Goat Cheese Mousse Verrine

"Verrine de Mousse au Chèvre"

3 Pears
1 tsp Butter
2 tsp Sugar
1 (17 oz) container plain Greek-style Yogurt
1 (5.3 oz) package Fresh Soft Goat Cheese (I used Chevre)
2 cups Aged Goat Cheese (I used Cypress Grove’s Midnight Moon)
1 Bag (or 0.33 lb bulk ) Salad Mesclun Mix
8 Cherry Tomatoes
2 cups Chives (slice them with scissors— it’s easier)
1 cup Chopped Arugula
3 cups Parmesan, grated (to make 12 tuiles)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper

A sheet of Parchment Paper to line a baking sheet
   
In a saucepan, cook the cubed pears with the butter and sugar on the stove top until they have softened and slightly caramelized.

Prepare the Parmesan Tuiles:
Grate the Parmesan. With a spoon, create small mounts of cheese on the parchment paper you prepared ahead of time. Cook in the oven under the broiler (leave some distance between the baking sheet and broiler to avoid burning). Once the Parmesan has grilled to a golden color, remove from the oven and place each tuile on a rolling pin, to give them a curved shape. This step has to be done while the tuiles are still soft, otherwise they will break. Set aside to cool.

Season the salad mix with a simple vinaigrette made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Mix together the fresh goat cheese and the yogurt. Add the aged goat cheese and salt, pepper and sliced chives to taste.

To dress the verrines, layer starting with the pear compote, the chopped arugula, the goat cheese and yogurt mixture. Top with the salad mix, and the cherry tomato cut in half. Place the tuiles on top. Serve with you favorite toasted bread. You may also serve tapenade, or simply olives on the side.

Roasted Garlic Mashers

Note from Sylvie:
Roasting the garlic will bring these mashers to a new level of flavor. The caramelized garlic adds an intense sweetness to the potatoes, and the roasting makes them much easier to digest. This recipe can accompany many meats, such as a stuffed beef tenderloin, pork roast, roasted chicken or even barbecued salmon.

4 lb. Large Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
Pinch of salt
1 ½ c. Milk
2 tsp Unsalted Butter
1/3 c. Roasted Garlic
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper

To Prepare the Roasted Garlic:
You may use regular garlic, but I like to use elephant garlic. You can buy terra cota dishes that are designed to roast garlic or you can simply peel off the outer layer of the garlic skin and wrap the whole garlic bulb in aluminum foil. Place in the oven at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. An amazing aroma will invade your house!

To Prepare the Mashers:
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Shortly before the potatoes are done, place milk in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over moderate heat, and set aside. Drain potatoes well. Add hot milk, butter, roasted garlic, salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher or electric mixer just until smooth (I prefer to use a traditional vegetable mill, it makes the potatoes much lighter and fluffy).

Caribbean Turkey Soup

Serves 4-6

8 cups Broth (vegetables or chicken)
3 cups Chopped Leftover Turkey
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 cup Orange Juice
2 Large Sweet Potatos, peeled and diced
1 Yam, peeled and diced
1 Medium Yellow Onion, minced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Madeira or Marsala
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
½ tsp Dried Thyme
¼ tsp fresh Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Allspice
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:
Fresh-Squeezed Lime
Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and sauté until they start to caramelize. Add the sweet potatoes, yam, bell pepper, garlic and turkey. Add the seasoning and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the Madeira, vinegar and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn to very low heat and cook for 45 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Serve with the fresh lime and cilantro.

Stuffed Tenderloin with Wine Sauce

A Note from Sylvie:
There are so many ways to simply cook beef tenderloin, but I think a delicious stuffed version will bring it right onto the holiday table. Your guests are sure to enjoy this version. Even though the recipe looks complicated and lengthy, it is not difficult and is actually quite quick to prepare. The port wine sauce adds a richness and is a great flavor complement for the beef.

Serves 6-8
1 (3 to 4 pound) Organic Beef Tenderloin, center cut
1 (10-ounce) package Frozen Spinach, thawed
8 ounces Soft Goat Cheese, room temperature
1 tsp chopped Rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh Thyme
1 (12 ounce) jar Roasted Red Peppers, drained
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Bunch fresh Basil Leaves
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
½ cup Port Wine
1¼  cup Beef Stock
1 tsp Cornstarch
1/3 cup Tomato Paste
1 tsp fresh Rosemary
¼ cup more Beef Stock
1 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into pieces

Butterfly the beef tenderloin by cutting the meat lengthwise down the center about two-thirds of the way through the beef. Open the beef tenderloin. Use a meat mallet to pound the meat to 3/4-inch thickness.

Place the spinach in a colander and squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. Mix together the spinach, goat cheese, fresh rosemary, and thyme in a large bowl.

To stuff and roll the beef tenderloin, season the flattened beef with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the red peppers on top of the beef leaving a 1-inch border. Place the fresh basil leaves on top of the red peppers.

Spread the cheese mixture on one end of the peppers and basil. The cheese will be at the center of the rolled beef. Roll the beef around the cheese end in a tight cylinder shape. Continue rolling jelly roll fashion, Use butcher string or bamboo skewers to secure beef roll. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium high heat. Add the beef tenderloin roll to the pan and quickly brown on all sides. Place the tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in ¼  cup beef stock and set aside. Cook the shallots over medium high heat in the pan used to brown the beef. Cook until just soft. Add the port wine to the pan and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the remaining 1 cup beef stock and bring to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until thickened. Add the tomato paste and fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the stuffed beef tenderloin from the pan and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Remove the rack from the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan over medium high heat. Add ¼ cup of beef stock to the roasting pan to deglaze. Stir to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the port wine sauce to the roasting pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, Reduce the heat. Stir in the cold butter until just combined.

Cut the stuffed beef tenderloin into 1-inch slices. Pour the port wine sauce onto a dinner plate. Place a slice of beef on top of the sauce. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Adapted from homecooking.about.com

Sylvie's Shitake Mushroom Stuffing

2 cups Fresh Bread, such as Campagne or Ciabatta Bread, crust removed and cubed
About 1 cup Milk
1 Apple, cored and chopped
1 large Onion, sliced
2 ribs Celery, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 cup Roasted Pine Nuts
3 cups fresh Shitake Mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup Madeira or Marsala
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Fine Bread Crumbs
1/2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
1/2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, soak bread cubes in milk.

In a saute pan, saute onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms have released their liquid and are soft, about 4 minutes. Deglaze with Madeira and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Squeeze excess milk from bread and place bread in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix well, breaking up pieces of bread. Add mushroom mixture, pine nuts, chopped apple, chopped thyme and oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place mixture in an oven dish, drizzle olive oil and fine bread crumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Organic Flourless Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

From the kitchen of Weleda Naturals chef, Brigitta Ulmer

What could be better than a body care product so pure and clean you can actually make a decadent desset with it? Weleda's Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil is an incredibly nourishing product that feeds the body both inside and out, and if chocolate comes along with it, all the better!

Serves 6–8

10 Organic Eggs
1½ c Organic Butter
17½ oz Organic, Fair-Trade Dark Chocolate (not Unsweetened Baker's)
5 Tbsp Organic Sugar
2 Tbsp Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Mix in eggs, sugar and pomegranate oil. Pour into a springform pan and bake at 400°F for 30-35 min. Serve with fresh kiwi, black currants or any fresh fruit of your choice.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Herb Soup

Serves 6 - 8

3 - 4 oz Smoked Bacon
2 medium Onions
3 - 4 Portobello Mushrooms
4 oz Mixture of Wild Mushrooms
3 Tbsp Sweet Sherry
2 - 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp Fresh Herbs-Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram
6 - 8 Tbsp thick Yogurt or Crème Fraîche to garnish

Roughly chop the bacon and place in a large saucepan or casserole (Le Creuset is best). Cook slowly until all the fat comes out of the bacon. Drain most of the fat out of the pan.

Add the onion and cook until soft, adding more oil if needed. Wipe the mushrooms clean, roughly chop, and add to the pan. (If using a dry wild mushroom mix, make sure to soak according to directions on the package, and reserve the mushroom liquid). Cover and sweat until they are completely soft and their liquid has run out.

Add the stock, sherry, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Process the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth (you may use an immersion blender).

Check the seasoning and heat through. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or crème fraîche and a sprig of fresh sage or marjoram in each bowl.

Cook’s Note: Do not worry if you still have a slightly textured result. It is appropriate for this rustic soup.


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Potage Saint-Germain: Delightful Pea Soup

This recipe is just amazing! Even using frozen peas, you'll get a taste of springtime.

Serves 6

6 cups thawed Frozen Peas (you may use fresh shelled peas)
1 Tbsp Butter
4 Shallots, finely chopped
5 cups Water (I used an organic Vegetable Broth)
5 Tbsp Whipping Cream
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Garnish: Croutons and Crème Fraîche

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or casserole (Le Creuset works best). Add the shallots and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the peas and water and season with salt and some pepper. Cover and simmer for about 12-15 minutes (simmering time may vary), stirring occasionally.

When the peas are tender. ladle them into a food processor or a blender (you may use a hand blender) with a little of the cooking liquid and process until smooth.

Strain the soup back into the saucepan or casserole, stir in the cream and heat through without boiling. Add seasoning and serve hot.


Cook’s Note: Garnish with the croutons and the crème fraîche. You may also use crumbled crisp bacon.


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Rich Lentil Soup

Serves 6-8

1½ cups French Green Lentils, (Lentils de Puy) soaked 3 hours
1 large Onions, thinly chopped
3 Carrots, diced
1 stalk Celery, chopped
1 stalk Fennel, chopped
6 - 8 cups Water or Vegetable Stock
1 Tbsp Peanut Oil or Olive Oil
5 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Juice of one Lemon

Garnish: Croutons or Toasted Almonds

In a large casserole, sauté the onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until they start to caramelize. Add the carrot, celery, and fennel. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the lentils and the liquid. Once the mixture starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Cover.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan and sauté the garlic until tender but not browned. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the lentils and vegetables. Mix together well, then pour into the pan of lentils. Cooking time may vary. Check to make sure the lentils and vegetables are soft.

Pass through a food mill or purée briefly in a blender or food processor – try to achieve a smooth texture. Return the soup to the pan to reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook’s Note: Add the lemon juice just before serving, and garnish with a scattering of croutons or toasted almonds.

Apple and Celeriac Salad

Despite its rough appearance, celeriac, or celery root, has a sweet and very subtle flavor. It’s tasty when simply parboiled in water with lemon, but in this salad it is used raw to allow its unique taste and texture to come through. Here is a fast, easy and delicious way to serve this underappreciated vegetable.

Serves 3-4

1 Celery Root (about 1½ pounds) peeled
2-3 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Walnut Oil (optional)
1 Apple
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Using a food processor or coarse cheese grater, shred the celery root. Alternatively, you can slice it into thin julienne strips. Place the celery root into a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice and walnut oil. Stir well to mix.

Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core. Slice thinly crosswise and toss with the celery root.

Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard and fresh parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture into the celery root and apple, mixing well. Chill for several hours until ready to serve.

Cook’s note:
This salad can be a great companion to a mixed green salad. Or, serve it with grilled fish or a poached egg and you will have a complete, delicious light meal.


—Sylvie Ryan, Boise Co-op Culinary Educator



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Fennel and Tomato Bake

Fennel bulb’s potent aniseed taste mellows down when cooked. This vegetable is a great match to baked tomatoes, raspberry vinegar and honey.

Serves 4

4 Large Fennel Bulbs, trimmed, split down the middle and washed well
1Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Large Beefsteak Tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
1Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Raspberry Vinegar
4 Basil Leaves, chopped
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil the fennel for 20 minutes.

Refresh the fennel in cold water, then lay in a shallow earthenware baking dish.Brush with olive oil. Scatter the tomatoes over the fennel.

Mix together the honey and vinegar and drizzle over the dish. Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Place the dish in a preheated oven at 400 degree F (200 degree C) and bake for 15 minutes, so that the tomatoes cook to a rich sauce over the fennel. Serve right away.

Cook’s note:
This dish makes an excellent light meal, or pairs wonderfully with roasted chicken or grilled fish such as sea bass or halibut. —Sylvie Ryan, Boise Co-op Culinary Educator


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Foodie Tuesday Special--Sylvie's Elegant Figs with Prosciutto

I created this dish because I love the flavor, texture and subtle sweetness of fresh figs, and it is so easy to make! Dried figs work well too, but nothing compares to the prime freshness of this sexy fruit! I wrapped the figs in prosciutto, but you can easily discard the meat and make this appetizer a delicious vegetarian treat.

Serves 6-8

• 12 fresh Figs
• 5 oz. Chêvre Frais (This is a milder version of goat cheese, much softer and easier to spread)
• 12 slices Prosciutto
• Olive Oil (for this recipe I used the delicious French Mas du Gourgonnier)
• Fig-Infused Balsamic Vinegar (this one is Lucini)
• Toothpicks (Standard size works, but you can also use larger ones depending on the size of the fruit)
• Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Cut a small incision on the side of each fig. With a small teaspoon, scoop out enough pulp to create room for the cheese. Reserve the fig pulp.

Mix the cheese and fig pulp in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Scoop the cheese mixture into the figs. Wrap the figs with a slice of prosciutto and use the toothpick to keep it together. It will look like a little purse. Place the wrapped figs on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the prosciutto is a bit crispy.

To dress it, I like to first create a bed of organic lettuce mix and put the pretty fig purse on top of it. Drizzle on some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add a little more pepper and VOILA!

-Sylvie Ryan, Boise Co-op Culinary Educator

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