October Recipes!
Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parmesan-Chive Foam
Pojarski Smitane
Basmati Rice Pilaf
Petit Pois a la Francais
Glenfiddich Chocolate Mousse

This dessert is a favorite of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Although the Queen is not a big whiskey drinker, Glenfiddich—“valley of the deer” in Gaelic—whiskey from the Scottish highlands adds a warm aftertaste. The coffee intensifies the flavor.

Serves 6

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon boiling water
5 eggs separated
2 tablespoons Glenfiddich whiskey
11/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup heavy cream, whipped for garnish
2 ounces grated semisweet chocolate, for garnish

Melt the 6 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler or, alternatively, microwave it on high for 1 minute and stir until melted. In a small bowl dissolve the coffee into the boiling water.
Whisk the egg yolks into the melted chocolate and then stir in the dissolved coffee and the whiskey and mix well.
Whip the cream until it forms and holds stiff peaks. Whip the egg whites until they form and hold stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream and whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Keep folding until you can no longer see any white specks of cream or egg white.
Pour the mousse into a decorative serving dish and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow the chocolate to set. Decorate the top of the mousse with rosettes of whipped cream and grated chocolate.

A royal dessert for an exceptional occasion!

An elegant and fun way to serve green peas. At one time, the English ruled a large part of France. Somewhere along the way, they probably snitched this recipe from the French kings royal kitchens. However it worked its way into the Royal families dining room, it is a delicious way to get your peas down when you have two young Princes learning to eat their vegetables!

Serves 6

6 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
¼ head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1½ pound frozen green peas
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 small bunch of mint, chopped.

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, fry the bacon slowly until it is soft and some of the fat has been rendered. Stir in the sliced onions and lettuce, and let them simmer for about five minutes. Add the peas, salt, sugar, pepper, and add chicken stock to cover. Continue to cook slowly until the peas are heated through. About 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter and flour and add the mixture to the peas and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.

This pilaf is a great complimentary dish with the Pojarski. Again, it reflects the food influences on the Royal family from their far-reaching British Empire days. Prince Phillips uncle, Lord Mountbatten, was the last Viceroy of India where this dish originated.

Serves 4

3-5 tablespoons butter
1 large onion chopped
½ to ¾ cup slivered almonds
1 cup Basmati rice
1 cup finely chopped carrots
½ cup currants
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoons finely minced orange rind
Black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1¾ cups good quality chicken broth
¼ cup water
Salt

In a medium saucepan, melt butter
Sauté the onion and almonds over medium heat until onion is soft (not brown) and the almonds are golden
Stir in rice; cook stirring for about 4 minutes to release flavor
Stir in chopped carrots, currants, orange rind, cinnamon, black pepper and red pepper flakes
Carefully stir chicken broth and water into the rice mixture, stir slightly with a wooden spoon
Bring to a boil and reduce heat
Cover the saucepan and simmer until all liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (about 20 minutes). Season with salt.

This was one of my favorite dishes at the venerable and legendary Russian Tea Room in New York. It is also a favorite of the English royal family who counted the Russian Czars in their family scrapbooks. Actually, most of the royal houses of Europe were progeny in some way of Queen Victoria. This dish came by way of the Russian contingency. It has always been a favorite of mine.

Serves 6

For the POJARSKI:
4 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into ¼ inch dice
1 cup buttermilk
1 pound ground veal
1 lemon, zest only
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup finely diced red bell peppers
½ cup finely diced celery
¼ teaspoon celery seeds
¼ cup finely chopped dill
¼ cup finely chopped green onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the SAUCE:
½ stick (1/4 cup) butter
1 cup finely diced onion
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 cup beef broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup vegetable oil for frying

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Pojarski:
Place the bread into a small bowl with the buttermilk to soak for at least 10 minutes. Combine the veal, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan cheese, peppers, celery, celery seeds, dill, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl and mix well. Add the bread and buttermilk, and mix again. Shape the mix into teardrops about 3 inches long, 2 inches wide at the widest point, and 11/4 inch high. Place on a greased tray and refrigerate.

For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a high heat. Stir in the onions, reduce the heat, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for several minutes, and then remove from the heat and stir in the flour and paprika. Add the beef broth and cream and reduce to a sauce-like consistency. Add the lemon juice, and season with the salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add the vegetable oil. Cook the Pojarski in batches so not to crowd the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes per side.

Pour the sauce into the bottom of a large serving dish. Reserving some of the sauce to place on top of each piece. Arrange the Pojarski neatly around the edge. Swirl the sour cream in the center of the dish, and sprinkle with the chopped dill.

A dish fit for a Queen!

This was one of Princess Diana’s favorite dishes. Her personal chef, Darren McGrady, made it for her many, many times. It has the right balance between silky, earthy parsnip flavor and the taste of sweet/tart apple that comes through. Make time to prepare the garnish; it turns a good soup into a great one.

Serves 4

For the SOUP
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1pound parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups good chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the GARNISH
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons roughly chopped chives, divided
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled

For the soup:
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the parsnips, apple, and onion. Saute until the onion is translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander and chicken stock. Bring the soup up to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat, and simmer until the parsnips are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the soup from the heat and with a hand-held blender, puree the soup. If you want to use a standard blender, you will need to let the soup cool down before blending. After blending the soup, strain the content through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps. The soup can be made ahead at this point and refrigerated for several days. Warm gently before continuing.
Stir in the cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the soup get hot, but do not boil. Adjust the consistency, thinning with a little more broth if needed.

For the garnish:
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the chives into the whipped cream. Grate some of the apple into the bottom of 4 warm soup bowls, and ladle the soup on top. Spoon the Parmesan cream on top of the soup, and garnish with the rest of the chives.

So good!

All the wonderful flavors and textures of summer berry pie a la mode in an ice cream sundae. For a casual party, offer the individual components buffet style and let guests make their own.

Serves 8

4 ½-pint baskets fresh blackberries (about 5½ cups)
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 7.25-ounce package shortbread cookies (such as Pepperidge Farm Chessmen) coarsely crumbled (about 2 cups)
1½ quarts vanilla ice cream

Combine 4 cups blackberries, orange juice, sugar, orange peel, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until berries are soft and begin to release juices, about 8 minutes.
Transfer 2 cups berry mixture to processor; puree until almost smooth. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir in remaining blackberries.
Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Re-warm berry mixture over medium heat until just warm.
Divide cookie crumbs among 8 bowls or wineglasses. Add 1 scoop ice cream to each.
Spoon warm blackberry sauce over each and serve.

Ah, beautiful, ripe summer tomatoes. Tomatoes are at their peak and with a little luck you may be able to find beautiful Heirloom ones. These are tomatoes that look and taste like old-fashioned tomatoes of yesterday. Summer is also the best time to seek out local growers or Farmers Markets that are likely to have them.

Serves 6-8

1½ pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 small fennel bulb
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Zest of one small orange
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Core the tomatoes and cut into wedges.
Remove the top of the fennel (save some fronds for garnish) and slice the bulb very thinly crosswise with a knife or on a mandoline.

Toss the tomatoes and fennel in a bowl with the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, season to taste, and serve.

This is the essence of summer dining!

Summer! When the basil is growing fresh in your garden and the aroma is so very fragrant is the ideal time to make a great pesto. Bucatini is a larger, round spaghetti, which I love, but you can certainly use regular spaghetti as well.

Serves 6

Good olive oil
Kosher salt
1 pound Bucatini or regular spaghetti
1 to 1½ cups pesto (recipe follows)

Splash some oil in a large pot of salted boiling water and add pasta. Cook the Bucatini for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, but cooked through.
Drain the pasta in a colander and toss it in a large bowl with enough pesto to coat each strand. Taste for seasoning and serve hot or at room temperature.

PESTO

Makes 4 Cups

¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup pignolis
3 tablespoons diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh packed basil leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds.
Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper.

With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed.
Add the parmesan cheese and puree for a minute.
Serve or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Note: To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner.
Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel.
As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

This salsa recipe hails from Nicarauga. It’s sweet, spicy, and chunky and is terrific with the Grilled Herb Shrimp.

Makes 2 cups

2 tablespoons good olive oil
11/2 cups diced yellow onions (2 onions)
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
11/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small-diced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons seeded minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves

Saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the mangos; reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes.
Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapenos; cook for 10 more minutes, or until the orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and add the mint. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

This is good stuff! I also serve it with chicken or pork.