Flounder en Papillote with Fennel, Grape Tomatoes, Tarragon & Lime

This is an update to my Tomato Basil Salmon en Papillote and Shark Loin in Foil Packets. Those were before my chef training days and the wrapping of the parchment paper is incorrect because there’s no room for the steam to baste every ingredient with its own juices! I also didn’t seal it properly. The foil is the modern way of wrapping it and it requires less “skill”/technique. But to my recollection, both ways still tasted great and I loved how there was little/minimal clean up involved.

In school, we practiced this technique twice; once in level 1 and the other in level 3. Well, repeatedly in level 3, which focused on consistency. In level 3, we did it with striped bass with tomato fondue, mushrooms duxelles, and julienned carrots, leeks, and celery. It definitely wasn’t “quick and easy” as I have labeled here on my blog. We made 4 portions: we had to fillet our own fish and OMG, pin bones!!! Stubborn pin bones, DIE!!! Cooking the finely diced tomatoes and mushrooms, separately, took a long time. Then with your knife, we had to julienne those three garnitures and cook them, separately, until tender, before putting them into the parchment paper envelope. I hate julienning carrots because when you slice a carrot really thinly, it curls and, gahhhhhh! It just gets frustrating.

There are three cooking techniques in papillote: baking, braising, and steaming! Or if you want to be really “French” about it: VAPEUR!!! That’s what our chef instructors drilled into our heads. Haha.

Anyway, I also decided to make this because I still can’t stop using my Japanese mandolin! Even after my accident at work last week!

By the way, this recipe serves 1.

[100% organic, wild flounder]

• 10 grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ small onion, thinly sliced
• ½ small fennel bulb, fronds reserved
• 1 large flounder fillet
• 2 slices lime
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 5 tarragon leaves
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 egg white
• White wine, splash
• EVOO
• Olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground pepper

In a small pan, sweat the onions on low heat with 1 TBS of olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the half of the minced garlic and sweat for another 30 seconds. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let it cool at room temperature.

In a bowl, mix the grape tomatoes with the remaining minced garlic, some salt, pepper, and EVOO. Toss and set aside.

Using a mandolin, slice the fennel bulb razor thin and place in ice cold water with ice.

Remove yolk from egg, keep white and beat lightly.

TO ASSEMBLE

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Take shaved fennel out of the iced water and dry on paper/hand towels and season with salt, pepper, lime juice and apple cider vinegar. Toss and set aside.

Cut the parchment paper (12 x16 in) into a heart shape. Season the fillet with salt and pepper. Place the cooled onion mixture on one half of the heart-shaped parchment paper, but not too close to the fold. Spoon tomatoes in a single layer over onions. Sprinkle the tarragon leaves over tomatoes.

Fold/roll the fillet so that it fits nicely on top of tarragon, tomatoes, and onions. Top with seasoned fennel and remaining tomatoes. I put 1 TBS of butter into the folded fish fillet and the other 1 TBS butter around at the end. Lastly, splash some white wine over the fish.

Brush the edges of the paper heart with the lightly beaten egg white. Fold paper heart in half, and press the edges together to seal. Brush the edges of the folded package with the beaten egg white and make a series of short folds along the edges. For an extra secure seal, repeat by brushing the edges again with egg white and repeat the short folds. Using a pastry brush, very lightly oil the top of the papillote so that the paper doesn’t burn too much in the oven.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. When finished, piece a tiny hole on top of the papillote and serve immediately with toasted bread to soak up the juices!

Braised Artichoke Heart & Lobster Fennel Salad with Caponata, Basil Oil and Vinaigrette

I really like the presentation of this dish in level 6 garde manger. But I don’t like rushing the presentation of this plate because I’m such a perfectionist. I mean, the plate is a cold appetizer; why can’t we make it ahead of time and add the lobster and the arugula garnish at the pickup?

*School has been out of chervil (since last Saturday, WTF) so I had to garnish it with the top of an arugula leaf.

There’s caponata under the lobster too.

Salted Cod Salad with Oranges, Cilantro & Pork Skin Crackling over Toasted Potato Bread

Yesterday night was my last class day doing canapés. The proteins given to my partner and I was salted cod. It was the same cod that we filleted last Saturday. The concept was first conceived as a potato cod salad and then we decided to add some hints of ceviche flavors and serve it over toasted bread.

With the salad, we diced Yukon Gold potatoes and Granny Smith apples. We also added an ear of sweet corn, drizzled some lime juice and finely chopped cilantro. We poached the salted cod in milk and then flaked them into smaller pieces. At school, we have a bread kitchen and there’s always a bunch of different breads lying around. We decided to go with the potato bread. Anyway, the finished product:

Our canapés were popular among our classmates too!

Pot-Stickers

Whenever I make dumplings, which is around once every two weeks, I prefer to eat them boiled as they are freshly made. But once they have been frozen, my favorite way is to eat them as pot-stickers.

[100% organic, shrimp from Thailand]

Shiso wrapped Hamachi with Coconut Paste, Lotus Root, Toasted Nori & Yuzu-Sake Sauce

The first day of level 6, May 17, it was my night being at the entremetier station again. Level 5 gave us the freedom to design a vegetarian entrée, and in level 6, we have to come up with a canapé/amuse bouche for service, part of the first of a 5-course dinner. To maximize product usage and cut down on waste, canapés/amuse bouche are made with scraps, trimmings, and leftovers in the kitchen.

We were given three meats: pulled duck leg, pulled chicken leg, and marinated hamachi. No was else jumped at the task so I was more than happy that I got to do it on the first day. Being aware of the previous class and how much time they got, I was only given a limited time to plan, prep, make, and plate all the canapés: 40 minutes. That’s not a lot of time but at the end, I pulled it off, along with some assistance towards the end. I just grabbed whatever I could get my hands on.

Originally, my idea was to wrap the hamachi with the shiso leaf along with a 1-inch stripe of coconut milk paste and one line of julienned Thai chili peppers, served with the yuzu-sake sauce and garnished with a julienned red bell pepper. However, when I made my three testing spoons, the chef instructors didn’t like how it was “spicy”. It tasted good they said but to start off a heavy multi-course dinner with something so “spicy” doesn’t do well for the stomach. The production chef told me that for any other event, such as a pool party or somewhere serving cocktails, the spiciness would have been perfect. Personally, I didn’t think the peppers were that spicy but that’s because I eat spicier foods.

So here’s the final product from school:

Shiso wrapped Hamachi with Coconut Paste & Yuzu-Sake Sauce, Julienned Red Bell Pepper

I didn’t bring my camera that night so I don’t really like the photos that I took at school with my iPhone. I decided to redo it with the stuff I had at home. I didn’t have any bell peppers lying around but I had lotus root (for the crunch texture) and toasted nori sheets. At home, I have just ponzu by itself but if you don’t have an array of Asian ingredients in your pantry, you can just buy ponzu sauce which is the yellowy yuzu mixed with soy sauce.

[100% organic, farmed yellowtail hamachi]

For the Marinade

• 3 oz. hamachi fillet
• 1-inch ginger, grated
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup ponzu
• ¼ sake
• 1 lime, juiced

Mix all ingredients and marinade for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.

For the Sauce

• 2 TBS soy sauce
• ¼ cup ponzu
• ¼ sake
• ¼ lime wedge, juiced

Mix and set aside.

For the Finish

• Half a 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• Equal mixture of 2 TBS cornstarch and water
• 2-3 TBS powdered sugar
• Shiso leaves, stem removed
• 1 red Thai chili pepper, julienned
• 1-inch small lotus root
• Toasted nori strips

In a small pot, bring the coconut milk to a simmer and whisk in powdered sugar. Depending on how sweet you like your coconut milk, add the full 3 TBS of powdered sugar. Once the coconut milk is to your desired sweetness, slowly add in the cornstarch mixture and continue whisking to remove lumps in the coconut paste. It is not necessary to use all the cornstarch mixture, just until it comes together and is less fluid-like. Immediately place in an ice bath to cool down.

For the lotus root, peel and then slice thinly with a mandolin. Make sure to place shaved lotus root in a bowl with water and a splash of vinegar. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lotus root for a couple of minutes. Drain and cool in an ice bath, drain again. Cut each lotus root slice in half so that it fits into the Chinese spoon.

TO ASSEMBLE

Drain fish from marinade and cut into ½-inch strips.

The wrapping is like making sushi: place the shiso leaf with the presentation side down, landscape oriented. Brush/spoon with coconut paste along the center (on the stem). Line with one hamachi strip and 1-2 julienned chili peppers. Roll from bottom to top edge and using a very sharp knife, slice off ugly ends and then in half.

Place halved lotus root slice onto spoon, place hamachi shiso sushi on top. Spoon ½-1 tsp of the sauce and garnish with toasted nori strips.

Chilled Asparagus Soup with Salmon, Lotus Root, Shaved Fennel & Golden Beets

The previous asparagus soup wasn’t as green as I had hoped so in this recipe, I added parsley purée to it and it was much greener.

There is a dish at work that is beautifully presented — before you pour in the cold soup. At school, in garde manger, we always waste so much cut food at the end of the night so I brought home the shaved fennel that we didn’t use so I wouldn’t need to buy it myself!

[100% organic, farmed salmon from Norway]

For the Soup

• 1 bunch (approx. 1 lb) asparagus
• 2 Idaho potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 4 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked
• ½ cup parsley leaves, fully packed
• 2 TBS butter
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 3 TBS crème fraîche
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Cut off 1.5-inch at the ends of each asparagus, compost/discard. Roughly chop into ½-inch pieces, including the heads.

In a small pot, bring salted water to boil. Add in the asparagus heads and gently boil until soft, 6-8 minutes. Remove from hot water immediately and then plunge it in cold water + ice. Once heads are cold, drain from water and set aside.

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil on medium-low heat and melt the butter. Then sweat the onions until soft and translucent. Season a little bit with salt. Add the smashed garlic cloves and tarragon leaves and continue sweating for 1 minute. Turn the heat on high and add in the chopped asparagus and potatoes. Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a blender, add the parsley leaves and a little bit of water to get the blender going. Remove and set aside.

Purée soup using an immersion blender and blend in the crème fraîche and parsley purée. Adjust seasoning. Transfer puréed soup to a clean pot and cool over an ice bath. When cool, refrigerate until needed.

For the Garnish

• Chives, finely chopped
• Chervil, as needed
• Salmon sashimi, cut into small rectangles
• 1 small lotus root
• 1 fennel bulb, shaved with mandolin, reserve the fronds
• 1 small golden beet

For the lotus root, peel and then shave with a mandolin. Make sure to place shaved lotus root in a bowl with water and a little bit of vinegar. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lotus root for a couple of minutes. Drain and cool in an ice bath, drain again and set aside.

For the fennel bulb, wash and remove damaged areas. Reserve the fronds for later. Cut off the root/stem and then, using a mandolin, shave the fennel to very thin pieces. Place in water and ice. The iced water will help the fennel shavings to curl.

For the golden beet, slice it very thinly by using a mandolin. Then place in ice water and set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE

Wrap a lotus root shaving around a piece of salmon and arrange in a cold soup bowl. Place fennel shavings in the middle and scatter chervil, chopped chives, sliced beets, and garnish with fennel fronds.

In a separate container/pot/ramekin, place cold soup in it and serve by pouring asparagus soup into bowl with garniture.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

For two weeks now, I’ve been consuming a mostly liquid diet: vegetable-bound soups with crème fraîche and fresh fruit smoothies with nonfat yogurt. I’ve been even more healthy than usual. The only protein that I’ve been eating have been shrimp and eggs.

Anyway, I was never a big fan of asparagus because of the foul smell it turns your urine into. But it’s spring and beautiful outside and asparagus is everywhere, and cheap too. I’m always seeing asparagus soup on menus but I’ve never tried it myself.

[100% organic]

For the Soup

• 1 bunch (approx. 1 lb) asparagus
• 2 Idaho potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 4 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked
• 2 TBS butter
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 3 TBS crème fraîche
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Cut off 1.5-inch at the ends of each asparagus, compost/discard. Cut off the heads of the asparagus and set aside. For the rest of the asparagus, roughly chop into ½-inch pieces.

In a small pot, bring salted water to boil. Add in the asparagus heads and gently boil until soft, 6-8 minutes. Remove from hot water immediately and then plunge it in cold water + ice. Once heads are cold, drain from water and set aside.

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil on medium-low heat and melt the butter. Then sweat the onions until soft and translucent. Season a little bit with salt. Add the smashed garlic cloves and tarragon leaves and continue sweating for 1 minute. Turn the heat on high and add in the chopped asparagus and potatoes. Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Purée soup using an immersion blender and blend in the crème fraîche. Adjust seasoning. Transfer puréed soup to a clean pot and keep warm, covered.

For the Garnish

• Asparagus heads
• Croutons, as needed
• Chives, finely chopped
• Toasted pine nuts, as needed
• Tarragon leaves, as needed

TO ASSEMBLE

Bring soup back to a simmer, adjust seasoning, and garnish with the ingredients listed above. To make your own croutons, toss cubed pieces of bread in butter on medium heat until golden. Serve immediately.