• preparation

Dice and freeze fatback. Dice the veal and pork. Heat oil in skillet. Sauté the onions. Combine meat, onion, and seasonings in a bowl. Mix cream and egg whites. Pour over meat. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Marinate artichokes in wine, brandy. Season with salt and pepper. Puree the meat with fatback. Add the pistachios and ham.
Grease a 5 cup mold and line top and bottom with pastry dough. Alternate forcemeat and artichokes ending with forcemeat.
Cover pâté with pastry. Brush with egg yolk.
Cut an opening in the center.
Bake at 350 degree for about an hour. When cold, fill the pate with sherry wine aspic.

• preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together stock, oil and truffles.
In a deep 10 -to 12-inch skillet bring 3 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain asparagus. Pat dry. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with butter.
Spoon truffle broth over asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Serve asparagus warm or at room temperature.

• preparation

Make ham rolls stuffing the egg salad in each slice. Pour liquid aspic in an 8 by 8-inch dish.
Let set until firm. Arrange stuffed ham on a platter. Decorate with avocado and egg slices.
Decorate platter with chopped aspic jelly. Refrigerate before serving.

• preparation

Cook potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash with 1 tablespoon cream.
Transfer potato to a large bowl. Whisk in flour, eggs and remaining cream. Season to taste.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium spray with oil.
Add batter to the pan in 1/4 - cup measures. Cook pancakes, in batches, for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Top pancakes with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and snipped chives. Serve with lemon wedges.

• preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, lemon rind, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and pepper until smooth. On a large sheet of wax paper, spread out the slices of salmon to form a rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the salmon.
Roll up the salmon tightly from one end, jelly roll style. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wash cucumber, dry and slice across into 1/4-inch slices.
Just before serving, slice the smoked salmon roll into -inch slices. Top each cucumber slice with a slice of salmon roll. Serve at once.

PRESENTATION
Serve this hors d'oeuvre on a tray. Arrange the cucumber and salmon rolls on the tray into two circles. Garnish center of tray with parsley or dill sprigs.

• preparation

combine apple cider, kosher salt, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a glass bowl. Add pork chops and mix well with marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes to one hour, refrigerated.
Remove chops from the marinade and pat dry.
Broil or cook pork chops on an open grill for approximately 10 minutes, turning as needed. Serve with red onion marmalade.

RED ONION MARMALADE:

(marmalade may be made up to 2 days ahead).

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 cups red onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
to taste salt and white pepper
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups red wine


Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes, then add the brown sugar and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, or bake in a 350 degree oven until the onions are golden soft and brown.
Add the vinegar and cook until it has completely evaporated, then add the red wine stirring the onions frequently to prevent sticking and burning. When the red wine has evaporated, taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and keep warm

• preparation

Cut the carrots into julienne strips. Blanch in salted boiling water until barely tender. Drain and set aside.
Cut 8 slices of ginger on the diagonal, then cut into julienne strips. Snap off the stems from the snow peas and remove the string.
Chop the scallions including some of the green top. Cut the pork into thin slices and then into 1/4 inch strips. Stir-fry.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the pork and stir while cooking. After 1 minute, add the blanched carrots, the snow peas, and the ginger. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the scallions and the garlic and then the wine and the soy sauce.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

• preparation

In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a simmer. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in thoroughly, one by one until mixture is smooth. Mix in the cheese and seasonings.
Transfer cheese mixture to a mixing bowl.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Carefully fry half of the dry parsley sprigs for about 10 to 12 seconds.
Transfer to a plate on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining parsley. Season with salt.
Spoon about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the oil. Do not crowd as they double in size and self rotate while cooking. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
Keep beignets in a warm oven while frying the remaining. Arrange the warm cheese beignets on a platter with the fried parsley.
Serve with hot tomato basil.
Note: If served as hors d'oeuvres, fry teaspoonfuls of the cheese mixture.

• preparation

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour. Add milk and cream and whisk until sauce is thick and bubbly. Mix in the cheese. Blend well. Stir in egg yolks. Season to taste.
Spread mixture over a greased square dish to a thickness of 1 inch. Cool 1/2 hour.
Cut into 2-inch by 1-inch pieces. Dust in flour, dip in egg white, and roll in fresh bread crumbs.
Deep fry until brown. Serve with tomato sauce and fried parsley.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the carrots. Blanch for 5 minutes and drain. Plant a bamboo spike at the base of each carrot, asparagus, and corn on the cob.
Roll carrots, asparagus and corn in flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs. Finally, roll the corn in the chopped cornflakes, then the carrots and asparagus in the breadcrumbs.
Place the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled baking paper. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake 20 to 30 mins. Sprinkle the carrots and asparagus with the parmesan then place everything on a serving platter before serving.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 4-inch squares.
Cut cheese into fingers about the size of asparagus spears.
Spread each pastry dough evenly with mustard.
Lay an asparagus spear and a strip of cheese on each pastry square. Roll them up, seal and place seam side down on a buttered baking sheet. Brush rolls with beaten egg.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until pastry is brown and cheese is melted

• preparation

Cook potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash with 1 tablespoon cream.
Transfer potato to a large bowl. Whisk in flour, eggs and remaining cream. Season to taste.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium spray with oil.
Add batter to the pan in 1/4 - cup measures. Cook pancakes, in batches, for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Top pancakes with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and snipped chives. Serve with lemon wedges.

• preparation

Cook and drain spinach, pressing dry. Mix spinach with cream sauce. Spoon cream spinach over toasted muffins.
Place steamed artichoke bottoms on top of spinach. Top with the hot poached eggs. Spoon the warm hollandaise sauce over eggs.

• preparation

In a medium bowl, combine the apple, blue cheese, celery, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt.
To assemble, mound a small spoonful of the apple mixture onto the core end of each endive leaf. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

• preparation

Make ham rolls stuffing the egg salad in each slice. Pour liquid aspic in an 8 by 8-inch dish.
Let set until firm. Arrange stuffed ham on a platter. Decorate with avocado and egg slices.
Decorate platter with chopped aspic jelly. Refrigerate before serving.

• preparation

Wash potatoes with the skin. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well. Peel and cut crosswise, into thin slices.
Slice onion thinly, crosswise.
In a frying pan, heat olive oil; add onion and sauté until lightly browned. Stir in potatoes and sauté for a minute. Stir in cheese to melt and add parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Lay out crêpes on a working surface.
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat one side with melted butter.
Divide stuffing in 6 equal portions and place a portion in the center of each crêpe. Fold the sides of the crêpe over the filling. Starting from one open end, roll up each crêpe to make a firm but not tight cylinder. Again, brush them with melted butter.
Place on small nonstick baking sheet. Bake in a 300 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.

To make crêpes, use a 6 or 7-inch crêpe or omelet non-stick pan.
Combine egg, milk, flour and salt in a blender or food processor and whip until batter is smooth. Heat crêpe or omelet pan.
Lightly brush pan with butter, and heat pan over medium heat. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter. Tilt the pan in all directions until the pan thoroughly coats the bottom.
Pour off any excess of batter (crêpe should be thin). Cook on one side over medium heat until lightly brown (about 20 seconds) then turn over and cook to brown the other side.
Turn the crêpe out onto a plate and repeat the process until all the batter is used. Stack the finished crêpes on one another; they don't stick.
Note:
crêpes can be made several days ahead. Cover the plate tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until use.

• preparation

Cook white and green asparagus separately in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes for white asparagus; about 3 minutes for green asparagus.
Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a colander and rinse under cold water (to stop cooking), then drain again. Pat dry.
Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shallots, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add morels and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and sauté, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Slice potatoes very thin. Wash under cold running water. Place in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander. Add potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mix in the garlic, 1 cup Swiss cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Spoon in an oven proof baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top is brown and potatoes are fully cooked.

• preparation

Trim stalks from spinach and shred leaves finely. Place in a large bowl. Cut smoked salmon and cheese into matchstick strips.
Heat the dressing ingredients in a pot. Bring to boil. Pour hot dressing over spinach and toss well.
PRESENTATION
Divide spinach among cold salad plates. Top with salmon and cheese. Vary the amount of spinach and cheese if desired.

• preparation

Peel and wash potatoes. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices, then into 1/4-inch sticks. Wash thoroughly in cold water. Drain well.
Deep fry in batches at 350 degrees until potatoes are cooked, but not brown.
At serving time, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees. Fry potatoes in batches, until golden brown.Sprinkle with salt. Serve hot.

• preparation

Snap off the woody ends of asparagus where they naturally break when you bend them or cut them off with a knife.

Boil water in a large pot or saucepan with steamer then reduce to simmer, add asparagus, cover with lid and steam asparagus until tender (about 8-10 minutes) *This will depend on your preference.

Use tongs to remove asparagus

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, oil, red wine, dijon mustard, salt and pepper together.

Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Arrange cooked asparagus tomatoes on a large platter.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley.


Drizzle with ½ the dressing and serve the remainder on the side *Can be served warm, room temperature or chilled.



????Variations & Substitutions
Tomatoes- you could use cherry tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes
Asparagus -you could use grilled or oven-roasted asparagus instead of steamed
Tarragon- fresh tarragon is ideal, but you can use dried
Feta cheese - you can use regular, light or fat-free feta or use goat cheese
Add-ins- you could also sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese and/or add red onions or green onion

• preparation

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel blade, chop finely parsley, dill and watercress. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Process spinach in the same way and add to herb mixture. Add scallions, mayonnaise and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
Refrigerate until ready to use

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into large cubes. Boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well, and put through a ricer. Mix well and combine with butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mixture should be thick.
Cool the prepared mixture and shape into small logs, (1 inch round by 3 inches long).

Coat the logs in flour, dip and cover in beaten egg mixed with oil and roll in breadcrumbs.
Deep fry at 350 degrees F. until golden brown.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean with a knife into a small bowl, discarding pod, and stir in sugar and cinnamon.
On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry 1/8 inch thick and drape pastry over tart pan, pressing dough gently onto pan.
On pastry arrange plum and apricot slices, overlapping them slightly, in rows and sprinkle with sugar mixture.
Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool tarts on a rack and brush with jam. Serve tarts warm with ice cream.

• preparation

In medium saucepan, combine apricots, sugar, water, orange and lemon juice over high heat. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until apricots are very soft. Let cool slightly, then spoon into food processor; process until smooth. Cool in a mixing bowl. Freeze in an ice cream maker until firm enough to scoop. Spoon into serving bowl; garnish with mint.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Drain pears. Caramelize sugar with ¼ cup water until golden brown.
Pour caramel into the bottom of an 8½-inch round baking dish. Arrange pears, rounded side down on caramelized sugar.
Top with a second layer. Dot with butter. Bake 25 minutes. Bake pastry circle for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Place circle over pears.
Place serving plate over the top of pastry circle. Invert; remove baking dish.
Whip cream with sugar until firm. Garnish pears with whipped cream rosettes.

• preparation

Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan simmer 1/2 cup Armagnac (being careful not to let ignite) until reduced by about half. Stir in cream and milk and bring mixture to a simmer.
In a bowl whisk together yolks and sugar. Add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to cleaned saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170°F (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl set in ice water. Stir in remaining tablespoon Armagnac and cool custard completely.
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Armagnac ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

• preparation

The Cocoa and Almond Sponge Cake

Start beating the egg-whites and when it forms peaks add the sugar and keep beating until fluffy. Then the yolks, beat until homogeneous
Mix together the ground almonds, the flour and the cocoa then blend them into the meringue delicately
Spread this mixture over 2 sheets of baking paper, shape 2 squares a bit larger than 16x16 cm and put in a preheated oven (medium heat) for 7-10 minutes (according to your oven). Then leave to cool down for 5 minutes, remove from the baking paper (turn them upside down), reserve.

The Praliné Feuillantine (Crispy Praline)
Warm up the praline paste over a hot water bath, add the chocolate, stir until completely melted.
Crush the crèpes dentelles (or the corn flakes or even crispy rice), and mix them into the praline paste and chocolate.
Spread this mixture over a sheet of baking paper, try to shape a square 16x16 cm... Place in the freezer right away.

The Chocolate Mousse :
Hydrate the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Melt the chocolate over a warm water bath. Heat up the 50 gr cream and add the gelatin (drained), stir until dissolved, then blend the cream into the chocolate, mix until homogeneous. We get a ganache. Leave to cool down, until it reaches about 30°C/86°F.
Place the yolks and the whole egg in a large bowl (glass or metal). Then prepare the syrup, gather the water and sugar in a pan and heat it up until it reaches 115°C/239°F, pour it right away in a thin stream over the eggs, whipping all the time until it reaches the room temperature. We get a smooth mousse. Blend delicately this mousse into the ganache. Then prepare the whipped cream with the 350 gr cream and fold it delicately as well into the previous mixture.

The Chocolate Glaze :
Hydrate the gelatin in cold water for about 5 minutes.
In a pan bring to the boil the water and sugar. Add the cocoa powder, mix until homogeneous. Add the gelatin (drained), mix until dissolved, then add the cream. Reserve (we want to use it below 30°C/86°F).

The Assembly :

Place one square of sponge cake in the middle of the cake frame. Place over it the crispy praline (still frozen). Then pour the chocolate mousse almost to the top.Place the second square of sponge cake, press a bit then cover with the rest of mousse to the top. Level with a large spatula. Put right away in the freezer for about 2 or 3 hours. This step will help to remove the cake from the cake frame and to set quickly the chocolate glaze.
Remove the cake from the freezer, and delicately from the cake frame.
Place the cake on a shelf and pour the chocolate glaze over it and leveling the top with a large spatula.

When the glaze is completely set, decorate as you want, here with some macaroons. Leave it at room temperature for 1 hour in order to defrost and then serve right away.

• preparation

Prepare the soufflé dishes:
Cut parchment or wax paper into 6 strips, each 3 inches wide by 12 inches long. Wrap a strip around the outside of each soufflé mold and secure with transparent tape or a rubber band to form a raised collar extending about 1 1/2 inches above the edge of the mold. Place the molds in the refrigerator.
Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries if fresh, or defrost the package of quick- frozen strawberries in hot water or in a microwave oven.
Process to a puree in a blender. Strain the puree through a fine sieve over a small bowl. Refrigerate.
Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and add the cream of tartar. Stir the sugar and water in a clean grease-free saucepan. Place over high heat.
Begin immediately to beat the egg whites using preferably a standing electric mixer, slowly at first, then increasing the speed moderately. When the sugar syrup reaches the desired temperature of 234 to 238 degrees F (soft ball stage *), remove it from the heat. By then the egg whites are medium stiff. Increase the speed of the electric beater while pouring a steady stream of the syrup into the whites. Continue beating for 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer the egg white mixture to a clean mixing bowl. Refrigerate. Wash the mixing bowl. Rinse under cold water, and dry. Pour the cold cream in the bowl. Whisk using the electric beater until whipped and thick. Fold half of the strawberry puree into the egg whites.
Fold the remaining strawberry puree into the whipped cream. Then fold the two mixtures together. Divide the soufflé mixture among the 6 chilled prepared soufflé molds.
Freeze for at least 3 hours or more. 20 minutes before serving, remove the soufflés from the freezer and place in the refrigerator. Just before serving, remove the paper collars and carefully sprinkle the cocoa powder through a fine sieve over the top of each soufflé. Serve immediately.

* The simplest way to tell when the syrup reaches 235 degrees F is with a candy thermometer. But if you do not have one, use the following method: Fill a small bowl with ice water. When the syrup begins to bubble, spoon a drop into the ice water. If you can gather it into a small ball, the syrup has reached the soft ball stage, and is ready.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter six 6-ounce individual soufflé molds. Sprinkle the bottom and sides of molds with superfine sugar and rotate the dish so that the sugar evenly coats the surface; shake out excess. Place dishes on a baking sheet.
Heat the raspberry purée in a saucepan. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the cornstarch and cold water in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the bubbly raspberry tothicken. Strain into a mixing bowl.
In an electric mixing bowl, combine egg whites with the cream of tartar. Beat at high speed until thick and firm. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the cooled raspberry mixture.
Spoon the soufflé mixture into the prepared molds. Fill up to the rim, and level the mixture with a small spoon or spatula.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with sabayon sauce.

SABAYON SAUCE
makes 2 cups
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup Chablis (dry white wine)

Add the egg yolks to the top of a double boiler and beat with a whisk while gradually adding the sugar. Beat until blended. Gradually beat in the wine. Place in a double-boiler over boiling water and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken, then whisk until frothy and reaches the consistency of a light custard . Remove from the heat.
Ideally, this sauce is served immediately with the soufllé but, if necesary, it may be left sitting, covered, for about one hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This sauce is also very good over fresh raspberries or strawberries.

• preparation

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites with cream of tartar and vinegar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.
Continue beating, and gradually add the sugar. Beat until very stiff, about 2 minutes. Add coloring and continue beating for 5 minutes at medium speed. Spoon the meringue mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe 3/4- to 1-inch drops onto prepared baking sheet; after each drop is piped by squeezing the bag, release from squeezing, and pull straight up with the bag to create the very fine curled tip on each drop. Bake until drops are hard to the touch but not browned, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Repeat to use all meringue. Meringue drops may be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil until well combined. Dip the bottom of each cooled meringue drop into the melted chocolate; stick two together if desired. Turn upside down on a cooling rack, and let chocolate harden. This can take up to 50 minutes at room temperature or just freeze on parchment paper for 5 minutes. Serve.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel apples. Core, and cut into thin round slices.
Combine rum and sugar. Pour over apples. Let stand a hour.
Spread apricot preserves over bottom of an 8-inch round baking dish.
Arrange apple slices on top. Save juice.
Sprinkle apples with sugar.
Bake until soft and brown. Cool.
Heat liquid, pour over apples. Serve warm.