PINCH
/pin(t)SH/
A small, indefinate amount of a substance – salt, sugar, spice.
An amount that can be taken in between the thumb & forefinger
a great start to any meal…yummy drinks, jazzy music & amazing friends!!
Here’s a video of our night of French cooking~
Bonjour mes amis!!
This year started with a bang like the gun start to a marathon and we are already in February. I’m gearing up for a crazy, fun filled 2019 of food adventures. First stop…Grand Ol’ Paris!! The chance to visit the city of lights came unexpectedly and I immediately grabbed it with both hands. The due to another unexpected turn of events, I find myself making plans to travel to Paris then to Barcelona on my own. I’m excited to be embracing each and every chance to explore, discover & learn.
So…in preparation for my upcoming trip to Paris, I decided to try my best attempt at French cuisine. Perfectly timed with celebrations of myTeri’s 37th birthday weekend! And who better to share this meal with than my fellow food adventurer, Max Beach & my dear French-by-blood friend, Ms. Dana Pariseau (also known as Mrs. Beach).
Our collaborative menu:
Aperitif
Champagne with raspberries
Appetizer
Lobster Tails Meuniere **prepared by Max** Paired with cocktail Corpse Reviver **mixologist Dana**
Main Course
Garlic Encrusted Rack of Lamb on Pommes Aligot and drizzled with a creamy Porcini Leek sauce & accompanied by butter & lamb fat basted rainbow carrots. Paired with a robust French Bordeaux. **prepared by theCULINARYIST**
Dessert
Rum Cream Matcha Green Tea Crepe Cake & Granache chocolate coating. Paired with a shot of bourbon **prepared by Teri**
Lobster Tail Meuniere
Cut lobster tail in half and season to taste with salt & pepper
On the meat side, drag the lobster tail in flour and shake off the excess. You want a light coat of flour…we’re not doing popcorn lobster bites
Melt butter in in a pan over medium heat. Add the lobster tail halves - meat side down - and cook until lightly brown (about 2 minutes)
Turn the tails to the shell side and pour white wine into the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced half way. Then remove onto a platter.
Sprinkle chopped parsley and/or chives. Add minced garlic into the pan and cook for about 30-45 seconds then sprinkle in lemon juice. Mix together and then spoon onto the lobster tails
Paired with Corpse Reviver cocktail:
Absinthe
Gin
Cointreau
Lillet Blanc
Fresh Lemon Juice
pretty little things~
Creamy Porcini + Leek Sauce
Dried Porcini mushrooms
Chicken stock
Butter
Leeks
Fresh rosemary & thyme
Heavy cream
In a pot, add in the chicken stock (I used one can…it was enough for 5 and extra on the side) and dried porcini. Bring to a shimmer then turn off the flame and let sit for 20 minutes. This is basically to re-hydrate the mushrooms and to get all the flavors incorporated into the broth.
Take the mushrooms out and squeeze out the extra broth. On a chopping board, chop up the mushrooms. Personally, I like it more finely minced
In a sauce pan, add butter, chopped leeks, & a touch of salt for flavoring. Cook in medium-high heat until soft (approx. 6-8 minutes)
Add the chopped/minced mushrooms, stock, a branch of rosemary & thyme and bring to a boil until reduced (about 15 minutes)
Then add cream and black pepper. Boil until reduced half way and set aside on low heat for plating
Pommes Aligot (aka cheesy OMG carbs)
Potato (cut 1” chunks)
Minced garlic
Thyme
Butter
Salt
Heavy cream
LOTS OF CHEESE - I used 1/3 Gruyere, 1/3 Fontina, & 1/3 Comte
In a large pot, boil the 1” chunk cut potatoes, thyme sprigs, water and salt (enough to make the water taste like tears) for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. While waiting for the potatoes to cook, grate all the cheese into a big bowl and set aside
Drain & discard the thyme sprigs
Using a ricer, puree the potatoes back into the pot.
While on medium low heat, add minced garlic and butter. Stir until fully combined with a wooden spoon
Add cream and stir well. NOW, add the cheese!! Small increments at a time…while stirring, folding & mixing. Consider it your arm day work-out!!
Continue to stir until it becomes thick, silky, smooth & elastic. When you think it’s done…stir some more!! If you think it’s too thick, add some more cream
Serve immediately and ENJOY!
Main Course…the lovely Garlic+Herb encrusted Rack of Lamb!!
Fresh garlic & EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Rosemary+Thyme
2 racks of lamb
Butter (room temperature)
Dijon mustard
In preparation, the morning of, I seasoned the racks of lamb with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let it sit out and soak in the flavors (for about 1 hour) then I placed back into the fridge. When it was time to go to Max & Dana’s house, I took out the lamb about an hour before arriving and kept it out in a cool shaded area until it was time to cook.
1. In a hot pan, melt some butter and sear the lamb racks on all sides until beautiful golden brown. Start with searing the fat back part first, then the underside and then the sides. I like to spoon the hot butter to the top while searing to ensure full flavor and even cooking
**side note, before searing and seasoning, I took off the extra piece of fat/meat flap and set it aside for when I cook the carrots…for extra flavoring**
2. Remove and place on a rack (fat side up).
3. In a small bowl, mix the butter and Dijon mustard. Brush onto all sides of the lamb.
4. In a processor, blend fresh garlic, rosemary+thyme (leaves only), salt & panko breadcrumbs.
5. Sprinkle and pat a nice layer onto the lamb. Place into the oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
6. Pull out of the oven & wrap in foil immediately to let sit for about 10 minutes. Then cut to serve
**while we were cooking, we were having too much fun laughing and talking that we forgot about the lamb!! it was in the oven for a solid 20 minutes…yikes! we thought it was going to be burned, over done and dry. But to our surprise, it was juicy and tender!! YAY~ almost fail but NOT TODAY!!**
7. In the same pan that was used to sear the lamb in butter, place the fat back on medium high heat and render the fat. Place the carrots in and baste until desired. I prefer my veggies to still have a bit of a crunch.
look at me…pretending to be a chef. And ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE!! hehe~
a slice of layered heaven
And the cherry on top of this beautiful collaborative meal - Rum Cream Matcha Green Tea Crepe Cake with a shot of Bourbon (Kentucky, that is). **made by Teri**
For the crepe cake layers
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups of milk
1-3/4 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon matcha powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
For the whipped crème
1-1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tbsp. rum
For the chocolate coating
Chocolate, melted
Heavy cream
Combine ingredients for the crepe cake layers in a bowl and mix well. Pour batter through a strainer and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours
Combine heavy cream, sugar & rum and beat until stiff peaks form
On a crepe pan or a non stick pan, pour a small amount of batter and cook on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter
Set crepe layers aside to cool. Once cooled, start with one layer on the bottom then spread the whipped rum cream and lay another crepe layer on top. Repeat with cream and stacking. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours.
Take out of the freezer and immediately pour the melted chocolate over the crepe cake. Cut, garnish and serve.
Bon appetit~!!
Thank you so much to Max & Dana for opening up your beautiful home & sharing your kitchen! Max & I cooked so well together, it was like we were choreographed! So much Love & Laughter mixed in with Good food, drinks & great music.
A special thank you to the incredible eye & talent of Mr. RJ Guillermo. You always make my food look so good & perfectly captures the atmosphere of the night. Thank you so much for upgrading me with an amazing video of our “Pinch of Paris” adventure.
And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to myTERI!! Thank you for your beautiful soul, your love, your constant support. I love you so much!!
Onward, Fellow Foodies, to our next food adventure,
theCULINARY·IST