GOURMET JANUARY 1995

I enjoy browsing through the many years of Gourmet club recipes for my favorites of the past and for meals that are worth repeating. I found this menu for a meal that would be perfect for a winter day; I plan to try it soon. In the introduction below references are made to a couple of stores that no longer exist but the ingredients still exist elsewhere. Thank you to Sue Polich for providing me with copies of recipes dating back to 1984 from her personal recipe collection.

GOURMET JANUARY 1995

Our second menu this year was enjoyed by all. The soup and the dessert were time consuming, but not difficult. As always, please read all recipes .through and note preparation times, chilling times, etc.
The soup, salad, and vegetables can be prepared up to a point at home and brought to your hostess' home to be finished. We have included this in the recipes. This will eliminate "too many cooks" in the kitchen, save time, and allow everyone to enjoy the evening that much more. Hostesses please note: the soup will need 30 minutes preparation time at the start of the evening.
We found the haricots vertes (tender thin green beans) at Dominick's and the hazelnuts for the pave' at Happy Bulk Foods in College Square. Frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp, such as Sam's has, do just fine for the salad.
We got the French Steak Dijon recipe from Casey's Foods. The flank steaks have been ordered and will by tenderized and ready for you on the 19th. They can also provide you with the cheese, bread crumbs, and the string. Check at the butcher shop at Casey's and they will be glad to help with everything you need.
A trip to Sweet Alyssum netted us a lovely Sonoma Country Old Vine Red, Lot # 14 wine, from Marietta Cellars, but any Cabernet Sauvignon would do nicely. Having not yet developed my "red wine taste buds", I enjoyed an Angel Rose', but any full bodied Rose' would be nice.
We hope you enjoy the menu as much as we did. Please feel free to call us with any questions about the menu or recipes.
Linda, Mary, and Sue


SOUPE A L’DIGNON, MAISON (French Onion Soup) Serves 8

A heavy 4-quart saucepan or casserole 3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive or cooking oil
About 2 pounds (6 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar 3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts hot beef bouillon (8 bouillon cubes in 8 cups water) 1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter with the oil in the saucepan; add the sliced onions and stir to coat with the butter. Cover the pan and cook over moderately low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender end translucent. Uncover the pan, raise heat to moderately high, and stir in the salt and the sugar. (Sugar, by caramelizing, helps the onions to brown.) Cook for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions have turned a deep golden brown.
Watch closely as this can burn easily.
Lower heat to moderate, stir in flour, and add a bit more butter if flour does not absorb into a paste with the onions. Cook slowly, stirring continually, for about 2 minutes to brown the flour lightly. Remove from heat.
Pour in 1 cup of the hot bullion, stirring with a wire whip to blend the flour and bouillon. Add the rest of the bouillon and the wine, bay leaf, and sage, and bring to a simmer. Simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

TOPPING

Two 8 oz. loaves mini French bread Olive oil
3 cups grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, mixed
Cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices, paint lightly with olive oil and arrange in one layer on a baking sheet. Place in middle of preheated 325 oven for 15-20 minutes until beginning to brown lightly; turn and brown lightly on other side. These are called Croutes.
*Soup can be made up to this point at home*
Pour the hot soup into individual crocks or keep in Dutch oven. Place a closely packed layer of croutes over the top of the soup and spread on the grated cheeses, covering the croutes completely. Set the soup in the middle level of a preheated 350 oven. If using Dutch oven, bake for about 25 minutes, or until soup is bubbling slowly and cheese is melted. Then put oven to 500 and bake 10 minutes more. If using individual crocks, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then put under broiler until browned (5 to 10 minutes) WATCH CLOSELY! Pass remaining croutes in bread tray along with the soup.




SHRIMP AND RASPBERRY SALAD WITH HARICOTS VERTES
(tender thin green beans) (Serves 8)

4 quarts water
2 1/2 pounds medium size shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 ounces haricots vertes (thin tender green beans) ends trimmed
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
Grated zest of 1 medium orange
1/ 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mild olive oil
1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (2 half pints)
1 bunch watercress stems removed.

Heat water to boiling in large pot and drop in the shrimp. Boil 1 minute and drain in a colander. Let the shrimp cool completely in the colander.
Blanch the haricots vertes in boiling water until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute, drain, and drop into ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry.
Toss the shrimp and green beans together in a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of chives, the orange zest, and the pepper. Toss gently. Place the vinegar and mustard together in food processor. Process and drip in the oil until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette over the shrimp salad and toss to coat.
*Salad can be made to this point at home*
Right before serving, add half the raspberries and very gently toss to combine. Arrange watercress on serving plate and mound salad in the center. Garnish with remaining raspberries. Pass remaining vinaigrette around table.

FRENCH STEAK DIJON (Serves 8)

2 One and one-half pound Flank Steaks, tenderized
6 ounces Rondele Herb and Garlic Cheese
7 ounce container Chef Nashini's Dijon bread crumbs
String

Place steaks side by side, lengthwise. Spread evenly with the cheese; sprinkle thin layer of bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) over the cheese. Starting at the long end, roll tightly (jelly-roll fashion) the two steaks together. Tuck in edges at both sides. Tie with 8 pieces of string, evenly spaced. Roll in remaining bread crumbs.
With sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces, making sure each piece is tied with a string. Lay flat and grill or broil 8 minutes per side, for medium rare.

BABY CARROTS AND SNOW PEAS (Serves 8)

1 pound bag baby carrots 1/2 pound snow peas
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon dill weed

Par boil carrots until tender crisp. (This can be done at home)
Melt butter with olive oil and sauté carrots and snow peas until heated through. Toss with dill weed.

CHOCOLATE-HAZLENUT PAVE' (Serves 12)

Sponge Cake
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur
Chocolate Butter cream (recipe follows) 1 oz. square semisweet chocolate
1 cup hazelnuts
Coffee-Hazelnut Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 in. jelly-roll pan. Line with waxed paper. Grease; dust with flour.
In sieve, mix flour, baking powder and salt; sift into small bowl.
In large bowl of electric mixer, beat egg yolks with sugar at medium-high speed 5 minutes or until thick. At low speed, beat in butter, vanilla, and the boiling water. Add flour mixture; beat just to mix. Spread gently into prepared pan.
Bake cake 12 minutes or until top springs back when touched and wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake on rack 5 minutes; run knife around edges; turn out onto rack. Remove pan and paper. Invert cake and cool, top side up. Cool completely.
Cut cake crosswise into fourths; brush with liqueur. Place 1 quarter on platter; spread with 1/3 of the butter cream to 1/4 in. from edges. Repeat with remaining cake and butter cream, ending with cake. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, with vegetable peeler, shave chocolate onto baking sheet. Chill. Preheat oven to 350. Place nuts on baking sheet; bake 15 min., or until golden brown. Rub off skins with towel; chop.
Let pave' sit at room temperature 30 minutes cover top and sides with frosting. Top with shaved chocolate~ press nuts into sides. Cut with serrated knife. Makes 12 servings.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

1 cup confectioner's sugar 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, 2 oz. coarsely chopped 2 oz. finely chopped pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

In top of double boiler, whisk sugar with egg yolks and heavy cream until smooth. Over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, cook 5 minutes or until the mixture registers 170 on candy thermometer. Remove from heat add 2 oz. coarsely chopped chocolate. Stir until melted add salt and vanilla. Place pan in large bowl of ice water stir chocolate mixture 3 minutes or until thick and cool.
In medium bowl, at medium-high speed, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture by spoonfuls. Patience is essential when you are making any kind of butter cream. With the mixer running, add a spoonful of the cooled chocolate beat until no streaks remain and the butter cream returns to a light, fluffy consistency. Only then should you add the next spoonful. Makes about 2 cups

COFFEE-HAZLENUT FROSTING

2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 Tbsp. hazelnut liqueur
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
In large bowl, dissolve coffee powder in liqueur let stand 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients with electric mixer at high speed, beat until stiff
Makes about 2 1/2 cups