MAY 2007

Mother's Day

Sunday, May 13, is Mother's Day. If your Mom is a cook who insists on fine ingredients look no further. You can check out our gift selections online. Really customize the gift by sending us your selections and we will gift wrap them and include your message. Either way Mom will be flattered with the recognition of her culinary skills and you might even get to savor the results.

The Essence of Stock

Any serious cook would be quick to point out that the essence of a good sauce starts with a good foundation. That foundation is a good stock. Until now, in order to produce that foundation required hours of browning bones and meat along with vegetables and then the slow simmering of these ingredients immersed in a pot of water.

After simmering and reducing for several hours the stock is strained. The process continues, usually with the addition of herbs, spices and in some cases wine. This mix is then reduced even further This process alone takes additional time and might even take up to eight hours. The end result of course is a rich stock that can be used as is or even reduced further to make a demi-glace. From there to your finished dish it is a building process with a bit of tweaking here with Madeira, Sherry or lemon or lime and winding up with a rich, flavorful sauce for veal, poultry, etc.

There are a lot of products on the market that portend to imitate the above process, alas all too often we find these to be nothing more than having the taste of a salty bouillon cube dropped into hot water. Being a cook myself I have found the products that meet the standards for good stock bases. In my opinion no one does it better than More than Gourmet. Their stock bases are outstanding.

Why is this so? For starters all ingredients are natural without any artificial ingredients, MSG or chemical additives. These are not stock bases whose ingredients read as though they came from a chemistry lab rather than a kitchen. More than Gourmet is proud of the fact that all of the stock bases they offer are made in the Old World Tradition with careful selection of ingredients and reductions. In other words, More than Gourmet does all the work for you.

Here's what our own Chef Andrea has to say about the More than Gourmet sauces:

"I am a huge fan of More than Gourmet...they are, without a doubt, the best stock bases available anywhere! You are continuing to acquire nothing but the best products to offer your customers and I commend you. I am very proud to be a part of the JR family!"

So with that said, here are the new products from More than Gourmet that we now carry.

Demi-Glace Gold (Classic French Demi-Glace)

This traditional base is made in the old world methods of the famous French chef Escoffier from brown stock and Sauce Espagnole. The 30-hour reduction process ends up with a base that has a beautiful shine, taste and texture. Use this for lamb and beef dishes. It also adds a beautiful flavor profile to Bolognese pasta sauce.

Glace de Poulet Gold (Classic Roasted Chicken Stock)

20-time reduction of French chicken stock results in a deep, rich, roasted color and syrupy consistency. Use this in your poultry dishes when you want a pure, intense flavor to finished sauces or when deglazing the roasting pan.

Glace Fruits de Mer Gold (Classic Seafood Stock)

This classic seafood/fish stock is reduced to a glace and is a premium blend of the finest "fruits of the sea," lobster, shrimp, crab and fish. Imagine a perfect, natural lobster reduction to a glace. Now you will be able to depend on this consistent, highly reduced seafood glace to add tremendous sweet flavors to your sauces, stocks and soups. You will enjoy Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold's beautiful red hue which of course is achieved naturally without any added coloring.

Essence de Champignon Gold (Classic Mushroom Essence)

This special essence can be used as a light-bodied sauce or stock to add deep, rich, elegant flavors to soups, stews, risottos and pastas. It can also be used fully strength to add a beautiful mushroom aroma and flavor to most any finished sauce.

Veggie-Glace Gold (Classic Roasted Vegetable Demi-Glace)

This wonderful sauce is a revelation to those seeking the greatest possible flavor in light cooking or vegetarian entrees. Use your imagination and add other herbs, spices, wines, vinegars and mustards depending on the intended use of the sauce. Add this sauce to mashed potatoes and roasted garlic for an outstanding treat.

Now to Chef Andrea's Spring time recipe suggestions.

The Time of Gatherings

Late spring and early summer is the time of gatherings...graduations, weddings, reunions...the times of coming together, celebrating life's events and making memories with great food. Here are new recipes created with you and your friends and families in mind, recipes that are versatile, quick and easily lend themselves to larger celebrations and advance preparation. Enjoy your gatherings and the Joys of the Gathered Table.

Mother of Duxelles

Duxelles, the classic mushroom preparation, is said to have been created by the 17th-century French chef Francois Pierre La Varenne and to have been named after his employer, Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles, The Marshal of France.

The culinary art includes a number of Mother Sauces that each serve as the base sauce for hundreds of dishes. I think this may be the first time that a mushroom Mother Duxelles has been described, a recipe from which many variations and uses spring forth out of creativity. Let's hope that your creations number in the hundreds as you enjoy the countless delights that come from all of the possibilities using the exciting variety of JR Mushrooms.

In this Mother of Duxelles, I have used JR Mushroom Shiitake Kibble, a new and wonderfully versatile form of dried Shiitake, to create a truly universal appetizer, first course, or accompaniment for many entrées. Experiment with your own ideas and create your own favorite uses for this Mother of Duxelles. Double, triple or more as needed for larger events.

Chef Andrea's recipe calls for Speck. This wonderful prosciutto is Northern Italy's answer to the Parma and San Daniele prosciutto. Smoked with care, Speck develops a stronger, more robust flavor than the traditional Italian prosciutto, which is not smoked. If you cannot find Speck locally you can substitute prosciutto di Parma or Prosciutto San Daniele.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 cups JR Mushroom Shitake Kibble
2 large shallots, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sour cream
4 slices of Speck or prosciutto, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted baguette slices; Melba toast or other dry crackers.

Method

Place JR Mushroom Shitake Kibble in a large bowl; cover with very hot water and allow to soak for 30 minutes or more.

Melt butter in large sauté pan. Add shallots and sauté until the shallots soften and begin to become translucent. Add garlic and speck or prosciutto and sauté briefly. Drain mushrooms and squeeze out water. Put mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until they are very finely minced. Add to sauté pan. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Alternatives

Spread on crackers as a pâté spread appetizer.
Stuff in fresh mushroom caps or artichoke hearts.
Toss with hot pasta along with 1/4 cup of JR's Cretalife Organic Olive Oil for a quick main dish.
Use as a Duxelles for beef Wellington.
Use as an aromatic stuffing for quail, or game hens.
Layer within butterflied pork chops or chicken breasts.
Enfold within a fluffy omelet for brunch with champagne or as a light entrée

Door County Wild Rice

I think the finest wild rice (actually a grass) comes from the Native American harvesters in Door County, Wisconsin. Here is a dish that can be used as an accompaniment to almost any event or gathering menu, and one that can be prepared ahead and tastes equally good served warm or cold.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup extra long grain wild rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup JR Mushrooms and Specialties dried Blenheim Apricots
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 small shallot, chopped fine
2/3 cup JR Mushroom and Specialties Chanterelles, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place JR Mushrooms and Specialties Chanterelles in bowl with hot water to reconstitute for 30 minutes or longer.

Rinse wild rice in cold water several times. Add chicken broth and water and place over medium heat. Allow rice to cook until most of the kernels "pop." Depending on the rice, you may have to add additional water to complete cooking.

Place cooked rice in bowl. Add butter to pan used to prepare rice and sauté shallots until they begin to soften. Squeeze excess water from the chanterelle mushrooms, chop coarsely and add to shallots. Return rice to the pan and stir in the JR Mushroom and Specialties Blenheim Apricots and pecans. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Alternatives

Serve as a bed for chicken or fish dishes.
Use as a stuffing with Italian or Bell peppers as an appetizer or entrée.
Combine half-and-half with Mother of Duxelles and use a stuffing with individual game hens or with butterflied chicken breasts.
Pack in a ring mold and use as individual timbales.
Toss with fresh-sliced fruits, chill and serve as a salad on a bed of butter lettuce.

Here Comes the Chicken!

Serves 4 as main dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts
12 sage leaves
4 slices Speck or prosciutto ham
2 eggs beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon JR Mushroom and Specialties Cretalife Olive Oil
1/2 cup JR Mushroom and Specialties Champignon Kibble
1 large shallot, diced
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons JR Mushroom and Specialties Green Peppercorns, crushed
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place JR Mushrooms and Specialties Champignon Kibbles in bowl with hot water to reconstitute for 30 minutes or longer.

Pound chicken breasts out until they are very thin, about 7 or more inches round.

Place three sage leaves on each breast and cover with a slice of speck or proscuitto. Roll the chicken breast jellyroll style and secure with a toothpick.

Beat eggs in a dish large enough to accommodate the chicken breast rolls. Dip rolled breasts in egg then coat completely with the breadcrumbs.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken rolls and sauté until well browned on all sides. Put browned chicken rolls in an ovenproof dish and bake for 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, add shallots to the sauté skillet and cook until they become soft and translucent. Deglaze pan with the wine and stir till almost all liquid is evaporated. Add flour to pan and cook for a minute or so. Whisk in chicken broth and stir until sauce begins to thicken. Thoroughly squeeze water from reconstituted JR Mushroom and Specialties Champignon Kibble mushrooms; add the crushed green peppercorns. Taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken from the oven; remove toothpicks and plate individual servings or platter. Pour sauce over, garnish with sage leaf and serve immediately.