Chef Kelly Cattani - November 2018
For this course prepare items in this order:
team one: sautéed mushrooms, crepes, make leek strings, make sauce Robert, tie up crepe bundles *we will hold hot sauce Robert. We will heat crepe bundles just prior to service. Note: We would like to be able to use some sautéed mushrooms for the plate presentation if possible
team two: make leeks fondue, make chive cream sauce, boil water to cook gnocchi in, make gnocchi and cook it, mince 200mL fresh thyme *we will hold hot leeks, chive cream sauce in bain. We will heat the gnocchi just prior to service.
Basic Crepes
2 cups all purpose flour
8 large eggs, whisked
0.5 tsp salt
3 cups 2% milk
4 Tbsp melted butter
2x 8-10” non-stick frying pans
spray oil, heat resistant spatula, 2 oz ladle
Combine flour and salt. Add milk, eggs and butter. Stir until well combined. Strain through a regular mesh strainer. Allow batter to rest 15 minutes.
To cook crepes: heat up two 8-10” non-stick frying pans over medium high heat. Spray with spray oil. Lift pan off the heat and ladle 2oz of crepe batter into the pan while swirling the pan to spread the batter out to the edges. Use the dripping batter from the ladle to fill in any holes or empty spots. Return the pan to the heat and repeat the process in the second pan.
Once the first crepe begins to look golden brown around the edges and dry in the middle carefully lift it up and invert it to cook the reverse side. Do the same with the second crepe in the second pan. Let the reverse side of the crepe cook for one to two minutes then remove the crepe to a plate.
Stack the crepes directly on top of each other as they are removed from the pan. Continue to cook crepes until all the batter has been used. Wrap the plate full of crepes tightly with plastic wrap.
Note: The steam created by stacking the crepes and wrapping them in this way allows the crispy edges of the crepes to soften.
Sautéed Mushrooms
3 lbs assorted mushrooms, cleaned and medium diced (shiitake, portobella, cremini)
0.5 cup white wine
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked and rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
0.25 cup butter
Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add butter and mushrooms. Sauté gently until the mushrooms are approximately 50% cooked through. Add the garlic and thyme. Stir to combine. Add the white wine. Cook until the mushrooms are cooked through and start to dry out slightly. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
Mushroom Stuffed Crepes
dark green leek tops
prepared crepes
sautéed mushrooms
1 small block of plain cream cheese (or herb and garlic cream cheese)
Wash and cut dark green part of leeks into strings. Place in a pan and cover with cold water. Place pan on heat and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, strain out boiling water. Return leeks to pan and fill pan again with cold water to shock them. Strain again and lay leek strings on a paper towel lined pan or plate until required. Take care not to overcook the leeks or they will break when you attempt to tie them.
Line a hotel pan with parchment paper and spray it with spray oil.
Gently peel one crepe off the prepared stack of crepes and lay it on a cutting board. Add two or three tablespoons of mushroom filling to the center. Add a tablespoon of cream cheese. Pick up the edges of the crepe and gently tie the crepe closed with a leek string. Trim the top of the bundle (the excess crepe) with scissors.
Place the bundle in the prepared hotel pan. Continue to make bundles until you have one per guest. Wrap and refrigerate unused crepes. To freeze crepes remove them from the plate and wrap completely in plastic wrap. Label, date and freeze until required.
Reserve any remaining mushroom mixture for use when plating.
Sauce Robert
0.5 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
0.5 cup onions, sliced thinly
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 L demi glace
2 tsp Dijon mustard
In a small bowl stir together the sugar and lemon juice until all sugar is dissolved.
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan melt the butter. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. You do not need/want any color on the onions. Add the wine and bay leaf. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Add the demi-glace.
Allow the sauce to cook over medium high heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (this is called nappé: When the sauce is the correct thickness it should stay in place on the back of a spoon and a finger run down the center of the spoon should create a valley that the sauce does not flood back into.)
Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the mustard and the lemon/sugar mixture. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a heat proof container or into another small pot.
Hold it hot, well wrapped so that it does not reduce any further, in a water bath until it is required for service.
Parisienne Gnocchi
pâte à choux
boiling salted water in a large pot (6L or so)
piping bag
paring knife
strainer to remove the gnocchi from the water
ice bath to cool gnocchi down rapidly
Later (at the time of service) we will toss the gnocchi with melted butter, salt and pepper and fry in a very hot sauté pan to heat through.
To Prepare the pâte à choux:
500 mL water or milk
0.5 lb salted butter, cubed
360 g all purpose flour
8 large eggs plus 2 egg whites, whisked together
**for our purposes we will also be adding 2 Tbsp mixed chopped herbs – parsley, thyme, rosemary **
Place butter and water/milk in a medium sized heavy bottomed pot. Grab a sturdy wooden spoon. Have all ingredients at hand and roll down your sleeves. This take a bit of work.
Bring to a boil the water/milk and butter. Once the mixture is raising up the sides of the pot add all the flour all at once. Remove it from the heat and stir it vigorously. Smash the mixture against the sides of the pot to remove any lumps. All lumps *must* be busted up. Return the pot to the heat and continue stirring and mashing it until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and the flour is slightly scorched on the bottom (should be a very thin golden-brown layer).
Dump the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer (a Kitchen Aid for example) and fit it with the paddle attachment. Turn on the mixer to medium and mix for a minute, allowing the pastry to cool slightly. Add the mixed eggs one third at a time. Allow the eggs to FULLY incorporate before adding in more. Stop after the second addition and scrape down the bowl and paddle of the mixer. Scrape all the way to the center of the bottom of the mixing bowl. Resume mixing and add the last third of eggs.
**add the chopped mixed herbs**
Mix on medium high heat until the dough is shiny. A soft peak should form when you poke your finger into the dough and remove it (it is quick sticky). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough until you are ready to cook the gnocchi.
Chive Cream Sauce
1 tbsp butter
0.25 cup shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 L heavy cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup chives, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
In a heavy bottomed pot set over medium heat melt butter, add shallot and garlic. Stir until fragrant and then add white wine. Reduce wine by about three quarters.
Add heavy cream. Allow sauce to reduce by about half (take care, this boils over easily) or until nappé. Add Dijon mustard.
Remove from heat and taste, season, taste again. Hold hot until required for service (ideally wrapped, in a heat proof container set in a bain marie). Add chives just prior to service.
Leeks Fondue
8 leeks, trimmed and washed thoroughly *ask chef to show you how to do this*
1 lb butter
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1 cup white wine
Cut leeks into a medium dice. In a heavy bottomed pot or rondeaux melt butter, add leeks and thyme sprigs. Cook over medium heat until leeks are nearly cooked through. Add wine and continue to cook until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat, season and taste. Place leeks fondue into a heat proof container, covered with plastic wrap, in a bain marie until needed for service.