Valentines French Bistro Class

French Onion Soup Gratinee

Serves 24

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup apple brandy
• 4 sprig fresh parsley
• 4 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• Croutons
• 24 slice provolone cheese
• 1 cup asiago cheese, or mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp paprika

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions, and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.
2. Add apple brandy.
3. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
4. Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
5. Arrange oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed papered baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with some croutons, 1 slice provolone cheese and some asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven 10 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Lyonnaise Potatoes

Yield 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• Salt
• 2 baking potatoes (1 3/4 pounds), peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 cup rendered duck, goose or pork fat or melted unsalted butter
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

How to Make It

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil.
2. Add the sliced onions and a large pinch of salt.
3. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and golden, about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put the potato slices in a large saucepan of water, add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately high heat until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; let cool to room temperature. Gently pat the potato slices dry.
5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the duck fat. Add the potato slices and cook over moderately high heat until they are browned and crisp, about 6 minutes on each side. Add the chopped garlic and shake it in the skillet until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked onions and season them with salt and black pepper. Gently stir in the crushed red pepper and lemon juice. Transfer the potatoes and onions to a platter, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve right away.

Sous Vide Filet Mignon with Green Caper Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Filet Mignon
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Avocado Oil (or another high smoke point oil)
• 2 tbsp Flour

MEDIUM RARE

129°F – 135°F

1 hour

MEDIUM

136°F – 145°F

1 – 2 hours

Directions

Pre-heat water bath to your ideal temperature.

Wrap the filet with bacon and generously season with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and any aromatics such as rosemary and garlic.

Vacuum seal the filet mignon or place it in a heavy duty Ziploc bag using the water displacement method.

Place packaged filet mignon in water bath and cook for 1 – 2 hours (closer to 2 hours if steak is extra thick).

Remove filet mignon and pat dry with paper towels.

Pre-heat cast iron pan on medium-high heat and add avocado oil (or another high smoke point oil).

Sear steak on hot cast iron pan for 1 minute, flipping every 15 seconds.

Add butter and any aromatics to the pan for added flavor and crispness. Sear for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Before serving, top the filet mignons with the leftover juices from the pan and a slice of compound butter.

Green Caper Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup Shallots
• 3 clove garlic minced and 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 2 cups cream and 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp cold butter

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan and add shallot and garlic. Saute until just turning soft
2. Add brandy and flame
3. Add flour and cook for one minute
4. Add mustard, thyme, capers, cream, and stock and reduce by half
5. Add cold butter and serve

French Baguettes

Yield 2 baguettes

Ingredients

• 1 cup water at 100 degrees
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Place 1 cup water, sugar, and yeast into a bowl and gently stir to dissolve yeast
2. Allow mixture to sit until bubbly around 10 minutes.
3. Mix flour and salt together.
4. In a bowl combine flour mixture and yeast mixture to form a dough. Knead for about two minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place dough in lightly greased bowl.
6. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
7. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16×12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8×12 inch rectangles.
8. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
9. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
11. Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
12. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 extra-large egg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for topping
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place six (8-ounce) ramekins in a roasting pan large enough to hold them completely flat.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and sugar until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, add the chocolate and espresso and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Slowly whisk the cream mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk in the coffee liqueur and vanilla. Transfer to a large measuring cup and pour into the prepared ramekins until full.
3. Place the pan in the oven and carefully pour enough of the hottest tap water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the custards are set on the edges but still a little jiggly in the middle when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm.
4. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on each custard. With a kitchen blowtorch held one inch from the surface of the creme, heat the sugar until it caramelizes evenly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with Chambord whip and raspberries.