Traditional Shepherd's Pie (STLCC-Culinary)

Traditional Shepherd's Pie as cooked at STLCC Culinary Program:

SHEPARD’S PIE

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

            15 oz               Lamb stock (or light beef stock)

            1 oz                 Dried wild mushrooms

            1 ½ lb              New red potatoes, cut into medium dice

            4 ea                  Garlic clove, minced

            8 oz                 Sweet butter

            2 oz                 Heavy cream

            1 oz                 Scallion, finely chopped

            1 ½ tblsp         Parsley, chopped

            To taste           Salt and black pepper

            4 oz                 Onion, medium dice

            6 oz                 Button mushrooms, sliced

            1 ½ lb              Ground lamb

            1 oz                 All-purpose flour

            4 oz                 Dry sherry

            1 tsp                Dried thyme

`           15 oz               Corn kernels

           

METHOD:

1. Bring the lamb stock to a boil and add the wild mushrooms.  Remove from heat and let rest.
2. Place the potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until the potatoes are tender, remove from the heat, and mash until smooth.
3. Stir into the mashed potatoes, one third of the butter, heavy cream, green onions, and parsley.  Mix until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.  Reserve.
4. Heat half the remaining butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and button mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until the onions become translucent.
5. Add the ground lamb and continue to cook until it is browned.
6. Strain the wild mushrooms from the stock and finely chopped.  Reserve the stock and mushrooms until needed.
7. Sprinkle the flour over the lamb mixture and stir until incorporated,
8. Cook while stirring over medium heat for 3 minutes.
9. Add the sherry and the reserved wild mushrooms and stock.
10. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
11. Add the thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.
12. Melt the remaining butter in another sauté pan over medium heat and add the corn kernels.  Sauté the corn for approximately 5 minutes or until tender.  Season.
13. Spoon the lamb mixture into a slightly greased baking dish and spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish.
14. Spread the sautéed corn kernels over the lamb.
15. Spread the potatoes over the corn kernels.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

South of the Border Shepherd's Pie (Mexican Shepherd's Pie)

Gather your ingredients

Rough dice on a mix of peppers

Rough dice jarred Jalapenos

Store brand medium salsa worked

Rough dice Red Onion

Shredded Carrots and Black Beans

I used this but you can make your own

Shredded three Roasted Chickens

Shred Cheddar for the top

Jalapeno rings for garnish

Sprinkle Bacon Crumbles on the top

Ready to bake

Baked and ready to eat!!!

Enjoy!

So where I work we usually have left over rotisserie chickens and are looking for ways to use them.  That and this week we had some extra mashed potatoes.  I was thinking of what we could do with them and thought why not make a "Mexican Shepherd's Pie" or South of the Border Shepherd's Pie.  Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with Mutton (lamb), beef, or sometimes pork... it usually topped with mashed potatoes and sometimes has vegetables mixed into the meat mixture.  It is made from Ireland to Australia and worldwide and is thought to be the origination of a way to use left overs???

So this really works well into what we needed where I work.  We have leftovers and serve mainly comfort foods.  I for one do not like leftovers but have a love for comfort foods that are loaded with tons of flavor.  This dish that I am sharing with you, I think you shall find loaded with flavor and you can add as much or as little heat as you wish!  I also prepared this the day before I cooked it and it can be prepared ahead and frozen if so desired.  It will take additional baking time when frozen, times given in this recipe reflect a refrigerated pie... enjoy...

South of the Border Shepherd's Pie 

(Mexican Shepherd's Pie)

Filling

2-3 Roasted Chickens (cooled and de-boned, shredded)
2 cups Red Onion (diced)
1 cup Bell Pepper (Small dice, medley - red. yellow, green)
1 cup Carrot (shredded or small dice)
1/2 cup Black Beans (prepared)
1/2 cup Jarred Jalapenos (diced) 1-2 packets of Taco Seasoning (as hot as you want it)
+/- 1/2 cup Salsa (as hot as you want it!)
10 cups of Mashed Potatoes (prepared)  You can use your favorite mashed potato recipe!

Topping

2 cups Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
1 cup Bacon Crumbles
1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Rings for garnish (whole)

Preparation:

1. Shred your chicken and remove all bones, would hate to be choked on a small bone!
2. Dice and prepare your vegetables.
3. Mix Chicken and Vegetables, mixing in seasonings and salsa.  You want it to be just wet but not to dry.  If it is too wet, it will not set up after baking.
4. Cover with a smooth layer of Mashed Potatoes about and 1" thick.
5. Apply toppings in this order - Cheese, Bacon, Jalapeno Rings
6. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 12-15 Minutes, loosely covered.
7. Take out of oven and remove cover, return to oven for another 10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes to ensure the cheese has not burned.
8. Remove from oven when cheese is melted to desired done-ness.
9. Tent to hold heat and let it rest for 20-30 minutes to set up.
10. Serve in squares and enjoy!!!

Steps to make a grilled pizza with the recipe for THIN CRUSTED PIZZA W CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

Steps to make a grilled pizza with the recipe for THIN CRUSTED PIZZA W 

CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

by Skip Graden on Wednesday ·

This is a pizza that I made in American Regional Cooking with Chef David Rell last semester.  We grill marked and par-cooked the crust and finished them in a 450 degree BKI Oven. 

You can top a pizza a lot of ways:  Follow this recipe, Sausage, Peperoni, Cheese, Pepperoni & Sausage, Vegetables,  Pesto Red Onion Shrimp & Baby Bella's, etc...

THIN CRUSTED PIZZA WITH CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

THIN CRUSTED PIZZA WITH CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

Yield:  4 8-inch Pizzas

For the Dough: (Best to make the day before.)

INGREDIENTS

1 ea          Envelope active dry yeast

1/2 tsp      Sugar

2/3 cup      Warm water

2 to 3 cup  All-purpose flour

1 tsp          Kosher salt or Sea Salt

1 tsp          Freshly ground pepper

2 tblsp       Olive oil, plus olive oil for brushing crust

For the Topping:

INGREDIENTS

3 cups   Thinly sliced grilled chicken meat

3/4 cup  Sliced, pitted kalamata olives

4 cups    Shredded fontina cheese

1 cup      Thinly sliced red onion

2 tblsp    Finely chopped fresh parsley

THIN CRUSTED PIZZA WITH CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

METHOD:

1. For dough: In a medium bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and water. Stir briefly and let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes. Add 2 cups flour, the salt, pepper, and 2 tblsp olive oil. Stir together with your fingers, until the dough holds together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the ball to cover the surface with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in warm place until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Punch down the dough in the bowl. Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into an 8-inch round about an 1/8 inch thick. Lightly brush both sides of each round with olive oil and place rounds on baking sheet.
3. Gently slide crust from baking sheet and cook, uncovered, directly over medium heat until grill marks are clearly visible, about 2 minutes. Don't worry if the crust bubbles; they will deflate when you turn them over. Transfer the crust to the baking sheets, with grilled marks facing up.
4. Distribute the chicken, olives, cheese, onion, and parsley evenly among the crusts. Transfer the pizza again from the baking sheet to the grill and cook, covered, directly over medium heat until the crusts are crisp and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

THIN CRUSTED PIZZA WITH CHICKEN, KALAMATA OLIVES AND FONTINA CHEESE

Steps to follow:

Make the Pizza Dough 24 hours before you are going to par cook them.

Once it is par cooked, you can use right away or refrigerated/freeze them wrapped tightly in Saran Wrap or vaccuum packed 3-5 days  refrigerated and 2-3 weeks frozen...

Top of Crust

Bottom of Crust

Top Of Crust, Time to Sauce it...

Add and spread a thin layer of sauce or Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Add Pepperoni, start with Thin Flat items

Then add Pre-cooked Sausage

Next is cheese

Evenly spread cheese across top

Looks like enough, time to cook it...
(Can be wrapped in Saran Wrap at this point...
Frozen or Refrigerated)

Put it on the grill...

Cover it with a large lid or a stainless steel bowl with a handle.

Checking it and getting ready to turn it...

Turn it every 3-5 minutes a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a turn...

Turn it every 3-5 minutes a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a turn...

Bottom looks about done....

Remove from the grill...

Put on a surface to cut...

Get into position to cut in smooth continuous strokes

Cut in 6-8 pieces...

Cheese is nice and melty...

Check it out...

Bottom looks great...

Enjoy with a beverage of your choice!

Menu board at Schnuck's on Clayton Road in St Louis MO....

Menu board at Schnuck's on Clayton Road in St Louis MO....

Country Biscuits

My mother asked me about the biscuits from my baking class for culinarian's at St Louis Community College, Forest Park.  These biscuits rose well and were very flaky...

Country Biscuits

On Baking, Pg 147

Yield: 36 Biscuits, 2 ¼ oz. (66g) each

MISE EN PLACE

·         Line a sheet pan (2-3) with parchment paper.

·         Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C)

All Purpose or Pastry Flour     2lb. 8 oz.          1200 g             100%

Salt                                          0.75 oz             24 g                 2%

Granulated Sugar                    2 oz.                 60 g                 5%

Baking Powder                        2 oz.                 60 g                 5%

Unsalted Butter, cold              14 oz.               420 g               35%

Milk                                         1 ½ pt.             720 ml             60%

Total Weight:                          5 lb. 2 oz.         2484 g             207%

1.      Sift the dry ingredients together, making sure they are blended thoroughly.

2.      Cut in the butter. The mixture should look mealy; do not over mix.

3.      Add the milk and stir, combining only until mixture holds together.

4.      Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead until it forms one mass, approximately five or six kneading.

5.      Roll out the dough to a thickness of ½ inch (1.2 centimeters). Cut with a floured cutter and place the biscuits on a paper-lined sheet pan.

6.      Bake at 425 F (220 C) until the tops are light brown, the sides almost white and the interiors still moist, approximately 10-12 minutes. Internal heat will continue to cook the biscuits after they are removed from the oven.

7.      Remove the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.

Approximate values per biscuit: Calories 210. Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Sodium 240 mg, Total Carbohydrates 27 g, Protein 4 g, Vitamin A 10%

Food of the British Isles, a paper for class

Food of the British Isles

Harrison Graden

Global Cuisine M/T

Chef Elkin

The food of the British Isles can be described as earthy, local, fresh, economical and “unfussy”.  It seems that the foods consumed came from various influences: Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, French, Norse, Welch, Irish, Indian, and many other countries where the country of England dwelt.  Through their conquest and travels, there are many influences, where they brought home the best to be found.

British cooking has been called “unfussy” as from the Great Wars, there were food rationing measures in place and continued for many years due to economic needs following the wars.  It could be said that British Isle food used the best of what it had and stretched it.  But this was not a new trend seen during and after the great wars, this was something which over the years was to be seen time and time again.

The people of the British Isles have seen very little wealth and prosperity and at times have had to live through famines, wars and other civil disobedience.   In Ireland, there was the infamous potato blight, where many died or left Ireland altogether in search of a better life.  This does not include the many struggles against the crown where there was civil disobedience and wars waged.  During these wars, crops and livestock were destroyed, leaving many without food.  They were put out of their homes and properties, to wander the lands and byways in search of a place to lay and seeking the food of anyone who would share as beggars.

As I peruse the food of the British Isles I would call some of their food the best of comfort foods.  From Sunday Roast to Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Then there are the meat pies, haggis, scones, fish & chips, on and on….

In the recent history the British Isles have gone from a predominantly rural setting to a urbanized and industrialized area.  This has brought about a society which seeks to be a highly consumer orientated society.  So the modern British foods seem to draw influences not traditionally drawn on, to include: the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, South, East, and South East Asia. Foods such as the Slow Food Movement have grown in influence and food safety is increasingly the norm.

Cornish Pasty & Yorkshire Pudding

CORNISH PASTY (England)

Beef, Onion, and Potato Turnover

Yield: 6 or 12

Serving Size: 1 or 2 per serving

Cooking Method: Bake

INGREDIENTS:

            PASTRY:

            10 oz               Flour, all purpose

            Pinch               Salt

            6 oz                 Butter or shortening cut into ¾ inch pieces

            3 to 4 oz          Water, cold

            FILLING:

            8 oz                 Beef, top round, trimmed, minced

            6 oz                 Potatoes, peeled, small diced

            4 oz                 Onion, medium dice

            To taste           Salt

            To taste           Pepper

            1/8 cup                        Parsley, fresh, minced

            ASSEMBLY:

            1 ea                  Egg, lightly beaten

PASTRY METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in a bowl of food processor.  Pulse to mix.
2. Add butter, or shortening, pulse to mix until size of peas.
3. With machine running, add water through feed tube until dough comes together into ball.  Pulse if needed.
4. Wrap ball in film wrap, refrigerate until well chilled.

FILLING METHOD:

1. Combine all filling ingredients in bowl, mix well.
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. On slightly floured surface, roll pastry thin.
3. Cot 5  to 5 ½ inch circles, place 1 ½ oz filling just under center of dough.
4. Brush edges of dough with cold water, fold dough over filling until edges meet to form half circle, crimp edges to seal well.
5. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg.
6. Place in center of oven for 12 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees, bake another 45 minutes.
7. Serve immediately or slightly cooled.

           

           

METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in bowl of food processor, pulse to mix.
2. With processor running, add eggs and milk through tube, pulse to mix well.
3. Remove butter to bowl, refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place butter in ½ steam table pan.
6. Stir batter, pour batter into pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until puffy, crisp, and golden.
8. Remove from oven, cut into squares, serve immediately.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING (England)

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 3 by 4 ½ inch piece

Cooking Method: Boil, bake

INGREDIENTS:

            1 cup               Flour, all-purpose

            ½ tsp               Salt

            2 ea                  Eggs

            1 cup               Milk

            2 tblsp             Butter

           

METHOD:

1. Place flour and salt in bowl of food processor, pulse to mix.
2. With processor running, add eggs and milk through tube, pulse to mix well.
3. Remove butter to bowl, refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place butter in ½ steam table pan.
6. Stir batter, pour batter into pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until puffy, crisp, and golden.
8. Remove from oven, cut into squares, serve immediately.

Chicken Fricassee from Culinary Fundamentals pg 536

Chicken Fricassee from Culinary Fundamentals pg 536

I cooked this for my family the day after Thanksgiving 2011, also cooked it in class a few weeks ago.  Served this with Steamed Brocolli, Spatzel, and Redskin Mashed Potatoes...

Chicken Fricassee 

The American Culinary Federation

Servings: 10

 Categories: Main Dish

Source: Culinary Fundamentals

Copyright: Prentice Hall

2 4 lb each Chickens, skinned (4-4 1/2 pounds each)

1 1/2 tablespoons Salt

1/4 teaspoon White pepper, freshly ground

1/2 ounce All-purpose flour

5 ounces Unsalted butter

1 1/8 pounds Onion, medium dice

2 teaspoons Garlic, minced

8 fluid ounces White wine

16 fluid ounces Chicken Stock

1 1/2 pounds Leek, diced

12 ounces Carrot, medium dice

2 each Bay leaf

2 each Thyme sprig

12 fluid ounces Heavy cream

1/2 ounce Parsley, chopped

1. Cut the chicken into eighths. Rinse the chicken pieces and blot dry. Season well with salt and white pepper and dust lightly in flour. 

2. In a large braising pot, over low-medium heat, heat the butter and sauté the chicken pieces until they stiffen slightly, but do not brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook stirring frequently until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and add the chicken stock, leeks, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme.

3. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken to the pan along with any juices released while the chicken was held. Cover the pot and braise the chicken on the stovetop over low to medium heat, until the chicken is fork-tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

4. To finish the sauce, remove the chicken and hold it warm. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Return the chicken to the sauce and continue to simmer. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.