Last week, on Wednesday, I made something I’m calling saltimbocca stew. Not really saltimbocca (thin-sliced meat with a marsala sauce), but some of the same flavors added to a stew: Saute onions and carrots for a few minutes. Add stock, whole garlic cloves, and other veggies per your usual stew procedure. Later add potatoes, plus sriracha for the kick. At this point, begin a reduction of marsala wine, stock, shallots, and tarragon. When the potatoes are done, stir in this reduction, plus green beans and thinly-sliced meat (I used duck). The hot stew will cook the meat in a couple of minutes; serve immediately.
On Saturday, I made coffee-smoked duck breast covered with an orange-kahlua sauce, plus a grilled portabello cap and a mild yogurt-based topping. To coffee-smoke, soak whole coffee beans in water same as you would with wood chips, and make the foil packet with the holes, then put the packet on the charcoal until the grill is all smoky, then throw in your meat. Works best with dark meat, obviously. The orange-kahlua sauce is just what it sounds like, a reduction of kahlua, orange juice, stock, and herbs. Unusual, but tasty. The portabello recipe: Start with a large portabello mushroom; separate the cap from the stem. Wipe clean with a wet paper towel (don’t rinse, you’ll affect the aroma). Trim and dice the stem, saute in butter with minced shallot, set aside. Grill the cap top-side-down for 8-10 minutes (water will begin separating inside the cup shape). For the sauce, start as if you’re doing a hollandaise, whisking salt, water, and egg yolks in a double boiler, but instead of adding butter, add greek yogurt. Whip smooth. Then add the sauteed stem back in, plus diced tomato. Salt to taste (doesn’t need a lot), spoon over the grilled cap. Yummy.
Last night, for friends, I made an avocado bisque: half a dozen whole garlic cloves, three avocados, stock, cream, butter, and a handful of wilted spinach into the cuisinart, plus a dash of salt; process until smooth. Add chopped crab meat, blend, and heat gently. I also had chicken breasts marinated in lime juice, ginger juice, honey, and minced garlic, which went on the grill; the leftovers will be sliced thin and used in an Asian salad with chow mein noodles and sesame dressing over mixed greens. Oh, and beer-batter biscuits. For dessert, I made panna cotta, stacked on match-cut watermelon disks, and a watermelon-caramel sauce over, topped with a couple of raspberries.
I like my kitchen. 