|
Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 2 Issue 74 - April 11, 2002 Automatic system commands and instructions: End of Message Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Good Day Recipe Club, Peahoots, I had a number of questions about them yesterday. Peashoots are the tender tips of young snow-pea plants. They've a sweet, nutty pea-like taste and a deliciously tender texture. For best results scald in boiling water for twenty seconds and serve immediately or add to the wok or saute pan and cook until just wilted. Treat like you would spinach. Could you use or substitute spinach in the recipe, why not! -------------------------------------------------- Tip of the Day: Corn on the Cob, do not salt your cooking water, it only toughens the corn. Instead add a bit of sugar to the water to improve the flavor. And to keep your corn a nice yellow color add a slight splash of vinegar to the cooking water a minute or so before removing the cooked corn. -------------------------------------------------- Today Chef Gwen has a recipe for Risotto. Don't be afraid, it's really quite easy to make, it just takes a little attention and the proper rice. Arborio Rice is the ticket here! Arborio Rice has a higher than normal amount of soluble starch. Arborio rice is used when a creamy sauce is needed in a recipe such as risotto or soup. The starch is released during cooking which makes a smooth and creamy risotto. This variety of rice is easy to prepare and takes about 18 minutes to cook. It's not expensive, around $1.50 a pound and can be found in your store or online at http://www.harvestsensations.com -------------------------------------------------- Saffron. The world's most expensive spice was used yesterday in Chef Gwen's recipe for scallops. Saffron is the stems or "Stigmas" of the saffron crocus which is collected by hand and dried. I prefer to buy the stem variety because I know what I'm getting. My thought has always been that the powder could be altered or cheated somehow from bogus vendors. Maybe I'm paranoid! I figure I can grind mine to powder if a recipe calls for it. Most of the saffron on the market comes from Spain and get this.It takes about 70,000 of the hand-gathered stigmas to make one pound of dried saffron! And there are only three stigmas per flower! It's flavor is intense and a little goes a long way. Store in a cool dry space in the original tin if possible. The one-ounce tin I own cost me about $48.00, but I see that it is available for $24.00 at Harvest Sensations. That is the best price I've seen in 10 years or better. -------------------------------------------------- GWEN KVAVLI GULLIKSEN'S WHITE BEAN & CHERVIL SOUP Serves 4 2 cups Dry White Beans 6 cups Water 2 ea. Onion, chopped 4 cloves Garlic 2 ea. Bay Leaf 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves 2 cups Chicken Stock 2 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Pepper, fresh ground 1/4 cupChervil Sprigs 1/2 cupUnsweetened Whipped Cream Lightly boil the dry beans in water with two chopped onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme leaves until tender - approx. 1.5 hours. When the beans are tender, strain and pick out bay leaf. Add stock to the cooked beans and simmer again for 5 minutes Then, blend the soup in a blender - being careful fill the blender only half way and to cover your blender with a towel and hold the lid down tight as heat can make the contents volatile. When the soup is pureed, add salt and pepper and reserve on low until ready to serve. Whip the cream stiff and refrigerate until service When ready to serve, top each bowl of soup with a dollop of whipped cream and equal portions of chervil sprigs and serve. -------------------------------------------------- WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO (Serves 4) 2 tbsp. Butter 2 cups Assorted Wild Mushrooms, chopped 1/2 cup Chopped White Onions, chopped 2 tbsp. Chopped Garlic, minced 2 cups Arborio Rice 5 cups Chicken or Veal Stock 1 cup Heavy Cream 1 pinch Fresh ground nutmeg 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 1/4 cup Chopped; tarragon, parsley & chives mixed Salt & Pepper Method: Melt butter and mushrooms, onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add rice and sauté for another 2 minutes. On a medium heat add the chicken stock one-cup at a time stirring until well incorporated before adding the next cup. Once chicken stock is absorbed, add cream and stir until well incorporated. Stir in nutmeg, herbs and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with shavings of Parmesan and serve immediately. -------------------------------------------------- For more recipes from Chef Gwen, visit www.harvestsensations.com All Recipes from Chef Gwen are protected under copyright. -------------------------------------------------- Shopping Lists: 2 cups Dry White Beans 6 cups Water 2 ea. Onion, chopped 4 cloves Garlic 2 ea. Bay Leaf 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves 2 cups Chicken Stock 2 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Pepper, fresh ground 1/4 cupChervil Sprigs 1/2 cupUnsweetened Whipped Cream 2 tbsp. Butter 2 cups Assorted Wild Mushrooms White Onions Fresh Garlic 2 cups Arborio Rice 5 cups Chicken or Veal Stock 1 cup Heavy Cream Fresh ground nutmeg Parmesan Cheese 1/4 cup Chopped; tarragon, parsely & chives mixed Salt & Pepper, to taste -------------------------------------------------- We have a new sponsor at Chef2Chef.Net called Kitchens-Today.com and I thought you should know about them. They have over 30,000 kitchen-related items available by Brand, Category, Price Range and even a clearance room. You can also use their fantastic Wedding Registry or register to WIN a free Honeymoon! For all your kitchen needs visit: http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=17 -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE or Unsubscribe Requests: http://chef2chef.net/forms/form-entry.htm or reply to this E-Mail by typing into the SUBJECT line: remove club or subscribe club -------------------------------------------------- ARCHIVE: All Club e-mails are archived each Friday at: http://chef2chef.net/news/club/ -------------------------------------------------- LIST PURGE: We attempt to send email for 24 hours. If not successful, your address is removed. Re-subscribe if in doubt. -------------------------------------------------- |