What's Cooking Culinary Information for you to Enjoy!
Recipes & Tip's
Bills Great Meals Knife Safety Tips
Here are some tricks that will help you keep
from being hurt when you work with your kitchen knives and the other
sharp edges around the kitchen.
☺ Keep your knives sharp. If your knife is sharp, it
will slide easily through what you are cutting, with little force
involved. If the knife is dull, you have to force it to do the cutting,
and if you slip a little, there is all that force that makes the knife
glance off anything in its way, and often cut the heck out of it.
☺ When you are using a knife, don not
cut with the edge toward you or your fingers. If you slip, the blade
keeps going toward you, and can easily CUT
you. Pay a lot of attention to where the edge of your sharp blade is
pointing, and make sure it can not get you if you slip a bit.
☹ Do not leave sharp knives loose in a
drawer. Not only will banging around in a drawer ruin the good sharp
edge you have on your knives, someone for sure will reach in the drawer
and come out with a handful of knife, and it will probably be you.
☺ If you are working with or handling a
knife, and you drop it, stand back and let it fall, do not try to catch
it. This sounds elementary, but lots of instincts say catch it, and
that can really hurt.
☺ If you have a dirty knife, do not
toss it in the kitchen sink. There is a good chance the next person
reaching in, which may be you, will come up with a handful of a sharp
knife edge. Banging around in the dishwater will also ruin a good edge.
Wash the knives separately.
☹ When you are working with a knife,
and you lay it down, do not lay it down with the edge pointing up. It
is hard to see the edge, and someone will put their hand down on it,
causing a severe wound.
☹ Any kind of broken glass is
incredibly sharp and dangerous. Clean it carefully up, and make sure
you do not leave pieces of it in the sponge for the next person who
grabs the sponge to find.
Do not just toss broken glass in a trash bag to CUT
the person (trash man) who picks up the bag, wrap it in old newspaper
or something, and if there is a lot of it, warn all concerned.
PLEASE, do not ever break glass on
purpose and toss it in the trash can you or your family member is going
to empty the trash and cut there self.
Caramelized Parsnip Carrot Soup
Yield 8 to 10 Servings
2 tablespoons of margarine 12 ounces carrots, thinly sliced ½ medium onion, sliced 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 2 large shallots, sliced 3 parsnips, peeled & thinly sliced 1 leek white & pale green part sliced 1 navel orange juice & zest 1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 1 tsp, Montreal Steak Seasoning, 6 cups of chicken broth
Melt the margarine in a 1 gallon stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, parsnips, carrots, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Stir to combine
Allow the vegetable mixture, to cook and caramelize for 12 to 15 minutes till shiny and browned. Stir to keep the carrots from browning. Lower heat if necessary.
Add the zest and juice from the orange, Montreal seasoning and broth. Cover the pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender.
Uncover the pot and with an immersion blender, puree the soup until completely smooth.
Ladle the soup into bowls and Enjoy! Happy Eating...
The Berry Best
Strawberries are a true favorite of my clients, but they are also extremely delicate and must be handled with tender loving care prior to serving. I follow these handling guidelines to assure great tasting berries.
1) Don’t wash strawberries until just before they are served. Wash with a gently spray of cool water. Do not Soak.
2) Remove the green caps only after the berries are washed. Otherwise, water gets inside the berries and breaks down the flavor and texture.
3) Remove caps with a light twist or with the point of a paring knife or tomato shark. Try not to remove any of the berry itself.
BGM Tip!
Strawberries do not ripen after being picked. Look for plump, firm berries with good, even color and glossy skins. Green caps should all be in place.
Do not store for more than a few days in your refrigerator, or the strawberries will lose flavor and color.
Enjoy Chef Bill
Fruit Buckle
Serves 6 to 8
2 cup fresh strawberries cut in quarters
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently mix fruit together in bowl then place fruit in even layer of an 8X8 inch pan.
Combine and blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, and egg into a crumbly mixture. Evenly sprinkle over the fruit.
Pour melted butter over the crumbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream.
Can be reheated just before serving.
Butternut Squash and Chipotle Soup
Serves 8
1 Butternut squash, 2.5 lb
1tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of dried sage
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 each chipotle chile (canned)
31/2 cups of chicken stock
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off and discard the ends of butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut in half length wise and remove seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and place on baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt & pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer. Roast fo 35 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add the onion to the pan and saute' until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, chile and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until squash is very soft, about 30 minutes.
Working in batches, puree' the soup in a blender until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.
Roasted Mashed Butternut Squash
Serves 6 to 8
2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total weight)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup half & half
Preheat oven to 400 degress.
Cut off and discard the ends of butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut in half length wise and remove seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and place on baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt & pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer. Roast fo 40 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. While roasting, turn the squash once with a spatula to be sure it cooks evenly. Don't let it brown. Place ingredients including pan liquids and half & half in bowl of a mixer, using wire whip attachment mix on medium speed. Squash should have consistency of mashed potatoes.
MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH SALMON
When [Bill McCabe], owner of [Bills Great Meals], a personal chef service, makes this salmon for his clients, they usually ask for the recipe. "This is one of the best recipes for salmon that I use because the pecans are a delicious, different compliment to the fish," says [McCabe]. "My clients love to make this for their friends and they tell me that everyone always asks for the recipe." [McCabe] cautions to keep an eye on the fish and never let it cook until pink. "That means the salmon is overdone," says [McCabe].
Salmon with Pecan Crunch Coating
4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½ Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Panko or other breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place fillets, skin side down, in a lightly greased baking dish. Combine mustard, butter and honey and brush on fillets. Combine bread crumbs, pecans and parsley and spoon mixture evenly on top of each fillet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily
Remove from oven serve with sides of your choice and enjoy!
5 Steps to Recipe Preparation
1. Read the ENTIRE recipe and assemble the necessary ingredients.
2. Follow the preparation procedures and equipment listed in the recipe.
3. Use the proper utensils to measure ingredients.
4. Work in an organized fashion.
5. Clean and sanitize the equipment and work space before beginning next recipe.
