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Bloody Mary
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Jessica Watson
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Happy New Year, Cherubs at Moon
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Southern Comfort II
Southern Comfort II
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Caruthers, M.
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Happy New Year, Dancing Pierrot
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La Belle Cuisine



It was a fantastic party!  But... Perhaps you feel the need for a little "hair of
the dog that bit you", right?  No problem.  You can consult our Bloody Mary Collection, or you can try the following warm version...

 

Bloody Mary Soup
The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins with Sarah
Leah Chase, 1985, Workman Publishing

Alibris

“The Bloody Mary seems to enjoy a universal popularity as a brunch eye-
opener. For those chilly times when you still need the kick of a Bloody
Mary but also crave something warming, we’ve created this soup.”

6 portions

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 ribs celery, minced
1 medium-size sweet red pepper,
seeded, cored, and minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups drained canned tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice
Grated zest of 1 lime
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup vodka
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
[We omit these.]
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dill sprigs (garnish)
Lime slices (garnish)

1. Melt the butter in a heavy large pan over low heat. Add the celery, red pepper, and jalapeño pepper. Cover the pot and sweat the vegetables
over low heat until very soft, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato juice, lime zest, horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes.
3. Process the soup in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or a
blender until smooth. Return to the pan and stir in the vodka,
caraway seeds, lime juice, and Worcestershire. Heat until hot.
4. Ladle the soup into mugs and garnish with dill sprigs and lime slices.

 

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Soup
The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins with Sarah
Leah Chase, 1985, Workman Publishing

Alibris

6 portions

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 ripe medium-size tomatoes, seeded and chopped
8 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
8 cups water [or fish stock]
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh spinach (10-ounce package),
stems removed and leaves finely chopped
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese,
preferably without vegetable gum
1/3 cup vodka
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Snipped fresh chives (garnish)

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size stick pot over medium heat. Add
the onion and sauté until soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the dill, tomatoes, and smoked salmon. Cook 3 minutes;
then add the flour and cook 1 minute more.
3. Gradually stir in the water [or fish stock]. Heat to boiling. Reduce
heat and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat 20 minutes.
Season with pepper to taste. Stir in the spinach and simmer 5
more minutes.
4. Stir in the cream cheese, 1 ounce at a time, over low heat, allowing
each bit to melt into the soup. When all the cream cheese has been
added and the soup is smooth, stir in the vodka and lemon juice.
Taste for seasonings. Serve immediately.

 

American Foie Gras Sauté with
Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette



Inn at Little Washington
Cookbook: A Consuming Passion

by Patrick O’Connell, 1996, Random House

Please, do NOT freak out because of the foie gras.  It is, after all, just
liver. No big deal. Very comforting.  And if you are not of a mind to go
in search of foie gras, just sauté some excellent calves liver. Or fry up
a batch of chicken livers! If you are an absolute hard-core liver hater
(you have my deepest sympathy), then just bake a ham...

“This dish is simply a seared slice of warm fattened duck liver resting
on a salad of black-eyed peas and little greens. A slice of country ham
strengthens the Southern accent, and a hot, vinegary reduction of the
pan juices becomes the sauce.”

Serves 4

Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 cup delicate mixed greens, such as frisée, mâche
(corn salad), watercress, or red oak lettuce, washed
and well drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 small, very thin slices cooked country ham
4 slices fresh American foie gras, about 1/2 inch
thick and 1 1/2 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions

1. Place about 1/4 cup of the Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette in the center
of each of four serving plates.
2. In a small bowl, combine the mixed greens with the oil and toss lightly. Arrange the greens around the peas and place a slice of ham on top.
3. Sprinkle the foie gras with salt and pepper. Place a medium-size sauté
pan or skillet over high heat. Add the foie gras and brown on both
sides, about 30 seconds per side. Place on top of the ham.
4. Remove half of the fat from the pan, then add the shallot, garlic, and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is reduced by
one-half.
To serve:  Spoon equal amounts of sauce over each serving of
foie gras. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve immediately.

Note: When cooking foie gras, it’s very important to use a smoking-
hot pan; otherwise the liver will just melt away like butter. You want
to create a crisp exterior and a rare interior. Foie gras must be eaten
within seconds after it’s cooked, or it will be flabby.

“In the restaurant’s early years, our entire kitchen staff consisted of several
very Southern women. On New Year’s Day, they would insist on cooking
black-eyed peas for our ‘family’ meal. They convinced me that it was abso-
lutely essential to eat them for good luck.
"One year my peas got cold, so I sprinkled a little salad dressing on them
and thought they tasted better that way. Foie gras (fattened duck liver)
had just become available in America, and I was constantly trying new
ways of preparing it. Combining this expensive delicacy with traditional
Southern slave  food created an interesting balance. American Foie
Gras Sauté with Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette was born.
"It wasn’t long before Craig Claiborne [a native Mississippian turned
New Yorker, and Food Editor of the New York Times for many years]
visited, tried the dish, and write that it was one of the best things he
had ever tasted. The recipe appeared in The New York Times and the
dish became a sort of symbolic illustration of what was to become the
New American Cuisine –  unlikely combinations artistically presented
in new and refined ways – in essence, the emerging of an American
haute cuisine.
These peas are wonderful with baked ham on a buffet table or at a
picnic. They taste best at room temperature.”

Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup

1/4 pound dried black-eyed peas
1/4 pound skin and fat from smoked ham or
smoked goose breast
4 bay leaves
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
6 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
3 cups water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Tarragon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Rinse the peas in a colander under cold running water. Place them
in a 2-quart saucepan, cover with cold water, and soak overnight.
(Or bring the water to a boil, cook for 1 minute, remove from the
heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour.)
2. Drain the peas.
3. Place the ham or goose skin and fat, bay leaves, onion, garlic,
parsley, thyme, and peppercorns in a 10-inch square of cheese-
cloth and tie into a pouch using kitchen string.
4. In a large saucepan, combine the peas, water, and vinegar. Add
the cheesecloth bag and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20
minutes, or until the peas are tender but not mushy.
5. Drain the peas, discarding the cheesecloth bag, and pour the
Tarragon Vinaigrette over them while they are still hot. Let
the peas come to room temperature and season with salt
and pepper.

Note:  You can make this recipe several days in advance
and keep refrigerated.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

Makes 2 cups

1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or
1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar, preferably imported
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a large stainless steel bowl.
Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Store in the refrigerator and shake well or whisk thoroughly
before using.
 

In another recipe (Crispy Seared Foie Gras on Polenta with Country Ham
and Blackberries) from this excellent cookbook, Chef O’Connell presents
what is in my opinion a brilliant union: foie gras and polenta.  And quite
appropriate for this New Year’s Day spread. How comforting can it get?
 
Just prepare the polenta and slide a square of polenta under the ham…

Polenta

1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add 1 table-
spoon of the oil, garlic, and bay leaf and sweat for 30 seconds.
2. Add the water, milk, and cream and bring to a simmer. Remove
the bay leaf.
3. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal. Simmer for 2 minutes, or
until the polenta begins to thicken.
4. Whisk in the cheese and season with salt and cayenne.
5. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and pour the polenta onto
the sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and flatten to about 1/2 inch
thick. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Remove from the refrigerator and cut into 2-inch squares. Sauté
both sides in the remaining oil until golden brown. Keep warm.


Good for what ails you...
 

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