Crème Anglais

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1 ½  cups milk
 4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract


Beat egg yolks and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale yellow and slightly thickened.
Bring milk to simmer.
Pour milk into egg/sugar mixture, slowly, while whipping or mixing.
Return to stove and cook, stirring constantly, until 165 degrees.
Set pan in ice water to cool slightly.
Stir in butter and vanilla.

Singing for his supper

Chocolate Soufflé

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Adapted from a Jacques Torres recipe
Ingredients
1/3 cup half-and-half
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
8 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Creme anglaise (optional- recipe follows)
Directions
Makes 8  ¾ cup ramekins
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Soufflés are baked at a high temperature to ensure a good rise.
Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the inside of 8 (3/4 cup or 3 1/2” wide by 1 ¾” tall) soufflé ramekins with softened butter. Completely coat the insides of each ramekin with granulated sugar.   If you have properly buttered the ramekin, the sugar will stick to the side and bottom of it. The butter and sugar keep the soufflé from sticking to the side of the mold and allow it to rise evenly. The sugar also gives the soufflé a crunchy crust.
Prepare the soufflé base: Pour the half-and-half into a 1 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and make a ganache by adding the chopped chocolate. Stir well until combined and all of the chocolate has melted.
Place a 1-quart saucepan half-filled with boiling water over high heat and bring to a boil. Make a double-boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over the boiling water. Place the ganache in the mixing bowl, add the cocoa powder and water, and whisk until very hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To finish the soufflé: Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and make a French meringue by adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and whipping the whites to stiff but not dry peaks. Do not overwhip the egg whites or they will not incorporate evenly into the ganache, and when baked, the soufflé will have chewy pieces of egg white in it. You can tell the egg whites are overwhipped if they start to separate and resemble scrambled eggs.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold about half the meringue into the warm chocolate mixture. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining meringue, being careful not to deflate the batter. The soufflé mixture should be homogeneous in color, but if you still see streaks of meringue in the batter, that’s okay.
Use a rubber spatula to gently place the soufflé mixture in the buttered and sugared mold. Fill to about one inch above the rim of the mold. Place the soufflé in the center of the oven and remove the top oven rack if necessary to allow enough room for it to rise. If the soufflé is too close to the bottom of the oven, the bottom of the soufflé will burn before the inside is properly baked.
Bake until the soufflé has risen to about one and a half times its original height and starts to brown on top, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve immediately with creme anglaise, if desired.

Note: These soufflés can be frozen for a few hours.  Freeze them immediately after putting the mixture into the baking dishes.  When ready to bake, remove from the freeze and immediately place in a hot oven.  Allow approximately 15 minutes to bake the frozen soufflés.

Steak au Poivre

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A classic filet mignon, crusted in crushed black pepper, with cognac cream sauce.
Recipe is for 4.

4 Tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches thick
4 Tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup cognac
1 cup of heavy cream

If cutting steaks from a whole tenderloin, trim tenderloin of all fascia and fat. Cut steaks 1.5 to 1.75 inches thick.

Tie filets with twine to prevent them flattening out during cooking.

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. Sprinkle with salt.
Coarsely crush the peppercorns with  the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Spread the peppercorns evenly onto a plate. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. Cook until brown, 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook the other side. If you want the rare, they are done.

 For medium, put them on a cookie sheet  in 375 degree oven for a few minutes, start checking them at 5 minutes, remove before they are medium as they will continue to cook after they come out of the oven.  Remove the skillet from the heat, add cognac and cream, and stir. Reduce until sauce has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.

Parsnip Purée

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2 parsnips per person
Milk for poaching
2 Tablespoons butter per person
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel and trim the parsnips.  Cut into small chunks.  Poach the parsnips in milk on the cooktop until very tender. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup milk.  Place the parsnips and butter a food processor bowl with steel blade. Process until very smooth.  Add a small amount of reserved milk if too thick.  Adjust seasonings.

Roast Dove Breasts with Chicken Liver Canapés

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Dove breasts bones can be removed by slipping your thumb in between the meat and bone at the back end of the bird.  Keep your thumb pressed to the bones and work back and forth forcing the meat off the bone while slowing moving forward.

12 slices French bread ¼ inch thick

½(or more) cup clarified butter        

Toast the bread lightly on both sides in the clarified butter.

6 chicken livers

2 strips bacon chopped

¼ tsp salt

Pepper

¼ cup white wine

1 bay leaf

1T Madeira, port or cognac

8 T butter

Trim the livers.  Sauté the bacon in a medium size skillet with lid.  Add the chicken livers, seasonings, bay leaf and wine.  Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken livers are tender and done with no pink remaining. Use a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with steel blade.  Process until smooth while adding butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Adjust seasoning. Spread the mixture on one side of each piece of bread and place on cookie sheet.  Set aside.

12 boneless dove breast halves

Salt/pepper

Tarragon

Butter

6 strips of bacon (use thin sliced bacon)

¾ cup Cognac 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub the dove breasts with butter. Season the breasts with salt, pepper and tarragon.  Wrap each breast in ½ slice of bacon and place in shallow roasting pan.  Cook the wrapped breast on the stovetop until warm and partially cooked. Pour cognac over the breast and carefully Flambé them.

Place the pan in the over. Baste and turn the birds every 7 minutes until done. (When juice is no longer red tinted)  Remove from oven and place on warm dish. Cover with foil. Change the oven to broil.

1T minced shallots

½ smashed garlic clove

2 T fat/juice from roasting pan and any solids

1 ½ cups beef stock

¼ cup cognac

1 T butter       

Place the fat/juice in a pot large enough to hold 2 cups of liquid. Stir the shallots and garlic into the fat/juice and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Add the stock and cognac and boil rapidly until reduced to about ½ cup. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

           

To Serve:
Place the dove breasts on top of the chicken liver spread. Return to the oven and broil the canapés for 2 minutes or until sizzling.  Drizzle with sauce.

Classic Dijon Vinaigrette

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1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 med garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of sugar
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
Dash Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
3/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, and sugar.  With a fork, stir into a paste.  Add the lemon juice, Worchestershire sauce, and thyme.  Stir.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Classic Dijon Vinaigrette keeps refrigerated for 1 month.
Makes 1 cup.