Mushroom And Camembert Crostini On Butter Lettuce With Truffle Vinaigrette Food

MUSHROOM AND CAMEMBERT CROSTINI ON BUTTER LETTUCE WITH TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, truffle paste, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• To make the crostini: Preheat the broiler.
• Brush the cut sides of the baguette slices with olive oil, and place under the broiler just until the bread is toasted on both sides. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are tender and the juices, if any, have cooked away. (Wild mushrooms release almost no juices.) If the mushrooms seem dry, add a few drops of chicken stock or water and continue to cook until they're nice and tender and any remaining liquid has boiled away. (You want the mushrooms to be dry, almost crisp on the outside.) Add salt and a generous amount of pepper, and set aside.
• Spread or spoon about 11/2 teaspoons Camembert on each slice of the toast. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted (or maybe even disappeared).
• To assemble: Reheat the mushrooms if they have cooled, or, if you prefer, keep them at room temperature. Toss the lettuce and eggs with the dressing. Distribute on individual salad plates. Place 4 crostini on each plate, and top each one with about 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little parsley, and serve.

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH EXOTIC MUSHROOMS, POTATO MOUSSELINE, FOIE GRAS BUTTER AND TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the foie gras butter: Combine the foie gras and 4 ounces of the butter in a food processor and puree. Transfer Foie Gras Butter to a small container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• For the wild mushrooms: Heat a large saute pan over a high heat (large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a single layer). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and then the mushrooms. Cook over high heat until crispy around the edges -- approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and let cool.
• For the potato mousseline: Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the flame to low and simmer until very tender. Drain immediately and place in a food mill (not a food processor) or potato ricer. Rice or work through the food mill, adding 1/4 pound of butter, stirring constantly. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm milk so that the puree is silky but not runny. Cover with plastic wrap and keep and keep warm over a double boiler.
• For the gremolata: Combine chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic.
• Sear the scallops: Heat a saute pan over high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Sear the scallops until golden on one side, flip and then sear the other side. Remove from pan and keep warm.
• For the truffle vinaigrette: Combine truffle juice, port and the juice from the truffle peelings in a non-reactive saucepan. Reduce over medium-low heat until reduced by about 3/4 or until liquid is a thin syrup. Remove from heat and cool.
• Combine port - truffle reduction with vinegars and whisk in the oils. Set aside. This mixture will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator if it is tightly covered.
• For the assembly: In the center of 4 large plates place a dollop of the potato mousseline. Reheat the mushrooms and sprinkle with gremolata to taste. Arrange mushrooms around the potatoes. Drizzle the foie gras butter over and around the mushrooms. Drizzle the truffle vinaigrette on and around the mushrooms. Place 3 scallops on top of each of the mounds of potato mousseline.

TRUFFLE-STEAMED HALIBUT ON MELTED LEEKS WITH TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Combine the truffle peelings and Madeira in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, separately reserving the liquid and peelings.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, 1/4 cup of the chopped carrot, celery, and sachet. Saute for about 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the reserved Madeira liquid and stir to de-glaze the pan. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes or until the pan is almost dry. Add the rich chicken stock and cook about 4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Immediately strain through a fine sieve into a medium size, heat-proof bowl. Discard the solids. Set the liquid aside to cool.
• When the liquid is cool, whisk in the vinegar, 1/2 cup of the remaining olive oil, and the truffle oil. Season the truffle vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Remove the green part from the leeks (you may want to reserve this for making stock). Split leeks in half, lengthwise, down to but not through the root ends. Holding the leeks together by the root, rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove all the grit. Pat dry.
• Place the leeks in a medium saucepan along with the chicken stock, butter, minced parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the leeks are soft. Add the 1/2 cup of remaining diced carrots and simmer for 3 minutes. Cover and turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner to keep the leeks warm until ready to serve.
• While the leeks are cooking, prepare the halibut.
• Lightly season each piece of halibut with salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Place 2 truffle slices and 1 tarragon leaf on each side of the halibut. Using a large pastry brush, very lightly coat one side of 6 10-inch by 10-inch squares of plastic wrap with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Securely wrap each piece of fish in an oiled plastic wrap square. Place the halibut in the top half of a steamer over lightly simmering water. Cover and steam for 8 minutes per inch, or until the fish is just firm but slightly underdone in the center. Remove the fish from the steamer.
• Whisk the fines herbs into the reserved truffle vinaigrette.
• Spoon equal portions of the melted leeks into the center of each 6 warm dinner plates. Unwrap the fish and place one piece on top of the leeks. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fish and around the edge of the plate. Garnish top with crispy leeks and serve.
• Add oil to deep fryer, or a 3-inch deep saute pan. Heat over medium-high until very hot but not smoking, and add the leeks. Quickly fry until the leeks are crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove leeks from oil immediately. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

MUSHROOM CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut baguette crosswise into 12 quarter-inch thick slices; place on a baking sheet. Brush with oil; season with salt and pepper. Toast in the middle of oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and any juices have evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a round of goat cheese on top of each crostini; top with a tablespoon of mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with chives. Serve warm.