Frank Hofer's Blog, page 5

Steamed Mussels with Tomatoes, Leeks & Herbs

1 TBL Butter

1 TBL chopped shallots

1 TBL chopped garlic

1/2 cup leeks

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 tsp rosemary

Salt

Pepper

24 mussels – cleaned (pull beard, rinse in cold water). If you find a mussel that isn’t closed, throw it away.

1/2 tsp flour

3/4 cup white wine

Juice from 1/4 lemon

3 TBL butter

1/4 cup white wine

Chopped parsley or chives for garnish

Sauté first 8 ingredients (through pepper) until tender.

Add next 4 ingredients. Raise heat to high, cover, and steam until the mussels open. Remove the mussels from the pan, throwing away any that did not open. Keep warm.

Whisk in next two ingredients and heat to reduce the sauce.

Arrange mussels in serving bowls and pour the sauce over them. Top with chopped parsley or chives.

Serve with French bread.

Ragout of Scallops with Squash and Sole Frite

1/2 pound squash ( baby or cut up)

1/4 pound fillet of sole, cut in to thin strips

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 pound scallops

flour

1 TBL butter

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp lemon juice

2 oz clam juice

2 TBL butter

Steam squash until just tender, just slightly undercooked. Set aside.

Dredge sole in the mixture of flour, cornstarch, breadcrumbs, and salt. Set aside.

Heat oil to 350 for later deep frying of the sole.

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper, and lightly dredge in flour.

Heat 1 TBL butter in a sauté pan. Add the scallops, shaking.

Add the white wine, lemon juice, and clam juice.

Whip in 2 TBL butter.

Add the squash.

Deep fry the sole. Serve as a garnish over the scallops and squash.

Black Bean Soup

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

14.5 ounce can Mexican stewed tomatoes, cut up

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies

2 cups chicken broth

11 ounce can corn with chilies, drained

8 ounce can chopped green chilies

4 green onions, sliced thin

3 TBL chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic

Stir everything together in a slow cooker. Cook on hi heat setting 4 to 5 hours. Serve with cornbread.

Inspiration from Seattle Washington

I love visiting the Northwest. This week’s inspiration comes from Seattle, Washington where our wonderful editor Patti gave us great recommendations including Salty’s on  Alki.

Sabayon with Grand Marnier

The measurements for this recipe calls for using the egg shells for measurements. Where it says “1 egg shell” it means filling up one of the half shells with the item.

2 egg yolks

2 egg shells sugar

1 egg shell Grand Marnier

1 egg shell white wine

1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

Over a double boiler using “steam heat” whisk everything together until thickened.

Pour the sauce over sliced fruit and broil until golden.

Baked Hazelnut Brie with Fresh Fruit

Small wheel of Brie

Flour

Beaten egg

Ground, toasted hazelnuts

Ground, toasted almonds (if desired)

Sliced pear

Sliced apple

Grapes

Preheat oven to 375

Dip Brie in to flour to coat lightly, then in to beaten egg. Coat in ground nuts.

Bake until just softened.

Serve with sliced fruit.

More Inspiration from Austin, Texas

More great food from Austin, Texas. This time brisket and pulled pork from Franklin Barbecue. The brisket was the best I’ve ever had.

Austin, Texas

 

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Orange Essence

Pork tenderloin

Marinade

Rosemary

Thyme

Tarragon

Garlic

Olive oil

Marinate pork overnight.

Pan fry pork until middle is slightly pink. Slice thin and arrange on top of cranberries and sauce (below). Garnish with fresh chives.

Cranberry-orange Essence

1 tsp chopped shallots

2 – 3 TBL orange juice

1/2 tsp julienne orange zest

1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1/4 tsp tarragon

Salt

Pepper

1/2 cup Madeira wine

1/4 cup Demi-glace (reduced beef broth)

3 oz heavy cream

1 TBL butter

Combine sauce ingredients through wine. Reduce to one half.

Add Demi-glace and cream. Reduce to thicken.

Whisk in butter. Sauce should be lumpy.

Asparagus Crepe Souffle

Crepes

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

Combine above until smooth. Makes 8 – 12 crepes.

Filling

1 TBL butter

1 TBL flour

1/2 cup hot milk

3/4 cup asparagus, steamed then purée-ed

2 egg yolks

Salt

Pepper

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash nutmeg

2 egg whites, beaten stiff but not dry

Preheat oven to 375

In a small saucepan cook butter and flour until bubbly. Whisk in milk. Cook until thickened.

Stir in asparagus, egg yolks, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and nutmeg. Cook until thickened and pulling away from sides of pan.

Let cool.

Fold beaten egg whites in to asparagus mixture in 2 stages. Spread on to crepes. Fold crepes in to fourths. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 5 minutes or until golden and set.

Serve with blood orange sauce (below)

Blood Orange Sauce

Blood oranges – at least one per serving

Cornstarch dissolved in water

Remove 3 orange segments from each orange. Set aside.

Squeeze juice from remaining segments into small saucepan. Add cornstarch mixture. Heat until thickened. Cool to room temperature.

Garnish finished crepes with orange slices and asparagus tips.

Inspiration from Austin, Texas

I visit Austin a lot, and thankfully it has a lot of great restaurants. These are from a place called The Pleasant Storage Room on W 4th St.

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas