Beef Fillet with Pommes Duchesse and Veg

• Seared Fillet of Beef
• Herbed Pommes Duchesse
• Carrot Puree
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Glazed Cherry Tomatoes
• Beurre Rouge
• Balsamic Pearls

Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Sage Brown Butter Sauce
salted butter
fresh sage, chiffonade
minced garlic
cracked black pepper
all-purpose (plain) flour and/or heavy cream

Melt the butter slowly and gradually in a saucepan over low heat. Once butter is melted and the sage, garlic, and pepper. Continue heating until the butter turns a golden, nutty brown. The sauce may be served as is, or is may be thickened as desired. This may be done by adding a small amount of flour and whisking in. Or by adding some cream. If using cream, heat it before adding to the butter to prevent the sauce from splitting. Do not bring the sauce to a simmer or boil after adding a thickener. 

Butternut Squash Ravioli, Chickpeas, Sage Butter, Herb Foam

• Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Spiced Roasted Crispy Chickpeas
• Sage Brown Butter Sauce
• Herb Foam

Easy Cranberry Chutney

Easy Cranberry Chutney
12 ounces (340 grams) fresh whole cranberries
juice of two oranges
approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and softened.

Dijon Beef Jus

Dijon Beef Jus
roast drippings
red wine
stock
cornstarch 
water
salt
pepper
dijon mustard

Strain the roast drippings into a saucepan and add the wine and stock. Bring to a boil. Make a cornstarch slurry with the cornstarch and water and whisk in. Boil until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the dijon. Do not boil after adding the dijon.

Roast Beef

• Roasted hip of beef
• Caramelized onion and old cheddar mashed potatoes
• Wilted spinach
• Roasted cherry tomatoes
• Spaghetti squash
• Dijon sauce
• Watermelon radish

Whiskey Green Peppercorn Sauce

Whiskey Green Peppercorn Sauce
butter
minced shallots
minced garlic
green peppercorns, drained
Irish whiskey
cream
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the shallots, garlic, and peppercorns and saute without coloring until softened. Pour in whiskey and cook until almost dry. 
Meanwhile, reduce the cream in a separate saucepan. Add the cream to the reduction and bring to a boil.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust flavor with a little additional butter and/or whiskey as needed.
If sauce is not thick enough, it can be thickened with some more really reduced cream or a cornstarch slurry.

Roast Hip Of Beef

• Roast hip of beef, rubbed in rosemary thyme butter
• Horseradish and sour cream mashed potatoes
• Sauteed patty pan squash
• Roasted baby carrots
• Maple balsamic glazed purple radish
• Whiskey green peppercorn sauce

Caprese Salad

• Five slices red roma tomatoes
• Ten slices fresh bocconcini cheese
• Three leaves green basil
• Three leaves purple basil
• Red, orange, and yellow cherry tomato halves
• Arugula dressed in balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette
• Microgreens
• Balsamic reduction

Apple Tart

THIS is your new favorite apple pie recipe. Well, technically it is a tart because it only had a bottom crust and no top crust. But you don't need a top crust. It's just extra fuss and we all know the best part of a pie is the filling anyway. This tart recipe is fairly quick and easy, no-fuss, and looks pretty impressive. Oh, and did I mention it tastes really darn good? 

• Apple cinnamon tart
• All butter pastry crust
• Brown bread ice cream
• Spiced whipped cream
• Maple sauce

Tarragon White Wine Cream Sauce

Tarragon White Wine Cream Sauce
white wine
shallots
garlic
dry tarragon
cream
butter
salt
pepper

Place a small amount of white wine in a saucepan along with some shallots and garlic Reduce until almost all liquid is gone. Add in some tarragon. Add some cream and reduce until thick. Add some butter, salt, and pepper. 
This sauce can be made in  one large batch or in individual small batches - it is just as easy either way.

Brown Sugar Apple Cider Gastrique

A gastrique is a caramelized sugar deglazed with an acid and reduced to form a sauce.
So essentially sugar + acid, reduced over heat = delicious sweet and sour sauce.
The sugar can be white, brown, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc.
The acid can be apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, etc.
Gasteiques pair particularly well with fatty dishes as both the sugar and acid help to counteract some of the fat.

Brown Sugar Apple Cider Gastrique
brown sugar
water
apple cider vinegar

Put the brown sugar in a pot with a little water. The water just helps to melt down the sugar smoothly without it burning. Put over medium heat and melt, shaking the pan often, until the sugar liquefies. Add an equal amount of vinegar as sugar and reduce over high heat until the mixture thickens just enough to coat a spoon. That's it! 
Trickiest part is ensuring it doesn't burn, reduces enough, but not too much!

Roast Pork Loin Dinner

• Spiced roasted pork loin
• Sour cream and grainy mustard mashed potatoes
• Honey glazed carrots
• Caramelized apples and red onion
• Roasted patty pan squash
• Brown sugar apple cider gastrique

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Homemade Tartar Sauce
mayonnaise
chopped capers
chopped dill
chopped cilantro
fresh lime juice
fresh lemon juice
lemon zest
salt
pepper

Blend all ingredients together well. If you prefer a smooth sauce, do this in a blender or food processor. If you prefer a chunky tartar sauce, it can be mixed by hand. Great with fish and chips!

Fish And Chips - Baked-Style

• Old Bay and Panko coated cod fillets
• fish pan fried then baked, served on a bed of greens with a lime wedge
• Home fries - thinly sliced baked baby red potatoes
• House made tartar sauce
• Lemon and herb slaw

Creamy Garlic Potatoes

Creamy Garlic Potatoes
mashed potatoes (even leftover will do)
butter
minced garlic
sliced green onions, optional
salt
pepper
cream

Place the potatoes with some butter in a pan and heat until the butter melts. Stir in all the seasonings Then add cream, a little at a time, until the mixture becomes smooth, the cream reduces and gets absorbed into the potatoes, the potatoes are piping hot, and the mixture is a thin, very smooth and creamy consistency. 

This is not like mashed potatoes but rather a "pommes puree". More like a sauce than a starch. They should not be runny but similar to any other vegetable puree.

Red Wine Jus

This is the sauce I served accompanying my prime rib roast. I made it using the juices and vegetables from the roast.

1. Prepare the prime rib roast as described in yesterday's post.
2. After removing the roast from the pan, you can either use that pan (especially if it is a rondeau) or transfer the contents to a pot. If the bottom of the pan is quite charred, then transfer the contents. You want the carmelized bits and vegetables but not anything which will impart a burnt, bitter flavor.
3. Choose a red wine and poor in enough to just cover the vegetables. Add the stalks of the thyme and rosemary used for the roast rub.If the roast is already carved, add in the bones as well.
4. Reduce until almost au sec. Then add some stalk (beef or veg) to completely cover. Reduce the mixture until it begins to thicken and darken. Then add more red wine and continue reducing.
5. Strain the mixture into another pot and reduce further until you have a thick, dark, rich jus. If the mixture is still too thin, it can be thickened gradually with a cornstarch slurry, just note this will become a 'jus lie' and not a true 'jus'.
6. Taste and adjust any seasonings as required. 
   

Sunday Roast

At the restaurant where I work, Sundays are always special. We have a live Irish music session, as well as a big, special Sunday roast dish which is unique each week. Last Sunday was my first time doing the roast, and I was super excited. This is what I came up with:

• Irish style prime rib roast (flavored with rosemary, thyme, garlic, and black pepper)
• Brown butter champ mashed potatoes (green onion, garlic, brown butter, cream, black pepper, salt)
• Yorkshire pudding
• Red Wine Jus
• Braised baby onion and shitake mushrooms
• Roasted colored cherry tomatoes
• Creamed spinach

Basil Lime Pesto

Basil Lime Pesto
basil
cilantro
olive oil
4 limes, zest and juice
salt and pepper

Blend all together until smooth. I combined cilantro with the basil for some extra smoothness, since the basil was particularly fibrous, and also so the flavor would not be so strong.

Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Ratatouille

• Honey coconut marinated swordfish, grilled
• Grilled ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, red onion, and green onion
• Garlic and herb roasted baby red potatoes
• Basil lime pesto
• Purple basil garnish