Vol-au-vent with Mushroom and Veal / Chicken

INGREDIENTS

BUTTER

FLOUR

CREAM

MILK

MUSHROOM

GALRLIC, SHALLOT AND THYME OPTIONAL

VEGETABLE OR CHICKEN STOCK

OLIVE OIL

PARSLEY OR CELERY - OPTIONAL

DIRECTION

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, add flour and cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Add some cream. One can add some milk (though my friend did not add it)

2. Melt the butter in another non-stick saucepan over a low heat and add button mushroom and cook till it is red. You can add garlic and shallot also. You may also add some Thyme. 

3.Mix each other well and then add stock of chicken or vegetable and finally cornflower and finally add small diced chicken  pieces (cooked in olive oil, shallots and garlic) , cook it till it is a thick broth

4. Finally pour  it in a pastry and then keep the pastry sub merged in the thick broth.

5. Add Parsely or celery at the end , if you want

How to make the sauce ?

See this video : party_vol-au-vents_60239

Your guest chef:

Not exactly what I taught:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xoU29mxhJ0

Cream of Broccoli Soup -- recipe 1

1. 1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in medium sized stock pot and saute 1 onion and 1 garlic clove (and 1 celery stalk, optional until tender)  for 2 minutes 
2. 2. Add 8 broccoli florets (200 gms) and 3 cups of Chicken stock. Bring it to Boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. 3. Add salt and Pepper
4. 2. Pour the soup into a blender, filling it  no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender and pour into a clean pot. Tips : Before putting it into blender make it cold, otherwise it will be a disaster.
5. 3. In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in 3 table spoon of flour and add 2 cups of milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. 
6. 4. Season with pepper and serve.


7. source: https://www.bbc.com
8. source: Edited from https://www.allrecipes.com
9. Video Link https://www.allrecipes.com/video

Classic Pasta Carbonara or Spaghetti pasta alla carbonara

I have learnt this recipe from my Italian friend, in my kitchen in Kolkata. Please follow the steps, exactly the way I have mentioned here, in that order. It is different from all the online recipes found in youtube (I have checked). The word Carbonara means Bacon and egg.

Look of classic Pasta Carbonara 

                                          

                                                     Pic credit : pasta+carbonara

1. Heat the half table spoon olive oil (not extra virgin) in a large pan over medium heat. Add the bacon (or pancetta) and cook slowly until crispy. Cut any hard skin off the Bacon. I add button mushroom and Broccoli (which is not authentic actually).  Then add 4-5 table (not tea) spoon of cream and turn off the heat and left in the pan. Actually Bacon has lot of fat, that is why you don't need much olive oil. Oil will come out of it. None of the recipes in internet has talked about cream. But I always use it as per the advise of my friend. So I guess cream is optional.

2. Put the 1 egg yolk (yes you read it right!) into a bowl . In Internet they have advised people to add Parmesan Cheese with egg. I do not do it. Nor did my friend suggest it.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the 200 gms of pasta (Sphagetti or Penne) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") . My friend says there is no need to add oil while cooking the pasta in boiling water. However according to my friend al dente is not a must. She likes it "more than al dente" . Drain the pasta well. Tip: Take a Sphagetti out and break it into 2 pieces. See if the colour of the core is consistent, with the surface. In other words, make sure that the core should not be white. White means not fully cooked. My friend said "​No garlic, do not even mention it, in Carbonara...! " However many youtube videos do add garlic. I will stick to my friend's advise, otherwise she will not host me, when I go to her house !!

4. Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the large pan (mentioned in point 2 above) and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. 

 5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg into the pasta, whisking quickly until the Pasta is coated with egg; but do not scramble (this is done off the heat, to ensure this does not happen) . You might be skeptical about the raw eggs, it actually gets cooked through completely from the residual heat.

6.Serve it immediately. Season the Carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt.  You may garnish with chopped Parsley. I do not add Parsley. My friend does not add Parsley. 

Pass some Parmesan cheese around the table. You can add some extra virgin olive oil at the end. Buy good Pasta and not Pasta available for Rs 15,  in the local market !

This serves 2 people.

Your guest chef

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crtg0kPrPjY- not exactly the one, I have mentioned here. But it is somewhat similar.

Crêpe

Ingredients

Makes 8 crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.
4. You can caramalize it with sugar on the batter when it is almost done.