EASTER DINNER PARADE CATERER CELEBRATES WITH SPRING SPECIALTIES.Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor Traditional holiday dinners sometimes need a little update. For a fresh approach to the Easter menu, we turned to Linda Fay, chef at Happy Trails Catering in Pasadena. Her do-able inspirations are based on traditional spring ingredients including ham, asparagus and berries - but with a contemporary twist. The creations can be served for a glorious Easter dinner - or even brunch. ``The beauty is that almost everything can be made in advance,'' Fay told 10 students gathered in the commercial kitchen at Happy Trails for a hands-on cooking class one recent evening. And a home cook can easily manage the entire relatively simple menu alone with a little organization. Presentation is important, but taste rules. ``This menu is not low-fat. It's designed for special occasions.'' The menu speaks to her philosophy of cooking: that ``food should be simple, well-executed, and there should be lots of it.'' Braised braise tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es To cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container. Ham With Tarragon tarragon (târ`əgŏn), perennial aromatic Old World herb (Artemisia dracunculus) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), of the same genus as wormwood and sagebrush. Sauce offers a great way to prepare inexpensive hams that are available at bargain prices this time of year. ``When you braise braise tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es To cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container. the ham in lots of liquid, you end up adding moisture to the meat so it comes out more flavorful and is not as dry as when you bake it.'' However, Fay doesn't recommend cooking a good expensive brand such as a Smithfield ham this way; it should be baked. For the recipe included today, the ham can be braised a day or two before serving. Trim the ham of all fat and place it atop sauteed roughly chopped carrots, celery, onions and thyme in a large pot or casserole. ``The vegetables can also be chopped in a food processor,'' added Fay, ``because it doesn't matter what they look like.'' Pour in enough white wine - an inexpensive one will suffice - or water to cover half of the ham. Then cover and heat to boiling stove-top. Either continue cooking the ham on top of the stove or in the oven for about an hour, Fay advised, as she checked the progress of a small group of students preparing this dish. Once cooked, the ham can be cooled slightly, wrapped well and then kept refrigerated re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. until just before serving time. Be sure to save and refrigerate re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. the braising braising: see cooking. liquid to use in the sauce. Use any leftover cooking liquid to make split pea split pea Noun a pea dried and split and used in soups or as a vegetable or other soup, recommended Fay. Although the sauce involves a few different steps, including a couple of separate reductions - of vinegar and seasonings as well as the braising liquid - it's not difficult to make. Reduce the braising liquid to less than half in a saucepan stove-top over medium high heat to concentrate the flavor. For additional flavor in the sauce, reduce white vinegar with shallots or green onions, tarragon, bay leaf bay leaf: see laurel. , peppercorns and parsley. ``If you use fresh tarragon, you'll have to use a lot more than dried,'' pointed out Fay, noting that the dried is more intense. The two reductions are then combined with egg yolks and cream - and whisked together until thickened thick·en tr. & intr.v. thick·ened, thick·en·ing, thick·ens 1. To make or become thick or thicker: Thicken the sauce with cornstarch. The crowd thickened near the doorway. 2. in a double boiler double boiler n. A cooking utensil consisting of two nested pans, designed to allow slow, even cooking or heating of food in the upper pan by the action of water boiling in the lower. Noun 1. . ``To avoid curdling cur·dle v. cur·dled, cur·dling, cur·dles v.intr. 1. a. To change into curd. See Synonyms at coagulate. b. , watch the sauce carefully, and don't let it get too hot,'' warned Fay. It's a bit tricky, but not if you pay attention. Just prior to preparing the sauce, cut the cooked ham and place slices in an ovenproof ov·en·proof adj. Capable of resisting the heat produced in a kitchen oven: an ovenproof casserole dish. ovenproof adj → refractario, casserole dish with some of the reserved braising liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil and seal well. Pop into a 350-degree oven to steam slowly until heated through. Don't worry about the plastic wrap as long as it is covered with foil. The ham will turn out moist and juicy. For a delicious vegetable accompaniment, whip up a lovely, easy raspberry vinaigrette to serve over fresh asparagus and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh raspberries. ``You can make the vinaigrette a day or two in advance, but for best results the asparagus should be blanched blanch also blench v. blanched also blenched, blanch·ing also blench·ing, blanch·es also blench·es v.tr. 1. To take the color from; bleach. 2. quickly (in boiling water) on serving day and then plunged into an ice bath to retain its bright green color,'' stressed Fay. Select asparagus stalks of the same size for even cooking; remove the dry, woody parts for best eating. If you have difficulty finding raspberry vinegar, substitute an equal amount of raspberry vinegar dressing (Consorzio brand available at Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. As of September 2007, Trader Joe's has a total of 284 stores.[1] ), advised Fay. For best flavor, serve the asparagus at room temperature. ``Really cold and really hot foods have less flavor,'' noted Fay, adding that most foods have more flavor at room temperature. When it comes to seasonings, Fay told the class, ``I only cook with kosher salt kosher salt n. A refined, coarse-grained salt with no additives. [From its use in making meat kosher by drawing out the blood.] . It tastes better than regular salt and you don't have to use as much. Also, you can tell the difference between that and sugar - as it's bigger.'' Fay is not as hung up as some of her counterparts on using everything from scratch in her cooking. She makes a great chicken stock, she noted, by doctoring up canned broth (with chicken wings Chicken Wings can refer to:
The Montrachet and Corn Bread corn bread or corn·bread n. Bread made from cornmeal. Souffle souffle /souf·fle/ (soo´f'l) a soft, blowing auscultatory sound. cardiac souffle any cardiac or vascular murmur of a blowing quality. is part quiche quiche n. A rich unsweetened custard pie, often containing ingredients such as vegetables, cheese, or seafood. [French, from German dialectal Küche, diminutive of German Kuchen, cake and part corn bread and should be baked the day of the party. ``The more cornbread you use, the stiffer the mixture will be. If you opt to use less corn bread, the mixture will be more custardy.'' Make the homemade corn bread a couple of days in advance of preparing the souffle and leave at room temperature, uncovered, to dry out. ``If you don't like goat cheese, use smoked gouda instead, but leave the diced green chiles out of the recipe.'' For the lightest corn bread, leave the shortening in big chunks and don't overmix the batter. Blend just until the dry ingredients are mixed in. To accompany the main Easter meal, offer a salad of assorted gourmet greens tossed with the catering company's house Balsamic balsamic (bäl·sämˑ·ik), n a substance that can soften and reduce mucus. Vinaigrette. We reduced the vinaigrette recipe to a home-size quantity and in doing so omitted the raw egg, using a pinch of mayonnaise instead. For dessert fanciers, offer Lemon-Lime Pound Cake with Fresh Berries or Easter Sugar Cookies. Bake the cake in a loaf pan or medium-size bundt pan, instructed Fay, adding that's its best baked a day or two ahead of serving, which results in a denser, finer texture. The cake also freezes well. In general, Fay doesn't favor freezing prepared foods unless she is faced with no other choice. Select the freshest and sweetest berries for the fruit mixture, and mix and match according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. availability. Toss with a little sugar and a splash of creme de cassis cas·sis n. 1. A Eurasian currant (Ribes nigrum) bearing black berries. 2. A cordial made from the berries of this plant. , non-alcoholic blackberry syrup, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier Grand Marnier: see liqueur. , and marinate mar·i·nate v. mar·i·nat·ed, mar·i·nat·ing, mar·i·nates v.tr. To soak (meat, for example) in a marinade. v.intr. To become marinated. at least an hour before spooning over cake slices. Top with dollops of whipped manufacturing cream. ``Because the manufacturing cream - which is available at Smart & Final and Trader Joe's - has a higher butterfat butterfat globules in the milk of all species. It can be separated to make butter. The nutritional value and the price of milk are judged on, among other things, the butterfat content of the milk. content (around 40 percent) than regular whipping cream Noun 1. whipping cream - cream that has enough butterfat (30% to 36%) to be whipped light whipping cream cream - the part of milk containing the butterfat , it whips up more quickly - and you don't have to chill the bowls and beater beat·er n. 1. One that beats, especially a device for beating: a carpet beater. 2. A person who drives wild game from under cover for a hunter. ,'' pointed out Fay. ``But watch carefully so you don't end up with butter.'' Make the festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. extra special by whipping up a batch or two of fanciful decorated Easter-shaped sugar cookies, bound to please young and old alike. Use duck, egg, bunny or whatever cookie cutter shapes strike your fancy. Decorate as desired with royal icing Royal icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar (powdered sugar), and sometimes lemon juice. It is used on Christmas cake, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses and many other cakes and biscuits, either as a smooth covering like marzipan, or in sharp tinted with pastel colors of the season. The cookies not only looked, but tasted great. Fay noted that the recipe - one of the best she's run across - was shared by a friend a few years ago. Fay's Easter menu lends itself to a beautiful buffet spread. ``Be sure to garnish the plates attractively with something edible that goes with food - not something you pick off the food and set aside. I love to garnish with lots of fresh herbs alone or minced together with lemon zest Noun 1. lemon zest - tiny bits of lemon peel lemon peel, lemon rind - the rind of a lemon , as such bursts of flavor pull the dish together. God created garnishing to cover up all those little mistakes when you mess things up.'' BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced OR pressed 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar balsamic vinegar n. 1. An aromatic vinegar of Modena, Italy, made from white Trebbiano grape juice that is heated and aged in wooden barrels for several years. 2. Any of various similar vinegars. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar Noun 1. wine vinegar - vinegar made from wine vinegar, acetum - sour-tasting liquid produced usually by oxidation of the alcohol in wine or cider and used as a condiment or food preservative 1 tablespoon mayonnaise OR whipping cream 1 1/2 cups vegetable OR canola oil Noun 1. canola oil - vegetable oil made from rapeseed; it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids canola vegetable oil, oil - any of a group of liquid edible fats that are obtained from plants (Or use part olive oil) Place garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, vinegars and mayonnaise in bowl of processor and pulse to combine. With food processor running, add oil in a steady stream through funnel. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Keep refrigerated. Use to dress assorted gourmet greens. Makes about 2 cups. BRAISED HAM WITH TARRAGON SAUCE HAM: 3 tablespoons butter 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 3 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 precooked pre·cook tr.v. pre·cooked, pre·cook·ing, pre·cooks To cook in advance or partially. Adj. 1. precooked - cooked partially or completely beforehand; "frozen precooked meals from the supermarket" ham (4 to 5 pounds), trimmed of fat 4 cups white wine (such as sauvignon blanc) Water SAUCE: 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup minced shallots OR green onions 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1 bay leaf 5 peppercorns 3 sprigs parsley 2 cups liquid left over from braising ham 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream Noun 1. heavy whipping cream - cream with a fat content of 48% or more double creme cream - the part of milk containing the butterfat Salt 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon For Ham, in a heavy ovenproof pan or pot, melt butter. Add vegetables and thyme, and sautee until limp. Place ham in pan with vegetables; add wine and enough water to come halfway up ham. Cover. Bring to a boil on top of stove. Place pan, tightly covered, in preheated 350-degree oven 1 hour (or simmer on top of stove 1 hour). Baste thoroughly every 15 minutes. When ham is done, remove from braising liquid. Refrigerate ham and braising liquid separately. An hour or so before serving, cut ham into slices and place slices in ovenproof casserole along with 1 to 2 cups strained braising liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil, sealing well. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 20 to 25 minutes or until hot. Meanwhile, prepare Sauce. For sauce, in a small non-reactive saucepan, combine vinegar, shallots, dried tarragon, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley sprigs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Strain and squeeze herbs to release flavors. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, over high heat, reduce 2 cups of ham braising liquid to 3/4 cup. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and add cream. Whisk in hot reduced braising liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add vinegar reduction. Place mixture in a double boiler. Stir sauce constantly with a whisk. Do not let sauce get too hot (it will curdle cur·dle v. cur·dled, cur·dling, cur·dles v.intr. 1. a. To change into curd. See Synonyms at coagulate. b. ). When sauce has thickened, remove from heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and fresh tarragon. Serve warm sauce with hot ham slices. Makes 6 to 8 servings. MONTRACHET AND CORN BREAD SOUFFLE 4 to 6 cups 1-inch cubes Corn Bread (recipe follows) 8 ounces Montrachet (goat cheese), cut in pieces 1/4 cup diced green chiles 7 eggs 4 cups heavy whipping cream Salt and pepper
Butter a 9x12-inch baking dish. Layer Corn Bread, cheese and chiles in dish. Beat together eggs, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over corn bread, cheese and chiles and let stand 10 minutes. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven about 25 minutes until puffed and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings. CORN BREAD 1 cup cornmeal corn·meal also corn meal n. Meal made from corn, used in a wide variety of foods. Also called Indian meal. Noun 1. 1 cup sifted flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 egg 1 cup milk Sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in shortening with fingers. Mix together egg and milk, and add to dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Turn into a greased 8-inch-square baking pan. Bake in preheated 425- degree oven 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 1 pan corn bread, about 4 to 6 cups diced. ASPARAGUS WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE 1 pound asparagus, trimmed Water 1 cup raspberries 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar OR prepared raspberry vinegar dressing 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 cup vegetable OR canola oil Salt and pepper to taste Raspberries for garnish Place asparagus in boiling water 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly remove and place in ice water. When asparagus is cooled, keep chilled until ready to use. For Vinaigrette, place 1 cup berries, vinegar, sugar and mustard in food processor. Pulse on and off to combine. With food processor running, add oil through funnel until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, place asparagus on a platter and drizzle vinaigrette over all. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Makes 4 servings. LEMON-LIME POUND CAKE WITH FRESH BERRIES CAKE: 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 tablespoon baking powder 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon grated lime peel GLAZE: 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons lime juice FOR SERVING: Fresh Berries (recipe follows) For Cake, cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add lemon and lime peels and dry ingredients to butter mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan or a medium bundt pan. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 55 to 60 minutes or until cake tests done. Meanwhile, make Glaze. In a saucepan combine all Glaze ingredients and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour over warm cake and let soak in. Cake should be made 2 days in advance. Then slice and serve with Fresh Berries and whipped cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings. FRESH BERRIES 4 cups mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries), rinsed and sliced 1/2 cup creme de cassis 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 cups manufacturing OR heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar Mix together berries, creme de cassis and granulated sugar and let marinate at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, whip cream until soft mounds form. Beat in powdered sugar until mixed. Spoon berries over cake slices and top with whipped cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings. JOAN'S SUGAR COOKIES 1 pound unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups sugar Pinch salt 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 5 cups flour Royal Icing (recipe follows) Beat butter 1 minute, either by hand or in an electric mixer. Add remaining ingredients except Royal Icing and mix until just combined. Chill dough 4 hours or overnight. Let dough return to room temperature before rolling out. Roll dough out 1/8-inch thick and cut with assorted Easter-shaped cookie cutters, as desired. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Let cool on wire racks. Frost with Royal Icing, tinted colors as desired with food coloring. Allow icing to set. Makes about 4 dozen medium-size cookies. ROYAL ICING 1 egg white 1 cup powdered sugar Few drops lemon juice Food colorings (optional) Beat egg white until foamy foam·y adj. foam·i·er, foam·i·est 1. Of, consisting of, or resembling foam. 2. Covered with foam. foam . Beat in powdered sugar slowly until mixture is thick. It should still be fluid. Add a few drops of lemon juice to thin if necessary. Tint icing with food colorings as desired in small batches. Keep unused icing covered with plastic wrap while working. Pipe or spread icing on cookies in desired designs. Allow icing to set (and harden). NOTE: Recipe can be doubled or tripled. SPOTLIGHT ON ... LINDA FAY AGE: 53. PROFESSION: Head chef at Happy Trails, a cafe and catering company in Pasadena. HOMETOWN: Born and raised in Detroit; moved to California 20 years ago. FOOD BACKGROUND: Self-taught. She grew up in a large Polish-German family where food was important. Her mother and father, who now reside in Arizona, are both excellent cooks. Fay started working part-time at a San Francisco restaurant and slowly worked her way up. She practiced cooking on weekends (from cookbooks), honing her skills. COOKING STYLE: Totally American. KITCHEN SECRET: ``Have enough self-confidence to follow recipes and your intuition - and not be intimidated.'' MOST POPULAR DISH SHE MAKES: Rolled stuffed breast of turkey served with a port and currant currant, northern shrub of the family Saxifragaceae (saxifrage family), of the same genus (Ribes) as the gooseberry bush. The tart berries of the currant may be black, white, or red; the white gooseberry becomes purple when mature. sauce. THREE FAVORITE FOODS: Vietnamese food, ice cream, calamari. FAVORITE JUNK FOODS: Double-double In 'n' Out burgers; Hostess Ho-Hos. FOODS SHE HATES: Raw oysters and raw clams. FAVORITE THING TO COOK AND EAT: Mashed potatoes. SECRET FOOD PASSION: Frozen whipped topping piled on fat-free strawberry- kiwi Jello; manufacturing cream in any shape or form (available at Smart & Final, Trader Joe's, etc.). FAVORITE KITCHEN GADGET: Meat grinder Grinder A slang term for a person who works in the investment industry and makes small amounts of money at a time on small investments, over and over again. Notes: attachment to the KitchenAid mixer. FAVORITE COOKBOOK: Martha Rose Schulman's ``Mediterranean Light.'' PET PEEVE: People being late. IDEAL VACATION: Lying by a pool someplace some·place adv. & n. Somewhere: "I didn't care where I was from so long as it was someplace else" Garrison Keillor. See Usage Note at everyplace. drinking mai tais. FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Saugus Cafe in Saugus. WHAT DOES SHE DO WHEN NOT COOKING?: Oil paints and sleeps. DREAM JOB: Teaching cooking classes full-time. WORST KITCHEN DISASTER: A couple of years ago during the holidays while cooking for a catered event, Fay left the corn puddings in the oven too long - and they were burned and black on top. She was panic-stricken as she had no more corn and limited time. So she pulled off and discarded the burned top layers, mixed up the remainder with more cream and eggs and baked it a little more. She called it roasted corn pudding - and guests loved it. People still call and request the recipe, says Fay, but she hasn't made it since. IF SHE COULD DINE WITH ANYONE (current or historical), who would it be?: Artist Georgia O'Keeffe, French writer Colette and English novelist Jane Austen. - Natalie Haughton CAPTION(S): 6 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Asparagus with Raspberry Vinaigrette, top, and Lemon-Lime Pound Cake with Fresh Berries, above, are welcome contemporary additions to this year's Easter feast. John McCoy/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) Easter Sugar Cookies are fun to make and decorate. Wrap and use them as favors for place settings or pass a platterful for dessert. (4 -- color) For a different take on ham this year, serve it with a delicious Tarragon Sauce. (5 -- color) Montrachet and Corn Bread Souffle is an unusual and tasty accompaniment for the Easter. (6 -- color) no caption (Linda Fay) Box: SPOTLIGHT ON ... (see text) |
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