Cilantro-Scented Navy Bean Mash, Smoked Fish

Cilantro-Scented Navy Bean Mash

Smoked Salmon Rosette

Cook navy beans in chicken stock with smashed garlic cloves. Add cilantro sprigs for the last half hour of cooking. Let cool. Remove the sprigs and garlic.

Mash the beans with a potato masher, add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Fold in crème fraîche and rough chopped cilantro leaves.

The Navy Bean is a mild-tasting, smaller-sized dense white bean that got its name from being a staple food for the US Navy, as they do not spoil and provide excellent nutrition.

Courtney of Chicago's Coco Cooks blog is hosting this month's My Legume Love Affair, a wildly successful event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook. April is its tenth incarnation, and one of which I am excited to participate in once again. Next month's host will be yours truly, Taste With The Eyes.

Courtney's challenge was to create a starter or dessert with legumes. For this party, I am serving a starter of cilantro-scented navy bean mash on spoons topped with a rosette of smoked salmon or a morsel of smoked trout.

My friends Heather and Abbi, stopped by during the creative stage. I served them the cilantro-scented navy bean dip with toast points brushed with olive oil. Cooking the beans with garlic cloves, stock, and cilantro imparts a wonderful depth of flavor to the beans. My vegetarian friends would love this too, just use a rich vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.

Another post, another thank you to my brother. This one, to my brother Don. You see, he waited in a not-so-short line last December to get an autographed cookbook by Charlie Trotter. Those of you who have been following Taste With The Eyes may recall that my birthday gift from Don & Kristy last year was Guest Chef For The Day in Charlie Trotter's kitchen. I am a big fan of Charlie, and this cookbook, Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter, is a favorite; with casual recipes for the home chef, focusing on crisp flavors and straight-forward presentations. That's where the idea for cilantro-scented navy beans came from! 

Next up for MLLA 11, Three Bean and Potato Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette, inspired by Charlie, too.  Bean aficionados, won't you please join us in May and share your favorite legume recipe?

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Veal, Portobello, Fried Sage

Grilled Portobello Mushroom 

Sautéed Veal Medallion

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

Pinot Noir Veal Stock Reduction 

with Crème Fraîche & Fried Sage

Thank you to the folks at Foodbuzz and Buitoni for the sample of the new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti. We had a great time cooking up a unique presentation for this delicious pasta! 

Portobellos are seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper then grilled until tender.

Veal medallions, cut into the same size as the portobellos, are seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with flour and sautéed until golden brown over medium heat in a mixture of half olive oil half butter. Squeeze 1 T. fresh lemon juice over the veal then remove from the pan. Keep warm.

Add 1/4 c. minced shallots and 1/2 t. thyme to that same pan and sauté briefly. Add 1 c. Pinot Noir, raise the heat to high, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of pan. 

Continue cooking over high heat until the wine is reduced to about a quarter cup. 

Add 1 c. veal stock to the pan and reduce again.

Meanwhile, cook the agnolotti according to the instructions on the package in boiling water with  1 T. olive oil.

When the veal stock has reduced by half, whisk 3 T. crème fraîche into the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Sauté a handful of fresh sage leaves in 1 T. butter, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove sage leaves to a paper towel.

To assemble: Place the warm portobello in the center of the plate, top with a fried sage leaf then a medallion of veal. Take 3 wild mushroom agnolotti and surround the mushroom cap. Sparingly ladle warm Pinot Noir Cream Sauce over the pasta and veal. Crumble fried sage leaves by hand and sprinkle over dish. Garnish with a whole sage leaf.

Why we loved this: Different textures and flavors that complemented each other well. The sauce was a high-note accent to the dish, adding flavor, color, and elegance. The fried sage melts in the mouth and tastes like savory candy.

Alternative plating idea: We served the sage leaves whole and add crumbled blue cheese.

We are excited to enter this dish in the Buitoni recipe contest. Come join in the fun, the contest is open until April 30th. Go to Foodbuzz and click on Flavor-of -the Month for details. The prize is an All-Clad Copper Core Cookware set.

And I want to thank my brother Bill. You should all be so lucky as to have Bill helping in the kitchen. I think from his military training and years as a Captain, he takes orders like a professional sous chef, pays attention to every detail. Although he does not answer me with "Yes, Chef" he will not leave my home until every dish is washed and the entire kitchen is spotless. And he gave me a good chuckle when said he would be happy to take that All-Clad Copper Core Cookware for his new home in the Florida Keys. Such a nice supportive brother! Anybody in that area that can cook for him? He likes everything but peanut butter.

Saint André - Cheese of the Month

Saint André on Puff Pastry

Pear Balsamic Reduction

Rare Hawaiian White Honey

Fried Leek with Muscat Grape

Slice of Saint André

Sautéed Pear

Fresh Muscat Seedless Grapes

Pear Balsamic Reduction

Rare Hawaiian White Honey

Toasted Baguette

We are cheese lovers over here. If you are too, you just might be interested in these previous posts:

• Tartiflette
  
• Soufflés au Comté
  
• Restaurant Cheese Offerings

Today, however, we have fallen head-over-heels for the cow's milk, soft-ripened, triple cream cheese from the Normandy region of France called Saint André. They say, "Imagine the satiny paste of a perfect Brie mixed with equal parts of whipped sweet cream and heavy sour cream." Oy. Oy. Oy. 

Many of the lovely flavors of Brie are there, and they are so right-on with sweet cream and sour cream notes, but my other favorite attributes of this cheese are the texture and the rind. The texture is drier than Brie yet still creamy. Extraordinary really. And the bloomy rind is creamy, white and soft, slightly fuzzy. Mold spores help transform the curds, then the cheese is allowed to ripen in a humidified room. During this affinage the mold grows, or blooms, to form the rind. Are you fond of the rind? Go here to read more.

Saint André Cheese Course:

So, I wanted to create a cheese course where the texture and rind of this rich heavenly cheese could be appreciated. Due to the richness of this course, I am serving a fresh and forceful Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label to be exact). What would you serve?

Teaser: A warm small round of puff pastry is topped with a slice of Saint André, drizzled with pear balsamic reduction and a touch of rare Hawaiian white honey, finished with fried leek with muscat grape. 

Platter: Sautéed pears are served over pear balsamic reduction, with a drizzle of rare Hawaiian white honey and fresh muscat grapes with a generous slice of Saint André, toasted baguette on the side.

To My Fellow Cheese Aficionados 

Please visit Ile de France's Portal of the French Cheese Community informative site, especially the Saint André page to learn more about this enchanting cheese and other marvelous French cheeses.

L2O

Sublime: 

tending to inspire awe 

usually because of elevated quality 

or transcendent excellence

Our favorite beginning...

Billecart-Salmon Rosé

Spiegelau Champagne Saucer

Spiegelau, my new favorite stemware. 

Elegant. Brilliant. Gorgeous.

Attention to detail. 

Butter dish. It glows?

Bread & Butter

All made in-house.

Smoked Salmon, Earl Grey, Ginger Noodle

Shimaaji, Red Miso, Radish, Soy Salt

Shimaaji is one of the chef's favorite fish. It is a young yellowtail with a high fat content and a mild sweet flavor.

In addition to falling in love with the stemware, we were also smitten with the dinnerware. German artisan Stefanie Hering founded Hering Berlin "The Language of Porcelain" in 1992. She works with the purest form of porcelain called bisque. Hering Berlin is porcelain of extreme volume, some of the pieces have a stacked look (see photo above), some with rims of great width and at the same time very thin. Laurent Gras chose Hering Berlin pattern "Puls" for the gorgeous way it frames the food. 

The Raw fish courses are genius, but if that is not your cup of tea, not to worry, you can begin with this lovely salad. The menu is divided into three groups, Raw, Warm, and Main. There is also a tasting menu. 

So, the occasion was my birthday, and my brother and sister-in-law treated me to this over-the-top dinner at  Laurent Gras' fabulous L2O restaurant located in the Belden Stratford Hotel in Chicago. The room was stunning, the service impeccable, and the food was everything you've heard, and more. I read an article in Food & Wine a while ago, they joked that the French-born chef's name translates to "Fat Larry" and that he was an avid cyclist who says, "Cooking is also and endurance sport..." 

Chablis Premier Cru Monts Mains 2002 from the domaine of Francois Raveneau epitomizes Chablis' steely magnificence. One of the few producers to neither fine nor filter the wines, this wine is an elegant reflection of the terrior. We were fortunate to enjoy this extraordinarily complex, sophisticated wine with our first courses. A special thanks to sommelier Chantelle Pabros.

Escolar Jamon, Espelette

Pappardelle, Morel, Asparagus, Parmesan

Diver Scallop, Sauvignon Blanc, Passionfruit-Vanilla

Pork Belly, Truffle, Potato

Smoked Ribeye, Black "Mole," Olive, Bok Choy

Soufflé

Was I dreaming?

Passover Round-Up 2009

Herbed Matzoh Balls

What would make the perfect introduction to this year's collaborative Passover meal? I think Matzoh Balls says it all. Come, have a seat at our Seder Table, and Taste With The Eyes.

Our Collective Meal Served by Course:

First Course

Karen's Haroset

Stacey's Haroset

Giz's Gefilte Fish

Soup

Julia's Stuffed Matzo Ball Soup

Salad

Zahavah's Fennel and Pistachio Salad

Father Adam's Spinach Salad

with Mandarin Oranges, Olives, Oakwood Smoked Bacon

Main Course

Zahavah's Moroccan Meatballs in Saffron Sunset Sauce

Amy's Baked Tilapia with Lemon Parsley Matzah Crust

Father Adam's Roasted Leg of Sonoma Lamb

Elra's Braised Cornish Hen with Coriander

Kirmizi Biber and Preserved Lemon

Sides

Father Adam's Fresh Asparagus with Garlic and Butter

Lori Lynn's Roasted Carrots, Parsnips, and Shallots

with Olives and Gremolata

(Brisket in background)

Father Adam's Scalloped Russet Potatoes with Cheddar

Dessert

Penny's Chocolate Cloud Cake

Penny's Low Fat Cherry Cheesecake

Penny's Peach Melba Torte

Penny's Strawberry Shortcake

Penny's Hazelnut Pear Tort

Stacey's Chocolate Covered Macaroons

Après Passover

Phyllis' Tempura Gefilte Fish

Contributors (alphabetical):

Amy

Calm in the Kitchen

"As our ancestors ran from Pharaoh's army on their escape from slavery and their journey out of Egypt and into the promised land, they had no time to wait for their bread to rise. Instead, the bread baked unleavened on their backs in the hot desert sun. This was the first matzah, and we eat it today to remember the sacrifices that our people had to make so that we could be free. The following is an application of matzah that I doubt our ancestors would have ever imagined, much less had the time or ability to prepare on their backs!"

Elra

Elra's Cooking

"The Kirmizi Biber will add a little bit of spiciness to the dish."

Father Adam

Monastery Daily Photo

"On Holy Thursday, our meal is a little nicer than usual. On that night, we remember Jesus' Passover Meal (the night before he died) and the night he instituted our Eucharist. We don't imitate the Seder meal, but we do remember that Jesus was an observant Jew and that he would have celebrated the Passover just as Jews have done throughout the ages. As Roman Catholics, we are proud to look at this as our heritage."

Giz

Equal Opportunity Kitchen

"Here's babba's recipe that's been kept under lock and key. We think it's 'the best'."

Julia

Grow. Eat. Cook.

"Finally, finally this year, I synthesized all my mistakes and wisdom to create feather light matzo balls. The secret is to make the batter as wet as possible and still hold together when cooked. The water in the batter turns into steam when cooked, pushing against the dough, expanding it to create air pockets. When the matzo balls “set” (i.e. the proteins coagulate and the starches gel), the air bubbles are trapped inside."

Karen

Gastronomic Ruminations

"I was supposed to prepare Haroset (aka Charoset) for a "Last Supper" reflection in my parish on Maundy Thursday (9 April 2009). The first time I tried making Haroset (using a recipe that I had randomly come across while surfing the web) about 3 -4 years ago, the results weren't good. This year, I was given a "killer recipe" except that it came without any measurements, indication of proportions, and the directions were simply to mix everything together then refrigerate for 2 days. Panic, panic...what if I got the proportions or sequence wrong etc?"

Lori Lynn

Taste With The Eyes

"Our Passover Menu does not change much from year to year. We always have matzoh ball soup, tomato onion brisket, chicken with honey orange ginger glaze. This year I did change up the vegetable dishes however, one of the new dishes we made was Roasted Carrots, Parsnips, and Shallots with Olives and Gremolata inspired by Marie, the Proud Italian Cook."

Penny

Amazing Dessert Recipes

"We didn't have anyone who was kosher this year, so I opted to make lowfat dairy desserts, which I made by mixing recipes from my CD, Amazing Passover Desserts, with some of the recipes from Light Jewish Holiday Desserts. We had 4 desserts: Lowfat Strawberry Shortcake - made with Passover Genoise, Strawberry Filling and Lowfat Whipped Cream, Chocolate Cloud Cake with Lowfat Ganache, Lowfat Cherry Cheesecake, and Coconut Macaroons. Each cake was made in miniature so that the portions were small and no one felt stuffed even tasting all of the desserts."

Phyllis

Me Hungry

"But wouldn’t this be a great way to use up leftover gefilte fish once Passover is over?"

Stacey

Stacey Snacks

"Here is my recipe for Haroset. It is more of a Sephardic, Middle Eastern version with different nuts and dried fruits, unlike traditional haroset (also spelled haroseth & charoset). It is absolutely delicious. I always say each year 'why don't I make this all year long? It would be a great appetizer, and great on a turkey sandwich!' But, I never do. It wouldn't be as special, if I did."

Zahavah

Kosher Camembert

"On Wednesday, April 8, the morning of the first Passover seder, many Jews will partake in a rare ritual called Birkat HaChamah (”blessing over the sun”) after sunrise...Supposedly every 28 years, the sun is in the exact same position that it was in on the fourth day of creation, and many take advantage of this opportunity to remember creation and bless our Creator. The prayer said roughly translates to, 'Blessed are you, Eternal our Lord, who makes the work of creation.' "

As our virtual Seder draws to a close I wish you peace and extend my sincere thank you to all the cooks of this exceptional meal.