Un-Frozen, Free Range Chicken

Also today, was able to pick up a fresh chicken.  Having only worked with freshly killed poultry on a few occasions in the past, it was interesting to note the textural differences during the butchery.  The bones are all brilliant white, and the skin is moisture-free.  From a cook's perspective, it is an opportunity to be provided with such great produce.  On the menu as 1/2 Roasted Chicken with potato pierogi, it is a mix of Eastern European, Idaho, Louisiana, and France for a mere $15.00.  It would be my honor to cook one of these birds for you and/or your guests.

Personally Tailored Meals or Ideas

elliott@yobreaux.com

Chevre Yogurt Idea

It was the good fortune of PRAVDA!, to receive some of Ryal Goat Farm's yogurt this week.  It had gone unused yesterday, as the opportunity did not present it self, but then, there was today.  The yogurt is amazingly tart at first, almost citrus-like, then the smoothness of the yogurt, and finally followed by the characteristic tartness typical to a goat's milk cheese.  The texture is similar to a thinner condensed milk, with the shine and viscosity.  So it leads to a recipe idea.  Also today from the market, procured some amazing baby beets.  Goat cheese with beets is a classic pairing, not only on the palate but also visually.  The yogurt white lends itself well as a canvas for the brilliant red leeching from the roasted beets.

Beets, Yogurt, Blood Orange, Arugula, Salted-Honey, Tarragon

Blanket beets in thyme, wrap in foil and roast until tender, reserve juice, peel skin while hot, reserve.  Slice the beets into coins, pour roasting juices over, season with salt, vinegar, and orange zest.  Spoon yogurt onto plate.  Place beet coins and top with arugula leaves, then a few more beet coins.  Spoon honey around, salt, drizzle beet vinegar, garnish with tarragon and flowers. 

Pierogi Thoughts "Flower"

This is an older post from my days of cooking at PRAVDA! While I am no longer there, the TRUTH! Pierogi will always be near one of my menus.

Got some amazing produce in yesterday from the HollyGrove Market, which included some broccoli and goat cheese curds.  The curds are amazing from Ryal's Dairy.  The taste is something like a country version of American Feta, with a certain tang, chalk, salt. The flavor takes well to seasoning other dishes as a component, or simply served by itself with some honey, cilantro blossoms, toasted cumin seeds, it can be an amazing component to a harmonious orchestra of flavors for the palate.  So, this thinking lead me to the following Pierogi ideas.  Broccoli and cheese are amazingly classic components, and we happen to have both of them on hand, along with some fresh made Pierogi dough.  So today, Goat Cheese Curds w/ HollyGrove Broccoli Pierogis.

Yesterday, Linda brought me some amazing foraged parsley, cilantro blossoms, sage flowers, and mustard green blossoms.  They are pure ingredients, which make it easy for people like me to cook.

If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony.                                    

Fernand Point  

It is the unlikely story of a guy from New Orleans, trained in French Cuisine, making Pierogies at a Russian Absinthe bar in the French Quarter.  But like life, there is no formula, just make it happen.  So here is the recipe that I have been using at PRAVDA! If you have any questions, shoot me an email and will get to the answer for the both of us.

PRAVDA! Pierogie Recipe

    - 4.5C All Purpose Flour

    - 2C Sour Cream

    - 2T Melted Butter

    - 1T Oil

    - 2Each Eggs

    - 1Each Egg Yolk

    - Salt

Combine sour cream, butter, oil, and eggs in a bowl; whisk until mixture is smooth and lump-free; salt the flour; make a well in the center of the flour; pour sour cream mixture into center; incorporate into dough; let rest 15 minutes at room temperature; pinch off and roll out into desired size.  Place them into some berrling water until they float...done.  Pierogie!

If this is too much, the recipe conversion factor can be used to scale it up or down.  For instance, if you only have three cups of flour, divide three by four point five, then multiply the other quantities by that number to yield your new recipe amounts.  If you get stumped, convert all the measurements into the same category, i.e., 1C = 8oz; 1T = 0.5oz; 1 Large Egg = 2oz, etc.  Just use the intraweb and find the needed conversion.

    Once you conquer the dough, it becomes a blank canvas for flavors and imagination.  At the top is a quote from my Gastronomic Hero, Fernand Point, he shaped the way we eat.

For those of you about to cook, we salute you.

Oyster "Rocka"

Cream down some onion, celery, bell pepper, greens, garlic, thyme in fat until mushy and delicious.  Deglaze with the liquid from the oyster container, that has been strained of all the dirt.  Reduce, Add Cream, reduce, cool.  Poach some oyster in a bacon dashi, cool, chop into quarter size pieces according to the size of the oyster.  Mix the cooled oysters with the cooled greens mixture.  Stuff the pierogi with the mixture before pick-up.  In small sauce pan, combine butter, oyster liquid, water, and baby leeks.  In a separate saute pan, brown butter and toast some mustard greens.  Coat whole oysters in wundraflour, and flash fry.  Blanch pierogi in boiling water, transfer to leek butter sauce, and hold.  Place mustard greens on plate, the pierogi with spooned sauce, and finally the fried oysters.  Garnish depending upon the audience. I think that I am going to start sketching out the dishes.  The words on the screen do no justice to the picture in my head.  But pictures of food seems to be the norm now, so pushing beyond normal, thanks Marion.  Not everyone can create the picture, but everyone can take a picture.  And from a business standpoint its better to look at ingredients created by pencil lead first, because it eliminates waste and money.  

Bread Pudding Brulee, and beyond.

Expanding on the receipt from above with a full night's sleep, the flavors can become more complex and simple.  Cut the chunks of bread into serving size cubes, where three would make a good dessert.  Soak the bread in the previous custard mixture until well absorbed.  Cook in water bath at low temperature in the oven, remove and cool.  Once set, place sugar on the showing five sides and brulee.  

Creme Brulee Bread Pudding Idea

Take the honey steeped cream from earlier, and add a vanilla pod during the steeping process.  Make the standard Creme brulee ratio custard, but add chunks of the bread to the mixture.  Place mixture in buttered molds, and cook in gentle water bath, as would creme brulee.  When cooked, remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator to set.  Take out, invert mold, and take out custard.  Sugar top and brulee.  Serve some a vanilla bread sauce.

Dessert Ideas 3.25.11

I steeped some local milk with local honey earlier.  Cut the baguette from service into cubes.  Tempered one egg yolk into the honey milk.  Stored in milk overnight...
The idea is to steep some more honey milk tomorrow, temper in two more yolks, mix with chunks of cream cheese, and local strawberries.  Place the mixture into mini pate molds, bake at 400F for ten minutes, cool in regrigerator.  Slice in half, serve with sliced strawberries, strawberry gastrique, sugar salt whipped cream.

Old Bread
Eggs
Milk
Honey
Cream
Vinegar
Sugar
Cream Cheese
Salt
(Thinking of garnishing with cilantro, but we'll have to see what the crowd is like)