Stove Top Vegetable Fricassee With Tarragon Cream Food

CHICKEN BREASTS IN TARRAGON CREAM

Steps:

• 1. Browning the chicken. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, carefully lower the chicken breasts into the pan and cook them for about 1 minute on each side just until hey begin to brown slightly. Transfer the still-raw chicken to a plate.
• 2. Poaching in cream. Reduce the heat under the skillet to low. Add the shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until softened but not browned, less than 1 minute. Add the vermouth and cook for 30 seconds, then add the cream and half the tarragon. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and adjust the heat so that the cream gently simmers. Cover and cook until the chicken is firm and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. To check for doneness, cut into the thickest part of a breast with a paring knife ¿ there should be no sign of pink or translucence.
• 3. Finishing. Transfer the chicken breasts to a warmed serving platter or individual dinner plates. The sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If it is too thin, continue to simmer it for about 1 minute and it will thicken. Stir in the remaining tarragon and the lemon juice, then taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve right away with buttered egg noodles.

SOLE WITH PESTO CREAM

Steps:

• Season both sides of sole with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add sole and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. In a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream, pesto, and lemon zest. Add mixture to pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2 minutes, until sauce thickens. Transfer rice to a serving platter. Top the rice with fish and spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle paprika over top just before serving.

VEGETABLE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir in soup and milk in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat to blend. Bring to a simmer, and then gradually whisk in cheese; stir until melted. Stir in chives and garlic. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve over broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, potatoes, or vegetables of your choice.

TARRAGON CHICKEN FRICASSéE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and bay leaf over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in cream, broth, and 1 tablespoon tarragon, then add chicken, skin side up, and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered. If necessary, boil sauce until thickened slightly.
• Stir in lemon juice, remaining 1/2 tablespoon tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf; pour sauce over chicken.

CREAM OF THE CROP VEGETABLE FRICASSEE WITH FRIED TOAST POINTS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, celery and garlic and saute until tender. Add the flour and form a roux, stirring to incorporate the butter and flour.
• Slowly add the vegetable stock and stir until smooth. Continue to cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. If the sauce looks too thick you can add more stock or water to thin it down.
• Add all the blanched vegetables to the sauce along with the fresh herbs. Cook for 5 minutes, gently stirring, over medium heat. Add the mascarpone and heavy cream and allow to reduce for another 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the sauce is simmering, add the canola oil to a large skillet, over medium heat, until smoking. Slice the bread into triangles and shallow-fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on paper towels and set aside. To serve, place a ladle of vegetable stew into each large soup bowl and garnish with fried toast points.
• Cook's Note: Blanching vegetable is a great way to speed up the cooking process of any dish and is very simple to do. Simply cook vegetables in boiling salted water until vegetables are still firm but cooked, then remove from boiling water and place into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside until ready to use.

TUNA IN TOMATO-TARRAGON BROTH

Steps:

• Season both sides of tuna with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tuna to hot pan and cook 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
• In a medium bowl, combine broth, tomatoes, shallots, and tarragon. Add mixture to skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2 minutes, until tuna is cooked to medium (or longer for more well done fish). Finish the sauce with butter. Serve 4 tuna fillets with all of the sauce and rice. Reserve the remaining tuna for melts, if desired.

SPRING VEGETABLE FRICASSéE WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 1-quart baking dish. Cook carrots in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots to bowl of ice water to cool. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots to medium bowl. If using fresh peas, cook in same pan of boiling water 2 minutes; drain and transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Using slotted spoon, transfer peas to small bowl.
• Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add leek and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes longer (do not brown). Stir in saffron. Add carrots, mushrooms, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and simmer until almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add broth and simmer 4 minutes. Add cream and bring to simmer. Stir in peas, asparagus, and spinach. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake until edges are bubbling and top begins to brown, about 30 minutes.