Same Blog, New Look!

I've updated and upgraded! Visit chefrachelleboucher.com to check out the new digs, stay in touch and follow my culinary adventures!

Best,
Rachelle
chefrachelleboucher.com

Small World, Big Event. The Bay Laurel Chef and “The Wine Gal”

Serendipity meets Alchemy

Chef Chris Greenwald on the
Standards of Excellence Chefs Stage

It should not continue to amaze me when I meet someone in the culinary community who knocks me out, who I then learn is deeply connected to another person I am honored to know and admire. But it still surprises me. Last July I met, cooked with and fell for Chef Christopher Greenwald  of Bay Laurel Culinary. Chef is a top notch caterer, sought after cooking teacher and sustainability expert. He was highly recommended to me to be on my Standards of Excellence Global Kitchen Chef Stage at the Marin County Fair.  (I won top honors at the Western Fair Awards for “Best Promotional Event” in all of the West! Hey, best in the West!)

Three Appetizers and a Drive By of Epic Proportions!

Happiest spring! Has it sprung where you are? I sure hope so. I cannot contain myself as Northern California blooms to life with velvet Kelly green fields brushed with huge swatches of yellow, pink and blue. Oh, what a place…


Let’s jump right into the three appetizer “How To”, as promised. I have many pictures of some of the crucial steps and a surprise video at the end, wait until you see what drove into my life last week! 
The appetizers are: Humboldt Fog Crostini with Muscat Grapes & Local Honey, Lamb Loin Carpaccio Crostini with Picked Radish and Double Happiness Shrimp & Scallion Pancakes. 


For the Tahitian Ahi Tuna "How To" post click here.  To view, the recipe is here and it is downloadable here.

My guests go wild when I serve Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese, a surface ripened cheese from innovator and cheese maker Mary Keehn at Cypress Grove Chevre in Arcata, California. This multi-award winning cheese has a tender rind over a layer of edible vegetable ash and a distinctive layer of ash in the middle. The edges are almost liquid, like ripened brie and the center is a mildly tangy, creamy texture. It is visually, texturally and tastefully remarkable.

                                                                                                                                                                             


I knocked out crostini made from artisan bread sliced to ¼ inch, lightly brushed with a very mild olive oil and vegetable oil blend and seasoned with salt and pepper. Note these are on a parchment lined sheet pan and I cooked them in convection at 350°F for just about 10 minutes. Even all around, no turning the pan, no worries. Cut the Chevre from each side to include all textures in each crostini) Spread the room temperature Chevre onto the cooled crostini and top with grape halves. I found these Muscat grapes at Whole Foods Market that taste like they are sprinkled with rose water. Unbelievable. Drizzle with honey, just a smidge.

Now, onto the Lamb Loin Carpaccio Crostini with Picked Radish. This crostini was inspired the cooking class I hosted at Fresh Starts Cooking School with Chef jW Foster of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Here is his original dish, Lamb Loin Carpaccio, served as a first course.  jW made a crust of fresh thyme, lemon zest, kosher salt and smoked black pepper. The tenderloins are very tiny, you will need to order them and be sure to specify boneless lamb tenderloin, not bone-in lamb loin.

Fold the thin end over and place that side face down in the frying pan first Sear all sides, cool and wrap in plastic, freeze for two hours and slice thin on the bias (angle cut). He added picked radish and arugula for a bright and spicy kick.

Click here to the recipe link on this blog  and here for a downloadable PDF version.

Finally the Double Happiness. You will love these simple, savory mini pancakes that take minutes to whip up. Blend your dry ingredients and whisk the eggs and water first. Add shrimp, garlic and scallions to the egg mixture and then add it all to the dry ingredients. Just mix enough to blend thoroughly. Over mixing will make the batter tough. Rest batter for 30 minutes, allowing the flour proteins to relax, which makes for a more tender cake.

 Cook in a good amount of oil on medium high, do not under cook. Drizzle with the ginger aioli made with a thickened soy sauce called “Pearl River Dark Soy” or you can use regular soy, but it will thin out the sauce. You can make these ahead and re-heat in a 400°F oven, but fresh is best!

Click here for the recipe page to view and here to download it.

American Range Mobile Showroom, driven by Curtis Saunders

 Woah, what a whirlwind… speaking of whirlwind, look at this culinary party on wheels that just showed up at Standards of Excellence Appliances in San Rafael! This is the new American Range Mobile Showroom driven by Curtis Saunders, you must come on the quick video tour by David LaFollette by clicking here!
Move over food trucks! Where will it be next? Hit me up to find out at my Twitter page. 

“Sense”-ational Thai Curry and more from Cookbook Author Joyce Jue

Chef Joyce’s book,
“Savoring Southeast Asia”

More than 10 years have passed since I first began working side by side with celebrated Asian cooking expert and cookbook author Joyce Jue at Home Chef Cooking School. At about the same time, I began volunteering to support Homeward Bound of Marin’s Homeless and Culinary Job Training programs. My two worlds collided again last night as Joyce wooed a full house at Fresh Starts Cooking School with an aromatic, authentic and awesome multi-course Thai feast and cooking class. While Joyce showed us the ins and outs of exotic, yet truly accessible ingredients, the on-site Fresh Starts Culinary Academy led by Chef Jacques Kirk cooked her recipes for the crowd to a stunned crowd. (Really? Thai food for 60 at this quality done by culinary students, wow!) Joyce, who cooks and teaches all over the world, was tasting and marveling at the flavor and quality of the Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Lemongrass Chicken Soup), Yam Woon Sen ( Slippery Noodle Salad with Shrimp & Mint) and Choo Chee Red Curry Salmon with homemade Thai curry that the class created from her fabulous recipes. She tasted her soup, made with house made stock and literally stopped short, eyes wide. “Wow, I have made this all over the world and I specify Swanson’s stock because when I get house made stock, it usually tastes like dish water. This stock is incredible.” See, it is a world class food experience at Fresh Starts! 

Loving the great appliances!)

Let’s talk curry, shall we? Dan Odetto, my colleague from Standards of Excellence has been harassing me for years about my red curry. I learned from Joyce and make it all the time. Dan was in attendance last night with his son Max, and yes, he now knows why I love this recipe so.

More of a “potion” than a recipe, Joyce showed everyone how to select and prepare 3 types of chilies: dried red chilies and fresh Thai red bird chilies for heat and a dried red New Mexico chili for color. She then took us on a sensory adventure with kaffir lime rind, lemongrass, garlic, cilantro roots (yes) or stems and smelly but vital shrimp paste. Two secrets for success are using galangal, a Thai form of ginger rather than ginger and using very small shallots (the size of a walnut in the shell) like they have in Asia. Our shallots are often twice as large, so be sure to cut the large ones down to the equivalent size. Another key is to toast the cumin seeds, white peppercorns and salt in a dry frying pan first, then blend it all together. The final crucial tip is to be sure and cook the curry down gently for 8 minutes in the coconut cream, the top, thick cream on top of the unshaken coconut milk can. Once you make it, you can freeze it and use it as you need. Her recipe is wonderfully detailed.

Yam Woo Sen, expertly plated by Fresh Starts Academy!

Joyce then cooked Yam Woon Sen, a mung baen and shrimp salad and a quick Choo Chee Red Curry Salmon, a “western-style” dish as “traditional Asian cuisines never serve 4 ounce portions of fish.” Just to show you all how vital quality appliances are, Joyce was pan searing the thin salmon fillets and completely unprompted said, “Wow, what a difference great appliances make, incredible. What cook top is this?” “It is a Wolf gas cook top complimented by a Dacor Double Convection Oven. With just a two minute sear per side, the cook top allowed for gorgeous color on the salmon fillets which not only looked great but imparted more flavor and kept the interior tender and moist. We honored the quality of the salmon by cooking on top appliances, bottom line.

Now, you all have my secret: Joyce’s recipes! Our guests last night were so excited to begin making Thai food at home. One man told Joyce, “You are an incredibly authentic person”. Joyce, who had given me such compliments all night like, “Most schools have four or five people assisting me, here I have just Rachelle and that is better, I could not do this without her!” said that that was the best compliment she had ever had.

To think, everything we tasted, shared and experienced benefits homeless and job training programs, how much more authentic can you get?

Joyce in action!

Come on down to Macy’s Union Square this Saturday to see Chef JW Foster cook and tell the story of his bees on the roof of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco at 1:00. I will be there!


Next Tuesday: 3 appetizers from last week, Double Happiness Shrimp & Scallion Pancakes, Humboldt Fog Crostini and Lamb Loin Carpaccio Crostini with Pickled Radish!  

Pop Up Appetizer Party, Four Great Appetizers!

Color, Flavor, Fun!

We conspired with Citibank in Mill Valley to create a Pop-Up Appetizer Party and Cooking Demonstration! My dear friend, Lee Aubrey, who I know from our years at Home Chef Cooking School, contacted me for a surprise event! With the support of the brilliant Bertrell Robinson of Fresh Starts Culinary Academy and the dynamic Frank Fromme of Standards of Excellence Appliances, we came, cooked and conquered!


Our menu:

• Double Happiness Shrimp & Scallion Pancakes
• Seared Lamb Loin Carpaccio Crostini with Pickled Spring Radish
• Tahitian Ahi Tuna & Mango Salad Cups
• Humboldt Fog with Local Honey & Muscat Grapes

Tahitian Ahi Tuna and Mango Salad Cups

I will share all of the appetizers; let’s begin with the fresh and luscious Tahitian Ahi Tuna and Mango Salad Cups. I developed this after Rob and I returned from our magical Tahitian honeymoon. We were served this while feasting at a table immersed in crystal blue water, tiny silver fish swimming over our laps. What a moment in time. I took mental notes and re-created it at home.

Ahi Tuna Salad ingredients

Here are all of the ingredients: fresh, wild Ahi tuna, butter lettuce, diced tomatoes, cucumber and mango, grated carrot, slivered green onion, lime juice, coconut milk, garlic chili paste or other hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Cutting a mango

Mangoes are tricky; color is not the best indicator of ripeness. Gently press the skin to find a fruit that is firm, but with “give”. You want a medium softness for this salad. To properly cut a mango, slice about 1/2 inch form the mango bottom to create a flat side. From the cut side, peel with a vegetable peeler up and over the widest part of the mango. Then, peel from the bottom up to remove strips. This technique helps a lot if the mango is fibrous.

With the mango sitting on the flat side you created and your fingers in a “claw” safely on top of the mango, carefully cut down and around the large oval center pit to release a nice big plank of fruit and repeat on the other side. Lay the mango down and trim off the sides. Cut the planks in half horizontally and dice.

All set to toss!

When doing this salad ahead, cut all items (like so), cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, add chili paste, lime juice, coconut milk and seasonings. Since this is a fresh, uncooked tuna salad, the quality of the fish is key. The lime juice will also “cook” the tuna over time, which is fine, but I love this as fresh as possible. Toss gently, season and taste. Adjust coconut milk, lime, chili paste and seasonings to your taste. I serve this as a salad entrée with a side of cooked rice as the Tahitians served it, or as lettuce cups. Garnish with more slivered onions. Try it and share your success with me!


For the recipe page, click here and the downloadable version, click here.


Next up: 
Thursday: a Double Happiness and Humboldt Fog Crostini “How To” with recipes and a Thai Cooking update with celebrated author Joyce Jue.


Tuesday: the sensational Lamb Loin Carpaccio with Pickled Spring Radish inspired by my friend Executive Chef JW Foster, who I will see on Saturday at Macy’s Union Square! OOOH, yeah!

Frank and I presenting to our loving crowd!

Frank cooks!

Peanut and Mochi rabbit love when I recipe test!








See you tomorrow at Thai Cooking with Joyce Jue at Fresh Starts Cooking School!