This class was held on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Keady residence in Dorset.

Class Description: Chef Jenn Cayer of The Little Rooster Cafe and Strong Roots Catering in Chester, VT will delight us with a classic and seasonal French menu. We’ll start with a traditional French tart with carmelized onions. Then she’ll share her secrets for a Beef Bouguignon accompanied by French-style gnocchi made with a pate a choux. The evening will be topped off with homemade sorbet and fresh fruit. Bon appetit!

Recipes following:

Alsatian Onion Tart

For pastry

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

· 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Tart Ingredients

· 4 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 lb onion, sliced

· 2 TBL sugar

· ½ cup Gruyere cheese

· 1/2 teaspoon thyme

· salt and pepper

· 2 TBL flour

· 5 ounces riesling

· 2 eggs

· 7 ounces heavy cream

·

· Make pastry:

·
Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

·

Roll out dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang over pastry and press against side to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

Line chilled shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer shell to a rack. (Leave oven on.)

Make filling

Peel and slice the onions. Place in heavy bottomed sauté pan on medium heat, , sugar, and olive oil. Slowly cook stirring until soft, golden and nicely caramelized. Add the flour and cook approx 1 minute until the onions stick a bit to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook until thickened. Whisk together the heavy cream and eggs. Add the gruyere, thyme, and salt and pepper. Add onion mixture to egg and cream mixture, mix well and place in your prepared par baked tart shell. Place tart into oven and bake until filling is set and top is golden about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or room temp with lightly dressed greens.

Beef bourguignon

2# beef chuck or shoulder

2 ea onions

3 ea celery

6 ea carrots

1 can tomato paste

3 cup pinot noir or burgundy

4 cups beef stock

½ # bacon

1# button mushrooms

1 ea leek

2 ea parsnips

Salt and pepper

Thyme

3 tbl flour

2 tbl olive oil

2 tbl butter

Starting with the chuck, cut it into 3 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed pan add your olive oil and sear the seasoned chunks of beef. While the beef is searing peel and quarter 1 onion, 2 ea carrots and 1 celery stalk. When the beef is nicely seared on all sides transfer to a casserole dish and set aside. In the heavy bottomed pan add your cut vegetables, 2 tbl tomato paste. Brown the veg and tomato paste slightly. Add to this your wine, deglazing the pan and taking time to scrape the bottom and release the bits on the bottom. Add your beef broth and bring to a boil. When the liquid comes to a boil pour it all over the seared beef. Cover and place in a 200 degree oven for 8 hours or overnight.

After your beef has cooked, at this point it should be fork tender, you can either place in the fridge to cool down and continue later or you can proceed by skimming the fat off the top of the liquid and removing the beef to another pan and reserving. Strain the liquid the beef was in. Place in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and start reducing. Meanwhile peel and dice your remaining vegetables mushrooms, and bacon. In a straight sided sauté pan put you diced bacon and cook until crisp. Remove and place with the beef. In the bacon fat cook your mushrooms and diced vegetables until brown and soft, add the flour and cook just until it starts to stick to the bottom. At this point add your hot, reducing stock and bring back to the boil. When it boils and thickens slightly pour it all over the beef and bacon. Place in the oven to heat all the way through. Just before serving swirl in the butter and check seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Serve with Herb Gnocchi

Herb gnocchi

· 1 1/2 cups water

· 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter

· 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

· 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

· 2 tablespoons chopped thyme

· 1 cup loosely packed shredded Gruyere cheese

· 5 to 6 large eggs

Set up a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment. Have all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking.

Combine the water, butter, and the 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a stiff heatproof or wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean, with no dough sticking to it. The dough should be glossy and smooth but still moist.

Enough moisture must evaporate from the dough to allow it to absorb more fat when the eggs are added: Continue to stir for about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the dough from coloring. A thin coating will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. When enough moisture has evaporated, steam will rise from the dough and the aroma of cooked flour will be noticeable. Immediately transfer the dough to the mixer bowl. Add the mustard, herbs, and the 1 tablespoon salt. Mix for a few seconds to incorporate the ingredients and release some of the heat, then add the cheese. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Increase the speed to medium and add another 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Turn off the machine. Lift some of the dough on a rubber spatula, then turn the spatula to let it run off: It should move down the spatula very slowly; if it doesn’t move at all or is very dry and just falls off in a clump, beat in the additional egg.

Place the dough in a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip and let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. (If you have only a small pastry bag, fill it with half the dough two times.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.

Because this recipe makes such a large quantity of gnocchi, your arm may get tired: An easy way to pipe the gnocchi is to place a large inverted pot, canister, or other container that is slightly higher than the pot on the right side of the pot (left side if you are left-handed) and set the filled pastry bag on it so that the tip extends over the side and the container serves as a resting place for the bag. Twist the end of the pastry bag to push the dough into the tip. (From time to time, as the bag empties, you will need to twist the end again.) As you squeeze the back of the bag with your right hand, hold a small knife in your left hand and cut off 1-inch lengths of dough, allowing the gnocchi to drop into the pot. Pipe about 24 gnocchi per batch. First, the gnocchi will sink in the pot. Keep the water temperature hot, but do not boil. Once the gnocchi float to the top, poach them for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Taste one to test the timing; it may still seem slightly undercooked in the center, but it will be cooked again. Repeat with the remaining dough.

When all the gnocchi have drained, place them in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day. Or, for longer storage, place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the gnocchi have frozen solid, remove them from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag in the freezer. Before using frozen gnocchi, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and defrost in the refrigerator for several hours.

Blue Berry Lime Sorbet

3 cups frozen blueberries

½ c water

¾ c granulated sugar

2 tsp lime juice

1 tbl lime vodka

3 tbl blueberry preserves

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. If you would like, strain mixture. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to cool down and then place in ice-cream freezer and mix until semi-frozen. Put mix into container and place back in freezer until fully frozen. Scoop and serve with fresh fruit.

This class was held on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at the Salsgiver residence in Dorset.

Class Description: Nothing is better than the warmth and comfort of homemade soup on a cold winter day. Ali Sherman of H.N. Williams Store Deli will demystify soup stock and make a Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup and a vegetarian Wild Mushroom Bisque. She will also whip up easy buttermilk biscuits as an accompaniment.

Recipes following:

White Bean, Italian Sausage & Kale Soup

White Beans 2 lbs, cooked

Sweet Italian Sausage 1 ½ lbs

Kale 3 lbs, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Garlic 8 cloves, minced

Carrots 2 large, minced

Onion 2 large, minced

Chicken Stock 1 ½ Gallons

Bay Leaf 3

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 1 T

Dried Oregano 1 t

Dried Basil 1 t

White Wine 1 C

Kosher Salt to taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Remove sausage casings and crumble meat.

In large stock pot, cook meat in some olive oil until it starts to brown.

Add onions and carrots, saute until meat is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are soft.

Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add white wine and deglaze pan, scrape up any fond.

Add all kale (it will seem huge but don’t worry) and stir while it wilts.

When kale is completely collapsed, add beans, stock, bay, flakes, and dried herbs.

Stir and allow to simmer (gently – don’t break the beans) for about 30 minutes.

Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

This makes a LOT of soup, that tastes even better the next day, and the next. It also freezes like a dream.

Basic Chicken Stock

Chicken Carcasses 2

Pan Drippings ????

Celery Hearts (with leaves) 2, or 5 stalks of celery

Carrots 2

Onions 2

Bay leaves 5

Whole Peppercorns 20ish

Put chicken carcasses in the bottom of a large stock pot. You can save bones in the freezer (we call it the chicken graveyard at my house) and make stock whenever you have enough stored up. We also save the pan drippings from the roasted chickens – unless you use it to make gravy – it adds a lot of depth and flavor to the stock.

Coarsely chop the celery hearts (or the stalks if you prefer) and leaves. Add to stock pot.

Peel the carrots – toss the peels, don’t use them in the stock- and coarsely chop. Add to stock pot.

Remove skins from onion (don’t use those skins either) – and coarsely chop. Add to stock pot.

Add bay leaves and a handful of peppercorns.

Fill pot with cold water and put on stove. Or put on stove and bring water to it if it seems really heavy.

Bring to boil and then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Ignore for the next 4-5 hours.

When ready, allow to cool and then strain through the finest strainer you have into freezer containers.

This should make about 2 gallons of stock.

So the reason we don’t use the peels of the carrots and onions is this….

If it isn’t good enough to be in the foods you are preparing, why is it good enough for the basis of that food???

You can also reduce stock for a super easy pan sauce – generally, I use about 2 cups of stock and reduce by half for a nice pan sauce for a quick chicken dinner.

Wild Mushroom Stock

Dried Porcini Mushrooms 1 oz

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms 1 oz

Boiling Water 2 Cups

Olive Oil 3 T

Yellow Onions, Large 4, Coarsely chopped

White Mushrooms 8 oz, chopped

Carrots, Medium, peeled 4, chopped

Celery 4 stalks, chopped

Leek (hard green tops) 4, chopped and cleaned of any silt

Thyme 1 large bunch

Bay Leaves 4

Parsley 12 stems, chopped

Garlic 6 cloves, smashed

Water 1 Gallon + 1 Pint

Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms and set aside to soften.

Heat olive oil in large stock pot and add the onions. Cook to dark brown.

Add the remaining veggies, herbs, and garlic. Stir frequently until all is wilted.

Add dried mushrooms, the soaking liquid (be careful not to pour in any silt) and the cold water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Strain stock through your finest mesh strainer.

Wild Mushroom Bisque

Leeks, light green and white only 4 each, thinly sliced and cleaned

Onions 2 large, minced

Garlic 8 cloves, minced

Roasted Garlic (OPTIONAL!!) 1 bulb

Celery 4 ribs, chopped

Thyme 8 sprigs, tied

Bay 2 leaves

Mushrooms, assorted* 2 lbs, chopped

Dried shiitake 1 oz

Dried Porcini 1 oz

Butter 2 oz

Mushroom Stock 1 Gallon

White Wine 1 Cup

Heavy Cream 2 Cup +

Kosher Salt TT

Fresh Ground Pepper TT

* I use an assortment of cremini, button, and oyster mushrooms but any combination will work.

Soften dried mushrooms with 2 cups boiling water. Set aside.

Saute leeks and onions in butter until caramelized.

Add garlic, celery, and chopped mushrooms. Stir constantly until mushrooms start weeping.

Add wine and reduce.

Add thyme, bay, dried mushrooms (and their liquid), and stock.

Bring to boil then reduce to simmer and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and get my favorite kitchen gadget – the immersion blender.

Gently puree soup until you reach the consistancy you desire.

Add heavy cream and continue pulsing until completely combined.

Season with salt and pepper.

Really nice trick is to drizzle each bowl with some white truffle oil, YUM!