Private Cooking Class with Linda Johnson

Soup, salad, and dessert. One way to justify the rich dessert is to have a lighter meal, so today we made Italian Wedding Soup, Salad with red leaf lettuce, goat cheese, spiced pecans, cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette, and Meyer Lemon Tart with Pecan Cookie Crust.

I adapted a recipe from Rebecca Rather who makes her famous Big Hair Lemon-lime Tarts, but instead of using meringue I prefer whipped cream. Linda bought Meyer lemons so our curd was made with all Meyer lemons, rather than a combination of lemons and limes. It was much sweeter and less acid than the lemon-lime curd, so it's all a matter of preference. The tart dough reminds me more of a cookie dough and has a thicker, crunchier texture, which I think is great, especially the unexpected nuttiness of the crust combined with the tart citrus. Try it and see what you think. I had a phone call from a woman who sampled Debbie Mear's lemon tart from last week and she told me it was the best pie crust she's ever eaten, and she claimed to be a crust connoisseur. She really loved the lemon tart and wanted to know if I sell my baked goods.

Lemon Tarts with Pecan Crust

Crust
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted in 350 degree oven for 7 minutes, coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, unsalted at room temperature, plus 2 T for greasing tart pans
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
Butter 4 ½ inch tart pans (approximate 8), using your fingers.
Using mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, then flour and salt. Combine on low speed, then add nuts. Don’t overmix.
Form dough into a ball and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Press down into prepared pans. Bake crusts for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes. (Crusts can be made ahead and stored in airtight containers for up to 2 days)

Lemon Curd

10 extra large egg yolks
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (can also use ½ lemon juice, ½ lime juice, or Meyer lemon juice)
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup butter, cut into cubes
Pinch of salt

Mix egg yolks, sugar, juice and zest in a large STAINLESS STEEL bowl set on top of simmering water. Add cubes of butter. Water should not touch bowl, only need about 2 inches of water. Cook mixture for approximately 40 minutes, or until it is a thick, but loose custard. (or temperature of 165 degrees/leaves a path on the back of a spoon)
Transfer mixture to another bowl (stainless steel) and cover the top directly with plastic wrap and cool for at least 4 hours (or freeze 1 hour)

To prepare tarts: Remove shell from tart pans. If shells are cold, briefly place in hot oven and this will loosen bottom tart pan round. Handle them gently. Spoon cooled curd into tart shells.

Chantilly cream
2 cups whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Whip until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form, but do not overwhip. Place in piping bag and pipe around the edge of tart in star shapes.

Italian Wedding Soup

Linda told me a while back that she was interested in learning to make soup. She does not like thin, watery soup that is not filling. I think the Italian Wedding Soup is a hearty and tasty soup, using fresh herbs and vegetables. Making you own soup is not too difficult and a great way to use up leftovers. You can also control the amount of salt! I am so tired of restaurant soup because it is invariably oversalted and overseasoned. Even Central Market soups, which I used to love, have been inconsistent the last few times I tried them. Gloppy, salty, overcooked, just not good. The only really great soups I've had have been in Fredericksburg, Texas, at the Nest and the Herb Farm. I make soup regularly, ranging from Chicken Tortilla Soup, a family favorite, to Miso soup with seaweed and tofu, and Poblano Corn Chowder. The Italian Wedding Soup is a fairly light soup and can be made even lighter with turkey or chicken meatballs, instead of beef. In my version we baked the meatballs in the oven to release as much fat as possible, rather than cook them in the broth. Linda gets extra credit for making her own chicken stock!

(and it was really good) We talked about how the soup we made could be easily modified using any vegetables she had on hand, sweating them in a little oil, adding wine, stock, some leftover chicken or meat, a handful of any pasta or broken noodles, some fresh herbs, some chopped tomato, and low sodium stock. She is really good with master recipes and I have a feeling she will make some interesting soups in the future.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
½ pound lean ground beef, chicken, turkey
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T milk
2 T chicken broth
1 egg, beaten
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Mix all ingredients, except meat, and then add meat. Form meatballs into 30 walnut size balls. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Soup
2 T olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup ham, diced (optional)
1 T minced garlic
Sweat the vegetables in the olive oil until softened.
Add
½ cup dry white wine and deglaze the pan until almost evaporated
Add
8 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 t dried oregano
1 t red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 cup small pasta for soup (stars, baby bow ties, etc.)
1 can cannellini or beans of your choice, rinsed and drained (optional)
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and add the pasta, simmer for 15 minutes.
Add meatballs, beans, spinach, and parsley and cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Do not add the spinach until you are ready to eat if you make this soup in advance.

Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Lastly, we made the salad, which I have included in a previous blog post with the recipe.

Linda had not made homemade vinaigrette before so this was something different for her.

She really enjoyed the salad and the constrasting components. I explained the importance of using the best, freshest, organic leaf lettuce (or her favorite lettuce), washing and drying it in a salad spinner (which she had), and keeping it chilled, as well as chilling the salad plates or bowls.

The texture of the crisp, cold lettuce, with the creaminess of the goat cheese, the spicy, crunchy pecans, and the unexpected sweetness from a few dried cranberries is a taste surprise, with the brightness and acid from the balsamic vinaigrette. Add a few halved ripe cherry tomatoes, some red onions, and even more flavors are possible. I explained to her that I rarely use any store bought salad dressing, preferring to make my own dressing every few days. Again, I control the salt, sugar, and fat and there are zero additives/preservatives. It only keeps for 3 days, but it's very easy to make and it really, really is worth it. Salad is so often an afterthought, with some bagged, tasteless lettuce leaves thrown on a plate topped with some sweet, thick dressing and underripe, bland tomatoes on the side.

I was pleased to see that Linda really loved the salad. Now her husband, Baker, is not a salad eater, but he had plenty of lemon tart to enjoy.

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Rob's Birthday Lunch

Debbie and Rob, so sweet!

Banana Muffins, Peppery Bacon Cheddar Biscuits, Jalapeno Jelly Corn Muffins

Grilled Tenderloin Steak with Tamari Ginger Sauce, Brown Rice and Vegetable Saute, Acorn Squash

Lemon Lime Tart with a Pecan Cookie Crust

Debbie Mears called me last week and asked if I would be available to come to her house and cook a surprise birthday lunch for her boyfriend's 51st birthday. She is one of those rare people who always has something nice to say, smiles all the time, and appreciates life's little pleasures. I remember being so tickled that she posted a photo of my garden vegetables on her Facebook page. We had a lot of fun times last year and I'm looking forward to the spring when I'll see her and all the friendly people who grow and share.

We talked a little about the menu and pricing and came up with a plan. Here is the final menu:

That may be a bit hard to read so here it is again:

Bakery Basket with pepper cheddar biscuits, red jalapeno cornbread muffins, and banana muffins

Salad: Red leaf lettuce with field greens and tart dried cherries, herb goat cheese, spiced San Saba pecans and Balsamic vinaigrette

Grilled tenderloin steak with tamari ginger sauce, brown rice and vegetable saute, roasted organic acorn squash with togarashi

Lemon Lime Tart with Chantilly Cream

I arrived about an hour before they did and it turned out Debbie had already told him about the "surprise". He was still, however, surprised when she told him what was up and didn't really believe her until they got to the house and saw everything. For me, cooking for people and watching them enjoy eating the food I've worked hard to prepare is great fun. This was why I went to culinary school and started my personal chef business, and I'm so happy to have wonderful clients like Debbie and Linda Johnson. I'll post a couple of the recipes but if you want any of them, please comment and I'll write another post with the recipe. I have included the banana muffins in a previous post, as well as the salad, except I used cranberries instead of cherries. Linda Johnson, if you're reading this, I modified the banana muffin recipe by measuring the bananas (1 cup), and adding 1/4 cup more whole wheat flour. This resulted in better rising.

Red Jalapeno Jelly Cornbread Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup red hot jalapeno jelly (I used Fischer & Wieser)

Combine all ingredients (except jelly) and mix until combined. Spray mini muffin pans with non stick spray. Fill 2/3 full. Place 1/2 tsp jelly in centers of each muffin. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Tenderloin Steak with Tamari Ginger Sauce

2 8 ounce tenderloin steaks (Rub with freshly ground pepper and sea salt and olive oil and let sit out for an hour.)

Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

2 T mirin

1 tsp grated ginger

1/4 tsp cornstarch

Combine all ingredients and bring to boil, reduce quickly or it will boil over fast. Cook on medium low heat until sauce reduces and thickens a bit. This sauce should be used after the meat is cooked, like a glaze at the end or drizzled on top of the meat. Don't use it during cooking or the meat will burn.

To cook steak that is juicy inside and crusty outside:

I use my outdoor grill but when unavailable, like today, I used a heavy cast iron grill pan (by Emeril). This pan covers two burners and luckily Debbie has a gas stove. I heated the grill pan to very hot--don't be afraid of the heat. Grill the steaks for a couple minutes, then rotate 45 degrees for nice grill marks. Grill another minute, turn and do the same. Place the steaks in an oven proof pan or skillet and place in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes for medium rare, a few minutes longer for medium. The steaks will continue to cook after removed from the oven so don't leave them in the oven too long. You should let the steaks rest for about 5 mintues so the juices redistribute and they will continue cooking during this time.

I guess I got my grilling going a little too well because we set off the fire alarm! The steaks looked great and the important thing was both Debbie and Rob enjoyed them. The dessert, Lemon and Lime Tart will be posted next week. I will be doing that recipe with Linda Johnson.

Now, time to go out to dinner with my husband. No cooking tonight!

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Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey meatloaf doesn't sound all that interesting but it's actually delicious, lower in fat that typical meatloaf, and tastes good in lunches. Just try it and see what you think. My husband, who is not overly fond of turkey, liked it just fine, however I had to make him a little glaze made of ketchup, brown sugar, and soy sauce. (I got that recipe from my client, Linda Johnson)

3 lbs ground turkey (white)

2 eggs

2 slices multigrain bread, crumbled (Artisan Baking Company)

1 small zucchini, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp Ana's herbs (organic herb mixture with rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley, salt & pepper)

1 tsp kosher salt

Saute all vegetables in 1 T olive oil until softened, but not browned. Set aside to cool.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and combine into loaves either on a sheet pan or in a loaf pan. I used a 9 X 5 loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

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Cooking Lesson with Linda Johnson

Blueberry muffin, Banana bread

Top: Tomato Frittata, bottom: Beef and Spinach Frittata

Linda wanted one more breakfast/brunch class so for our first class in 2011 our menu was:

Master Frittata Recipe (Tomato Frittata for today, oven version)

Beef and Spinach Frittata (stove top version)

Healthy Banana Bread

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I like the idea of showing someone how to make a "master recipe" so they can choose variations of their own. In this case, a basic frittata, made both on the stove and in the oven is one of those recipes with an endless variety of ingredients, easy to make, and can be healthy as well.

I'll share the recipes for the Beef and Spinach Frittata and the Healthy Banana Bread today.

Linda is a beef lover, evidenced by her recent purchase of a side of beef, filling her freezer with hundreds of pounds of beef. I don't know what she will make with all her beef but I'm determined to show her some of the healthiest ways to incorporate beef into her diet. My favorite way is to use a small amount of it in something rather than have the beef as the main focus of the meal. In this recipe a few ounces of lean beef can serve 3-4 people.

Beef and Spinach Frittata

6 large eggs, beaten

2 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced (optional)

3/4 pound fresh spinach, washed, dried, stems removed, chopped

Heat 1 T oil in large saute pan over high heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Drain well and set aside. Wipe out pan, heat again, and add 1 T oil. Cook onions, garlic, and mushrooms over medium high to medium heat until softened, 5-7 minutes. Return meat to pan and add salt, pepper, oregano and spinach. It will look like way too much spinach but it will cook down quickly. Cook 2 minutes, or less, until it wilts. Add eggs. Reduce heat to low and cook until eggs are softly set--don't overcook this. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. This dish was be served more like scrambled eggs than a wedge of traditional frittata, so just spoon out portions and serve with crispy french bread or toast and enjoy!

(In case you're curious, the oven frittata is very similar except after letting the eggs cook on the stove until they're about 3/4 of the way set the skillet is placed in a 450 degree oven for 7 minutes.)

We talked about all the various types of frittatas Linda could make with her recipes--potato, oven roasted tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, leftover seared chicken breast, steak, feta or goat cheese, garnished with any fresh herbs, toasted nuts, or grated zest.

She was excited about the possibilities and also pleased that she learned to make a dish for her family or their friends that is quick, easy, and so delicious.

Healthy Banana Bread

I'll admit I'm not the biggest banana bread fan and I've had some slimy, weird banana breads in my time, but somehow I made a really good banana bread one day and couldn't stop eating it.

It was even made a bit healthier by using whole wheat flour, organic sugar, and oil instead of butter. I used my fresh pecans from San Saba, Texas, toasted first, and that made it even better.

3-4 medium overripe bananas

1 cup organic cane sugar (try reducing to 1/2 cup if you like it less sweet)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup toasted nuts, chopped (pecans or walnuts) (Also, try 1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips)

(Toast 5 minutes in 350 degree oven)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf pan. (For the class we used muffin pans) In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with the sugar, then mix in the oil. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Mix the flour with the baking soda and salt and add them to the bowl. Mix just until the ingredients are blended. Scrape batter into the loaf pan and bake until the bread is well-browned and a toothpick come outs clean, about 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes, then unmold and let cool. (For muffins, cook 15 minutes and test.)

I was pleased to see that both Linda and her husband kept sampling the finished banana bread!

Our next lesson is on soups and salads.

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