Greek Tomato and Feta Salad

     Juicy tomatoes, cool crisp cucumber, and salty feta cheese are a winning combination

makes 4–6 servings

prep 20 mins

1lb 5oz (600g) ripe plum tomatoes

1 cucumber

7oz (200g) feta cheese

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

juice of  1/2lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large basil leaves, torn into pieces 

 1 .

Cut the tomatoes into chunks. Peel away about half 

of the cucumber skin. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the

seeds, then chop the cucumber. Arrange the tomatoes and cucumber

on a serving platter.

2 .

Drain the feta and cut into small cubes. Sprinkle the feta and

olives over the vegetables. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the salad and

drizzle with the oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

3 .

Add the basil, toss again, and serve.

●

Prepare ahead The salad can

be made through step 2, stored at

room temperature, for up to 2 hours.

Add the basil just before serving.

Potato Skins with Cheddar and Bacon

4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed

7oz (200g) bacon, rind removed,

cut into sticks

2 shallots, finely chopped

scant

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tbsp butter

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Presented this way, these baked potatoes are a real treat

1.

Preheat the oven to 400°F(200°C). Prick the potato skins

all over with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 45–50 minutes, until

tender. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

2 .

meanwhile, cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high

heat about 4 minutes until golden. Add the shallots and cook until they

soften, about 1 minute more.

3.

slice off the top third of each potato, horizontally. Using a

spoon, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Reserve the hollowed-out

skins and place in a lightly oiled baking dish.

4.

mash the potato with a potato masher. Add the milk and

butter, and beat until smooth. Stir in the Cheddar and bacon mixture

along with the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

5.

spoon the mixture back into the potato skins and bake for

20–25 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and golden on top.

Serve hot with extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top, if desired.

variations 

Potato Skins with Crab

Mix the mashed potato with a

(168g) can crabmeat, drained,

3 chopped scallions, 1 chopped fresh

small red chile,

1/4 cup creme fraiche,

and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Spoon

back into the skins and bake as above.

Potato Skins with Chorizo

Mix the mashed potato with 5oz

(145g) chopped smoked chorizo,

1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced,

5oz (145g) mozzarella, diced, and 

1 tbsp chopped oregano. Spoon back

into the skins and bake as above.

Breaded Veal Cutlets

Breaded veal cutlets are a fast dinner solution for busy weeknights and a great way to make the most of your leftover bread. To make your own bread crumbs for these veal cutlets, simply pulse day old bread in a food processor to a coarse grind.

                                                                                  Breaded Veal Cutlets

INGREDIENTS

3 kg Veal cutlets (scaloppine): 24 pieces,

 (125 g) each for preparation of veal)

to taste Salt

to taste Pepper

125 g Flour

4 Eggs

250 mL Milk

750 g Bread crumbs, dry or fresh

250 mL Oil or clarified butter, or a mixture of oil

and butter

375 g Butter

1. Lightly flatten each piece of veal with a meat mallet. Do not pound too

hard, or you may tear the meat.

2. Season the meat with salt and pepper and pass
through Standard Breading Procedure

a). Flour.

Helps the breading stick to the product.

b). Egg wash.

A mixture of eggs and a liquid, usually milk or water. More eggs give greater binding

power but increase the cost. A small quantity of oil is occasionally added to the egg wash.

c). Crumbs.

Combine with the egg wash to create a crisp, golden coating when fried. Fine, dry bread

crumbs are most often used and give good results. Also popular are Japanese-style dry

bread crumbs called panko (Japanese for “bread crumbs”). These coarser crumbs

give a pleasing texture to fried items. Other products used are fresh bread

crumbs, crushed corn flakes or other cereal, cracker meal, and cornmeal.

3. Heat about(5 mm) oil or butter in a large saute pan. Place the

cutlets in the pan and pan-fry until golden brown. Turn and brown the

other side. Remove from the pan and place on hot plates.

4. Heat the butter in a small saucepan or saute pan until lightly browned.

Pour (15 g) brown butter over each portion.

Sauteed Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Here's a way to get great flavor, fast. This quick-cooking skillet dish features strips of sauteed chicken with mushrooms and tomatoes.

3 Chickens, about  (1.3 kg) each

to taste Salt

to taste Pepper

as needed Vegetable oil

60 g Butter

120 g Shallots, chopped fine

4 Garlic cloves, chopped fine

700 g Mushrooms, sliced or quartered

(see note)

280 mL White wine

700 g Tomato concasse

360 mL Demi-glace

30 mL Chopped parsley

to taste Salt

1. Cut each chicken into 8 pieces, as shown in Figure

2. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Pour about (3 mm)  oil into one or more saute pans

over moderate heat.

4. Saute the chicken pieces until they are cooked through.

Regulate the heat so the chicken browns well but does not

scorch by the time it is done.

5. Remove the chicken from the saute pans and keep it hot.

(Alternative method: Brown the chicken well in the saute

pans, transfer the chicken pieces to a sheet pan or hotel

pans, without crowding them, and finish cooking in a

375°F [190°C] oven.)

6. Drain the oil from the saute pans and discard. Add the

butter to the pans over moderately high heat.

7. Add the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until tender

and lightly browned.

8. Add the wine. Reduce by half.

9. Stir in the tomatoes and demi-glace. Return the mixture to

a boil.

10. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt.

11. Spoon the tomato mixture onto plates and top with the

chicken. (If the chicken has cooled, it can be reheated in

the tomato mixture, but do not let it cook further

CAPRESE SALAD

Every summer, we take a family vacation sailing around the Mediterranean for a couple
of weeks, and inevitably we visit the incredibly beautiful island of Capri, in the Bay of Napoli.
The people of Capri have coop ted the classic tricolore combination of
tomato, mozzarella, and basil and called it their own: if these three
ingredients define a salad, it’s called Caprese. Lucky for them.

                                     CAPRESE SALAD

4 FIRST-COURSE SERVINGS

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about ? lemon)

1/2 tea spoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tea spoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

0,600 kg. assorted tomatoes (such as regular vine-ripened

tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes,

and yellow teardrop  tomatoes)

6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and sliced

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Whisk The Lemon Juice,1/2 teaspoon salt, and ? teaspoon pepper

in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend. Set the

dressing aside.

Cut the regular tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and the plum

tomatoes into wedges. Cut the cherry, grape, and teardrop  tomatoes

in half. Arrange the tomatoes and cheese on a p latter. Drizzle the

dressing over. Sprinkle with the basil and additional salt and

pepper to taste, and serve.

Variants:

A British variant - Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

Some variations include adding chopped garlic, parsley, and various sauces. (Balsamic vinegar, Italian dressing, etc.)

STEAK AU POIVRE

Steak au poivre or pepper steak is aFrench dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and then cooked. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak when cooked and provide a pungent but complementary counterpoint to the rich flavor of the high-quality beef. The peppercorn crust itself is made by placing the steak in a bed of cracked black (or mixed) peppercorns. Typically, the steak is seared in a hot skillet with a small amount of butter and oil to cook it. The steak is seared at a high temperature to cook the outside quickly and form the crust while leaving the interior rare to medium rare. The steak is then left to rest for several minutes and then served.

Steak au poivre is often served with pan sauce consisting of reduced cognac, heavy cream, and the fond from the bottom of the pan, often including other ingredients such as butter, shallots, and/or Dijon mustard. Common side dishes to steak au poivre are various forms of mashed potatoes andpommes frites (small fried shoestring potatoes). Steak au poivre may be found in traditional French restaurants in most urban areas.

                        STEAK AU POIVRE

SERVES 4

4 tournedos (thick filet mignon

    steaks cut from the center of

    the tenderloin and tied with

    string), weighing about

    7oz (200g) each

1 tbsp dried green peppercorns

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp white peppercorns

pinch of sea salt

4 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp olive oil

5 tbsp cold unsalted butter,

    diced

Pommes Mousseline

    to serve

Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about half an hour before

you want to cook them.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Coarsely crush the peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle.

Coat the steaks with the mustard, then with the peppercorns.

Put a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. When hot, pour in

the oil and heat until it is hot, then fry the steaks until they are seared

all over. Add the diced butter and let it melt into the hot oil—it will calm

everything down and turn the fat and juices a nut-brown color (called

beurre noisette in French).

Transfer the pan of steaks to the oven. Roast for 4 minutes for

rare meat, 7 minutes for medium. Baste the steaks with the juices

in the pan halfway through cooking.

Remove the steaks from the oven and let them stand in a warm

place for about 4 minutes.

Snip the string off the steaks, then cut each steak into four

even slices. Arrange on plates, drizzle with the pan juices, and

serve the potatoes alongside.

To get peppered steaks cooked exactly how you like them, the combination of

pan-frying and roasting gives the best results. If you pan-fry the steaks for the

whole cooking time, the peppercorns will scorch and turn bitter.

 Brush mustard evenly all over the

steaks. This will give the peppercorns

a sticky surface to cling to, as well as

adding extra flavor to the meat. 

Roll the steaks in the crushed

peppercorns on a flat surface, and

pat them firmly with your hands to

make sure they stick evenly. They

should cover the sides of each

steak, and the top and bottom

For accurate cooking, sear the

steaks in the hot oil for exactly

6 minutes (1 minute on each sideand 1 minute each for the top

and bottom). The roasting time

in the oven then varies, accordingto how well you like your steak

cooked—rare or medium

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TART

A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard. Tartlet refers to a miniature tart. Examples of tarts include jam tarts, which may be different colours depending on the flavour of the jam used to fill them, and the Bakewell tart.
The categories of 'tart', 'flan', and 'pie' overlap, with no sharp distinctions, though 'pie' is the more common term in the United States. The French word tarte can be translated to mean either pie or tart, as both are mainly the same with the exception of a pie usually covering the filling in pastry, while flans and tarts leave it open.

                                               

                                    CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TART

ACTIVE: 45 min I TOTAL: 3 hr 35 min I SERVES: 6 to 8

FOR THE CRUST

1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted

butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Make the crust: Toast the hazelnuts in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Transfer Уз cup nuts to a food processor. Add the flour, sugar and salt; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Drizzle in the egg and vanilla; pulse until the dough starts to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Coarsely chop the remaining hazelnuts and reserve.

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, then trim the excess dough. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until golden brown all over,

15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

5. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the cornstarch into V* cup cream in a bowl. Combine the remaining 1% cups cream, the chocolate-hazelnut spread, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring and scraping the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly until thickened, about

2 minutes. Pour into the crust and swirl the top. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Top with the reserved hazelnuts.