Valentine Roses

A rose is a rose is a rose…comes in many shades and is the symbol of Valentine. Why not create a centerpiece in all the shades of your dinner: salmon for the starter and the appetizer, coral for the main course, pink and red for the dessert.
As to the claim that some foods are aphrodisiac, I leave it to you, but I threw in for good measure, oysters, salmon eggs, and Champagne. Deserved or not they all have that enviable reputation. As for me, I started by quoting Gertrude Stein, because nothing is sexier than a spirited conversation. Start the day before for the hors d’oeuvre, the vodka sauce of the lobster and the dessert and enjoy La Vie en Rose.

Smoked Salmon pizza (Easy, Preparation time a day before 2 hours, Cooking time: 20 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
For the pizza dough
1package active dry yeast
1½ cups (350 ml) of warm water
3½ cups (794 gm) flour
1teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 gm) extra virgin olive oil

For the cream:
4-oz (113 gm) sour cream
4-oz (113 gm) low fat cream cheese
1 bunch of dill
Salt and pepper to taste

¼ lb (113 gm) of smoked salmon thinly sliced

Material:
Salad Bowl
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Food processor

Proof the yeast in a half-cup warm water for 15 minutes.
In the salad bowl combine flour and salt. Form a well in the center and fill it with the yeast mixture and the oil. Stir with your hand adding the remaining water little by little until a ball of dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. If it is too wet add more flour, more water if too dry.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in the cleaned salad bowl, dried and oiled with a cloth cover. Let it double for an hour and a half.
Divide into 4 balls. Freeze three for up to three months. Keep the fourth one in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, turn the oven on at 360 F (182 C).
Roll the dough as thinly as possible between two layers of parchment. Remove the top layer. Transfer the lower layer and pizza dough to the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let the pizza cool to room temperature.
Wash the dill and keep the ferns. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream and dill ferns in the food processor. Add salt and pepper. Layer on to the pizza. Garnish generously with the smoked salmon and cut in small pieces. Serve as an appetizer with the remainder of the Champagne bottle.
Note: this pizza dough can be the basis of a traditional pizza. Before baking, add a purée of washed basil leaves, oil and garlic. Layer on top thin slices of Parmesan cheese and tomato slices. Bake for 20 minutes and serve with a salad as a light lunch.

Oysters on the half shell (Easy, Preparation time: 2 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
12 oysters on the ½ shell
1 small jar of smoked salmon eggs
1 lime

Cut the lime in 4.
Pour 1 teaspoon of salmon eggs in each oyster
Garnish each plate with 6 oysters and 1 lime quarter in the center.

Note: if you do not own oyster plates, form six little mounds of crystal salt in a plate and settle each oyster shell on its salt nest.

Lobster Flambé (Easy, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
2 lobsters 1lbs ¼ (567 gm) each
¼ cup (57 gm) cognac
1tbsp (14 gm) olive oil
Sauce:
1 lbs (454 gm) peeled and cut tomatoes
1 small carrot peeled and cubed
½ onion peeled and sliced
1 tbsp (14 mg) olive oil
1 tsp. Saffron
¼ cup (57 ml) Vodka
½ cup (113 ml) heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Material:
6-quart pot and its cover
Large frying pan and its cover
Matches
Wooden spoon
Food processor

Set the lobster pot full of water on the stove on high with the cover on. When the water boils, add the lobsters, one at a time, headfirst. When the boil starts over, remove the lobsters with tongs. Place them in the sink and wait until they are cool enough to handle.
Put the oil in the saucepan and turn the heat to low. After 1 minute add the onions and carrots to color lightly. Add the tomatoes.
Pour the tsp of saffron in the vodka and let the aroma develop.
After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, add the vodka, stir with the wooden spoon and let it cook for another five minutes. Last, add the cream, stirring and cook for two minutes. Pour the result in the food processor to obtain a smooth sauce.
Set the lobsters into a large recipient when cutting them to save all the juices. Separate the head. Cut the lobsters in slices. Crack the claws and the legs.
Pour the oil in the frying pan and sauté the lobster slices, the heads and the claws. Add the saved juices and the cognac. When it boils, light up the preparation with a match to flambé the lobster pieces. Remove the heads and discard. Add the sauce and warm up for five minutes.
Serve with linguini.
Note: the sauce in itself is a classic Italian Vodka sauce and is delicious on ravioli. The ingredient quantities in the recipe are sufficient for another entrée. For the classic lobster bisque, remove the lobster meat from the lobster and reserve. Place the lobster shells and heads, add the cognac and flambé. Add 2 cups water (450 ml) and simmer 15 minutes before removing the shells and adding the vodka sauce. Serve steaming in a soup bowl with the sliced lobster meat in the middle as a lobster bisque appetizer.

Valentine Fizz
(Easy, Preparation Time:30 minutes one day ahead, Expensive)

Ingredients:

For the fizz:
½ bottle dry pink Champagne
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup (113 ml) cold water
½ cup (113 gm) sugar

For the sweet sabayon:
10 oz (283 ml) of sweet wine such as Sauterne
2 yolks
¼ cup (54 gm) fine sugar

For the compote:
2 pears
1 apple
1/3cup (54 ml) rose syrup and additional to drizzle over the raspberries
1pint raspberries
1pint blueberries

Material:
Small pan
Wooden spoon
Shallow plastic container with its cover
A double boiler
A salad bowl
A whip

1-fizz
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small pan and let soften about 5 minutes. Put the pan over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the gelatin has dissolved. Stir in the sugar and remove from the heat. Then stir in the Champagne. Pour into the shallow container. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours, until the gelatin has solidified. With a fork, scramble the gelatin in small pieces.

2-sabayon
In a bowl, mix the yolks and the sugar. Add the sweet wine. Put water in the lower part of the double boiler and set over the stove at medium heat. Insert the bowl on the top part of the double boiler and beat the batter into a cream. It takes about 30 minutes of alternatively stirring the mixture and covering the double boiler to obtain a cream. The cream will thicken as it cools.

3-compote
Peel and cube the apple and pears. Pour the rose syrup in the pan. Bring to a boil over medium fire. Add the fruit and lower the fire. Cook for 5 minutes or until the fruit softens.

In a margarita glass, layer the fizz, the compote, the raspberries, blueberries and the sabayon. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve. There is enough to serve 6 people, as the dessert is even tastier the next day or the day after as the aroma develops.

A Fall dinner for 6 with leftovers

To take advantage of the last farmer markets, I pick Brussel sprouts as greens and a very tasty root, celery, and compose my meal around the delicate crisp flavor of this wonderful tuber. Pairing it with chestnuts and mushroom gives it a meaty and woody taste.
The balance of the main dish is built around a similar variation with a twist. The addition of orange and cinnamon sweetens the combination.
The dessert is both tart and sweet and takes advantage of the still bountiful crop of apples.

Chestnut and Mushrooms “cappuccino”

Ingredients:
12 chestnuts (from a preserve) cut in pieces. 4 reserved
1 lbs ½ porcini, chanterelle etc…mushrooms cleaned and picked through to remove any branches
1 small onion peeled and diced
3 large garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife and peeled
2 oz Prosciutto cubes or pancetta
¼ cup diced celery root
1 bouquet garni
5 cups beef stock
2 cups Brussels sprouts leaves, shredded fine
1 cup carrot peeled and cut very fine

Material:
1 3-quart pot and cover
1 saucepan
1 slotted spoon

Put the Prosciutto bits and a tablespoon of oil in a large pot and cook until browned about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel.
Add the onion, garlic and celery to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Add the cut chestnuts, the bouquet garni, and the stock. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.
Bring a pot of water to boil, dip the Brussels sprouts leaves for a minute. Remove them and cool them in iced water. Repeat the process with the carrots.
Puree the soup very fine. Heat it up with the reserved chestnut, bacon bits, Brussels sprouts and carrots.
Divide the soup in 6 bowls.

Celery root purée

Ingredients:
1 celery root
3 Yukon potatoes
1 tablespoon of butter
¼ cup of milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
1 peeler
1 paring knife
1 cutting board
1 saucepan
1 strainer
1 food processor
1 electric rice cooker

Cut the top off the celery root. Peel the root and slice it in ½ inch slices. Peel the potatoes and cube them in 2-inch pieces. Place the peeled tubers in the saucepan. Cover with cold water and set on the medium setting of the gas stove. Cook for 20 minutes or until the celery and potato pieces can be easily pierced with a knife. Strain and place in the bowl of the food processor. Add the tablespoon of butter and pulse until well mixed. If the consistency is too thick add the milk little by little. Salt and pepper to taste and pulse one last time.
You can start the purée one hour before serving dinner. If you want to prepare it longer in advance, place the finished purée in the bowl of a rice cooker and set the machine on warm.

Daube or Mediterranean beef stew

Ingredients:

For the marinade, the day before cooking:
4 lbs of beef shanks or any beef for stew
½ bottle of full bodied red wine such as Côte du Rhône or a Pinot noir
½ yellow onion peeled and sliced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
The juice of an orange and its peel
1 stick of cinnamon
10 black peppercorns whole
1 laurel leaf

For the dish, the day of the meal:
½ cup flour
½ tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup beef stock

Material:
1 colander
1 large salad bowl
1 cutting board
1 large frying pan
1 6-quart slow cooker or a 6-quart saucepan

The day before the party, place the beef shanks or beef stew cut in two-inch pieces in the large salad bowl. Add the onion and carrot slices, the orange peel, the cinnamon stick, black peppercorns and the laurel leave. Pour the wine and orange juice in the bowl. Cover with a plastic film and refrigerate until the next day.
Six hours before the party, remove the meat from the marinade. Dust the cutting board with flour and salt, and roll each piece of meat in it.
Place the frying pan over the medium setting of the gas. Pour the olive oil and sauté the meat in batches. Place the browned pieces of meat in the slow cooker. Cover with the marinade. Add the beef stock. Set the slow cooker on the lowest setting for 6 hours. After 5 hours, check the consistency of the sauce. To thicken it, remove the cover and bring the settings to high.
To keep the dish very warm, place the slow cooker on a serving table and set it on warm.
Serve 6.

Note: if using a conventional pan, cook for 2 hours and 1/2. Remove the meat on a cutting board and check the thickness of the sauce. Leave the sauce on the gas until you reach the desired consistency. The sauce should evaporate till you have 1/3 remaining.

Meatloaf Gratin

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
A smudge of butter
Meat leftovers from beef stew (or roast…)
2 Yukon potatoes
½ cup of Gruyere cheese freshly grated
½ onion

Material:
Saucepan
Frying pan
Peeler
Paring knife and cutting board
Ricer or electric masher
Ovenproof baking dish
Food processor fitted with a blade

Peel the onion and slice it fine. Pour the olive oil in the frying pan and on medium setting of the gas range for 1 minute. Lower the fire and add the onions, stirring constantly until soft. Remove from the fire and pour into the food processor bowl. Add the meat leftovers and pulse until just ground.
Butter lightly the baking dish and cover it with the content of the food processor.
Turn the oven on at 350.
Peel and cube the potatoes. Pace them into the saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the saucepan on the medium setting of the gas stove. After it boils, cook for 20 minutes, until the potato pieces can easily be pierced with the paring knife. Using the ricer or the electric masher, purée the potatoes. Layer the purée on top of the ground meat. Finish up with a layer of Gruyere.
Place the dish in the oven. Add the grill function of the
Oven. Cook for 20 minutes, until the top is golden.

Serve two with a green salad for lunch.

Autumn Compote

Ingredients:
5 Fuji apples
Quince jam (recipe follows)

Material:
Cutting board
Peeler
Paring knife
Strainer
Saucepan

Filter the syrup of the quince jam over the saucepan, reserving the quince cubes. Set the saucepan on the low setting of the gas stove.
Peel quarter, core and cube the apples. Add the apple pieces and cook for ten minutes or until just soft. Check for doneness by piercing easily the fruit with a sharp knife. Remove from the stove and cool.
To serve, place in individual bowl and sprinkle the quince cubes on top. The glimmering orange quince cubes over the yellow apple pieces form a festive and slightly tart dessert.

Quince jam

Ingredients:
2 or 3 quinces
1-inch piece of ginger
¾ of the weight of the fruit in crystallized sugar
1 lemon per 2 lbs of fruit

Material:
Salad bowl
Juicer
Peeler
Strainer
6-quart heavy-bottom pan
Wooden spoon
Glass Jars

Juice the lemon and pour half of it in a large salad bowl. Add cold water and mix. Reserve the rest of the juice.

Weigh the fruit. Whatever number you obtain, measure ¾ of the weight in sugar.

Peel the quinces. Use some lemon to prevent the quinces from darkening. Remove the hearts of the quinces and put them along with the ginger in a little cloth purse tied with the kitchen tie. Cut the quinces in 1inch cubes, dumping them in the lemon water as you proceed.

Pour the same weight of water than sugar in the heavy-bottomed pan. Add the sugar. Mix well. Place the pan on the medium range of the stove and bring to a boil stirring constantly. When the surface of the water is bubbling all over,
add the fruit to the boiling syrup. Place the purse in the middle. Let it boil again and cook for another 45-50 minutes, stirring episodically. If impurities or moss come to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon.

Sterilize the glass jars and their cover by boiling them for 5 minutes. Remove them with a set of tongues and let them dry over a rack.

When the fruit turn orange rose, remove from the fire. The jam should still be slightly liquid. Remove the cloth purse.

Pour the jam in the clean pots. Close the pots and turn them over until they are totally cool.