A banquet for 70Pax

I'm in a state of exhaustion to make an effort. Another gloomy day, so I'm posting some pictures to share some of my works. Hope you enjoy it. :-)

Vanilla Cream (Crème à la vanille)

500ml Milk/Cream+ 30g Sugar+ 1 Vanilla bean(discard) -> 1) Let it get hot over a medium heat.

40g Egg yolks+ 30g Sugar+ 20g Custard powder -> 2) Mix well until smooth( no lumps), slowly pour into this hot milk, constantly stirring! Heat gently (avoid boiled, it will be curdle!), stirring until the custard thickens. Mixture should coat smoothly with a metal spoon.

3) Then whisking continuously until slightly cool down and thickened. Strain through a sieve, pour in glasses.

4) Chill it with plastic wrap until set. Serve with a garnish of fresh fruits. Or Fruits sprinkle with sugar, leave and soak for 20mins, spoon them on your cream as decorations, or you can blend them and strain through a sieve. Chill it before served.

*You can make this ahead and put them in the refrigerator.

*Sauce will thickened as it cool and may be lumpy when removed from the refrigerator. Whisk over a saucepan of simmering water to remove any lumps.

*If sauce was overheated and curdling occurs, pour instantly into a blender and blend until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little heavy cream to the mixture before blending.

Vanilla Chocolate Cream(Crème à la chocolat)
Follow above recipe, just adding about 100g melted chocolate (chopped) in Step 2, whisk throughly.


Bird’s Custard Powder:
Bird's Custard is the brand-name given to (and original version of) a cornflower-based powder that, when mixed with milk, thickens to form a custard-like sauce. It was invented by Alfred Bird in 1837 because his wife was allergic to eggs, a key ingredient used to thicken custards.
Bird's Custard Powder Info

Geschnetzeltes nach Zürcher Art ( Scalopped Veal à la Zurichoise)

~400g-500g veal(sliced into fine strips)--> 1)Season the thinly sliced veal with salt, pepper and dust with some white flour. Heat Oil/Butter in frying pan and sauté the veal in the hot pan until lightly browned. Remove from pan and keep warm.

2 Onions(finely chop)--> 2) In the same pan, reduce the heat, add butter and sauté briefly the onions + 200g Button mushrooms(diced).

~100-150ml White wine--> 3) Deglaze the pan with white wine, let liquid slightly evaporate.

~100-150ml Brown stock/some gravy powder--> 4) Add to Step 3, cook until the sauce binds. Simmer for a few minutes.

~100-150ml Cream--> 5) Add the cream, then the meat and stir gently to cover all the meat with the sauce.

6) Season with Salt+ Pepper+ ground Paprika+ few drops of Lemon juice. But do not overcooked. Cook sauce until it reaches a creamy consistency.
7) Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with whipped/parsley chopped chives.

Normally served with Rösti, but rice or pasta fits fine as well.
You can also use Pork or chicken if you like. If you like kidney, you can replace half of the veal with it.

New potatoes with Mint-Joghurt sauce

~600g small New Potatoes(skin on, washed)-> 1) Steam for approx.15mins or cook in boiled water with salt, until just tender.
~10 mint leaves -> 2) put in boiling water for a while, drain & plunge them into cold water. Roughly cut them.

1Tbp snipped chives+ ~175gNature-Yoghurt/Curd-> 3) Mix the mint and snipped chives.

Cayenne Pepper+ ground black pepper+ ground paprika+ Salt-> 4) Season in the sauce.

5) As soon as the potatoes are cooked, turn them into a warmed serving dish, spoon the sauce on them and dust with paprika. Garnish with chives or mint sprigs before serving.

The term "new potatoes" is sometimes used to describe all small waxy potatoes, but technically it refers just to immature potatoes harvested in the spring and early summer. You can tell if a potato is truly new by its skin; immature potatoes have flimsy, parchment-like skins that you can peel off with your fingers. New potatoes are prized for their high moisture content and creamy texture, and because they can be cooked whole. They're especially good steamed or roasted. They're more perishable than other potatoes, so use them within a few days after buying them. Substitutes: Larger boiling potatoes, cut into smaller cubes.

Curd cheese is similar to cream cheese but with a lower fat content and it, like cottage cheese, has had a lactic starter added. This gives it a light acidity and a light flavour, colour and texture. It is sometimes called medium-fat soft cheese. I like it best of all for cheesecakes because it gives them a lighter flavour and texture, as you will discover if you make the Curd Cheesecake with Greek Yoghurt.

Sources:Foodsubs
Deliaonline

Pumpkin Soup

~1.8kg Pumpkin+ 1 Onion+ 1 Carrot+ 1/2Leek -> 1) Cut into small pieces.

2) Heat Butter in a large saucepan (not overheated the butter). Sauté vegetables until slightly golden.

50g slivered almonds+ 200ml Bouillon+ 200ml Milk+ 200ml whipping cream(2Tbsp reserved for Step 6) -> 3) Stir in Step 2. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for around 1hr.

4) Blend the soup in a blender mixer. Rub through a fine sieve. Return to saucepan. Bring to boil, stir constantly.
5) Season with Salt+ Pepper.
6) Stir in 1Tsp Butter.
7) Fold in with 2Tbsp Whipped cream
8) Roast 1Tbs slivered almonds in a pan (without any fat), until a light brown.
9) Pour soup into cups. Sprinkle with roasted slivered almonds. Garnish with chervil.

Sauté is a quick cooking process that uses a small amount of hot fat, without liquid. The food is flipped or turned and removed before any liquid is added to the pan drippings if a sauce is desired.

Roasting is a process of cooking foods using medium dry heat, basted frequently with fat but without liquid and uncovered.

Bouillon
English: beef broth
Broth is an English term for the liquid extracted from meat cooked slowly with water, which is then concentrated and used either as a foundation for soup or as a simple soup itself .
A bouillon cube (US) or stock cube (UK) is purchasable in stores. Because canned and cube stocks are usually saltier than homemade stocks, be sure to reduce salt additions to any given recipe when you use them.

Sources:Soupsong
Wikipedia

Banana milk shake

Makes 4 Glasses
8 Ice cubes+ 750ml Milk-> Blend it in a food processor for 1 minute, until smooth.
2 large ripe bananas(peeled & sliced)+ 1Tsp vanilla extract-> Add it and blend it for 1 minute more, until foamy. Pour into tall glasses and serve.

Make this milk shake immediately before serving so that there is no danger that the bananas will discolour. You can also make fruit milk shakes with 225g of hulled ripe strawberries or raspberries, adding 2Tbsp of castor sugar, if desired.

Add a dash of salt (brings out flavor) and a shot of whipped cream before blending. The riper the banana, the better. If your banana is a bit underripe, add some honey or brown sugar.