Beef Stir-Fry, Mussels in Spicy Tomato Broth, and Instagram

Post Date: 30 July 2015

My next class in not until Saturday, August 15^th, so in this post I will be discussing some dishes I made recently and how you can follow me on Instagram.

 

Beef Stir-fry

I had not made a stir-fry in a very long time.  In fact, my wok was being used to hold food storage containers.  However, when shopping the other day I noticed a package of beef already cut for stir-fry, so I decided to make one.  For a recipe I followed a stir-fry matrix that I had found in a Food Network Magazine a few years ago.  You pick your protein (say beef, fish or chicken), your sauce (spicy, sweet and sour, brown, etc.), and three vegetables.  The constants are garlic, fresh ginger, and scallions.  I made the Brown Sauce, which uses chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice wine.  If you have never made stir-fry but would like to try, below is a link to a Food Network site that has a short video to take you through the basics.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/stir-fry-basics-0154951.html

 

Mussels in Spicy Tomato Broth

I am planning on serving mussels at a large family gathering this weekend, so I went looking for a good recipe.  The one I used I found in Giada de Laurentis’ Everyday Italian cookbook.  I have provided the link to it below.  I made a few modifications though.  As you can see from the title, her recipe includes clams and shrimp as well as the mussels, whereas I did just the muscles.  For the tomato broth, you use a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes.  Then the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.  This seemed like an awful lot, especially given the amount of tomatoes, so I cut it down to ½ teaspoon.  Even then, it was quite spicy and may be a bit too much for many palates.  The broth includes 1 cup of dry white wine; I used Pinot Grigio.  I made it for dinner as a practice run and it came out great.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mussels-clams-and-shrimp-in-spicy-broth-recipe.html

Instagam

I got a new smart phone last week and decided to take the plunge with Instagram.  I’ll be posting pictures of my dishes and other interesting items.  You can follow me at senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts.

Upcoming Classes

Here is the next class I will be teaching for the summer term.  The fall catalogue will be out soon.

August 15 – Saturday Morning – Lunch Along the Mediterranean – Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

More on Clafoutis and Music to Cook By

Post Date: 18 July 2015

Peach Clafoutis

In my June 29^th post on summer desserts, I discussed the Strawberry Clafoutis I had made.  This past week I made 2 Peach Clafoutis, so I thought I would talk about that this week.  Technically speaking, a Clafoutis should be made only with dark cherries; using any other fruit makes them Flaungardes.  However, if you do an online search you’ll find recipes called Pear, Peach, and Berry Clafoutis, among others.
In the first Peach one I made, I used just one large peach.  It came out well, but the ratio of the custard-like batter to fruit was high.  So I made a second with 2 peaches (pictured above), and the ratio was just right.  In addition, you can fan out the peach slices for presentation.  Some participants in last weekend’s class were asking about it, so here is my recipe.

INGREDIENTS

2 Medium/Large Peaches

4 Eggs

Pinch of Salt

Stick of Butter for Buttering Pan

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1 Cup of Milk (if desired, can do 2/3 cup Milk and 1/3 cup Cream)

½ Cup of Granulated Sugar

2/3 Cup of All Purpose Flour

Confectioner’s Sugar for Serving

DO FIRST

Turn on your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the bottom and sides of your pan, then sprinkle on sugar

MAKE THE CLAFOUTIS

Cut the peaches in half, cutting around along the seam.

Twist to separate the two halves, then use your paring knife to remove the pits

Slice each of the 4 halves into ¼ inch slices, then cut off the hard sections that were next to the pit and place them in the bottom on your baking pan.

Break the 4 eggs into the bowl of the electric mixer.

Add 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract, ½ cup of Granulated Sugar, 1 cup of Milk, and a pinch of salt to the bowl.

Turn the mixer on at a low speed to combine all the ingredients.

Gradually add in the 2/3 cup of Flour and continue mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter (it will be thin) on top of the peaches.

Place the Clafoutis on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the cooling rack, then sprinkle Confectioner’s sugar on top and serve.

NOTE: When the Clafoutis comes out of the oven, it may have risen higher than the edge of the pan, but as it cools it will settle down.

Music to Cook By

In an earlier post I had mentioned that I like to listen to jazz while cooking, either vinyl, CD, or on my phone at jazzradio.com.  It is a great site with 36 different categories to choose from, so you can always find a style that suits what you’re making.  Lately I’ve been listening to the Hard Bop channel, which is great for sautéing and stir fry.  For Risotto, I go with Smooth Jazz, and if I feel like belting I go with Vocal Legends.

 Upcoming Classes

Here is the next class I will be teaching for the summer term. 

August 15 – Saturday Morning – Lunch Along the Mediterranean – Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu

Beach House Brunch Class and 4th of July Party

Post Date: 8 July 2015

This week I will be previewing this Saturday’s Beach House Brunch class and discussing what I made for the family’s 4^th of July get together.

Beach House Brunch – July 11

This one session class meets this Saturday morning at 10:00 AM at the Plum Center in Springfield. 

The final menu is not yet set, but right now the class will include a chilled Mixed Berry Bowl which can be served alone or as an ingredient in other dishes, Strawberry Prosciutto Sandwiches, Turkey Sausage Patties, and Vegetable Frittata, which I also refer to as the “Kitchen Sink Frittata” as it can include everything but, if you so desire.

 July 4^th Party

For the 4^th we had 12 people for dinner before setting off fireworks.  We started with a Bruschetta on toasted baguette rounds and a fruit salad brought by one of our guests.  For vegetables we had corn on the cob and assorted grilled vegetables, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, and orange bell pepper (pictured above).  For the main course I served Balsamic Chicken and Baked Citrus Salmon with Orange and Lemon slices and fresh thyme sprigs (pictured below). For dessert we had a variety of cookies and cakes provided by my sister-in-law Lisa, a professional cake decorator.

Upcoming Classes

Here are the upcoming classes I will be teaching for the summer term. 

July 19 and 26 – Sunday Afternoon – Summer Desserts – Plum Center

August 15 – Saturday Morning – Lunch Along the Mediterranean – Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu