December Newsletter 2005

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Hi,

I would be remiss to not remind that I am able to ship anything ordered from MyChefsFavorites.com and immediately so.

I would also be remiss in not recalling to you that ALL COPPER COOKWARE on the entire site is currently offered at such prices to offer a truly premier value and that all orders valued over $99.00 are shipped prepaid by yours truly.

That's the message so buy for yourself, buy for your children, buy for friends and relatives…Christmas is coming and fine cookware, I suspect, is a greatly appreciated gift, especially the Bourgeat. It just doesn't come any better. I know for I use it every day.

In my bulletin of last week I promised you some recipes with this newsletter. Having just had a nice soup on this nice cool, blustery day I had the thought that an assortment of soup recipes would be great for the rest of the country which seems to be getting "winterized". So, here you are: Four great and diverse recipes for your enjoyment:

If this soup did indeed start with peanut butter at the Tuskegee Institute, its present luscious form and content show what happens when Dixie and Creole creativities join together.

2 Tbsp bacon fat
½ Cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 Cups chicken stock
½ Cup light cream
1 Qt oysters and their liquor
Salt
Cayenne
Savory
2 to 3 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
6 scallions, small & minced

Using your large casserole pan or stock pot make a roux of the flour and bacon fat. Add the peanut butter. Off-heat, whisk in the chicken stock and blend until smooth. Add cream and liquor from the oysters. Season the soup to taste with salt, cayenne and savory plus the sherry. Add oysters, return to the heat and simmer until the oysters become plumped up. Serve and sprinkle each serving with the parsley and scallions.

This, I hope you will agree, is a most refreshing soup served hot or cold. I love cucumbers in any way shape or form!

6 Tbsp butter
2 med. Onions, finely chopped, 1 cup
2 large cucumbers, peeled and finely chopped, 2 cups
3 cups chicken stock
3 Tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
½ cup heavy cream
Salt
White pepper
1 med. cucumber, peeled and diced to ¼" cubes
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or chives

In a heavy 2 to 3 quart saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp of the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, stir in the chopped onions and chopped cucumbers (not the ¼" cubes) and, stirring occasionally, cook them for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent but not brown.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat, simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Pour the soup into a sieve set over a large bowl and force the vegetables through with the back of a wooden or Exoglas® spoon.

Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter in the saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Pour in the pureed soup, beating vigorously with a wire whisk. Return to a moderate heat and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until the soup has thickened slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks and heavy cream. Constantly whisking pour into it1 cup of the hot soup…2 Tbsp at a time. Then, reverse the process. Slowly pour this warmed mixture back into the remaining soup, still whisking. Simmer over a very low heat for 5 minutes but do not let the soup come to a boil. Just before serving, stir in the diced raw cucumber, season with salt & white pepper and sprinkle with the chopped parsley or chives. Serve warm or…

To serve the soup cold, let it cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Add the diced raw cucumber, seasonings and chopped herbs just before serving. Sour cream of a spoonful of slightly salted whipped cream may be used on each portion.

The cold waters of the North Atlantic off the coast of Maine are famed for their lobsters, the genuine 24 carat, all American lobster with claws. Of course they are found elsewhere along that coastline but most of us tend to identify them with Maine. If the economics or logistics of your situation dictate that you can have only one of them, then you can share the wealth six ways with this stew.

Boil three 2lb. lobsters in salted water, crack the shells and remove the meat. Do this over a bowl so as to catch all the liquid that drains out.

Reserve the green liver and any coral there might be, break up and save the shells. Cut the meat into small chunks.

In a large saucepan heat the lobster meat in 4 Tbsp of melted butter without letting it brown. Put the shells and drained liquid into another saucepan with 1 qt. milk.

Bring this latter mixture slowly to a boil, simmer it for 5 minutes and pour it through a sieve over the lobster meat, discard the shells.

Mash the liver and coral, mix them with ¾ cup of heavy cream and add them to the lobster stew. Bring the stew just to the boiling point, season with a touch of cayenne pepper and add salt, if necessary, and a lump of butter. Serve immediately in soup bowls with buttered and toasted chowder crackers.

It would be difficult for anyone living in the Tidewater country of Virginia not to indulge in and to enjoy the teeming bounty along its coastline. Try this soup and just pretend you are there.

1 pound fresh crabmeat
2 Tbsp butter
1 small white onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 qt hot milk
1 pint half and half
1 Tbsp Madeira or sherry
Cayenne to taste
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Melt butter in a sauce pan, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until well softened. Stir in the crabmeat and salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate pan, make a roux of the flour and butter, add the hot milk, cook until thoroughly blended and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Combine with the onion-crabmeat mixture, stir in the wine and half and half. Correct seasoning with a dash of cayenne and serve with a garnishment of chopped parsley.

Sincerely,
Don Shipman,
MyChefsFavorites.com