Chef Kar Delight: December 2023

Christmas French Home Feast 2023/12/25

Christmas Day in 2023 fell on Monday which was my day off. My friend Johnny from Indonesia invited me to their home for celebration of Christmas. He, his wife Michelle, his son, his young friend Eric from Hong Kong and I participated. Their home was cozy, full of Christmas decorations and spirit. I felt warm and delighted.
Johnny bought me all the main ingredients to prepare for the French feast. I baked French baguettes at home for the evening. I prepared Steak au poivre with the most expensive filet mignon which are served by a few top French restaurants in Vancouver. For Moules à la marinière, the mussels were alive, big, tender and juicy, yummy!

We enjoyed eating and drinking, and felt very happy. After dinner, Michelle washed all the dishes and cleaned up.

♥ The Hosts Johnny and Michelle, me Chef Kar

♥ Special guest Eric

Christmas French Home Feast By Chef Kar
Monday December 25, 2023 6:00pm
Venue： Johnny's and Michelle's home, Vancouver

♥ Soupe à l’oignon
French Onion Soup

French onion soup (French: soupe à l’oignon ) is a soup of onions, gently fried and then cooked in meat stock or water, usually served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of baguette bread covered with Gruyère and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese floating on top. The Gruyère cheese becomes stretchy and stringy when it cools down. Onion soups were known in France since medieval times, but the version now familiar dates from the mid-19th century.
The soup stock was slow cooked beef short ribs. Dry white wine, dry sherry, thyme and bay leaves were added to give fragrance and fruit taste.

Ingredients
● 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
● 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
● 3 pounds Vidalia (or sweet) onions (about 5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
● ¾ teaspoon salt
● ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
● ¾ teaspoon brown sugar
● 1 cup dry white wine Mouton Cadet
● 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
● 6 cups beef broth
● 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Lea and Perrins
● ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
● 2 bay leaves
● 1 small baguette, cut into ½-in slices
● 1 tablespoon dry sherry Gonzalez Byass Nutty Solera
● 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 heaping cups; look for one imported from Switzerland)
● ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

♥ Salade niçoise
French Nice Salad with Tuna

Salade niçoise is a salad that originated in the French city of Nice. It is traditionally made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives and anchovies or tuna, dressed with olive oil, or in some historical versions, a vinaigrette.

Ingredients
● 170 g tuna canned Clover Leaf Chunk Light Tuna
● 5 potatoes
● 5 Roma tomatoes
● 5 eggs
● 150 g French beans
● ½ bunch baby arugula
● 30 black olives
● 1 garlic clove
● ½ lemon juiced
● 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
● 1 tsp Dijon mustard
● salt to taste
● pepper to taste

♥ Moules à la marinière
French Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Moules à la marinière is a traditional French dish. Steam mussels in white wine, then serve in a sauce of juices from the mussels, wine, butter, and shallots.

Ingredients
● 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
● 1/2 cup dry white wine Mouton Cadet
● 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
● 1/4 cup minced shallots
● 1 tablespoon minced garlic
● 2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
● 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

♥ Baguettes
French Long Bread

A baguette is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough. It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust.

Ingredients
● 500 g all purpose flour about 3 1/2 cups, using 'scoop and swipe' method
● 360 g water about 1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp
● 10 g salt about 2 tsp
● 3 g instant yeast about 1 tsp; also known as Quick Rise or Rapid Rise yeast
● 25 g honey about 1 tbsp

♥ Steak au poivre
French Black Pepper Steak

Filet mignon in France is known as beef tenderloin in Canada and the USA, fillet in the United Kingdom, is cut from the loin of beef.
The tenderloin is an oblong shape spanning two primal cuts: the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries) and the sirloin (called the rump in Commonwealth countries). The tenderloin sits beneath the ribs, next to the backbone. It has two ends: the butt and the "tail". The smaller, pointed end—the "tail"—starts a little past the ribs, growing in thickness until it ends in the "sirloin" primal cut, which is closer to the butt of the cow. This muscle does very little work, so it is the tenderest part of the beef. It is the most expensive.
The three main "cuts" of the tenderloin are the butt, the center cut, and the tail. The center cut can yield the traditional filet mignon or tenderloin steak, as well as the Chateaubriand and Beef Wellington. The butt and tail are not filet mignon.

Steak au poivre or pepper steak is a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with coarsely cracked peppercorns. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak when cooked and provide a pungent counterpoint to the beef.
A steak can be cooked rare, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done.

Ingredients
● 4 (6- to 8-ounce; 170 to 225g) filet mignon Beef Tenderloin
● Kosher salt
● 1 ounce (30g) whole black peppercorns, plus more as needed, divided
● 3 tablespoons (45ml) vegetable oil
● 1 tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter
● 2 fresh thyme sprigs
● 1 medium garlic clove
● 1/2 large shallot (about 1 1/2 ounces; 40g), minced
● 2 tablespoons (30ml) brandy or cognac St. Remy VSOP
● 3/4 cup (175ml) homemade chicken stock broth
● 3/4 cup (175ml) heavy cream or 6 tablespoons (90ml) crème fraîche
● 1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard

Garnish
● Asparagus
● Baby carrots
● Okra
● Baby eggplants
● Cremini mushrooms

♥ Mousse au chocolat
Chocolate Mousse

A mousse is a soft prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. Depending on preparation techniques, it can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick. A mousse may be sweet or savoury. Chocolate Mousse is sweet with add on chocolate.

Ingredients
● 3 fresh eggs, separated at room temperature
● 8 ounces dark chocolate
● 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
● ⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided
● ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
● 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
● 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
● Pinch of salt

Topping
● Whipped cream
● Dark Chocolate chopped
● Fresh strawberries

♥ Ingredients for French Onion Soup

♥ Chicken Soup for French Pepper Steak Left;
Beef Short Ribs Soup for French Onion Soup Right

♥ Ingredients for French Nice Salad

♥ Ingredients for French Mussels with White Wine Sauce

♥ Ingredients for French Black Pepper Steak

♥ Ingredients for French Chocolate Mousse

Next, Egyptian Delights

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

Christmas Delights 2023/12/25

1▲Grenada Christmas Cake 2020/12/25

This Caribbean holiday specialty, which is called Black Cake because of its signature color, Christmas Cake or simply "fruit cake," is a fruit cake that will actually leave you hankering for more. Plummy, boozy and sweet but not sugary, Black Cake is best described as plum pudding that has gone to heaven.

Most common in English-Caribbean islands like Trinidad, Barbados and Grenada, its origins are in the Irish Christmas Cake, an equally worthy fruitcake cousin. Primarily consisting of raisins, prunes and currants, Black Cake contains only a small amount of the multi-hued candied peel that makes most fruit cakes less than appetizing. To add flavor and moisture, the fruits are soaked in a rum and cherry wine mixture for weeks

Ingredients:

For the fruit mixture:
1 pound raisins
1 pound currants
1 pound prunes
1/2 pound candied cherries
1/4 pound mixed fruit peel
4 cups cherry brandy or cherry wine, divided
4 cups dark rum
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise pods
1/2 vanilla bean

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon mixed essence (available in Caribbean markets)
1 tablespoon burnt sugar syrup (see note)

For the basting:
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup cherry brandy
2 tablespoons sherry
1 dash Angostura bitters

Directions:

For the fruit mixture:
1. For the fruit mixture, mix together all the dried fruits then place half the mixture in a food processor along with 1/2 cup of the cherry brandy. Pulse until the mixture is a rough paste, then place it in a large, deep saucepan or stockpot. Pulse the remaining fruits with another 1/2 cup of cherry brandy to form a rough paste, then add that to the pot as well.
2. Pour the remaining cherry brandy and rum into the pot with the pureed fruit. Add the cinnamon stick and star anise pods. Split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add both the seeds and the bean to the pan.
3. Place the pan over medium-low heat and mix well until just under a boil. Stir often so it does not scorch on the bottom.
4. Remove the pan from heat, cover it and allow the mixture to sit for one or two hours or as long as overnight. Alternatively, place fruit and spices in an airtight gallon jar and store unrefrigerated in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks or as long as a year.

For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 F and grease two 8-by-3-inch cake pans, then set them aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
3. Place the sugar and butter in a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy (about 4 minutes).
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the mixed essence.
6. Using a slotted spoon, remove 3 cups of the fruit from its storage jar and beat well into the butter mixture.
7. Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the burnt sugar syrup and mix well.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 90 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and cool in their pans for 20 minutes.
9. Combine the rum, brand, sherry and bitters for basting and brush evenly over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely, then remove them from the pans and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or in a zip-top bag.
10. Store in a cool, dry place for at least three days before eating. The recipe makes two cakes, which can be refrigerated for up to three months. If doing so, re-baste with the rum mixture once a week.

2▲ Montenegro Patišpanj 2022/12/25

Sponge cake is a soft cake, using egg white, flour, sugar, sometimes baking powder is added. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolk, but most do. In Europe during 14-16 century Renaissance, sponge cakes that contain egg and yeast might be born in Spain. Its original name was Pan di Spagna, meant Spanish bread. Patišpanj is the ancient traditional cake of Montenegro, influenced by west Europe, particularly Spanish culture. The main ingredients are flour, eggs and sugar. To celebrate Christmas, Christmas garnish is added.

Ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, baking powder, butter, warm water
Christmas garnish： cranberry, dill, Kajmak cream, icing sugar

3▲Finnish Joulutorttu     2019/12/25
   Christmas Stars

Christmas Star is also called Star of Bethlehem or Christ's Star, symbolizing there is a special light body, after birth of Christ, guided the doctor from the east to find Christ. Joulutorttu was named base on this. It is the most favourable foods for Finnish people to celebrate Christmas. It is crispy and puffy, dissolve in the mouth. It carries sour of fruit and is very appetizing.

Ingredients: Vegetable shortening (Crisco), flour, sugar, salt, eggs, cranberry jam, sugar

garnish: banana, coconut powder, sugar, cranberries

4▲Grenada Fruit Salad 2020/12/25

Grenada is famous for tropical climate; four seasons are like spring. Tropical fruits are grown and available there all year round. Fruit salad uses popular fruits of Grenada , mixed with nutmeg sauce, bringing colours, fragrance and taste. Christmas tree decoration is used; full of joy to the world.

Ingredient: papaya, kiwi, orange, guava, cheery tomatoes, dill

Nutmeg sauce: nutmeg, lime, orange juice, honey

5▲ German Kartoffelsalat 2019/12/12

Kartoffelsalat potato salad originated from southern part of Germany, the Swabia region. Later it was spread to all of Europe. It can be eaten cold or hot. Main ingredients are boiled potatoes and bacon, full of smoky flavour, sweet and sour, little spicy and very appetizing. Therefore, it is a very good appetizer.

Ingredients: red skin potatoes, SlabBacon, apple cyder, dijon mustard, sugar, black pepper, salt, onions, parsley, olive oil

6▲Finnish Rosolli Beetroot salad 2019/12/19

Rosolli (Beetroot salad) is an appetizer. It is Finnish traditional Christmas foods.
The main ingredient is beetroot, turning other ingredients to red; full of Christmas spirit. It is sweet and sour, very appetizing.

Ingredients: Beetroot, carrots, potatoes, apple, dill pickles cucumber, red onions

Dressing: Kermaviili sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar

Next, Christmas French Home Feast 2023/12/25

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

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