Just when I was ready to give up on Hamersley's salads, I ran into this one. Mr. Hamersley, you redeemed yourself!
First, get your goat cheese at Costco--their standard size is 10 ounces and the price is great.
Next, prepare the coating and coat the goat cheese balls. NOTE: cut the coating ingredients in half; even then you will have way too much. Also, you only need one egg. Finally, remember that 1 shallot=1 tablespoon.
While the goat cheese is chilling, prepare the dressing. The mustard makes it the perfect complement to the goat cheese and this time I have no quarrel with dressing to greens ratio.
Fry the goat cheese at the very end. You don't have to use it immediately--mine sat for 20 minutes or so and it was still great.
The bottom line: I can't wait to impress my friend's with this one.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Portobello Mushroom and Roquefort Galette (page 118)
I have made desert galette but never a savory version. After making this recipe I am hooked.
These take a bit of time--probably 1 1/2 hours from start to table. The first step is preparing the tart dough (page 115), which can be done several days in advance if you want to speed up the process. I used a food processor and it was a snap. Try using frozen butter if you do this as you are less likely to over mix the butter. Once the butter is mixed into the flour, you will dump the mixture onto a clean surface and add water. Resist the urge to add more water. Once you start the fraisage technique, the dough will hold together fine.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. I used baby bellas instead of the big portobellas. I did scrap off the gills but, when I make this again, I don't think I will go to the trouble. Removing the gills is supposed to make the galette look less "muddy" but not much mushroom shows anyway.
The biggest problem I had with this recipe was deciding what to do with the mushroom stems. The directions said to remove them but not what to do with them once they were removed. Next time I will slice the stems and use them as well.
The rest of the recipe is a piece of cake: cook the mushrooms, add the wine, cream, cheese and seasoning, assemble and bake. Serve hot from the oven with a green salad and you have a wonderful light supper.
The bottom line: Addictive!
These take a bit of time--probably 1 1/2 hours from start to table. The first step is preparing the tart dough (page 115), which can be done several days in advance if you want to speed up the process. I used a food processor and it was a snap. Try using frozen butter if you do this as you are less likely to over mix the butter. Once the butter is mixed into the flour, you will dump the mixture onto a clean surface and add water. Resist the urge to add more water. Once you start the fraisage technique, the dough will hold together fine.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. I used baby bellas instead of the big portobellas. I did scrap off the gills but, when I make this again, I don't think I will go to the trouble. Removing the gills is supposed to make the galette look less "muddy" but not much mushroom shows anyway.
The biggest problem I had with this recipe was deciding what to do with the mushroom stems. The directions said to remove them but not what to do with them once they were removed. Next time I will slice the stems and use them as well.
The rest of the recipe is a piece of cake: cook the mushrooms, add the wine, cream, cheese and seasoning, assemble and bake. Serve hot from the oven with a green salad and you have a wonderful light supper.
The bottom line: Addictive!
Chopped Salad of Peas, Cucumbers and Radishes with Tarragon Vinaigrette (page 46)
Chopped salads are so quick to make and what could be better than peas, cucumbers and radishes? A lot. The texture of the base salad is some what coarse, and topping it with a mixture of round peas, diced cucumbers and rounds of radish didn't improve it.
Plus, we have the dressing issue again. There is only about 1/2 cup of dressing, which equates to about 1 1/2 tablespoon of dressing per salad--not nearly enough for the amount of ingredients.
The bottom line: so far salads have not proven to be Hamersley's strong suit.
Plus, we have the dressing issue again. There is only about 1/2 cup of dressing, which equates to about 1 1/2 tablespoon of dressing per salad--not nearly enough for the amount of ingredients.
The bottom line: so far salads have not proven to be Hamersley's strong suit.
Hearts of Romaine and Watercress with Creamy Parmesan Dressing (page 35)
Caesar salad has always been a favorite at our house, so I was looking forward to trying this recipe. To be honest, the basic salad did nothing for me. The watercress and romaine combination didn't work well because of the difference in leaf size as well as the differences in texture and flavor.
The dressing is another matter. Making real Caesar dressing from scratch--although delicious--is tedious. Hamersley makes his dressing in the blender and it is done in a jiffy. It does not taste exactly like a traditional Caesar dressing but it is very good in its own right.
The bottom line: the dressing recipe is a keeper; the salad not so much.
The dressing is another matter. Making real Caesar dressing from scratch--although delicious--is tedious. Hamersley makes his dressing in the blender and it is done in a jiffy. It does not taste exactly like a traditional Caesar dressing but it is very good in its own right.
The bottom line: the dressing recipe is a keeper; the salad not so much.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Pommes Anna (page 265)
After several months of praise for the author, I came to the Pommes Anna. I don't know who "Anna " is, but I suspect it is someone Hamersley has it in for.
Where to start. First of all, Hamersley gives only a vague idea of potato quantity. "Three russet potatoes" can vary from 1 1/2 pounds in total to 4 1/2 pounds. Since this recipes is supposed to serve 6 to 8 people, I used 1/2 pound of potato per person times 8 people for 4 pounds total. I used 8 people based on the amount of butter in the recipe: 8 tablespoons equates to 1 tablespoon per person--an ample amount in my mind.
The potatoes are sliced and layered into an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Full disclosure: I do not own such a skillet so I used a 10-inch Teflon-coated skillet. In fairness to Hamersley, this was probably not the best substitution as cast iron holds the heat better.
At any rate, after tediously layering the potatoes and slathering them with butter, it was time to bake them. Problem number two: there is no estimate of total bake time! The potatoes cook covered for 20 minutes. You are then instructed to remove the lid and cook "until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife." I left them in for another hour as this is when the potatoes were browned slightly around the edges as Hamersley described.
Problem number three: inversion onto a large plate so you can cut into wedges and serve. The inversion part was not a problem but the wedges were. Instead of coming out in a nice, brown, toasty piece as I imagined, out came a butter-soaked mess that had no intention of holding together.
Problem number four: it tasted as bad as it looked. The potatoes were still a bit raw tasting not to mention being very greasy.
The bottom line: There are plenty of wonderful pomme recipes in the world but this is not one of them.
Where to start. First of all, Hamersley gives only a vague idea of potato quantity. "Three russet potatoes" can vary from 1 1/2 pounds in total to 4 1/2 pounds. Since this recipes is supposed to serve 6 to 8 people, I used 1/2 pound of potato per person times 8 people for 4 pounds total. I used 8 people based on the amount of butter in the recipe: 8 tablespoons equates to 1 tablespoon per person--an ample amount in my mind.
The potatoes are sliced and layered into an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Full disclosure: I do not own such a skillet so I used a 10-inch Teflon-coated skillet. In fairness to Hamersley, this was probably not the best substitution as cast iron holds the heat better.
At any rate, after tediously layering the potatoes and slathering them with butter, it was time to bake them. Problem number two: there is no estimate of total bake time! The potatoes cook covered for 20 minutes. You are then instructed to remove the lid and cook "until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife." I left them in for another hour as this is when the potatoes were browned slightly around the edges as Hamersley described.
Problem number three: inversion onto a large plate so you can cut into wedges and serve. The inversion part was not a problem but the wedges were. Instead of coming out in a nice, brown, toasty piece as I imagined, out came a butter-soaked mess that had no intention of holding together.
Problem number four: it tasted as bad as it looked. The potatoes were still a bit raw tasting not to mention being very greasy.
The bottom line: There are plenty of wonderful pomme recipes in the world but this is not one of them.
Skillet Cooked Skirt Steak with Blue Cheese Butter (page 217)
This was my first attempt at skirt steak and it could not have been easier or more tasty. Just a couple of notes:
- Remember, 1 shallot=1 Tablespoon chopped shallots. Any more would over power the blue cheese butter.
- Hamersley suggests one pound of skirt steak for two people. That is a lot of protein. This will serve four people if paired with a side dish and a green salad.
Sear-Roasted Rib Steak with Garlic Butter (page 212)
If you like steak, you will love this recipe. The steaks are done in a hot oven making this dish perfect for a cold winter night when outdoor grilling loses its romantic quality.
The steaks themselves take only about 10 minutes, depending on how well done you like them. However, the garlic butter, which provides the WOW factor in this recipe, must be prepared ahead. Hamersley has you prepare a double batch of garlic butter. It is very tasty and could be used as a spread for bread or a topping for vegetables or, as Hamersley suggests, under the skin of a chicken before roasting or tossed into the broth of steamed mussels. But, if you don't like dribs and drabs of stuff in your refrigerator, you can prepare a half-batch of butter.
The bottom line: As good as your local steakhouse--or maybe better.
The steaks themselves take only about 10 minutes, depending on how well done you like them. However, the garlic butter, which provides the WOW factor in this recipe, must be prepared ahead. Hamersley has you prepare a double batch of garlic butter. It is very tasty and could be used as a spread for bread or a topping for vegetables or, as Hamersley suggests, under the skin of a chicken before roasting or tossed into the broth of steamed mussels. But, if you don't like dribs and drabs of stuff in your refrigerator, you can prepare a half-batch of butter.
The bottom line: As good as your local steakhouse--or maybe better.
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