white pepper

Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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There are three Chanterelle dishes for which I would leave just about any dish in the World behind (At least for a day or two 🙂 ) :

“Chanterelles in Cream with Bread Dumplings” (Pfifferlinge in Sahnesauce mit Semmelknödel)
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“Chanterelles with Lamb´s Lettuce and Crispy Bacon” (Pfifferlinge mit Feldsalat und Knusprigem Speck)
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“Chanterelles with Spatzle” (Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen), as featured on this page 🙂

Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Spätzle Recipe on Chefopinion
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Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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:Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: 1 basket ( 1 lb ) fresh chanterelles at the local supermarket – € 6.00 🙂

: cut off the ends, clean thoroughly

: melt 2 oz of butter, duck fat or goose fat (I used goose fat)

: add 1 ea medium size sliced onion, saute until lightly caramelized

: add the chanterelles

: if the chanterelles have too much water, strain, set aside

: reduce the liquid until almost dry

: add 2 cup fresh spätzle, saute until hot

: add the chanterelles and 2 tblsp chopped parsley

: season with kosher salt and white pepper, mix well, check/adjust seasoning

: divide the chanterelles / spätzle between 4 serving plates

: drizzle with demi glace and grated gouda cheese (Optional)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

: Schwäbishe Späzlepfanne Mit Pfifferlingen (Swabian Pasta & Chanterelle Mushrooms)

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Pork Nirvana – “Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft” – (Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus)

Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

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First of all, a word of warning:
This is NOT your typical American-or Latin –style, super-long cooked roast pork.
This is German / Bavarian-style roast pork, very juicy (no need to drown it in sauce to be able to swallow it), very delicious pork with a wonderful texture, more like a perfectly cooked steak than a stringy mess that falls apart when you barely touch it.
While I enjoy both versions (as you know from previous posts), today´s version is by far my favorite one. Assuming you have pork of perfect quality, roasting it this way outshines the “cooked-to-death” variation by a mile. 🙂
While the pictures seem to show pork which is still a bit undercooked, I can assure you it was fully cooked, extremely juicy, had the texture of a very tender steak and, surprise surprise, had a pure, unadulterated pork taste which was further enhanced with the slightly thickened pork jus which collected during the cooking in the drip pan beneath the roast and was enhanced with a generous jug of good quality Merlot.
In other words – Pork Nirvana. 🙂

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here to see what happened to this particular Knuckle
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Click here for more Pork on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for a variety of Potato Salad Inspirations on ChefsOpinion
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Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: cut the knuckle off the butt, use for another dish (see link on this pge)

: remove the meat from the bone towards the middle of the butt

: turn to the other side of the butt, repeat.; pull out the bone, roast together with the butt for the jus

: boneless butt without the knuckle

: score the skin halfway through the fat, either lenghtwise or cross wise

: season liberally with kosher salt, and white pepper to taste

: place on a rack over a drip pan filled with 2 cup water

: cook the pork at 375 F until an instant thermometer reads 155 F at the center / thickest part of the roast , remove the roast to a clean rack to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving: (the carry-over heat should take the temperature to 162 F in about 15 minutes; (162 F is my personal preference for pork to be served)

: please note that at this point, there is still un-rendered fat between the meat and the crisp skin (again, this is a personal preference)

: there should be about 1 cup of pork jus at this point (adjust with more stock or by reducing the jus at this point)

: add red wine or white wine according to your taste (I used 1 cup jus to 1 cup wine)

: strain, then thicken LIGHTLY with a cornstarch slurry, check / adjust the seasoning

: cut the roast as thick as you prefer, serve each portion with a few strips of crisp skin (chicharon)

: oh my………..

: nice and juicy………………

: drizzle with a bit of jus, serve with potato salad and mustard of your choice and / or grated horseradish

: Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

: Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

: Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

: Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

: Schweinebraten Mit Kartoffelsalat & Bratensaft – “Roast Pork With Potato Salad & Jus”

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Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

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I prepared this soup on February 16th, the day of the Chinese new year and the beginning of the year of the dog.
I had planned to prepare and publish this post well before the 16th, in order to give my readers a chance to bring this wonderful, traditional dish to the table as part of the new year’s dinner celebration. Alas, some unforeseen events kept me from doing so. Now then, here it is, “Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup, two weeks late for the New Year celebration, but NOT TOO late, since these wonderful dumplings can, of course, be enjoyed anytime during the year. 🙂
Chinese egg dumplings, also known as dan jiao, are also often served in hot pots, in other soups or just as is, with a tasty dipping sauce.
These dumplings may look a lot more complicated and difficult to prepare as they actually are, so there is no reason not to enjoy them often. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
These dumplings cook in a very short time when simmered in soup, so you should add them towards the very end of the cooking time !
They can also be prepared ahead and frozen, then easily reheated in simmering soup.
However, if you serve the dumplings without soup, bake them or steam them for a short time, since the original short cooking time in the omelet is not enough to cook the meat through !
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P.P.S.
This soup is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year because of its long noodles (longevity),
and the color of the dumplings, which resembles the color of gold coins ( prosperity)
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Click here for more Soup on ChefsOpinion
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Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: to 2.5 qt of water add 2 lbs of cubed pork leg, 3 stalks of scallion, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp sugar, kosher salt and white pepper to taste, bring to a simmer, skim the foam from the top regulary until the meat is tender, about 2 to 2,5 hours

: meanwhile, mix 14 oz ground pork with 2 sliced scallions, 1 whole raw egg, garlic paste, grated ginger, five spice powder, salt and white pepper to taste

: mix well but do not overmix, otherwise the stuffing becomes dense

: whisk 10 whole eggs with chili paste and kosher salt to taste

: brush a moderately hot 4 inch pan lightly with peanut oil, , add 1/8th of the whisked eggs

: before the eggs have set, add 1/8th of the pork stuffing, fold-over half of the egg, remove to a flat surface

: let the dumpling rest until the egg has completely set

: egg dumplings

: when the cubed pork is almost tender, soak 8 oz of rice sticks in hot water for 30 minutes, drain

: when the pork cubes are tender, (there should be about 1,5 qt of stock left at this point, if not, add some chicken stock to make up the quantity), add the rice sticks, skim off the impurities one more time

: add 10 oz of nappa cabbage and 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil, stir, simmer for another minute or until the rice sticks have the proper texture, check/adjust seasoning

: top the soup with the egg dumplings cover and slowly simmer until the stuffing is cooked through, between 2 and 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the eggs and the stuffing

: cover and slowly simmer until the stuffing is cooked through, between 2 and 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the eggs and the stuffing

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

: to serve, add the soup, pork and cabbage to a serving bowl

: top the soup with the dumplings

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

: Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

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Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Sugar Peas

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Risotto is such a delicious, easy preparation of rice that I am amazed it does not show up more frequently in homes and restaurants. Maybe because it has a stigma of being difficult to prepare and labor intensive, which is far from being the truth. While it does take time to prep and simmer for ca 25 minutes while stirring constantly, it might be called tedious but hardly labor intensive. It also has the advantage of being the perfect dish for a dinner party if done by the “restaurant method” – cooking the risotto about 2/3’s and then cooling off, later finishing the cooking process for just a few more minutes right before service time. (That’s how you get your risotto served on time in restaurants, otherwise too much time would pass from the time you order to the time you get served). Just remember to have the texture of your risotto slightly more liquid when you remove it from the stove top then you actually prefer the risotto when eating it, since the rice will continue to cook and absorb liquid between the time you stop cooking and the time you’ll have your first spoonful.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Peas

Bella say’s : Let’s dig in…

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Preparation :
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season cod with kosher salt and white pepper, steam covered very slowly in butter and white wine, when cooked about halfway, set aside on a warm plate to slowly cook through

simmer cleaned red beets in salted water until cooked, reserve cooking liquid,peel and dice beets

set diced beets aside, return beet stock to a simmer, season with garlic paste and cayenne pepper

saute onions and garlic paste in butter

add arborio rice and saute another minute

add beet stock to the rice, enough to just cover, stir constantly, keep adding beet stock as it is being absorbed by the rice, constantly stirring

almost……..

when rice is almost al dente, add the diced beets and heavy cream, simmer while stirring until rice is al dente

add blanched green peas to the poaching liquid of the fish, let heat through for another minute

add blanched green peas to the poaching liquid of the fish, cover again, let heat through for another minute

add parmigiano-reggiano, check / adjust seasoning

add parmigiano-reggiano to the risotto, check / adjust seasoning

plate risotto

top risotto with steamed cod

top cod with green peas

Steamed Cod Filet With Red Beet Risotto And Peas

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Caramelized Apples And Walnuts

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Last night’s dinner was very atypical for me, since I usually don’t like nuts and/or fruits in my savory dishes.
However, in cooking, as in most other things, there is sometimes an exception to the rule, so this is one of the few exceptions where I actually like to add fruit and nuts to a savory dish for my own consumption 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Caramelized Apples And Walnuts

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Preparation :
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simmer potatoes in saltwater until tender, drain

add garlic paste and garlic oil

add heavy cream, kosher salt and white pepper

mash together until creamy

saute diced apples and walnuts in clarified butter until lightly caramelized

pork tenderloin

trim tenderloin, cut and flatten into steaks

season with kosher salt and black pepper, grill to your preferred doneness

plate potatoes

make an indention, add red wine sauce

top with steak

top with apples and nuts, sprinkle with chives

Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Caramelized Apples And Walnuts

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EASY DOES IT # 16 –Velouté (White Cream Sauce)

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How to pronounce Velouté – click here
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Here is a “Daughter” (added cream) version of one of the two white mother sauces (the other being Sauce Béchamel)
If you love to cook or just starting to learn, being able to prepare the mother sauces is a must.
The five french mother sauces are:
Sauce Béchamel, Sauce Espagnole, Sauce Hollandaise, Tomato Sauce, and Sauce Velouté.
Adding cream and lemon juice (and originally egg yolk) to a sauce made of stock, flour and butter will produce a “Sauce Allemande”
We have learned how to make tomato sauce in a previous “easy does it” blog, so let’s go straight to “Sauce Allemande”

Please note : This is beef (or veal) velouté (before adding the cream)
To make fish velouté, chicken velouté, seafood velouté, or fish velouté, replace beef (veal) with the appropriate protein.

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Sauce Velouté

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Preparation :
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beef and/or beef bones, root vegetables, water, bring to a simmer, cook until meat is tender (if you use bones, simmer for one hour), remove meat (bones), set meat aside (discard bones)

strain stock through a fine sieve, discard solids

skim fat from surface

make a white roux of half butter and half a/p flour, add stock, whisk to avoid lumps, simmer for 15 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer

add heavy cream, kosher salt and white pepper, check / adjust seasoning

add heavy cream, lemon juice, kosher salt and white pepper, check / adjust seasoning

voilà – sauce velouté (with added cream)

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please be so kind and click on the video below. Thank you 🙂
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Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

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This was one of Maria’s favorite dishes. Whenever we went to have chinese food at a restaurant or when she wanted to have something special at home, she would ask for salt & pepper scallops or salt & pepper shrimp.
So, enjoying this meal tonight was a bittersweet affair. I really loved the food, but it is so damn tough to be reminded of a lost loved one all day long, by everything one see’s, hear’s and does, even by the food one eat’s. At least I had Bella next to me , sharing the food and giving me good company 🙂
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For the scallops, season with kosher salt, five spice powder, white pepper, ground szechuan peppercorn and granulated garlic. Mix egg white and rice flour into a thin batter, dredge scallops in it and saute in peanut oil until cooked almost through. Remove and rest on absorbent paper until serving.
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For the rice, saute garlic paste, finely diced onion and grated ginger in peanut oil until fragrant. Add day-old rice and fry until rice starts to puff. Make a well, add more peanut oil and scramble some whisked eggs in it until set. Add sliced scallion, kosher salt, white pepper and sesame oil. Stir fry until all ingredients are well mixed. Check seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
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To serve, top the rice with scallops and sprinkle with finely sliced scallions

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (even when it’s sad sometimes)
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Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Egg fried rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
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