Private Party May 30, 2024 pm
Chicken Francaise
Homemade Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
Roasted Vegetables
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Chicken Francaise
yield: 2 servings
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and dredged in flour (beurre marinier)
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
2 6-8 oz chicken breast filets, lightly pounded
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 large fresh lemon, cut in half and only 1 half sliced in ¼ inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, Wisked
Sea salt and ground white pepper
1 tablespoon flat or curly parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Preheat medium skillet on medium heat
Place flour and egg in separate small bowls. Season flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of white pepper. Dredge chicken in flour being sure to cover it entirely and gently shake off excess flour. Dredge in scrambled egg, again being sure to coat completely.
Add vegetable oil to skillet and wait for oil to shimmer. If oil smokes, turn down heat and wait for smoke to subside. Gently place egg battered filets in skillet 2 at a time so not to overload pan. Sear for 2 minutes or until very lightly browned. Using fish turner or tongs, gently flip chicken breasts, careful not to splash hot oil. When filets are evenly browned on both sides, transfer to baking sheet and set aside.
While pan is still hot, add minced garlic. Sauté for 30-60 seconds, just until garlic begins to brown lightly around the edges and becomes aromatic. Add white wine and deglaze pan, being sure to scrape any bits of caramelized fish and garlic into wine. Add butter and lemon slices and lemon juice and reduce liquid by half. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if needed. Decrease heat to low and add beurre marnier, stirring to melt it in. Sauce will thicken slightly. Taste again and adjust seasonings if needed. Add chopped parsley and cold butter, stirring to incorporate.
Check chicken for doneness by pressing gently with your finger; It should be firm and springy. If needed, transfer breasts to 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked completely. Lowest internal temperature should be 165 degrees. Transfer hot filets to warmed dinner plate and spoon desired amount of sauce over top. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprig if desired.
Fresh Pasta Dough
yield: 2 servings
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.
In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.
Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.
Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.
Alfredo Sauce
- 1/4cup butter, cut into large cubes or slices
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (not table salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Add the butter and cream to a large nonstick sauté pan, over medium-low heat; whisk until butter has melted.
- Add in the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; whisk until combined and smooth.
- Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil) and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese just until melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Take off the heat and toss with cooked fettuccine noodles (or your favorite pasta.)
- (If the sauce isn’t quite thick enough, allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes before tossing with the pasta.)
Roasted Vegetables with Garlic and Balsamic
yield: 2 servings
10-12 oz assorted vegetables ( broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, zucchini or sweet potato)
4 garlic cloves, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fine balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch of ground black pepper or more if preferred
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a medium mixing bowl, toss vegetables with garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper until coated. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 until vegetable start to brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Yield: 8 servings
Ice Cream
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Toppings
Chopped nuts of choice
½ cup heavy cream for whipping
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon real vanilla extract
Prepare ice bath
In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and salt. At medium heat, bring mixture to 170-180 degrees, careful not to boil. Stir constantly to dissolve sugar and keep dairy products from scalding. Mixture is ready when bubbles appear around edges and steam begins to rise. In a medium mixing bowl, add egg yolks and whisk vigorously until they become fluffy and turn a pale yellow color. Move mixing bowl up against side of saucepan. Using an 8 oz ladle, drizzle hot cream mixture into egg yolks, slowly at first but with increasing speed on following ladles. Continue until 80% of cream is added and mixing bowl is hot to the touch. Transfer egg and cream mixture back to saucepan and heat on low until custard thickens slightly, careful not to let any of eggs cook to bottom of the pan. If whisked vigorously, foam will appear on top but will disappear quickly when mixture begins to thicken.
