Pioneer Press – Jan 18 1:17 AM
MANDARIN BEEF
George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush lived in China in the 1970s, when he served as chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to that country. “The Bush Family Cookbook” by Ariel De Guzman features many Chinese recipes, including this one.
Makes 6 to 8 servings, if part of multicourse Chinese meal.
¼ cup rice wine
¼ cup soy sauce
1½ pounds beef tenderloin, cut across the grain into 2-inch strips
½ cup chicken broth
2 star anise
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
Dash ground cloves
2 scallions, chopped, plus additional, sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
1½ teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice or cider vinegar
3 dried hot red peppers
Peel of 2 mandarin oranges, pith removed, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
3 tablespoons canola oil
Salt, to taste
To marinade beef: In bowl, combine rice wine and soy sauce. Add beef slices. Stir to coat well. (Note: Because beef is already so tender, it doesn’t need to marinate.)
To make sauce: In another bowl, combine broth, star anise, ginger, cloves, chopped scallions, sugar, vinegar, hot peppers, peel and five-spice powder.
To stir-fry beef: In wok over high heat, heat oil until barely smoking. Add beef. Stir-fry until liquid has evaporated. Add broth mixture. Cook until sauce reduces somewhat and thickens, coating beef and orange peel. (Note: Be careful not to overcook beef.) Taste. Add salt, if needed. Remove hot peppers and star anise. Garnish with sliced scallions. Serve.
BC-FOOD-BUSH-COOKBOOK-RECIPES-HNS
RECIPES WITH A DISTINGUISHED TOUCH FROM THE CHEF TO THE CHIEF
(With Food-Bush-Cookbook)
(For use by New York Times News Service clients.)
c.2014 Houston Chronicle
MUSHROOM CROUSTADES
These are delicious, easy to make and worthy of revival. I used a mixture of crimini and button mushrooms. The recipe says it makes 24 croustades, but I had enough filling for 36.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
½ pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1½ tablespoons chopped chives, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
36 croustades (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for about 4 minutes, until softened, stirring frequently to avoid browning. Stir in mushrooms and cook until all moisture has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add flour. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add cream, stirring until thickened and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, cayenne, parsley, chives and lemon juice. Pour into a bowl to cool.
Fill croustades with mushroom filling, mounding slightly. Sprinkle each with Parmesan. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and finish briefly under the broiler. Garnish with additional chives. Serve immediately.
Makes 36 croustades.
CROUSTADES (TOAST CUPS)
Until you get the knack, you may break a slice or two of the bread while you press it into the mini-muffin pan.
If you brush each slice lightly with melted butter, it makes the job a little easier.
1 loaf Pepperidge Farm
Thin-Sliced bread
Butter, melted, if desired
Lightly grease a mini-muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, or a glass of the same size, to cut rounds out of bread slices. Gently press the rounds into the muffin cups.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp and golden-brown around the edges. Lift out of cups and cool on racks.
You can make these a day in advance and store in an airtight container.
JICAMA SALAD WITH STILTON DRESSING
2 ounces Stilton cheese, plus 1 ounce cubed
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 heads Belgian endive, petals separated from hard core, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed
1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 small red onion, cut into thin rings
½ package alfalfa sprouts
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
12 grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
DRESSING: Combine the Stilton, honey, garlic, vinegar and sour cream in a blender. With the machine running, slowly add the heavy cream.
Transfer to bowl. Season with salt and pepper, remembering that Stilton is salty.
SALAD: Arrange the endive and watercress on 4 plates. Lay the jicama matchsticks and onion rings over the salad. Arrange the alfalfa sprouts like a bird’s nest on the watercress.
When ready to serve, drizzle with dressing.
Garnish with the cheese cubes, pine nuts and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Makes 4 servings.
