Seafood Bisque

This soup, bisque, and gumbo are the main reasons I do not throw away my uncooked shrimp or lobster shells. The flavor of seafood is heightened when you use fresh seafood stock instead of water.

To make seafood stock

In a sauté pan add onions chopped and sweat (no color just make them soft. Add thyme and a bay leaf. Add shrimp shell or lobster shells or both. Add 4 cups of water to cover shell and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Freeze stock in ice cube tray and use when you want that flavor of fresh seafood in your dish.

Ingredients

½ cup crab meat ounces crab meat

½ cup bay scallops (the smaller ones)

½ cup shrimp

½ cup lobster claw meat is fine

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

2 tablespoons chopped celery

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups shrimp stock

¼ cup clam juice

1 tbsp tomato paste

¼ cup sherry (optional)

2 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper

Equipment

Large Soup Pot

Preparation

Heat butter over medium-low heat

Add green onion and celery

Sauté until tender

Add flour and Stir

Add milk and stir

Allow mixture to thicken

Add pepper, tomato paste, and heavy cream

Add Seafood

Simmer for 5 min

For Service

Ladle into bowl

Add shot of sherry right before service (optional)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall is here the weather is changing and people are getting cold in their bones. We all know that nothing beats the cold like a great bowl of chicken noodle soup. This recipe is easy to follow and with very few steps you will be warm inside and out before you know it.

Enjoy

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

2 lbs. Chicken Cutlet (cubed)

4 cups chicken Broth

2 cups water

1 cup peas

1 cup carrots

1 cup whole kernel corn

1 cup celery

1 cup of your favorite noodles (uncooked)

¼ cup your favorite poultry seasoning

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Equipment

1 large stock pot

1 large sauté pan

Large bowl

Preheating

None

Preparation

The night before:

Season chicken and put in freezer bag then refrigerate

The day of:

Add water, broth and salt pepper and cayenne pepper to large pot and simmer

In sauté pan heat olive oil

Sauté chicken and remove from pan

Add chicken and vegetables to broth

Simmer for 10 minutes

Add noodles and cook for 8 minutes

Remove from heat

For service

Ladle soup into bowl

Enjoy

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Mushrooms are great and they are so versatile. The perfect accompaniment to any dish. This soup has mushroomed as its star. You can add several different types of mushrooms and really enhance the flavor profile.

Cooking note: If you want more texture in your soup; reserve some of the mushrooms and lightly sauté them in a pan and add to the soup right before service.

Ingredients

½ lb white button mushrooms, cleaned, quartered or sliced

½ lb baby portabellas cleaned and sliced

½ lb shitake mushroom sliced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Unsalted butter

2 Tbsp minced shallots (sweet onion)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups vegetable stock

2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved water

Chopped parsley for garnish

Equipment

Food Processor or blender

Large sauce pot

Large soup pot

Preheating: none

Preparation

Heat Soup Pot

Add Olive Oil and butter

Add shallots and sweat (sauté until soft with no color)

Add mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf

Cook mushrooms until 95% of the moisture has been reduced

In sauce pot bring stock and cream up to a boil then reduce to simmer

Add stock cream mixture to mushrooms in large soup pot

Stir add cornstarch and water mixture (slurry) to pot and stir

Bring soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer

Cook for 10-15 min then add lemon juice

Adjust seasoning to taste

Remove soup from heat and process in blender or food processor until desired consistency is reached

Important note: Hot liquid expands in blender please be careful when processing soup.

Add remainder of heavy cream and butter while processing

Adjust seasoning

For Service

Ladle into bowl

Garnish with reserved sautéed mushroom mixture and parsley

Enjoy 

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

What’s a better combination on a cold day then broccoli and cheese?  

There aren’t many and this simple soup will have you warm in no time.

Ingredients

2 lbs broccoli      

½ cup grated parmesan

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese    

2 cups shredded jack cheese 

½ cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic smashed

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups heavy cream

2 cup water

¼ cup flour

3 tbsp butter       

Salt & Pepper

Equipment

Large Soup Pot

Large Sauté Pan 

Preheating None

Preparation

Heat Sautee pan

Add butter and foam

Add flour and stir until light brown

Add onions and garlic

Add broccoli

Cook for 10 min

Add vegetable stock

Remove some broccoli for garnish

Add cream and heat

Blend until desired consistency is reached

Pot back on stove add cheese and stir until melted

For Service

Ladle Soup into bowl

Garnish with sautéed broccoli and shredded cheese

Enjoy

Challah (Halla) Bread from Scratch (Yes you can do it)

Challah Bread

Ingredients

½ cup honey

 1 ¼ cups warm water

 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast

 1 tsp salt

 2/3 cup olive oil

 2 eggs

6 cups flour,

¼ cup milk

1/2 cup sesame seeds

 2 tablespoons olive oil

 1 egg white

 1 tbsp.  white sugar

Preheating 350

Preparation

Dissolve the honey in the warm water in a large mixing bowl

Stir in the yeast. Set the mixture aside until the yeast forms a layer on top of the water, about 15 minutes. Stir in the salt, olive oil, and eggs

Add the flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is slightly tacky, but not sticky wet

Turn it out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic

Coat bowl with oil, place dough in bowl

Put in a warm place and let dough double in size

Punch down dough

Cut it into 4 equal-sized pieces.

Cut those pieces into 4 equal strands for braiding

Then braid four of the strands together

This will give you one loaf

Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough

Set loaves aside and let them rise again

Brush with melted butter

Top with sesame or poppy seeds or make a glaze with the white sugar by combining water and a touch or oil and brush on uncooked loaf

Bake until golden brown

For service

Smell cut and enjoy 

The right Herb for the job

So you find a great recipe and upon first glance, you feel you have all of the ingredients needed to complete the dish.

You go to the kitchen and you start to pull things out of the pantry only to find you don’t have an ingredient for the dish.

Time is short and you can’t run out to the store.

Don’t panic here are some substitutions that will have you back on track in no time.

Here are a few of the basic ones.

Don’t have Basil instead you can use Oregano or thyme

Don’t have Cilantro instead you can use Parsley or Dill

Don’t have Marjoram instead you can use Basil or thyme

Don’t have Mint instead you can use Basil or marjoram; or rosemary

Don’t have Oregano instead you can use Thyme or basil

Don’t have Chervil instead you can use Tarragon or parsley

Don’t have Chive instead you can use Green onion or onion or leek

Don’t have Parsley instead you can use Chervil or cilantro

Don’t have Rosemary instead you can use Thyme or tarragon

Don’t have Sage instead you can use Marjoram or rosemary

Don’t have Tarragon instead you can use Fennel seed or aniseed

Remember these are on the fly substitutions and the flavors in some cases are similar, however, each ingredient has its own unique flavor.

You will have subtle changes in the final product when using substitutions however the dish will still work well.

Now make some great recipes

What is a Brine?

Want to get your meat tender, juicy and full of flavor? Then this is the answer to that question!!!

It’s the fastest way to the best tasting meat you have ever had!

Brine is a solution of salt and liquid with an extremely high salt content.

It has been used for years as a preservative because salt inhibits the growth of bacteria.

Brine can also be used as a marinade for meats before they are roasted, grilled or baked. Brined meat is more tender and flavorful, as well as moist adding in your own ingredients to your brine will make it your own and give your food the flavor that matches the theme of the meal you are preparing.

Why use a brine as a marinade?

The first reason it's a tenderizer because the brine begins to break down the cellular structure of meats; in addition by using the process of osmosis*. It also infuses the meat with water, since the high salt content forces the brine into the cells of the meat.

When the brine pushes into the meat, it also brings the spices in the mixture along with it, concentrating the marinade inside the meat. During the cooking process, meat that is brined stays juicy  moist and tender in addition to developing more flavor.

How to brine.

• You should think about a brine in several parts.
• First the size of the meat you need to give 1.5 hours per pound for the brine to work its magic.
• You will need a place to completely submerge your meat for the time it brines.
• You will need to think about the flavor you want your meat to have because that flavor will be infused into the meat. 
• Think about the theme of the meal and what flavors you want to have accentuated in the food.
• Salt Salt Salt that is the biggest key to your brine. 
• You need plenty of salt to make sure the flavors really get into your meat. Figure on ½ cup of salt per gallon of water.
• Make sure you dissolve your salt in hot water before you add your meat to it. 

For a nice crispy skin take your meat out of the brine a few hours before cooking to all it to dry.

Ok now we know how to brine let make one

Citrus Spice Brine

Ingredients

1 Oven Stuffer Roaster Chicken

2 cups salt

1 cup orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

½ cup cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

4 tbsp crushed red pepper

3 pack Goya Sazón

2 lemons sliced

2 oranges sliced

6 tbsp orange and lemon zest combined

½ cup honey

4 gallons of water

Equipment

Large Pot

Large Pot Cover

Preparation

Add water and salt to large pot

Allow salt to dissolve

Add all ingredients to the pot except chicken

Stir contents of pot

Allow all ingredients to dissolve

Set aside and cool

Add chicken to pot and cover

Refrigerate for 1.5 hours per pound

Preheat oven to 350

Remove from brine and allow to dry

Tin foil the breast of the chicken

Put in oven until liquid runs clear or an internal temp of 150-160 is reached

For service

Carve and enjoy