Herbed Pork Paillards With Sundried Tomato Butter And Asparagus Recipes

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Rinse the asparagus, peel the stalks and then remove the tough white ends at the base. Saute the asparagus in oil and butter until tender (along with the sage leaves). Discard the sage leaves after cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

BEEF PAILLARD

Steps:

• Place tenderloin in the freezer for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the tenderloin from the freezer. Using an electric knife, cut the beef into 3/8-inch thick slices. Place slices of beef, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt the beef lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Lightly brush each slice of beef on both sides with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
• Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and turn skillet upside down over burner. Brush the pan lightly with oil. Place 2 to 3 slices of beef on the pan at a time and sear for 10 seconds on each side. Remove to an ovenproof platter and keep in warm oven. Repeat until all of the beef has been cooked. Serve immediately.

FAST AND EASY PLATE COOKED FISH PAILLARD WITH GINGER, GARLIC, AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. or preheat the broiler.
• Pound the fish slices until they are evenly 1/8-inch thick.
• Put 4 heat resistant plates in the oven or under the broiler until hot. Remove and brush each 1 with 1/2 teaspoon of the butter.
• Season the paillards of fish with salt and pepper and put 1 on each plate. Mix the fish stock, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes in a saute pan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Whisk the remaining butter into the sauce and pour it over the fish.
• By the time you garnish the plates with the cilantro, the fish will be done.
• Wash the fish carcasses, removing the gills from the heads, and, under running water, scrape away any blood from the backbone.
• Put the celery, onion, herbs, and salt in a pot. Add 1 cup of the water, cover, and sweat the mixture over low heat for 10 minutes. Do not let any browning occur.
• Add the fish carcasses and remaining water. Bring to a boil over high heat. The moment it boils, lower the heat to a bare simmer. Stir the bones around very gently for a few seconds so that any coagulated albumin trapped at the bottom will rise to the surface. Skim off any scum, avoiding floating vegetables or herbs. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Add the wine, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let sit for 5 minutes, then carefully ladle all the stock into a fine strainer set over a container. Do not press down on any fish in the strainer. Put the last of the stock into the strainer and discard the debris. Immediately refrigerate the stock uncovered. When cold, cover and keep refrigerated or frozen until needed.

LEMON CAPER BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Crush capers in a small bowl with the back of a spoon.
• Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams and is golden; saute capers until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add lemon juice, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by one-third, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Stir cold butter and savory into lemon mixture, stirring constantly until butter is completely melted and sauce is shiny and thick, about 1 minute.

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH CAPERS

Steps:

• Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Pound breasts to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
• Spread flour into a wide, shallow dish. Press chicken into flour to coat completely.
• Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook chicken in hot butter mixture until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet to a serving platter and cover with a lid to keep warm.
• Pour white wine, lemon juice, capers, and garlic into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; cook at a boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle sauce over and around the chicken; garnish with parsley.

CHICKEN WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together salt and flour in a small dish or plastic bag, then coat chicken and shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in hot oil until both sides are golden-brown, and the inside has turned white and firm, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken, and set aside in a warm place. Pour white wine into the skillet, and allow to boil as you dissolve the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, and allow to come to a boil, cook for a few minutes until reduced by half.
• Sprinkle the cubed butter into the boiling sauce. Swirl and shake the pan vigorously to dissolve the butter, thus thickening the sauce. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily. Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.
• To serve, pour lemon-caper sauce over the chicken, and serve with a wedge of lemon.