Cooking with Chef Diane

Mustard Dill Sauce for Gravlax

// April 13th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Appetizers, Sauces

2 T. Grey Poupon, or dijon mustard
1 t. dry mustard
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 T. white vinegar
3 T. canola oil, or any neutral flavored salad oil (NOT olive oil)
salt and pepper
3 T. chopped fresh dill

I absolutely LOVE this sauce…

Gravlax

// April 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Appetizers, Fish

4# fresh salmon, center cut or a whole side, with skin, bones removed
3 1/2 T. coarse salt
3 1/2 T. sugar
4 tsp. white or black peppercorns
1 large bunch of fresh dill

Serve with Mustard Dill Sauce (see slideshow)

Tomato Basil Puffs

// April 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Appetizers, Desserts, Misc. Ingreditents, Techniques

The basic ingredients for pate a choux (eclair paste):
8 oz. water/milk
3 oz. butter, cubed small
6 oz. flour (keep in mind flour is half the density of water, so 6 oz. would be 1 1/2 cups approx.)
4-5 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar (optional, this is for sweet applications)

Here’s the thing about pate a choux:
These are hollow shells when finished, and need a filling. For the tomato basil puffs, I do a cheese filling. If you fill them with ice cream they are called profiteroles. Everyone knows the classic cream puffs and chocolate eclairs. I also will make big cheese puffs called gougeres, after baking they are then filled with cheese souffle mixture and baked again for a great luncheon item.
I do not give baking times here, because it will always depend on the size of the puffs, but I give guidelines to check for doneness.
Keep in mind puffs can be sweet or savory.
You can seriously make ANY flavor very easily, here’s how…..
Replace the liquid with any liquid you desire, for example for savory you can use tomato juice, V8, or juice your own vegetables like carrot, etc.. Add herbs and spices to taste. Some fresh ginger steeped in carrot juice, with a touch of orange zest might be nice. For sweet you can use apple juice, orange juice, etc. depending on what you want your filling to be..Apple juice with a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves….you get the picture.
To add flavor with anything powdered replace a small amount of flour with whatever your powdered flavoring is for example to make chocolate puffs replace with sifted cocoa powder.
For gougeres, add some finely grated cheese to the mixture right before piping your shapes, but keep in mind the cheese may get stuck in a star tip, so I recommend using a straight tip in your pastry bag. I like to use Gruyere cheese, for the souffle puff, and Parmesan for tomato basil puffs.
Do NOT open the oven door until puffs are nearly done, or they could deflate!!!

Swedish Meatballs

// February 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Appetizers, Beef, Main Courses

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup small diced onion
3T. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
olive oil
flour
beef broth

Barbecue Pork Wontons

// December 13th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Appetizers, Pork

I developed this recipe to help utilize some leftover pulled pork. the amounts of ingredients are for you to determine. The key points here are to not make the filling too “runny”, and don’t overstuff the wontons.

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato with Pesto and Caramelized Onions

// November 25th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Appetizers, Food, Salads

Ingredients:
fresh ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced,
fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
caramelized onions (see slideshow)
pesto sauce (see slideshow)
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic reduction

To make the balsamic reduction:
place some balsamic vinegar in a pan and reduce the liquid by half, until slightly thickened. Cool.

Salmon Cakes

// November 15th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Appetizers, Fish, Food, Main Courses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 pounds fresh salmon

for the poaching liquid (or court bouillon):
white wine
whole cloves
whole black peppercorns
lemon, sliced
fresh dill
diced onion

for the cakes:
1/2 cup each, finely diced red onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, fennel (anise)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 hard boiled eggs, diced small
3T. chopped fresh dill
2T. lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten