 |
| Creamed Spinach and Cauliflower Gratin |
Another day in the kitchen. Today is much better then yesterday. We have to make four recipes - sauce Béchamel, sauce Mornay, Cauliflower Gratin and Creamed Spinach. It sounds like a daunting task, but it was not, because one recipe bring you to another.
Béchamel sauce is a mother sauce used to prepare a lot of derivative sauces. Sauce Mornay is derivative from Béchamel. To make Cauliflower Gratin we used Mornay and to make Creamed Spinach we used Béchamel. Easy!
Also we have knife cuts for a grade today. Knife cuts is still not as good as I wish. I can do them quite efficiently, but the shape of the cuts is not perfect. Will have to take additional time to practice knife skills.
So, the most important when you cook vegetables is
do not overcook them. This is true regardless of the type of the vegetables. Do not overcook them.
When you cook white vegetables you may use instead of water a solution consisting of onion, salt and flour (called Blanc). Onion in this solution is for acidity, so you may substitute it with a lemon juice.
Béchamel sauce is very similar to a Veloute sauce we cooked yesterday. The difference is the liquid to cook it. Veloute is cooked with white stock, while Béchamel is milk based sauce. To make 1 qt of Béchamel you need:
1/2 tbsp clarified butter
0.5 oz minced onion (or substitute for onion piquet)
4 oz white roux
1.25 qt milk
salt as needed
Method:
1. Saute onion in clarified butter until translucent (if you use onion piquet go to #2)
2. Add roux and cook until it is very hot, but do not brown it
3. Add milk gradually mixing it constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, simmer on low until sauce is smooth and thickened (aprox. 30 min)
4. Season, strain (use fine mesh of double cheesecloth)
5. return to simmer, adjust seasoning
6. Ready to serve/use or cool and store
Mornay sauce:
1 pt Béchamel sauce
add
1 oz grated Gruyere cheese
1 oz grated parmesan
up to 1 oz butter to finish sauce
Method
Mix cheese in the hot Béchamel sauce until melted. Add butter.
Cauliflower Gratin
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients Amount
Mornay sauce 1 pt.
Parmesan cheese, grated 2 oz.
Cauliflower florets 1 hd.
Salt and white pepper to taste
Method
1.
Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Add
salt. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender. Drain well. Season with salt
and pepper
2.
Place drained cauliflower in an ovenproof ceramic
dish. Ladle the mornay sauce evenly over the cauliflower, sprinkle with
Parmesan cheese. Place in a hot oven or under the broiler to brown.
* Just enough Mornay sauce to cover.
Creamed Spinach
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients Amount
Clarified butter 1
oz.
Shallot, minced 1 oz.
Garlic, minced 1 tsp.
Baby spinach leaves, stemmed, washed 1 lb.
Bechamel 4 oz.
Heavy cream 1
oz.
Nutmeg 1 pinch
Salt and white pepper to taste
Method
1.
Heat the clarified butter over low, add the
shallots and garlic, cook until aromatic.
2.
Add spinach and increase the heat. Season
and sauté until wilted. Drain well.
3.
Fold in the béchamel, heavy cream and
nutmeg. Adjust seasonings.
* may use less shallots.
That was our day in the kitchen.
Today I was able finally to get my authorization to work on-campus. It took another 70 minutes in the office. I am glad that this is done. I might start working next week.
Dinner was remarkable tonight. Food was good, not outstanding, but desserts... It was like parade of desserts. Folks from bakery were giving out new desserts every couple minutes. They were brining them to the tables. It was really amazing. I am looking forward to the next practical exam for Baking and Pastry classes. I love desserts, may be I should be there:-)
No comments:
Post a Comment