B&B Luncheon, February 2005

Hungarian Goulash with Spätzle & Sauerkraut

Ingredients:

• 2½ kg beef shin, large dice
• 1 cup Hungarian paprika (fine-sweet)
• 4 large onions, diced
• 2 heads garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup fat from top of brown stock, melted
• 8 each Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced (90 ct, 250gms each)
• 2½ litres brown beef stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut shin beef in large dice, as large as 2 inches square.
In a large roast pan, roll the beef in paprika, generously coating all surfaces.
Push it to one side.

Add the diced onions and garlic, and coat them too.
Add melted fat from the brown stock, and toss all to coat well.
There should be just one layer deep, so that everything can brown evenly.

Place in oven and allow to brown, stirring from time to time so that all surfaces colour.
Adjust oven heat as required to keep from burning, but don't let it be too cool or the meat will sweat out its juices.
You should be able to heat the meat "singing softly in the pan." (A slight sizzling sound)

When the meat is brown, transfer it to a heavy pot, and add the peeled diced potatoes.
Cover with brown stock, and bring to the boil.
As soon as it boils, cut to a simmer.
As fat and scum rises to the surface, skim it off from time to time.
Stir gently from time to time.
Nnote: You could do the same in the oven, if the roast pan is deep enough, but evaporation is more rapid, so you will need to keep a pot of hot stock to replenish with.

When the meat is tender the potatoes will have rounded edges, where originally square.
What ever thickening has taken place is what you want.
This benefits from overnight refrigeration, so that the fat rises and forms a cap on the top.
This fat is very nice, everywhere but in the goulash.
Remove it.

Naturally, before serving, you will want to re-season it, salt first.
If you used Kingred Hungarian paprika, I doubt you will want more pepper, unless you are a real chili head.

Spätzle

• 2 cups. all purpose flour
• Salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup Water
• nutmeg in proportion as if making a potato mix

Method:

Mix all ingredients together, cover and let rest for a while.
Bring large pot of water to boil.
Add salt.
Put some dough on a bread board.
With a knife cut small (very small) pieces.
Drop into boiling water.
Let cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
When cooked, drain them in a sieve and let cold water run over them.
Heat spatzle in warm butter.
Bacon fat can be added be substituted instead of butter.

Accompanients on Plate

• Spätzle
• Sauerkraut

Cajun Seafood on Cream Dill Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 Medium Sized Squid Tubes
• ½ Cup Milk
• 3 tbles Bread Crumbs
• 7 tbles Flour
• 1 tbles Cajun Spice
• 2 tbles Olive Oil
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Accompanients

• Sweet Chilli Sauce
• Extra Cream Dill dressing.

Method:

Slice Squid tubes open so they lie flat.
Marinate in the milk for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight ( this really makes the squid tender and soft).
Remove the Squid from the milk then slice into 1cm thick strips.
Place strips into the flour mixture one at a time to ensure an even coverage
In a heavy based frying pan add the butter being careful not to burn the butter , when the pan is hot place the squid in the pan in batches for about 3 minutes ( do not over cook as the squid will go tough ) turning once.

Prawns:- 1 large green ocean king or 2 or 3 river prawns. These may be battered and deep fried, or alternately they can be seasoned prior then grilled on a moderate heat flat grill with a goodly amount of butter.

Fish:- 2 or 3 strips or pieces of fresh water fish or salt water flat head. Yellowed Cajun batter or corn flake crumbs to variety of crumb mix.

Scallops:- 2 or 3 or 4 scallops tossed in butter with a light dusting of cajun spices.

All this seafood is placed over or around a lettuce salad of mainly iceberg lettuce shredded in strips as some the exotic greens only for show.
Amidst this lettuce will be found corn, 5mm diced capsicum (pre-poached or roasted) and a sprinkle of purple salad onion cut to 5mm dice to compliment the corn.
The flesh of tomatoes can also be added.

A hearty drizzle of cream dill dressing completes the presentation.

To serve:

White Chocolate Crêpes

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups Flour
• 1 ts (or more to taste) Sugar
• large pinch of Salt
• 3 x 60gm Eggs
• 1½ cups Milk
• 2 tb Butter or oil; melted & cooled

Method:

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Break the eggs into another bowl and mix until yolks and whites are blended. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in beaten eggs. (French chefs often break the eggs right into the dry ingredients but this makes mixing more difficult.
   
   
2. Stir the flour mixture into the eggs little by little. The dough will be difficult to work and it may be necessary to add a little milk (or whatever liquid is used in the particular recipe) to incorporate all the flour. Add the liquid a spoonful at a time and mix it in thoroughly before adding more liquid. When the mixture becomes easy to work (when about half of the liquid has been used) the remainder can be added in two portions.
   
   
3. Add melted butter (and flavourings if indicated).
   
   
4. Mix again, cover and set aside for at least an hour but not more than 6 hours at room temperature to rest the batter. Crepe batter can be held overnight in the refrigerator. If necessary, the crepe batter can be cooked immediately, but the "resting" time allows the flour to absorb more liquids, makes the batter easier to handle, and gives the crepes more flavour. Since flours vary in their ability to absorb liquid, if the crepe batter seems too thick when you are ready to cook it, a small amount of extra liquid can be added at this time. The consistency could be at least as thin as heavy cream.
   

Filling:

• Cream (45% milk fat) for whipping.
• White chocolate (for grating and 'peeling')
• Vanilla Extract
• Castor Sugar

Garnish:

• Black Cherries & Angelica strips.
• White chocolate 'peels'

Accompanients

• Toffee Sauce
• Golden Syrup
• Butterscotch or caramel (made on site)

Method:

Make chocolate 'peels' by peeling chocolate at a temperature which allows it to be soft and pliable.
Grate the rest of the chocolate on a coarse grater and set aside.
Mildly whip the cream, sugar & vanilla till it starts to thicken.
Add the white chocolate gratings and turn slowly with a wire whisk or wooden spoon till it becomes thicker but not near curdling.
Be aware that the addition of the chocolate gratings gives a larger surface area to the whisking and causes the mixture to be more sensitive to turning.

Pour into a piping bag with a round 10mm nozzle.
Pipe a generous strip across the middle of the crepe, fold over to a semicircle then roll into a round cigar shape and place on a holding tray.
When all serves (2 or 3 crepes depending on size) are prepared place in cool room till serving time.

To serve:

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