Bechamel

MORNAY SAUCE

Seafood Mornay

(serves 5-6)

Ingredients

200 gm green prawn cutlets (de-veined)
200 gm scallop flesh
100 gm squid tube, cut into rings or quartered
300-400 gm firm fleshed white fish (cod, kingfish, snapper)
1 litre water
1 litre milk
100 gm grated cheese (cheddar, fresh Parmesan, Gruyere, Swiss)
1 onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 glass Riesling or Semillon
pinch se salt & white pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
1/3 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
1 sprig dill

Method

In a pot bring 1 litre of water to a simmer. Season with a glass of white wine, sea salt & half a lemon. Gently poach all the seafood in turn. Remove and cool in cold water. Drain. (remember cook until just done.) Add milk to seafood stock and thicken as per bechamel recipe.

In a heavy-based frying pan, saute, without colouring, the onions garlic and celery in olive oil.

Add cooked drained seafood and then add enough Mornay sauce to cover generously. Mix gently through, add seasoning if necessary and half of the grated cheese. Mix in the spring onions.

Pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in the oven until the top is golden brown – approximately 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh dill and serve.

Note: If sauce is too thick add a splash of milk or white wine. A good slurp of cream will add another creamy texture (you probably have gathered by now that this is not a recipe approved by the Heart Foundation).

Chicken in Lemon Wine Supreme Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 to 3 Shallots (minced)
4 to 5 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1/2 Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Yellow Onion (course chopped)
Bottle of White Wine
3 Lemons
1 quart of Heavy Cream
Butter
Olive Oil
Flour
1/4 cup of Italian Seasonings
Seasoning Salt (to taste)
Chicken Base (to taste)
Paprika (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Preparing the Chicken:

Fillet both breasts by slicing them in half width-wise.

Step 1:Then gently pound the chicken with a mallet until its about a 1/4 in thick. Make a wet rub:
2 Tbsp Seasoning Salt
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Worchester Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp White Wine
1 tsp chicken base
Coarse Ground Pepper (to taste)

Step 2:Mix until a paste is formed and rub into the chicken. Let marinate for about 30 minutes or so.

Step 3:The Sauce

Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a pot and let it get nice and hot. Add about 1/2 stick of butter to the olive oil and let it melt down into sizzling goodness. Saute the garlic, shallots, and fine onion until they are clear and tender – make sure too keep them moving so you don’t burn anything. If there is even so much as a dark spot on one piece of garlic, it’ll mess up the flavor of this sauce. Whisk in about 2 to 3 Tbsp on Chicken base (depending on the strength of the base). Mix in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour to create a nice roux. Cook the roux for about 2 minutes and slowly add in about 3/4 bottle of wine while stirring rapidly and constantly. If you can’t do this in one step, add a small bit of wine first and mix it until a smooth paste is formed, then add some more wine and mix until all lumps are out, and repeat. Your goal is to get a nice smooth liquid about the consistancy of heavy cream.

Step 4:

Reduce the sauce by 1/2 (let it simmer on low heat, stirring more-than occasionally for about an hour). Add the heavy cream. Let it reduce by 1/2 again.

Step 5:

Take two lemons and roll them between the table and your palm until they get a little squishy. Cut them in half, put a strainer over the sauce and squeeze them into a strainer. Get as much juice out as possible. Stir it into the sauce. Let it reduce by a 1/4 more. Take it off the heat and slowly sprinkle some paprika and seasoning salt for flavor while stirring gently. Add about 1/4 cup of Italian Seasonings (or a mix of parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc) and stir gently (too fast and you’ll break the top and get chunks). Finally, while gently stirring, take 1/2 a stick of butter, and gently squeeze it between your fingers – you want the little drops to break off into the sauce and melt. This gives the sauce a nice shine and a buttery heaven that lingers on your tastebuds.

Step 6:

Roughly chop some garlic and 1/2 an onion. Saute them in 1/2 stick of butter until the onions just start to carmelize and brown the butter.

Step 7:

Add the chicken and cook it for about 4 minutes on each side. Drizzle the juice of 1/2 lemon over the chicken for each side.

Step 8:

Once the chicken is cooked, drain the butter out of the pan, and add about 1/4 cup of wine. If you are comfortable with it and got a gas stove, tilt the pan towards the flame to ignite the wine (gotta be quick or the alcohol will burn off) and flame-kiss the chicken for a few seconds. Or if you got an electric stove (like me) cool the pan down and pour some wine and melted butter into the center, toss a match into the wine and place it back on the heat. Let the flames give the chicken some color and taste and put a lid on the pan to extinguish them. (I needed both hands to do this so I wouldn’t burn my apartment down, so sorry, no cool fire pics).

Step 9:

Garnish and serve.

Chicken a la King I

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• 4 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 4 ounces chopped pimento

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook and stir drained mushrooms and green pepper in butter or margarine over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in instant bouillon, milk, water, and reserved mushroom liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.
4. Stir in chicken and pimiento. Heat through.

Herb-Crusted John Dory with Grainy Mustard Sauce Recipe

Recipe

Total time: 1hr to 2hr

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 45 minutes
Refrigeration time: About 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Chef’s Note

John Dory is highly prized in Australia for its delicate flesh. Cooking it in an herb crust keeps it very moist.

Ingredients

Ingredients for 4 servings

- 4 fillets of John Dory, 180 g (6 oz.) each

- 4 tbsp. Dijon mustard

- 4 tbsp. tomato fondue (reduced tomato pulp)

- 4 tbsp. mushroom duxelles

- 125 ml (1/2 cup) fish stock

- 125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine

Herb crust

- 100 g (3 1/2 oz.) breadcrumbs

- 50 g (3 tbsp.) butter

- 50 g (2 oz.) mixed parsley, thyme, salt and pepper

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

Sauce

- 250 ml (1 cup) Chardonnay

- 250 ml (1 cup) white vermouth (such as Noilly Prat)

- 250 ml (1 cup) fish stock

- 250 ml (1 cup) cream

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 1 tbsp. grainy mustard

Method

Making the sauce

1. Place the shallot in a small saucepan; add the white wine and vermouth; reduce by half;
2. add the fish stock and reduce by half;
3. add the cream and reduce by half;
4. strain; season with salt and pepper; whisk in the mustard; set aside.

Making the herb crust

1. Place the bread crumbs, herbs and garlic in a blender; pulverise; season with salt and pepper; add the butter to form a paste;
2. spread the herb paste between two pieces of parchment or other non-stick paper and roll out to form a rectangle 5 mm (1/4″) thick; refrigerate until the paste hardens;
3. cut the paste into 4 rectangles measuring 5 x 10 cm (2 x 4″).

Preparing the John Dory

1. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper; cut into 5 x 10 cm rectangles; place into a deep baking dish;
2. brush with the Dijon mustard; cover with the mushroom duxelles; finish with the tomato fondue;
3. place a rectangle of the herb paste onto each prepared fillet, keeping the top piece of parchment paper in place so you don’t touch the paste; remove the paper;
4. pour 125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine and 125 ml (1/2 cup) fish stock into the bottom of the baking dish – do not pour over the crust;
5. bake in a 200° C (400° F) oven for 12 minutes or until the crust is golden;
6. pour the sauce onto hot serving plates; place the fish fillet on top; sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve immediately.

Marinated Flank Steak With Horseradish Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ c. soy sauce
• ½ c. dry white wine
• ½ onion, chopped
• 3 TB chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lbs flank steak, trimmed
• pepper
• SAUCE:
• ½ c. sour cream
• 1 TB plus 1 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Pepper
• Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions

1. For Steak: Combine the first 6 ingredients in a glass baking dish. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and marinate overnight, turning occasionally.
2. For Sauce: Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Season with a generous amount of pepper. (If preparing a day ahead, cover and refrigerate)
3. Prepare barbecue. (High heat). Drain steak. Pour marinade into a small saucepan and boil 1 minute. Season steak with generous amount of pepper. Grill to desired doneness, basting occasionally with marinade, about 6 minutes per side for rare. Transfer steak to plate and let stand at least 15 minutes. Cut steak across grain into thin diagonal strips. Line platter with romaine leaves. Top with steak. Serve warm or at room temperature with horseradish sauce.

Fluffy Omelet with Crab Newburg Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 12 x 7-inch baking dish

.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Blend in flour, mustard and pepper. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Cool slightly.

Beat egg yolks until thick. Add sauce to egg yolks. Beat egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into sauce. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve in baking dish immediately with Crab Newburg Sauce.

Crab Newburg Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3/4 pound crab meat

Melt butter in a skillet and gently cook onions and mushrooms until soft. Add flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Gradually add milk and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in beaten egg yolks. Add white wine and crab meat. Keep warm in the top of a double boiler until serving time.