Happy Birthday COOKENJOY!!
During these last three years, I shared with you, many happy memories. I also commented on tragic events such as wars, earthquakes, violence, atrocities and unprecedented acts of terrorism that occurred and occur throughout my long life.
However, the essence of this blog is food, one of the great pleasures of life that magically unites and binds families, friends and people of various nationalities and convictions.
Here are a few recipes to celebrate my blog's third birthday.
INDIVIDUAL MOULDS OF SMOKED FISH MOUSSE
This is a lovely way to start a meal. This mousse is quite different from the one I gave you two years ago.
250 g (½ lb) fillets of sole, poached for 5-6 minutes in a wine court bouillon and placed on kitchen paper to dry (for the wine court bouillon recipe, please see below)
250 g (½ lb) smoked salmon
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
The juice of 1 lemon
Very little salt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 gelatin sheets, soaked in iced water for 5-6 minutes
125 ml (½ cup) hot wine court bouillon
500 ml (2 cups) full cream, whipped to the soft peak stage
Salt and pepper according to preference
12 moulds lined with clingfilm
Or use a 12 socket cupcake tin
120 g (4 oz) red caviar ( We call it "brique" in Greece)
Wine Court Bouillon:
250 ml (1 cup) white wine
125 ml (½ cup) water
1 leek, sliced lengthwise, washed and cut into 4 pieces
1 carrot, scraped and thinly sliced
2 stalks tender celery
½ bay leaf
2 – 4 fine lemon slices
1 tsp peppercorns
(Boil the vegetables for 7 minutes. After poaching the sole fillets, strain the stock, reduce it a little, and keep warm)
Blend the first seven ingredients until smooth. Squeeze the gelatin sheets with your fingers, in order to remove as much water as possible, and stir vigorously to dissolve it in the reserved hot wine court bouillon, and blend thoroughly until well combined with the fish mixture.
Fold the whipped cream into the mixture until it obtains a homogenous consistency. Taste, and correct the seasoning. Be sparing with salt, as the mousse will be garnished with red caviar.
Cover the cupcake tin, lightly with cling film, pushing it with, a small glass, into the sockets. Fill the sockets to the brim with the mousse, and cover with cling film. Place a tray over, and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the cling film and invert the cupcake tin on the tray, remove the second cling film very carefully, and with a flexible spatula, arrange the little mousses on a bed of green salad on an iced dish. Cover each mousse with a teaspoon of red caviar. Serve with warm buttered toast.
PRAWN FRITTERS
When ready to serve, remove the cling film and invert the cupcake tin on the tray, remove the second cling film very carefully, and with a flexible spatula, arrange the little mousses on a bed of green salad on an iced dish. Cover each mousse with a teaspoon of red caviar. Serve with warm buttered toast.
PRAWN FRITTERS
This dish reminds me of Greek summers. You could serve it either with a Tartar sauce or just with lemon wedges.
24 prawns, shelled (tails left on), deveined, washed and dried
Batter:
180 g (6 oz) self-raising flour
A good pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
180 ml (6 fl oz) beer
1 egg white, whipped to soft peaks
Corn oil for deep frying
In a large bowl, sift half the flour and salt and stir in the butter and the beaten egg. Gradually, pour in the beer and stir until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl and set aside, at room temperature for about half an hour.
When ready to fry, fold the whipped egg white into the batter until no streaks are visible.
Pour the oil into a wok and bring it to medium heat. Holding each prawn by the tail, dip it first in the remaining flour, shaking off the excess, then dip it in the batter, allowing the surplus batter to drip off. Fry 5-6 prawns at a time for about 4-5 minutes until puffed and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges and a green salad.
FISH MOUSSE WITH PRAWNS
This is another interesting starter.
300 g (10 oz) prawns, shelled and de-veined, slightly cooked with a twig of rosemary, and sprinkled with a little salt
800 g (1 lb 10 oz) fillets of sole, boned washed and dried
1 large onion cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
5 large eggs
180 ml (6 fl oz) full cream
3-4 heaped tbsp dried bread crumbs
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Melted butter
Garnish
A few prawns fully cooked, green asparagus, fresh parsley leaves, thinly cut lemon slices.
Blend the sole with the onion and garlic cloves until smooth. Add the eggs, cream and dried bread crumbs and blend until a light, homogenous consistency is obtained. Fold in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper according to choice, it should be very tasty.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a loaf tin with lavishly buttered baking parchment, leaving enough hanging over. Spoon in half the fish mixture, level the surface and arrange a layer of half-cooked prawns, on top. Cover with the remaining fish mousse and even the top. Brush the fish lightly with melted butter and cover with the baking parchment that is hanging over. Cover the top of the tin with foil. Place it in a deep baking tin, pour in enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in the middle of the mousse, comes out clean. Meanwhile cook the remaining prawns to perfection.
CHICKEN COOKED IN WHITE WINE
This is a main dish that your family and guests will really enjoy.
4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 chicken legs, skinned and divided into drumsticks and thighs
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
10 rashes lean bacon
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp softened butter
3 leeks, slit lengthwise, washed and finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 slice fresh ginger, peeled
125 ml (½ cup) brandy
One 750 ml bottle white wine
500 ml (2 cups) tasty chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 2 sprigs thyme + 2 sprigs sage)
500 g (1 lb) champignons mushrooms, trimmed and halved or quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 heaped tbsp plain flour or more if necessary
375 ml (1½ cup) tasty chicken stock
250 ml (1cup) cream
Finely chopped parsley for garnish.
250 ml (1cup) cream
Finely chopped parsley for garnish.
In a large deep frying pan sauté the dried pieces of chicken in olive oil and butter for 2 minutes on each side for the breast pieces, and 4 minutes for the thighs and drumsticks. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground white pepper and place on a dish.
In the same frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp and transfer to the dish with the chicken. Remove most of the olive oil and butter and reserve. Stir in the leeks, spring onions and ginger and cook over low heat until the leeks and onions are soft and the whole kitchen is filled with the aroma of ginger.
Arrange the chicken and bacon over the leeks, drizzle with brandy, and cook for 5 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Pour in the wine, simmer for 2 minutes, then add the chicken stock and the bouquet garni. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper and cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Check the breast pieces and transfer to a dish, if cooked through. Simmer the legs for 20 to 30 minutes more. Bone the legs and add the brown meat next to the breast pieces. Also remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon.
Sieve the sauce into a large saucepan, pushing the vegetables with the back of a soup ladle, to extract the juices. Place the chicken pieces and bacon into the sauce, and set aside.
Meanwhile, brown the mushrooms with a little of the reserved olive oil and butter mixture until the mushrooms are dry, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a dish. Sprinkle with a little salt. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent, sift the flour over and stir, over low heat, for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly and simmer the sauce for 12 minutes until no taste of flour is evident. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and white pepper. Sieve the sauce, pushing the onions with the back of a soup ladle, and pour back into the saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes more.
Pour the mushrooms into the chicken stew and mix well together. Cool and refrigerate.
The next day, bring the chicken to the boil, taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in a cup of cream and heat but do not boil. Serve with smashed potatoes and cream and a zesty green salad.
LAMB WITH WINE AND AVGOLEMONO SAUCE
This lovely dish is very popular all over
1 kg lamb, shoulder or leg, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into serving pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 – 3 tbsp plain flour
Olive oil,
2 tbsp butter
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250 ml (1 cup) white wine
750 ml (3 cups) or more meat stock
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 sprig sage + 3 sprigs parsley)
2 egg yolks
Lemon juice to taste, (about 1 lemon)
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and coat it evenly with flour, shaking off the excess.
Cover the bottom of a large, flat saucepan with olive oil and butter and sauté the meat in batches until slightly brown.
Pour off all fat but a thin film from the saucepan and stir in the spring onions and garlic and cook gently until the onions soften. Arrange the lamb over the onions, pour in the wine, and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring and scraping any brown bits clinging to the saucepan. Add the bouquet garni and the meat stock Bring to the boil, cover the saucepan and simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a dish and keep warm. Discard the bouquet garnit, strain the braising stock through a fine sieve and remove the fat from the surface.
Return the stock and meat into the saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, until well heated then remove the saucepan from the stove. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice for 2-3 minutes. Add a ladleful of hot stock into the egg yolk and lemon mixture, whipping constantly. Add a second ladleful of stock, repeat the same procedure and pour over the lamb, shaking the saucepan vigorously. Reheat, without boiling or covering the saucepan. Serve with chips or steamed rice, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
GINGER AND MOCK LEMON CURD CHEESECAKE
If you like ginger, this cheese-cake will be a treat.
Pastry:
125 ml (½ cup) melted butter
100 g (½ cup) sugar
A pinch of salt
31 ½ ml (1/3 cup) orange juice
250 g (½ lb) self raising flour, mixed with
½ tsp ginger powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Filling:
Two 200g (almost 7 oz) tubs light cream cheese
(Mock lemon curd:
One 397 g tin sweet condensed milk
2-3 tsp lemon juice or more
The grated zest of 1 lemon
Mix everything well together until thick and glossy)
One 200 g (almost 7 oz) tub Greek yogurt
250 ml (1 cup) thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage
2 pieces ginger stems in syrup, strained and finely chopped
4 tbsp ginger syrup (from the stem ginger jar)
3 tbsp water
6 gelatin sheets, separated and soaked in iced water to 5-6 minutes
Begin with the pastry. Mix butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. Stir in the orange juice until well combined and then the flour mixture until a soft pliable dough is formed. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking parchment and line the bottom of a 29 cm (11.2 inches) buttered spring-form tin. Prick the pastry, all over, with the prongs of a fork and bake in a oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Make a few biscuits with the remaining dough, bake for 10-12 minutes and reserve.
Mix the cream cheese with the mock lemon curd and the yogurt until well combined and
fold in the chopped stem ginger and the whipped cream. Heat the ginger syrup and water just below the simmering point, and remove from the fire. Squeeze as much water as possible from the gelatin sheets, place in the ginger syrup and mix vigorously until they are completely dissolved. Fold the gelatin/ginger syrup thoroughly into the filling, pour it over the pastry and level the surface. Cover the spring-form tin with cling film and ice for at least 5 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the removable part of the cake tin and place the cheesecake on a pretty dish. Garnish with crushed reserved biscuits or just drizzle with ginger syrup.
CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM CAKE
This is a lovely dessert, so please prepare it. You could even use good quality ready made ice-creams.
Chocolate Ice Cream:
456 ml (1 large + 1 small tins) sweet condensed milk
100 g (3 + 3/10 oz) dark chocolate, melted
375 ml (1½ cup) milk
A good pinch of salt
1½ tsp vanilla extract
600 g (1 lb 3oz + 1 tbsp) double cream, whipped to the soft peak stage
Vanilla Ice Cream:
300 g (10 oz) sugar
750 ml (3 cups) full-fat milk
A good pinch of salt
1 vanilla pod, slit in half
750 ml (3 cups) full-fat cream, whipped to the soft peak stage
First prepare the chocolate ice cream. Mix the condensed milk with the melted chocolate, milk, salt and vanilla, thoroughly together. Then fold in the cream, until no streaks of white are evident.
Place in a covered ice cream tray and freeze for 2 hours, at least. Remove from the ice cream tray, whisk the ice cream vigorously, return to the tray, cover and freeze. Repeat the procedure twice more.
For the vanilla ice cream, gently heat the milk with the sugar, salt and vanilla pod to the boiling point, stirring from time to time, until the sugar melts. Then remove from the fire and let milk/sugar mixture cool. Discard the vanilla and fold in the cream.
Place in a covered ice cream tray and place in the freezer. After two hours remove the ice cream from the freezer, place in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer, return to the ice cream tray, cover and freeze. Repeat the procedure twice more, at two hour intervals.
Sprinkle cake tin (28 cm (11.2 inches) in diameter and 6 cm (2.4 inches) deep) with sunflower oil. To assemble the ice cream cake, remove the chocolate ice cream from the freezer to soften it a bit. Then spread thicky over the bottom and sides of the prepared cake tin (it doesn’t have to be perfect, that’s the beauty of it!). Cover both the ice cream tray and the cake tin and freeze for 1 hour.
Then add some of the vanilla ice cream in the middle, following the same procedure. After two hours cover with chocolate ice cream, which should almost reach the cake tin’s brim. Cover and freeze for at least five hours. Just before serving, remove the tin from the freezer, dip the bottom of the tin in hot water and reverse the ice cream cake on to a serving dish. Garnish with chocolate curls.
No comments:
Post a Comment