Creamer Peas and Fresh Chicken Eggs
Simmered with little yellow cherry tomatoes, local shallots and red onion in a little bit of stock with a few jalapeno peppers until peas are tender.
Add a handful of fresh spinach at the end and serve with a loosely scrambled egg.
How to Peel Tomatoes
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Drop one tomato at a time in the boiling water for about 5 seconds.
3. Evacuate to a bowl of ice water long enough for the tomato to cool.
4. Use a knife to make a cut around the “equator” of the tomato. The “northern hemisphere” and “southern hemisphere” of the tomato will now slide off intact.
Tomato Confit
4 ripe Dirty Girl tomatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp dried Italian blend spices
Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut each tomato crosswise into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. In a large bowl gently toss the tomatoes with remaining ingredients. Arrange tomatoes on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Slide the sheet into the oven & bake the tomatoes until they are very tender but still able to hold their shape. Cool.
When the tomatoes have cooled, transfer them into a glass jar. Pour whatever oil remains on the pan over the tomatoes. If you plan to keep the tomatoes longer than 1 or 2 days, pour in enough olive oil to cover then refrigerate until ready to use.
Roasted Tomato Crostini with Sheep Feta
1 medium Baguette, sliced thin on the bias
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried Italian Herbs
1 garlic clove, chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper
6 oz sheep’s milk feta
8 oz tomato confit
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss together the bread, oil, herbs, salt, pepper & garlic. Spread slices out on a cookie sheet & toast until golden & crisp. Cool.
Spread confit on crostini & top with sliced feta. You can also garnish with a thyme leaf.
Classic Tomato Bisque
4tbsp butter
1tbsp bacon, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5tbsp all-purpose flour
4c chicken stock
4 fresh tomatoes, peeled & seeded, roughly chopped
3 parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1c heavy whipping cream
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
4T crème fraiche
Heat butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon & cook until the fat has rendered. Transfer bacon to a paper towel & set aside. When bacon has cooled, eat it. Lower the heat to medium, add the celery, onion, carrot, garlic & cook until translucent.
Stir in flour until vegetable mixture is evenly coated. Pour in the stock & tomatoes then bring to a boil. Tie the fresh herbs together with twine & add to the pot. Lower the heat to a simmer & cook (about 35 minutes). Remove from the heat.
With a hand blender puree the bisque until smooth. Wisk in the whipping cream & season with salt & pepper. Divide among warm soup bowls to serve. Garnish with crème fraiche.
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Tomato Confit & Fresh Herbs
2 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned
2 oz fresh Texas goat cheese (such as Pure Luck)
2 oz Tomato Confit
3 basil leaves, shredded
Salt & fresh ground pepper
Canola oil
Wine Sauce:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 c chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat chicken dry. Using a sharp boning knife slice a pocket into chicken, set aside. Combine cheese, confit & basil in small bowl, season with salt & pepper.
Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the chicken breast.
In a large skillet, heat canola oil until just smoking. Place the chicken breasts (presentation side down) into hot pan & roast until golden. Repeat on other side. Then place the entire pan into the oven & roast until goat cheese has melted. Remove chicken from hot pan, reserving all juices for the wine sauce & slice into medallions.
Using the pan from the chicken, melt butter into reserved juice over medium heat. Add stock while scraping all chicken bits remaining in the pan. Bring sauce to boil & cook until reduced by half, season with salt & freshly ground pepper. Spoon over chicken & serve!
Marinated Tomatoes and Summer Greens
3 ripe tomatoes, quartered
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c sherry wine vinegar
1/4 c onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp drained capers
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
6 oz baby summer greens
Arrange tomatoes in shallow dish. Combine olive oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, capers & parsley in a medium bowl, whisk until blended, season with salt & pepper. Spoon dressing over tomatoes. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours. Place baby greens on the center of a plate & top with marinated tomatoes.
Heirloom Tomato Tartlets
3 heirloom plum tomatoes
1 cup yellow teardrop tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh thyme
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp pepper
2 small tart shells
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Cut each tomato crosswise into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. In bowl, toss together red & yellow tomatoes, oil, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper. Rub bottom of tart shells with mustard. Arrange red tomatoes in overlapping rows. Scatter yellow tomatoes over top; sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven until golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, serve warm or at room temp
A fish stew from Marseille, the oldest city in France located on the east coast of France.
Bouillabaisse means to boil then simmer, it is a fish soup containing any sort of fish or shellfish that is available in your part of the world. A good bouillabaisse contains herbs & vegetables that are in season & sourced local. It’s June so we will be using fennel, leeks, sorrel, onions, tomatoes, celery, rosemary, lavender, thyme, oregano, parsley & potatoes. It’s definitely a good time of the year for this recipe.
As far as the fish goes we are in Texas so we must use what is available in the gulf (I feel the need to mention the oil spill here but we all have it on our minds as it is) such as amberjack, tilefish, snapper, oysters, etc.
These ingredients are simmered together in a fish stock. The veggies & fish are then strained from the broth. I like to blend up the rich broth with an emersion blender & strain it again. The fish & vegetables are served separate from the broth. The broth is served hot with a crostini & a rouille (roo-EE).
Bouillabaisse
- 2 quarts of fish stock
- ½ leek, julienned
- ½ fennel, sliced reserving the fronds for garnish
- 1 ripe tomatoes, peeled & chopped
- 1 bunch sorrel, chopped
- the zest & juice of an orange
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- fresh parsley, finely chopped
- fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 t turmeric powder
- 1 T raw sugar
- 1 T peppercorns
- course sea salt
- 1 lbs fresh fish (snapper, amberjack, grouper, tilefish, trigger fish, etc.)
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
- ½ lb oysters, scrubbed with a brush & rinsed
Place the fish stock on the heat & bring to a simmer. Add leeks, sorrel, fennel, tomatoes, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, garlic & herbs. Add fish, potatoes & shellfish at different stages depending on their cook time. This is the key to a perfect fish stew.
Rouille
- 1 c bread crumbs
- 3 T warm water
- 2 T mustard
- 2 egg yolk
- 4 cloves garlic, roasted to goo
- salt & white pepper to taste
- pinch of cayenne
- 3 T extra-virgin olive oil (& extra!)
Baguette, sliced & toasted (a crostini)
Pour warm water over breadcrumbs to moisten. In a food processor pulse together the bread crumbs, mustard, yolks, garlic, salt, pepper & cayenne. Add olive oil in a ribbon until a paste is formed (you can also use one of those beautiful giant marble mortal & pastel if you are lucky enough to have one). If a paste does not form add extra oil.
Serve on baguette
Fish Stock
- 1 fish skeleton (or about 1 pound fish bones)
- 2 T grapeseed oil
- 1 onion, quarted
- 2 stalks celery
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 T peppercorns
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Water to cover
- 1 c white wine
On a sheet tray lay the fish skeleton out & pile the remaining ingredients on top. Roast in oven until golden & crispy. When done, put roasted ingredients in a stock pot with water & wine. Bring the liquid to a boil & reduce to a simmer. Skim scum of the top with spoon throughout. Cooking time. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat & strain.
Im not going to try & catch you up on all events that have happened in the past six months other than the fact that myself & a group of friends physically built & opened a “localvore” restaurant without any financial backing on the east side of austin texas.
Some of this weeks menu items are all about the mad hare. We have a delicious rabbit sausage with fried sage & mushrooms as the meat of the moment on our charcuterie plate, a rabbit ravioli with rabbit stock consommé & a rich rabbit cacciatore with pilaf.
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