Zeph's Gourmet Corner

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Since I love cooking, I have a ton of recipes. Most of them are straight out of my head and shouldn't be followed exactly (since everybody loves adding a personal flair, or has different tastes than others).

I'm going to try adding a new recipe every day, as well as try to add prices to everything so you can get an idea of what it's going to cost you.

Also, the majority of my cooking is done in one of four ways:
Toaster-Oven
George Foreman Grille
Frying Pan
Wok

If you don't have those three things, we can improvise. A regular oven can be used instead of a toaster-oven, but cooking times will be slightly different (since it's a much larger area inside the oven), a BBQ instead of a George Foreman (again, cooking times will be different for the heat variables, and you'll get a different flavor because of the smoke and charred edges), and I'm pretty sure everyone has a Frying Pan...

However, there's some other very useful utensils I use:

Potato Masher
Modern 4-Sided Cheese Grater
Polyurethane Cutting Board
Chef's Knife
Paring Knife
Tourne Knife
Knife Sharpener
Measuring Spoons/Cups
Hand-Held Blender
Countertop Blender
Tongs

I'll add more later

EDIT: I'm now the proud owner of a wok. More stir-fries shall be made.
EDIT2: I'm now the proud owner of a blender. More smoothies shall be made.

RECIPES:
Gourmet Bacon
Gourmet Mashed Potatoes
Gourmet Italian Hamburgers
Gourmet Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Lazy Man's Gourmet Burgers
Lemon Poached Salmon
Lemon Dill Red Snapper
Stuffed Pork Chops
Open-Faced Grilled Sandwiches
Oven-baked Rosemary Frenched Lamb Rack
Poor Man's Gourmet Coffee
Vegetarian Stir-fry with Black Bean Sauce
Veal Fettuccine Alfredo
Lemon Poached Halibut
Oven Roasted Australian Lamb Leg
Gourmet Hashbrown Slivers with Cheese
Potato and Kale Soup
Asiago Sirloin
Italian Pork Tenderloin
Scallops and Shallots
Balsamic Dip
Gourmet Pasta Sauce
Cream Cheese & Lox on Crackers
Broiled Dijon Sole

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #1
Gourmet Bacon

Ingredients:

1 package of bacon (500 grams) - $7.99
Bottle of Teriyaki-Sake marinade - $7.75

Method:
Spread bacon out on cooking sheet to cook evenly.
Broil for 5 minutes (or until it's half cooked).
Drizzle the marinade over the bacon.
Finish cooking bacon to personal preference (soft or crunchy, or half in between).

You can also substitute the Marinade for any that you like.
BBQ sauce also works nicely.

g2k556 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:41 pm

I especkt George Foreman recipes....lots of'em. I got one for the office now :tup:

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #2
Gourmet Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes (as many as you think you'll need) - $2.99/lb
Garlic - $7.99 for a small bottle of minced garlic
Dijon Mustard (Deli Mustard works fine, as does German Mustard) - $6.99
Whipping Cream (2% milk is fine, but you'll lack a certain flavor and they won't be as fluffy) - $2.99 for 600ml

Method:
Peel potatoes and boil until soft enough to cut with a fork. Drain water.
Pour in 1/2 cup of whipping cream, 1/2 tablespoon garlic, 1/2 cup of Dijon Mustard (add more if you can barely taste it).
Mix and mash it all together until it's light and fluffy.
Treat as you would regular Mashed Potatoes.

Serving suggestions:
Steak with green vegetables on the side, steamed rather than boiled. Asparagus goes well with steak, as does Broccoli. Brussels Sprouts could work, but I'd use them sparingly. Mix in carrots for color variety (steamed, boiled or raw).
A nice red wine for a complimentary libation, such as a Pinot Noir (don't forget to let it breathe for an hour before serving).

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #3
Gourmet Italian Hamburgers

Ingredients:

1.5lbs Ground Beef (Regular, or Lean, depending on preference)
2 tsps Crushed Red Peppers
3 tsps Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Sea Salt (or Table Salt)
1 tbsp ground pepper
2 tsps chopped garlic
1/2 tsp chopped/grated sundried tomatoes

Mix all together. Makes 5-ish patties. Freeze any you don't cook right away, because the salt will turn the meat brown/black and look gross. Freezing will prevent this.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #4
Gourmet Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Ingredients:

12 Mushrooms - $2.99/lb
Handfull of Dungeness Crab Meat (no shells or ligaments/tendons) - $8.99/100grams
1 can of Crab Meat (strain the juice out) - $3.99ea
1/2 bottle of Shrimp Cocktail sauce (Doesn't matter if it's Original, Hot, Extra Hot, whatever) - $4.99ea
2 bricks of Philly Cream Cheese - $5.99ea
Brick of Mozzarella cheese (Swiss, Provolone, Havarti, or Monterey Jack also work, but Mozzarella is probably the biggest crowd pleaser) - $4.99/250grams

You can also skip the Dungeness Crab meat and just use 2 cans of crab meat instead.

Method:
Break the stems off the mushrooms and peel off the skins from the caps. Otherwise the mushrooms will have a leathery texture when you cook them.
Finely grate the brick of Mozzarella cheese. Large gratings just don't look as appealing.
Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. There should not be any large chunks of crab anywhere, so break it all up nicely.
With a fork, scoop some of the cheese stuffing into the mushroom caps. There shouldn't be a huge mound of it, just a little more than level.
Take the mushroom cap and dip the tops into the cheese gratings so the cheese sticks to the stuffing. Alternatively, you can simply sprinkle the mozza gratings over the mushroom caps. I like the first method, as it's less messy and the cheese will actually stick to the stuffing as opposed to just sit on top of it.
Broil for 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt.

If there's any leftover stuffing, it also makes an excellent dip for chips or crackers.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #5
Lazy Man's Gourmet Burgers

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs ground beef (regular, lean, extra-lean, whatever)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Any other spices/seasonings/flavor enhancers you wish.

Method:
Mix together, press into patties. Should make 5-ish patties again.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #6
Poached Salmon

Ingredients:

1 each onion and rib celery, thinly sliced
3 thin slices lemon
4 sprigs fresh parsley
1/2 tsp each salt and peppercorns
4 skin-on salmon fillets (each 6 oz per person, or however much you want)
Lemon wedges

Method:
In wide low pan large enough to hold all the fish in single layer, bring 3 cups water, onion, celery, lemon, parsley, salt and peppercorns to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add fish; poach just below simmer, covered, just until salmon flakes easily when tested, 5 to 7 minutes. With slotted spatula, transfer fish to plates; remove skin.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #7
Lemon Dill Red Snapper

Ingredients:

1 Lemon (or 1/4 cup lemon juice)
1 tsp Dill
2 fillets of Red Snapper (7-ish oz each, skin removed)
2 tbsp Olive Oil (can use margarine if you want, but olive oil works better)

Method:
Marinade the Snapper fillets in the lemon for an hour.
In a low pan large enough to fit both fillets, heat the oil to the consistency of water.
Fry the fillets at a med-high heat for 5 minutes each side.
Sprinkle the dill on top when finished.
Serve over a bed of rice with steamed greens on the side.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #8
Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2 extra thick cut boneless Pork Loin Chops (like 2 inches thick)
handful of spinach (shredded/finely chopped)
1 cup of Feta Cheese (crumbled)
1 cup Philly Cream Cheese

Method:
Mix the spinach, feta and cream cheese together until it's crumbly-ish. Add more feta or spinach if it's too sticky.
Cut a slit along the top of the pork chops (where the layer of fat resides) and down into the chop.
Stuff the cheese stuffing into the chop. Make sure to pack it down good, as air pockets are not a great thing with this.
Take some very short skewers and push them into the chop through one side, through the stuffing, and out the other end, parallel to each other, but perpendicular to the chop. Then take some Butcher's Twine and lace it up nicely, tying it off at the end.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, standing up (if they lay down, the cheese will sweat out).
You can either remove the twine before serving, or leave on to hold together.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #9
Open-Faced Grilled Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 Portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 small bunch asparagus, trimmed and spears cut in half
1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded
4 slices Italian bread
3 oz goat cheese

Method:
Preheat grill or broiler.
In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Brush mushrooms, asparagus, and bell pepper with oil mixture.
Grill or broil vegetables 4 inches from heat, turning over once, until tender, about 10 minutes for asparagus and bell pepper, and about 12 minutes for mushrooms. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice pepper.
Turn off grill or broiler. Place bread on grill or broiler rack until warm, about 2 minutes.
Spread goat cheese on bread. Place mushrooms on each slice. Top with bell pepper and asparagus. Serve warm.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #10
Oven-baked Rosemary Frenched Lamb Rack

Ingredients:

1 Frenched Lamb Rack (should be about 8 and a half ribs, weighing approx 1 lb)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Rosemary (the whole leaves, not the ground stuff)
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp salt (if you wish)
1 tsp pepper (if you wish)

Method:
In a bowl or cup, mix everything except the lamb. Using either your hand or a brush, slather the lamb with the concoction. No need to get the ribs, since you won't be munching on them, just get the meat.
Bake in the oven at 350* for 20 minutes. With an instant-read thermometer, begin taking the temp until it reaches 120* internal temp. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5-8 minutes before carving. DO NOT cook past Medium done-ness.
Cut between each bone and arrange on individual plates, or on a serving dish.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #11
Poor Man's Gourmet Coffee

Ingredients:

Ground Coffee
1/4 tsp Cinnamon for each cup
1/4 tsp Nutmeg for each cup

Method:
Make the coffee as usual.
Pour the cinnamon and nutmeg into the bottom of the empty mugs and pour coffee over.
Add sugar, cream, half&half, honey, etc to your preference.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #12
Vegetarian Stir-Fry with Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients:

Bok Choy - $0.85/lb
Green Onions - $1.32/lb
Orange/Yellow/Red/Green Bell Peppers - $2.39/lb
[censored] Mushrooms - $4/lb
Broccoli - $2.34/lb
Udon Noodles - $0.85 ea
Bean Sprouts - $1.29/lb
Black Bean Sauce - $3.99 ea (small 8 fl oz jar)
Anything else you want to put in it.

Method:
Wash all vegetables. Clean up everything and cut into stir-fry sized chunks. Smaller is better for broccoli and onions, but larger is good for bok choy and peppers. Mushrooms are best in 3 or 4 slices.
Using a wok, put the mushrooms, broccoli, and Udon Noodles in first. Add a couple spoonful of the sauce and 1/4 cup water. Steam/fry for a few minutes, separate the noodles during this time. Add the onions, fry for a few minutes. Add bok choy and peppers, pour remainder of sauce in. Stir well, cover and steam for a few minutes. You'll know it's ready when you can no longer get a solid knocking sound when you hit the bok choy pieces with your tongs/wooden spoon. Add bean sprouts, mix thoroughly, cover and steam for 3 minutes. The sprouts should NOT get soggy and should stay firm/crunchy/crisp.
Remove from heat and serve.

Additional tips:
You can very easily turn this into a beef/chicken/pork stir-fry by adding very thin slices of the respective meats. Meat should be the first thing into the wok, along with the sauce and water. When you add the mushrooms and broccoli, skip adding the sauce and water.
Depending on what other vegetables you want in the stir-fry, they should be added in a certain order. Vegetables with lots of flavor should be added first to give a base flavor. Vegetables with little flavor, or those that you want to preserve their crispness, should be added last. If there's vegetables that you want simply for flavor and don't want to eat, you can remove before serving (larger chunks will make this easier to do). Very firm vegetables (like carrots) should be cut thinner than softer vegetables (like mushrooms).

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #13
Veal Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

1/4 lb veal - $17/lb
Fettuccine noodles - $3/1lb package
Alfredo sauce - $4 a jar or make from scratch here: http://www.cookingnook.com/alfredo-sauce-recipe.html
Olive Oil - $4/bottle

Method:
Very thinly slice the veal and then cut into thin strips (or get the butcher to do it for you. Ask for scallopini stir-fry sizes).
Boil the noodles with lots of salt, heat the alfredo sauce.
While this is happening, pour a few drops of olive oil into a hot pan and try to cover the surface as best you can by rolling it around the pan. Add the veal slices and very quickly pan sear each side. Should only take a maximum of 5 minutes in total in a hot pan.
Strain noodles, place veal slices on top of the noodles, cover in alfredo sauce, mix everything together.
Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Suggestive servings:
Steamed greens and garlic bread/toast on the side.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #14
Lemon Poached Halibut

Ingredients:

6oz fillet of (FRESH!!) halibut. Make sure it's NOT previously frozen, and that it came in that day. - $3.99/100 grams = $6.72 per 6oz fillet
2 fresh lemons
water
salt + pepper

Method:
In a skillet/frying pan, add about 1 cm of water. Squeeze the juice from one 1 of the lemons into the water and stir while heating to just boiling. Lower the heat to simmer.
Add the halibut fillet, skin-side down. Poach for 8-10 minutes per inch thick of meat.
At the halfway mark, squeeze more lemon juice over the meat (only about 1/4 of a lemon per fillet), then add a bit of salt and pepper.
Remove from the skillet and serve with steamed greens to add color.

Note: You can leave the skin on the fish, or you can take it off. You could also ask the fish guy at the store to do it for you. But do not eat it.
When selecting fresh halibut, the meat should be very white, juicy and slightly translucent. If it's chalky/pasty looking, it's older stock (probably 2 days old).
Also, the meat should not be yellowish or pinkish, as that means they've had different diets than they're used to and may taste slightly different.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #15
Oven Roasted Australian Lamb Leg

Ingredients:

1lb Boneless Aus. Lamb Leg Roast (not butterflied) - $10-ish
1 tbsp Rosemary (the whole leaves, not the ground stuff)
1 tsp Sage (this stuff should be ground)
1 tsp Thyme (doesn't matter if it's ground or the whole leaves)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:
Take the rosemary leaves and press them down into the roast so they are fully inside it. This will cause the rosemary flavor to cook into the meat.
In a mixing cup, combine the sage, thyme, white pepper and oil. It should form a semi-clumpy/oily mixture. With a brush (or using your hands) slather this over the meat.
Sprinkle the salt over. Roast in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes, cut and serve.
Lamb should not be cooked past medium done, otherwise it loses the tenderness. Best is medium-rare.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #16
Gourmet Hash Brown Slivers with Cheese

1 lb of potatoes
125 grams shredded/grated Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1+1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of basil
1/4 tsp parsley
1 tbsp butter/margarine/olive oil

Method:
Using a cheese grater, grate the Cheddar first on the coarse side, Potatoes on the fine side.
Drop the butter/margarine/oil into a heated pan and melt to cover surface. Add potato slivers and fry until just heated (like 3-ish minutes). Add Allspice, white pepper, nutmeg, salt, basil and continue to fry until browning occurs. Fry to your likeness in browning amount, then drop the heat to very low and sprinkle the cheese over the hashbrowns. Cover with a lid for 3 minutes, then open lid and (if you wish) stir cheese into potatoes. Otherwise, serve with the parsley sprinkled over as garnish.

You can also substitute the cheese with any kind you want that you can grate/crumble/shred. Keep in mind that crumbly cheeses don't melt too well.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #17
Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 large leek, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
5 cups chopped fresh kale
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt (more or less, depending on the saltiness of your broth)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and carrot. Cover, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, potatoes, broth, salt, oregano, and bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook for 30 minutes longer. Taste to adjust seasonings. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

zephyr6831 · **Joined:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 228

Recipe #18
Asiago Sirloin

8 oz Top Sirloin steak
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 cup Mayonnaise
6 ounces of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced

Cook steak to desired done-ness (Striploin is best anywhere from rare and medium).
While the steak is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium power for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Continue to heat and stir in the same manner until all the cheese is melted and the mixture has a smooth consistency (should take 4 or 5 heatings).
Remove steak from grill (or pan, or whatever it's in) and spread the cheese mixture over the steak.

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