About the
author:
Richard Lipton began his cooking career when he
entered a seafood dish contest in
Beaufort. After several years of study and
working at restaurants in Louisiana and
Texas, he has returned to his roots and
enjoys sharing his favorite recipes with internet
viewers.
Read the following articles from Richard Lipton on Eclectic Cooking.com.
Enjoy Tailgating this Football Season
October
17, 2001
After everything
that happened last month, it is truly inspiring that life is continuing in
the United States.
Football is taking on a more patriotic emphasis and nothing is more
American than the tailgate party. Tailgating parties are a football
tradition in most US homes, :-), and especially in cities with stadiums.
People arrive at the game hours ahead of time, break out portable
grills, propane burners, etc. and commence to cook whatever the food
of choice is depending on the area. At home people get together
hours before the game comes on and sit and eat finger foods, drink whatever
they feel like, and cheer for their favorite teams.
Whether the
party takes place in the parking lot of your sports arena, your local bar,
or your backyard, the food and friends are roughly the same. While
chicken wings remain one of the nation's most favorite tailgating foods, why
stop there?
Take the bones out of the chicken and change the sauce for a new tailgate
food. Instead of spicy wings, add curry with a cucumber sauce instead of
ranch or Blue cheese. Go a wee bit Oriental with General Tso's Chicken,
making it boneless, spicy, and still finger-food suit-able for the most
picky of palates.
Enjoy these tailgating possibilities as our favorite teams remind us that
life goes on.
Bon appetit!
Cajun food can give you that 'warm' feeling for fall
October
31, 2001
The colder weather has hit and I, for one, am enjoying
this immensely. With a convertible, it is fun to let the wind blow through
your hair and enjoy the night skyline with stars and the occasional full
moon. One of the best parts about driving in this cooler weather is
coming home to a nice warm meal of our choosing. Cajun food can give you that warm feeling without burning your
socks off, if done right. Cajun food is not necessarily spicy. There
is a subtle heat that will warm you without the fiery feeling on your taste
buds. The seasoning blend in Cajun food is made from scratch and used on
most all seafoods, meats and vegetables to give the food the rich flavor it deserves
without breathing fire. Soups, stews and etouffees are perfect this time of
year to chase away the chill and fill you up as well. Served with rice
or pasta of choice, you have a meal that could last for a few days. Making a
pot full up, and then freezing the unused portion, can make the meal last
for a few weeks, off and on. Enjoy these ideas for your next warm meal, enjoy the cool
air before it turns really cold, and bon appetit.
Innovative
desserts bring a new spin to the holiday menu
December
19, 2001
Desserts are the perfect ending to a
wonderful meal. No matter how good the fish, pasta, vegetables or meat was,
the dessert just makes everything else seem second rate.
That is, of course, as long as the desserts are edible. As the
Hanukkah/Christmas holidays come once again and we get
ready to say goodbye to 2001, we start preparing our holiday feast menu.
And, what menu would be complete without the
dessert table for the kids to want first?
Many more things are available today to use in the kitchen than people had
even 40 years ago. New and innovative
recipes come out daily to use in place of the traditional cheesecakes,
pumpkin pies and apple pies. I'm not saying these desserts are outdated;
however, a lot of fun in baking and cooking is substitution and
experimentation.
Banana bread is good, but pumpkin bread might be better. Chocolate cake is
wonderful, but Chocolate Mousse Cake?
Mmm, makes my mouth water. Make some small tarts for kids to handle and put
their or your favorite fruit and/or nut in them. If you don't like apricots,
use cranberries, blueberries or raspberries.
Baking always seemed so strict and in some ways, it is (with the measurement
of flour, eggs, and sugar). But you can be
as equally creative with pasta, seafood and vegetables.
Enjoy these holiday ideas, play with them as you desire -- have some fun
with this year's holiday menu. Bon Appetit!
Atlanta has grown much since I was there last. Oriental
stores are more prevalent and the Dekalb farmer's market is a "playground" for any chef wanting fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs,
bread or fish first thing in the morning. Limes the size of small oranges as well as fresh key limes for your next pie were available
in abundance.
The competition I entered a few weeks ago was extremely intense. Chefs from
up and down the East Coast wheeled in tubs and tubs of pots, pans, knives,
sheet pans, food processors and every other piece of kitchen equipment one
could possibly ever imagine.
Six 24-foot tables were set up with fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, rices
and pastas, as well as vinegars, wines and oils.
Every chef got one "signature" fish (different for every chef) and
two of the same seafoods. On Monday, everyone got shrimp and mussels while
Tuesday, all chefs got scallops and oysters.
Each chef had 90 minutes to prepare one entree for four judges (three were
chefs and one visitor). Once six chefs had completed their dishes, the
judging chefs gave a final analysis to assist the chef in improving his or
her dishes, not only for judging, but also for the customer to eat.
And, no matter the outcome of the judging, each chef learned something from
the experience in order to assist him in next
year's competition as well as the next night in his restaurant.
One thing I learned was that, as far as the American Culinary Federation is
concerned, what a chef wears is as important as, if not more to some, what
the chef cooks. Chef wear has changed over the years and while bright colors
do well in individual restaurants, some "old-school" chefs do not
recognize these uniforms as being acceptable to wear.
Enjoy this recipe that was presented to the judges while wearing a denim
blue chef's jacket and green tie-dyed chef pants (I
thought I matched pretty well myself, but I am a chef, not a fashion
designer - go figure) and Bon Appetit!
CAJUN BLACKENED RED SNAPPER WITH SESAME SEARED SCALLOPS
AND
LOW COUNTRY ROASTED OYSTERS
Served over Lemon Pepper Linguine with Shitake Mushroom and Wasabi Cream
Sauce
Sounds more complicated than it was, really.
4, 6-ounce red snapper fillets
Cajun spice
16 scallops
Sesame oil
Black and white sesame seeds
8 whole oysters
1 pound lemon pepper linguini
Olive oil
Sesame oil
1 pound Shiitake mushrooms
Wasabi powder
10 cloves chopped garlic
1 quart heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
Salt
Pepper
Dust a 6-ounce red snapper fillet per person with a mild Cajun spice and let
marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Marinate scallops (4
per person) in 4 ounces sesame oil and a judicious amount of black and white
sesame seeds. Refrigerate the scallops for 30 minutes to an hour.
Spread 2 whole oysters per person on a sheet pan, cover with damp towel, and
place in preheated 350 degree F oven. Check often to make sure the towel
stays damp, re-wetting as necessary, until oysters open.
Boil 1 pound lemon pepper linguini, per 4 people, according to package
directions. Drain well, cool off under running water and mix with olive oil
to coat. Set aside. Stem shiitake mushrooms (1 pound per 4 people) and
julienne the caps. Set aside.
Mix 4 ounces Wasabi powder with just enough water to form a thick paste.
Sauté 10 cloves chopped garlic and shiitakes in 2 ounces olive oil until
golden brown.
Add 1 quart heavy cream; simmer 5 minutes. Whisk in 4 ounces cream cheese,
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Taste for seasoning and
adjust as desired. Whisk in Wasabi paste and adjust for seasoning as
desired. Simmer until sauce consistency is achieved.
Place two sauté pans over high heat, one with olive oil and the other with
sesame oil. In the olive oil pan, sear the red snapper fillets, skin side
up, 2 minutes, flip and place in the oven with the oysters, for 5 minutes
(or until done in the middle, depending on the thickness of the fillets).
In the sesame oil pan, sear the scallops 3 minutes on each side, making sure
they are golden brown on each side before flipping. Remove from heat and
keep warm in the oven. Remove oysters from the oven and open. On the half
shell, top each oyster with 1 tablespoon of the shiitake sauce and place
back in the oven to finish baking. Mix remaining sauce with linguini to heat
through.
Place linguini in the center of each plate. Top with red snapper fillet.
Place two oysters on the side of each fish plate. Place four scallops around
the plate and sprinkle black and white sesame seeds over all for garnish.
Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Copyrighted January, 2002, Richard Lipton
Your
imagination can run wild with various foods, combinations
January
30
Thanksgiving
and Christmas have passed, our minds wander to family and friends we have
seen and the foods we have eaten.
The traditional ham and turkey was there and the sides of green beans,
mashed potatoes, etc., were also present. What can we possibly create that¹s
different now? Plenty! Many different foods and combinations can be made at
a moment's notice.
Try au gratin instead of mashed potatoes, or wild rice stuffing. Make a
fruit chutney with cranberries, keeping it warm instead of cold. Let your
imagination run wild with different varieties of sausage the store has to
offer. Hot, mild, pork, chicken, beef, seafood, etc.. The different sausages
available
come close to the different varieties of pastas on the market.
Explore, experiment and let your imagination run wild with the possibilities
for the winter dinner table or parties - and bon appetit.
These recipes are for large crowds, so you
might want to have a winter party. :)
(EclecticCooking.com: If you have any questions for our Chef,
Richard Lipton, forward
them to us and he will answer your questions.)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (2 dl) wild rice
1 green pepper, chopped
Salt, pepper, sage, chives (all to taste)
4 cups (8 dl) tri-color orzo
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 dl) garlic, chopped
2 quarts (4 Cups, 8 dl) chicken stock
2 pounds Tequila Lime Chicken Sausage, crumbled
(can be found at specialty stores, such as Whole
Foods Market in Columbia and Atlanta) Over high heat sauté wild rice, orzo, peppers, celery and sausage in 4
tablespoons olive oil until wild rice begins to color, Add garlic and
seasonings; sauté 1 minute longer. Add 1 quart chicken stock; bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer, stirring often. Once liquid is
absorbed, taste the wild rice, adding more stock as needed to make the wild
rice al dente, but not soft. Adjust seasonings as desired and serve. Serves
6.
4 sheets (rashers/strips) bacon
4 onions, diced
2 cups (4 dl) cider vinegar
2 cups (4 dl) rice vinegar
5 cups (10 dl) water
Salt and pepper to taste
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 pound brown sugar
1/4 pound regular sugar Dissolve cornstarch in 4 or 5 tablespoons water. Set aside. Dice bacon;
cook until done well. Add onions; continue cooking until translucent. Add
vinegars, water and sugars; cook until flavors are blended and sugars are
dissolved. Add cornstarch liquid; bring to slightly thick consistency.
Note: Warm bacon vinaigrette
dressing goes primarily here with spinach salads but can be used as a
dressing for most any salad.
2-1/2 quarts (large)
heavy cream
4 cups (8 dl) Parmesan cheese
1 cup (2 dl) Mozzarella cheese, shredded
7 egg yolks
2 cups (4 dl) bacon bits
1/4 cup (1/2 dl) basil, chopped
1 tablespoon each black and white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 bag shredded potato (1 bag of shredded
potatoes = 5 pounds)
1/8 cup (1/4 dl) garlic, chopped Mix all ingredients together except for potatoes. Place potatoes in
hotel pan (2) a "hotel" pan is a
rectangular metal pan, 2, 4, or 6 inches in depth and fits inside of a
standard chafing dish. For this recipe, a 2-inch deep baking dish 13x9
will be sufficient); add egg mixture, blending well to coat. Cover
with plastic wrap and aluminum foil; place in preheated 375 degree F oven
for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Check for doneness and heat longer if necessary.
Sauté garlic, shallots, leeks, basil, cranberries and apples in butter.
Cook until cranberries are dehydrated and apples are cooked through. Add
flour to make roux; cook until roux comes away from the sides of the pot.
Add sherry and wine; reduce by half. Add chicken stock and juice, mixing
well to incorporate roux. Boil until desired consistency adding salt, pepper
to taste. Cool; serve.
King
Cakes popular treat for Mardi Gras
February
13
In the city of New Orleans, Mardi Gras is quickly approaching,
and the city is ready to celebrate in ways undreamed of in most other places. The parades, the parties and the beads
are as enormous as the crowds who are out to watch and participate.
King cakes are the favorite confection. The legend is that a ring is placed within the cake, and whoever finds the ring
will be granted luck and prosperity over the following year. While most King Cakes are nothing more than tri-colored
bundt cakes, the traditions that spawned them are far from
ordinary.
Food coloring can be purchased from local stores and, with the following recipes for similar cakes, red, green and blue
King Cakes are easily made; a personal Mardi Gras can be achieved wherever you are.
Enjoy these recipes, and le bon temps roule (let the good times roll).
Grease and flour two tube pans.
Melt chocolate and butter and place in a large bowl. Place in
large mixer and beat. Add sugar, eggs, rum, vanilla and salt.
Add flour; mix on high. Pour into pans.
Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cool; remove from pans.
Over a Bain-Marie, whip eggs and sugar until brought to body
temperature. Continue to whip mixture until thick enough to
hold a figure eight. Gently (as not to allow the batter to fall)
fold in flour. Pour into a lined sheet pan.
Bake at 450 degrees F( (230 degrees C) for 12-15 minutes.
This page copyrighted Richard Lipton
2002
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2-1/2 quarts (large)
heavy cream
1/2 pound butter