Today before we go to our menu, let's take a look at a very important principle of cooking called La mise en place translates simply as having everything in place before starting.
A mise en place is just doing your prep work, having everything you need for the dish; equipments, utensils and ingredients all cleaned, prepared, cut, and measured ready to cook.
There are recipes that allow you to prepare things as you go along, but for most recipes there is no time for preparation once you start.
However whether the recipe allows you time or not, it's important to practice the mise en place. It's the habit of all great cooks, it helps you save time.
When you have everything ready ahead of time, you cannot missed anything , so you're sure that you have all the ingredients on the list, nor would you have to stop to look for something that you could be out of. The mise en place allows you to move freely and have control of your work as well.
It's a great state of mind that relieves you of all stress so you can enjoy your cooking and make the most exquisite dish possible.
Sunday Dinner Menu
Tornadoes with pepper sauce
Frites
Stuffed Mirlitons
Paella
Cherimoya juice
Coffee
Creme brulee
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Haitian Traditional Sunday Dinners
Coq au vin is one of the most famous French chicken dishes, and it's popular in Haiti as well. Over the years it has lost its popularity for many reasons. But it's still a very delicious dish to be on the Sunday dinner table
Sunday dinner menu
Coq au vin
Potato Duchess
Green salad
Rice with sweet peas
Acerola juice ( Caribbean cherries )
Cafe
Mango mouse
Haitian Coq au vin
Traditionally a rooster was used for this dish, but today it's made with any type of chicken
1 5-7 lbs cleaned chicken
1/2 lbs salted pork fat
Juice of 1 sour orange or 2 limes ( reserve pulps)
2 scallions
3 garlic cloves
2 springs of parsley
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 of a scotch bonnet pepper or to taste
Dash of ground cloves
2 cubes of bouillon cubes
2 tabs of water
2 tabs of tomato paste
1 bouquet garni* ( made of 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 thyme ,1 bay leaf)
1 tab beurre manie*( 1 tab of butter ,1 tab of flour)
2 tabs of butter
6 shallots diced
2 sticks of celery diced
1 leek diced
1 red bell pepper diced
2 medium carrots diced
12 whole baby onions cleaned and trimmed bulbs only
1/4 cup of rum or cognac
2 cups of dry red wine
Cut the salt pork into 1 inch piece squares rinse well and soak in water for 1 hour, drain
and put aside. Cut the chicken into 12 pieces, rub with the citrus pulps and rinse, pat dry.
Make a marinade by reducing to paste the 9 top ingredients and one bouillon cube . Place the chicken in a bowl with the lardons (the squares of salted pork fat) and cover with the marinade . Let marinade at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove lardons from the marinade. In a heavy bottom pan over medium heat add the lardons with the 2 tabs of water and let cook until the evaporation of all the water then the lardons will start rendering their fat. When they are brown and crispy, remove and save.
Remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and pat dry, brown them well on all sides in the remaining fat. When all the pieces are browned , drain all the fat off.
Pour the rum or cognac over the chicken and ignite to flambee, when flames have died cover and reserve .
In another smaller pan melt the butter add the diced vegetables, the small onions the other bouillon cubes and cook until vegetables are soft about 15 minutes.
Add cooked vegetables to chicken, tomato paste, lardons, wine and bouquet garni*,
bring to full boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes, add beurre manie, cook another fifteen minutes. Serve in about 30 minutes later.
Coq au vin can be prepared ahead of time, it improves with time.
Enjoy
* Beurre manie is an equal part of butter and flour mixed together to thicken sauces
* Bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs tied together used to flavor soups stews, sauces and removed after cooking
* Lardons are small pieces of salted pork fat or Bacon used to flavor or decorate foods
Sunday dinner menu
Coq au vin
Potato Duchess
Green salad
Rice with sweet peas
Acerola juice ( Caribbean cherries )
Cafe
Mango mouse
Haitian Coq au vin
Traditionally a rooster was used for this dish, but today it's made with any type of chicken
1 5-7 lbs cleaned chicken
1/2 lbs salted pork fat
Juice of 1 sour orange or 2 limes ( reserve pulps)
2 scallions
3 garlic cloves
2 springs of parsley
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 of a scotch bonnet pepper or to taste
Dash of ground cloves
2 cubes of bouillon cubes
2 tabs of water
2 tabs of tomato paste
1 bouquet garni* ( made of 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 thyme ,1 bay leaf)
1 tab beurre manie*( 1 tab of butter ,1 tab of flour)
2 tabs of butter
6 shallots diced
2 sticks of celery diced
1 leek diced
1 red bell pepper diced
2 medium carrots diced
12 whole baby onions cleaned and trimmed bulbs only
1/4 cup of rum or cognac
2 cups of dry red wine
Cut the salt pork into 1 inch piece squares rinse well and soak in water for 1 hour, drain
and put aside. Cut the chicken into 12 pieces, rub with the citrus pulps and rinse, pat dry.
Make a marinade by reducing to paste the 9 top ingredients and one bouillon cube . Place the chicken in a bowl with the lardons (the squares of salted pork fat) and cover with the marinade . Let marinade at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove lardons from the marinade. In a heavy bottom pan over medium heat add the lardons with the 2 tabs of water and let cook until the evaporation of all the water then the lardons will start rendering their fat. When they are brown and crispy, remove and save.
Remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and pat dry, brown them well on all sides in the remaining fat. When all the pieces are browned , drain all the fat off.
Pour the rum or cognac over the chicken and ignite to flambee, when flames have died cover and reserve .
In another smaller pan melt the butter add the diced vegetables, the small onions the other bouillon cubes and cook until vegetables are soft about 15 minutes.
Add cooked vegetables to chicken, tomato paste, lardons, wine and bouquet garni*,
bring to full boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes, add beurre manie, cook another fifteen minutes. Serve in about 30 minutes later.
Coq au vin can be prepared ahead of time, it improves with time.
Enjoy
* Beurre manie is an equal part of butter and flour mixed together to thicken sauces
* Bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs tied together used to flavor soups stews, sauces and removed after cooking
* Lardons are small pieces of salted pork fat or Bacon used to flavor or decorate foods
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