50 Women Game Changers in Food #17 ~Dorothy Hamilton~ Roasted Tilapia with Vegetables en Papillote

This week we're up to #17 on Gourmet's list of the 50 Women Game Changers in the world of food: Dorothy Hamilton, the CEO and founder of the French Culinary Institute in New York.  She is responsible for jump-starting the American culinary industry, and many of today's top chefs are graduates of the institute. Thanks to Mary from One Perfect Bite for organizing a group of us cooking and blogging our way through this list, one dish at a time.  Check back every Friday for another story and recipe from the list, and e-mail Mary if you'd like to join the group.

It's no wonder that our group of bloggers had a difficult time coming up with original Dorothy Hamilton recipes this week.  Her influence on the world of food came through her educational and entrepreneurial accomplishments, not by being a chef in her own right.  But that doesn't mean that she doesn't have her own philosophy of food.

I find it helpful, whenever possible, to listen to live interviews as I try to get to know some of these names on the list that are unfamiliar to me.  I get a richer sense of their personality when I listen to them speak in their own words.  Dorothy comes across as a thoroughly modern, down to earth working mom who loves food and just happens to run the country's most renowned culinary institute.
 

In one interview Dorothy defines great cooking as simply "a little bit of fire, having some great ingredients... and then not manipulating them too much."  

But what does a woman who is surrounded 24/7 by gourmet food and some of the best chefs in the world do when she needs to drop a few pounds?  She enlists the help of those top chefs and instructors to develop a regimen of low calorie meals.  How cool is that?  The recipe I chose to make comes from that group.

Fish and veggies en papillote, or in parchment, is a classic and healthy French method for cooking fish in its own juices.  Don't worry, if you can fold up a lunch bag you can master papillote.  This is another one of those dishes that is almost stupidly simple to do, but just reeks of sophistication.  Cooking 'en papillote' is naturally low cal because the food is steamed, without the need for extra fats.

It's a good technique for delicate fish like sole, flounder, or tilapia because you don't have to manipulate the fish at all.  But you can use any fish, and almost any vegetable, as long as you cut or slice it very thin so it cooks quickly with the fish.  I like it because you can make it ahead and then just pop the packets into the oven 20 minutes before you want to eat.  Almost as easy as the crock pot.

You're going to want to have some parchment paper around for your holiday cookie baking anyway.

Roasted Tilapia with Vegetables en Papillote  (adapted from André Soltner )
Preheat the oven to 375

• 1/2 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut in thin sicks
• a similar amount of thin asparagus, ends cut off
• extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon slices 
• several sprigs of thyme, or rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pieces of Tilapia 

1. 
   

• Pre-heat a baking sheet in the oven. 
• Lay out 2 15-inch-long sheets of parchment paper.  Mound some of the vegetables in the center of each sheet. Set the fillets on the vegetables and season well with salt and pepper. Put a lemon slice and a few sprigs of thyme on each fillet.  Drizzle with olive oil.
• Lift up both long sides of each parchment and fold crisply over a few times, like folding up a lunch bag.  Then do the same on each end, but making the folds go under, so the weight of the packet holds itself together. 
• Lay the packets side by side on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Open the packets and transfer the fish and vegetables to plates, or unwrap the packet on your plate and dig right in.

Your packets will puff up with steam while they cook, kind of like a gourmet version of microwave popcorn.  Be careful when you unwrap, it's hot.
Cooking fish and vegetables this way offers you a rare opportunity to eat fresh fish without a lot of fussing at the last minute.  These packets can be stacked in the fridge ready to go.  No need to make a side dish, the veggies are included. Another bonus: no dishes to clean up!

  
Be sure to check out these other bloggers who are joining me on this exploration of the 50 Women Game Changers in the world of food---
Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Heather - girlichef
Miranda of Mangoes and Chutney
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Linda A - There and Back Again
Martha - Lines from Linderhof
Nancy - Picadillo

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I'm a little behind in posting today.  We had a minor freezer setback.  When we opened it last night to get ice for my wine (don't be mean) the ice tray was filled with water.  For some reason our freezer decided to die and then revive itself, just long enough to melt the ice, ruin our frozen food, and most horrifying of all, defrost all the berries I had lovingly packed away in baggies for this winter's baking.

Now I'm off my pins, I don't know what food is fit to eat, and what we need to throw,  I'm confused.  So I basically left the refrigerator and freezer door closed all day and tried not to think about it.  Except to grab some butter, eggs and buttermilk to make these feel good Pumpkin Streusel Muffins.  

These muffins are great. They're moist and they rise well. The topping adds an extra bit of crunch and sweetness.  They're like something you'd get at a fabulous B&B, you know, where they leave a little tea towel lined basket of muffins and a big pot of hot coffee outside your door and you can sleep in and not worry about mundane things like freezers defrosting...

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

set your oven to 375, and grease a 12 muffin pan or use paper liners

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Cream the sugar and the butter, and then beat in the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and molasses.  In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  Make the streusel topping in a third bowl, using your hands to cut in the butter until the whole thing is thoroughly combined and crumbly.  
When you're ready to bake, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just enough to combine.  Fill the muffin cups fairly full, and sprinkle the streusel topping liberally over the muffins.
Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan before taking them out.

Now that I've had a delicious pumpkin muffin I'm feeling a little better.  It's time to open that freezer door.  

UPDATE:  These muffins are extra special.  Had one two the next morning and I can say they are even better than I originally thought.  Very fluffy.  And the mix of spices is especially good.  They're keepers, just thought you'd want to know.

Inspired by: Taste of Home Pumpkin Muffins

Mushrooms part 2, Chicken Marsala

It's a good thing the weather stayed dry, or who knows where I'd be right now.  My interest has been piqued and I've definitely got some more mushroom hunting in me.  But let's just say for now it's good to give the old upper thighs a break from all that squatting.  Ouch.

As promised, I worked with some mushrooms of the edible variety last night.  Marsala sauce is one of those things that is so easy to make, yet it feels like fine cuisine.  It's really versatile; you can drape it over anything and create instant fanciness.  There are subtle variations to this sauce, but the bare bones are mushrooms, shallots, chicken stock and Marsala wine.  You can use a splash of cream like I did if you want.  

Chicken Marsala (for two)

2 chicken cutlets, or 2 breasts, pounded thin
a little milk and flour (seasoned with salt and pepper) for coating the chicken
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, any variety
1/3 cup dried mushrooms
1 large or 2 medium shallots
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup Marsala wine (or cooking sherry, or plain old white wine)
butter
olive oil
splash of heavy cream
salt and fresh pepper
fresh thyme sprigs

Start by reconstituting your dried mushrooms--- let them soak in a cup of warm stock for about half an hour. 

Wipe your fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean, and then slice them.  Slice the shallots thinly.

Strain out the soaked mushrooms, reserving the stock.  Slice them as well.  

Coat the bottom of a large saute pan with olive oil and preheat.  Dip the cutlets in the milk, and then dredge in the seasoned flour, coating each piece completely. Saute till golden brown on both sides and just cooked through.  Set the chicken aside on a plate. 

In the same pan melt a pat of butter with a drizzle of olive oil and saute the shallots and mushrooms for a few minutes.  
Pour in the reserved stock and wine, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer to reduce down by about 1/3.  This will take 5 to 8 or so minutes, depending on how high you have your heat. If you want you can sprinkle in a some Wondra flour to thicken the sauce further, but in any case when you add the chicken back in, the sauce will thicken a little more from its flour coating.  Add the splash of cream, if you're using it.

I could have sworn I had Marsala wine in the house...I didn't.  I used dry sherry, and it was fine.

Lay the chicken back into the pan, nestling it down into the mushrooms and their sauce.  Add the sprigs of thyme, and taste for seasoning.

Heat the chicken through, and serve, spooning the sauce over the chicken.

Mushrooms!

It's funny how the most onerous tasks can sometimes lead to the sublime.  One of my least favorite things to do is walk the dogs in the rain.  But while I was doing that this weekend I happened to notice an interesting mushroom popping up through the tangle of leaves and pine needles on the side of the road.  One thing led to another and by the end of the weekend I had switched out the dog for my camera and gone on several mushroom hunts all over the island. 

The variety of shape and color in these creatures is astounding.  As I traipsed around in the woods I got to experience the eerie beauty of a world I hardly ever get to see.  The filtered light, brilliant green mosses, tangled growth, and masses of plants in various stages of decay makes for an otherworldly experience. Mushrooms come and go so quickly, it's a constantly changing show.  And you have to train your eye to spot them; slow your pace, get down to their level.  One rainy weekend, one tiny island, and a dizzying array of these unique organisms...

So many of the mushrooms I found had already been discovered by various hungry animals.  I'm now hoping for a good rain so I can get out again and be first in line this time.