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FEATURED RECIPES
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INGREDIENTS
Large Recipe
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 Tbsp sugar
Medium Recipe
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp butter scant
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoon sugar
Small Recipe
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar
METHOD
Blend with an immersion blender (or a conventional blender).
Let the batter rest as long as you can before making crêpes.
French Restaurant
Insider Interview
What has your exerience been behind the line in a French restaurant?
Chef Nate: I worked in a French kitchen in Philadelphia for 5 months, and what I enjoyed most about the difference in the style of cuisine production was the brigade system. Most French kitchens use this system in which there is a "pecking order" in which the cooks with the most seniority have the tasks with the most responsibility and skills that are able to carry them out, primarily because they have been used to the kitchen for such a long time, and know exactly how to carry out the goals of the chef. I was the low man on the totem pole for about 3 months of my time there, and I was the one that was bossed around, made fun of, and given the worst jobs. But in retrospect, these were my favorite moments. These were the moments that made me a stronger cook, a tougher worker and faster, more skillful chef. I find more and more, that by being the "new guy" or in the French world, the "commis" you are able to learn so much more about a position and its corresponding dishes, and you gradually work your way around the kitchen until you become one of the strongest, most know-ledgeable cooks in the restaurant. It can sometimes be a very long journey, from commis to chef de cuisine, taking in some restaurants as long as 15-20 years, but if you are committed to your craft, constantly pushing to be the best, goals can be realized much faster.
Recipe developed by Chef Nate Auchter
Meal Ingredients
4 ea. (6 oz. ea.) Petite Filets
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick Butter
Oxtail and Baby Onion Ragoût, 2 cups
Truffled Bordelaise, 1 recipe
1 ea. Black Perigord Winter Truffle
Cooking Schedule
1. Prepare Oxtail and Baby Onion Ragoût.
2. Season and Grill Filet Mignon.
3. Prepare Truffled Bordelaise Sauce.
4. Prepare Truffle Garnish.
Plating the Dish
1. To make this presentation of this dish really stand out, use a round cookie cutter or ring mold to make a perfect round disk of oxtail and onion ragoût. Really pack it in there, and use about 1/2 cup for each dish.
2. Place the grilled filets on top of the ragoût, and spoon the truffled bordelaise sauce over the steak, and then around the plate.
3. Shave 4-6 slices of truffle on each dish using a truffle slicer (or use the whole thing if you desire)
GRILLED PETITE FILETS
INGREDIENTS
4 ea. (6 oz. ea.) Petit Filets
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) Butter
METHOD
Heat grill to medium.
To cook the steaks, simply season with salt and pepper, and place on a grill over medium flame.
Mark the first side, give each steak a quarter turn, mark it again, cooking each time for about 2 minutes, depending on the grill heat, size, rack height etc.
Flip each steak and add about 1 tablespoon of butter to the top of each steak.
Cook 2 minutes again, then give the steaks a final quarter turn, and bring them to whatever temperature is desired.
At this point they should be a nice medium-rare to medium.
OXTAIL AND BABY ONION RAGOÛT
TRUFFLED BORDELAISE SAUCE RECIPE
French Restaurant
Insider Interview
Do you have any good stories from your time cooking in Paris?
Chef Annemarie Ahearn: Many years ago, I worked at a French restaurant called Le Jardin Notre Dame in the Latin Quarter of Paris and had to bone a whole sole tableside for the priest of Notre Dame. I was so nervous and did it with shaking hands. Luckily he was a very generous and forgiving man (duh) and he was very patient with me. I put on a show!
Your Instructor
Click HERE to learn more about Chef Annemarie
More info:
ChefsLine cooking classes are 30 minute, private cooking classes with top culinary instructors. Every class gives you the opportunity to cook while learning, live, from a great instructor AND from your OWN KITCHEN. Receive recipes, shopping list, and then pick a time that's convenient for you to learn authentic cooking techniques from the pros!
Price: $15.95
French Bistro foods—delicious, hearty, and fun to prepare with the help of your own chef instructor. Meet Chef Annemarie Ahearn, New York City's "Downtown Chef," for a private cooking class by phone. Receive your pantry and grocery list, recipes, and of course live, step-by-step instruction from your instructor.
What you'll learn:
A Certified Culinary Professional, Julie Logue-Riordan has been teaching for more than 20 years.
Starting to cook at the age of six, she has never tired of her love of teaching and cooking.
She is a graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, has studied around the world and at the CIA-Greystone.
She apprenticed with the former pastry chef of the White House, Roland Mesnier, worked and studied in France and was director and teacher at L'Academie de Cuisine with Francois Dionot for five years.
After living and working many years abroad, in Asia and Africa, she now makes her home in Napa and started the cooking school Cooking with Julie.
Sign up for a ChefsLine Membership and schedule private cooking consultations with Chef Julie.
See Chef Julie's Recipes and Menus
Elegant, Multi-Course Dinner Party Winter Dinner Party
Family Style, Dinner Party Exotic Comfort Food Menu
No Fuss, Dinner Party Napa Valley Pinot Noir Dinner
No Fuss, Weeknight Meals Carneros Chardonnay Dinner
What are the top three French techniques that you feel that every home cook should know?
Chef Julie: Sauté, deglaze, and folding.
Why should every home cook learn some French fundamentals?
Chef Julie: You will be so much more successful and when you don't have a recipe, and just want to cook what's available, you can really do it with confidence.
What is the name of your favorite French restaurant?
Chef Julie:Bistro Jeanty, Yountville (Napa), California.
What is your favorite everyday French dish?
Chef Julie: Omelettes!
Salade Composée: Napa Summer Greens with Tapenade and Goat Cheese Crostini
Click here for recipe
Print Recipe
CHEF NOTES
Always wait until just before serving to season the salad with salt. The salt will cause the greens to express their moisture they will become wilted. Add the dressing at the last moment also one tablespoon at a time. It should be used sparingly and not drown the greens. If you consider the dressing a seasoning you will achieve a better result as you can always add more but you can remove the dressing once it is on the salad. Pile the salad up in a fluffy mass on each plate then add the garnishes. This type of salad is perfect after a meal to refresh your palate and aid digestion so you can enjoy your dessert. It is also a refreshing way to start a meal.
Chef JoAnna's recipe is a classic presentation. You'll need individual ramekins for baking and serving. Fantastic dish for a special occassion dinner with family and friends. Click here for recipe.
In France, the cheese course is an exciting stop on the way to dessert. For folks in the US, the cheese plate is often the undulgent pre-dinner appetizer. Knowing what you like and how to select and present a cheese plate is a fundamental host/ess skill.
Search for Movie Times and Locations Moviefone Link
Cheese Plate 101
Three cheeses makes for a lovely presentation for a 1-2 hour party. If cheese is your main course for a cocktail or win party, present two trays and replenish each with the same cheeses over the course of the party. Place your pungent "stinky" cheese alongside your hard cheese with some fruit. Serve your soft and firm cheeses with crackers and perhaps nuts nearby.
Selecting cheese. There are so many varieties and price points that you will want to ask your cheese monger for taste test. Or, to narrow down your selection, select among regional cheeses that will complement your wine selection.
Following is a list of very popular cheese selections today: Hard, aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Goat Gouda. Soft, creamy cheeses such as Capra Goat, Camembert, Brillat-Savarin. Firm, tangy cheeses such as Manchego, Mahon, Parmigiano-Reggiano. "Stinky" blue cheeses such as Taleggio , Valdeon, Stilton.
Remove the cheese from the refrigerator an hour before serving. Arrange the cheeses on cutting boards, saucers, platters, or plates. Set out a separate knife with each cheese.
For a more in depth introduction to The Cheese Board, including how-to's for:
Selecting Your Cheeses
Select by Grouping
Serving Your Cheese
Savoring Cheese
Best Matches
Visit The Gilded Fork: The Cheese Course for a wonderful article.
LIVECHEF CHAT
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INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup leeks, white portions only, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
coarse salt to taste
chives snipped for garnish
METHOD
In a medium saucepan, cook leeks and onion in butter until tender but not brown.
Stir in sliced potatoes, chicken broth and salt.
Increase heat and bring just to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
Remove from heat.
In a food processor, puree half the mixture until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture or puree with a stick blender.
You can refrigerate the soup at this point and complete at a later time.
When ready to serve, add milk and cream to the soup mixture, blending well. If serving hot, heat gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with snipped chives.
What's your favorite everyday French dish to prepare?
Chef Jim: Braised short ribs with black truffle
What are the top three French techniques that you feel that every home cook should know?
Chef Jim: Consommé, Proper braising, and all of the mother sauces.
Click here for Chef JoAnna's Crêpes Suzette Recipe
