Duck Liver and Potato Salad with Chile Vinaigrette

Recipe: Duck Liver and Potato Salad with Chile Vinaigrette
Page: 29
Date Cooked: December 23, 2012

The last time I worked with livers for a JW recipe, I turned out a pretty awesome Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse. This time around, this salad recipe puts the liver component front and center. And with chestnuts in every grocery store right now, it seemed like a perfect winter salad. My grocer doesn't carry duck livers so I substituted chicken livers (which is OK-ed by Jonathan Waxman in the recipe).

Ingredients: Chicken livers, milk, sea salt, black pepper, fingerling potatoes, chestnuts, sesame oil, mache, frisee, poblano chile, sherry vinegar, olive oil, unsalted butter, onion, and pimentos

I began by soaking the livers in milk for a couple of hours. I then drained the livers, patted dry, and sprinkled them with sea salt and pepper. I put the livers on a plate, covered, and refrigerated.

Prepping the livers

I peeled the fingerling potatoes and cut them into coins, placing the potatoes in ice water.

Peeled and coined fingerling potatoes

Then it was on to the chestnuts. I made a cross in the flat side of each chestnut and placed them on a baking sheet to roast. Once the edges of the shells began to curl, I removed the chestnuts from the oven, and peeled them. I put the chestnuts in a bowl with sesame oil, placed them back on the baking sheet to roast. Once the chestnuts were a golden brown, I let them cool, and then coarsely chopped.

Toasted and chopped chestnuts

For the chile vinaigrette, I seeded the poblano and finely diced it. I combined the diced chile with sherry vinegar and whisked in olive oil. I then seasoned the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Chile vinaigrette

I drained the potatoes and patted them dry. I melted butter in a skillet and added the potatoes. I cooked the potatoes till golden brown and crisp on each side.

Golden brown and crisp potatoes

While the potatoes cooked, I diced the onion and pimentos. Once the potatoes were done, I transferred the potatoes to a large bowl. I then added the onions to the skillet and cooked until they became soft.

Left: Diced onion
Right: Cooking onions till soft

I heated olive oil in a cast-iron and added the livers. I cooked the livers about 1 minute per side.

Cooking the chicken livers

I added the washed and dried greens, softened onions, pimentos, roasted chestnuts, and chile vinaigrette to the potatoes and tossed well.

Potato salad with chile vinaigrette

Finally, I placed the salad mixture on a plate and topped it with the chicken livers.

Chicken Liver and Potato Salad Vinaigrette

This ended up being a pretty tasty salad. I liked the combination of the spicy chile vinaigrette with the smooth texture of the chicken livers. And I really enjoyed the random components of crunch in this salad - the chestnuts and the potatoes. When I first looked at this recipe, I couldn't understand why it was in the "Starters" section rather than the "Salads" section. But as you continue to eat the salad, the liver flavor becomes a bit overwhelming - so a small plate of this salad is about all you want in one sitting. I was a little surprised that the only addition to the livers was salt and pepper. I think in the future, I would use a touch of liquor to cut some of that liver-y flavor. Overall, a hearty salad and a fun way to use livers.

Enjoy!

Apple and Chicken Liver Mouse

Recipe: Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse
Page: 27
Date Cooked: September 16, 2012

When I saw this recipe the first word that came to my mind was "rich." Mousse in general has a rich quality to it, despite its airy texture. Jonathan Waxman's recipe is inspired by an experience he had at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Burgundy. So from the start, I knew the bar was set high.

Chicken livers, sea salt, black pepper, apples, shallots, walnuts, olive oil, bourbon, cognac, heavy cream, and unsalted butter

I coated the livers with sea salt and pepper and set them aside on a plate. I peeled, cored, and diced the apples. I also put the walnuts on a baking sheet to toast lightly in the oven.

1) Chicken livers coated with sea salt and pepper 2) Diced apples 3) Toasting walnuts

I heated olive oil till almost smoking and added the livers, cooking for just a few minutes. Once the chicken livers tuned a mahogany color I removed them from the skillet and put the livers on a plate.

Cooking the chicken livers

I added the apples and shallots to the pan and cooked until the apples got soft. I turned off the heat, poured in the bourbon and cognac. I then stirred in the heavy cream.

1) Cooking apples and shallots 2) Added in bourbon and cognac 3) Stirred in the cream

I combined the livers, the apple mixture, and the toasted walnuts in a blender and pureed through. I then added melted butter along with salt and pepper to taste.

Puree-ing the components of the apple and chicken liver mousse

You can opt to go one step further, and pass the mousse through a fine-mesh sieve to get an even smoother texture. I served the mousse with some white country bread.

Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse

The mousse was a much darker brown that I anticipated and I'm not exactly sure why. But it was delicious. I had to force myself to stop eating it. All the flavors were there - the richness of the butter, heavy cream, bourbon, and cognac...wowsers. The sweetness of the apples worked nicely with those other ingredients. Finally, the meaty/earthy texture of the chicken livers was of course quite prominent. All in all, it was relatively little work for a pretty fancy starter.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Tomato Ragout

Recipe: Mushroom and Tomato Ragout
Page: 32
Date Cooked: May 27, 2012

I wasn't sure what to expect in this recipe. I've always thought of a ragout as a main entree and that it involved meat. But according to Jonathan Waxman's cookbook - this ragout is labelled a starter and is vegetarian.

Cremini mushrooms, shallots, beefsteak tomatoes, country bread, garlic, olive oil, poblano chile, asparagus, unsalted butter, Madeira wine, rosemary, chives, parsley, salt and pepper

I cleaned the mushrooms and quartered them; minced the shallots, and cut the tomatoes into chunks.

(1) Cremini mushrooms (2) Shallots (3) Tomatoes

I toasted the bread until golden brown, rubbed a garlic clove half on the slices, and drizzled each piece with olive oil. I also roasted the poblano chile in the broiler until blackened and blistered all over. The chile steamed in a bowl covered in plastic wrap for a few minutes. Finally, I peeled the chile by hand, stemmed, seeded, and diced it.

Left: Blacked and blistered poblano
Right: Diced poblano

In the meantime, I brought a pot of water to a boil, trimmed the asparagus, and cooked the asparagus for a few minutes. I drained the asparagus, let it cool, and then diced it.

Left: Trimming asparagus
Right: Diced asparagus

I melted butter in a large pot, added the mushrooms, and cooked the mushrooms til tender. I then added the shallots and chile, cooking until softened. I added the Madeira, scrapping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and brought the mixture to a simmer. Finally, in went the asparagus, tomatoes, rosemary, chives, parsley, and some more butter. The ragout cooked until the butter melted and the vegetables heated through. 

Cooking the ragout

Finally, I topped each toast with the mushroom and tomato ragout...

Mushroom and Tomato Ragout

This dish felt like a play on a bruschetta. It definitely looks like bruschetta. But it didn't taste quite like bruschetta. The mushroom and tomato ragout had a lot more flavors and textures going on. I enjoyed the dish. The flavors were simple and delicious. Also, the recipe didn't involve much. I would keep this in my back pocket as a future vegetarian appetizer. 

Enjoy!

Hot Oysters with Black Pepper Butter

Recipe: Hot Oysters with Black Pepper Butter

Page: 41

Date Cooked: May 22, 2012

I feel like I have to quote Jonathan Waxman's first line for this recipe: "This recipe is so easy you'll suspect there must be a hitch - there isn't." And well... that is 100% true. I used two different kinds of oysters in this recipe - Hama Hama oysters from Hood Canal and Fanny Bays from Puget Sound. And to test the oysters, I made sure to eat one raw before purchasing them and they were delicious. 

Oysters, unsalted butter, and black pepper

I cleaned the oysters. I then melted butter in a small saucepan, cooked it until golden brown, and stirred in the cracked pepper. I placed the oysters on the grill and cooked until they just popped open.

Right: Black pepper butter
Left: Oysters on the grill

I pulled the top off the oysters and loosened them up a bit. Note: JW mentions stabilizing the oysters on a bed of rock salt, I omitted this step. However, that step was purely for presentation and these oysters didn't last very long on the plate!

Hot oysters with top shell off

Finally, I topped the oysters with a spoon of the black pepper butter and served immediately.

Hot Oysters with Black Pepper Butter

Like I mentioned there really is no work to this recipe and it tasted delicious. There really isn't much to say about this recipe. If you ask me, it was simply different from raw oysters. A fun item to make if you are already barbeque-ing. 

Enjoy!

Red Pepper Pancakes with Corn and Caviar

Recipe: Red Pepper Pancakes with Corn and Caviar
Page: 16
Date Cooked: May 20, 2012

I, like many people, love brunch. Not sure why brunch is so magical, but it appears to be that one meal where anything goes - sweet, savory, and both. And on a really great occasion, you can have "fancy brunch." Though this recipe was labelled a starter, it screamed fancy brunch to me and that is exactly what I sought.

Ingredients: red bell peppers, eggs, unsalted butter, lemon juice, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, chives, crème fraîche, smoked salmon, corn, heavy cream, salmon caviar, and cilantro 

I began by roasting the red peppers on the stove top until blackened and blistered all over. I put the peppers in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and steamed. I then peeled the peppers by hand, stemmed, and seeded them. I diced one of the peppers and put it aside.

(1) Roasting red bell peppers (2) Steaming bell peppers (3) Diced bell pepper

I blended the other red bell pepper in a food processor. I added egg yolks to the pepper puree and blended well. I whisked in some melted butter and lemon juice. I mixed the pepper puree mixture with flour, a pinch of salt, and baking powder. Finally, I whisked the egg whites to soft peaks and folded the whites into the flour-pepper mixture. I let the batter sit at room temperature.

Making red pepper pancake batter

In the meantime, I mixed the crème fraîche with the chives and cut the kernels off the corn.

Right: Kernels of corn
Left: Crème fraîche with chives 

I melted butter in a medium skillet and added the corn. After sauteeing for a few minutes, I stirred in the cream and diced red bell pepper. I finished the corn-pepper dish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Corn-red pepper sauce

I heated some butter in a large skillet and poured in a tablespoon of batter for each pancake. I cooked until the pancakes were lightly browned on each side. 

Cooking red pepper pancakes

Finally, it was time to plate. I arranged a few pancakes on a plate and topped each one with crème fraîche. I coiled salmon strips onto each pancake and placed caviar on top. I spooned the corn sauce around the pancakes and garnished with cilantro.

Red Pepper Pancakes with Corn and Caviar

Let's see.... Smoked salmon - delicious! Salmon caviar - delicious! Crème fraîche - delicious! All these items on their own are delicious. And of course, when you combine them (which is a pretty traditional pairing) is delicious. Those are the ingredients that had the most flavor and really sang. The red pepper pancakes...completely mediocre. Don't get me wrong, the whole dish was delicious. But the work it took to make the red pepper pancakes was not quite worth it. I think I could have made a regular blini, which would have taken half the effort, and the end product would be just as delicious. The corn-red pepper sauce tasted good, but I found the addition of heavy cream to be a bit gratuitous. I mean I am already eating crème fraîche! My overall verdict is that the red pepper pancakes were a bit overrated but the rest was delicious!

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!

Roasted Onion, Seared Steak, and Onion Rings

Recipe: Roasted Onion, Seared Steak, and Onion Rings
Page: 44
Date Cooked: January 20, 2012

Let's just say that this recipe isn't for the onion fearing people out there. There is roasted onion, onion in the crème fraîche, and onion rings - a trio of onion flavor. It definitely makes for one pretty looking starter though.

Ingredients: Red onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, all-purpose flour, lager, eggs, white onion, milk, corn oil, sea salt, filet mignon, crème fraîche, and cumin seeds

Roasted onion is the first term in the recipe and so that is what I worked on first. I coated the unpeeled red onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I put them in the oven to roast until the onions were tender. Afterward, I set the onions aside to cool.

Roasting whole unpeeled red onions

In the meantime, I began prepping for the optional onion rings. I whisked flour, salt, beer, and egg yolks together to create the batter. I set the batter aside till I was ready to fry. I sliced the white onion into rings, placed them in milk, and put the bowl aside.

Left: Onion ring batter
Right: Onions in milk

I proceeded to slicing the filet mignon and coating each piece of meat in olive oil. I placed the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pounded out till thin. I put the meat on a plate and into the fridge it went until cooking time.

Pounded out filet mignon

I peeled the roasted onions and popped out the center. I chopped the center of the onion and combined it with crème fraîche. While I chopped, I had cumin seeds roasting lightly in pan. I ground the cumin seeds and added it to the crème fraîche mixture.

1. Hollowed out roasted onion 2. Toasting cumin seeds 3. Crème fraîche mixture 

I heated a dry cast-iron skillet and seared the beef over medium-high heat for just a few minutes. I also beat the egg whites into the beer batter and proceeded to make the onion rings. With the oil heated, I removed the onions from the milk, coated them in the batter, and deep-fried until golden brown. I salted the onion rings with sea salt.

Searing the beef

Finally, I rolled the slices of beef and placed them into the hollowed out roasted onion. I then spooned the crème fraîche mixture on top of the beef. I then served it alongside a few onion rings.

Roasted Onion, Seared Steak, and Onion Rings

JW's onion rings - flawless. Perfectly crispy, perfect amount of seasoning, and cooking times were on point. And oh my goodness... that crème fraîche mixture - amazing! I love the taste of cumin and it just went so incredibly well with the beef and the roasted onion. I couldn't get enough of that crème fraîche mixture. I will say it was a little more difficult than I though to pop out the center of the roasted onion. Also, I couldn't get the beef into a perfect roll and may have needed to pound it out a little more. But, all in all, a pretty good starter. And it looks pretty cool too.

Enjoy!