These lovely recipes have been adapted for the home cook from Liza Hardoon's catering menu at To Go in Toronto. I have simplified techniques and replaced some ingredients that are hard to find. I used a few short cuts, such as buying frozen puff pastry, already roasted garlic and store-bought tomato sauce.
This menu may sound like a lot of work, but remember that most of the dishes can be made ahead, including the short ribs and the sauce for the halibut. The only last-minute cooking is the fish and the smashed potatoes.
Serve both mains with pan-roasted fall vegetables (use your favourite recipe) and the potatoes. The recipes for the main courses are designed to serve six (halibut) and eight (short ribs).
If you intend to serve the full menu, print out one of these handy shopping lists, complete with all of the ingredients you'll need.
Guests enjoy the Pan-seared halibut, one of two entrees (Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail)
Shopping list for both entrees
Shopping list for halibut entree
Web-exclusive! Caramelized Onion Tart
St. Jorge cheese is not always available. Replace with Cantal or Taleggio. The béchamel (white) sauce makes the tart very creamy and delicious.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
Salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Béchamel sauce: 2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¼ cups milk
Freshly ground pepper
Nutmeg to taste
To finish:
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup grated St. Jorge cheese
½ 390-gram package frozen puff pastry, defrosted
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pinch salt and sugar, and sauté for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside.
Heat butter in pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to boil, stirring. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sauce will be thick.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Roll out puff pastry into a rectangle about 9 by 12 inches. Brush with béchamel. Cover with onions. Sprinkle on chopped thyme. Cover with cheese. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and pastry is puffed and golden brown. Cut into 12 pieces.
Web-exclusive! Classic Prawn Cocktail
1 cup white wine
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
4 whole peppercorns
4 parsley stalks
½ lemon
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt
3 pounds large uncooked shrimp
Cocktail Sauce:
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Bring wine, water, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, lemon and thyme to boil on high heat. Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add shrimp into simmering liquid and cook until just pink, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer shrimp to bowl of ice water to cool immediately. Drain and peel shrimp.
Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot-pepper sauce, brandy, red-wine vinegar, lemon juice and horseradish for cocktail sauce. Season with salt.
Serve shrimp with cocktail sauce.
Web-exclusive! Polenta Fries
Make ahead of time and reheat in 350 F oven for 10 minutes. Buy a jar of spicy tomato sauce to serve with the fries.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
¼ cup good grated Parmesan cheese
To finish:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, cream and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and slowly sprinkle in cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to low.
Return pan to heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan. (Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed). Pour mixture into a greased 7½-by-12-inch (medium) rectangular baking dish. Smooth the top, cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm and cold.
Cut chilled polenta into 4-by-½-inch strips. Lift each one out with a spatula. Dust lightly with flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the fries in batches over medium heat for 2 minutes a side (8 minutes total) until browned on the outside and heated through. Add more oil as needed. Serve immediately with a spicy tomato sauce. Makes 24 fries.
Web-exclusive! Cheese Puffs
The French call these gougères. They are essentially choux pastry with lots of cheese beaten into them. Top each one with a dab of store-bought apple butter.
1 cup milk
4 ounces unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch salt
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Heat milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add flour and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and immediately add eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated. Beat in Gruyère and Parmesan and keep beating until the dough is smooth and thick.
Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round top. Pipe mounds 1¼ inches wide and ¾ inch high onto the baking sheets. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use two spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg mixture and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyère. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown outside but still soft inside. Prick with a toothpick or skewer to allow air to release. Makes about 20 puffs.
Butternut Squash Soup
The white beans act as a thickener.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
½ cup canned white beans
3 cups chicken stock
Garnish:
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup crème fraîche or whipping cream
Dried apple chips
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely caramelized but still firm.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Add garlic, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add wine, squash, white beans and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until squash is tender. Remove and discard thyme and bay leaf. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
Return soup to pot to keep warm. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter to enrich and thicken the soup. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a swirl of crème fraîche and a dried apple chip. Serves 6.
Web-exclusive! Pan-Seared Halibut
A very simple way to cook halibut, served in the French style with a white-wine sauce.
Vin blanc sauce:
½ small fennel bulb, cored and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 cups white wine
1 cup whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Halibut:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 6-ounce halibut fillets, about 1¼ inches thick
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Place fennel and onions in pot and cover with wine. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.
Add cream, bring to boil and simmer 3 minutes. Place sauce and vegetables in blender and purée until smooth. Strain sauce back into pan through a sieve. Reduce again until it coats the back of a spoon. You will have about 3/4 cup sauce left. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, until very hot but not smoking. Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper and place in pan flesh-side down. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish and cook until it is barely opaque in the centre, about 3 minutes longer. While fish is cooking, gently warm the vin blanc sauce.
Serve fish with sauce poured over. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Short ribs, like most braised dishes, taste even better the next day. The recipe comes from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin, the chef owner of Lucques restaurant in Los Angeles. It is Hardoon's favourite short rib recipe.
6 beef short ribs, 14 to 16 ounces each
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 dozen small pearl onions
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
4 whole sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1½ cups port
2½ cups hearty red wine
6 cups beef stock
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 bunches Swiss card, cleaned, centre ribs removed
Season short ribs with 1 tablespoon thyme leaves and 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper. Use your hands to coat the meat well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove ribs from refrigerator an hour before cooking and allow to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Season generously with salt on all sides.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Toss pearl onions with 2 tablespoons olive oil, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper. Spread onions on a baking sheet, place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and slip off the skins with your fingers. Reserve onions.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 F.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot, almost smoking. Add short ribs (in batches if necessary) and sear until nicely browned on all three meaty sides. Do not crowd the meat or get lazy or rushed at this step; it will take at least 15 minutes. Transfer ribs to a braising pan, laying them flat in one layer, bones standing up.
Turn heat down to medium, and add onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits in the pan. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add balsamic vinegar, port and red wine. Turn heat up to high and reduce liquid by half.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Pour liquid over short ribs, scraping any vegetables that have fallen on the ribs back into the liquid. The stock mixture should almost cover the ribs. Tuck the parsley sprigs in and around the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven for about 3 hours or until tender. Let ribs rest 10 minutes in their juices, and transfer them to a baking sheet.
Turn oven up to 400 F. Place short ribs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, to brown.
Strain broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. Skim the fat from the sauce and, if the broth seems thin, reduce it over medium-high heat to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Tear the Swiss chard into large pieces. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the pan, and stir in the cooked pearl onions. Add half the Swiss chard, and cook a minute or two, stirring the greens in the oil to help them wilt. Add a splash of water and remaining Swiss chard. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until greens are tender.
Place Swiss chard on a large platter, and arrange the short ribs on top. Spoon lots of braising juices over the ribs. Serve with horseradish sauce on side. Serves 8.
Web-exclusive! Garlic Smashed Potatoes
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1/2 cup roasted garlic
1 cup milk
1 cup light cream
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to boil over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and dry over turned-off burner for a minute or two. Mash potatoes and roasted garlic together with a potato masher or electric mixer.
Heat milk, light cream and butter together over medium heat and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and beat in sour cream.
Beat milk mixture into potatoes until you get your desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper. The potatoes should be very creamy. Serves 8 to 12.
lwaverman@globeandmail.com
