Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Caramel
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Mousse
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
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3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream

For the Garnish
Vanilla sugar to dust the cookies
Fresh berries

Special Equipment
Large pastry bags
Bowl scraper
Biscuit cutters
Rolling pin
Baking pans
Stainless steel sauce pot
Stand Mixer or electric mixer
Pastry brush
Digital thermometer
Mini sieve for dusting

Instructions
For the Cookie Dough
In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350° with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut into rounds or whatever shapes you wish using lightly floured cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly brown. Cool on rack.
Shortbread with keep in an airtight container for about a week or frozen for several months. Makes about 20 shortbread cookies.

For the Chocolate Mousse
In a small saucepot, scald 1 cup of heavy cream then pour over chocolate. Mix until chocolate has completely melted and is smooth. This is your ganache.

In an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until large bubbles appear then add the cream of tartar. Continue to whip until they reach soft peak stage. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar and continue to whip for about 4 minutes or until they reach medium peaks.

In another bowl, whip the remaining cup of heavy cream on medium speed until it reaches soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Whisk egg yolks into warm ganache. Gently fold in egg whites in two additions. Last, carefully fold in the whipped cream in two additions and divide into glasses. Let refrigerate for an hour.

For the Caramel
In a medium stainless steel saucepan, heat brown sugar with evaporated milk over medium heat. As it cooks, brush inner sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. This wipes away grainy sugar crystals. Heat until mixture reaches soft ball stage (238-240 F). Remove from heat – let cool to about 110 F. Stir in the butter and beat until mixture is thickened. Add vanilla and salt. (Heat to loosen or add additional cream). If mixture is too thin, add a little powdered sugar.

To Serve
Pipe the mousse onto a chilled plate on into a glass and place a cookie standing sideways in the side of the mousse. Serve with fresh berries.

Ingredients
For the Souffle
3 cups corn, lightly charred over grill and shaved off the cob
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
12 large egg yolks
16 large egg whites

Special Equipment
Grill
Ramekins or soufflé dish

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Generously butter soufflé dish or ramekins.
Stir together grilled corn, parsley, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, until quite thick, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Whisk in yolks, salt and pepper. Stir into corn mixture.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry). Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whites in two more additions until just combined.

Gently spoon into soufflé dish (leave at least 1 inches of space at top) and bake until golden brown and top appears set, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ingredients
For the Chicken
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flour, for dredging
1 gallon fry oil

For the Macaroni
½ pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
½ teaspoon paprika
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3 tablespoons butter for topping

Instructions
For the Chicken
Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk and let soak for at least 2 hours.
Heat enough oil (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan, approximately 4 cups, depending on the size of your pan. Bring the oil temperature to 325°. Do not allow oil to get hotter than 325°.

Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Next dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
Place chicken, skin side down, into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor oil temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. * Don’t drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven.

Mac and Cheese
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes to cook out the starch flavor.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan and mix it with the bread crumbs. Top the macaroni with the bread crumb mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before serving.
Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients
For the Curry Paste
10 dried red chilies, finely ground
10 fresh thai chilies, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground white peppercorns
4 lemongrass stalks, just the bottom halves, sliced thin and minced
2 tablespoons minced galangal
2 teaspoons minced kaffir lime peel
2 inch piece of fresh turmeric
16 cloves garlic, chopped
4 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons shrimp paste

For the Beef
2 pounds skirt steak
2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon palm sugar, to taste
12 thai eggplants, cut into large cubes
6 kaffir lime leaves, ripped into pieces

For the Rice
8 cups jasmine rice
10 cups water

Special Equipment
Large mortar and pestle, preferably granite
Electric rice cooker

Instructions
For the Curry Paste
In a large mortar and pestle, pound all the ingredients until it forms a well blended paste. Sometimes it needs to be done in smaller batches until it is reduced enough so that all can fit in the mortar.

For the Beef
Clean and trim the skirt steak, then slice into bite sized pieces. Tip: canned coconut milk settles when it isn’t agitated. The richer and fattier part floats to the top and the water goes to the bottom. We are trying to use the thick part for this first application. In a small stainless sauce pan, heat about 1 ½ cups of the thickest part of the coconut milk reserving the remaining for later. Heat the coconut milk over high heat until it become thick and bubbly and the fat starts to separate. Add the curry paste mixture from the mortar and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for two minutes or until very fragrant. Add the remaining coconut milk, the fish sauce and palm sugar and stir till well combined and boiling again. Turn the heat back to high, add the eggplant and cook until mixture comes back to a rolling boil. Add the beef and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the kaffir lime leaves and turn off the heat. Serve the curry in a warmed bowl alongside plenty of steamed jasmine rice.

For the Rice
Rinse the rice in cold water a couple times and strain. Add rice and water to electric rice cooker and turn on. When cooker stops cooking and rice is done, unplug it and wait ten minutes. Open lid and fluff rice with a fork and keep warm until service.

Here is the show that Gertrude and Mabel made of the event:

Here’s what some of the guests said about the event:

Jubilee Lau Events
Alison Events
Gertrude and Mabel

Ingredients
6 cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds) veal scallopine, pounded thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons finely diced provolone cheese (optional)
4 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese
4 tablespoons chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup celery leaves
16 ounces (2 cups) chicken broth

Instructions
Lay each scallop of veal out flat and place in the center a little less than a demitasse spoon each of garlic, provolone and pecorino cheeses (if using both) and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Then roll each veal scallop up and tie in a bundle with white kitchen string (or close each veal roll with a toothpick).

Place the olive oil in a large sauté pan. When the oil is hot, brown the veal rolls evenly on all sides. Remove the veal and set aside. Add the wine to the sauté pan. Scrape the pan to get all the browned bits off the pan surface. Add the celery leaves. Add the chicken broth, place the veal rolls back in the pan and simmer, covered, for about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with pasta and/or a salad.

* This dish can also be made with chicken cutlets if they are pounded thin enough. When rolled up, these veal or chicken topolini should measure 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length and 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The dish tastes best if prepared ahead and warmed slowly before serving.

*wine-cooking-movie

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
28-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions
Wash eggplant and slice in half. Salt generously and allow to stand for about 20 minutes. Then rinse and dry the eggplant and dice it into 1-inch cubes.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the eggplant until soft and slightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let the eggplant get too soft. Remove the eggplant and place in a large saucepan. Set aside.

Adding more oil if necessary, fry the onion in the original skillet until it is wilted. Add the celery and tomatoes. Simmer about 15 minutes, until celery is tender. Add the capers and pine nuts. Add mixture to the eggplant in the saucepan.

In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste, and heat slightly. Add the heated liquid to the eggplant, cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are cooked and the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Stir often during cooking. Allow to cool before refrigerating. This can be prepared several days ahead; it also can be frozen.

*wine-cooking-movie

Ingredients
1/2 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and de-veined, keep shells for the broth
1/2 pound scallops, cleaned

For the broth
Reserved shrimp shells
1 small onion, peeled and a bay leaf stuck into it with a clove
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
3 or 4 fresh parsley sprigs
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

For the risotto
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium to large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (plus optional additional 1 tablespoon added at the end)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small tomato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Place the shrimp shells in a large saucepan. Add the clove-studded onion, chopped carrot and celery, parsley sprigs, wine, 5 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain, reserving the broth and discarding the shells and the vegetables. Keep the broth warm over a low flame.

For the risotto
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet, add half of the garlic and half of the onion and sauté over medium-low heat for 2 or 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften and the garlic just begins to color, being careful not to let it brown.

Cut shrimp into halves or thirds. Then add the shrimp to the skillet along with the scallops and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the shrimp just start to look pink. Transfer the shrimp/scallop mixture to the container of a food processor and let cool for a few minutes. Then pulse just a few times to chop everything very roughly (medium-size chunks should remain). Set aside.

In a large pot (or the skillet the shellfish were cooked in if it’s large enough), over medium heat, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Add the remaining garlic and onion and sauté until wilted but not browned. Stir in the rice to coat it thoroughly with the oil and butter, sauté the rice for a minute or two and then add the wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the diced tomato and 1 cup of the shrimp broth, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring, adding broth 1 cup at a time at the beginning and then in increasingly smaller amounts as the rice gets closer to being done, so it doesn’t get too soupy. Cook until the rice is creamy and tender but still al dente. This will take approximately 15 to 18 minutes.

Add the shrimp/scallop mixture and a liberal grinding of pepper to the risotto during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking. Add more broth if necessary to achieve a slightly soupy consistency, then stir in the cheese. An additional tablespoon of butter may be mixed in at the end for extra creaminess. Serve at once.

*wine-cooking-movie

Ingredients
12 slices firm white sandwich bread
1/4 cup drained bottled capers, chopped
6 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
Divide capers among 12 bread slices and spread evenly. Divide mozzarella among 6 slices and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Make into 6 sandwiches, then cut off and discard crusts to form 3-inch squares.

Coat sandwiches with flour, knocking off excess. Beat together eggs, milk, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in another small shallow bowl.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Meanwhile, coat 3 sandwiches, 1 at a time, with egg mixture. Fry, turning over once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Coat and fry remaining 3 sandwiches in same manner.

Cut sandwiches into quarters and serve immediately. *can be served with a pesto or puttanesca sauce

*wine-cooking-movie

To kick off the New Year, we wanted to share a letter a client sent to us last year… Two things about this letter makes us really happy: 1. it celebrates our Chefs, who are truly extraordinary and 2. we made Bruce’s day memorable and special.

“What an amazing experience! On 11-11-11 at 11:11, I turned 55. I thought what would be better than celebrating with fine food, good friends, and of course, wine. Fourteen members of my immediate family and very close friends met at Hands on Gourmet to greet Drew, Vidya and Kristene! They had all the ingredients for our brunch laid out, prepared, clean, cut & ready to assemble. Wine was chilled, glasses were ready to fill and a nice cheese platter was presented for our enjoyment.

The energy was very high, with hats, emergency gift bags stuffed with Aleve, raincoats, coconut water and sundry items we would need later in the day. It started off as a party and then turned into the most playful interaction I have witnessed in years. Drew, Vidya and Kristene are a talented team who fostered and participated in the play. At one point, (I was on the dessert team) Vidya asked, as we were making caramel, if I liked white chocolate. I responded, “Who doesn’t” and to my surprise, she found white chocolate and transformed the recipe into white chocolate caramel, which topped the most decadent flour-less chocolate cake I have ever tasted.

The meal and company was perfect, but what made the day was the Hands of Gourmet team of chefs assisting us.”