Rain grows great ingredient for brandy sauce

posted 11:50 PM 11/10
Permanent Link.

Few things in life are more nourishing than getting together with a group of old friends. Conversation flows, laughter comes easily and lives once again blend together in a way that satisfies our deepest needs.

The other night, I brought together some very old friends, ones that have most likely been found together since the first cook — probably French — thought to combine them. Shallots, butter, chanterelles, cream and brandy will produce a lovely, rich and creamy sauce. What you put it on is up to you. It would be just fine over mashed potatoes or pasta without a shred of meat. However, it also will add a couple of culinary stars to a dish that includes veal, pork tenderloin or even beef.

Let’s begin with a short discussion of shallots. I taught a cooking class a couple of weeks ago and was surprised to learn that several of the women in the class had never used shallots.

Look for shallots in the vicinity of garlic and onions in the market. They are members of the onion family and lend a mild onion flavor to sauces and salad dressings. However, they also have a bit of a bite, a little like garlic. They grow like garlic with cloves, but the cloves are much larger. Covered by a papery light brown skin, they conceal white flesh with a purplish coat. There are usually two cloves hiding under that skin, one large and one smaller.

The ideal tool for mincing a shallot is a food chopper. All the tiny bits are captured in the chopping bowl. And pounding the handle is a great stress reliever. A chopped big shallot will produce about a quarter cup. For this recipe, use the smaller one to produce a couple of tablespoons. The other shallot would be a wonderful, fresh addition to a salad dressing, either homemade or from a bottle.

I began my meal preparation by searing a couple of pork loin chops in a sauté pan with a pat of butter and what amounted to a heaping teaspoon of coconut oil. I didn’t measure either one but added just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, then turned on the heat to medium high. You can use veal cutlets, a pork tenderloin sliced and then pounded thin to make scallops, or even a strip steak. If you are using the pork tenderloin, make the slices about a half-inch thick. Put them down on a piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and pound on one side with the flat side of a meat mallet. Pick up the plastic-wrapped meat and turn it over and pound on the other side until each scallop is about a quarter-inch thick. Sauté until lightly browned on each side. If you are using whole chops or a steak, sauté until brown on each side. Set the cooked meat aside.

Turn down the heat to medium and add the minced shallot to the pan along with an additional pat of butter if you like. I sometimes add a splash of water to the pan and let them cook until the water is gone. This gives me a few minutes for other prep work without worrying about burning them.

With all the rain followed by relatively warm days, the chanterelles are popping out of the ground in abundance in the forest these days. Of course, hunting grounds are tightly guarded secrets unless you make friends with the local Mushroom Club (www.southsoundmushroomclub.com). They are also available at local markets. Clean and cut up about a half pound for this dish. Add them to the sauté pan. Stir frequently until everything has softened.

Add a teaspoon or two of dried thyme, a half cup of brandy and a scoop of beef base. I highly recommend Better Than Boullion because it has less salt and more flavor. Add a quarter cup of whipping cream. Let this simmer slowly until it’s nice and saucy. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

If you are serving the sauce over noodles or potatoes, it’s now ready to serve. If you have prepared meat, you can return the whole chops, scallops or steak to the pan and heat through.

I like the meat to be good and saucy so I sliced my chops very thin before adding them back to the pan. You could do the same with the steak. Don’t overcook as you want the meat to be very tender. Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

Shopping List

Shallot

Chanterelles (1/2 pound)

Whipping cream (1/2 pint)

Brandy (1/4 cup)

Beef base

Pork loin cutlet, veal cutlet, pork tenderloin, or strip steak (optional)

Potatoes or noodles

PANTRY ITEMS

Butter/cooking oil

Salt & pepper

Dried thyme (2 tsp.)

Comments

Chocoholics will rejoice in this cheesecake

posted 07:42 AM 10/28

Do you get enough Vitamin C? You know, Chocolate?

Empower yourself with home-cooked meals

posted 08:40 AM 10/14

I recently watched an interview with Kavita Ramdas, CEO of the Global Fund for Women. Her organization has awarded more than $71 million in micro-loans to 3,800 women’s organizations in 167 countries since 1987. The simple concept of micro-loans has made a major impact on the status of women in the world.

Layer Asian flavors for lively dinner

posted 08:47 AM 09/30

Hidden in an e-mail sent many weeks ago, I recently unearthed a recipe from my dear friend Rebecca Cody. She called it Kapoon, a meat dish with a flavorful sauce made with ginger and chili powder served over a nest of spaghetti and cabbage.

Delicious memories on 20th anniversary

posted 07:19 AM 09/16

This month, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. I still feel so blessed to have Eric in my life.

Memories of mom's tough pork chops fade away

posted 06:50 AM 09/02

Growing up in small-town Wisconsin in the 1950s and ’60s, pork chops were on the family menu at least once a week.

Mediterranean flavors add zip to chicken salad

posted 07:19 AM 08/19

Have you noticed family food preferences showing up in children and grandchildren? I was delighted when I found that my granddaughter, Kaylee, loves olives as much as I do. But she doesn’t like potatoes. She might have inherited that from my dad. Too many meals in his childhood featured a lot more potatoes than meat and he grew tired of them. I am not sure how this managed to pass down through the genes.

Add tree-ripened fruit to pork tenderloin

posted 06:35 AM 08/05

If you have been reading my column for awhile, you know how much I like pork tenderloin. I think it is far more versatile than chicken.

Take a tour of Europe in your kitchen

posted 06:59 AM 06/24

In mid-May, my husband and I made a much-anticipated trip to Europe. The first part was a sentimental journey for me. We spent a few days in Stockholm, where I lived for a few months in 1962.

One last hearty dish

posted 07:17 AM 05/13

Spring weather in the Northwest – even with the occasional hint of summer – remains unpredictable. Just when I think I have made my last batch of chili, another blustery day comes along.