Kitchen Tips: Using Herbs
Kitchen Tips: Using Herbs
 

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Catering and

 In-Home Cooking Parties

 

Personal Touch Gourmet will design a fabulous menu for any occasion.
 
If you love to entertain and prefer to spend time with your guests instead of in the kitchen, Chef Mary Ellen will create a delicious menu to suit your tastes.
 
Or.....
Invite friends and family over for a personalized cooking class.  You decide what to prepare in your own home. We bring all of the ingredients and when we have finished cooking you and your guests will sit down and enjoy the delicious meal you prepared!
Meet
Mary Ellen  
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Chef Mary Ellen graduated with high honors from the   "Le Cordon Bleu" program of the California School of Culinary Arts. After an internship at the Los Angeles Times  Food Section, Mary Ellen created Personal Touch Gourmet, a boutique catering company and taught cooking classes around the South Bay and Los Angeles.

Several years later a call from the Los Angeles Times beckoned her back into the test kitchen with the position of "Recipe Tester." Over the course of her tenure, Chef Mary Ellen wrote articles and developed  recipes, several winning "Top Ten Recipe of the Year Awards."  

Click Here to learn more about Chef Mary Ellen Rae...  
Travel!

If you are looking to book a fabulous vacation please reach out to my long-time friend and travel agent: 

  

Gail Woloz  

Experiential Travel Designer

Specializing in Luxurious Adventure & Cultural Vacations

  

Gail's Travel Manhattan Beach, CA
A Signature Travel Network Agency  

 

t.  310 545/3085  

e.   gw.travel@verizon.net  

 

A Proud Member of the TravelStore President's Club.

Testimonial from Chad in Manhattan Beach...

 

"Our friend organized a cooking class with four couples with Mary Ellen last month, and we haven't stopped talking about the night since!  We didn't know what to expect, especially since we had all levels of 'cooks' in the room.  She allows everyone to be 100% hands-on and every single one of us took something away from the night- all while having such a great time.  We have cooked several of the courses again, and hope to get another group together soon with Mary Ellen.  She was absolutely fantastic and a perfect teacher for all of us."

 

Thank you Chad, I had a blast too!!

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We are caught between winter and spring here in sunny SoCal!  Great time of year to make soup -- a practical dinner in our house utilizing produce and proteins left over from my catering business or cooking classes.

One soup we love is the super easy Green Garlic, Potato and Watercress Soup (recipe below).  Look for green garlic (also called spring garlic) at farmer's markets and grocery stores through the end of April.   Farmers harvest the garlic before it fully matures to give us a milder and slightly pungent garlic flavor.   

One of my favorite herbs to experiment with is the subtly anise flavored tarragon.  Used in both recipes below, try it in your next cold chicken salad or scrambled egg.

After purchasing tarragon, swish in a bowl of cold water, drain well then wrap in slightly dampened paper towels. The tarragon will stay fresh for 3 or 4 days.  

I hope you enjoy this month's news and recipes!

Tastefully,

Chef Mary Ellen
Creating Culinary Memories One Meal at a Time

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March Cooking Class
Favorite Asian Recipes 
Tuesday March 11th 

 

 Join us for a Hand's On Cooking Class

 

 Here is what we will be preparing:

 

Crispy Fish Tacos with Hoisin Jalpeño Crema

 

Celery, Fennel and Asian Pear Slaw 

(perfect as a side to the tacos or on its own) 

 

Thai Chicken Curry
(the classic spicy coconut milk braised chicken, flavored with lemongrass, garlic and ginger

 

Braised Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with a warm Soy and Ginger Vinaigrette

 

Classes are held in a cooking class kitchen in Redondo Beach.  Address given out upon registration.  Classes start at 6:30 p.m. and cost $85. per person.

 

Je Vais a' Paris!

My dear friend Gail Woloz was the first person I thought of when my aunt invited me to Paris with her this spring. We are crazy Downton Abbey fans and fantasized over the river cruises advertised during the show.  Why not go?? 

I dashed off an email to Gail and within hours had the trip booked!!!  We plan to spend a few days in Paris before embarking on Tauck's Swiss Emerald as we cruise along with 118 other passengers down the Rhone River. 

We'll be stopping along the way to taste wines from the Beaujolais and Chateauneuf-du-Pape regions.  The highlight may be the Valhrona Chocolate tasting at their factory!  Will try to bring samples home, but no guarantees!
 
Plan on a French Cooking Class this summer with ideas from this trip!
More About Green Garlic

Green Garlic, also called Spring Garlic is harvested before the bulb has fully matured.  Looking at the picture above you can just see the beginning of each individual clove forming.  Use green garlic the same way as regular garlic, enjoying a milder pungent flavor. 

To use: trim off the stem end and use the bottom 2-inches.  Peel the out layer off and mince.  Save the stalks to flavor stocks



Green Garlic, Potato & Watercress Soup
(Serves 4)

Note:  For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. If you prefer, you can skip the sherry, I think it adds flavor!

 

  • 3 slices thick- cut Applewood smoked bacon, finely diced (Trader Joe's has a good one)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 leeks, white and pale green part only, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)  
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1/2 of medium onion)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup minced fresh green garlic (trim off stem end and use the bottom 2-inches of stalk) or use regular garlic cloves
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ½ cup sherry
  • 3 lbs. white potatoes (about 5 large) peeled and cut into ½-dice             
  • 2 watercress bunches, washed and stemmed, save a few leaves for garnish
  • Leaves from one bunch of tarragon
  • Optional Garnish:  truffle oil and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Place the bacon in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium heat.  When the bacon is crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Depending on the bacon used and the amount of fat left in the pan, you may need to add a tablespoon of olive oil if the pan is dry. 

 

"Dinner Tonight"
 

 

Seared Scallops with Tarragon Beurre Blanc Sauce (serves 6)

  • 18 scallops, tough ligament discarded
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided ( I prefer the Challenge brand)
  • 3 tablespoons finely minced shallot
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced chives.

Pat scallops completely dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sear the scallops, turning once until golden brown and just cooked through, 5-6 minutes total.

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