I've given the same...

lame excuse--work and school--but it's true. Moving past sauteing, pan-frying, deep-frying, and roasting, class is now focusing on braising. I loved roasting; the smell of lemony, herbed whole chickens and natural pan au jus for the gravy isn't just for Thanksgiving dinners. And seriously, who knew roasting sweet potatoes could be so simple? It requires time, but a little patience never hurt.

Think about Fall and the glory of all these autumn vegetables like pumpkin, patty squash, and cauliflower popping up at the Farmer's Market. I've never been a fan of overindulging on meat, but the black truffle, oyster mushroom cream sauce made every bite of our roasted veal loin worthy. I've also never been an advocate of lamb, especially when it's cooked improperly, but an afternoon of braising lamb shanks in a wonderful, homemade chicken stock took away all the gamey flavor.

I want to give recipes for my favorites though. For a dinner with girl friends, I prepared French Onion Soup, Crab Cakes in a Trio of Sauces (Salsa Verde, Roasted Red Pepper, Avocado Cream), Potato Galette, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Roasted Banana Ice Cream.



French Onion Soup
From ICE

8 oz unsalted butter
4 quarts onions, sliced
Salt and Pepper
8 oz sherry
5 quarts veal stock
Sachet d'epices (Thyme, Bay Leaf, Peppercorns, Parsley)
Croutons, Pramesan Reggiano, Gruyere

Melt unsalted butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add in onions and stir to cover in butter. Reduce the heat to low and begin seasoning the onions. Let the onions sweat and caramelize over low heat until a nice golden brown appears. Pour in the sherry and let the alcohol reduce completely. Add in veal stock and tie the sachet to the side of the pot. Let the soup simmer over low heat for a few hours stirring occassionaly and seasoning with salt and pepper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Slice a few pieces of baguette about 1/4 inch in thickness. Coat in olive oil and season. Place sliced baguette into the oven for about 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Fill ramekins with onion soup, top with homemade croutons, and cover with slices of Parmesan Reggiano and Gruyere cheese. Place filled ramekins into the oven and let the cheese brown and crisp before serving.



Potato Galette

Clarified butter
2 medium potatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Basil Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonaisse

Peel potatoes and julienne them with a French Mandolin. Toss them into a bowl with salt and pepper. Heat a sautoir over medium high heat and melt clarified butter into the pan. Place julienned potatoes into the pan forming a circle around the pan. Let the bottom cook over medium heat until it begins to brown and firm. Flip the galette to the other side and let it brown. Combine the basil oil and mayonnaise for a dipping sauce. Remove and potato galette from the heat and serve with the basil mayonnaise.



Pumpkin Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1.5 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp honey

Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk until thoroughly combined. Combine pumpkin puree with spices, extract, and honey in a separate bowl. Gently fold in pumpkin mixture into ice cream base. Freeze in a plastic container for at least four hours. Enjoy with some crushed graham crackers!

Roasted Banana Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp banana extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the banana in a bowl and mix in sugar. Spread banana over a lined baking sheet and roast in the over for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and caramelized. Remove banana and set aside to cool. Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk and extracts until thoroughly combined. Fold in mashed bananas lightly. If you don't want the banana chunks, strain the entire mixture through a sieve. Freeze the ice cream in a plastic container for at least four hours before serving.



Trio of sauces for the crab cakes.



Crab Cake with a touch of homemade mayonnaise over salsa verde.

To the people who copy recipes without acknowledging the source: you can't rearrange sentences with a few new punctuation marks, change a ratio, and then dub the recipes as your own. That's just cheating.