April cooking demo at Temecula Olive Oil tasting room, Seal Beach
April 6th, Thursday
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
See below for reservations
Menu
Roasted Asparagus Caesar Salad
Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Meyer Lemon & Mint Gremolata
Honey Glazed Baby Carrots with Cippolini Onions
Fontina & Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin
Blood Orange Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
For Seal Beach Reservations please call:
562-296-5421
Sponsored by
Cook the pasta according to directions, adding a good tablespoon of salt to the water, and while that is cooking continue with the recipe.
Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, add the diced pancetta and cook until lightly browned.
Add the shallots and sauté until translucent. Add the wine and chicken stock, bring to a boil and add the peas with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, cover and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the peas are a bright green color.
When the liquid is reduced to about a tablespoon, add the cream and cook for about 3 minutes then add the cheese and the pasta. Toss well and add a little of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with a grind of fresh pepper.
Serves 4
There are several types of peas that you can grow in the spring or late fall garden. Tall vining types or short bush ones that don’t need trellising.
Then you need to decide if you want fresh shelling peas, pea pods or snow peas.
All peas grow in pods but not all pods are edible. Shelling peas, also called ‘English’ peas have tough outer pods and so must be ‘shelled’. Snap peas can be eaten whole and are good blanched or eaten raw. They plump up a little more in the pod than a snow pea, which has a flat, pod and are very tender. Grow them all, the shell peas are great for freezing to use in soups, stews or just about any dish. The snap or snow peas add a great crunch to salads and many times most of them are eaten right off the vine in the garden.
Plant peas in spring or late summer (in warmer climates), loosen the soil and add some compost, mixing it well. If using a trellis, place the trellis in the soil and plant peas on both sides of the trellis. Plant the seeds about 1” deep and 2” apart. Water well and wait for them to grow. That’s it!
Harvest when the pods are fully mature, the shelling peas will be plump and fat while the snap peas are just beginning to swell inside the pod and the snow peas are full size and sort of waxy looking. Some of the flowers may be still attached to the bottom of the pod but they will be looking rather dried out.
Refrigerate peas just after picking so they stay sweet and crunchy for up to 3 days. Blanch peas right away if you’re planning on freezing some. Cook in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, drain and lay flat on a baking sheet. Dry them well and freeze on the sheet pan then you can toss them into a freezer bag and pull out only what you want to work with later.
Pick peas in the morning and use care not to pull the plant out of the ground while you pull off the pea pod. You can also use the leafy pea shoots from the tops of the plants as they get taller, plan on using these right away.
Choose organic seed potatoes, don’t plant potatoes that you’ve purchased from the market even if they have sprouts. They won’t perform well in the garden and you’ll be disappointed. Buy certified organic see potatoes from a reputable nursery. In LA check out Two Dog Nursery, http://www.twodognursery.com/ or by mail, Peaceful Valley Farm, https://www.groworganic.com/
Pre-spouted potatoes will grow faster and you’ll be able to pick potatoes about a month earlier. Growing potatoes is SO easy! You can grow in Smart Pots, the easiest in my opinion, or in the ground.
To pre-sprout the potatoes, put them in a paper bag or lay them out singly in a warm room. If they are larger than a couple of inches I cut them into pieces with each piece having 2 or more ‘eyes’ and let them dry out of the sun for a couple of days. Potatoes like sandy, loose soil so if that’s not the kind of soil you find in your garden a Smart Pot is the way to go, it also makes harvesting easier. If you are planting right in the ground, make a furrow about 3” deep and plant the seed potato eyes up, cover with soil and plant the next potato seed about 2’ away. As the potatoes sprout and grow keep covering the plant with loose soil or straw leaving about 3” exposed. The new potatoes grow on top of the seed potato, keep the soil moist but not wet and keep ‘hilling’ the plant until it’s about 10 – 12” tall. Fertilize with a general organic gardening fertilizer such as EB Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food, 4-5-3.
Harvest potatoes in about 60 days after the blooms start to die back. Stop watering and leave the potatoes in the ground, covered with soil or straw to prevent greening (don’t eat a green potato), to set the skin. Fresh potatoes have a very thin, delicate skin so if you’re planning on storing any of them you’ll want it to ‘toughen’ up a little. If you’re growing in a Smart Pot after you’ve toughened up the skin, just dump the pot out in the garden and collect all your potato gems! Start each season with fresh new seed potatoes. In California you can grow potatoes in spring and in fall, yippee for California!
Get Smart Pots here
Celebrate the Irish with us in downtown Seal Beach !
Thur. March 2
(Additional class March 16th if March 2nd sells out,) BYOB
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
See below for reservations
Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Fingers with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Irish Pub Salad
Beef & Guinness Stew
Potato Torte with Bacon & Cabbage
Guinness Chocolate Cake
For Seal Beach Reservations please call:
562-296-5421
Sponsored by
Photo: Wonky Wonderful
I’ll be pairing up with my friend, Louise Mellor for monthly cooking demo’s and foodie tastings, tips on how to stock your pantry, cooking with seasonality and celebrations at the table with design and style
Sat. Feb 11th
11 – 2, approximately
See below for reservations
Cupid in the kitchen…
Chocolate Tasting
Roasted Spring Asparagus salad with Meyer Lemon vinaigrette
Elegant Beef Wellington Puff Pastry Tarts with Caramelized Onions, Maytag Blue Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms
Dark chocolate hazelnut flourless cake with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries
Wine will be available in class
Sponsored by
For a full 6 month class schedule and to register for a class click
Seal Beach
Thur. Feb. 2nd (Additional class Feb. 16th if Feb. 2nd sells out,)
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
See below for reservations
Pear, Pecan & Feta Salad
Farro & Balsamic Roasted Butternut Squash
Blood Orange Butter Broiled Salmon
Raspberry Dark Chocolate Mousse
For Seal Beach Reservations please call:
562-296-5421
Sponsored by
Jan 19th
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Minestrone Soup with Italian Meatballs
Pork Braciola Porchetta Style
(Stuffed pork cutlets stuffed with Italian herbs & cheese)
Served with Mushroom Ragu
Saffron Risotto
Tangerine Panna Cotta
By Reservation Only
(562) 296-5421
148 Main Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
Celebrating the seasons around the table with demonstration style cooking class and a specialty food tasting each month.
Join my friend Chef Louise Mellor and I in the beautiful gardens at Cal State Fullerton’s Arboretum for a meal as we celebrate the seasons. Learn how to stock your pantry and together we’ll use garden fresh, seasonal ingredients with classic French techniques to create simple, exciting dishes for special occasions and everyday meals.
We will also be sharing how to entertain with simplicity and style. Most importantly, we hope you will be inspired to get into the kitchen at home and share life around the table.
Full lunch servings will be offered and wine will be available if desired. Here are upcoming classes for Jan, Feb and March, take a look here for class registration and the schedule through summer! Hope to see you there~
Saturday, Jan. 21, 11 – 2
Book Signing and Demo
Soup from the pantry
Join us for a demonstration on soup basics and enjoy a hearty bowl of minestrone soup with puff pastry ‘rolls’.
February 11th, Saturday, 11 – 2
Cupid in the kitchen…
Chocolate Tasting
Roasted Spring Asparagus salad with Meyer Lemon vinaigrette
Elegant Beef Wellington Puff Pastry Tarts with Caramelized Onions, Maytag Blue Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms
Dark chocolate hazelnut flourless cake with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries
March 25th Saturday, 11 – 2
I left my heart in San Francisco…
Olive oil tasting
Homemade herbed ricotta with lemon, Parmesan & blistered tomatoes served on sourdough crostini
San Franciscan style Cioppino with fresh seafood in a rich tomato white wine broth.
Blood orange olive oil cake with whipped Grand Manier marscapone
There is a simple trick that you can do ahead of time to make life a little easier cooking during the week. Buy chicken cutlets*, place them between 2 sheets of plastic or parchment paper and pound to ¼” thickness. Stack them with parchment paper between each breast, freeze on a sheet pan separately then wrap in plastic and place the entire stack into a freezer bag. Now you can remove 1 or 2 or 4 when you get home from work and proceed with any recipe. The chicken breast (you can do this with pork tenderloin as well), will defrost almost immediately and you’ll have dinner on the table in ½ hour.
Season the flour with sea salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in the flour shaking off the excess.
Heat the slow cooker to sauté if you can or use a skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and lightly brown the chicken on both sides. Set aside.
If needed add a little more oil to the pan, just enough to coat the bottom and add the butter, when melted sauté the mushrooms until browned. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, add the garlic and stir briefly until it’s aromatic.
To finish on stove top:
Sprinkle the mushroom mixture with a little flour and cook, stirring until flour is incorporated and browned. Whisk in the chicken stock, Marsala wine and lemon juice, reduce until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back to the mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Serve with chopped parsley and lemon zest over the chicken breasts.
*If you want to buy chicken breasts or cut from a whole chicken just butterfly them before pounding.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Score the duck breast skin without cutting into the breast, cut in a criss cross pattern.
Season the duck breast on both sides with sea salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat until hot and sear the breast skin side down, do not put oil or butter into the pan, you’ll have plenty of rendered duck fat shortly. When the breast is nicely browned turn and cook the other side, turn the heat down on the pan if needed.
Remove breast to a small baking sheet lined with parchment, a baking pan will do as well. Do not use a pan that’s too big or the fat will burn as it’s rendered, place a probe thermometer into the center of the breast and cook until temperature reaches 135°. Remove from oven and let rest while you finish the sauce.
Combine orange juice, sugar, orange zest, and half of the Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 2–3 tablespoons. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until thoroughly blended, and then whisk in the remaining Grand Marnier.
Slice the duck breasts on an angle and serve with the Grand Marnier Sauce, top with some orange peel or zest.
Photo: Chef Jon
A Christmas Roast, Dec. 2016
After the huge cooking spree for Thanksgiving I’m happy to create a simple elegant meal for Christmas and I always turn to a rib roast. Most people refer to them as a ‘prime rib’ yet that really refers to the grade of meat. While USDA Prime Grade is the best, it can also be on the expensive side, while a good ‘Choice’ grade is nearly as good as the prime, it can be purchased for much less. Both roasts are considered ‘standing rib roast’ and you treat them equally in cooking.
Costco has the absolute best deal on both Choice and Prime Grade roasts, choose bone in for the best flavor and juiciness. Either roast will need to cook a little longer with the bone in but the flavor is superior. A trick you can do is cut the bones off the roast and tie them back onto the roast, you’ll still get juicy flavor but won’t need to roast quite as long.
The roast will take some time to come to room temperature so remove from the refrigerator 3 house before roasting. Pre heat your oven for 30 minutes and roast for approximately 15 – 20 minutes per pound, start with a high heat, 450°, for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325° and continue cooking. Use a digital probe thermometer for best results, it’s worth spending $15 or $20 on a digital thermometer for a $75.00 roast.
For rare roast remove from the oven when the thermometer reaches 120°, for medium rare, 125° or 130° for medium, the meat will continue to cook (called carry over cooking time) while it rests. I like to serve the roast with a Red Wine Sauce or Bordelaise Sauce but remember that your sauce will only be as good as the beef stock you use so use the best. Homemade is tops but if you must purchase a stock try More Than Gourmet Glace de Veau (veal stock). Standing rib roasts are great on the grill also but that’s another story.
Photo: Josh, The Meatwave
Serves 8
Total preparation time: 1 hr. 30 min. – 2 hr.
Place roast in a shallow baking pan bone down, melt butter in small saucepan and add garlic and salt and pepper. Mix well, brush over roast, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Use a probe meat thermometer*, placed into the center of the roast but not touching bone. Roast for 10 minutes in uncovered pan, then reduce heat to 350°F and continue for 1 hour and 20 minutes for rare. Baste with pan drippings from time to time. Thermometer should read 120° - 125° for rare, 130° - 135° for medium rare. Do not cook beyond 140°, medium. Let the roast stand for 15 minutes, with the probe in the meat, before slicing. Slice either between the bones or cut off all the bones at once and the slice the meat into serving pieces.
Roast 15 minutes more if you want a medium roast, another 15 minutes for well done.
Remove from oven when done, and allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before carving. Transfer to a warmed serving platter.
• A digital probe meat thermometer – the probe remains in the meat while in the oven and the control sits outside on the stove or counter. See link below
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and sauté the onion until transparent. Add the carrots and cook until soft.
Place garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf in cheesecloth bag. Add to pan along with 1 cup of beef broth. Boil until broth has been slightly reduced, about 10 minutes, then season with thyme and salt.
Remove cheesecloth bag and put mixture through a coarse strainer. Return to pan.
Meanwhile, dissolve flour in the other 1/4 cup of broth and add gradually to sauce. Stir constantly until sauce thickens, then add the wine. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until ready to serve, and then sprinkle chopped parsley on top.
Use a quality beef broth if not making your own such as More Than Gourmet Glace de Veau (veal stock).
