Asparagus with Quail Eggs
Chicken with Mascarpone and Shallots
Roasted New Potatoes with Chives
Sunchoke Gratin
Cooking time: 45 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
Quail eggs are little and fun, but, if you can't get them or choose not to use them, 2 regular chicken eggs will be fine. We'll use the rest or most of the Mascarpone here. If there is any left add it to the Swedish Meatballs.
Asparagus with Quail Eggs
Total time: 20 minutes
Asparagus is one of two foods (the other is bacon) that etiquette says one should eat with ones fingers, rather than a knife and fork. For this, dip the tips in the egg yolk.... A fork will be needed for the rest of the eggs, however... And the rest of the quail eggs? Hard boil them for snacks (5 minutes)
Ingredients:
- 6oz (180gr) asparagus, 12 thin or 8 large spears
- 6 quail eggs substitute 2 chicken eggs
- 2 tsp olive oil or butter
- Vinaigrette:
- 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tsp tarragon wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 3 tbs good olive oil
Instructions:
- Snap off ends of asparagus. If your asparagus is very thick or if it’s white, use vegetable peeler and peel the bottom half of stalk.
- Put into a skillet big enough to hold them without cutting, add water to cover bottom by 1/4 inch, cover and bring to boil.
- Lower heat and cook just until done, 6 - 10 minutes, longer for white, adding a bit of water as needed.
- Remove and keep warm.
- Heat oil or butter in skillet over medium heat.
- Add eggs and fry until the whites are set. They are meant to be 'sunny-side up' - which is: whites set, yolks runny..... or cook them however you like them.
- Drizzle a bit of vinaigrette on half of a plate.
- Lay asparagus out nicely on top.
- Put three quail eggs (or 1 chicken egg) on the other half of the plate.
- Salt & pepper eggs if you like and serve, any remaining vinaigrette on the side.
- Vinaigrette:
- Whisk mustard and vinegar.
- Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly.
- Add tarragon, whisk well.
Tip: If using quail eggs crack them and put them into 2 small bowls, 3 eggs each, to make frying them easier. They'll be ready to slide into the hot pan. The shells are a bit tougher then chicken eggs so it requires a bit more effort.
Chicken with Mascarpone and Shallots
Total time: 45 minutes
I occasionally find a chicken recipe that leans more toward the decadent than the healthy and reserve it for a Saturday dinner (rather than a Monday). This is loosely based on a recipe I saw years ago in Cooking Light magazine. I cut the chicken breasts in half, but you can leave them whole if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 3 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs white wine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 slice Prosciutto (1.5 oz, 45gr)
- 4 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 bay leaves (laurel)
- 3/4 cup (6oz, 180ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) mascarpone
- 2 tsp cornstarch (maizena, corn flour) dissolved in 1 tbs water
Instructions:
- Mix mustard, vinegar, wine and thyme.
- Cut chicken breasts in half, the short way, and put in a small dish or larger zip-lock bag.
- Add mustard mixture and allow to marinade for at least 10 minutes, but up to an hour.
- Peel shallots and garlic, leave whole.
- Slice the Prosciutto.
- Heat oil in nonstick skillet.
- Add Prosciutto, shallots and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until all is slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken from marinade and add to skillet. Reserve marinade.
- Sauté the chicken 5 minutes per side. (They won't really brown, but it starts them cooking.)
- Add the reserved marinade, parsley, bay and chicken stock.
- Stir to combine, cover, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes.
- To finish:
- Remove chicken, shallots and garlic to a small platter and keep warm.
- Remove and discard bay leaves.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water. Stir cornstarch into stock to thicken.
- When hot and bubbling again, turn off heat and add mascarpone, stirring well.
- Spoon sauce over chicken and shallots, serve.
Roasted New Potatoes with Chives
Total time: 35 minutes
New potatoes are early, tiny, immature potatoes of any color, usually 1" (2.5cm) or less in diameter. They have a high moisture content, are very creamy and usually cooked whole. If you can't get new potatoes, use regular potatoes, cut into 4ths or 6ths.
Ingredients:
- 12 - 18 new potatoes, depending on size enough for two people
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs fresh chives, snipped
- salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Leave potatoes whole and unpeeled. Just wash lightly.
- Toss with oil, lightly salt and put into a baking dish large enough for them to be in a single layer.
- Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
- Stir half way through baking time.
- Remove from oil and put into a small dish.
- Add butter and chives, toss to coat and serve.
Sunchoke Gratin
Total time: 30 minutes
These gnarly roots are delicious and easy to fix. Select sunchokes that are firm and with fewer rather than more knobby bits. There is no need to peel, but scrub well.
Ingredients:
- 3 - 4 Jerusalem artichokes aka sunchokes (8oz, 240gr)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) Parmesan
Instructions:
- Trim and clean sunchokes.
- Leave whole and put into a steamer basket over hot water.
- Steam 15 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Watch them - they go from barely done to over done quickly.
- When done remove and cut into 1/2" (1.25cm) slices.
- Lightly oil a small gratin dish.
- Layer the sunchoke slices in dish.
- Sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan.
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top.
- Bake, 400F (200C) for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 45 minutes for menu
Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes
Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives,
large skillet with lid, medium skillet with lid, medium
saucepan with steamer basket and lid, gratin dish,
baking dish, dish for marinating
Turn oven on, 400F (200C)
Mix marinade for chicken
Cut chicken if desired, add to marinade, set aside
Peel shallots, garlic
Slice Prosciutto
Clean sunchokes, steam
Sauté shallot, garlic, Prosciutto
Trim asparagus
Make vinaigrette
Scrub potatoes, toss with oil, bake
Sauté chicken,
reserve marinade
Cook asparagus
Get eggs ready
Turn chicken |
Snip chives, set aside
Add marinade, stock, herbs, etc to chicken
Cover, simmer
Remove sunchokes, slice
Assemble sunchoke gratin, bake
Stir potatoes
Remove asparagus
Drain water, reheat skillet
Add eggs, fry
Drizzle vinaigrette on plates
Arrange asparagus
Add eggs to plate, serve, eat
Done?
Remove chicken, shallots, garlic, keep warm
Increase heat under skillet
Dissolve cornstarch in stock, add, thicken
Remove potatoes, add butter, chives
Remove sunchokes
Add mascarpone to stock, stir
Pour sauce over chicken, serve all
|