Mushroom Mille Feuille With Tomato Coulis Recipes

BRAISED LAMB WITH TOMATO AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Cut 2 pounds lamb shoulder into 2-inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat; remove.
• To the skillet, add onion, garlic, carrots, olives and cloves; cook until fragrant. Add wine, tomatoes with their juice and browned lamb. When the liquid boils, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Garnish: Chopped toasted almonds and cilantro.

TOMATO SALSA WITH FRUIT

Steps:

• Soak the chopped onion in the lime juice for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Combine the tomatoes, chili, cilantro and fruit. When the onion is ready, stir it in, along with some salt. Add more lime juice if necessary, and serve with duck, chicken, grilled halibut or other fish.

MUSHROOM MILLE-FEUILLE WITH TOMATO COULIS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350. Slice mushrooms on a mandoline lengthwise, as thinly as is practical. Brush the inside of a 4 1/2-inch-by-8 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pan with some melted butter; line with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Layer the mushrooms in the pan, salting and spooning on a tablespoon or 2 of butter on each layer. Stack mushroom slices to about an inch above the pan's top. Brush the inside of a piece of aluminum foil with melted butter, and wrap the mushrooms and the pan tightly.
• Place the loaf pan on a larger baking dish or rimmed sheet pan to catch any liquid that may bubble over. Place the pan in the preheated oven, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the mushrooms meets almost no resistance. Remove the aluminum foil, and continue to bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is browned.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and unwrap; pour off excess liquid. Place a piece of parchment paper and a second loaf pan on top, weighing it with cans of beans or bricks, at least 10 pounds of weight. Keep the outer baking dish underneath to collect overflow. Cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, remove the loaf from the refrigerator, and take off the weights. Invert the loaf onto a rack lined with paper towels. You may have to break the butter seal with a knife so the mille-feuille releases, or even rub the bottom of the pan with a hot, wet cloth. Drain on the paper towels until ready to cook.
• Make the sauce: Cut the tomatoes into 2-to-3-inch wedges, and place in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth; turn the blender to low, and slowly pour in the olive oil. Add salt, vinegar and sugar as needed. Do not strain.
• Transfer the loaf to a cutting board, and carefully slice 3/4-inch pieces with a serrated knife. Sear each piece in olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
• Spoon some of the sauce onto each plate, and top with a slice of mushroom mille-feuille. Garnish with the herbs (if using sage or savory, fry it in olive oil). Sprinkle with salt, then serve.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.
• With a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MUSHROOM MILLE-FEUILLE WITH TOMATO COULIS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*. Slice mushrooms on a mandoline lengthwise, as thinly as possible. Brush the inside of a nonstick loaf pan with melted butter and line with parchment (cut to fit the bottom). Layer the mushrooms in the pan, salting and spooning 1-2T butter on each layer. Stack mushroom slices to 1" below pan top. Brush inside piece of aluminum with melted butter and wrap the pan tightly. Place pan on large rimmed sheet pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes until browned. Remove from oven, unwrap and pour off excess liquid. Place a 2nd piece of parchment over loaf and weight down (10 lbs) Cool and refrigerate overnight. Invert loaf onto rack lined with paper towels. Sauce: Cut tomatoes into wedges and purée; slowly add olive oil, salt, vinegar and sugar. Transfer loaf to cutting board and slice with serrated knife. Sear each piece in sauté pan until browned (2 min per side). Spoon sauce onto each plate, top with mushroom mille-feuille and garnish with herbs.