adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

Meatballs:

1. Remove crust from the bread and tear into small pieces. Soak in the milk for 10 minutes then add the minced beef half the parsley and half the garlic salt and pepper.

2. Mix well kneading with your hands to break up the bread. Add just enough egg to bind. Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into small balls.

3. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a frying pan large enough to take the meatballs in a single layer. Fry the meatballs briskly until browned all over.

4. Cook in sauce for at least 10 minutes



Spaghetti:

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti.
2. Boil until al dente then drain. Return to the pan and toss with a tablespoonful of olive oil.
3. Divide between four large bowls or plates and top with meatballs in their sauce.

Serves 4

Japanese Christmas recipe - Roast Teriyaki Chicken

Japanese people celebrate Christmas even though most of the population isn't Christian. You might be wondering what Japanese people eat on that day. It's common to eat a special dinner on Christmas Eve in Japan. Many young people go out for a special dinner at a fancy restaurant, so the well-known restaurants are usually fully booked on Christmas Eve.

At home, the kinds of Christmas dinner dishes change slightly year-by-year, but usually roast chicken or fried chicken and a Christmas cake are included. In fact, KFC restaurants around Japan get very busy on Christmas Eve. Instead of cooking a whole chicken, cooking chicken thigh is common in Japan. Lately, pizza has also become a popular food to eat on the Christmas Eve.

Roast teriyaki chicken thighs are popular Christmas dinner menu in Japan.


INGREDIENTS:
Makes 4 servings

4 pieces whole chicken thighs
1 cup teriyaki sauce
* salt and pepper to season

PREPARATION:

1. Make teriyaki sauce and set aside.
2. Poke chicken skins with a fork.
3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over chicken thighs.
4. Marinate chickens in teriyaki sauce for 30 - 60 minutes.
5. Roast chickens in the 350F oven, glazing with teriyaki sauce.
6. Turn the chicken thighs over to roast both sides.
7. Roast more glazing with teriyaki sauce.

Frittata - Italian omelet

Frittata is an Italian omelet variation. You can add any of the fillings you like in a traditional omelet and use this procedure. Since it bakes rather than fries, the frittata does not need the tending of an omelet and can be made for a large number of people at one time.

If using leftover baked and glazed ham for a recipe like this one, trim off the sweet glaze or it may clash with the seasonings.


Ingredients

2 eggs
2 teaspoons breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon parsley

Instructions

1. Mix all indredients together and beat well.
2. Heat skillet and spray with cooking spray.
3. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until almost set; fold omelet in half and cook about 30 seconds longer.

French omelet 2

Ingredients for French Omelet Recipe 2

4 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Beat eggs slightly, just enough to blend yolks and whites. Add the milk and seasonings.
2. Put butter in hot omelet pan. When melted, pour in the egg mixture.
3. As it cooks, prick and pick up with a fork until the whole is of creamy consistency.
4. Place on hotter part of range that it may brown quickly underneath.
5. Fold and place on hot platter

Çoban Salatası (Shepherd´s Salad)

Variety of salads are very large in Turkish cuisine. This delicious fresh vegetable salad is found on dining tables throughout Turkey and served prior to the main course.



Ingredients

4 tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 green pepper
1 medium sized onion
parsley, mint, olive oil, vinegar or lemon, salt

Instructions

1. Peel and dice the tomatoes, sprinkle some salt, add olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and put it in the refrigerator.
2. Cut the onion in half, slice thinly, and grind it with the palm of your hand and with some salt (you can use gloves to avoid the onion scent on your hand), then drain and rinse it.
3. Add onions, diced cucumbers, chopped peppers and parsley to the salad in the refrigerator and stir.
5. You can grate white cheese.
6. If you have warm bread, I suggest using it to wipe out the delicious sauce of the Çoban salad.

French omelet 1

The French method utilizes a technique that involves jerking the pan in a particular way to form a rolled omelet. Another method calls for blending ingredients into the eggs before pouring the mixture into a pan. A third has the ingredients layered on top of the cooked egg and is placed briefly under the broiler to heat the toppings and melt any cheese that might be included.

Whichever method you choose, you will be able to make an almost infinite variety of egg dishes


Ingredients for French Omelet (Recipe 1)

- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- Dash of pepper, if desired
- 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Beat two eggs and the yolks of two more until thick.
2. Add salt, water, and a dash of pepper. Mix thoroughly, then strain into a bowl.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter in an omelet-pan.
4. Let stand a minute, then turn in the egg mixture.
5. Shake the pan back and forth with one hand. With a spatula or thin knife in the other hand, separate the cooked egg from the pan at the edge so that the uncooked egg runs down on to the hot pan.
6. When creamy, roll the omelet.
7. Let stand a moment to color a little, then place on a hot serving dish.
8. A bit of butter, added at the last moment, will aid in giving color to the omelet.

Become a Chef - Learn Cuisine at Home (II)

by Ralph Serpe

EXPERIMENT

Are you a picky eater? Not into certain types of foods? Are there certain foods that make you squeamish, that you would never consider putting in your mouth? Well if this is you then you will need to develop different taste buds if you want to be a successful Chef. Here in America, there are items that most Americans would rarely, if ever, consider ordering at a restaurant. Items like heart, kidneys, tongue and tripe to name a few. In other countries, these items are quite popular. So in order to understand how to cook with these items, you have to be willing to at least try them.

LEARNING RESOURCES

There are a ton of learning resources available to today's Chef. Everything from books to videos are within everyone's reach. Start out with a few good books on French Cuisine. French Cuisine is a good place to start because of its influence on other cuisines. Do not simply skim through these books until you find a recipe that interests you. You should read these books from start to finish, including the introduction, appendix and glossary. These parts of cook books, normally ignored by many home cooks, contain gems of information like tips and techniques, history and more. Once you have gone through French Cuisine, then move onto another popular cuisine like Italian. Try out as many different recipes as you can. This will give you a well rounded and rewarding learning experience.

COOK FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS

Once you have been cooking for a while, you will eventually want to cook for people right? It can get kind of lonely eating by yourself. Besides, cooking for friends and family is great practice and an excellent way to get feedback. Here is what you do. Find a few of your friends or family and let them know you would like to have a dinner party (try to scrounge up 10 bucks a head to help pay for the ingredients). Tell them it is your first time cooking for a group of people and that you would like their honest feedback.

Come up with your own menu of dishes that you would like to prepare, just like a restaurant. Start with an appetizer, a main course and dessert and then print it out for your guests. Don't go too crazy with the menu items, remember you are a beginner. Find one or two people to assist you with taking orders and helping out in the kitchen. Try to make this as close as possible to a real restaurant environment.

When your guests arrive and you take their orders, give yourself a time limit. Try to get the appetizers out within 20 minutes, then the dinner and desserts out in a timely manner. This kind of cooking under pressure with time limits, is exactly what you will experience in a real restaurant kitchen. When everything is over, make sure you sit with your guests and get their HONEST opinion on everything. You need to know what you did wrong and what you did right. Then work out any mistakes you may have made and try it again in a month or two.

About the Author
Ralph Serpe is a passionate cook and writer for http://www.Chef-ability.com. Visit our website today and learn how to cook from home!

Become a Chef - Learn Cuisine at Home (I)

by Ralph Serpe

If you want to become a Chef and start a rewarding career in the culinary arts then the most important thing you can do for yourself is to start cooking. Don't wait until you land your first job before you start cooking. Of course, getting a job is an important factor in the development of any Chef, but you really need to start developing your skills if you want to make it in this industry.
Learning to cook at home means actual cooking and not making mac and cheese or throwing frozen pizza in the oven. You really need to get your hands dirty and start cooking things from scratch.

LEARN HOW TO SHOP

If you have the luxury of a local farmers market near you then make certain you go there regularly and check out the produce. Many times they will offer more variety than a supermarket. Not only that, but most of the produce offered at local farmers markets are grown on site, which means they are fresh, which is not always the case at a supermarket. When you visit your local market on a regular basis you will begin to learn more about the food and what's in season. While you visit the market be sure to get friendly with the owner and workers there. Ask questions and let them know more about you and your desire to learn to cook and become a Chef. More often then not, they will be happy to talk to you about the produce and other products they sell.

Next, visit your local butcher. These guys really know their meats. It is more personal than a supermarket and they are usually very happy to talk to their customers and share tips like what the best cuts of meat are, how to season and cook them, etc.

Visit your local fishmonger as well. These guys really know their fish. Do the same as you did at the butcher shop and ask questions, get friendly. They should also be very happy to share their knowledge with you.

YOUR EQUIPMENT

If you are going to learn how to cook at home, you are going to need the right cooking equipment. Now don't be mislead into believing that you need the top of the line everything and every gadget under the sun, in order to be a Chef. This is simply not the case, but you still need to invest some money into buying equipment.

For your cookware, get yourself a basic set including a fry pan, a sauce pan, a saute pan and a stock pot. You may also want something for grilling. A cast iron grill works quite nicely. The next thing you will want is a good set of knives. I wouldn't go cheap in this department. Knives are a Chef's best friend, so invest in a good set. If you buy a cheap set of knives, they will go dull very quickly and a dull knife can be dangerous. Two good brands of knives to look into are Cutco and J.A. Henckels. To be honest, I have not tried any other brands because I never had the need to. My J.A. Henckel knives are wonderful. I have had the same set for over 5 years now and they still perform wonderfully.

There are other things you will need like a colander for straining, a grater of some sort for cheese and zesting of fruits and tools for stirring, mixing and serving. There will certainly be other items you will need along the way. You will learn more about your cooking equipment and needs the more you spend time in the kitchen.

to be continued

About the Author
Ralph Serpe is a passionate cook and writer for http://www.Chef-ability.com. Visit our website today and learn how to cook from home!

Progressive Cooking: All About 'cuisine'

by James Brown

The French are known for their interest in art and all that is fine. It therefore comes as no surprise that they have given exalted status to what other's simply call - cooking. The children of renaissance did not deem it fit that something that gives one extreme pleasure should have such a coarse name. So they called it 'cuisine' meaning culinary art. Though it has various other connotations, all related to cooking, the word cuisine is now identified with the best of food, which is both delicious and comes from different parts of the world.

Cuisine is basically a definite set of cooking methods and traditions, which are usually associated with the specific place of origin. At times, you might find religious food laws exercising a strong authority on cuisine. The ingredients available locally also contribute to a dish having a specific taste or flavor. Moreover, if a specific regional dish is cooked outside that region, it needs to adapt itself to the acceptable taste of that country or region. For example, the 'Indian' dish butter chicken is adapted to suit the British or American palate in the respective countries.

As rapid technological advances power the world ahead, the world of cooking is not far behind. The last century has seen immense improvements in terms of food production, the preservation of food, its storage, and transportation. The world is now termed a global village and in conformity with this accepted fact, you see an influx of different cuisines in all parts of the world. This means that a region not only has access to its own traditional cuisine, but also access to cuisines from other regions, locales, and countries of the world. The various cuisines are regularly going through cycles of innovations, which have seen a rise in their aesthetic value as well as the popularity of their cooks.

But cuisine does not only include food but many people hold that it also includes, beverages like, tea, coffee, wine, and various other drinks. Generally, cuisine is categorized according to the geographical area, that it is found in. Today, people go to restaurants to check out the new cuisines that have entered the market. People are getting more adventurous, in terms of their eating habits, tastes, and anything else to do with cooking. To conclude, it is safe to say that the field of cooking is all set to grow and conquer new heights. So brace yourself for a culinary journey that will last as long as there are people on this earth.

About the Author
James Brown writes about AJMadison Coupons, KitchenEtc Coupons and Coupon Codes

Cuisine and cooking

by David Russo VMD, PhD

The term "cuisine" has widespread implications, encompassing practices and traditions in cooking and the general preparation of food and beverages. These practices and traditions are usually specific to a certain geographic region and heavily influenced by the various ingredients available in that region as well as by it's cultural mores (such as religion).

The use of chopsticks in the Far East, for example, (itself done in keeping with Confucian teachings) necessitates that the food be cut into bite-size portions before serving. New technologies have also come into play in regional cuisine. New methods of production, preservation, transportation etc. coupled with the rise of intercultural interaction brought about by immigration and tourism has lifted many of the old restraints off of cuisine.

"Ethnic" cuisine often depends upon the delivery of fresh ingredients from far-away lands and has only recently been made possible by faster and cheaper transportation as well as better preservation and other factors. The existence of foreign cuisines alongside local cuisines allows for the creation of new dishes through experimentation by chefs.

Cuisine is, for all these reasons, culturally important in many ways and is often associated with oenology and gastronomy. Italian and French cuisine is much appreciated around the world for its variety and the quality of its products.

About the Author
David Russo, VMD, PhD
Veterinary Scientist, Gourmet Lover and Amateur Cook
www.high-net-worth-gourmet.com
1830 Pilgrim Ave., Bronx, NY 10461
718 8247308
dgrusso@verizon.net