Oui, Chef

Bouchon's Quiche Lorraine

OK. 

This is not a recipe for the casual, "I just like to throw it together" kind of cook, and certainly not one you will be whipping up in a rush on a weeknight, but if you have any interest at all in making what is likely the best quiche on the planet, I urge you to stop clicking on your mouse and hang with me here for a while.

It also is not a recipe that you can give your kids free reign over, but it does have plenty of elements that the kids can help with, and I encourage you to make them part of the process.  Not only will most kids LOVE this quiche, but I think it important that we make the effort to train our next generation in the fine art of quiche making, an art that is still alive and well in Europe, but sadly died here in the States in the "real men don't eat quiche" days of the early 80's.  Americanized quiches baked in factory-made, soggy pie shells, with over-cooked, curdled custards make me want to scream....our kids deserve better, don't you think?

This dish is actually not difficult to make, but as with every recipe Chef Thomas Keller creates, it IS exacting, and therein lies its brilliance.  Keller is not one of those chefs who lives on the bleeding edge of culinary adventure, like Heston Blumenthal, Feran Adria, or Grant Achats.  These guys make their livings pushing the edge of the envelope with regard to cooking technology and high tech ingredients, that allow them to reconstruct food in ways that leave diners giddily questioning what exactly it was they just ate. 

In contrast, what Keller does better than anyone else is rip classic dishes down to their most basic elements, and then reconstruct them using only the finest ingredients, and with such a finely honed and thoughtful technique, that the end result is a dish that is instantly recognizable for what it is, but is of a quality that has been elevated almost beyond measure.  When finished, you will immediately recognize this dish as a quiche, but what you will have created will make every other quiche you have tasted seem like a cheap, plastic imitation.  Successfully creating this dish will not require technical wizardry on your part, but it will require a tight eye on a few key details.  The rewards for your vigilance will be ample, I assure you.  You game?.....Then let's go.

Cider Brined Pork with Calvados, Mustard and Thyme

This dish is an easy mid-week meal, and was inspired by a treat we had while traveling through Brittany a few years ago. The sugar from the cider brine causes a deliciously sweet caramelized crust on the chops, and the brining process renders the inside of the meat perfectly seasoned and moist. I like the dish with a nice thick chop, but it would also work well with a cutlet, or pork tenderloin. The bite of the mustard, the sweetness of the cider, and the silkiness of the cream make for a well rounded sauce to complement the meat.

Boris helped me in the kitchen for this meal, though to be honest, most of his work this night was in prepping a special appetizer for his brother Gridley,  who had requested Nobu Matsuhisa's "Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce" as a special 17th birthday treat.  Details of that fabulous dish, and Boris' excellent spicy mayonnaise will follow in a later post.

Lamb Sausage, Feta and Mint Stuffing

My wife is of Lebanese descent, and over the past few years I have enjoyed eating, and learning about her family’s delicious, middle eastern cuisine. I cook a fairly traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but wanted to give a little culinary nod to her folks who will be joining us for our feast again this year.

Thanks to Food52, and their recent "Best Thanksgiving Stuffing" competition, I decided to rework my turkey day stuffing to reflect some flavors of their culture.  The resulting dish will be a welcome addition to a more “international” day of Thanksgiving. Lamb sausage, pistachios, mint, feta cheese, and zatar, combine with local flavors such as apples, cranberries, and leeks to make a deliciously new take on an old standard.

Anadama Bread

I had never heard of Anadama bread until we were presented with a couple of loaves by a friend of ours about a year ago.  As I recall, the whole episode went something like this......

Ding-dong....the doorbell rings, and I hop up to answer it......

HERE...HAVE SOME DAMN BREAD.

Huh?

TWO LOAVES OF DAMN BREAD TO BE PRECISE, HOT OUT OF THE OVEN.  I MAKE IT ALL THE TIME, IT'S A BIT OF A SPECIALTY OF MINE.

Excuse me?

YOU KNOW.....I THOUGHT I'D BRING SOME BY AS A SORT OF HOUSE WARMING GIFT, A LITTLE WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF THING.  I MAKE THE BEST DAMN BREAD IN TOWN!

Oh.... I get it, this is like when George and Mary Bailey (Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed) bring bread, salt and wine to the Martini family when they move into their new home in "It's a Wonderful Life".   Only Mary's presentation was a bit more, how shall we say, lyrical? 

You remember what she said, don't you?

Bread.....That this house may never know hunger!
 
Salt......That life may always have flavor!

and Wine.....That joy and prosperity may reign forever!

Ahhhh......Donna Reed, she was something special wasn't she?  Broke the mold after she was made I dare say, and she had such a way with words.  Of course that was a gentler time, and given that we now live in a  faster-paced world, there's something to be said for a more direct approach as well, like "HERE, HAVE SOME DAMN BREAD!"

JEEZ, I SAID "HERE HAVE SOME ANADAMA BREAD"....DO YOU NEED A HEARING AID OR SOMETHING?

Oops....help me Clarence, it's time to earn your wings!

Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney

I’m so excited to share with all of our “Oui, Chef” readers, that for a second time, one of my Food52 recipe creations has been chosen as a weekly finalist.  This time around, Amanda and Merrill have chosen my submission to their “Best Cranberry Sauce” competition, this sweet, tart and spicy “Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney”.  Please visit www.Food52.com before midnight on Tuesday, November 17th to join the site and VOTE for this dish.  Doing so will help us get the recipe into the Food52 cookbook....THANKS!

Click the image below to see a video of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs preparing the two finalist’s dishes in the Food52 “Best Cranberry Sauce” competition.

Best Cranberry Sauce from Food52 on Vimeo.

I've never been much of a fan of straight-up cranberry sauce, in fact, the jellied kind makes me want to gag. I much prefer a condiment like this, that is more than just cranberries and a lot of sugar. This chutney gets it's sweetness not just from sugar, but from raisins, some OJ and dried black mission figs. The cider vinegar and lemon juice lend a sparkling acid note, and the ginger and red pepper flakes bring heat. I finished it with some chopped, toasted hazelnuts to add an earthy crunch, and some freshly minced thyme for a hint of herbal complexity. The whole family loves the way it turned out, and while we’ll definitely reserve a spot for it on our Thanksgiving table, I can also see it working well with a roast pork or beef dish.

Given that prep requires just a few quick chops of an onion and chunking up some figs, almost any kid can cut, measure and toss the ingredients into a pan and whip up their own contribution to your Thanksgiving feast.  Let ‘em have at it!

Cheers! - Steve

Recipe:

Gingered Cranberry Fig Chutney
By: Steve Dunn

(Print Friendly Version)


Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries
1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup hazelnuts, skinless, toasted and roughly chopped
8 dried black mission figs, cut into eighths
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely minced

Method:

Add all the ingredients, with the exception of the chopped hazelnuts and fresh thyme, to a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to bring the mix to a simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chutney thickens some. Remove from the heat, stir in the nuts and fresh thyme and let cool slightly before serving.

Brussel Sprouts with Fennel and Cider Cream

I can't think of a vegetable that I disliked more as a kid than brussel sprouts.  I mean, what was mother nature thinking when she dreamed up those nasty little things, huh?  Thankfully, my mom didn't cook them often, so it was rare that I had to feign having contracted the ebola virus, and excuse myself from the table to avoid eating the dreaded buggers. 

Sadly, my kids feel the same way about brussel sprouts as I did as a youngster, and now that I have come to love them, I've found myself working overtime to come up with a recipe that would make the little cabbages more appealing to the kids.  After a few false starts, I think I've done it.  In fact, not that he would ever admit it, but I saw Grid head back to the kitchen for seconds of these the other night....Eureka!

Farmer's Market Cheddar Melt

This open faced sandwich was inspired by a trip to our local farmer's market the other day. While there we bought a loaf of delicious whole grain bread, some locally cured ham, organic apples, some sharp cheddar cheese, late season arugula, and a nice little acorn squash (although a sweet potato would have worked equally as well, I think). In keeping with these local New England flavors, we added some maple syrup and a tangy cranberry chutney to the dish. I love the contrasting flavors and textures of the sandwich, the peppery arugula along side the sweet squash and smokey ham, the gooey cheese juxtaposed with the crisp apple, and all of it popped by the tangy cranberry chutney. 

Tell me, what kid wouldn't like a sandwich with sweet fruit in the middle, and gooey cheese melted all over the top of it.  This sandwich would be delicious with a bowl of Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Cider Cream!

Enjoy - Steve

Recipe:

(Print Friendly Version)

Ingredients:

Whole Grain, artisan baked bread

Smoked ham, locally cured, thickly sliced

Roasted acorn squash, smashed

Organic honey-crisp apples, cored and sliced (or any other local apple you have handy)

Vermont, sharp cheddar cheese


Arugula

Whole grain mustard

Cranberry chutney

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400℉
• Split acorn squash in half, top to bottom, and scoop out the seeds.  Please 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup in the cavity of each half, and place in a baking dish .  Sprinkle the squash with kosher salt, and pour a little water into the dish to keep the skins from burning and sticking to the bottom.  Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour (or longer if you have a big squash)
• Remove the squash from the oven and let cool.  When cool enough to handle, scoop the insides into a bowl and mash with a fork, making sure the butter and maple syrup is evenly distributed, check for seasoning and set aside.
• Set your oven to broil.
• Cut a thick slice of the bread and toast it.  Build your open faced sandwich starting with the mustard, then the sliced apples, the smashed squash, the arugula, the ham and finally the cheese.  Place the sandwich on a sheet tray and pop under the broiler, cook until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve with a big spoonful of cranberry chutney (I have a great recipe I'll share in a future post), some squash soup, or a simple green salad.

 

The Chef's Table - Richard Garcia of Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro

I had the pleasure of making Chef Richard Garcia's acquaintance through a friend of mine at the Chef's Collaborative, and I am so glad that she recommend I give him a call.  Not only is Richard a terrific chef, but he is very engaged in the food world outside of his restaurant, with a particular interest in making sure our kids have access to high quality, healthy food at school, and that they all learn about cooking and making good food choices from an early age.  He's my kind of guy.

We met a couple of Fridays ago on a snowy (can you believe it?) morning at Patriot Place in Foxboro, where his restaurant is located.  It was early and he was working alone, putting time into the dish that he would be serving at the Chef's Collaborative fund raiser that we attended that Sunday.  He is a very approachable guy, and immediately made me feel at home as we sat at a table nestled among his restaurant's outstanding wine collection.

Rich and Spicy Applesauce

When the boys returned from a visit to their grandparent's house in VT. last weekend with a 1/2 bushel bag of fresh from the tree, organically grown apples, it could only mean one thing....time for some homemade applesauce!  Making your own applesauce is so easy to do, and the quality of the end product so far better than ANYTHING you can buy in a store, that we haven't bought a jar of applesauce in many years.

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Cider Cream

This is a favorite recipe from Epicurious.com that I have cooked for years.  Each Fall when butternut squash are abundant, I make a huge batch of this soup and freeze about a half-dozen gallon sized ziploks of the stuff to get us through the Winter.  The recipe calls for a little cream which can certainly be eliminated if you are trying to watch such things.  When I make this, I do not add the cream prior to freezing, but will swirl a bit into the soup after it has thawed and been reheated.  This allows me to serve some without if someone requests it that way.  The drizzle of cider cream on top at service is a delicious touch, one I recommend you NOT skip unless you really must.

This year I got my squash from my guitar teacher, who, much to his surprise, found a bevy of the beauties growing out of his compost pile behind his garage!  How cool is that?