Jack wants to have an intimate dinner party and asks Frederic for some recipes that won't keep her chained to the stove. Jack learns the recipes for Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Creamed Corn.
Episode Guide
Below you’ll find a helpful episode guide for cooking along with Frederic and Jack, as well as tips and recipe rescues.
Equipment List:
Broiler pan
Aluminum foil
Tongs
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Dry measuring cups
Medium skillet with lid
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Instant-read thermometer
Wooden spoon
Carving knife
Pepper mill
Medium bowl
Tips:Broiling:
Broiling is a dry-heat cooking method where the food is placed directly under and very close to the radiant heat source above it. The food cooks more quickly since it is so close to the heat source.
You can adjust the racks in your oven to position them 3 – 4 inches from the broiler.
Watch foods carefully while broiling; the food is so close to the heat that it can easily start to burn.
Dry rubs:
A dry rub can be made from a combination of any of your favorite spices and dried herbs.
Dry rubs act like marinades in that they flavor the food, but they don’t require any time to marinate since the rub sticks to the food. Therefore, they are a quick solution to enhancing the flavor of different meats.
Selecting corn:
Choose corn with bright green, snugly fitting husks, and golden silk. Stems should be green and moist, not woody.
Kernels should look plump and milky, come all the way to the ear’s tip, and the rows should be tightly spaced.
Avoid ears with blackened, opened and tattered husks, and those with black silks.
Try to purchase corn that has just been picked. Corn is best cooked and served on the day it is bought, but if you must store it, keep it in the refrigerator with the husks on.
The peak season for fresh corn is May through September.
Recipe Rescues:The exterior of the pork is burned – Slice off the burnt areas, and then carve as usual.
The pork is too dried out – Add a little broth or other cooking liquid to the pan with the pork, cover it with a lid or foil, and then let it steam to re-moisten the interior.
Corn is unripe – You can still cook with it, but add a little sugar during cooking to make up for the lack of natural sugar.
Creamed corn is not thick enough – Make a slurry out of cornstarch and cold water, and then add 1 – 2 tablespoons of it to the corn mixture. Stir to evenly incorporate the slurry, and continue cooking for several minutes to get rid of the starchy taste.
Creamed corn is too salty – Add more cream, and more corn if you have it.
It's pasta three ways in an inexpensive party featuring everyone's favorite Italian food served in ways you'd never expect! With recipes for Lasagna of Roasted Butternut Squash; Crispy Pasta Salad with Warm goat cheese and pancetta; Baked Pastina Timbale
Gameplan
1 Day Before Party:
Grind fennel-cinnamon spice mixture for Butternut Squash Lasagna.
Peel and dice butternut squash. Season and roast squash then puree for lasagna. Blend puree with cheeses and set aside in refrigerator.
Roast tomatoes and jalapeños for Pastina Timbale Sauce.
Dice roasted peppers for Pastina Timbale Sauce.
Cook lasagna noodles for Butternut Squash Lasagna.
Dice and sauté remaining ingredients for Pastina Timbale Sauce. Finish Timbale Sauce. Cool and store overnight in refrigerator.
Prepare and finish béchamel sauce for Butternut Squash Lasagna.
Assemble Butternut Squash Lasagna.
1 Hour Before Party:
Bake Butternut Squash Lasagna.
Cook pastina for Pastina Timbale.
Poach and sauté sausage for Pastina Timbale.
Sauté garlic and breadcrumbs for Pastina Timbale. Prepare bowl to mold Timbale.
Combine pastina with Timbale sauce, pour into bowl and rest until service.
Cook angel hair pasta and fry for Pasta Cakes.
Assemble and dress Pasta Cake Salad.
At the Party:
Un-mold Pastina Timbale.
Eat and Enjoy!
Jack asks Frederic to teach her the do’s and don’ts to making the perfect hamburger and oven fries.
Episode Guide
Below you’ll find a helpful episode guide for cooking along with Frederic and Jack, as well as tips and recipe rescues.
Equipment List:
Large cast iron skillet or grill
Wax paper
2 baking sheets
Measuring spoons
Flat wide spatula
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Tongs
Pepper mill
Tips:Forming patties:
Don't overwork the meat. Mix and pat; don't squeeze.
Overworking ground beef turns it into flavorless mush, as the heat from your hands and the friction of mixing breaks down the little bits of fat that provide the juice and flavor.
Season meat before forming patties to more evenly distribute it throughout the burgers.
Choosing ground meat:
Ground chuck is perfect for a flavorful burger.
For a juicy burger, you want meat with at least 20 percent fat.
Potatoes:
Use a high-starch baking potato such as Idaho or Russet for making oven-fried potatoes.
Make sure potatoes are thoroughly dry before baking; excess moisture keeps the skins from crisping up.
Bake potato wedges in a single layer, evenly spaced and not touching each other.
Recipe Rescues:If your burgers are not seasoned enough - Test a small amount in the pan for seasoning before cooking entire batch.If your burgers are dried out - only Don’t press down on the burgers while cooking; that causes all the juices to leak out. Also, don't overmix the meat when forming patties.If your potatoes are soggy - Return them to the oven and raise the oven temperature.If the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pan - Run a flat metal spatula underneath them to loosen. Next time, toss with a little more oil.
Michael shows you the Chiarello version of the classic Lobster bake including recipes for Grilled Potato & Green
Onion Salad; Grilled Baguettes w/Old Bay Butter plus Cake Doughnut Bread Pudding
Gameplan
Day Before Party:
Zest lemons for Old Bay Butter
Simmer Old Bay Seasoning and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cool in an ice water bath, and blend in food processor with sweet butter, lemon zest, gray salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
Slice and boil potatoes for Potato and Scallion salad. Toss boiled potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Slowly cook bacon for Potato and Scallion salad.
Whisk leftover bacon fat and olive oil, mustard, champagne vinegar, shallots, Italian Parsley, salt and pepper for potato salad vinaigrette.
Season Scallions with salt, pepper, and bacon fat mixture for potato and scallion salad.
Grill scallions and potatoes. Slice ingredients for potato scallion salad and separate onto a plate. Cover and refrigerate.
1 Hour Before Party:
Start charcoal for lobster bake.
Fill galvanized tub with seaweed, lobsters, corn, partially boiled potatoes, clams, and chardonnay. Cover with damp burlap and set tub on charcoal to bake for 45 minutes.
Break up donuts and raisins in the bottom of a pan for bread pudding.
Cream sugar and sweet butter in a food processor for custard. Mix in eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and cream. Pour custard over donuts. Cover with foil and bake.
At the Party:
Pour out the tub of lobster onto a newspaper covered table. Serve with lemon, Old Bay seasoning, and salt.
Lightly grill linguisa on the grill.
Toast baguettes on the grill and smother with Old Bay butter.
Combine ingredients for potato and scallion salad. Cover with vinaigrette and season with gray salt.
Remove foil from bread pudding and crisp in the oven for 10 minutes.
Melt butter for Rum sauce. Stir in powdered sugar and thin sauce with dark rum. Pour sauce over bread pudding and serve.
Eat and Enjoy!
Jack gets some baking basics when Frederic shows her how to make moist, delectable Blueberry Lemon and Banana Muffins.
Episode Guide
Below you’ll find a helpful episode guide for cooking along with Frederic and Jack, as well as tips and recipe rescues.
Equipment List:
12-cup muffin tin
Colander
Small saucepan
Dry measuring cups
Large and medium mixing bowls
Measuring spoons
Rasp
Wooden spoon
Rubber spatula
Whisk
Liquid measuring cup
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Wire rack for cooling
Tips:Measuring flour:
Scoop or spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and then level it with a knife.
Do not use the measuring cup as the scoop, or you will pack too much flour.
Mixing batter:
You don’t want to over-mix the batter, or your muffins will be too dense and dry.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Stir ingredients together until just combined.
Baking soda vs. baking powder:
Baking soda is a chemical leavener that is activated by an acidic ingredient, such as yogurt, buttermilk, brown sugar, chocolate, honey, etc. When baking soda is combined with acid, a chemical reaction occurs that produces air bubbles. In the heat of the oven, the air bubbles expand, causing baked goods to rise, and lending a light texture.
Baking powder is baking soda combined with a chemical acidifier, thus rendering other acidic ingredients unnecessary. Most baking powders are double-acting, meaning that they work in 2 stages: when they are first added to a liquid, and then again when they are heated.
Recipe Rescues:If the bottoms of your muffins are burnt – Slice off a thin layer at the bottom. Cool muffins in their tin on a wire rack for only a couple minutes, and then remove from tin and let finish cooling on the rack.
If your muffins did not rise – Make sure you used the correct leavener (baking soda or baking powder). If your leavener is old, it may be past its prime. Over-mixing the batter also prevents rising.
If your muffins have a lot of holes – This mixing method produces a coarse-textured muffin with large, irregular air holes.