the painting chef

2 each spanish onios roughly chopped

3 lbs carrots peeled and sliced thin

3 tbs miced garlic

4 tbs ginger thinnly sliced

1 gal chicken stock

nutmeg

allspice

heavy cream

A) sweat onins,garlic,carrot and ginger in butter until very tender

B) add stock and season lightly. Adjust flavor afrter simmering

C) puree in blender until smooth

D) add cream and bring to simmer just before serving 

1 lb   crab meat

1/2c mayonaise

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 eggs

1 tsp worcestire sauce

2 tbs lemon juice

6oz bread crumbs

1 green pepper finely diced

3 tbs chopped parsley

3 green onions finely chopped

1 tbs old bay seasoning

1) combine mayonaise,mustard and eggs and mixed together well

2) add crab meat and mix together

3) add remaining ingredients and mix together well

4) lightly flour 2oz portion and form into patty

5) bread each cake in flour then dredge in egg wash then bread cumbs.

6) refridgerate for at least 1 hour before pan frying

 2 1/2 tbs. mustard seeds

2 cups mango puree

2 tea. garlic

4 tea. ginger

1 tea. oriental curry powder

2 tea. salt

4 1/2 tbs. sherry vinegar

1 tea. white pepper

1/2 cup walnut oil

 In a hot sauce pan ,roast mustard seeds until black.Set seeds aside and sweat garlic and ginger.Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.Blend adding half the mustard seeds and the walnut oil.Mix in the remaining mustard seeds.

1 qt frozen cherries

2 ea shallots (sliced)

2 clove garlic (sliced)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 qt chicken or vegetable stock

2 sprigs fresh rosemary  left whole

brown sugar to balance acidity

little oil and butter

1) sweat shallots and garlic in oil and butter

2) add cherries,cover and reduce heat and sweat the juice from the cherries

3) remove cover,add balsamic vinegar and reduce by half

4) add stock,rosemary,salt and pepper and simmer for a half hour

5) remove rosemary sprigs and balance acidity with brown sugar then puree and strain

1 1/4 cup champagne vinegar

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 mango (peeled and chopped)

5 tablespoon scallion (sliced thin)

juice and zest of one lime

1/4 bunch cilantro(chopped

1/4 bunch parsley (chopped)

1/4 cup frsh ginger (grated)

tuna steaks

Mix vinegar and water with the sugar and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.Let cool and then combine all the ingredients.Refrigerate for twenty four hours before serving over fresh grilled tuna

1 1/2 large pineapple (peeled,cored and cut into small pieces)

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

11/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 lemon (juiced and strained)

1/2 red onion (finely diced)

1 1/2 chopped fresh mint

A) puree 2 cups of the pineapple and set the rest aside

B) combine the pureed pineapple,sugar,spices,ginger,salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for five minutes to make a pineapple syrup

C) add the pineapple chunks,cayenne peppers and red onion; reduce heat and cook for twenty five minutes

D) transfer chutney to a bowl and let sit for two hours before serving.Add the freshh mint right before serving

    1 lamb rack

    4 sprigs fresh rosemary

    4 tbs dijon mustard

     1/3 cup  bread crumbs 

     1 clove garlic

     1/4 cup stock      

       First sear the lamb on all sides until well browned. After cooling coat with mustard and 3/4 of the rosemary, then coat with bread crumbs. Place in 400 degree oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes until desired doneness. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

       In the pan used to sear the lamb quickly sautee 1 clove of garlic being carefull not to brown. Add  1/4 cup lamb or other stock and deglaze.Add remaining mustard and rosemary and reduce till sauce consistancy.Strain sauce and seaon with salt and pepper to taste. 

RESPONSE TIME-When you turn the heat up or down the gas stove responds immediatlywhich is important in certain cooking techniques.Electric is definatly much slower in responding than gas and can be quite inconvenient.

SIMMERING- while many gas stoves have improved electric is much more reliable for slow worry free simmering.

BOILING- Gas stoves are almost always slower to bring a large pot of water to a boil. This is due to a loss of heat that escapes around the pot. Escaping heat is unavoidable regardless if you use electric or gas but a gas stove creates more hot air that flows up and around the pan.This results in less heat getting into your food, the pan handles get hotter and the room gets hotter. With electric stoves and a pan that is not too small for the element more heat comes into contact with the food.

PAN CHOICE- With a flat top electric range the pans must be fairly close to being flat on the bottom to maximise heat tansfer.With a gas range the pans can be more convex.

CLEANING- While cleaning the old style electric burners may be a chore it is still far easier than cleaning out the gunk that gets into the gas burners.Of course the new flat top electric ranges are a snap to clean.

COOKING BY SEALING WITH BROWNING

Saute: To seal food products in a small amount of fat at high temperature.A sauce can be made from the fond left after cooking a piece of meat or fish.

Pan fry:Similar to saute but more fat is used.Pan frying is often used to cook a breaded item.A sauce cannot be made from the leftover fond after pan frying.

Roasting: A dry heat method usually done in an oven between 280-400 degrees.The larger the yield the lower the temperature of the oven should be.

Deep fat frying: A food item is submerged in hot oil between the temperatures of 280-400 degrees.

Grilling:Item is cooked with radiant heat from below.

Broiling: Item is cooked with radiant heat from above.This method browns the food faster than grilling.

SEALING WITHOUT BROWNING:

Plunging: An item is submerged in a liquid between the temperatures of 160-212 degrees.

    poaching:160-180 degrees       simmering:185-205 degrees     rapid boil:212 degrees

Steaming:Food is cooked by steam in a closed enviorment.Flavor added to liquid will inpart itself into food being cooked.

INTERCHANGE WITH BROWNING:

stewing and browning:These are basicaly the same method with the exception that stewing is with small pieces and braisins is with larger pieces.

INTERCHANGE WITHOUT BROWNING:

Bring food items from cold to 160-212 degrees to release the flavors from the food.Can also be used to leach any unwanted flavors.