Tips from Food Stylist Stephaine Rose

Chef Thomas's Food Showcase

Pound Cake and Fresh Berry Martinis

3 cups of Cake Flour
6 eggs
1 pound of butter, softened
1 pound of sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
Whipped cream, as needed
Fresh berries, as needed
Berry sauce, as needed

For the Cake

Preheat oven, grease and flour pan. Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large mixer. Stir in salt and the sugar. Add the butter. Add the eggs, whole and mix on slow. Slowly add buttermilk and the vanilla extract. After it is thoroughly stirred turn the mixer up to medium for a couple of minutes. Mix on high for a couple more minutes. If the mixture is a little thick, add just a touch more buttermilk. Be sure to mix product thoroughly or you will have lumps that will form air bubbles and leave holes in your finished cake. Bake cake in a tubing pan at 325 degrees for one hour and a half.

Assembly

Drizzle berry sauce on the bottom of a martini glass. Cut cooled finished cake into 1 inch cubes. Add 3-4 cubes of cake to the martini glass. Place a dollop of whipped cream in the center of the glass. Top the cake with fresh berries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Chicken and Grape Salad with Belgium Endive

1 cup of Grilled Breast of chicken breast, ¼” diced
½ cup of sliced almonds, crushed
½ cup of celery, ¼” diced
3/4cup of red grapes cut in half
1 ½ cup of mayonnaise
1 Tsp of curry powder
¼ tsp of fresh parsley, chopped
1 each Belgium Endive

For the Chicken Salad

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, almonds, grapes and celery. Reserve on the side.

For the Sauce

Combine mayonnaise, curry powder and parsley Combine all ingredients except Endive. Be careful not to break chicken pieces. You want to full chunks of chicken to be noticeably present.

Clean Endive and remove one stem. Place chicken salad mixture on the bottom half of the Endive (cup side up). Repeat process with remaining product and serve.

Ahi Tuna with Wakame Seaweed Salad

1 small cucumber, cut into thin 1/8” slices
½ cup of red onion, julienned 1/8”
¼ cup of carrots, julienned, 1/8”
2 TBL sugar
¼ cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of salt
1 cup of Wakame seaweed (softened)
Caviar as needed
Wasabi paste
Soy sauce

For the Salad

Cut softened wakame seaweed into about 2inch-long pieces. Season wakame with salt. Mix vinegar, soy and sugar in a bowl. Add wakame seaweed, red onion, carrot and cucumber slices to the bowl and mix well.

Assembly

Top the salad with Rare Ahi tuna. Garnish with Caviar as needed. Include Wasabi paste and Soy sauce for dipping.

Vegetarian Wonton with Black Sesame Seeds

1 TBL of peanut oil
1/4 cup of carrots, shredded
1/2 cup of cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 TBL of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
Sriacha sauce as needed
Soy Sauce as needed
Black sesame seeds as needed

For the Filling

Add oil to a large sauté pan and heat until just before smoking. Add the carrots, cabbage, and garlic. Sauté the mixture until it is al dente. Reserve on the side to cool. Combine the vegetables with the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well.

Assembly

Using a spoon put a small amount of filling in the center of each wonton skin. Bring up 2 opposite corners. Moisten the edges with the cornstarch mixture. Pinch them together to make a triangle. Fold over the bottom 2 corners so they overlap, and press together. The filling should be well sealed in.

Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer. Deep-fry the filled wontons in several batches. Drain on paper towel. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve promptly with Sriacha and Soy sauces

Eat, Drink and Live Well!!

Chef Sean Thomas

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Assorted Gourmet Bread

4 inch wheel of brie cheese
1/4 cup golden raisins dried
1/4 cup walnuts
2 sheets (12 by 18-inch) puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten
Fresh thyme leaf
Thermometer
Balsamic reduction

Balsamic Reduction

1 qt of balsamic vinegar heated and reduced by half or until it has reached a syrup consistency.

For Brie

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a warmed sharp knife cut the wheel of brie in half horizontally and separate the top half of the wheel from the bottom half. Sprinkle the bottom half of the brie with the golden raisins and walnuts. Replace the top half of the brie and apply pressure to secure the stuffing. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry so that it will fully cover the brie. Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry and fold the excess pastry around the wheel. Put the wheel aside. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg on top of the brie in the puff pastry and place the circle on top. Brush the top of the circle with egg. Brush the entire top side of the brie with the egg and place the brie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry appears golden brown in color. Using a thermometer, measure the internal temperature of the cheese to ensure that it is cooked thru and hot in the center. If the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is not warm enough, turn the oven down to 320* and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so.

Once cooked, remove Brie from the oven and serve with balsamic reduction, assorted crackers and breads. Garnish with fresh thyme leaf. See photo.

Enjoy!

Whole Fried Fish served with mashed potatoes and Cole slaw

1 (one lb fish-catfish or tilapia)
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 Cup of buttermilk
4 quart plastic bag

Make small incisions in each side of the fish near the front an ear breaking the skin. The incisions should resemble an X pattern. Season the fish with salt, Cajun seasoning and pepper. Rub the garlic into the skin of the fish. Combine flour, Cajun seasoning, cornstarch and buttermilk in a large plastic bag. Place fish inside the bag and shake vigorously. The fish should be well coated with the flour/buttermilk mixture. Remove the fish from the bag and place into the hot oil. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the fish is golden brown and has been cooked completely through. Check the back bone of the fish for proper cooking. Remove fish from oil and season again with salt and pepper. Place fish on a paper towel to drain excess grease.

Serve with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. See photo for presentation ideas.  Enjoy!

Whole Roasted Pig

Steamed Vegetables with Curry Honey Sauce

12 oz. sm. carrots, peeled
4 med. new potatoes, quartered
12 brussel sprouts, halved
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Place carrots and potatoes in steamer over 1 to 2 inches of boiling water. Cover; cook 6 minutes. Add brussel sprouts; cover and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss with steamed vegetables.

Curry - Honey Sauce

1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. honey
3 tsp. curry powder

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey and curry powder. Serve in separate bowl with a bowl of cheese.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

4 slices turkey bacon
1 lb. broccoli florets
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup raisins
3/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Cook bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Drain, crumble and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli florets andcook for 1 minute. Drain and immediately immerse in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

Transfer broccoli to a large bowl. Add bacon, almonds, grapes, red onion and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and honey. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss until well combined.

Pecan Crusted Scallops Served with Jasmine Rice.
Topped with Arugula, Green Apple, Walnut, Cranberry and Triple-Berry Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

For Scallops:
3 each U8 Scallops
Chopped Toasted Pecans, as needed
Salt and Pepper as needed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Triple Berry Yogurt Sauce:
Yogurt- 1 cup
Fresh Berries- ½ cup
Splenda to taste
Combine all ingredients and blend well in a blender. Add splenda to taste.

Green Apples- as needed
Walnuts- as needed
Cranberries- as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Jasmine Rice, cooked and held warm- as needed

Cherry Port Reduction:
Maraschino Cherries- 1 cup
Port Wine- 1 bottle

Combine ingredients into a small stock pot. Cook over medium heat until wine has reduced by half. The sauce should be slightly thick when completed. Remove from heat and hold at room temperature.

Preparation:
Season Scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge Scallops in chopped pecans evenly coating on both sides. Add 1 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to sauté pan. Heat pan slightly. Cook Scallops on medium heat until cooked thru, approximately 4-5 minutes. Place pan with scallops in a 350* oven for an additional 2 minutes or until scallops are cooked thru. The pecans should toasted golden brown but not burned. You may have to flip the scallops over several times to prevent the pecans from overcooking in one particular surface area.

While the scallops are cooking, in a mixing bowl toss arugula, apples, walnut, cranberries, yogurt sauce and salt and pepper together.

Place a small formed mound of rice in the center of a large bowl.

Place scallops around the rice. Place the arugula mixture atop the rice allowing a few of the walnuts and cranberries to fall to the plate.

Garnish the plate with Cherry Port Reduction and serve

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cucumber Salad    

Ingredients

Fresh strawberries sliced into 1/4 inch sections
Fresh English Cucumber sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
Mint Vinaigrette, 1/4 cup
Fresh Mint garnish

Layer the strawberries between the cucumber slices creating four levels. Drizzle with Mint Vinaigrette

Mint Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Rice wine vinegar
3 TBL granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 TBL mint, chopped fine
salt and pepper, pinch

Add rice wine vinegar, sugar and mint to a mixing bowl. Blend well. Slowly add olive oil to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Wrap, label, date and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Shrimp Bella Pasta     Watch the video

Ingredients

8 each 21-25 Shrimp (completely peeled)
3 oz Asparagus, bias cut
8 oz Penne Pasta
4 cloves Roasted Garlic
1 Tbls Shallots (fine dice)
3 oz Unsalted Butter
3 oz White Wine
3 oz Goat Cheese
2 oz Roma Tomatoes ( large Dice)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBL diced tomato
1 TBL fresh basil, chopped

Preparation

1. Sauté asparagus, garlic, shallots & shrimp. Deglaze with white wine
and reduce by two thirds.
2. Add butter and stir until a sauce forms.
3. Add pasta, basil and tomatoes. Check seasoning. Add S&P if needed.
4. Place in bowl and sprinkle cold goat cheese and diced tomato over the top
5. Sprinkle with chopped parsley as needed

Courtesy of: Chef Sean Thomas, McCormick and Schmick's

Peppered Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 cups Pumpkin/Butternut squash (cooked until soft)
1 TBL unsalted butter
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of red chili powder
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation

Peel and cut pumpkin into cubes. Cook until the product is soft. When cool, mash it well in the mixer.

Heat a sauce pan, add butter. When it starts to melt slightly add cloves and  cinnamon.  Then add 4 cups of water (less or more depending on consistency). Bring mixture to a boil and add chili powder, pepper and salt to taste. Allow to cook for  6 minutes. Turn off heat. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Add fresh ground pepper to garnish top of soup at service.

Serve with grilled focaccia crisps.

Sesame Crusted Tuna with Citrus Yogurt Salad

Ingredients

4 oz Ahi Tuna, dredged in toasted Sesame Seeds, Seared Rare
¼  cup of shredded lettuce
¼ cup spinach
¼ cup red cabbage
2 tsp chopped Cilantro
1 tsp sliced green onion
¼ cup Julienne Red peppers
2 TBL spiral cut Carrots
2 TBL spiral cut Cucumbers
¼ cup Citrus Yogurt-
8 oz balsamic vinegar
1 oz olive oil

Preparation

Add olive oil to a sauté pan. Heat pan until smoking point. Dredge Tuna in toasted sesame seeds. Sear Tuna for approximately 30 seconds on each side. Remove from the pan and reserve. Once Tuna has completely chilled, slice into ¼ inch slices. (do not cut Tuna while it is hot because it will break apart)

Combine shredded lettuce, spinach, red cabbage, chopped cilantro, scallions, green onions and red peppers. Toss with Citrus Yogurt, recipe listed below. Place lettuce mixture in the center of a large bowl. Top salad with sliced Tuna. Add spiral cut carrots and cucumbers atop the Tuna. Garnish salad with Citrus Yogurt and Balsamic Reduction.

Citrus Yogurt

Ingredients

 cup fresh yogurt
¼ cup cilantro
½ cup orange juice
1 TBl Tabasco sauce

Preparation

Combine yogurt, cilantro, orange juice and tabasco in a stainless steel bowl and mix well. Place in a clear storage container and refrigerate.

Keep two separate containers of the yogurt. Use one container for basting the product as it cooks. Place the other in a squeeze bottle and use for garnishing the plate.

Balsamic Reduction

8 oz Balsamic Vinegar reduced by half.