Chef in the House
Easy to Prepare, Gourmet Meal
- Goat Cheese Fondue with Toasted Bread & Apples
- Horseradish Encrusted Prime Rib
- Pan Au Jus
- Butter and Balsamic Glazed Carrots
- Hasselback Roasted Potatoes
- Chocolate & Tiramisu Parfait
Goat Cheese Fondue with Toasted Bread & Apples
1 cup whipping cream
11 ounces fresh goat cheese, broken into crumbs
1 tablespoon diced fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Rustic loaf of bread sliced and brushed with olive oil and a touch of
salt. Broil both side until golden brown.
2 granny smith apples sliced thin.
Slowly warm whipping cream in a heavy sauce pan until hot but not boiling. Gradually add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth. Should be thick enough to heavily coat the spoon. Remove from heat and add chives and black pepper. Serve in a fondue pot.
Horseradish Encrusted Prime Rib
3.5 - 4 lb center cut prime rib tied up with butcher's string
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
12 ounces extra hot horseradish
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub prime with oil until well coated. Rub Cajun seasoning over entire roast. Heat a large sauté pan over med-high heat and sear roast on each side until brown and nice crust has formed. About 2-3 minutes a side. Remove roast from heat and brush mustard on roast. Combine horseradish, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cover roast with horseradish mixture and place in a roast pan with a roasting rack. Cook roast until internal temp is 125 degrees (medium rare) remove from oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Pan Au Jus
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
Use roasting pan from the meat and place on a burner over medium-high heat. If there are not enough drippings from the roast add a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Whisk until liquid is reduced in half, add beef stock and whisk until reduced by half. Taste for seasoning then lower heat and whisk in butter. Strain into gravy boat.
Butter and Balsamic Glazed Carrots
1 lb baby carrots - split in half
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup chopped chives
Melt butter in heavy sauté pan. Add carrot and sauté 5-8 minutes, cover and cook another 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and vinegar and cook uncovered until carrots are tender and glazed with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add chives.
Hasselback Roasted Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes, medium sized (your choice of type)
Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup very finely parsley leaves
Peel the potatoes and rinse to remove any traces of dirt. Cut into the potatoes into uniform pieces. (This will help in cooking time if they are all similar.) Take a sharp knife and beginning on 1 end, cut about 2/3 through the potato. Repeat the same incision from 1 end of the potato to the other, spacing the cuts uniformly. (The idea is to create the look of a fan, which is why you don't cut all the way through the potato.)
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and cook until just tender. (Do not overcook. The potatoes should remain a little hard, as they will continue to cook during roasting.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drain the potatoes and place them on absorbent toweling to remove excess water. Mix the flour and salt and pepper, to taste, in a bowl and carefully toss with the already blanched potatoes. Place the floured potatoes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake until golden brown, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
To finish, scoop the potatoes with a slotted spoon onto absorbent paper toweling and to drain any excess oil. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the parsley.
Chocolate & Tiramisu Parfait
Chocolate-hazelnut base:
4 oz good quality milk or dark chocolate
1/4 cup chopped and toasted hazelnuts
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon rum
Sabayon
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon Madeira
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Marsala
6 scoops good vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sauce
Chocolate base - put chocolate confectioners' sugar, cream, and rum into a heatproof bowl. Set over pan on gently simmering water until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir well until chocolate is smooth and creamy, fold in toasted hazelnuts and let cool to room temp.
Set 6 2 1/2 inch ring molds on a tray lined with plastic wrap or line 6 ramekins with plastic wrap with enough hanging over to make removal easy. Give chocolate mixture a stir and spoon into molds, dividing them evenly between all molds. Tap gently to level. and place in the freezer until set.
Sabayon - put egg yolks, sugar Madeira, and Marsala into a large heatproof bowl and set it back over the simmering water. Whisk about 10 minutes until you have a golden pale, light, stable foam that makes a trail when you remove the whisk. Remove pan from heat and whisk about 5 more minutes until mixture is cool and thick.
Take the molds out of the freezer and spoon sabayon into molds evenly between all of them. Return to freezer and freeze until firm.
Unmold the parfaits from the mold and place on a dessert plate. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of the parfait. Pour some chocolate sauce in a small bowl and scoop a small spoon up then drizzle back and forth over the top of the parfait, serve immediately.
