Pears Poached in Beaujolais

Recipe: Pears Poached in Beaujolais
Page: 264
Date Cooked: April 6, 2012

Through this project, I've really begun to appreciate a good Beaujolais. Jonathan Waxman often uses it in braising meat and here it serves as the liquid for a simple dessert.

Ingredients: Bosc pears, Beaujolais, Cointreau, whole black peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks

The first step was to peel the pears and core them. I ended up core-ing them through the top and all the way down. But upon some research after the fact, I noticed one recipe halved the pears and used a melon baller to scoop out the seeds. I can easily see how either technique would do the trick.

Peeling and core-ing pears

I placed the pears, Beaujolais, Cointreau, peppercorns, and cinnamon into a saucepan and brought it all to simmer. The pears poached in the liquid until they got just about tender.

Pear in poaching liquid

I let the pear cool in the liquid and then transferred it to a bowl. I strained the poaching liquid and poured it onto the pear.

Pears Poached in Beaujolais

I'm not sure if a dessert could be simpler than this. It was a cold night and the warmth of the dessert is something I really enjoyed. But apparently, the dessert can be served at almost any temperature. The poaching liquid was full of flavor. I enjoyed the hint of spice from the cinnamon and peppercorns. They played nicely off the sweetness of the Beaujolais and Cointreau. I perhaps, would add a little more Cointreau the next time around. The orange flavor was really subtle and I personally wanted more of it. All in all, an elegantly simple dessert.

Enjoy!

Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup

Recipe: Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup
Page: 54
Date Cooked: April 6, 2012

This soup seemed to be the perfect dish for the somewhat spring like weather we are having here in Central Pennsylvania. And heck the last time I made a cream for a soup (Corn Soup with Saffron) in a JW recipe, it was pretty amazing.

Ingredients: Eggplant, olive oil, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, garlic, butter, chicken broth, bay leaves, tarragon sprigs, fresh ginger, heavy cream, and thyme

I cut the eggplant in half and scored the flesh. I tossed the eggplant in some olive olive and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I put the eggplant in the oven to roast until it was soft.

Roasting eggplant halves

I then did the ol' blacken and blister technique with the red bell peppers. I put them under the broiler till the bell peppers were blackened and blistered. I then placed them in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let them steam. Upon steaming, I peeled the pepper with the my hands. I stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers into 1 inch squares. Finally, I tossed the red bell peppers in some olive oil.

(1) Blackened and blistered red bell pepper (2) Red bell peppers steaming (3) Cut into 1 inch squares (4) Tossed in olive oil

I thinly sliced the onions and minced the garlic. I melted some butter in a pan and added the onion and garlic until the onions became translucent. I then added the peppers and cooked for a few additional minutes.

Cooking onions, garlic, and red bell peppers

I coarsely chopped the eggplant and added it a Dutch oven with olive oil. I cooked the eggplant with salt and pepper until the eggplant turned golden brown. I then deglazed the pan with the chicken broth. I stirred in the onion mixture, bay leaves, and tarragon. The soup was brought to a gentle simmer and cooked for a bit. Once the soup was done, I pureed it with an immersion blender, adding a little water, poured it into a bowl, and placed it in the fridge.

Simmering soup

Then it was on to the ginger cream. I put minced ginger in a small saucepan with some water and brought it to a simmer. Once the ginger became tender, I drained it reserving both the liquid and the ginger. The cooking liquid went back into the saucepan and I reduced it down. The reduction was combined with the ginger and let it cool.

Ginger and ginger reduction

Finally, I added the cream to the ginger and beat it until the cream held soft peaks. I seasoned the cream with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Ginger cream

The soup is supposed to be served cold (or at the very least room temperature). I ladled the soup into some bowl and topped it with the ginger cream.

Chilled Eggplant and Roasted Pepper Soup

The soup was delicious. Amazing depth of flavor and I think I can attribute that to the roasting of the eggplant and red bell pepper. The consistency was quite good as well. It felt really hearty even though it was served cold. It had a great richness to it. Furthermore, the ginger cream was the cherry on top - an additional layer of flavor as well as a hint of spiciness from the ginger. The soup was relatively simple and had some big rewards at the end.

Enjoy!

Asparagus with Oranges and Hazelnuts

Recipe: Asparagus with Oranges and Hazelnuts
Page: 25
Date Cooked: April 4, 2012

I love asparagus. But quite honestly, I don't do much with it. Many times I just blanch it. And more recently I've begun to roast the asparagus. However, I would have never thought to pair it with oranges and hazelnuts...

Ingredients: Asparagus, oranges, olive oil, sesame oil, hazelnuts, sea salt, and pepper

The prep work for this starter is quite simple. I trimmed the asparagus down, peeled the oranges and cut them into slices, and toasted the hazelnuts in the oven for a few minutes.

Left: Toasting hazelnuts Right: Sliced oranges

I placed the asparagus in a pot of boiling water, cooked the asparagus till crisp-tender, and drained them on a kitchen towel. In the meantime, I tossed the orange slices with both the olive oil and sesame oil. Once the hazelnuts toasted, I slightly crushed them, and added them to the bowl of oranges along with some salt and pepper.

Oranges and hazalenuts

I put the asparagus onto a platter, spooned the orange-hazelnut mixture on top, and served immediately.

Asparagus with Oranges and Hazelnuts

Wowsers! This dish was exceptionally good (and quick to make)! I almost couldn't believe that this combination worked so well. The hazelnuts provided this amazing sweet, nutty texture. The oranges with the olive oil and sesame oil...who would have thought. It was almost as if the sesame oil brought out the sweetness of the oranges. The woody flavor of the asparagus also paired very nicely with the oranges and hazelnuts. Though JW labels this as a starter, I think it would be a great side dish to many entrees. Nonetheless, it was nice to discover a new side of asparagus. There isn't a doubt in my mind that I will make this dish again!

Enjoy!

Shitake Mushroom Spring Rolls

Recipe: Shitake Mushroom Spring Rolls
Page: 20
Date Cooked: March 29, 2012

I have to comment on the intro to this recipe...it is super random. He first talks about getting some Silverado trees and then goes into how he catered for the vineyard owners. Regardless, I was having a party and needed a vegetarian appetizer and figured this would be a good option to pull out.

Ingredients: Leek, carrots, onion, jalapeno chile, garlic, shitake mushrooms, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, pepper, lime, shredded napa cabbage, bean sprouts, soy sauce, ginger, and wonton wrappers

So coming off the last recipe, I proclaimed myself the "Julienne Master." Luckily for me, I got to use those skills again. I julienned the leek, carrots, onion, chile, and mushrooms. I also sliced the garlic into slivers.

(1) Leeks (2) Carrots (3) Onions (4) Chile (5) Garlic (6) Shitake mushrooms

In a Dutch oven, I heated the olive oil and sesame oil. I added the leek, carrots, onion, and garlic. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and let it cook for just a few minutes. I then added the mushrooms, chile, and some water to the pot and cooked till the water evaporated.

Cooking the vegetable filling

Finally, I added the cabbage, bean sprouts, and lime juice. I removed the pot from the heat, covered it, and let steam for a few minutes. I then removed the cover and let it cool.

Shitake mushroom filling

It was on to assembling the spring rolls. I placed a wonton wrapper on a plate, with one of the points towards me. I moistened the edges of the wrapper with some water and placed some filling in the middle. I simply, folded the top corner of the filling to create a triangle. I repeated, until I used all the wrappers.

Formed the spring rolls

Once I made all the "spring rolls," I topped each of them with some olive oil and into the oven they went.

Shitake Mushroom Spring Rolls

First off, these clearly are not "spring rolls." They are wontons. I kept wanting to roll them into spring roll form but also wanted to follow the directions as laid out - the directions won. As for the appetizer, they were good. They tasted totally fine. However, I actually think the flavors of the filling were lost by preparing it this way. I had lots of leftover filling and the filling had tons of flavor! I'm not sure if I would make the spring rolls again, but I would definitely think about using the filling flavor combination again.

Enjoy!

Tagliatelle with Beets and Cream

Recipe: Tagliatelle with Beets and Cream
Page: 124
Date Cooked: March 27, 2012

Whenever JW lists a recipe and recommends making your own pasta, I am always a bit giddy. I've done it now for three previous recipes: (1) Fettuccine with Calamari and Summer Squash; (2) Sea Scallop Fettuccine; and (3) Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage. If you ask me, nothing compares to fresh pasta. Furthermore, I have been somewhat obsessed with beets the last few months. So the combination of the two was one I was looking forward to.

Ingredients: Egg yolks, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, beets, leek, celery, carrots, celery root, red bell pepper, unsalted butter, heavy cream, and pepper

The Pasta. I combined egg yolks, flour, and salt in a food processor and pulsed until it formed a ball of dough. I transferred the dough to a floured counter top and kneaded. I then let the plastic covered dough rest. I divided the dough into pieces and rolled out sheets of pasta using my pasta maker. I then used the pasta cutter and cut the sheets into strips. The pasta was tossed in flour and laid out on the counter top to dry.

(1) Ball of dough (2) Sheets of pasta (3) Pasta

I trimmed down the beets and put them in a saucepan of water to simmer until the beets got tender. I then drained the beets, let them cool, and julienned them.

Beets

I proceeded to julienne a whole lot more vegetables - the leek, celery, carrots, celery root, and red bell pepper.

Julienned (1) Leek (2) Celery (3) Carrots (4) Celery root (5) Red bell pepper

With all the vegetables julienned to perfection, I brought a saucepan of water to a boil and one-by-one blanched the above veggies. I then melted some butter in a saucepan and added all the vegetables to cook for just a few minutes. Upon cooking, I added the cream to the pan and brought it to a boil. I seasoned the vegetables with salt and pepper, and removed the pan from the heat.

Cooking all the vegetables

Meanwhile, I brought a large pot of water to boil and cooked the pasta. I drained the pasta, tossed it with some butter and the vegetables. Right before serving, I seasoned the pasta with some salt and pepper.

Tagliatelle with Beets and Cream

After this recipe, it is safe to say that I am a julienne master! Oh my goodness, so many vegetables to julienne - it was a bit crazy. I am quite lukewarm about this recipe. It really ended up being so-so. I wanted another texture or flavor, just something. The fat of the heavy cream weighed the recipe down. Though the vegetables were fresh and delicious, they were all cooked in the same fashion and got lost in the dish. I craved a spicy element or maybe even some acid - it just wasn't there. I also was hoping for a visual payoff with all those veggies and what not. However, the beet color just got on everything and it didn't look as beautiful as I hoped. Unfortunately, I would have to say this was a whole lot of work for an OK outcome.

Enjoy!

Eggplant, Pepper, Zucchini, and Pesto Sandwich

Recipe: Eggplant, Pepper, Zucchini, and Pesto Sandwich
Page: 114
Date Cooked: March 26, 2012

I have been somewhat intimidated and excited about this recipe. A key part of this dish involved bread making. While I have made pizza dough on a number of occasions(i.e. Pizza with Bacon, Scallions, Parmesan, and Tomato), I have never made bread. So here it went....

Lager, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, olive oil, wheat flour, sea salt, pine nuts, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese, zucchini, eggplant, onion, green bell pepper, and tomatoes

I mixed beer, yeast, and some all-purpose flour into a bowl. I then added olive oil and warm water, mixing well. I let this sponge rest for about an hour in a warm location. After the hour, I added more all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, salt, and some more warm water. I floured a counter top and kneaded the dough until it was smooth and elastic. Finally, I coated a bowl with olive oil and placed the dough in the bowl. I covered the bowl and let the dough double in size.

(1) Bread sponge (2) Kneading the dough (3) Dough tossed in olive oil (4) Bread dough doubled in size

I then proceeded to make the pesto. I toasted pine nuts in the oven for just a few minutes. I then added garlic, basil, Parmesan, and the toasted pine nuts to a food processor and created a rough paste. With the processor on low, I slowly poured the olive oil.

Making pesto

Once the dough was ready, I dusted some baking sheets with flour. I then placed the dough back onto my floured counter top and cut it into 12 equal portions. I formed each portion into an oval and dusted the tops with a bit of flour. The bread ovals went on to the baking sheets and into the oven, until the bread turned a golden brown.

Baking bread

While the bread baked, I made the vegetable filling. I diced the zucchini, eggplant, onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes. I also minced the garlic. I heated olive oil and added the zucchini, eggplant, and onion - stirring and cooking until golden brown. I then reduced the heat added the garlic and red bell pepper for a bit. I added the tomatoes and let them cook. I removed the pot from the heat, allowed the mixture to cool, and stirred in the pesto.

Eggplant, pepper, zucchini, and pesto filling

I sliced pockets into the bread and stuffed it with a serious amount of the eggplant filling.

Eggplant, Pepper, Zucchini, and Pesto Sandwich

Alright, let's break this sandwich review down to two parts: (1) the bread and (2) the filling. My first question is why didn't anyone tell me it was that easy and delicious to make bread?!? It was just like making pizza dough! I thought the bread was pretty delicious but perhaps could have used some honey in the mixture, just to sweeten it up a bit. On to the filling... JW described the filling as a deconstructed ratatouille, which it is really is. I enjoyed the filling. And though the pesto seems to get a bit lost, especially the basil flavor, I think it binds all those veggies together.

So the sandwich as whole...delicious. Would I make it again? Probably. Am I making the bread again? Definitely!

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce
Page: 178
Date Cooked: February 19, 2012

Jonathan Waxman has three pork based recipes in A Great American Cook: (1) Pork Shoulder with Mole Sauce; (2) Brined Pork with Huckleberries or Blueberries; and (3) this one - Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce. I recall the previous two recipes being quite good so I had high hopes for this last pork dish.

Ingredients: Pork tenderloin, onion, garlic, parsley, Merlot, new potatoes, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, fennel bulbs, portobello mushrooms, shallots, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and chicken broth

The first step involved getting the pork marinated. I sliced the onion and smashed garlic. I combined the onion, garlic, parsley stems, and Merlot into a bowl and stirred together. I added the pork, turning it in the marinade. I covered the bowl and let the pork marinate for a few hours.

Pork tenderloin in marinade

Then it was on to the root veggies. I peeled the potatoes, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga and cut them all into bite-sized pieces. All the root vegetables were then placed in a bowl of cold water. Additionally, I trimmed the fennel, cut it in half, and removed the core.

Bite-sized pieces of potatoes, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga

I stemmed the portobellos and placed them gill side up on a baking sheet. I scooped a mixture of minced shallots and olive oil onto the mushroom caps. I roasted the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, just until hot. I then diced the mushrooms and transferred them to a saucepan.

Mushroom caps with shallots

In another small saucepan I melted some butter. I drained the root vegetables and placed them along with the fennel into a large bowl. I tossed it all with the melted butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I transferred the veggies to two baking pans, added some water, and roasted the vegetables.

Veggies ready to be roasted

While the vegetables roasted, I removed the pork from the marinade and strained the marinade into the saucepan containing the mushrooms. I added the chicken broth to the saucepan and brought it all to simmer, until slightly thickened.

Mushrooms with Merlot marinade and chicken broth simmering

I patted the pork dry, and rubbed it with salt, pepper, and olive oil. The pork went into the oven to roast until it registered 145 degrees on a thermometer. Once the pork was done, I let it rest for a few minutes.

Pork tenderloin ready to be roasted

While the pork rested, I brought the mushroom mixture back to a simmer and stirred in some butter, salt, and pepper. I also removed the vegetables from the oven.

Roasted veggies and finishing mushroom sauce with butter

Finally, I carved the pork into quarter inch slices and placed it on a platter. I covered it with roasted vegetables and spooned the portobello sauce on top. It was now ready for consumption.

Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

I may have overcooked the pork ever so slightly but it was still very good and moist. The meaty texture of the portobello actually played off nicely with the texture of the tenderloin and it was surprising how well they complimented one another. The roasted root vegetables brought an added dimension to this dish and made the whole thing feel homely and hearty. I also had never roasted fennel prior to this recipe and really enjoyed  the licorice-like flavor. Furthermore the portobello mushroom sauce had tons of flavor...I'm sure the added tablespoons of butter at the end had nothing to do with that at all (just kidding). Overall, great dish and full of flavor.

Enjoy!