I’m sorry to do it to you ladies, but I couldn’t keep Mr. Eiffel Tower up, ahem, forever… as much as I would have liked to … There are quite a few of these similar adds blistering the billboards and bus stops of Paris to the delight of most every straight woman and gay man in town so I was thinking about instituting a Monday Man of the Week (or appendage of the week as the case may be). I’ll have see what this weekend turns up... so to speak… ;-)
I finally finished my 1000 recipes recipe! It took me forever to decide what to do (my apologies Katherine & Santos!) and I ended up selecting one of my all time favorite casual menus and one that is very easy to make. One part is très (very) French, the other is très Italian and all are très good! I hope you enjoy all of them. This is my comfort food meal and one I make often for good friends.
The Poisson en Papillote I first learned at HomeChef in San Francisco in my 10 weeks Basics Class. To my delight it appeared 6 years later in the curriculum at the French Culinary Institute (one of the few things I could make well) but of course with traditional French ingredients such as tomato fondue (cooked tomatoes), mushroom duxelles (chopped, cooked mushrooms), and julienne (matchstick-shape cut) of carrots, leeks and celery sautéed and all placed on top of the fish and topped with thyme sprigs. They call for white wine (bien sûr!) and wrap the fish in parchment paper.
The Champagne Risotto is from my Italian grandmother. She gave me the recipe years ago and it is my favorite risotto. I like it best plain like this recipe however you can add just about anything: asparagus, shrimp, ham, proscuitto, shaved radicchio, sautéed zucchini (or tzu-cchini as my grandfather pronounced it), red peppers, peas, corn, cheese, etc, etc… the list can go on forever. It’s akin to Jacques Pepin’s fridge soup….just throw in whatever you have left over in the fridge et voila!
The stacking of the risotto (or any starch like mashed potatoes or soft polenta) plus spinach plus fish (or meat) I learned when I worked at Farallon in San Francisco and the Berry Crumble is a combination of Jacques Pépin’s recipe with one I learned also at HomeChef years ago. Sometimes I’ll triple or quadruple the recipe for the crumble and keep it in a zip lock bag in the freezer. If someone pops by for dinner, just grab some fruit (chop it up if it’s a pear, peach, mango, etc.), top it with the crumble and pop it in the over. Bon appétit!
Poisson en Papillote avec Risotto de Champagne et Epinard
et Dessert de Croustillant des Fruits
which is a very fancy way of saying: Fish Cooked in Parchment Paper with Champagne Risotto and Spinach and a Berry Crumble Dessert
Poisson en Papillote avec Risotto de Champagne et Epinard
6 fillets of sea bass (bar) or other thick white fish – 150 grams ea
2 lemons – 1 sliced very thin, 1 for juice
1½ cups white wine
olive oil, salt & pepper
2 baskets of cherry tomatoes
thyme sprigs
parchment paper or aluminum foil
1-2 bags spinach (1 handful of spinach per person)
olive oil, salt & pepper
1 box risotto
3 shallots, chopped (or 1 onion, but I prefer shallots)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
4-5 cups chicken stock/chicken broth (or water in a pinch)
2 cups champagne or white wine
½ cup crème fraîche (or heavy cream) – optional
Sea Bass:
1. rub the fish with olive oil, sprinkle salt & pepper on both sides
2. put fish in center of a large piece of aluminum foil
3. sprinkle with herbs
4. lay 3 slices of lemon on top of the fish
5. spread a handful of baby tomatoes around the fish
6. pull up the sides of the foil and pour approx ¼ cup of wine into pocket
7. seal up foil like a packet so there is a large space at the top. place on cookie sheet.
8. Cook at 400ºF/200ºC/#5-6 for 20 minutes
Risotto:
1. Sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent
2. Add garlic and rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes
3. Add 1 cup of champagne and stir until almost all absorbed.
4. Continue adding stock/broth in 1-cup amounts. Continue stirring and cook until almost done.
5. Add champagne as last liquid and cook til done.
6. Take off heat and stir in crème fraîche
Spinach:
1. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper
2. Place in hot pan and toss with tongs for a minute or 2.
3. You just want to wilt the spinach, don’t completely cook it through til mushy
Serving:
1. Place 2 large serving spoonfuls of risotto in the middle of a deep plate or bowl
2. Place 1 serving of spinach on top of risotto
3. Open foil packet carefully and place the fish on top of the risotto and spinach
4. Spoon the tomatoes and liquid around the risotto
5. I’d serve this with a crisp white wine ie: something from Alsace.
6. Eat! Drink! Enjoy!
Berry Crumble
2 lbs berries – assorted
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
1-1/2 cup granola
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, cold cut into small cubes
½ bunch mint leaves chiffonade
1. Heat oven to 210ºC
2. Mix berries, half the sugar and mint leaves.
3. Transfer to glass dish or individual dishes for cooking/serving.
4. Mix remaining sugar, flour, granola & butter in bowl. combine until crumbly & well mixed.
5. Divide mixture equally among individual dishes.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and top is browned.
7. Mangez!
Bon appétit!
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