French Omelette
Chef Jacques Pépin teaches you how to cook the perfect french omelette.
INGREDIENTS
·4 large eggs, preferably organic
·Dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper
·2 tablespoons fines herbes mixture (1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon combined
chervil, tarragon and chives)
·1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Beat the eggs with the salt, pepper and herbs in a bowl with a fork until well-combined; that is, when you lift up the fork, pieces of egg white should no longer separate from the yolk; the egg should be well homogenized.
Melt the butter over high heat in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan and, when it is foaming, add the eggs. Holding the fork flat, stir the eggs as fast as you can while shaking the pan with your other hand. Continue without stopping to shake and stir at the same time so the eggs coagulate uniformly.
Still stirring, notice that the eggs are still moist in the center. Incline your pan forward (away from you) so most of the eggs gather toward the
far end of the pan as they set. Now stop stirring while the eggs are still moist in the center.
Using your fork, bring the thin lip of the omelet over toward the center of the omelet. Note that as the mass of eggs has moved toward the far end of the pan, the omelet has thinned out around the edges. Only the two thin lips are flipped over, first from one end, then the other, to enclose the thick, moist center. (If the mixture were left instead to sit in one even layer covering the whole bottom of the pan, it would be too spread out and would roll up like a jelly roll; thus the center would not be moist.)
Press the fold into place. This motion should create a roundish edge. Run your fork between the edge of the pan and the far lip of the omelet to loosen it. Using the palm of your hand, tap the handle of the pan gently to shake the omelet and make it twist and lift onto itself, so the far lip rises above the edge of the pan.
Fold the far lip back toward the center of the omelet, meeting the other lip. Press with the flat of the fork to make sure the omelet comes to a point at each end. While holding the serving plate in your left hand, first bang the far end of the pan gently so the omelet pulls together against the edge of the pan. Then invert the omelet onto the plate and serve immediately. The omelet should be very moist, creamy, and wet in the center.
Classic French Mussels Recipe - Moules Marinière with White Wine & Garlic Butter Sauce
Here’s one of the most simple and romantic recipes you can add to your cooking arsenal - a classic French mussels recipe - also known as Moules Marinière - served with white wine and garlic butter sauce.
This timeless French bistro dish can be found on menus throughout Paris and London, as well as most seafood restaurants here in California. It looks fancy and complicated, but in fact it’s one of the easiest dishes you can make. Serve with a good crusty French roll or crispy salted French fries as an accompaniment. You’re going to love this!
Classic French Mussels Recipe - Moules Marinière with White Wine & Garlic Butter Sauce
1.5 pounds fresh mussels (we used Penn Cove, Washington mussels)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of my garlic-shallot puree (or) 4 cloves garlic and one small shallot, minced
1 cup Chardonnay, or other white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons Kerrygold Irish butter (we used salted)
1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley
Kosher salt to taste
Accompany with: Fresh baguette, toasted with butter - or crisp cooked French Fries (for dipping!)
Prepare mussels by rinsing in cold water, removing dirt and debris. Remove “beard” by pulling toward the hinge of the shell. Check for cracked or dead mussels and discard. You can tell if a mussel is dead by tapping on its shell. If it closes, it is good and still alive. If it does not close, discard. Fresh mussels should smell like the ocean and be moist, black and shiny.
Once mussels have been cleaned, prepare a large stock pot or dutch oven. Heat olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Stir for a minute.
Add mussels and stir to coat the mussels with the oil and garlic shallot puree. Add butter, and lightly stir until melted. Add wine and stir lightly. Add the heavy cream, parsley and salt to taste- about two good size pinches. Stir to mix all ingredients.
Cover and reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring half way through. Serve mussels immediately with a crusty toasted baguette or crispy French Fries (for a Moules Frites recipe). Add more fresh chopped parsley as garnish on both the mussels and the garlic toast/French fries.
Parisienne Gnocchi
This one takes a little work, but is well worth it!
Recipe:
Parisienne Gnocchi
Lobster Mushroom, Corn & Green Bean Hash
Heirloom Tomato Coulis
Serves 4
Heirloom Tomato Coulis Ingredients
¼ cup butter
2 Heirloom tomatoes, cored, quartered
¼ cup leeks, white only, chopped
¼ cup onion, chopped
½ dry bay leaf
Two finger pinch of kosher salt
1 sprig thyme
Heirloom Tomato Coulis Preparation
Add all ingredients to a heavy bottomed soup pot and cook on a very low simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft and tomatoes have broken down well.
Remove bay leaf and thyme sprig from the pan and add remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Keep warm.
Gnocchi Ingredients
3/4 cup water
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons of herbs de Provence ( chopped chives, parsley, tarragon)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
3 to 5 large eggs
Gnocchi Preparation
Set up a counter top mixer with the paddle attachment. Have all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking.
Combine the water, butter, and the ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean, with no dough sticking to it. The dough should be glossy and smooth but still moist.
Continue to stir for about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the dough from coloring. A thin coating will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. When enough moisture has evaporated, steam will rise from the dough and the aroma of cooked flour will be noticeable. Immediately transfer the dough to the mixer bowl. Add the mustard, herbs, and the 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Mix for a few seconds to incorporate the ingredients and release some of the heat, then add the cheese. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Increase the speed to medium and add the other 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Turn off the machine. Lift some of the dough on a rubber spatula, then turn the spatula to let it run off: It should move down the spatula very slowly; if it doesn't move at all or is very dry and just falls off in a clump, beat in an additional egg.
Place the dough in a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip and let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. (If you have only a small pastry bag, fill it with half the dough two times.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
Twist the end of the pastry bag to push the dough into the tip. (From time to time, as the bag empties, you will need to twist the end again.) As you squeeze the back of the bag with your right hand, hold a small knife in your left hand and cut off 1-inch lengths of dough, allowing the gnocchi to drop into the pot. Pipe about 24 gnocchi per batch. First, the gnocchi will sink in the pot. Keep the water temperature hot, but do not boil. Once the gnocchi float to the top, poach them for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Taste one to test the timing; it may still seem slightly undercooked in the center, but it will be cooked again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
When all the gnocchi have drained, place them in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.
Lobster Mushroom, Corn & Green Bean Hash Ingredients
Olive oil to cover bottom of large sauté pan
½ cup shallots, julienne
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups lobster mushrooms or portabella mushrooms, medium dice
2 cups corn, blanched, chilled, cut from the cob (about 2 ears of corn)
2 cups green beans, ends trimmed, cut in 3rds, blanched, chilled
¼ cup butter
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Hash Preparation
Heat oil in large sauté pan until it begins to shimmer. Add shallots and minced garlic and brown just slightly. Add mushrooms and sauté until just cooked but still firm.
Add corn and green beans and sauté until cooked through. Remove from heat and add butter. Toss with ingredients in pan to coat and create a buttery sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
The Dish
Sauté the gnocchi in butter until it is golden brown on two sides.
Spoon some tomato coulis into the bottom of a large pasta bowl, and then spoon gnocchi onto coulis. Top the gnocchi with the mushroom hash