Tag Archives: French food

Discover The Secret In The Sauce ~ Herb and Cheese Parisienne Gnocchi

Herb and Cheese Parisienne Gnocchi

Zoe Campbell, Pastry Chef, demonstrates preparation of Herb and Cheese Parisienne Gnocchi during the  Center Stage Catering Country French Culinary Workshop.

from: http://www.ouichefnetwork.com

from Thomas Keller’s cookbook –  “Bouchon”

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chervil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
  • 1 cup loosely packed shredded Emmentaler cheese
  • 5 to 6 large eggs

Method:

  1. Set up a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment. Have all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking.
  2. Combine the water, butter, and the 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a stiff heatproof or wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean, with no dough sticking to it. The dough should be glossy and smooth but still moist.
  3. Enough moisture must evaporate from the dough to allow it to absorb more fat when the eggs are added: Continue to stir for about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the dough from coloring. A thin coating will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. When enough moisture has evaporated, steam will rise from the dough and the aroma of cooked flour will be noticeable. Immediately transfer the dough to the mixer bowl. Add the mustard, herbs, and the 1 tablespoon salt. Mix for a few seconds to incorporate the ingredients and release some of the heat, then add the cheese. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Increase the speed to medium and add another 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Turn off the machine. Lift some of the dough on a rubber spatula, then turn the spatula to let it run off: It should move down the spatula very slowly; if it doesn’t move at all or is very dry and just falls off in a clump, beat in the additional egg.
  4. Place the dough in a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip and let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. (If you have only a small pastry bag, fill it with half the dough two times.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Because this recipe makes such a large quantity of gnocchi, your arm may get tired: An easy way to pipe the gnocchi is to place a large inverted pot, canister, or other container that is slightly higher than the pot on the right side of the pot (left side if you are left-handed) and set the filled pastry bag on it so that the tip extends over the side and the container serves as a resting place for the bag. Twist the end of the pastry bag to push the dough into the tip. (From time to time, as the bag empties, you will need to twist the end again.) As you squeeze the back of the bag with your right hand, hold a small knife in your left hand and cut off 1-inch lengths of dough, allowing the gnocchi to drop into the pot. Pipe about 24 gnocchi per batch. First, the gnocchi will sink in the pot. Keep the water temperature hot, but do not boil. Once the gnocchi float to the top, poach them for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Taste one to test the timing; it may still seem slightly undercooked in the center, but it will be cooked again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  6. When all the gnocchi have drained, place them in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day. Or, for longer storage, place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the gnocchi have frozen solid, remove them from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag in the freezer. Before using frozen gnocchi, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and defrost in the refrigerator for several hours.

Beurre Blanc
The “secret” to this sauce is 2 pounds of butter!

source:  Larousse Gastronomic

Yield:  1 quart

1 fl. oz. white wine vinegar

4 fl. oz. white wine

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 oz. shallot, minced

2 lb. whole butter, chilled

  1. Combine the white wine, white wine vinegar, salt, white pepper and shallot in a small saucepan.  Reduce the mixture until approximately 2 tablespoons of liquid remain. If more than 2 tablespoons of liquid are allowed to remain, the resulting sauce will be too thin.
  2. Cut the butter into pieces approximately 1 ounce in weight. Over low heat, whisk the butter a few pieces at a time, using the chilled butter to keep the sauce between 100 degrees Fahrenheit  and 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, remove the saucepan from the heat. Strain through a chinois (or fine-meshed sieve) and hold the sauce at a temperature between 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 130 degrees Fahrenheit for service.

 

To serve:  toss the Herb and Cheese Parisienne Gnocchi with the warm Beurre Blanc.

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubblybee

 

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Celebrating The Flavors Of France ~ Country French Cooking

Center Stage Catering Country French Culinary Workshop

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending this deliciously informative workshop where, in the French tradition, simple fresh ingredients were transformed into mouth-watering delicacies.

Pictured above (left) Herb and Cheese Gnocchi tossed with Beurre Blanc and (right) Ratatouille with Roasted Asparagus

Pictured above (left) chicken marinating that will be the main ingredient in  Coq Au Vin and (right) Fresh Green Salad with sliced Potatoes and Bacon Lardons tossed in a Champagne Vinaigrette.

The workshop took place at Center Stage Catering in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Center Stage Catering Commissary Entrance : Only Elves, Oompahs, Rock Stars, Grandmas, Hipsters, Sexy Cooks, Vikings, Cool Organic Farmers, Sales Reps, (& occasionally Food Brokers), Artists, Philosophers, Magicians, Poets, and World Leaders allowed…everybody else must find another door to enter!

Center Stage Catering

Rocky Mount, Virginia

Pictured above (left to right):  John Schopp, President/Executive Chef, David Carachure, Sous Chef, Jonathan Hart, Chef de Cuisine

John Schopp, CEC, CEPC, CCA, CE is a full-time culinary instructor at Virginia Western Community College. He is president of Center Stage Catering, Inc., a full-service event/catering company.  Schopp has also been the Chef for Victor Wooten’s Center for Music and Nature, outside of Nashville, for the past 15 years.  He writes food columns for several local and regional publications and is an avid primitive cooking enthusiast. In addition to recently appearing on the Food Network’s “Halloween Baking Championship”, Schopp is heavily active in the American Culinary Federation at both regional and national levels.

David Carachure is a graduate of the Al Pollard Culinary Program at Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, Virginia.

Jonathan Hart is a graduate of the Art Institute of Tampa.

Pictured above:  Zoe Campbell, Pastry Chef

Zoe Campbell is a graduate of the Al Pollard Culinary Program at Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, Virginia.

Pictured Above: Ingredients for Becky’s Sparkling Coq Au Vin

I love this original Country French Culinary Workshop Coq Au Vin recipe, but…no surprise here…I wanted to make mine with sparkling wine. My additions/suggestions are listed next to the original ingredients.

Coq Au Vin

Yield:  8 servings, 2 pieces each

2 whole chickens (2 lb. 8 ounces – 3 lb. each)

Flour, as needed for dredging

salt and pepper, to taste

Clarified butter

Brandy (I appreciate the flavor brandy brings to this dish, but I omitted this ingredient because I don’t like to ignite the burgundy in my small home kitchen…afraid I will ignite the entire kitchen!)

Bouquet garni:

1 4 inch carrot stick

1 4 inch leek, split

fresh thyme

bay leaf (I omitted this ingredient because I neglected to get a bay leaf at the market!)

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (I omitted the garlic because the sweetness of the sparkling wine and the garlic did not seem to compliment each other…just my personal preference)

24 fluid ounces red wine (I substituted sparkling white wine Lagarde Dolce Espumante)

16 ounces chicken stock

Bacon lardons (I substituted 6 ounces of country ham cut into Julienne strips) – lardons are small strips of bacon that are fried later in the recipe

18 pearl onions, peeled

1 leek, white part only, split in half and cut into small pieces

10 medium mushrooms, quartered

(my addition) 1 Russet potato, peeled and chopped into small pieces, sautéed in butter until almost tender

Beurre manié, as needed (Beurre manié (French “kneaded butter”) is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces) I found that the flour on the dredged chicken thickened the Coq au Vin enough that I did not need to add the Beurre manié.

  1.  Cut each chicken into eight pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings with tips cut off and 2 breasts – breasts can be cut in half) and dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

  1. Heat the clarified butter in a 12-inch braiser, brown the chicken in two or three batches.
  2. Add the brandy and ignite (omit this step if not using brandy).  When the flame dies, add the bouquet garni, garlic, wine and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  3. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender, approximately 40 minutes.
  4. In a separate pan, sauté the bacon (if using country ham, add a little canola oil to the bottom of the pan before sautéing the ham). Add the onions, leek and potato and sauté until they begin to brown.  Cook the bacon (or ham), onions  and potato covered, over low heat, until the onions are tender.  Add the mushrooms and cook them until they are tender.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and adjust the sauce’s consistency with the Beurre manié and a little extra chicken stock if needed. Strain the sauce through a china cap and adjust the seasonings.  Spoon the bacon, onions, potato and mushrooms onto a serving plate, place the chicken over them and ladle the sauce over the finished dish.

I will share more of the French Country Recipes from the workshop in future posts…Apple Tarte Tatin, Herb and Cheese Gnocchi with Beurre Blanc, and Ratatouille…oh la la!

Our Country French Culinary Workshop Class!

Until Next Thyme!

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubblybee


 

 

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