by Kathy Douglas | May 18, 2021 | Desserts, Uncategorized
A deliciously sweet, tangy buttermilk and lemon dessert! This Panna Cotta is served in a pool of fresh tart rhubarb sauce and topped with sous vide rhubarb pieces flavored with Grand Marnier.
For the Rhubarb
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. fresh rhubarb
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the sous vide circulator to 190˚F. Wash and cut the rhubarb into slices about 1.5” long. Place the rhubarb in bowl add the sugar and Grand Marnier; toss to coat. Add in an even layer into a vacuum bag and tightly seal under vacuum.
Add the bag to the water bath and cook for 45 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
Refrigerate the bag until cold or overnight.
For the Buttermilk Panna Cotta
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
Nonstick oil spray
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Lightly spray six 1 cup silicone ramekins or custard cups with nonstick spray.
Heat cream, lemon zest, and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring just to low boil, stirring occasionally. Add gelatin mixture; remove from heat. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool mixture to lukewarm, stirring often. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla then divide the mixture evenly among prepared ramekins. Refrigerate panna cotta until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Cover once the surface has set.
To Serve
INGREDIENTS
Mint sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS
Loosen the panna cotta in each cup. Place a plate atop each ramekin and invert, allowing panna cotta to settle onto plate. Open the vacuum bag with the rhubarb and serve the rhubarb with its sauce over the Panna Cotta and the mint sprigs. Serve chilled.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 30, 2017 | Entrees, Uncategorized
Our “not so scary Blood and Bones” themed Halloween dinner has a delicious bowl of homemade tomato soup served with mini grilled tomato “bone” sandwiches. Quick and easy to make, it’s the perfect festive dinner before heading out to your Halloween celebrations.
INGREDIENTS
Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, grated
1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup white wine, we prefer Pinot Grigio
3 cups no salt chicken stock
28-oz. can purée San Marzano tomatoes
1 4-inch fresh rosemary stem
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of cream
Grilled Cheese “Bones”
8 large pieces of country white bread
8 sandwich slices of cheese, fontina, mozzarella, cheddar or your favorite melting cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Bone shaped cookie cutter
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, occasionally stirring, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables and garlic. Add the wine and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated. Add the stock, tomatoes, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a strong simmer, stirring, so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
While the soup cooks, make the grilled cheese “bones.” Cut 16 bone shapes out of the bread. Cut 8 bone shapes out of the cheese. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Thinly spread the butter over one side of each 16 bone shaped bread. Place 8 in the sauté pan and top with one piece of cheese. Place the other bone shaped piece on top of the cheese, butter side up, as the cheese begins to melt. When browned, turn over and cook the other side until also browned. Remove from the sauté pan and keep warm while you finish the soup.
To finish the soup, discard the rosemary stem and add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup or use a blender or food processor and puree in two or three batches. Return the soup to the pot, whisk in 1 cup of cream and reheat to warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to 4 warmed bowls. Add two “bones” per bowl of soup.
Make 4 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | May 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
The Friday before the Kentucky Derby is always quite an event day in Louisville, Ky. It’s the day of the Kentucky Oaks, a famous horse race run at Churchill Downs for the 3-year old Fillies. Fresh Chef Experience was so honored to have been chosen to prepare a Kentucky Oaks Brunch, as part of an auction item sold at the Kentucky Julep Ball, in support of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center located in Louisville, Ky. The brunch was held at the beautiful home of Martha and Ron Wolford on the morning of Friday, May 2nd in Prospect, Ky. Famous athletes were in attendance along with ladies in beautiful dresses and hats. I wish we could have taken photos of the food (and the beautiful attendees!) but we were so busy we just ran out of time. Here is the menu; who knows, these items may appear on our upcoming Breakfast and Brunch Experiences!
Kentucky Oaks Brunch, Friday, May 2nd at the home of
Martha Brown Wolford and Ron Wolford
Country Ham and Gruyere Cheese Quiche
Butter crust with egg & cream filling, sauté country ham and Gruyere cheese
Three Mushroom Quiche with Comte cheese
Sauteed shitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms in a butter crust with egg and cream filling
Kentucky Bib Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Dried cherries, roasted walnuts & KY bourbon vanilla sorghum with walnut oil vinaigrette
Sorghum Butter Baked Grits
KY Weisenberger white grits with sorghum butter & horseradish
Pink Peppercorn Bacon
Thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon with pink and black peppercorns
Lemon Yogurt Cake with Berries in Mint Syrup
Lemon cake served with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries in fresh mint syrup
Cardamom Spiced Crumb Cake
Moist cake topped with a generous layer of cardamom spiced pecan crumbs and vanilla glaze
Fresh Coffee – Mimosas – Orange Juice – Bloody Marys
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 29, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s always so much fun to be in Louisville this time of year. The weather gets warmer, the trees start flowering and Kentucky Derby fever is in the air. For two weeks Derby events are everywhere in the City of Louisville and Jefferson County.
Fresh Chef Experience had our first Derby event this past Saturday, April 26, at Mall St. Matthews Williams-Sonoma. We had a great cooking event in the store where we prepared delicious food perfect to serve on Derby Day. A fun crowd enjoyed Fresh Chef Experience’s Derby dishes – Ky Bibb salad with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, dried cherries and walnut oil/bourbon vanilla sorghum vinaigrette, grilled flank steak with a bourbon/green peppercorn sauce and Ky sorghum grits. We even gave away a derby gift – a set of 10 prep bowls!
Additionally, it was a special pleasure to be able to cook at Williams-Sonoma with locally grown ingredients and support our local food producers. Our Fresh Chef Experience/Williams-Sonoma event used local products: Weisenburger Grits, Grateful Greens Bib Lettuce, and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Foods sorghum and bourbon vanilla sorghum – YUM!
Fresh Chef Experience continues Derby Week with an event on Friday morning May 2nd. I will be preparing a special Kentucky Oaks Brunch for several guests at the beautiful home of Martha and Ron Wolford. This brunch was part of a package sold at auction last year at the prestigious Julep Ball to benefit the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Fresh Chef Experience is proud to participate and support this noble cause. More details will follow on this later this week!
Wishing everyone a safe and fun Derby Week!
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
The events this past week have been so much fun! Our favorite was a family affair when Fresh Chef Experience showed up at the home of Michelle, Kim and Sydney. Michelle wanted Sydney to explore her love of cooking with Fresh Chef Experience and wanted her to learn more about Asian style wok cooking. Kim joined in the fun and wanted to learn how to make Chinese eggrolls. So they fired up the wok and got to work with Chef Stu instructing the family on knife cuts and best way to create great tasting wok-style food. The menu consisted of stir-fry Beef and Broccoli, Thai Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Fried Rice and Chinese Vegetable Eggrolls. The food tasted delicious! Great family fun and great cooking!
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Wow, what a week for Fresh Chef Experience! We are so fortunate to have connected with the great managers at the Williams-Sonoma in the Mall St. Matthews, Louisville. Sue was so kind to invited Fresh Chef Experience to entertain and cook in their beautiful store for the next couple months – what a treat! Chef Stu and I will be showcasing a delicious Derby meal on Saturday, April 26th, and we will be there again on Saturday, May 17th. Both Saturdays we will be fixing delicious food to sample, giving away a great door prize, and meeting and greeting everyone in the store. Come on out and join us, we would love to see you!
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