If you’re like most of our The Seasoned Chef family, you've been making good use of your shelter-in-place / stay-at-home time to perfect a good portion of your cooking and baking skills.  While our instructors have been hard at work crafting new ways and unique menus to please every palette within our cooking classes, we have gotten a few requests for options that are a little bit more… shall we say… advanced.

Our belief is that, “Practice makes precision makes performance.”  Said with a little bit more detail, we believe that, once you find a specific technique or ingredient that you like to work with, you should work on perfecting it before moving along to learning other skill sets.

However, never ones to hold you back, we wanted to share a few of the recipes that were recently used for what we considered an Intermediate-level class.  Give them a try and let us know… Are you ready to take your cooking skills to the next level?

Intermediate Cooking Class Recipes to Try at Home

PAN SEARED DUCK BREAST

Featuring a Ginger Port Sauce, Parsnip Purée, Sautéed Spinach and Arugula

Serves 4 as an entrée or 8 as a first course

For the Parsnip Purée
Ingredients

1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 tablespoon Scotch Whiskey

 

Directions

1. In a large sauce pot, cover parsnips with cold water and add a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until very tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring cream and butter to a simmer in a small saucepot over medium-low heat.

3. Drain the parsnips in a colander. Place in a high speed blender and add half of the cream, the butter, salt and pepper and scotch. Purée on low speed until smooth. If needed, add another ¼ of the cream mix and whip in again, keeping the mix as thick as the machine will allow. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Keep warm until ready to serve.

 

For the Duck

Ingredients

4 each 6 oz. duck breasts, boneless, skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. Baby Spinach and Arugula Blend

1 small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/3 cup ruby Port

½ cup beef stock or demi-glace

2-3 teaspoons cornstarch

 

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet on high heat. Dry, score the skin and season the duck. When the pan is hot, add half of the oil and duck. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for about 4-6 minutes, or until the skin is very brown. Turn over and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the duck is medium-rare. Remove and set on a serving platter. Slice just before serving.

2. In a separate skillet, heat the rest of the oil and add the spinach arugula mix. Season with salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until wilted. Remove and keep warm.

3. Return the skillet to the burner and add the shallot and ginger. Cook for about 20 seconds, scraping up any flavors from the pan. Add the Port and bring to a boil. Reduce by half and add the beef stock. Bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with an equal amount of water and stir to smooth, then, while stirring, stream half of the mix into the sauce. Thicken as desired, using more cornstarch mix as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Strain the sauce.

4. Divide the parsnips on 8 plates. Top with the spinach and arugula, then the sliced duck. Nap with the sauce. 

WARM MUSSEL SALAD

Serves 4

 

For the Mussels

Ingredients

1½ lbs. mussels

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

Small pinch crushed red pepper

¼ cup vermouth

1 pinch saffron threads

Directions 

1. De-beard mussels and rinse quickly under cold running water. Heat a large pot over high heat.

2. When hot, add the olive oil and the shallot and cook until the shallots soften and become translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the paprika, crushed red pepper, white wine and saffron and bring to a boil, then add the mussels. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and reserve the broth. Bring the pot back to a boil and reduce until the liquid begins to become syrupy. Remove and strain. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside.

 

For the Salad Dressing

Ingredients

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

Reserved broth from the mussels

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Lemon juice, to taste

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon stemmed and minced Italian parsley

small pinch sugar

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, place the vinegar, broth, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk together and, while whisking, slowly add the oil. Add the salt, pepper, parsley and sugar and taste and adjust the seasonings. Makes about 1 cup.

 

To Assemble

Ingredients

1 head lettuce, preferably bibb or red leaf, washed and hand torn

2 oranges, peeled and sliced about ¼-inch thick

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

 

Directions

Warm the dressing on a low heat in a small saucepan. Arrange the oranges and olives over the lettuce. Add the mussels to the dressing and warm for about 30 seconds, then pour over the salad. Serve immediately.

CARAMELIZED PEAR CROSTADA

With delicious Caramel Sauce

Serves 6

 

For the Dough​

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup sugar

Pinch salt

7/8 cup unsalted butter, cold

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to mix. Cut the butter into small pieces and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or food processer until the mixture resembles small peas. Slowly stir in the egg and then the egg yolk, mixing thoroughly.

2. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Gather the dough together and knead it roughly and briefly on a lightly floured surface just until the dough comes together.

3. Divide dough into two discs and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. (If refrigerated longer, remove dough 15 minutes prior to using.) While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling.

 

For the Filling​

Ingredients

4 pears, (preferably Bosc) peeled, cut into 8 wedges and seeded

3 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ sprig rosemary

½ tablespoon cornstarch, blended in 1/4 cup of water

½ lemon, juiced

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 recipe Caramel Sauce

Directions

1. Melt butter with vanilla bean paste in a medium skillet. Add the pears and cook over low heat until lightly browned. Add sugar, cinnamon, rosemary sprig, and lemon juice. Cook slowly for about 5 minutes until pears are tender when pierced with a paring knife. Add the water blended with cornstarch and bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture is thickened. Remove mixture to a parchment lined sheet tray to cool. Discard the rosemary sprig.

2. Lightly flour a clean flat surface. Roll the dough into two 1/8” thick circles and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.

3. Divide filling evenly and place in the center of each crostada. Fold in the edges about 1/3 of the way over the filling, corner over corner forming pleats, until 8 folds or pleats are achieved leaving 3” of the filling exposed.  Brush the dough lightly with heavy cream.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and serve with sauce. 

For the Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

¾ cup cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine. Set the pan over low heat, covered until sugar dissolves. DO NOT STIR. Remove the lid, raise heat and bring to a boil. Cook over medium high heat until the syrup becomes a rich golden color. Brush down the sides of the pan with a clean brush dipped in water to prevent sugar form crystallizing on the sides of the pan.

2. Remove the pan from heat and let cool until no longer boiling. Stirring slowly with a long-handled wire whisk, add the heavy cream. Stir until incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir until the sauce is smooth. Makes 1 ½ cups.