A Jab at Jell-O - Ouefs en Gelees

There is a saying...  "Real men don't eat quiche."

This little tidbit of supposed wisdom has never made sense to me.  I have always assumed it was coined by someone with certain amount of prejudice.   After all, quiche is nothing more than scrambled eggs (albeit with cream) that have been baked in a pastry shell in the oven.  In essence, it is a scrambled egg pie.

News Flash!! Guys like pie.

With Chicken pot pie, Shepherds pie and Apple pie usually being the top picks by men the world over.

That being taken into account, scrambled egg pie (quiche) usually contains some form of meat... Not always, but I would say over 50% of the time the recipes include things like Sausage, Bacon, Ham, Clams or any combination of the a fore mentioned delights of the carnivore's diet. 

News Flash!!   Guys like meat.

Especially those having been preserved via copious quantities of nitrates & nitrites. (Oh yea!)

Thus, following this thought process, I am sure you can understand my confusion over the somewhat ludicrous statement that "Real men don't eat quiche"

There is, however, a "food" that I believe would have been a better fit in the "Real men don't eat...." concept.

Aspic!

This is where my own prejudices come into play.  I, personally, have never been overly fond of Jell-O or other gelatin based desserts.  Not even as a child attending Church potlucks.  I always avoided the pink and green CoolWhip/Jell-O salads along with the three tiered gleaming red mound with grapes suspended in the center... and don't get me started on the proverbial Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise... (shudder)  If I am not going to eat sweetened fruit flavored Jell-O then why; Oh WHY would I want to eat meat flavored Jell-O?

Yes, it' sort of tastes like meat, and I DO like meat; but it's not really "meat".  It's more of a "delicate suggestion" of meat; the very essence of bridge parties, tea parties and "luncheon"; not lunch, not brunch... luncheon.  What the heck is a luncheon?  I am not really sure, but obviously there ain't no meat bein' served.

Be that as it may...  Real men face their fears head on.

Thus, after much soul searching, I resigned myself to face my own fear of said aspic by biting the bullet and making Ouefs en Gelee, which is a fancy French way of saying "Eggs suspended in meat flavored Jell-O" (it sounds more appetizing in French)  So, armed with a little left over consommé, a little fortitude and a tweeked Laura Calder recipe, the Gelatinous Journey began.

Ouefs en Gelees

2 Large Eggs, boiled or poached
1 3/4 cups Chicken Consommé (you can use stock, Laura Calder did on her show)
1 TB Unflavored Gelatin
1 TB Armagnac or Cognac
Fresh Tarragon leaves

Place 2 eggs (I did 4 cause I wanted to make a little egg salad too) in a saucepan and cover with cold water.

Place over medium flame and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and cover; allowing the eggs to sit for 20 minutes. Then drain and refrigerate.

This is why I held back a little of the consommé I made the other night.

Sprinkle gelatin over the consommé and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes. (I should have just done it in the saucepan)

Pour the consommé/gelatin mixture in a saucepan and set over medium low heat.

Add Cognac and stir the mixture until you can no longer see any gelatin granules (the mixture will be clear again)

Spoon a thin layer of gelatin into 4 ramekins and refrigerate them until it becomes slightly tacky but not completely set, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel your boiled eggs.

and cut them in half.

When the gelatin is partially set, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and lay tarragon leaves in the "bottom" (remember, the bottom will be the top when they are unmolded, so lay the leaves vein side up)

Place 1 half of a boiled egg in each ramekin, over the tarragon, yolk side down.

Divide the remaining consommé/gelatin mixture between the ramekins, pouring gently over the backside of the egg half.

Return to the refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour until completely set.
Run a small knife or small frosting spatula around the edge of the ramekin and unmold onto a bed of greens.

Serve.

On the whole, it really wasn't THAT bad.  I have always loved egg and tarragon together, and the aspic had really delicate chicken/cognac flavor.  It's a texture thing though.  I mean, it didn't kill me to eat it.  I made it, so I ate it.  But it's not something I am going to be salivating for, any time soon.  My Aunt and Mother, however, were unequivocally enraptured.  LOL

So I reiterate....  Real men don't eat aspic.  But, for the record, one should at least be brave enough to try it.   LOL

Mangia!!
~~

Arthropod Abomination - Truffled Lobster Shells & Cheese

Some consider this an affront to nature, going so far as to call it an "abomination".

Personally, I am still not sure how I feel about it. I may just chalk this up to a "guilty pleasure" and hide in the coat closet the next time I make it. (cause then I won't have to share) ;)

I am talking about lobster, or rather, what usually gets passed off as lobster in a lot of restaurants. That would be the Squat Lobster, also known as Langostino but NOT to be confused with Langostine, Norway Lobster or Scampi. (for more information on this little riddle, see Confounding Crustacean Conspiracy Causes Conundrum)

The reason for my guilt is not because I was passing off Squat lobster as "Lobster", it's more of what dish I put it in. I have Italian sensibilities when it comes to Seafood and Cheese. Thus the two are not usually ingredients I tend to combine, but I was watching Royal Pains (FUNNY show) several weeks ago, and there was this food cart serving Lobster Macaroni & Cheese. At first I thought it sounded gross but the more and more I contemplated it, the more I felt that I should at least TRY it. After all it really couldn't be all THAT bad, right?

This is when I decided on the Langostino, since I would not want to go out and spend the money on a real Maine Lobster that has been shipped clear across the United States only to find out that my initial misgivings were correct. So the pseudo-lobster it was, just to test the waters, as it were. I was pleasantly surprised by the finished product. I may need to rethink this whole cheese & seafood thing.

I think the mild cheese helped, for it really is more of a Macaroni & Cream sauce. Danish Fontina is a very mild cheese; pleasantly nutty, but most importantly, smooth melting. I decided to drag out one of my more precious ingredients and anoint the whole thing with a drizzle of Italian Black Truffle oil -- Decadence in a bottle, I tell ya. Normally I would use a Penne or Cavitappi but I figured since it was a seafood dish, that shells might be more in keeping with the spirit.

Truffled Lobster Shells and Cheese

4 oz Unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, minced fine
1 Cup Heavy Cream
6 oz Mascarpone
4 oz Crème Fraîche
1 tsp Tobasco
3 TB Seafood Stock
3 TB Cognac
12 oz Danish Fontina
16 oz Medium Shells
12 oz Langostino (Previously Cooked)
Black Truffle oil
1 oz Grana Padano, shredded; divided
Panko

Shred all your cheese, so you will be ready.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan.

When the foaming subsides, add the shallot and saute until soft.

Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. (you will want to switch to a whisk at this point)

Add Mascarpone and stir until melted and smooth.

Whisk in the Crème Fraîche and bring back to a simmer again.

Add the Tobasco, the Cognac and the Seafood Stock.

Drop your pasta into salted boiling water and cook for 1/2 the time listed on the package. (in the shells case, only 4-5 minutes.)

Then begin adding the shredded Fontina, a little at a time, whisking until completely melted before adding the next handful.

When melted and smooth, add 1/4 tsp Black Pepper (Normally I prefer White Pepper instead, but I was out)

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Add the Langostino...

Then the cheese sauce, and toss it all together to coat the shells well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while assembling the dish.
Divide the pasta between 6 - 12 oz au gratin dishes (or simply pour the whole mass into a 9x13 baking dish)

Drizzle each one with a little Black Truffle oil. (Black Truffle needs some heat to reach full flavor)

Use 1/2 of the Grana Padano and divide it amongst the ramekins.

Sprinkle an even coat of Panko over this.

Then divide the remaining Grana Padano between the dishes.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 minutes before serving.

mmmm Creamy Truffled "Lobster" goodness.

I wonder if I should tell them that it wasn't shrimp? Nah!

Mangia!!
~~

Demerara Crusted Tahitian Hazelnut Bread Pudding in Tuaca Cognac Chocolate Sauce

I don't really have a catchy title for this one.
Mainly because it took so long to type up the name, that my brain is exhausted and I can't think anymore. This is another La Cucina Italiana recipe, from April 09, that I modified to suit my own tastes. Originally, it was made with almond flour and Maraschino, but while I love the almond-esque flavor of Maraschino (made with Marasca cherries, including the pits), even DiSaronna Amaretto for that matter (made from apricot pits), I am not overly fond of the flavor that almond meal, paste, marzipan or extracts bring to pastries. And yet, I love the toasted almonds on Bear Claws... Go figure.

With this in mind, I set out to modify the recipe to utilize hazelnuts instead of almonds. Originally Maraschino was added to the chocolate sauce. Since Maraschino is not nearly as sweet as Frangelico, which would seem the logical choice for a hazelnut flavor, I chose instead, to highlight the Tahitian Vanilla Bean in the pudding by adding Tuaca and Cognac to the chocolate. Tuaca for the burnt vanilla flavor and Cognac to smooth the rough edges of the Tuaca (Let's face it, I love Tuaca but it can be a bit harsh).

One thing I have noticed about some of the recipes in La Cucina Italiana... They seem to miss steps and kind of leave ya hanging on what to do. This can be really annoying at times. I am not sure if this is a translation problem or if certain "steps" are suppose to be assumed. Regardless, I pretty much assumed what was suppose to happen, even though there were no steps for several things. I have attempted to rectify this issue, and explaining what I did instead of the recipe directions.

Demerara Crusted Tahitian Hazelnut Bread Pudding in Tuaca Cognac Chocolate Sauce

To Prepare Molds:
Demerera Sugar for the Molds
Unsalted Butter for the Molds (European if you can find it, the fat content is higher)
Special Equipment: 6 3-inch half sphere cake pans.

For the Batter:
3 TB Unsalted Butter
1 Tahitian Vanilla Bean; split and scraped
6 slices of Challah, cut 1/4 inch thick with the crust removed
1 1/4 cups Whole Milk
1/4 cup AP Flour (Unbleached)
1 cup Hazelnut Flour (you can make this at home by pulsing Hazelnut meal in a blender of food processor)
5 TB granulated Sugar or Bakers Sugar (for Batter)
pinch of salt
3 Large Egg Yolks
1 Large Egg
2 Large Egg Whites
tiny pinch of salt
5 1/2 tsp Super Fine Sugar (for Meringue) If you use more Bakers Sugar, make it 2 TB

For the Chocolate Sauce:
3/4 cup Water
4 Oz 62% - 70% Chocolate
2 tsp Tuaca
1 tsp Cognac

Garnish:
Toasted Blanched Hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter the molds, dusting each with Demerara sugar to coat the inside, just like flouring a cake pan, then set aside.

In a small sauce pan over Low heat, melt butter.
Once butter is melted, split the vanilla bean and scrape out the caviar with the back of your knife.

When the butter has quit "boiling" and most of the water has dissipated, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla caviar to the pan, set aside to steep.

Place the Challach slices in a bowl

Add milk, let soak for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, squeeze milk from the bread and discard the milk.

Place bread in a another bowl with the Vanilla Butter, AP flour, Hazelnut flour, the 5 TB of Sugar, Egg yolks, Egg and a pinch of salt.

Stir the ingredients to combine into a paste.

In a separate bowl, begin beating egg whites at medium speed, with a tiny pinch of salt, until soft peaks begin to form.
Begin adding the Superfine sugar a little at a time, (yes, they still make it. It is finer than the "Baker's" Sugar, so it measures different, but makes the best meringue)

continuing to beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form. (You cannot go full speed on egg whites or the proteins stretch to fast and break... More on that in another post)

Fold egg whites into the batter.

Transfer batter to prepared molds and bake on a baking sheet for 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn baking sheet after 10 minutes to ensure even baking.

After removing from the oven, let set for 5 minutes ONLY in the molds.

Unmold one a cooling rack and continue cooling. (if you leave them in the molds they will draw moisture and you will loose the demerara "crust")

Before serving, make the chocolate sauce:
Place 3/4 cup Water into a sauce pan over low heat.

Add 4 oz Chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. (Sauce should be glossy)

Remove from heat and stir in the Liqueurs.


Serving:
In a shallow bowl, spoon chocolate sauce, place 1 cake, rounded side up, in the sauce and top with toasted Hazelnuts.

Mangia!!
~~