Recently in Chef Viviane Banquet Farre

Mac & Cheese with Braised Leeks, Asiago and Parmesan Breadcrumbs

serves 8

For the leeks

For the béchamel

For the bread crumbs

For the pasta

Step 1: To braise the leeks – Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and leeks. Toss well and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until leeks have wilted and just begin to take on a golden color, tossing from time to time. Add the garlic, chili pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and wine. Quickly toss, reduce heat to medium-low and cover pan. Braise leeks for 25 minutes until very tender and all the juices have evaporated (if there is still some liquid in the pan after braising the leeks for 25 minutes, sauté at high heat for 1 to 2 minutes until all juices have evaporated). Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: To make the béchamel – Place the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and the flour becomes golden, but not brown. Quickly whisk in the warm milk and cream. While constantly whisking, bring back to a boil. As soon as it reaches boiling point, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until the béchamel has slightly thickened, still whisking constantly. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted and remove from heat.

Step 3: Place the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a small bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and mix well. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

Step 4: Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than the package instructions so that it’s not cooked all the way through (see picture below). Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add the leeks and béchamel to the pasta and stir until well blended. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly on the sides and golden. Remove from oven and heat the broiler on high. Place the mac & cheese under the broiler for a few seconds to brown the breadcrumbs. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s note: The mac & cheese is best eaten as soon as it’s made. Reheating will make it stodgy. The braised leeks can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. The béchamel can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Gently reheat it over medium-low heat and thin with a little milk before using in the recipe. Boil the pasta, assemble and bake the mac & cheese just before serving.

For step by step photos and directions, please visit Viviane's website 

Yellow Watermelon Margarita with Chipotle Rim

Thoughts From Viviane: 

I had other plans for the fragrant watermelon I’d bought at the farmers’ market last Sunday, but Kate Bush’s song “Eat the music” inspired me to make a sinfully delicious cocktail, one that is sure to make your taste buds sing…

I also thought the watermelon would be its usual seductive pink color, but it turned out to be deep-yellow — and, I might add, super-sweet!

The idea of garnishing the rim with more than just salt happened as I was making my first trial — it was a fluke! I found myself stirring into my sugar-salt mixture a bit of smoky chipotle powder. The result? As you put your nose in the glass to take your first sip you get a whiff of smokiness — an unbelievable counterpoint to the sweet aroma of the watermelon!

As for the drink itself, the Reposado tequila rounds off the flavor of the watermelon beautifully, the elderflower liqueur accentuates its lovely floral notes, and the fresh lime juice keeps everything in check. In a word: Heaven in a glass…

Cheers… And this time… Drink the music!

Yellow Watermelon Margarita with Chipotle Rim

serves 1

For the rim
1 tablespoon organic sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle
lime wedge

For the cocktail
2 oz Reposado Tequila
1 1/2 oz watermelon juice (see cook’s note)
3/4 oz elderflower liqueur (St. Germain)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice

Step 1: Place the sugar, salt and chipotle powder in a small bowl and mix well. Spread on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a cocktail glass with the lime wedge and dip the glass rim in the sugar/salt/chipotle mixture. Set aside.

Step 2: For the cocktail – Shake all ingredients with ice cubes until a thin layer of frost appears on the outside of the shaker. Pour in the prepared glass and serve immediately!

Cook’s note: To make the watermelon juice – remove rind and seeds of watermelon and cut flesh in 2” chunks. Place in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Then process until smooth and liquidy. Strain through a fine sieve. Transfer juice into large squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerate up to 3 days (after 3 days the juice starts losing its flavor).

Cheese Fondue with Chipotle and Tequila

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission by Viviane Banquet Farre

Thoughts From Viviane: 

When my good friend Doug Stone asked me to create a few recipes with tequila for his new website ForTequilaLovers, I was thrilled. Not only do I adore tequila on its own or in cocktails, I also love cooking with it - its unusual flavor pairs beautifully with so many foods!

Here I've created a new-world version of the classic Swiss fondue. The tequila adds a wonderful dimension to this truly scrumptious fondue and the chipotle lends a hint of smokiness to it. It's so addictive that when I first tested the recipe, Marc (my best taster and hubby!) ate the whole thing so fast I thought he'd inhaled it!

I recommend either a Reposado Tequila or Mezcal for this recipe, because their deep, powerful flavor stands up nicely to the cheese and actually cuts through the richness of the fondue.

Bread cubes are the traditional dipping bits for fondues, but don't stop there - try serving this fondue with chunks of grilled meats, blanched-but-still-a-bit-crunchy broccoli or cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes boiled until just tender… or whatever you love with cheese!

For a head-spinning selection of tequilas, visit Doug's website. (And no, he hasn't paid me to say this and hasn't given me freebies either - this is just my own honest-to-goodness opinion!)

Say cheese and take a bite!

makes approximately 2 cups (4 servings)

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup Reposado Tequila or Mezcal
1 cup dry white wine
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese - coarsely grated
12 oz aged Fontina cheese - coarsely grated
2 to 3 teaspoons chipotle in spicy adobo sauce, to taste - puréed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 sourdough or whole wheat baguette - cut in 1/2" cubes

Step 1:  Place the cornstarch and the Tequila in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2:  Place the wine in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. As soon as the wine starts to simmer, gradually add the grated cheese and whisk constantly until completely melted and smooth. Reduce heat to medium and add the cornstarch/Tequila mixture, chipotle and salt (careful not to dribble on the stove now, alcohol is very flammable!). Continue to whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Step 3: : Place the cheese mixture in a fondue bowl with a flame under it to keep it warm. Serve with long fondue forks and the bread cubes or other morsels of your choice.

Cranberry Chutney with Figs

makes 2 cups

For the figs
4 oz dried California or Turkish figs (about 1/2 cup) – cut in 1/4” pieces
2 tablespoons Cointreau
2 tablespoons orange juice

For the chutney
1 1/4 cup apple or grape juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (use microplane grater)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (use microplane grater)
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon red, chili pepper flakes
pinch sea salt
12 oz fresh cranberries

Step 1: Place the figs, Cointreau and orange juice in a small bowl. Mix well and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Add the apple juice, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks, ginger, orange zest, cardamom, red pepper flakes, and salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high and add the cranberries. Stir well and fast simmer for 6 to 7 minutes until the cranberries start to pop. With a wooden spoon, crush the cranberries on the side of the pot until mixture is chunky. Turn off the heat, add the fig mixture and stir. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature and serve.

Cook’s note: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Maple–Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission by Viviane Banquet Farre

serves 8

1 tablespoon sea salt for the blanching water
2 lbs Brussels Sprouts – ends trimmed and cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
6 oz roasted chestnuts in jars – broken in 1/2” pieces (use your fingers)
3 large shallots – skinned, quartered and finely sliced
3/4 to 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Step 1: Fill a large bowl with cold water and several ice cubes.

Step 2: Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and blanch the Brussels sprouts for 4 minutes until tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water bath until cool. Drain on paper towels. Once dry, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Cook’s note: The Brussels sprouts can be blanched up to 1 day ahead. Place in a Tupperware and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 3: Heat a large heavy-bottom skillet over high heat. Add the butter, olive oil and maple syrup. As soon as the butter is melted, add the Brussels sprouts and chestnuts and toss. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until golden-brown, tossing only occasionally. Add the shallots, toss again and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until shallots have softened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash–Apple Cake with Ginger Streusel

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission by Viviane Banquet Farre

www.foodandstyle.wordpress.com

This is really a remarkable recipe.  .  . exceptional ingredients and inventive concept.  If you haven't used turbinado sugar in place of regular brown sugar - please try it.  Most "brown" sugar is really just a form of processed white sugar... Turbinado has a much deeper flavor and is much healthier to use than traditional brown....And yes, it is more expensive than brown which is usually the case when you opt for the best ingredients.

But... rather than hearing my thoughts on this . . . I think it's appropriate to share Viviane's in her own words.  I am so happy to have discovered her website and blog and hope you visit her site often!

In her own words:

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved baking cakes. In fact, my very first cooking memory was of baking my very own birthday cake — for my sixth birthday! (Of course my grandmother helped a bit…) Nowadays, I do not bake as often as I would like. The busy-ness of my life and my orientation towards lighter foods have sometimes interfered with this deep and fundamental pleasure of baking.

With this recipe I decided to reconnect with the pure satisfaction of baking a beautiful old-fashioned cake — but with a modern twist. So I created a butternut squash and apple teacake with a surprising but delicious candied-ginger and pine-nut streusel.

Made without butter or too much sugar, this cake is light and moist without being rich. I always use organic, free-range eggs because I find them more delicious and also healthier than their conventional counterparts. In summertime, I buy my eggs at the Piermont Farmers’ Market, always marveling at the bright golden hue of their yokes. In the winter months, I rely on our local health-food stores for a good organic brand.

Likewise, I use organic turbinado sugar for most of my desserts. This unrefined, pure cane sugar has a subtle molasses flavor and some nutritional benefits, as it retains all the natural minerals (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron) and vitamins present in sugarcane juice. Finally, the Australian crystallized (or candied) ginger used in the streusel is truly mouthwatering. Harvested when its roots are young and tender, the ginger is fiber-free and mild in flavor, adding a tangy and modern twist to this scrumptious cake.

Not only was I delighted with my new teacake, I was able to indulge in it without guilt. Nice to know one doesn’t necessarily have to choose between the poetry of baking and the prose of nutrition. Doesn’t that make the pleasure of baking infinitely more satisfying…?

Butternut Squash–Apple Cake with Ginger Streusel

makes 1 cake (8 servings)

For the streusel
2 oz Australian crystallized ginger cubes (about 1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1/2 cup pine nuts

For the cake
1 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup turbinado sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
3 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (use microplane grater)
1 cup butternut squash purée (see cook’s note)
1 medium McIntosh apple – peeled, cored and cut in 1/4” pieces
1 cup organic Hunza golden raisins

1–9” non-stick round cake pan – buttered

Preheat oven to 350°F
Step 1: In the bowl of a food processor, place the ginger, sugar and pine nuts. Pulse several times until all ingredients are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir well and set aside.

Step 3: In a medium bowl whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, orange zest and butternut-squash purée until well blended.

Step 4: Stir the apple pieces and raisins into the flour mixture until well blended. Add the squash mixture to the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix until just moistened.
Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Serve at room temperature.

Cook’s note: To make fresh butternut-squash purée, cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a large baking dish with spring water (1/4” up the sides of the squash). Bake at 400ºF for 45 to 60 minutes until very tender. Let cool, scoop out the flesh and purée in a food processor. The purée can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Vegetarians and artichoke lovers will love every bite of this delicious and creamy creation by Viviane Banquet Farre of www.foodandstyle.com.  Once again, she manages to combine many of my favorite ingredients in this recipe. 

Just thinking about this recipe immediately transported me to some of my favorite childhood food memories.  Artichoke soup at Duarte's in Pescadero . . .  dipping artichoke leaves in butter . . . grilled baby artichokes on the beach.... mmmm. Growing up in California, I was lucky to have access to fresh artichokes straight from the fields.  I think I could eat them every day.  I'm thrilled to add this risotto to my artichoke recipe arsenal. 

Enjoy this video of Viviane as she walks you through this recipe, step-by-step.  And please, visit her website often to see what she's making next . . .

Artichoke Risotto with Lemon-Herb Pesto - The Recipe:

serves 4

For the Pesto
1 small bunch fresh basil (about 2oz) – leaves removed from stems
6 springs fresh Italian parsley – stems removed
1 large garlic clove – skinned and left whole
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (use microplane grater)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Risotto
1 lemon – juiced
3 large artichokes
3 1/2 cups spring water
3 cups vegetable broth in cartons or homemade vegetable stock
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion – skinned, quartered and finely sliced
2 large garlic cloves – skinned and finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup Carnaroli, Vialone or Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
chive tips as garnish

Step 1: For the pesto – place the basil leaves, Italian parsley, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process at high speed until it forms a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, once or twice. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 2: For the artichokes – fill a medium bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Trim the artichokes by bending back the outer leaves until they snap off close to the base. Repeat until all the green leaves are gone, leaving the tender yellow-green inner leaves attached to the heart. Cut 2″ of the tops so that only the yellow part of the leaves are left. Cut the stalk at the base of the artichoke. Using a vegetable hand-peeler, peel any green part around the heart. Keep dipping the artichokes in the lemon-water bath as you work to prevent them from browning. Quarter the artichokes, remove the chokes and then cut in 1/4″ slices. Place in the lemon-water bath. Peel the stalks with the vegetable hand-peeler to remove all green parts. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut in 1/4″ slices and place the in the lemon-water bath. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 3: For the broth – place the spring water and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and keep on the stove near the risotto pan.

Step 4: For the risotto – heat a wide heavy-bottomed sauté pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and red onion, stir well and sauté for 3 minutes until wilted. Drain the artichoke slices, shake any excess water and add them to the pan. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the artichokes are golden, stirring only occasionally. Add the garlic and white wine and continue sautéing until the wine has reduced to a syrupy sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute until the rice becomes translucent at the edges, stirring constantly.
Cook’s note: If you are making this recipe ahead of time, take the pan off the heat at this time until ready to continue the risotto. When you are ready to proceed, reheat the risotto at medium heat and proceed as below.

Step 5: Reduce heat to medium to medium-high. Add a scoop of the broth to the rice using a ladle and simmer, stirring constantly until all the liquid has been absorbed. You may have to adjust the heat from time to time so that the risotto is always at a good simmer, but doesn’t stick to the pot. Add another ladle of broth and continue stirring, repeating the process until the rice is creamy but still al dente. This will take about 20 minutes.
Cook’s note: You can use 5 to 6 cups of liquid depending on the rice you use, and whether you like a drier risotto. The more liquid you use, the wetter your risotto will be.

Step 6: Add the butter and parmesan and stir continuously to make the consistency of the risotto softer and creamier. As soon as the butter is melted, turn off the heat and stir in the pesto.

Step 7: Spoon the risotto into pasta bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Garnish with chive tips and serve immediately.