The Menu
Tournedos with Bearnaise Sauce
Hasselback Potatoes
Enchanted Forest Salad
Chocolate Fondue
The Recipes
Tournedos with Bearnaise Sauce
serves 2
4 (3-ounce) tournedos of beef
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons butter
Bearnaise sauce, recipe follows
Season tournedos well on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the vegetable oil and the butter. Add the tournedos to pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Serve 2 tournedos per person, topped with the Bearnaise Sauce.
Bearnaise Sauce:
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 or 3 stems tarragon
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
In a saucepan combine shallots, lemon juice, vinegar and tarragon stems and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced to 2 tbls. Let reduction cool to room temperature.
In a metal bowl, combine egg yolk, water and reduction over a pot of simmering water. Whisk well until egg mixture begins to form ribbons when whisk is lifted out of mixture. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in melted butter little by little until completely incorporated and sauce is thick. Add chopped tarragon, taste and season with salt and white pepper.
Hasselback Potatoes
serves 2
2 small baking potatoes, about 3/4-pound total
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Peel potatoes. Cut each potato not quite through in a series of crosswise slices about 1/4-inch apart or
closer so that they are still joined together at the bottom. Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place in a small baking pan.
Pour the chicken stock around the potatoes and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the potatoes are half cooked, 25 to 30 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the butter-chicken stock mixture.
In a small bowl combine the grated cheese and bread crumbs and divide the mixture evenly between the tops of the 2 potatoes. Continue roasting without any further basting until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Enchanted Forest Salad
serves 2
Vinaigrette Dressing:
3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients. Set aside.
Salad:
12 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, assorted, sliced (shiitakes, criminis, oysters)
extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, assorted, chopped (tarragon, parsley, chives, thyme)
2 1/4 ounces arugula and radicchio leaves, washed and dried
3 tablespoons pine nuts, (pignolis) toasted
3 tablespoons tomatoes, peeled, diced
Place oil in pan, heat thoroughly. Add mushrooms; saute until cooked. Add vinaigrette to pan; toss. Add herbs to pan; toss.
Place hot mushrooms in bowl with lettuces; toss. Add nuts and diced tomatoes. To serve, divide into 2 plates, layering mushrooms on top.
Chocolate Fondue
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Cabernet sauvignon
Pound cake cubes, for dipping
Strawberries, cleaned, for dipping
Biscotti bits, for dipping
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the sugar, heavy cream, chocolate, and butter together and microwave for 2 minutes.
Take out of microwave and give it a quick whisk. Add wine and whisk again. Transfer to a fondue pot with a flame underneath. Serve with pound cake cubes, strawberries, and biscotti bits on the side, for
dipping.
Tournedos with Bearnaise Sauce
Hasselback Potatoes
Enchanted Forest Salad
Chocolate Fondue
The Recipes
Tournedos with Bearnaise Sauce
serves 2
4 (3-ounce) tournedos of beef
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons butter
Bearnaise sauce, recipe follows
Season tournedos well on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the vegetable oil and the butter. Add the tournedos to pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Serve 2 tournedos per person, topped with the Bearnaise Sauce.
Bearnaise Sauce:
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 or 3 stems tarragon
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
In a saucepan combine shallots, lemon juice, vinegar and tarragon stems and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced to 2 tbls. Let reduction cool to room temperature.
In a metal bowl, combine egg yolk, water and reduction over a pot of simmering water. Whisk well until egg mixture begins to form ribbons when whisk is lifted out of mixture. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in melted butter little by little until completely incorporated and sauce is thick. Add chopped tarragon, taste and season with salt and white pepper.
Hasselback Potatoes
serves 2
2 small baking potatoes, about 3/4-pound total
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Peel potatoes. Cut each potato not quite through in a series of crosswise slices about 1/4-inch apart or
closer so that they are still joined together at the bottom. Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place in a small baking pan.
Pour the chicken stock around the potatoes and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the potatoes are half cooked, 25 to 30 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the butter-chicken stock mixture.
In a small bowl combine the grated cheese and bread crumbs and divide the mixture evenly between the tops of the 2 potatoes. Continue roasting without any further basting until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Enchanted Forest Salad
serves 2
Vinaigrette Dressing:
3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients. Set aside.
Salad:
12 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, assorted, sliced (shiitakes, criminis, oysters)
extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, assorted, chopped (tarragon, parsley, chives, thyme)
2 1/4 ounces arugula and radicchio leaves, washed and dried
3 tablespoons pine nuts, (pignolis) toasted
3 tablespoons tomatoes, peeled, diced
Place oil in pan, heat thoroughly. Add mushrooms; saute until cooked. Add vinaigrette to pan; toss. Add herbs to pan; toss.
Place hot mushrooms in bowl with lettuces; toss. Add nuts and diced tomatoes. To serve, divide into 2 plates, layering mushrooms on top.
Chocolate Fondue
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Cabernet sauvignon
Pound cake cubes, for dipping
Strawberries, cleaned, for dipping
Biscotti bits, for dipping
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the sugar, heavy cream, chocolate, and butter together and microwave for 2 minutes.
Take out of microwave and give it a quick whisk. Add wine and whisk again. Transfer to a fondue pot with a flame underneath. Serve with pound cake cubes, strawberries, and biscotti bits on the side, for
dipping.
