Cornmeal And Shallot Madeleines With Crème Fraîche And Caviar Food

AREPAS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Combine warm water and salt and stir until dissolved. Slowly mix in cornmeal until a sticky dough is formed. Divide dough into 8 equal portions and form each portion into a small dough ball. Roll out each ball to form a 1/2-inch-thick disk.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon lard until it starts to move and pop. Add one dough disk. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove arepa from pan and place on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining lard and dough.
• Top each arepa with creme fraiche, egg, chives, shallot, and caviar and serve.

CAVIAR AND CRèME FRAîCHE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Arrange tart shells on a serving platter. Spoon crème fraîche into a small resealable plastic bag and snip a 1/4" opening in the corner. Pipe about 1/2 tablespoon crème fraîche onto one side of tart shells and spoon 1/2 teaspoon caviar onto the other side. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

CORNMEAL AND SHALLOT MADELEINES WITH CRèME FRAîCHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• In a skillet cook the shallot in 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened and let the mixture cool completely. In a bowl stir together the cornmeal, the flour, the baking powder, and the shallot mixture, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits, and blend the mixture until it resembles fine meal. Stir in the egg, 1/4 cup of the crème fraîche, the water, and salt and pepper to taste and stir the batter until it is combined well.
• On a baking sheet heat 16 well-buttered 2 2/3- by 1 3/4-inch madeleine tins (about 2 tablespoons capacity) in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 2 minutes, remove the tins from the oven, and into each tin spoon a heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons of the batter. Bake the madeleines on the baking sheet in the middle of the 400°F. oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, turn them out onto racks, and let them cool completely. The madeleines may be made 3 days in advance and kept chilled in an airtight container. Top the madeleines with the additional crème fraîche and the caviar.

CORNBREAD WITH CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sift the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl and set aside.
• Heat the milk and 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts (do not let the mixture boil). Whisk the butter mixture, eggs and creme fraiche in a small bowl, then whisk into the dry ingredients until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly before slicing.

SEARED BLACK COD WITH CREME FRAICHE, CAVIAR, TOBIKO AND BLACK TRUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season a pot of boiling water generously with salt. It should be as salty as the sea. Prepare an ice bath and season generously with salt. Add the haricot verts to the boiling water and cook until bright green and tender, but still slightly crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the haricot verts and immediately plunge into the ice bath and set aside.
• To the same pot of water, add half of the cauliflower florets and cook until very soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a blender and set aside. Heat a medium sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the shallots to the blender with the blanched cauliflower. Add the heavy cream and creme fraiche, then puree until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick, add a bit more heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and set the cauliflower puree aside.
• Toss the remaining cauliflower florets in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt to taste, then transfer to a half sheet pan. Place in the oven to roast, tossing halfway through, until brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to the pan with the remaining shallots, add the blanched haricot verts and a pinch of salt and toss over medium heat just until the haricot verts are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Pat the skin on the cod fillets dry, then season both sides with salt. Heat a large nonstick pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of another pan with some olive oil. Place the fillets skin-side down in the first pan, top them with the second pan and firmly press down on it for a few seconds. Cook until the skin is crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the second pan, flip the fillets and cook until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter skin-side up and allow to rest for a few minutes.
• To serve: Put a spoonful of cauliflower puree on each plate and top with the haricot verts, roasted cauliflower florets and then the seared cod, skin-side up. Garnish with caviar, red tobiko, chives and black truffle.

CORNMEAL-CREME FRAICHE SPOON BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, butter, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain simmer. Gradually whisk in cornmeal until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in creme fraiche.
• In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and chives. Gradually whisk in cornmeal mixture; fold in corn.
• Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Stir one-quarter of beaten whites into cornmeal mixture to loosen. Gently fold in remaining whites until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until puffed and lightly browned on top, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

SALMON CROQUETTES CORNMEAL STYLE

Steps:

• Open and drain cans of salmon. Clean by removing skin and bones. (If you miss a few of the tiny bones, don't worry, salmon is so forgiving--they're brittle and edible).
• In a medium bowl, add salmon and the next 9 ingredients and mix well.
• If you're pan browning or baking, form 8 patties (flying saucer shape).
• If you're frying, form 8-10 round balls.
• Once the croquettes are formed, roll or dredge in 1/2 cup cornmeal in a shallow bowl.
• PAN BROWNING: On med-high, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and pan brown 4 patties at a time, making sure they don't touch and you have room to flip each one easily. Brown on each side approximately 3 minutes each. Lay a paper towel on a plate and place the first 4 patties. ADD 3 tablespoons more olive oil for remaining patties.
• BAKING: Preheat oven to 400°F; lay 8 patties in a metal 9x13-inch pan and Pam spray the top of each. Bake for 10-15 minutes and flip and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes.
• FRYING: In a large skillet on medium high heat, add enough oil to cover 1/3 the height of the croquette. Fry 4 at a time giving you room to roll them on all sides until the entire piece is nicely browned (4-5 minutes). Drain on paper towels.
• Eat them plain or I offer homemade tartar sauce and seafood cocktail sauce as condiments.

FRESH CORN MADELEINES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Make madeleines:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush molds with some melted butter.
• Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk together egg, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and corn in another bowl, then add to dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
• Spoon 1 teaspoon batter into each mold and bake in middle of oven until madeleines are golden around edges and spring back when pressed lightly, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn madeleines out onto a rack to cool and make more in same manner.
• Top madeleines:
• Put sour cream in pastry bag (if using) and pipe (or spoon) about 1/2 teaspoon onto each madeleine, then top with a rounded 1/4 teaspoon caviar.

CREAMED CORN WITH SHALLOTS

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, slice the kernels from the cob to yield about 3 cups; you don't need to cut too deeply since you only really want the tender tips of the kernels.
• Place the kernels in a medium bowl; working with one cob at a time, stand the cob in the bowl and use the back of your knife to scrape the milk from the cob.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat and add the shallots, cooking, and stirring, until softened, about 1 minute; add the corn, cream, and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until cream has thickened, about 5 minutes; season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

CARAMELIZED CORN WITH SHALLOTS

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the corn, shallots, sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the corn is caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the thyme and cook 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

CHEF JOHN'S CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Combine cream and buttermilk in a glass jar. Cover tightly with cheesecloth (or any breathable material) and let sit at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees F (21 to 24 degrees C)) for 24 hours. Stir, screw on lid, and refrigerate for 24 hours before using.