Friday 26 July 2013

Summer Fresh Recipes


It's Summer Time and there's nothing better than a delicious summer meal to share with friends and family. In the heat, it's nice to have a lighter dish once in a while, so try out these amazing summerlicious dishes from Chef David Rosen, our very talented Cooking Class Chef!
  



Salad of Organic Greens and Julienne Vegetables, Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pate, 
with a Summer Blossom Honey Vinaigrette


Serves 10

For the Salad:

1 ½ pounds of freshly cut salad greens
1 cucumber fine julienne
1 sweet pepper fine julienne
1 carrot fine julienne

Goat Cheese Pate:

1 yellow pepper
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 pinch nutmeg
1 sprig thyme picked
1 splash brandy
170 grams C’est Bon Chevre

            Method:
Preheat your oven to 375F and roast the pepper until the skin has turned
            Golden brown.  Allow to cool and peel the skin, remove the seeds and slice the flesh
            into thin strips.  Slice the shallot and the garlic.  Gently sweat the shallot and garlic
            over low heat until translucent.  Add the sweet pepper and cook out to remove most of
            the moisture. Add the nutmeg, brandy and thyme.  Cook further to evaporate the
            alcohol.  Allow mixture to cool.  Puree this with the goat cheese until smooth. 
            Chill!


Summer Blossom Honey Vinaigrette

¼ Cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Summer Blossom Honey
½ apple peeled and sliced
Your favourite fresh herb
1 egg yolk
Enough neutral oil to combine
Salt and pepper

            Method:
            Add all but the oil and salt and pepper to a food processor and puree until smooth. 
            Begin to slowly drizzle the oil into the processor until you achieve a creamy and
            Balanced salad dressing.  Season with salt and pepper and chill!







Lightly Smoked and Roasted Irish Organic Salmon on Quinoa Pilaf, Sweet and Sour Beets, and Cucumber Salsa


Salmon
     Procure some really nice salmon.  Butcher it into large fillets.  Prepare your smoker and place the fillets in the smoke chamber for up to 30 minutes.  Remove and refrigerate until needed.

Quinoa Pilaf

¼ lb        duy puy lentils
½ lb        quinoa grain
¼ lb        wild rice
1 med   red onion diced
4              roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 C          raisins
¼ C         toasted pine nuts
¼ C         chopped apricots
¼ C         sundried cranberries
3              green onions sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

Dressing
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
The juice of both zested fruits
¼ C white balsamic vinegar
1 clove crushed garlic
1 Tbsp local honey
1 Tbsp Grainy mustard
¾ C canola oil and ½ C olive oil d

You must begin by cooking all of the grains separately and carefully simmer and watch them to ensure that they are not over cooked.  Strain them all and lay them out on trays to dry but not for too long.  Hopefully the other ingredients are ready and you can go ahead and mix the ingredients together.

Toast the pine nuts in a saute pan over low heat in 1 tsp of olive oil tossing until golden brown.  Remove from heat and cool. Now lightly sauté the onions for 5 minutes and add the dried fruit with 1 Tbsp of olive oil for 1 minute

Make dressing by combining all the ingredients except for the oil in a large bowl.  Begin mixing with a whisk and slowly add the oil.  Season with salt and black pepper.

Combine all of the grains, the cooked dried fruit, the diced tomato and the chopped dill and dress with the vinaigrette to desired flavour.  Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.



Sweet and Sour Beets

8 red      beets peeled 1/2ed and sliced
250 ml    red wine vinegar
375 ml   red wine
1.5 C      brown sugar
1 cinammon stick/ 2 star anise
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and simmer slowly in a sauce pan until tender stirring frequently (1 hour).  Adjust flavour with vinegar, sugar, salt or pepper as necessary.



Cucumber Salsa

1 English cucumber peeled 1/2ed and seeded, sliced on the bias
1 Red chili seeded and minced
½ Cup  Minced red onion
½ Cup Minced yellow pepper
1 Tbsp  White wine vinegar
2 Tbsp  Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
     Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix gently.  Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes to marinate.







Classic Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries and Cream


For the Dough:

2 ¼  Cup pastry flour
1 pinch salt
½  Cup icing sugar
½  lb soft unsalted butter
2  whole eggs
¼  C whipping cream

Method:
Mix the flour with whipped  butter and sugar by hand.  Use a fork to add the eggs and cream.  Do not over mix.  Chill for 20 minutes.  Roll to ¼ inch thickness and place in French Pastry ring.  Blind bake for 10-12 minutes @ 325F.

For the Curd:

4 whole eggs
2-3 yolks
1 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Cup lemon juice
Almost 2/3 Cup 35%  add 2 Tbsp sour cream or yogurt to make 2/3 cup total dairy

Method:
Whisk eggs, sugar and zest whip until double.  Add the lemon juice and cream.
Turn oven to 325F.  Pour custard into shell.  Bake 15-20 minutes.   Then turn oven off and leave until jiggly in center.  Chill.

Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream!