You don`t need to go to a restaurant to have a great dinner. Give a fantastic dinner at your house with the dearest friends around you, to everyone`s surprise. Why don`t you cook the dinner yourself? It doesn`t matter if you are planning a party for a big crowd or a small dinner for a few family members. You don`t need to be skeptical anymore; cooking guides will help you to prepare and create the dinner. This book contains twenty menus thru the four seasons with delicious and extraordinary recipes. You can cook the whole menu or just one recipe. It`s your own choice. The recipes are international, a bit of everything; American and European. Just convince yourselves of this. Read more about the book at www.claudiasbook.com . Try out the free reading sample.
Thank You for Dinner
Dining with family and friendsBy Claudia SchulzAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2008 Claudia Schulz
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4343-9585-6Contents
Menus for spring..............................1White fish menu...............................5Menu with noble fishes........................13Asian spring..................................19Freshening menu...............................27Vegetarian menu...............................33Menus for summer..............................39Sweet and hot.................................43Special menu..................................49Beef meets veal...............................55Slimmer summer................................63Summer buff et................................69Menus for autumn..............................79Traditional menu..............................83Extraordinary menu............................89Rustic-styled menu............................95Delicate menu.................................101Hearty and tasty..............................107Menus for winter..............................113Coddler menu..................................117Fish in the winter............................125A long winter evening.........................131Italian inspired menu.........................141A chocolaty finish............................14720 trendy sauces and dips.....................153
Chapter One
Menus for spring
Descry euphoric your spring fever in the arousing nature Cook with freshness and easiness
White fish menu page 5
Tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, served in a parmesan basket
Fresh broth with sea bass and spring vegetables
Fried fish with potato julienne and zucchinis
Cold strawberry soup
Menu with noble fishes page 13
Salmon mousse with cucumber salad
Lettuce soup
Tuna in a sesame crust with egg roll
Caramelized fruits in a little bag from crepe
Asian spring page 19
Sprouts salad with homemade spring rolls and a cilantro-pepper mayonnaise
Chicken with a hot peach-mango sauce, polenta with a nuts crust and caramelized snow peas
Mango ice cream with coconut sauce
Freshening menu page 27
Marinated salmon on potato fritters with mustard dill mayonnaise
Flounder in a potato crust with spring vegetables
Rhubarb strawberry compote with milk ice cream
Vegetarian menu page 33
Mixed green salads with a fried egg in an almond crust
Fresh vegetable broth with noodles and egg
Stuffed cabbage leaf with cheese sauce
Orange dessert
White fish menu
* * *
Tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, served in a parmesan basket
* * *
Fresh broth with sea bass and spring vegetables
* * *
Fried fish with potato julienne and zucchinis
* * *
Cold strawberry soup
Cooking guide
The day before the dinner
- Cook the vegetable broth
At daytime of the dinner
- Prepare 4 baskets from mozzarella cheese
- Marinade the sea bass
- Cut the spring vegetables for the sea bass
- Cut the vegetables and the potato julienne for the fried fish course
Shortly before the guests arrive
- Fill the mozzarella baskets with fresh mozzarella slices and tomato slices
- Broil the sea bass (it takes about 20 minutes)
- Prepare the zucchinis
- Prepare the strawberry soup, keep it cooled
When the guests are around
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tomatoes and the mozzarella, serve immediately
- Arrange the sea bass and the spring vegetables in soup plates. Pour the hot broth around it
- Roast the fish and deep-fry the potato julienne. Reheat the zucchinis. Arrange everything together on plates.
- Pour the strawberry soup into soup plates. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint
Tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, served in a parmesan basket
4 servings
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated 16 oz. mozzarella, cut into slices 6 tomatoes on the vine, cut into slices 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar salt, pepper basil 1 small onion, cut into thin rings
Divide the cheese into four parts, to prepare four baskets. Strew one part of the cheese in a pan. Melt the cheese over a medium heat. When it becomes a lightly golden brown color, drop the cheese over a small bowl. Let it cool down there. All together prepare four baskets.
Fill the baskets with the mozzarella and the tomatoes.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil and the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes and the cheese.
Garnish with onion rings and fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Fresh broth with sea bass and spring vegetables
4 servings
2 yellow onions 4 carrots 1 parsnip 1 turnip 2 leeks 1/2 fennel 1 bunch of parsley 12 cups/ 3 liter water
20 oz. fresh sea bass 1/4 cup olive oil juice of 2 limes 1 teaspoon thyme, hacked salt, black pepper 2 carrot, cut into fine strips 2 red mini pepper, cut into fine strips 2 green onions, cut into fine strips 1/2 teaspoon lime zest 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
For the broth hackle all the vegetable and put everything together in a big pot. Then add the water and place the pot on the range. The broth must cook on a low heat for about 2 hours; sieve the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven at 350F. To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, the lime juice and the thyme. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cut the sea bass into smaller pieces and marinade them for at least 1 hour. Then put the fish in an ovenproof dish and broil it for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix up the vegetables with the lemon zest and the ginger.
To serve, arrange the fish and the spring vegetables in levels and pour the broth into the soup plates.
TIP
Marinade the fish in an airtight plastic bag. In this way, it is easy to mix up the fish and the marinade with your hands.
You can store the remaining broth in a cool place for a few days. As well you can freeze the broth.
The simple preparation of the sea bass brings forth his natural and tasty flavor.
Fried fish with potato julienne and zucchinis
4 servings
fresh flounder (4 x 4 oz. fish fillet) salt, black pepper 2 tablespoons plain flour 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small zucchinis, cut into thin slices 2 chili peppers, cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon olive oil salt, black pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 4 tablespoons cream
4 white potatoes, peeled and cut into julienne 1 cup corn oil salt
Warm the corn oil in a big pot at 375F to deep-fry the potatoes.
Season the flounder and turn around the fillets in the flour. Roast gently the fish in the olive oil, two minutes on both sites.
Warm the olive oil in a pot and add the zucchinis. Stew them for 6 minutes, then add the chili peppers. The zucchinis shall be firm to the bite. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cream the zucchinis and let simmer for another 2 minutes.
Deep-fry the potato julienne in the corn oil. It take only 1 to 2 minutes until they are crispy brown. Drip off the...