Chef Mik's Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that originated in France. It has become quite popular all over Europe, in my school days now many years ago we were told they were popular the world over and could be ordered everywhere. While that may be so, here in the states they are far and in-between. They come in a whole host of varieties as well from a covered sandwich to open faced and sometimes even with an extra layer. Add a poached egg and this incarnasion is known as a croque madame, in Sweden many pubs serve them topped with a slice of pineapple which is known as a croquet Hawaiian gratinéed under a broiler. I have always made my croquet monsieur open faced with tomatoes finished under a broiler, sometimes this version is known as croquet provençal, which is fitting as I also like to add garlic butter and I will do so here today. However the variations don’t stop there, sometimes they will substitute the ham for smoked salmon, we even offer one with grav lax and poached egg. Another option which is quite good is with the addition or substitution of sauce béchamel which opens up the field for a whole host of other baked sandwiches examples include; stewed mushrooms or stewed wild mushrooms, stewed shrimp or other shellfish and on and on it goes. the assortments are basically limitless as is the presentation which range from the decadent to casual and everything in-between.  

We had an in house bakery for a number of years, as a result I have become accustomed to baking all my bread products myself. But store bought is a perfectly fine, that said for today I have baked some French bread, but most any white bread or sourdough works just as well. You can toast the bread first if desired, or spread butter on one side and pan toast the bread if you like. alternatively simply slice the bread and build your sandwich, for today that’s what I will be doing, keeping it nice and simple.

Shopping List

Bread: French, milk bread, pan di mie, brioche, sour dough

Butter or garlic butter

Dijon mustard

Ham: boiled, baked, smoked

Tomatoes

Emmentaler or Gruyère cheese

My Mad Method

Start with a nice loaf of bread, these are fresh baked French

Slice bread, and spread butter or garlic butter on one side

If using garlic butter make your own or use store bought

Spread a light layer of Dijon mustard over the butter

Add a few sliced of ham

You can use boiled ham, baked ham or smoked

 Add a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes

Top with a layer of either Gruyère or Emmentaler and brown for a few minutes under a broiler

Ready to serve!!  

Ready to eat!! (Side angle)  

Chef Mik's Yang Chow Fried Rice

Yang Chow or Yeung Chow Fried Rice is a Chinese sort of a combo fried rice with shrimp and Chinese BBQ pork which is very popular here in the States. One of the key elements to succeeding with any good fried rice dish is that you don’t use fresh cooked rice. Day old is preferred as you want to have eliminated as much moisture as possible before you start frying it to keep it from becoming mushy. For best results if not using a rice cooker before you cook the rice rinse it well for a few minutes then soak it in some cold water for a half hour or so then rinse again and cook as normal. This will help to eliminate some of the starch that makes the rice sticky, this step is optional of course. Also Yang Chow style fried rice it’s made by either frying the rice then adding the raw egg and cooking it together with the rice coating it as it cooks. Aternatively adding precooked fried eggs such as an omelet that has been sliced or chopped up to the fried rice...

When making fried rice at home you can simply prepare this and any other fried rice dish out of what ever left overs you have on hand. Meaning you can add or subtract what you’d like such as ginger, onion and/or leeks, water chestnuts, carrots and so on. If you like it spicy you can add either dried chili or fresh chili paste to the dish. As for my version a couple things I’m doing here today are; using cooked shrimp as apposed to raw shrimp which is fine however I am tossing them into a pan with direct heat which is something you should always be careful of as previously cooked shrimp tend to easily become over cooked and chewy when cooked a second time. An alternative method when using cooked shrimp is to simply toss them in at the last second and heat through. Lastly I am preparing quite a large quantity and my wok will only hold so much so I am doing so in stages

Shopping List

Rice

Pork loin, sirloin or tenderloin

Shrimp

Eggs

Peas and carrots

Scallions

Honey

Syrup

Soy Sauce

Mushroom soy, optional

Semi dry sherry

Chinese five spice

Peanut oil

My Mad Method

Start by preparing the BBQ sauce

½  dl mushroom soy sauce, optional

½  dl soy sauce

½  dl honey
½  dl syrup
2  TBSP semi dry sherry
2  TBSP fresh ground ginger
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
1  tsp kosher salt

Add 500g pork sirloin to the b.b.q sauce, coat well and marinate 4-6 hours

When the pork is done marinating arrange on a sheet pan lined with foil for easy clean up and bake in a 125c oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, basting it once half way through

It should be 65-67c at it center when ready the temp will continue to rise for a few minutes longer when removed from the oven

NOTE: do not discard sauce as you will need it for basting

When you remove the pork from the oven allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes then slice to desired thickness

Beet 3 eggs together with 1 tsp each soy sauce, mushroom soy sauce, and semi dry sherry

The mushroom soy sauce will give it a darker color, if that is not to your fancy simply omit it

Heat wok, add 1 TBS peanut oil heat to smoking point add eggs

Prepare as one would an omelet picking up the edges to allow the raw egg to collect underneath and cook, when almost ready as shown here flip and cook one or to minutes longer

When the omelet is done remove from heat roll up and slice it about a cm thick, set aside

Either use fresh shrimp and cook with the fried rice alternatively defrost 200 g cooked frozen shrimp

Defrost 100 g frozen peas and carrots

Slice one bunch scallions (green onion) in large pieces on the bias set aside

Heat wok add 1-2 TBS peanut oil heat to smoking point add 1/2 TBS garlic (minced), and the scallions, fry for 30 seconds, add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute longer tossing the ingredients as you do so, then remove them from the pan and set aside

Either add rice to the wok with the shrimp and scallions or cook the rice in batches, making sure to oil the pan in between

OBS: rice should not be freshly cooked it should be at least a day old for best results

Cook for a few minutes frying while making sure to heat through; add the remaining ingredients and heat through adjust seasoning with soy and fresh ground black pepper

Ready to serve!!

Chef Mik's American Style Lasagna

This is basically just another casserole, and there are seemingly countless. Some simply baked in a casserole dish or prepared in layers such as this classic to moussaka in Greece, European Cabbage pudding, Danish Sailors Casserole (sjormansbiff), Salmon Casserole (laxpudding), egg plant parmesan. The interesting thing to note is how different this basic American style lasagna is from its European counterpart, though even in Europe they can very wildly. One thing that seems to be consistent is sauce instead of ricotta cheese, that’s not to say there aren't any versions incorporating the cheese but in most European countries the use of sauce béchamel is prominent.

You can ether prepare the ricotta cheese, which is done by first making Mozzarella cheese then recooking the whey. By recooking the whey and scraping together the curds that will be in affect the ricotta (re cooked) cheese. Alternatively purchase a fabricated premade made variety.

Shopping List

Pasta sheets

Tomato sauce

Italian sausage

Eggs

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

My Mad Method

Heat home made or store bought tomato sauce

Sauté 400g home made or store bought sausage

I am using Italian sausage

Mix 2 egg yokes into 600g ricotta cheese

Grade 300 Mozzarella cheese

There are several types of Mozzarella cheeses form fresh, low moisture or firm, I am using a low moisture variety

Grade 100g Parmesan cheese

I am using Parmigianino Grana

Rub oil, butter or other fat along the inside of the casserole dish

I am using olive oil I have pored into a squeeze bottle

Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with a little tomato sauce

Cover the tomato sauce with fresh pasta sheets

Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the pasta sheets top with sausage

Ad another layer of pasta sheets and this time cover with a layer of ricotta cheese (you can also add some mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese if you like as well)

Repeat process ending with a layer of ricotta cheese, at this point you can either top the ricotta with a generous amount of mozzarella and parmesan or top with an additional layer of pasta sheets and tomato sauce and a generous amount of mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 (175c) or until golden brown

Ready to serve!!

Chef Mik's Kim Chi with Bok Choi

There is a long tradition of fermenting food in Korea dating back to the third dynasties of the 6th to 7th century A.D. However as a people we have been using fermentation as a preservation technique in the kitchen as far back as the written language can recall. In fact some 7000 years ago when we first started baking leavened bread or was it brewing beer the debate rages on, it was do to the discovery of fermentation and our mastery of it

Kim chi also offers many health benefits including c13 which is said to fight cancer.

More often then not kim chi is prepared with Napa cabbage or radish, though I love it with bok choi. I also love to eat carrots, gobo and cucumber this way as well, so I will be preparing mine with a combination of some of those ingredients today. 

 

Shopping List

15 baby bok choi

1 or 2 carrots

2 Japanese cucumbers

Japanese flakes, equivalent whole dried, or powder

Cheyenne pepper

Maui sweet or other onion

1 galangal or ginger root

1 bulb garlic

2 or 3 stalks green garlic

2 or 3 stalks scallions

Sugar

My Mad Method

Quarter and rinse baby bok choi well making sure no dirt or sand remains

  Submerge the bok choy together with pealed and sliced carrots in salt brine, cover let stand 5 hours

Prepare paste; 1dl Japanese chili flakes, 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1dl fish sauce, ½ onion minced, 1/2dl garlic minced, 1 TBSP galangal or ginger grated, 1 TBSP sugar – in place of sugar you may use natural sweetener or fruit such as apple, either purée these ingredients together or chop finely, add 2 stalks each green garlic and spring onion sliced on the bias

After 4 hours add pealed Japanese cucumber sliced length wise, then again on the bias (optional)

Alternatively you can simply salt your cucumbers and allow them to simply draw out the liquid and add them later

After the 5 hour brining period has finished drain and rinse well

Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl add the kim chi paste and mix well… It is now ready to serve as a salad, it’s great with chilled glass noodles tossed in sesame dressing and thinly sliced Korean BBQ try tip, otherwise use a container with a tight fitting lid store the kim chi at room temperature for 3 days (72 hours) for the fermentation process to accrue, alternatively leave at room temperature for 24 hours, refrigerate for a few more

 

This is how the kim chi will look after 1 day, toss well, cover and continue to store the kim chi at room temperature

This is how the kim chi will look after 2 days

After three days the kim chi is ready to serve on its own, in a soup, with ramen, or a rice dish