June 2008 Video Recap

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Best Tomato Bisque

by Scott Wurzel

Reflecting on the element of water and the region of Western Europe immediately evokes the mighty Rhein.  The Rein gives birth to Germany's wine region and its most famous offering, the sweet Riesling.  Savoring the smooth elixir, my palate and mind naturally meander west into France, the Empire who forever changed the cuisine of every land her soldiers set foot.  From there I drift south to the source of the region's civilization, Northern Italy and her fierce devotion to the tomato.

7 Large Roma tomatoes, halved

1 Large sweet onion, diced

2 celery stalks, halved and diced

1 cup matchstick carrots, chopped a bit

4 cloves garlic

4 slices thick bacon

3 tbl tomato paste

1 c Riesling

3 c chicken stock

1 1/2 c heavy cream

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

3 tbl arrowroot powder

Extras:

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Hot Sauce (Liquid Summer if you can get it)

Pecorino Romano for garnish

In a casserole dish place tomatoes skin side up.  Drizzle olive oil over the top and some salt. Fire up your broiler and place the dish in the oven.  Broil until the skins begin to blister. Remove the dish and with tongs or chopsticks, remove the skin from the tomatoes.  Set aside tomatoes, but do not drain liquid in the bottom of the dish.  Place into the dish and juice celery, onions, and carrots.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Mix well to combine.  Place tomatoes and garlic on top of mirepoix.  Return to oven and broil until the tomatoes and garlic brown.

While the vegetables are browning, place bacon into a sauce pot and render the fat until the bacon begins to crisp.  Remove the bacon and turn heat to lowest setting to keep fat warm until the vegetables are done.  

Add vegetables and juices produced by the vegetables to the pot and mash everything until the tomatoes are pulverized.

Add wine and raise heat to medium low.  Bring to a simmer and then add stock.  While again bringing to a simmer, add herbs whole and salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the herbs and, using a stick blender, blend mixture until smooth.  Slowly stir in cream and allow soup to come to temperature for a few minutes.

While running the stick blender, slowly add arrowroot to thicken.  Serve in a bowl topped with Pecorino Romano.

Comfort Food Alert: this soup is excellent with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Cream and Mint Baklava

by Andy Spetz

So this is my take on Baklava.  I had the unique challenge pairing the element of air with eastern European cuisine. I used lots of mint in order to get a sense of the cold winter air of eastern Europe after every bite. This one of my first forays into baking so it was quite a challenge. Some of the measurements might be off, because I am a cook at heart, and we all know how line cooks usually feel about measurements.

The Baklava

1 package of mint leaves

1 package of premade phyllo dough.

2 cups of mascarpone cheese

3 teaspoons of  peppermint extract

1/2 cup of sugar

1 table spoon of whole dried cloves, chopped (stems included)

1/2 cup of coconut shredded

1 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup of dried cherries sliced

Fresh cherries

Sliced almonds.

Walnuts (chopped).

 

Egg Wash

2 eggs, whites only

2 tables spoons of butter

Whipped topping

1 quart of heavy whipping cream

6 mint leaves  Chiffonade style

1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1/3 cup of sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350

2) While your oven is preheating you will need to prepare  your spread. Start with 2 cups of mascaprone cheese. Take 6 or so mint leaves and mince them. Add the sugar, peppermint extract, mint, the chopped  cloves, cherries and coconut. Stir vigorouly until all ingredients and mixed throughly.

3) Cut the phyllo dough to fit the pan.

 

4) Grease the pan, lay down 10 sheets of phyllo. Spray the top layer with olive oil spray and then spread a thin layer of the mascaprone mixture. Lay down 5 more sheets and spray the olive oil spray across the top layer again. This layer you will put  sliced almonds and walnuts (chopped) across this layer and a thin layer of coconut. Continue this pattern of 5 sheets of phyllo dough , then  mascoprone, then 5 more sheets with the nuts and coconut, until you are out of mascarpone mixture.

5) After you have run out of the mascarpone mixture, you will be adding the final layer, which again will be separated by 5 layers phillo dough. The top layer will have the coconut and walnuts sprinkled across the top. Place sliced fresh cherries on top of this layer.

6)  Take the egg wash and  brush it across the top layer. This will produce a nice browning effect on the top.

7) Let cook for 45 minutes

8) Now to make the whip cream topping. In a large mixing bowl add 1 quart of heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup of sugar and

the mint leaves together. Mix until you the consistency of whipped cream. After it has whipped, slowly fold in the extract.

9) After the baklava is done pull and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve, with one dollop of whipped topping on top, and  garnish with 1 large mint leaf and a fresh cherry.

Lamb and Shrimp with Lentils Du Puy

by Erica Cooksey

Obtaining "Mediterranean" with "earth" gave me the idea to do a surf and turf. I tend not to like duo-type entrees with very disparate

pieces, so I wanted to combine the two into one solid dish. Pretty much the only livestock that thrives around the Mediterranean are goats and lambs, so I stuffed a butterflied leg of lamb with a mixture of goat's milk feta, shrimp, and other Mediterranean flavors. I wanted it to be evocative of earthy flavors while still maintaining current seasonality. So I combined lentils du puy (which grow very well in that region) with white asparagus (made white by covering them with mulch), fresh morels, and bulbs such as leeks, fennel, and garlic.

Half of a boned, butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed of all surface fat and pounded to even thickness

About 2 ounces goat's milk feta, crumbled

Zest of one lemon, finely chopped

4 mint leaves, cut into chiffonade

A few Greek olives, pitted and chopped

About 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped roughly (I used quartered

canned ones that I rinsed and dried thoroughly)

2 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Herbes de Provence

1 cup lentils du puy (French green lentils), rinsed

1/2 cup vermouth

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 large fresh morels, diced

1 small bulb fennel (organic fennel is usually the right size), diced

Enough white asparagus to equal the fennel, woody ends snapped, cut into chunks

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium leek, white and light green part only, chopped

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1) Salt the raw shrimp to taste. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, then immediately drain and refresh in ice water. Chop roughly and combine with feta, artichokes, lemon zest, mint, olives, and pepper. Stuff the lamb with this mixture and tie with butcher's twine. Coat the lamb in herbes de Provence and sear over high heat until a crust forms. Bake at 350 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

2) Meanwhile, saute the leeks in a bit of butter or oil until softened. Stir in the lentils, then add 1/4 cup vermouth, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until cooked, about 30-35 minutes.

3) In a separate pan, saute the garlic, asparagus, morels, and fennel on medium high heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup vermouth and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and cook until it reduces to a syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the lentils when they are done, remove the bay leaves, and combine them with the vegetables

4) Serve slices of the lamb over a bed of the lentils and vegetables.

Master Chef Summer 2008 Concludes

Erica takes the whisk establishing the Master Chef Cooksey Dynasty.  The wait begins for the third challenge.

Recipes will be posted as soon as I get them.

Super Secret Supply Spots

With the new date set, and in the spirit of benevolence, here are three secret supply depots.

The Ravioli Company

3413 S Manhattan Ave

Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 254-2051

As far as I can tell, this store has been open for nearly a decade.  This small family owned shop makes fresh pasta daily.  As implied by the name, they have a large selection of Ravioli (scores of gourmet varieties).  Although it is some of the best Ravioli I've had, the value for the Master Chef is the sheet pasta.  The tender pasta is available by the pound in egg, spinach, and basil flavors.  The owner will cut the sheets to whatever width you like or sell them whole.  Also available are gnocchi in the same flavors, which are made fresh and then flash frozen.

VSpicery

2913 W Cypress St 

Tampa, FL

(813) 870-1133

http://www.vspicery.com/

Whole and ground spices available by the ounce.  Remarkable quality at a price low enough to make me initially skeptical.  No fear though, the spices are fresh and the owners and employees accommodating and knowledgeable.  They also have spice blends, which are nice shortcuts. I have a small addiction to the blackening spices they sell.  They also have a number of other speciality items like walnut oil and a selection of dried chilies and vinegars.  Behind the counter they keep top quality sun dried tomatoes like sweet contraband.  Also, if you adhere to the sea salt religion, you will find this a temple.

Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium

2080 Badlands Dr

Brandon, FL

(813) 653-2418

http://www.rollingpin.com/

Eclair molds. Cast iron woks. Dozens of DISTINCT rolling  pins. Wüstof.  Shun.  Bar-b-que mops.  If you need something standard or niche, this place has it.  If Radio Shack were a cooking store, this is what it would look like.  They also sharpen knives for $0.50 per inch.

Please share if you have any favorite places.

The Next Meeting

The tentative date for the next Master Chef challenge is June 21 at Erica and I's house. The address and easy directions will be on their way to the list shortly for those of you who haven't been here often or recently.

If anyone cannot make the 21st, speak up soon. If there are no objections we can begin the planning phase for what we have in the kitchen and what you might need to bring with you.