Cream of Mushroom Soup

In this recipe I used baby Bella mushrooms but any can be used. I will post clarified butter at the end of the recipe.

3 oz of Clarified Butter
4 oz onions diced
2 oz celery - diced
2 oz leeks-diced you can sub shallots
2 lb mushrooms diced
3oz All purpose Flour
1 1/2 quart Chicken stock - cold
1 c heavy cream- heated
salt and pepper to taste

Heat sauce pot or small stock pot add the clarified butter.
Add onions, celery, leeks, and sweat til translucent
Add mushrooms and sweat.
Dust with the flour and stir until absorbed. You don't want it to clump. Dust and stir when you coat it.
Add cold stock and stir  to dissolve the roux. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 min.
Puree the soup(stick blender) then return to a simmer.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat cream add the cream to the soup just before serving.

I added the circle of cream as an extra to make it look pretty. You can do what you like to make it pretty. 

Happy Eating.


Clarified Butter
1 1/4 lb = 1 lb of clarified butter
1. Melt butter in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Skim the froth from the surface
3. Carefully pour the clear melted butter into another container, leaving the milky liquid at the bottom of the sauce pan.
Use a ladle its much easier to get the clear liquid at the top.

Green bean and Parmesan Soup

Ok this one you can eat as it is or strain it for a clearer looking, otherwise you will have little bits of green bean in it.

2tbspn butter
8 oz green beans trimmed to 1/2" (its best if you use the fresh baby green beans)
1 garlic clove chopped finely
2 c chicken stock
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c cream
salt and pepper to taste
2tbspn chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add the green beans and cook over medium heat for  5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more stirring frequently.Add stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Til the beans are tender. You want the green beans to be really soft and tender. Puree the soup( stick blender).Return to heat and reheat slowly. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream and top with Parsley. Serve hot. If you want to strain the soup do it before you add the cream.  You can also sub celery for this recipe. If you do that, you do want to strain the soup before the cream.

Happy Eating.

French Onion Soup

As requested here is the French Onion. I will post the more when I get back tonight. Everything is in ounces. So I would get a scale for some of the recipes. I think  your in the clear with this one. If you need help, email me with a way to contact you and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Txt messages are good.

5 med red or yellow onions- peeled and quartered
3tbsp butter
1 tsp fresh thyme (1/2 dried)
1 tsp sugar
3 garlic cloves minced
1c dry red wine. sherry works too
5 c beef broth
3 c chicken broth
1tbspn gelatin dissolved in 1/2 c water
kosher salt
ground pepper
1 tbspn balsamic vinegar
1tbspn soy sauce
 French bread sliced 3/4" thick. ( I think they make round cruton for french onion )
6oz swiss cheese
3 oz asiago cheese- grated
3 tbspn finely chopped parsley

We didn't have Swiss or Asiago so we used mozzerella and parmesan. Cheese is interchangeable.

Slice onion into 1/4 slices. In a large pan melt butter. Add the onions, thyme and 1/2 tspn salt. Cook over medium heat, til the onions are soft. Add sugar and stir well. Cover and cook for 20 min. You want to caramelize the onions. You don't have to cover them. Its ok for there to be dark goo on the bottom of the pan.
Add garlic and cook uncovered for another 10 min. Pour in wine, bring to a boil and cook until thre wine has all but evaporated. Pour in heated beef and chicken stock, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 min. Stir in gelatin, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce simmer 5 more minutes. Taste. Taste. Then add salt, pepper adn additional balsamic vinegar if desired. Fill individual ramekins 3/4 full of soup. Place on cookie sheet. Float a french bread toast on top of soup in each dish. Lay a slice of swiss cheesse over that and sprinkle with Asiago cheese. Place the cookie sheet 6" below broiler flame and broil until cheeese is melted and golden. Top with Parsley.
It will be very hot. Sever immediately.

We wound up cutting this  recipe in half and it was enough for 4 people.
Happy Eating.

Culinary School Week 2

So this week, we did soups. We wound up doing 7 soups this week. Crazy, but I had fun. I am only going to post the shortest recipe. I will give  you the others if you ask. I found out that soups I thought I disliked, came out pretty good and are now on my list of things to remake at home.  I am now a fan of French Onion Soup and Mushroom Soup. Could not stand them as a young adult and after making them I love it. There is no way to label all the pictures individually so I am listing the soups we made.
Minestrone, Split Pea, Consomme, Cream of Mushroom, Green bean and Parmesan ,and the last soup was something our instructor gave us. It applies to any vegetable. Name your own vegetable.

Name your Own Vegetabl
2 tbspn butter or olive oil (may need a little more)
2c small diced vegetables
2c small diced onion
thyme or tarragon depending on the vegetable
6c chicken stock warm
lemon juice or white wine vinegar to taste
salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pan melt butter  or olive oil, over low heat. Add onion and vegetable and sweat til soft. Add Chicken stock (make sure to warm it up) and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are very soft. Add thyme or tarragon and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and blend well. (stick blenders are great) Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add lemon juice or white wine vinegar if it needs  brightening.

\My group did carrot with tarragon and vinegar. It came out very sweet and rich. It all depends on what you like. Like I said. If you want the other recipes, just ask. I will be more than happy to post them or give them out.

The Mist Project

This is volunteer project that I am working with as free labor. It is something that everyone should check out if you can. This is a movable restaurant that is only in one spot for a month. They have a 15 course tasting menu. The purpose is to expose the community to different world cuisine and the local chefs. Chef Gavin Baker is the head chef.
I had a wonderful experience of working in a fine dining kitchen. It is pricey to attend. $150.00 a person, but it is worth it. It is also worth the time to put in as working as a student in the kitchen. I have learn so much in the few days I have worked with these people. Chef Rebecca Millican is the pastry chef. I have a few of her photos at the bottom. The Edible forest, the log and truffles, the picture frame and the sunrise. The other dish is a beet dish by Tatjana Provost. These are all very talented people. .
www.themistproject.com

Baked Spaghetti

This I got from one of my favorite chefs. Paula Dean. I found it in Foodnetwork Mag. It is almost like any baked pasta. I added sweet Italian sausage, yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and  crushed tomatoes. I mixed in dried basil because I did not have any fresh on hand. I let it cook til it came to a boil then I stirred in about a pound of Angel Hair pasta. Layer it like you would lasagna. Mix, cheese (mozzarella) then more mix then more cheese. I put it in a 375 oven for about 25 minutes. Let it stand for at least 5 minutes or more. It will be very hot. Here is the whole picture below. I have a portion size that I will upload later. But there are two versions of this recipe. Paula's and her son's. So try them both. It came out great, and it makes good left overs for those "I don't want to cook nights."

  

Culinary Fundamentals week 1

So after experiencing my first week in a professional kitchen. I can make stock and a basic salad dressing. I also can use a knife the right way now too. It has been very educational and  I am glad that I made the choice to go to school. I am excited about the weeks to come and being able to share the recipes I have. I also look forward to posting about the trials and tribulations of culinary school. This week we are doing soups. I will make another post about it in a bit. I actually have the recipes already for that. I dread having to make split pea soup. It just reminds me so much of Exorcist. Below are two pictures from class. The first one is the beginning steps of making a brown stock. The second is a carrot- celery salad with a vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is made with olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and white wine vinegar. Everything was a tablespoon except the salt, pepper which was to taste and the mustard which was a teaspoon. It turned out a little sweet. I was surprised that it did not have more of a mustard taste. 

Cowboy Steak

This was a random recipe I found in a book. Unfortunately its late and I only remember what the green puree is made of . I do remember it was rib eye steak that brushed with water, salt, pepper. The green stuff is fresh, oregano, cilantro, flat leaf parsley with olive oil and minced garlic. Here is what it looks like. I will update when I get the recipe out tomorrow.

Culinary School and my project

I have started my Culinary school experience. That being said, happy dance. I am at the Art Institute of Salt Lake and so far I love it. We had to come up with a group project for our Theory class. I chose "The Big Waste". It was something that I saw recently on Food Network.  It was a competition with celebrity chefs who had to make dinner using the "waste" products of fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. It was appalling the amount of food this country wastes, simply because it has a small ding or dent in it. We as consumers have focused only on what is perfect.There is so much that goes to waste. An example they showed was a crop of sweet corn that was recently hit by the hurricane. The farmer is going to have to throw it all out because it was laying down. He said that no one would want to pick it because it was laying down. That's crazy. He said that people think there is something wrong with it other than it was laid down by a storm.
This food can be used to feed the many, many homeless people and those who can't afford food. What is wrong with everyone? I understand it has to be inspected to make sure it is safe for people to eat. Aside that, why do we have to throw it out?

I am asking anyone and everyone to help me out on this project. It is all hypothetical, but I want to see what it would cost for a regular person to get a hold of this food. What are the prices to pay, how do I get it inspected? Anything you can think of to help me out with information on this.

I was really glad that I caught this show, and kind of feel its a cause worth making people aware of in this country. I commend the chefs that took the challenge. I would love to pick their brains about it.

Side note:
Me  in my new whites. I am really in Culinary school and really excited to be doing this.

Shark Cake

This is my first cake out here in Utah. So I'm proud of it. I did use a Wilton suggested pattern. I do have to say it was poorly written and left a lot to be figured out on its own. I do suggest that if you use the same pattern, do not use fondant like they recommend for fins. I used white chocolate. Worked much better. He ( so I named him Frank) came out cartoon like. The point being is that the client was happy with him. So here is "Frank".
I used two football pans with white cake, butter cream frosting, fondant for the mouth and white chocolate for the fins.

Coconut Curry Chicken

I found this very simple recipe for Coconut Curry Chicken. I actually had to read it twice, because the first time I didn't realize it was a slow cooker recipe.
2 medium potatoes. skinned and cut into pieces
1 medium onion
2lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup ( used the whole can) of coconut milk
4 tablespoons of curry powder( I used sweet curry powder)
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion

You chop the onion and potatoes and put them into the slow cooker. Then in a saute pan you spray with cooking spray and brown the chicken. Do not cook it all the way. Just brown it on both sides. That will also go into the slow cooker when you are done. In a bowl mix together the coconut milk, salt,pepper, curry powder, and the chicken bullion. Then pour it over the chicken, potatoes and onions. It says to let it cook 5 hours. I have a weird slow cooker and it seems to do everything in 4 hours no matter the setting.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This should have been my first post of the new year. My husband introduced me to Spinach Artichoke dip when we first met. It has been something we would always order when we would go out. Since moving out here I have bought it a few times at the store, it has been a bit on the pricey side. I looked up a recipe by Rachel Ray and adapted it to me. I can't believe how simple it was to make and it still tasted like we got it at a restaurant.
1 bag of frozen spinach. defrost and pat dry with paper towels
( I used ) 1 can of artichoke hearts
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
( I had this in my fridge so i used it)  1 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 container of Parmesan cheese grated. not the powder stuff.
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
salt
pepper
nutmeg

You melt the butter and then add the garlic. Let it cook for about 1 minute. Then add the milk and chicken broth. Add your salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Simmer for about 2 min. Til it starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Then add your cheddar cheese. Once the cheese is melted add the spinach and the artichoke hearts.Then add about half of the Parmesan cheese to the mix. Pour that into a casserole dish. Make sure you preheat the oven to 350. Pour the other half of the Parmesan cheese on top. Cook in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until its bubbly. Then enjoy.

I would post a picture, but it was eaten before I could take one.
I did recently make it again and here is a picture.