Garlic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened ( I added a little bit of thick cream)
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

Method 1 - Toasted

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Cut the bread in half, horizontally. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan (one that can handle high temperatures, not a cookie sheet) and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

3 Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want. Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if you are using cheese) bubbles. Watch very carefully while broiling. The bread can easily go from un-toasted to burnt.

4 Remove from oven, let cool a minute. Remove from pan and make 1-inch thick slices. Serve immediately.

Method 2 - Soft

Preheat oven to 350°F. Make the butter, garlic, parsley mixture as above. Make 1-inch thick slices into the bread, but do not go all the way through, just to the bottom crust. Put a teaspoon or two of the butter mixture between each slice. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes in the oven.

Fresh Lumpia Recipe

A few people was asking me with my Fresh Lumpia Recipe. Sorry it took me a while to give it to you. Anyway, here's the Fresh Lumpia recipe.

If you are too busy to make your own wrapper from scratch you can replace it with spring roll wrapper =)

Wrappers
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

About 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Filling
1/2 cup julienned onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, thinly sliced
1/4 pound medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and halved
1-1/2 cups finely julienned jicama
1/2 small carrot, finely julienned
2 green onions, finely julienned
2 teaspoons oyster-flavored sauce
1 teaspoon Filipino fish sauce (patis)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

5 tender lettuce leaves

Getting Ready
Prepare wrappers: In a bowl, whisk together eggs, water, cornstarch, flour, and salt until smooth. Strain batter.

Place a nonstick 8-inch omelet pan over medium heat until hot; brush with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan; tilt pan so batter covers entire surface. Cook until edge of wrapper is lightly browned and surface looks dry, about 45 seconds. Loosen edge with a spatula, turn wrapper, and cook 10 seconds longer. Turn wrapper out of pan onto a plate. Repeat to use all batter.

Cooking
Prepare filling: Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling to coat sides. Add onion and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and shrimp; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add jicama and carrot; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add green onions; cook until vegetables are tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Return chicken mixture to pan; add oyster-flavored sauce, fish sauce, and pepper; cook for 1 minute. Cool.

Cut lettuce in half lengthwise. For each lumpia, place a piece of lettuce on wrapper. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling into center of wrapper. Fold bottom third of wrapper over filling, then fold in sides.

Serve with garlic dipping sauce or a mixture of hoisin sauce and soy sauce.

Salmon In Red Wine

Makes 2 Serving

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Salmon Steaks, each weigh about 6 oz.
2/3 cup Red wine such as Chinon or Beaujolais
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Tarragon
TT Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Garnish Tarragon Sprigs

* Melt half the butter in a skillet, add salmon and cook each side briefly over high heat.

* Reduce heat and cook salmon 3 minutes on each side, until salmon is opaque and flesh flakes easily.

* Remove salmon from pan, cover and keep warm, Stir wine into pan and boil until reduced by half. Dice remaining butter. Remove pan from heat and stir in remaining butter, one piece at a time. Divide sauce among warmed serving plates, place salmon on top, garnish with tarragon sprigs and serve.

Enjoy!!

Bouquet Garni

With French cooking, a lot of their recipe have Bouquet Garni. You may want to know what this word is this is the French word for "Garnished Bouquet". Here are the ingredients you need to combined to create your Bouquet Garni.


1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
4 large sprigs parsley (including stalks)
10 cm (4 inch) piece celery stalked with leaves
two 10 cm (4 inch) pieces leek (green part)

Bouquet

Place the bay leaf, thyme, parsley and celery on one piece of green leek. Cover with the remaining piece of green leek. Tie securely with fine string, leaving a length of string attached so that the bouquet garni can be easily retrieved.

Chicken with Mushrooms

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM (French Cuisine)
Makes 4 Servings

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
4 Chicken Quarters
12 Oz. Chestnut, Oyster, Shiitake or Chanterelle mushrooms, or a mixture
1 Onion Finely Chopped
¾ Cup Vouray or similar fruity, Medium-Dry White Wine
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Tarragon Leaves
½ Cup Regular Plain Yogurt
TT Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Garnish Tarragon Sprigs

PROCEDURE:
* Heat oil and butter in a heavy Dutch over add chicken and cook until browned.
* Remove in a slotted spoon.
* Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Cut large mushrooms into quarters and oyster mushrooms into * 1-inch strips.
* Add to pan with onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until soft.
* Stir in wine and bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan and sprinkle with tarragon.
* Cover tightly and cook in the over 1 hour.
* Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to a warmed plate and keep warm.
* Boil cooking liquid to thicken slightly.
* Stir in yogurt and reheat gently without boiling.
* Season with salt and pepper.
* Return chicken and vegetables to pan, turn in sauce and heat gently to warm through.
* Garnish with tarragon sprigs and serve.

Cooking Process

Chicken after putting all the ingredients and before putting in the oven.

Chicken After an hour in the oven.

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