Stuffed Baked Brie

Baked Brie is just such a nice thing to do for a party or a small wheel for the family on a Sunday afternoon. This recipe is for a nice Blueberry & Almond Stuffed Brie that I have been making for years and am doing for this gig on Saturday. It's easy and excellent, so give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

First:

1/2 Pint Blueberries (you can use frozen, but I never recommend anything but fresh)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 Cup of Red Wine or Use Port and Skip the Sugar

Toss all of this in a pan and heat until the Blueberries start to break down and the Wine is simmering. Dissolve 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch in an equal amount of water and add to the mixture. Bring it back to a boil stirring constantly. After it has thickened, cool down over ice or in the fridge & add the remaining 1/2 pint of blueberries.

Second:

Toast 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds in a 350 Degree oven just long enough to activate the oils and begin browning.

Third:

Pull the sheet of Puff Pastry from the freezer and set on the counter to thaw.

Slice the Brie in Half so that you have two equal circles. If you cut the Brie into Half Moons, put your knife down and go stand in a corner for 20 minutes then eat the brie cold and put the blueberries on top of pancakes.

Lay the Brie rind side down and spread the Blueberry mixture evenly over the circle leaving about 1/3 inch around the outside so the cheese can reseal to a certain extent. Press the cheese back together and set aside.

Once the Puff Pastry is soft enough to work with, use a rolling pin to stretch the dough enough to accomidate the entire brie wheel. Then, lay the Almonds around the center of the Pastry and set the Brie directly on top. The bottom in this situation is going to become the top if you haven't guessed. Carefully wrap the pastry around the cheese and nuts making sure not to punch holes in the dough. Pinch the dough together in order to seal the project and trim off excessive amounts of dough. Feel free to then use the excess dough to make designs on the top of the now perfectly wrapped Brie.

Once the Stuffed Brie is together and flipped to the proper side up, brush the entire thing with egg wash. That's a whole egg mixed with a little water just in case you didn't know.

Finally:

Pop this baby in the oven until the Pastry takes on a crisp golden hue. For best consistancy, let the brie cool briefly before cutting in. Otherwise, the cheese will simply ooze out everywhere. Now that it's cooled off a little dig in and enjoy on your favorite cracker, pretzel or finger, maybe even a strawberry. Whatever you like. Afterall, it is your snack.

Benchmark Catering Comes To Life

So, here I am about to really start pushing into a new cooking related business. I know I have said repeatedly that I'm out of the foodservice game, but catering is something I can really enjoy. It's not a day-to-day grind thing. Since this will be an entirely part-time venture, Iget the fun and excitement of cooking without the miserable hours of the restaurant. Plus, doing special events for people is a way of becoming part of a celebration and making it that much better.

Yesterday, we booked a 50 person party for some high school kids graduation. We're just doing a bunch of apps and the whole event is rather low-key. The woman hosting the event has an absolutely stunning house tucked back away from civilization just enough to enjoy the solitude without massive inconvenience. Her kitchen is gorgeous and roomy with lots of wonderful natural light, so it will be a pleasure putting out the event.

Here's the menu:

Beef Satay w/ a Cilantro-Peanut Sauce
Mini Potato Pancakes w/ a Chive Creme Fraiche
Shrimp Cocktail
French Bread Crusted w/ Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella & Geneovese Basil
Crudite w/ Boursin Dip
Fruit w/ Orange-Ginger Yogurt Sauce
Baked Brie Stuffed w/ Blueberries & Almonds
Chicken Wings w/ Honey BBQ Sauce
An Assortment of Sweets as yet to be determined

I'm not crazy about doing the chicken wings again, but her son had them at the last party we did and wanted them for his and I'm all about giving the customer what they want. I think she went with a nice menu, but I would have rather done something other than the whole Shrimp Cocktail thing. She said that Crabcakes were boring and opted for the Shrimp. As always the recipes will be following in my next posts. And now a word from my new sponsor:
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Chicken Parm - Fun For the Whole Family

My wife absolutely loves Chicken Parm. It's really kind of an addiction for her, and even though I'm personally not the biggest fan of it myself, the preparation has become something quite enjoyable around the Schroeder household. I think it is really important to involve my son in the cooking process. It's important for him to understand that food just does not appear on his plate and I never want him to accept processed prefab food to be a legitimate option. So this is what we do:

4 Chicken Breasts or Boneless-Skinless Thighs

Take the Breast or Thigh and Lay it on a wooden cutting board and then cover it with a multi-layered piece of film. We really don't want raw chicken all over, especially not a small child. Then, give your child the meat hammer and guide them through pounding the meat out. Maksim and I like to make songs up while we bludgeon the dinner or go for doing patterns. If the kid is getting too carried away just guide their motions until they get in the groove. Toss in a fresh piece as needed and set aside when ready.

Next pour these ingredients into a large Ziploc bag:

1 Cup of Flour
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
1 Teaspoon Granulated Onion
1 Teaspoon Basil
1 Teaspoon Oregano

Let your child do the dumping after you measure out the spices. We're talking big fun in a little world. Then add in the chicken breasts and shake, shake, shake it all up. This too lends itself to singing. The sillier the better.

In a small bowl add & mix:

3 Whole Eggs
1/3 Cup Milk

In another bowl pour:

2 Cups Unseasoned Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Shredded Parm

Heat a Saute Pan half-full of oil on Medium High - Not for Children
Once the oil is hot Dip the breasts one at a time in the egg wash and then drudge it thoroughly in the bread crumbs. Watch for holes in the crust and try to make sure it is completely covered. Then carefully place the breast in the hot oil and watch it sizzle. I usually send Maksim to set the table or clean up while this goes on.

After the chicken is all fried, place them in a baking dish and scoop a healthy spoon of Marinara over each Breast. Cover the sauce with Shredded Parm & Mozarella and pop the pan in an oven at 350 degrees for about a half hour. I'm guessing on the time and thinking in terms of an action packed game of indoor basketball.

Serve with pasta and red sauce. Everybody's happy. Everybody had fun.

Artichoke & Pecorino Romano Stuffed Mushrooms

This is an enduring recipe, because it's easy to make and is always a hit at cocktail parties. The stuffing can also be spread on bread and toasted up or used as a dip. It goes a little something like this:

1 Can Artichoke Hearts - Diced (Do This Yourself, Don't Buy Them This Way)
4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
1/2 Diced Yellow or White Onion - Try My Favorite Vidalia
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar

Saute a these together in a pan until the onions become translucent, then Pour in about

1/2 Cup Cheap White Wine - Nothing Sweet
1 Cup Cream Cheese

Lower heat so that the wine is evaporating but the mix is not sticking or burning. Stir on a regular basis. Once mix starts pulling together reduce heat a little more and grate in a healthy dose of Pecorino Romano Cheese. I don't put an amount here because it is about personal taste. The cheese should supply all of the salt you will need, but add white pepper to taste. Stir steadily until you feel the stuffing really thicken up, then pull it off of the heat and scrape into another pan and cool down. You want the stuffing to stand up and not be runny, so you may want to check how it pulls together by taking out a spoonfull and setting it in the fridge for five minutes.

After the mix cools completely, refridgerating over night really works best, it's time to set to work on the mushrooms. You want to use mid-sized domestic mushrooms. Remember, people need to heat these in one bite. Pull out the stem without breaking the mushroom and brush any dirt and debris off of the cap. Take a paring knife and cust accross the top of the cap so you have a nice flat spot for the open cap to rest on, otherwise; you will find them all rolling over and the stuffing stuck to the bottom of your pan.

Use a spoon to scoop the stuffing into the caps. They should be nice and heaping full, but like everything else, this too is all about moderation. Once they are stuffed line your shrooms up like little soldiers on a sheet tray and pop them in a 400 degree oven until the stuffing is nicely browned. Don't be suprised when the mushrooms drop a bunch of water and it evaporates into a wall of steam, but also beware that an unbalanced sheet tray means shrooms on the low end can be flooded and ruined. If the water is really excessive, pull the tray out and dump it off. No one will miss it.

Finally, tray with a pretty garnish and a little more Pecorino Romano and you are there. I think I may have made this sound a little more complicated than it needs to, but give it a shot and let me know how it turned out.

Catering

Last night we pulled off another fine catering event. It was a high school graduation party and the kid had total control of the menu. It went something like this:

Roasted Beef Tenderloin w/ Horseradish Sauce & Rolls
Asian Chicken Wings
Hickory Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs
Foccaccia w/ Chevre, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, & Roasted Garlic - Peppercorn Sauce
Mushroom Caps Stuffed w/ Artichoke Hearts & Pecorino Romano Cheese
Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes w/ a Lemon-Chive Aioli
Shrimp Cocktail
Crudite w/ Boursin Dip
Fruit Plate w/ an Orange-Ginger Yogurt Sauce
Bruschetta

I think that was it and I have to say that it all worked out well. The people, about 40, seemed more than happy and hit us up for business cards and recipes all night. Of course we are not really an official catering operation at this point, so taking more business is a tricky situation. I really do not want to get too deep into another business at this point, but when done right catering is a very profitable enterprise. We will probably rent a space soon and take the leap, but I'm definitely keeping my day job. Recipes for all of this to follow.

A Fine One Pot Family Dinner

This is just something I put together last night with some chunks of pork and a melange of what was in the fridge. I wasn't expecting much, but when it finished up I have to say I was more than pleasantly suprised. It goes a little something like this:

1.5# Pork loin chunked into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Medium Yellow Onions - diced
1 Head of Fresh Garlic - minced
1 Sweet Pepper - diced
2 Carrots - diced
2 Stalks Celery - diced
3 Strips of Bacon - chopped finely
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Teaspoon Crushed Rosemary
1 Pinch of Dried Tyme
1 Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Small Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
1 Cup of Large Lima Beans
Salt & Pepper to taste

Throw the Pork,Vegetables & Bacon into the pot with the olive oil and saute it all up until the pork is more than 1/2 way cooked through. Add your Stock & Lima Beans (cooked, if you have to use canned ones). Let that work itself together and then toss in your spices and the vinegar and let it simmer for a few minutes with the top on. I can't really tell you how long. I can accurately say that it is long enough to: rearrange some furniture, knock a plant off of the table and onto the floor, get yelled at by my wife, & build a small wall with Legos. However long that is, is exactly the right amount. Serve in Bowls & and finish with a small scoop of sour cream if you are feeling it. Voila, Dinner is served.

Philosophy as a Chef

I have been thinking over time what creates the difference between a cook and a chef. Then, I extrapolated it out to the difference between a chef and a chef, because I think most of the 'chefs' I have known really just regurgitate everything they learned in cooking school, books, and from other chefs they have worked with. When you try to open up a dialogue about food, I have found many focus on the use of the most expensive ingredients or the best this and that, but tend to shy away from any real philosophical stance.

This is just something I do not understand. Even from my first days in the kitchen I can remember marveling at how things work together or repel each other. Over time I created a palette of flavors and textures that work together and in general, when making a menu, I would pull menu items together by pulling related culinary threads into a dish. Most of the time I never even did a test run to make sure the item would work, because I knew it would. Does this mean I'm exceptionally talented? No, it means I paid attention to what I was taught and experimented with the food I was given to prepare. My god, I have eaten some horrible food to which I was the guinea pig, but I learned. Many times very slowly, with the distinct exception to the speed in which I discovered that soy sauce and fresh tomatoes simply do not get along.

Now I start wondering if my own conception of flavors/food/ingredients is also limited to what I know and that I need to keep pushing it further in order to grow the possibilities. And I guess I have to say from a purely philosophical view that would have to be the case. The best thing about the kitchen is that you never stop learning as long as you are paying attention. You also never stop failing. I screw things up all the time and apply my best fix, but in my head I know I blew it. There's another point. Learning how to recover from your mistakes is also another path to creation. It's also a tipping point. I think about how many times I have wasted a day trying to fix something that wasn't right and of the times I made the wiser decision to toss something and move on to the next attempt.

I think I need to flesh these ideas out a little bit more before this makes sense to any of us.