oil

Polenta Bites with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

By jgreghenry Published December 25, 2011
Prep time: 15
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 t vegetable oil, or as needed
  • 2 c water
  • 1 c instant polenta
  • 1 t kosher salt
  • 0.5 c heavy cream
  • 0.25 c parmesan cheese, grated
  • 0.5 c oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3 T mint or basil, chopped
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pn freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

Prepare the polenta: Brush an 8x8 inch glass baking dish lightly with oil. Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy bottomed, medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat. Add the polenta and whisk to break up any clumps. Lower the heat. Let the mixture simmer about 3 minutes, stirring often. Alternate the stirring between both a whisk to prevent clumps and a flat-bottomed wooden spoon to keep the polenta from sticking and burning, until thickened. If not using instant polenta more cooking (up to 10 minutes may be needed).

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream and Parmesan cheese, whisking to mix well. Scrape the polenta into the prepared baking dish. Spread as evenly and smoothly as possible. Let cool about 10 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled and firm.

Prepare the topping: Julienne the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips. Add them, along wth the mint or basil, balsamic and black pepper to a small bowl. Mix well.

Assemble: About an hour before servings, set a cutting board or very flat plate that's larger than the baking dish upside down on top of the baking dish. Hold the cutting board or plate and baking dish firmly together in front of you. Quickly invert both the cutting board or plate and baking dish in one confident motion, letting the polenta fall onto the plate in one piece. Trim the edges for neatness, and cut the polenta into 36 similarly sized pieces, laying them onto a serving plate. Garnish each square with some of the sun-dried tomato topping. Allow to come to room temperature and serve.

Notes:

The polenta and sun-dried tomato topping may be made up to two days in advance, and kept separtely in the refrigerator.

Green Peppercorn Steak au Poivre avec Poire, n’est-ce pas?

03 Jun 2011
Green Peppercorn Crusted Filet of Beef

Sometimes I need inspiration to get my butt in the kitchen. Sometimes that inspiration comes from food. Sometimes it comes from friends and sometimes it comes from words. Even French words. 

I like words. I like alliteration. I like French words.

Poivre et Poire! How could I not make that? And how come I never thought of using those words, err, I mean ingredients together before?

But this recipe has more going for it than merely an overly cute name. It's an amalgamation of a combination of several classic ideas.

It did not start out that way. 

I set off to make a pretty straightforward seared steak with a green peppercorn pan sauce. I'm sure you have made something similar. Hot pan, crusty bits of beef– deglazed with cognac. Add some stock and finish with a bit of cream or butter.

Which makes a nice sauce but leaves you with a pretty boring piece of meat. Because the only steak I had in the house was filet. Now filet has a nice soft (buttery– there I said it) texture. But that's about all it has. It a bit flat in the flavor department. I pretty much never make filet of beef without adding something to give it some weight. A nice sauce is a good start but it's not really far enough by half. The classic is a green peppercorn cream sauce. But a creamy sauce and a soft-textured piece of beef make me want to bite my own tongue. Really it's just too soft a combination in most cases.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Green Peppercorn Filet of Beef with Pear Vinegar Pan Sauce

reen Peppercorn Filet of Beef with Pear Vinegar Pan Sauce
By jgreghenry Published June 3, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 t whole allspice berries, crushed
  • 1 T whole pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 3 T green peppercorns in brine, drained
  • 1 T butter, softened
  • 1 t brown sugar
  • 0 salt as needed
  • 4 filets of beef in individually-sized proportions
  • 1 T canola oil, or more as needed
  • 0.25 c pear vinegar, or other fruity vinegar
  • 1 c chicken stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a small bowl combine all the peppercorns, butter and brown sugar, stirring to form a paste. Set aside. Add the oil to an oven proof or cast iron skillet. Set over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Generously salt the filets on both sides. Then smear 1/4 of the paste onto each filet. Add the meat to the hot skillet, peppercorn side down. It will pop and sizzle. Sear until well-browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the meat and move it to the oven to finish cooking to your desired doneness, or to an interior temperature of 125 degrees F for medium-rare. Do not crowd the filets use multiple skillets if necessary. When finished cooking move the filets to a plate to rest. Set the skillet over medium heat. Deglaze the pan with the pear vinegar. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half until slightly thickened. Strain the sauce into a small bowl. Discard solids. Serve the steaks, peppercorn side up on a plate with a drizzle of the pear vinegar pan sauce.

Notes:

serves 4

Geoduck Fritters with a Sweet & Sour Chili Dipping Sauce

19 Apr 2011
Geoduck Fritters with a Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Geoduck Fritter with Sweet Chili Sauce

Sure a geoduck is a clam, an ugly clam with (let’s face it) a very phallic looking trunk that it projects from its shell in search of food.

But did you know that a geoduck could also be a fritter? Of course just about anything can be a fritter. But a geoduck makes a particularly tasty fritter. Especially when that fritter is designed to compliment the geoduck’s best feature. Its very special texture.

But let me backtrack.

You may have seen some tweets and twitpics from a recent day in my kitchen. Three bloggers and I got together to help I Love Blue Sea get its message out about delicious sustainable seafood. We did this by making cooking videos featuring all sorts of the high-quality seafood I Love Blue Sea sells.

My cohorts were Show Food Chef, Sushi Day and La Fuji Mama– each one worthy of the title culinary star. The videos and the recipes we showcased will be available at I Love Blue Sea soon. So I can’t divulge too much information.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Geoduck Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce

Geoduck Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce
By jgreghenry Published April 19, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 6 T rice vinegar
  • 4 T water
  • 3 T sugar
  • 1 t garlic, peeled & minced
  • 0.5 t thai bird chile, seeded & minced (or more to taste)
  • 0.25 t salt
  • 3 c all-purpose flour
  • 4 t baking powder
  • 2 T orange mint, thai basil or regular mint
  • 1 T lemongrass, white tender parts only, minced
  • 1 T fresh ginger, minced
  • 0.5 t shichimi togarashi
  • 1 c clam juice
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 c milk
  • 1 geoduck clam, cleaned, prepped and very thinly sliced
  • 0 oil as needed for frying
  • 0 kosher salt, to taste
  • 0 lemon wedges, to taste

Directions

Prepare the sweet chili sauce sauce: In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, minced bird's eye chili, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer until liquid is reduced just slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir sauce from time to time. Remove from heat and allow to cool before use. Prepare the fryer: Use a deep-fryer filled with oil according to manufacturer specifications. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Alternately, fill a large stockpot 1/3 full with oil and heat it to 350 degrees F. Prepare the batter: Stack the orange mint leaves, then roll them cigar-style and slice crosswise into thin strips. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, orange mint strips (or substitute), lemongrass, ginger, shichimi togarashi, clam juice and eggs. Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time until thick cake batter consistency is achieved. Add the geoduck slices and stir to combine thoroughly. Gently drop tablespoons of fritter batter into oil and cook, turning over often until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not crowd the fryer. Work in batches. Remove with a wire strainer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season immediately with kosher salt and additional shichimi togarashi. Arrange fritters on a platter, garnish with a squeeze of lemon and more mint leaves. Serve with bowl of sweet chile sauce on the side for dipping.

Notes:

serves 8 or more