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Traditional English Parsley Sauce...

Feeling confident after my triumph with a basic beurre blanc sauce, I decided to try my hand at a traditional English parsley sauce. This is a tasty sauce to have with white fish or salmon cakes and we enjoyed it very much with some smoked gammon. Essentially it’s a basic white sauce with the addition of freshly chopped parsley. When researching recipes I found that many didn’t include a squeeze of fresh lemon juice but it really gives the sauce added zing. I wouldn’t make the sauce without it now!

There is nothing quite like going out to the garden to gather fresh herbs to cook with. Parsley grows quite easily and makes a lovely addition to any garden. If you don’t already grow your own herbs then it’s definitely worth giving it a go! Check out this site for some amazing gardening tips.

Parsley, one of my all time favourite herbs is full of taste and great health benefits. Among other things it has Vitamin C, Iron and is also an excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Folate. Try adding it to salads, burgers, omelettes, fresh juices and soups. You can even sprinkle it on pasta and rice dishes as well as over pretty much anything!

So if you want something special to accompany your fish dish or gammon then look no further! This parsley sauce from the Good To Know Recipes website is a real winner!

Here is the recipe from their brilliant site:

Parsley Sauce

Ingredients

• 425ml full fat milk

• Bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped (but keep the stalks)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/4 onion, thickly sliced

• 5 peppercorns

• Pinch of nutmeg

• 20g plain flour

• 40g butter

• Squeeze of lemon juice

• Salt and pepper to season

Directions

1. Put the milk, parsley stalks, bay leaf, onion, peppercorns and nutmeg in a heavy-bottomed pan.

2. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then remove from the heat and allow to go cold. This will help to infuse the milk before making the sauce.

3. Slowly melt the butter in another saucepan. Add the flour and stir continuously for a minute so that you cook out the raw flour flavour. Remove from the heat.

4. Strain the milk through a sieve to remove the infusing ingredients and slowly add the milk to the butter and flour mixture. Keep combining a little more milk every few seconds until you’ve added it all. You should now have a thin, lump-free sauce.

5. Return the pan to the heat and stir the sauce until it starts to thicken. This will take about 5 minutes.

6. Once it’s thick, remove from the heat. Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

7. Serve your parsley sauce with salty roast gammon and new potatoes, crispy fishcakes or grilled white fish.

Enjoy!

Parsley Sauce

Parsley Sauce

Red Bean Veggie Burgers: Everything A Veggie Burge...

Veggie Bean Burgers

Every so often I get a craving for a really well made veggie burger. Unfortunately my experience in ordering such a thing from restaurants has usually resulted in bitter disappointment and regret at not ordering the steak. The reason being is that most of the restaurant style veggie burgers I have had have either been:

• Greasy heavily processed lumps that sit unhappily in my stomach for days.

• Dry overcooked burgers that resemble month old cow pats and taste like saw dust.

This never made sense to me. When you think of all the wonderful vegetables, fresh herbs and spices at our disposal why do so many restaurants struggle to make a decent vegetable burger! Surely it can’t be that difficult?

Luckily for me my best friend Jessica is a Kitchen Witch and Gardener Extraordinaire. I am always in awe of what she grows in her garden and what she effortlessly whips up in the kitchen. A few months ago she sent me a recipe for red bean veggie burgers which she adapted from the well known and much loved cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. I have now made her version of this recipe a few times and it just keeps on getting better and better. This is exactly what I have been searching for in a well made vegetable burger.

These are great to make on a Sunday and I am in the habit of making extra and freezing them for the week. They can be taken out in the morning for an easy dinner that night and they also make for a tasty filling lunch. All that’s needed is a bit of reheating which I tend to do in the oven. I serve them with cheese and pickles OR with hummus, red peppers and garden salad. Delicious!

I have reprinted her recipe exactly as she sent it to me. Here it is:

 

Jessica’s version of Red Bean Veggie Burgers  (we usually double/triple the recipe and freeze some)

Heat in a large skillet on medium heat:
2 teaspoons olive oil

Add and cook, stirring until softened:
1/2 cup chopped onions • 2 minced garlic cloves

Add and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes:
2 cups grated courgette (and/or carrots)
1 tsp chili powder • 1 tsp ground cumin

Soften Veggies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile mash in a large bowl:
3 cups cooked kidney beans • 2 Tbs mustard
2 Tbs catsup (ketchup) • 2 Tbs Worcestershire or soy sauce

Mash Kidney Beans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the vegetable mixture to the mashed beans and mix in:
1.5 cups oats
Various garden herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, etc.)

Herbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(We used Chives, Parsley and Chervil)

Mix it all together

Blend Together

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Wet hands and shape resulting gooey goodness into
patties.

Fry the patties in oil over medium heat, or place
on cookie sheet and broil for 5-8 minutes on each side.

Frying yields a crispier patty, while broiling gives a
drier, less oily one.

You can also bake them in the oven
at 400F (200C or Gas Mark 6)

ready for the oven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These burgers freeze well and can be reheated
on the stove top, in the oven, or on the grill.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, 1996

 

My cookbook wish list

Thanks to both my sister and my friend Jessica I have been able to tick a few books off my cookbook wish list!
As I posted last week my sister gave me the new cookbook from Fresh – REFRESH which is such a wonderful book. This week I will be trying out Susur Lee’s Smoothie.

Jessica brought a huge smile to my face when just a few days before Christmas a lovely parcel arrived with 2 wonderful books nestled inside. One of them was another top priority book on my list The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health. I am not sure what my first recipe will be from this book but I am sorely tempted to try the Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed Three Ways.

These books will keep me busy for some time as they really all packed full of lots of exciting recipes to try. I hope you will keep checking back in to see what I make and hopefully to try some of these recipes for yourself!

Rocket Fuel: Healthy Iced Coffee With A Kick!...

A few years ago my husband and I were visiting my sister in Toronto. As a special treat she took us to a wonderful restaurant called Fresh and what a treat it was! This has become one of my all time favourite restaurants. Whenever we are back in Toronto a trip to Fresh is always top of our list.

The first thing I ever had at Fresh was one of their speciality espresso shakes called ‘Rocket Fuel’. This is a healthy (and much tastier) alternative to those incredibly sweet full fat iced coffee drinks you can get now at most coffee shops.

The original recipe calls for vanilla soymilk but as I was unable to find any I used a chocolate oat based drink instead. Although it does have a different taste to the Rocket Fuel I remember the addition of chocolate is never really a bad thing – is it?

So here is my slightly altered version of their recipe. This has been a much needed kick in the pants for my husband and I during these cold dark UK mornings.
(Please keep in mind this for 2 people so I have doubled everything.)

Ingredients

2 dbl. shot espresso or brewed coffee (My favourite is Kicking Horse )

10 oz Oatly Healthy Oat Chocolate Drink

2 bananas, peeled

2 tsp maple syrup (Canadian is best!)

1.5 shakes cinnamon

5 ice cubes

Directions

Brew up the coffee.

Add the oat drink and bananas to the blender.

Start the blender on a low setting and gradually add the coffee, maple syrup, cinnamon and ice cubes.

Put blender on a higher setting for 1-2 minutes to make sure all the ice is blended.

Pour into 2 tall glasses.

Enjoy!

About my first Visit to Fresh:

On that first visit I noticed a cookbook for sale by the main till. It was called Fresh At Home. I loved the variety of healthy recipes it offered and the photos were gorgeous! Unfortunately worries about being able to fit it in my luggage with everything else I had accumulated kept me from buying it. Damn my sensibleness! It was a decision that would haunt me until we returned to Toronto 2 years later. Sadly the book was no where to be found in the restaurant so I enjoyed my meal and put thoughts of the cookbook out of my mind.

Bring on Christmas and Santa had a very special treat for me this year. There, waiting under the tree, was the newest addition to the Fresh library – simply called Refresh. It has some of the old favourites as well as plenty of exciting new recipes to try. I am looking forward to getting stuck into some seriously healthy food!

If you’re interested in the original Rocket Fuel recipe from Fresh follow the Directions above but use the following ingredients instead. (Please note this is for a single serving)

1 dbl. shot espresso or brewed coffee

6 oz vanilla soymilk

1 bananas, peeled

1 tsp maple syrup

1 shake cinnamon

6 ice cubes

And of course – Enjoy!

If you are planning a visit to Toronto or you live in Toronto and haven’t been – then put Fresh on your to do list. You won’t regret it! Check out their site here for more information.

Rocket Fuel: Healthy Iced Coffee

Rocket Fuel: Healthy Iced Coffee

These are a few of my favourite things.

These are a few of my favourite things.

Easy Peasy Baked Beans...

This is an extremely easy recipe for home made baked beans. You can use chopped up bacon if you like but I preferred using the leftovers from the gammon joint we had the night before. The molasses and barbeque sauce really give these beans a wonderful rich flavour.

They are filling, healthy and delicious. Once you’ve tried these home made beans you won’t want to go back to the tinned ones.

Luna Raye’s Easy Peasy Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 Spanish onion

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 orange or yellow pepper chopped

2 cans Cannellini Beans

4 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons soft brown sugar

4 tablespoons barbecue sauce (make sure to taste as you add it as you may want less or more) – I used a honey smoked sauce for extra flavour

1/2 cup left over gammon joint chopped into bite sized chunks

1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Saute the chopped onion and bell pepper in olive oil until just softened

Add the gammon and beans. Gently mix.

Gradually add the molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and barbeque sauce.

Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes

Season with freshly ground pepper

Serves 4 to 6

Great on its own or with a baked potato.

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Baked Beans

Easy Peasy Baked Beans

Indian Pudding: Childhood Memories And Autumnal Tr...

Thinking back on my childhood, one of the things I remember from this time of year was my Mum making a dessert known as Indian Pudding. There was nothing quite like playing outside in the crisp Autumn air – jumping in piles of leaves and playing make believe in the back yard – and then coming inside to this wonderful dish. The spicy aroma and deep smoky flavour of molasses take me right back to those happy childhood memories.

The origins of Indian Pudding come from Colonial America where the settlers attempted to recreate dishes from their homelands. It is very similar to porridge and also to what is known in the U.K as hasty pudding. Cereal grains (usually wheat or oats) would be boiled down over a long period of time in scalded milk, resulting in a thick creamy consistency (no lumps please!).

Not having access to large stores of wheat or oats the colonists used cornmeal instead which was more readily available. Often butter or beaten eggs would be added to give the dish extra richness. Spices such as Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg would be used to enhance the flavour and it would be sweetened with molasses. Dried fruits were also occasionally added.

For me this creamy dessert conjures up happy childhood memories (and Autumn) just as much as a big slice of pumpkin pie.

Here is the recipe for my Mum’s Indian Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup water

4 cups whole milk

1 large egg

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup dark molasses

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup combination of raisins and dried cranberries

Good quality vanilla ice cream to serve. (I love Mackie’s)

Directions

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees F).

Heavily grease a 1-1/2 quart oven proof baking dish with unsalted butter.

Place 3/4 cup water in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the cornmeal until it is completely mixed and smooth.

Scald 3 cups of the milk in a heavy saucepan (heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edge). Make sure you don’t bring the milk to a full boil.
Stir the cornmeal mixture into the hot milk. Reduce heat to low and stir frequently, for approximately 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.

Remove from heat.

Beat the egg in a small bowl. Gradually stir some of the hot cornmeal mixture into the beaten egg, one spoonful at a time, until you have added about 1/2 cup of the mixture. (This will gently warm up the egg so the hot cornmeal mixture doesn’t cook it too quickly.)

Return the egg and cornmeal mixture to the saucepan and stir in the sugar, molasses, butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. You can add dried fruit at this stage if you want.

Pour the mixture into the prepared greased dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and gently pour the remaining 1 cup of milk over the top of the pudding. Do not stir in.

Continue to bake for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pudding begins to set.

Remove from oven and set aside for 30 minutes to one hour. It will continue to thicken further as it cools.

Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe serves 5-6 but I love to have the leftovers for breakfast the next day – slightly warmed and served with milk. YUMMY!

Indian Pudding

Indian Pudding

Puff Pastry Pizza...

I am not ashamed to say that I buy frozen pastry. It is far easier to use then making pastry from scratch and even well known chef’s recommend using it! We had some puff pastry lurking in the freezer, so this week I thought it might be fun to try and make a puff pastry pizza.

There were a few veggies that needed to be used up so I decided to make a combination of 2 toppings. One was inspired by my Mum’s lasagne recipe and included ricotta cheese, parmesan, spinach and egg. The other was a tomato based sauce which was also going to serve as a light and easy lunch the next day.

I preheated the oven and put our pizza stone in to gradually warm up. Following the packet directions I rolled out the pastry sheet and put it on the warmed pizza stone. Liking the idea of a ‘stuffed crust’ I put thin strips of mozzarella cheese about a half inch from the edge and then folded the edges over the cheese. I sealed the crust with an egg wash.

I added about 6 large Tablespoons of the tomato sauce to the ricotta mixture and then spread the combined sauces over the rolled out pastry sheet. Finishing it off with some roughly chopped pieces of mozzarella cheese I put it in the oven for approx 20 – 25 minutes.

The pizza stone really helped it cook beautifully throughout. The base was lovely and crisp and not soggy at all (I was worried about the amount of moisture in the sauces).The crust puffed up and remained light and flaky. Biting into it and having hot mozzarella cheese ooze out was a delight!

It was excellent and went very well with a glass of red wine and a small green salad. We even had leftovers for the next day which were just as tasty. This makes for a light, flaky delicious pizza!

Luna Raye’s Puff Pastry Pizza

Ingredients

For Pizza Crust / Preparation

1 sheet of ready made puff pastry

1 beaten egg for the egg wash

2 x 125g mozzarella balls

For Tomato sauce

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Drizzle olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 small red onion

¼ cup finely chopped zucchini (courgette)

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Pinch of dried mixed Italian herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Marjoram)

For Ricotta Mixture

250g Ricotta

4 chestnut mushrooms finely chopped

300g baby leaf spinach

3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten

Directions

Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions. Make sure pizza stone is in oven so it can gradually heat up.

Begin tomato sauce by adding drizzle of olive oil to a pan and gently caramelizing the onions.

When onions are soft add the minced garlic, chilli flakes and Italian herbs.

Mix well and add the tin of tomatoes.

Simmer on medium heat for 6- 7 minutes and then add the finely chopped zucchini.

Stir around and remove from heat.

Begin the Ricotta mixture by putting the ricotta in a large glass bowl.

Add a beaten egg and mix well.

Add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and chestnut mushrooms and stir to blend.

Roughly chop the baby spinach leaves and add to the mixture.

Set aside.

Prepare the pastry by rolling it out on a flat surface. I used a large chopping board.

Cut about ¼ of one of the mozzarella balls into thin strips and place them about half an inch from the outside edge of the pastry.

Fold the outside edge over the cheese strips to create a ‘thick stuffed crust’

Beat the other egg and brush it over the crust edge (this will help keep it in place and also give the crust a more golden colour)

At this point I needed to transfer the pizza base to the pizza stone – so I carefully slid it from the chopping board onto the stone (making sure the stone was on a heat proof surface)

Add about 6 Tbsp of the tomato sauce into the bowl with the ricotta mixture and give it a gentle stir. It doesn’t matter if the tomato sauce is still a little warm. (Put the rest in the fridge for an easy lunch the next day)

Spoon the mixture onto the pastry base and spread it out.

Roughly tear or chop the rest of the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the top.

Season with a bit more salt and pepper.

Put in oven for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.

Assemble your simple green salad and pour some wine.

Enjoy!

I really loved this recipe and will make puff pastry pizza again! Check out this great site for more inspiring ways to use puff pastry!

Puff Pastry Pizza

Puff Pastry Pizza

Courgette Carbonara: Magical Meal In Minutes...

Usually I am not in a rush to escape the kitchen. For me it’s a peaceful and comforting place to be. There is something so deliciously wonderful about losing yourself in cooking. Whether you’re baking bread, tending to soups or stews, chopping, sautéing or creating an indulgent pudding, it’s a magical state of mind!

Now I have recently become quite a fan of Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals. This may seem strange considering I enjoy spending large amounts of time pottering around the kitchen – but his recipes are good and inspiring. Jamie has a great way of creating recipes that are simple but really pack a punch. I have started writing a list of all his recipes that I am eager to try.

As my fridge is still happily stocked with a ton of zucchini (courgette) I decided to try Jamie’s Beautiful Courgette Carbonara. This is a really lovely twist on a traditional spaghetti alla carbonara – one of my favourite pasta dishes of all time. For this I used beautiful smoked streaky bacon from our local butchers which made it a real treat. I also opted for Rigatoni instead of Penne or Spaghetti.

It was sooooo good. I went back for seconds (ok I confess, thirds!) While it didn’t take long to prepare OR cook, I am ok with not having spent ages in the kitchen today. It has given me more time to cuddle up with Nutmeg!

Go on and give this recipe a try. It is delicious!

Click here to see Jamie Oliver’s Beautiful Courgette Carbonara recipe.

Courgette Carbonara

Courgette Carbonara

Waiting for a cuddle

Waiting for a cuddle

Zucchini Slice. A Shared Recipe And A Delight!...

Sharing recipes and working with other people who are passionate about food and cooking is a big part of being a kitchen witch. I love looking for new recipes to try and discovering different ways to prepare some of my favourite ingredients.

I am very thankful to Caroline at the Lea House B&B who sent me a lovely email about her adventures with lemon possets. I enjoyed looking around her website (A visit may be in order soon. The gorgeous inglenook fireplace and a good book are calling me).

Anyway during my perusing I found a link to some of Caroline’s recipes and one immediately caught my eye. The zucchini (courgette) slice. This is something I have never tried before so I thought I would give it a go – especially as I still have a fridge full of zucchinis!

It was delicious hot and was just as good cold the next day! We served it both times with a simple green salad.

I didn’t have any bacon so I decided to add some sweet corn instead. I added about 1/2 a cup. I do think it would be wonderful with flaked smoked haddock and will certainly try that next time. The fresh red chilli I added for zing came through beautifully and gave each bite a nice little kick.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe Caroline. I will absolutely be making this again!

For those of you who would like to try Caroline’s recipe here it is as it appears on her recipe blog.

Zucchini (Courgette) Slice

Ingredients

• 375g zucchini (courgettes)

• 1 large onion

• 3 rashers of bacon

• 1 cup (75g) grated cheddar cheese

• 1 cup (120g) self raising flour

• 1/2 cup sunflower oil

• 5 free-range eggs

• salt & pepper to taste

• 1 finely chopped chilli/few drops Tabasco – to taste

Directions

Grate unpeeled zucchini coarsely, finely chop onion and bacon. Combine zucchini, onion, bacon, cheese, sifted flour, oil and lightly beaten eggs and season to taste with salt, pepper and something with a zing. Pour into a well-greased baking tin (approx 16cm x 26cm) and bake at about 180 C for 30 – 40 mins till just browning and fairly firm. Serves 4 – 6

The quantities can be adjusted proportionately at will, and things other than the bacon can be added (flaked smoked haddock; grated carrot, peas etc for veggies).

Enjoy!

Zucchini (Courgette) Slice

Zucchini (Courgette) Slice

Zucchini: The Magic Ingredient For A Sweet Scrumpt...

Zucchini or courgette is what is known as a summer squash. It has a lighter texture and more delicate flavour then some of the heavier winter squashes. Looking like a greener more rugged cucumber the zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable.

Zucchini The Magic Ingredient

Zucchini The Magic Ingredient

They can be eaten steamed, grilled, baked or fried. They can be stuffed. They can be grated into pasta. They are also wonderful additions to stews and curries. For me one of the tastiest ways to use zucchini is in baking.

This recipe for zucchini bread is one of my tried and true all time favourites. It is moist, not too sweet and goes very well with a hot cup of tea. The addition of walnuts adds a little extra kitchen witch magic! This really is a very simple recipe and kids will love it. It’s a great way to get them to eat some veggies!

If you’ve never tried it – give it a go. You will never see a zucchini in the same way again!

Luna Raye’s Recipe For Magical Scrumptious Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil (I didn’t have enough for this batch and used ¾ canola and ¼ olive oil)

2 cups white sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons all spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts (I have alternated this with ½ cup fresh blueberries in the past)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 165 degrees C (or 325 degrees F)

Grease two 8×4 inch loaf tins

In a large bowl beat the eggs until they are light and frothy

Gradually mix in the oil and sugar

Stir in the grated zucchini and the vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the flour, all spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chopped walnuts (NOTE: if using blueberries instead of walnuts mix them in with the wet ingredients)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly

Divide the batter into the prepared bread tins

Bake for approx 60 – 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre, comes out clean.

I cover the loaves with tinfoil about ¾ of the way through cooking to make sure they don’t brown too much on top.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Slice it up and enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book!

Zucchini Loaves

Zucchini Loaves

Zucchini Bread

Enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book

Pan Fried Scallops with a Basic Beurre Blanc Sauce...

I won’t deny that sauces scare me. You have to get the flavour and texture just right and your timing must be perfect. To me they have always seemed fiddly, labour intensive and far too easy to screw up. My question has always been – is it really worth it to make a sauce?

Well for a long time I didn’t think so. A few years back I did attempt a Hollandaise to go with some beautiful fresh asparagus. The result was a nasty curdled mess alongside charred asparagus (charred because I was so busy with the sauce I completely forgot about it).

So what are some of the things that go wrong with sauces?

• They can split, burn or curdle

• Be too watery, thick or lumpy

• Not have enough flavour OR have too much flavour and completely over power everything else on the plate

Of course when done correctly sauces have the ability to take dishes to a whole new level.

• They enhance the flavour of particular ingredient(s)

• They give added depth of flavour and marry ingredients together bringing harmony and balance to a dish

• They also add extra colour, aroma, texture and moisture

There are many different varieties of sauces but they all stem from what is known as the 5 Mother Sauces.

So what are the 5 mother sauces?

• Béchamel (white sauce made with milk, butter and flour)

Velouté (similar to Béchamel but made with stock instead of milk)

Espagnole (a rich brown sauce made with meat stock and root vegetables)

• Hollandaise (a rich sauce made from eggs, butter and lemon juice)

• As for the 5th sauce, some books mention Vinaigrette (a combination of oil and vinegar) while others mention Tomato based (or red) sauces.

Now there are some sauces I do feel confident in making and tomato or red sauce is one of them. I can also rustle up fairly decent vinaigrette when in the mood. However I am terrified of anything involving ingredients like eggs, butter, milk, vinegar or wine which requires vigorous continual whisking and vigilant temperature control. It all just seems…. too much.

Well the other week while watching Masterchef: The Professionals I was intrigued to see them prepare pan fried scallops with a classic Beurre Blanc sauce. The recipe really stuck in my mind and I felt this weekend it was time to face my ‘sauce’ fears and make this dish.

My husband seasoned the scallops (we had 3 each) with some salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. While he was searing them in the pan I was madly whisking a combination of shallots, bay leaves, peppercorns, white wine, white wine vinegar, thick cream and butter (a lot of butter!). I did my best to taste as I went along while making sure it didn’t burn. There were a few scary moments but it all went according to plan and the end result was pretty amazing! It was much easier then I thought it would be (despite the crazy whisking and intense temperature monitoring) and it worked beautifully with the scallops.

So if you were like me and afraid of sauces – don’t be. I know that the more I practice the easier it will become. It will also help take my cooking in a whole new direction which I am excited about.
Here is the recipe I used for a Basic Beurre Blanc sauce. It has been shared by Jay from the All Recipes website. It is a real winner and can be used with pan fried scallops, delicately poached fish or grilled vegetables. The only thing I added was a wee bit of freshly chopped parsley at the end.

Enjoy.

Jay’s Basic Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallot

• 1 bay leaf

• 6 black peppercorns

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 1/2 cups cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. Place shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns, vinegar, and wine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and continue simmering until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain.

2. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a simmer; simmer until the cream has reduced by half. Increase heat to medium-high, and rapidly whisk in the butter, piece, by piece until it has melted into the cream and thickened it. Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the spices. Serve immediately.

Scallops with a Beurre Blanc Sauce

Scallops with a Beurre Blanc Sauce

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