Category: Meatless

Mushroom Egg Foo Young with Gravy

mushroom egg foo young

Mushroom Egg Foo Young
UPDATE:
A newer recipe for Egg Foo Young is now posted here.
 
I grew up in Chicago.
Every Sunday we would have Chinese take-out for dinner.
As a kid, one of my favorite dishes was the mysterious egg foo young.
Back then, the only ingredient that I knew it contained for sure, was egg.

Blend 4 eggs with 2 T. flour, then add a finely chopped shallot, a couple sliced scallions, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

Add about a cup each of chopped bean sprouts and cooked brown mushrooms.

Heat vegetable oil in an omelette pan then ladle in half of the egg mixture. This recipe makes 2.  Cook over medium high heat until the bottom browns. Finish cooking the top side under the broiler.

Meanwhile prepare the gravy by making a light brown roux with 2 T. each vegetable oil and flour. Slowly add a cup of beef (or vegetable) stock, finish with a splash of dry sherry, salt and pepper to taste.

Place a serving platter on the pan and flip the egg foo young over onto the platter.
Top with gravy and garnish with scallions and parsley.
Egg Foo Young, demystified and delicious.
Do you remember an exotic dish from your childhood?
 
UPDATE:
A newer recipe for Egg Foo Young is now posted here.

Artichoke & Cambozola Quiche

If Camembert and Gorgonzola are among your faves you will love this Cheese Marriage Made in Heaven.

Cambozola is a German triple cream cow’s milk cheese reminiscent of French Camembert inoculated with the same blue mold used to make Italian Gorgonzola.

For the Quiche: The pie crust is pressed into the Le Creuset pan. Most of the rind is removed from the cheese and it is roughly sliced.

Frozen artichoke hearts are cooked, drained, cooled, and seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Place artichokes atop the cheese. Add the custard. Go here for my basic quiche custard recipe. Bake at 350 for about an hour maybe 1 and 1/4 hour.

The cheese melts thoughout the quiche, so the flavor is in every bite just like the Brie, Toasted Almond & Herb Quiche.

Didn’t get enough of that delicious Cambozola? Try a green salad, tossed with walnuts, baby heirloom tomatoes, and roasted walnut vinaigrette with warm Cambozola on toasted multi-grain baguette.

Mascarpone Sorbet

There are some fabulous recipes for Mascarpone Sorbet out there, Thomas Keller’s comes to mind. This is not that. You don’t need an ice cream maker or any special skills for that matter. Just for fun, you might want to check out this post on his recipe.

Then compare this one: Soften a pint of lemon sorbet on the counter. Put that in a food processor with 6 oz. of mascarpone cheese. Blend. Spoon into pretty serving cups or ramekins and refreeze. Defrost slightly before serving for optimum complex, creamy, tangy flavor.
Can you envision endless possibilities for a garnish? Strawberry slices, mint leaves, lemon wheel, maraschino cherry, a dollop of chutney, candied flower petals…Keller serves his with rhubarb confit and candied fennel.
My recipe technique is so embarrassingly simple, that I am reluctant to share it with my guests. But I’m happy share it with you.

English Fruits For Cheese

I am fascinated by food pairings. This fabulous pairing is a Danish Blue Cheese with an English Lime & Chilli Fruit Puree on toasted Italian Ciabatta.


The cheese is triple-cream, soft blue-veined Castello Blue. It has a Brie-like texture, a taste that is delectably rich and buttery, with mild spicy accents of blue veins and the aroma is of mushrooms.

The fruit puree is by The Fine Cheese Co. in Bath, England. This is Lime & Chilli puree, which they make specifically for blue cheeses. Ingredients: bramley apples, cane sugar, lime juice and fresh chiles.

They also have the classic Quince to pair with Spanish Manchego, as well as a Gooseberry puree to pair with aged Gouda. And I love this – they make a cheese wedding cake (not cheesecake!) a tiered cake of cheese with fruits and nuts!

Burrata! Three Ways!

“Burrata is to mozzarella as foie gras is to chicken liver.” Russ Parsons

Burrata – fresh mozzarella stuffed with “rags” of mozzarella and heavy cream. It is a regional speciality in Italy, from the area around Bari. It is always served raw, cool, but not too cold, so all the wonderful delicate creamy, sweet, sour, and earthy flavors come through.

Keep it simple!
In a salad: Burrata on freshly made chilled tomato sauce, over arugula dressed with olive oil.

I make the tomato sauce with olive oil heated gently with garlic and red pepper flakes. Then I add crushed Italian tomatoes and finish with fresh basil, and sea salt.

On bruschetta, with high quality olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

A combination I heard about from Valentino restaurateur, Piero Selvaggio. He says he likes his burrata topped with caviar.

So…I gave that a try. Here the burrata is topped with ikura (salmon roe). It was fabulous!

We had a great time learning how to make fresh mozzarella and burrata while attending the Cal Poly Farmstead Cheesemaker course which I highly recommend for those with a passion for cheese.

Burrata tip: use a serrated knife to cut the ball into quarters.

POST post 11/18:
A Burrata Bonus – Burrata Four Ways!
After posting about this delicious cheese, we went to dinner at Melisse Restaurant in Santa Monica. Chef Josiah had burrata on the menu…his was heavenly, topped with an ethereal basil foam.