Julie Zlogar's Workshops

September 18, 2005

Chicken Pot Pie

What you need:
1 Recipe Pastry Dough (see below)
1 oven roasted chicken, picked apart approx 4 cups meat
3 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery chopped
1 medium onion chopped
herbs, your choice
3-4 cups chicken stock
pastry or pie dough for 9" pie
egg white mixed w/1tbps water for egg wash
butter or oil for sauteing vegetables
2 tbsp butter combined with 2 tbsp flour to make a paste
What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Peel and dice carrots, set aside
3. Wash celery and cut into small pieces, set aside
4 Peel onion, chop it, and set it aside
5. Heat butter or oil in large skillet on med-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, stirring as needed to keep them from sticking.
6. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender, stirring as necessary.
7. Put 3 cups chicken stock in pan and reduce liquid by half.
8. Add butter/flour paste to pan to thicken sauce. Stir constantly until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the chicken.
9. Place chicken mixture into pie pan.
10. Roll out pastry dough to an 11" circle. Place pastry over pie.
11.Gently brush egg white mixture over pie cust.
12. Place pie in a preheated 350 oven for 30-45 min or until pastry is browned.

Enjoy a yummy pie with your family!

Pastry Dough

What you need:
2 cups flour
1 cup cold butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water

What you do:
1. Place the flour and salt in food processor and pulse to blend.
2. Cut buttler into small pieces.
3. Place butter in processor and pule 8-9 1 second pulses until dough resembles corn meal.
4. Turn on machine and slowly add water until dough begins to hold together. It is important not to overmix the dough. 5. Wrap dough in saran and chill for at least an hour.
6. For 9-11 inch pies pans, divide dough into 2 equal parts.
7. Roll on a floured surface. and follow directions for the specific pie.

Crepes with Apples sauteed in Brown Sugar and Butter

Crepes
1 cup flour ( instant blending preferred)
2/3 cup each water and milk
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp melted butter

Measure flour into lg bowl and gradually add the 2/3 cup of both water and milk. If batter is very lumpy, pass through a fine strainer. Next add the eggs, salt and 3 tbsp of the melted butter. Allow mixture to sit for 10 min -1hr.

Meanwhile melt 4 tbsp butter in large skillet. When butter has melted, add the sliced apples and cook over low-med heat until apples are tender. When apples are ready, increase heat slightly and add 1/2 cup brown sugar and allow sugar to caramelize a bit.You can add any desired seasonings: cinnamon, brandy, nutmeg etc.

To make crepes:
Add 1 tbsp melted butter to a 9-10" nonstick skillet. Swirl pan so butter coats surface. Add a ladle full of crepe batter to pan and quickly swirl so the pan has a thin coating of crepe batter. This may take some practice, don't be discouraged if you have to throw the first one out.

Place some sauteed apples in crepe and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
1 recipe pastry dough
Filling:
2 cups roasted pumpkin flesh, pureed *see directions below 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger 2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp cinnamon 2/3 cup milk
1 tsp grated nutmeg 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375

Roll pastry dough on a floured surface and line pie plate with dough.

Cut excess dough around the edges and crimp with your fingers or a fork.

Combine all filling ingredients in a big bowl, and beat with a whisk until everything is mixed well.

Pour filling into pie plate, place in oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the custard is set.

**Roasted Pumpkin Flesh
Ingredients: 1 pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds.
Lightly oil the cut edges. Place cut egdes down on cookie sheet and roast in oven until tender, approx 1 hr.
Scoop cooked pumpkin flesh out of skin and puree in blender or food processor.

Warm Soups for Cool Weather

October 18, 2005

Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Nutmeg Crème Fraiche

Soup:
One 3 to 3 1/2 -pound butternut squash
2 TB canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sage sprigs
1 cup thinly sliced (1/8 in thick) leeks, white and light green parts only
1/2 cup thinly sliced (1/8 in thick) carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced (1/8 inch thick) shallots
1/2 cup thinly sliced (1/8 inch thick) onions
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 TB honey
6 cups Vegetable Stock * plus extra if necessary
Bouquet Garni
Garnish:
4 TB unsalted butter
1/4 cup crème fraiche
Freshly grated nutmeg
Canola oil (if frying sage leaves for garnish)
8 sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Lightly oil, salt and pepper the squash and put a sprig of sage in each half. Place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet, and roast for 1 hour or until soft. Remove from oven to let squash cool.
2. Place 1 TB oil in stockpot, add leeks, carrots, shallots, an onions. Sauté for 6 minutes, add garlic and sauté for 3 minutes more. Add honey, then add stock and bouquet garni and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Scrape the meat from the butternut squash and add it to the stockpot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer small batches to a blender and puree.
4. Brown butter in a small pan.
5. Ladle soup into bowel, garnish with brown butter and sage leaves.
Serves 6

* Vegetable Stock
1 large bunch of leeks, well-washed, white part only, coarsely chopped
1 pound of carrots, peeled or scrubbed, tops removed, coarsely chopped
2 large Spanish onions, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
2 bay leaves,
2 thyme sprigs
1 large bunch Italian parsley
1. Finely chop all the vegetables in a food processor
2. Cook the vegetables in the canola oil in a medium stockpot over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened.
3. Add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and enough water to cover (3 to 4 quarts.)
4. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming frequently, and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Strain into a container. May be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days or frozen for later use.

Lentil Soup
Soup
4 ounces slab bacon 1 large carrot, peeled
1/2 cup carmelized onions 1 large leek, white and light green parts only
3/4 cup French lentils, picked over and rinsed Sachet wade with 4 garlic cloves
1/2 large onion, peeled 8 cups chicken stock

Garnishes
8 baby turnips, peeled and cut into 4 wedges each
2 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
3/4 cup diced(1/4 inch) carrots, blanched in boiling salted water until tender
3/4 cup diced(1/4 inch) parsnips, blanched in boiling salted water until tender (if available)
2 TB chopped Italian parsley
2 TB minced chives
Extra virgin olive oil
Optional
16 baby leeks, small ramps, spring onions, or 32 thin scallions
16 red pearl onions, cooked
16 white pearl onions, cooked
Garlic Confit*
Soup:
1. Score fatty side of the bacon in a crosshatch pattern about 1/4 inch deep. Heat medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon fatty side down and let it render its fat for about 3 minutes. Add carmelized onions, stir and, then add the lentils and stir to mix well. Add the onion, carrot, leek, sachet and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes until the lentils are tender.
2. Remove the bacon, carrot, and leek from the soup and discard the vegetables. Cut away the layer of fat from the bacon ad cut the bacon into lardons about 1 1/2 inches long and 3/8 inch thick. Return the lardons to the pan.
Garnish:
1. Put the turnips in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover.
2. Add the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and season with enough salt so that the water tastes like the sea.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook until the turnips are just tender. Set aside.
Optional Garnish
1. Prepare an ice bath and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Trim away just the tough green dark ends of the leeks, ramp, spring onions, or scallions, leaving some dark green leaves
3. Add to the boiling water and blanch until tender,
4. Transfer to the ice bath to chill, and drain on paper towels. If using leeks or spring onions, slice them in half lengthwise
To serve:
1. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the turnips, carrots, parsnips, optional onions and leeks, and simmer for 5 minutes, and then stir in the Italian parsley, minced chives, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Ladle into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serves 6 to 8
*Garlic Confit
1 cup peeled garlic cloves (about 45 cloves)
About 2 cups canola oil

1. Cut off and discard the root ends of the garlic cloves. Place the cloves in a small saucepan and add enough oil to cover them by about 1 inch - none of the garlic cloves should be poking through the oil.
2. Place the saucepan on a diffuser over medium-low heat. The cloves should cook gently. Very small bubbles will come up through the oil, but the bubbles should not break the surface. Adjust the heat as necessary and move the pan to one side of the diffuser if it is cooking too quickly. Cook the garlic for about 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the cloves are completely tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the garlic to cool in the oil. Refrigerate the garlic, submerged in the oil, for up to a month.
Won ton Soup

9 ounces raw shrimp, pealed & deveined
1 bunch bok choy, finely chopped and sautéed in light oil
1 can water chestnuts (optional)
3 1/2 TB light soy sauce
3 1/2 TB Shaoxing rice wine
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
30 square won ton wrappers
6 cups of chicken stock
9 oz trimmed spinach (optional)
2 scallions, green part only, finely chopped

1. Put the shrimp in a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Mince the shrimp to a coarse paste using a sharp knife or a food processor.
2. Coarsely chop the water chestnuts (if using).
3. Put the shrimp, water chestnuts (if using), 2 tsp of the soy sauce, 2 tsp of the rice wine, 1/2 tsp of the salt, 1/2 tsp of the sesame oil, the black pepper, ginger and bok choy into a mixing bowl. Stir vigorously to combine filling mixture.
4. Put a teaspoon of the filling in the center of a won ton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper with a little water, fold in half to encase the filling and bring the 2 folded corners together and press firmly. Repeat with all the won ton wrappers. Put the won tons on a tray dusted with corn flour.
5. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Cook the won tons, covered, for 5-6 minutes, or until the have risen to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, remove the won tons and divide them among six bowls.
6. Put the stock in a saucepan with the remaining soy sauce, rice wine, salt and sesame oil and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Pour the hot stock over the won tons and garnish with the scallion.

Serves 6