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Stuart Borken's Recipes

I am not much of a baker -- comes from living within a 5 minute walk of 5 bakeries and 3 excellent pastry shops. Stuart Borken, on the other hand, is, and is also generous enough to share some of his recipes with us -- both baked and otherwise.


Chocolate Turtle Tart

Extraordinarily tasty, and since it is flourless, it can also be served at Passover.

Serving Size: 16
Preparation Time: 4:00

For the crust:
3 2/3 cups pecans, halves or whole, to be processed in Cuisinart.
1 1/4 cups sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
1 pound fine semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
For the Caramel Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup crushed pecans (garnish)

Crust: In a food processor blend pecans and sugar together, add melted butter in asteady stream until combined well. Turn out mixture into a 12' tart shell pan with removable bottom. Press into 1/8" thickness on bottom and 3/8" forsides. Bake at 350 for approx. 20-25 min. or till toasted then cool.

Filling: Bring cream to a boil and pour over coarsely chopped chocolate. Mix until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined well. Pour onto cooled crust andrefrigerate for 3 hours. May be stored over night.

Sauce: In a heavy sauce pan, heat and melt the butter, add the sugar and cook untilmedium brown not burnt. Remove from the heat and add the heavy whippingcream, be ready for it to boil up quickly and be ready with a utensil to stir it. Mix throughly until mixture turns a rich golden color, it will darkenslightly as it continues to cook with its own retained heat off of the burner.That is the reason you do not bring the butter-sugar mixture to the color you want to end up with but you stop short of that color since it will darken. If you bring the sugar-butter mixture to the color you want to finish with you will end up with a burnt carmel. This can happen, and you may find that you thoss out the first attempt and the second try will be perfect. Straining the carmel through a small strainer will create a smoother textureof carmel but is not necessary.

To Serve: Drizzle warm, not hot, sauce over thin slices of tart, garnish optional withchocolate curl or pecan half.

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 24:00

Again, flourless and thus suitable for Passover.

  • 1 9" or 8" springform pan sprayed with non-stick spray
  • 7 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 1/4 pound butter
  • 7 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 ounces seedless raspberry jam, whipped

Melt chocolate with butter and allow to cool, beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar and gradually beat into the chocolate mixture. Beat whites and add 1/4cup sugar a tbsp. at a time. When stiff, fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour 3/4 of the mousse in the pan and place the remainder in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

Bake the mousse at 350 degrees for 35 min., then remove from heat and allow it to cool. Slightly warm the seedless raspberry jam then whip it with a fork or small whisk and spread it over the stop of the baked and cooled mousse. Pour the remainder of the mousse atop the jam, cover with plastic wrap and freeze the dessert. To serve, remove from the freezer, cut around the mousse with a sharp knife, and remove the rim of the springform pan. Cut into thin slices since it is so rich. When you put it on the serving dish you can decorate it with raspberry puree or sauce if you have some; it also looks just fine on a plate maybe with a coupleberries scattered about.

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Almond Date Tart, a Winner

Not too long ago Stuart requested an almond tart like what he was wowed by in Bologna. The recipe I found wasn't what he had in mind, so he got to work in the kitchen and developed this, which he has been kind enough to share with us.

Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 1:30

Ingredients

The Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter with salt, cold
4 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
The Filling:
6 tablespoons butter softened
6 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup almond paste
5 very large Majool dates pitted & skinned
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (about 205 C).

Have an 8-inch tart pan ready.

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of the Cuisinart with the steel blade in place, process until it resembles a coarse meal. In a separate small bowl, combine the ice water and the vanilla and add it in a slow stream to the flour mixture with the motor running until it forms a ball. Flatten the dough ball with your hands into a thick disc, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured board roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan. Trim the edge and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and weigh it down with dry beans or pie weights. Bake the dough in the oven for 35 minutes, or until fully baked.

Lower the oven temp. to 375 degrees (190 C).

In an electric mixing bowl beat softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and beat to combine. Beat in the almond paste which will be firm and take a lot of attention to get entirely incorporated, add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and dates and beat well. Spoon the mixture into the baked tart shell. There will be some extra filling, do not over fill the shell. Bake the tart for 25 minutes, or until center is firm and the crust edges browned. When baked it will puff up some but then fall flat as it cools. Do not worry. This is expected. Allow to come to room temp. and serve slightly warm with whipped cream.

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Sweet Potato Ravioli, as I had in Ferrara '97 @ Hotel Ripagrande

This can be made with pumpkin or sweet potato; I tried both and the sweet potato is the best, I think. The wine should be a Greco Di Tufo, a wonderful white -- minimally sweet, lots of fruit and goes great with this dish. Your guests will collectively moan with delight as they enjoy this appetizer. Three or four ravioli to a serving. Yes, I am talking about food here, lest there be any question. Serving Size: 8

THE RAVIOLI FILLING
1 large sweet potato baked, cooled and mashed, about 1 cup
1 cup (same amount as the potato) Parmigiano cheese grated
2-3 tablespoons prosciutto chopped
1 egg, yolk only
2-3 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt, pepper to taste
A pound of freshly made pasta in sheets.
THE SAUCE
2-3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped -- more cannot hurt
1/4 stick butter
Parmigiano cheese to sprinkle on top of each serving

Place the baked, cooled and mashed sweet potato in a bowl and add the grated cheese, prosciutto, egg yolk, parsley, the nutmeg, salt and pepper, and mix. This may be prepared ahead. Make the ravioli, by laying down one of the sheets and dotting it with 2-teaspoon mounds of filling about 2 inches apart (don't be stingy). Lay a second sheet over the first, tamp down gently around the filling to join the two sheets together and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pastry wheel. Continue laying down and dotting sheets until the filling is used up.

Boil up the ravioli until tender. Since the pasta is fresh, it will take about 4 minutes. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Let the butter start to brown and when it is browned but not burned, add the salt and pepper and sage, stir a few moments. Remove the ravioli from the water and drain well. Saute the ravioli in the butter sage sauce for a few seconds then transfer them to warmed plates. Garnish with the cheese.

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Le Focacce

This is a basic, simple, and therefore wonderful recipe for Focaccia, Italian Flat Bread. I made it up and then remade it, measuring all the ingredients -- I put myself in the position of an Italian mother who needed a bread for a meal, went to my cupboard and took down ingredients, went to my garden and got rosemary, and then just threw it together. I always have garlic and yeast on hand. Here it is:

Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 3:00

For the Focaccia
3 1/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 package dry yeast proofed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry rosemary, 2 teaspoons if fresh (this is preferable)
5 cloves garlic roasted and mashed
1 1/2 cups water, divided & warmed

TOPPINGS for variety if rolls are made
2 tablespoons chopped black olives
1 huge clove garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
10 strips of roasted red sweet peppers
Slices of marinated artichoke hearts
Basil leaves
Flour (a dusting)
Kosher salt

Roast the garlic in its paper skin in the toaster oven by just resting the cloves on the rack exposed to the hot coils and run them thru a dark toast cycle twice. Allow the cloves to cool slightly and remove the paper and mash the cloves with a fork in a little dish.

Heat 1/2 cup water to 110 degrees, add a pinch of sugar & stir, pour on top of the warmed water the package of yeast and put it in a nest of a kitchen towel so that the heat will stay somewhat longer in the liquid. It should start to proof in 5-10 minutes, then stir it well to dissolve the entire mass of yeast, and then let it proof another 5 minutes. This will wake up the yeast.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, rosemary and mashed-up roasted garlic in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook and blend. Pour in the yeast and then with the motor running add the remainder of the warmed water. Allow to knead for couple minutes, testing the texture and adding more flour if too wet and more water if too dry. After kneading, remove and knead a few times by hand and turn into an oiled bowl, turning the dough once to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double in a minimally warmed oven; this will take 1/2-3/4 hours. Then remove and knead a few times and flatten it out to about 1/2 inch thick and place it on a corn mealed double bottom cookie sheet. Poke deep dents into it and rub with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and sprinkle chopped olives in and around the dents. Let it rise a second time in a warm oven which will take about 1/2 - 3/4 hours. Then bake the focaccia on the cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove the bread from the cookie sheet, place it onto the oven rack directly, and let it finish off for 10 minutes or until the bottom taps hollow. If the top is not golden or browned the way you like, then finish the top off with the broiler, putting a nice brown crust on it.

Remove and place bread on rack to cool slightly and set. Then tear and eat with infused olive oil or butter or caponada.

An alternative to a single focaccia is to cut small lime or lemon-sized pieces of dough after the first rise, make them into balls, flatten them with your hand, place them on a corn mealed baking sheet, and let them rise. When risen cut the tops with a sharp knife or razor blade and decorate the tops with a variety of toppings. Bake them off at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and hollow to tapping the bottoms. They are beautiful and tasty. Enjoy!!!!

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Biscottini alla Mandorla

Although this cookie owes its popularity to its place at the Asian table, as a dessert, it has roots in Italy with its use of sweetness and of almonds. (I just made that up, but I love everything Italian and I love this cookie, so why not tie the two together?)

Serving Size: 24
Preparation Time: 1:00

  • 1 cup butter at room temp
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 whole egg, for batter
  • 1 whole egg, beaten, for a wash
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Frangelica liquor
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (I used unbleached all purpose)
  • 24 whole blanched almonds, toasted

Cream butter with sugar; add the egg, almond extract, vanilla, the liquor and blend well. Sift the flour with the baking powder and soda and add in one-cup amounts and beat after each addition and finally beat to a velvety dough. Place a large walnut size piece on a non-stick cookie sheet and flatten with palm of your hand. Paint each with the beaten egg. Press a toasted almond into the center of each and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes then turn the ovens up to 350 and at the same time set the timer for 7 minutes. When timer goes off remove and place on cooling rack. Cool completely and place in storage container.

The flavor is heavenly. Like everything Italian!

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Mandelbroit

This is a sweet with memories from "the old'n days" when my grandmother's lady friends would come over and have tea or coffee and dunk the slices in the hot cups and nibble the afternoons away. The cookies carried the fragrances of almonds and cinnamon and you just knew they were deliciously sweet. I have worked up many recipes before concluding this one is "the one". Eat and enjoy. I hope you too have some memories that these sweets can call up from long ago.

Serving Size: 30
Preparation Time: 3:00

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 stick salted butter, softened
  • 3 whole extra large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla white-clear or caramel colored
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup toasted almonds, slivered or whole blanched
  • 3 cups flour, unbleached all purpose

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 6 ingredients well then add coconut, baking powder and nuts, mix again then add the flour and mix well for one to two minutes. Remove from bowl, ball it up and cut into 2 halves. Flour a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan. Flour a pastry board, and on it, shape two oval loaves about 10" long 3" wide and about 3/4" thick. Lift off onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 40 minutes. then remove and allow to cool for 30 minutes. then slice into 3/4" slices, lay them down on the baking sheet and sprinkle again on the up-side very generously with cinnamon sugar, and place in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes to dry and harden. Turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven. Remove to a sealed container to store to prevent humidity from softening them.

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EGGPLANT & PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHEESE

Serving Size: 1
Preparation Time: 0:15 Categories: Appetizer, Italian, Vegetarian

  • 1 hunk of Mozzarella cheese cut into 3 rectangles the size of dominos
  • 1 egg plant sliced thinly the long way and grilled to have smoky taste
  • Slices prosciutto to wrap each piece
  • Parmesan cheese or Romano sheets to wrap
  • 3 large basil leafs
  • Basic tomato sauce

Cut a rectangular block of Mozzarella cheese the size of a domino. Wrap it in a slightly larger thin slice of grilled and smoky flavored eggplant. Wrap this package in a basil leaf then in a slice of thin prosciutto. Wrap this in the Parmesan cheese sheet, which is best cut when slightly warmed.

This should be plated and surrounded by the tomato sauce. This could be heated in an oven or broiler. A few sprinkles of shredded mozzarella could be melted on the “packages” under a broiler before presentation, and this would heat it through before serving. Three on the plate for a single appetizer serving seems appropriate. The tomato sauce should be special, it should have some sublime addition such as white wine port or sherry or fennel or lemon or some other unidentifiable very subtle ingredient, which would make it just so much more intriguing. Work up what ever you like to make it your own! ENJOY.

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Focaccia-Frozen Bread Dough

Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 1:30

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pound frozen bread dough,thawed
  • 1 small onion, sliced paper thin
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons Romano or Parmesan, grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground

Cover the frozen dough with plastic wrap, and allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator or for about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.

Focaccia is usually round, so use a pizza pan or round cookie sheet, preferably without sides. Oil the surface of the pan with the 1 teaspoon olive oil, and place the thawed dough in the center of the pan. Wet your hands with cold water and press on the dough, extending it to form a circle 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The dough is elastic and will tend to shrink back, so press firmly until the circle holds its shape. Prick the dough about 10 times with a fork.

Combine the onion, garlic, oregano and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Spread the mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle it with the cheese, and let it rise at room temperature for 40 to 50 minutes.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for approximately 25 minutes, until the dough is nicely browned and the onions are cooked. Let the focaccia cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve. This is a nice accompaniment to a pasta dinner, or, if sliced small enough, it is a nice little informal appetizer for a casual get-together. It is also easy for kids to make and they often like to handle the dough. The house will be redolent with a wonderful aroma when this is baking. The fragrance alone will win raves even before anyone tastes it.

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Ribollita, Reboiled Soup

Serving Size: 6
Preparation Time: 24:00

  • 1 leek chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 small savoy cabbage chopped
  • 1 large carrot chopped
  • 1/2 bunch Swiss chard chopped
  • 6 small tomatoes chopped
  • 2 cups pureed white beans pureed
  • 6 slices white Italian bread
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Sautee the leek and onion in the oil and then add the carrot, cabbage, Swiss Chard, and salt and pepper. When well sweated add the pureed beans and tomatoes, and resalt and pepper. Add water to get the appropriate consistency. Gently boil for 1-2 hours.

Ribollita means reboil, so what you have to do before serving it is to cool it in the fridge overnight, and then the next day reboil it and taste for the seasonings. Then you get good bread; if it is day-old so much the better. You cut up the old bread and put it in the soup tureen, pour in the soup, and let it sit for a few minutes. This is rebolita, which of course varies from household to household.

I also saw a cook add the bread with the vegetables rather than at the end; this way the bread is the thickener used while the soup cooks. I like this idea better than adding it to the tureen.

Also, if you want some meat in the soup, I would add an Italian sausage or smoked meat while the soup is simmering.

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Hungarian Chocolate Wagon Cake

Serving Size: 12
Preparation Time: 24:00

THE CAKE
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
THE FILLING
1 pint (500 ml) whipping cream
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
THE FROSTING
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, crumbled
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
THE GLAZE
1 cup currant jelly
1 tablespoon orange liquor or rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch colander or rounded oven proof bowl with well-buttered foil.

For cake: Beat yolks with electric mixer in large bowl until pale yellow. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating constantly until mixture is almost white and forms a ribbon when dropped from the beaters. Sift flour and cocoa together. Beat the egg whites in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat to stiff meringue. Pour yolk mixture over whites. Sift dry ingredients evenly over the top. Gently fold together. Pour into prepared colander or bowl and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F and continue baking until cake springs back when lightly touched with fingertip, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Carefully invert onto plate and peel off the foil, cake will have shrunk considerably.

For filling: Whip cream until soft peaks form. Combine cocoa and sugar and blend thoroughly into cream. Using serrated knife, cut 1-inch lid off top of cake. Carefully hollow out warm cake, leaving 1/2-1 inch shell. Cut scooped pieces into small chunks, transfer to plate and sprinkle with rum. Let cool completely. Spread some of the whipped cream over the bottom of the shell and top with some of the rum-soaked cake pieces. Repeat layering until shell has been refilled and cake is once again a plump dome. Replace lid. There should be about half of the cream remaining for decoration (see below).

For glaze: Melt jelly in small saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally until smooth and spreadable. Remove from the heat and stir in the liquor or rum. Brush cake generously with the glaze to seal it, making sure to cover any cracks. Let glaze cool and set on cake before frosting.

For frosting: Heat chocolate over hot water until it just begins to melt. Remove from the heat and whisk in oil. Slowly pour over entire cake, making sure you have not missed any spots. Chill until frosting has hardened. Remove any excess frosting from the bottom rim of the dish. Spoon reserved whipped cream into large pastry bag fitted with decorative tip (cream may have to be beaten again to stiffer consistency) and decorate the cake as desired. Refrigerate overnight.

Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes: This cake is of Hungarian origin and is supposed to resemble a decorated wagon when completed. This may be too much of a decorating job to do, so just do it your way! Once when we made it for a well respected chef from a club in San Francisco, he called it a Queen of Sheba Cake. I have never been able to locate a recipe for such a cake to compare.

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Portabello Pizza

This seems to be cropping up all over!

Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 0:30

  • 4 whole huge portabello mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup garlic olive oil
  • 1/3 cup Italian style tomato sauce
  • 1 10 ounce package frozen spinach, squeezed dry 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni
  • 1 whole Roma tomato, chopped
  • 1 whole scallion, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped basil
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Chopped fresh garlic
  • Sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

Paint the mushroom caps with the garlic oil and grill on a grill-pan or BBQ grill on both sides. Then spoon the seasoned tomato sauce and Italian seasoning onto the gill side of the cap, then place the remainder of the ingredients on top of this, finally sprinkling the shredded mozzarella and the shredded parmesan on top of that. Broil under the broiler until entirely heated through and the cheese browned. Allow to set, and serve.

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Fettuccine ai Funghi

You asked for a mushroom dish. Here is a great one, sage, wine,olive oil, garlic, cream, nutmeg: wonderful!

  • 16 ounces fresh fettuccine
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
  • 2 tablespoon fresh sage cut into ribbons
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 lb total: portobello, porchini, crimini and shiitake mushrooms all sliced thick
  • 1 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg fresh grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • Prepare boiling water for the fettuccine. Set aside.

Sauté garlic, parsley and sage in olive oil for a few minutes then add mushrooms; cook at medium heat, covered, 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add wine and simmer until it is evaporated. Add whipping cream, nutmeg, and pepper. Check seasoning, stir in sugar if you think the sauce needs it, and salt to taste. Simmer 20 minutes more, adding milk if it thickens too much. It should be sauce like, not too runny and not too thick.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 3-4 minutes. Drain.

Top fettuccine with mushroom sauce; sprinkle with grated Parmesan and a little extra chopped parsley. Serve with garlic toast.

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Scallops on Polenta with Mushrooms

Serving Size: 4

Preparation Time: 6:00 due to the chilling of the polenta.

The Polenta
  • 1 cup milk, boiled
  • 3/4 cup stone-ground corn meal
  • A pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 whole green onions, white and green parts chopped
  • 1 clove roasted garlic, mashed or minced
  • Good, though not peppery olive oil
The Scallops
  • 4 large sea scallops
  • Kosher salt
The Sauce
  • 1/2 cup chicken soup
  • 1/4 cup morels, dry, or any mushroom
  • 1/4 cup porcini mushrooms, dry (must use porcini)
  • 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, thick sliced (fresh -- must use these)
  • 1/4 cup Marsala wine
  • 2 tablespoons butter (very cold)

To make the polenta: boil the milk and add the salt. Slowly stir in the cornmeal and stir for 8 minutes adding a little more milk if needed to correct the consistency. Then add the tomatoes, scallions and garlic and stir one more minute.

Grease a 9 by 9 inch pan and pour the polenta into it. Spray a spatula with a non-stick vegetable spray and smooth the top. Cover the polenta with plastic wrap and chill it until it is firm and cool.

When you are ready to serve, you need to cut the polenta into nice-sized triangles large enough to hold the scallop as a base on the plate and still stick out a little beyond the scallop. So, cut the polenta into triangles, remove them from the pan, and paint both sides with the olive oil (or use just plain vegetable oil). Heat a grill pan to hot and grill each side of the polenta so grill marks show and the polenta has a grilled, charred smoky taste. Place the slices on the plate.

Salt the scallops on the top and place them, salt side down, into a hot dry non-stick pan. Salt the up side. When the scallops are seared then turn once and sear the other side. When done remove from the pan and place atop the polenta.

In the same pan the scallops were seared in, pour the chicken soup, mushrooms and Marsala wine. Cook to freshen the mushrooms and slightly reduce the liquid, then stir in the cold butter as a binding agent that will thicken the sauce as well as enrich it. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the scallops and polenta.

Garnish with chopped fresh anything green you have around such as parsley, chervil, chives, green onion tops or even something as strong a flavor as thyme leaves would work and not detract. NO rosemary however. I served it a couple times with chive spears crossed on top or stuck into the scallops in holes I made with toothpicks first. It gave the dish further height and dramatic presentation. Chives placed around the polenta also look nice.

Dr. Stu's Scottadito, Lamb Chops with Yogurt Sauce
"These are," Stu says, "wonderful." And I'd add they'd be perfect at a cookout.

Crushed Yukon Gold Potatoes
Stu says these Crushed Yukon Gold potatoes are something so basic he can't imagine anyone trying to claim them, but this is the first time I've come across them, and I can't but attribute them to him.

Dr. Stu's Bolognese Sauce
Rich, with milk to make the texture creamier.

Have fun with it. It's fun to play with your food!

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Enjoy. Dr. Stu.

All recipes © Stuart Borken.


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