Serenity Café Cooking
Demo
Just recently, I was able to help
out my former community, my mother and myself all in one night. Not bad,
right?!? That night was at The Serenity Cafe in Toms River where Chef/Owner Gregory Manning held a cooking
demonstration class that was to raise money for his daughter whom is part of the
Step of Faith Ministry, Inc. They will soon be traveling to Haiti to help out
those who are misfortunate. The $48 ticket was quite a steal to watch the Cooking Light 2012 “Trailblazer Chef of the Year” work his magic while helping out
those in the neighborhood spread their charity.
As for my mother, well she
originally bought the tickets for her and my father. As his schedule gets
filled up like the Nile, she needed a partner to take his spot. Now honestly, I
think I should have been her date in the first place but I’ll spare you my
whining. Needless to say, the minute she asked me to go with her, I said I was
there, no problem.
And as for helping myself out, haha,
I’m just a hungry gal who loves to eat delicious things, learn about delicious
things and clearly share delicious things. Here’s what transpired that night….
First course: Creamy Balsamic Shrimp & Parmesan Soufflé. Plump and slightly
fried shrimp scattered around a spongy Parmesan-laded cake topped with a
balsamic glaze that had us all sopping up every last drizzle. Chef Greg
explained how even though this dish looks challenging, it really isn’t since
the soufflés can be poured into the ramekins the night before. Awesome! The day
of cooking, just add the hot water for the bath and bake- viola! I took a lot
of notes for the balsamic sauce as this is something I have yet to master. He
did it so easily and I learned a key tip: adding a slurry of cornstarch and
broth makes sauces “tighter” aka creamier.
Second Course: Apricot & Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce and
Bacon Smashed Potatoes. Can you place Thanksgiving on a plate? After eating
this dish, apparently so. This was a super cool dish to watch getting prepared.
For one, the butter- flying of the pork
was one of those things that only watching could teach. I wish I had a rewind on that one actually! Also,
the blackberry sauce that went from a simple caramel to a boil of berries to
then a glaze with strained fruit, brandy and rosemary was like watching
something from Kitchen Stadium. Once the pork was all stuffed, wrapped and
roasted, Chef Greg quickly mashed the potatoes with what he called an, “awesome
baked potato.” Translation: mashed potatoes with cream, bacon, sour cream and
butter. Plating everything in one serving was just beautiful. The colors
popped while the aroma of bacon, pork and berries had all of us salivating for
our taste!
Third Course: S’mores Cheesecake. This was, by far, the best dessert I’ve eaten
since 2010! I must say though, the moment I saw Chef Greg coating the crust
with chocolate, I knew this was going to be a winner. I loved how he added mini
marshmallows and chopped chocolate to the batter so that the entire cake
embodied the S’mores theme. The top was flambéed with more marshmallows that I
think would be fine if done by a broiler. Once it was delivered before us, the
result was one that is universally recognized: silence. Yes, it was that good.
Coffee was continually poured for
all of us in attendance while we shared notes, discussed our opinions and
questioned the Chef. The night finished with both my mother and I carrying out
leftovers for our husbands who gladly got the remnants of a fundraising feast.
Enjoy….
Creamy Balsamic
Shrimp & Parmesan Souffle
Source: Gregory Manning, Serenity
Cafe
Serves 8
Ingredients
:
24 large
peeled and deveined shrimp
Constarch
1 C
peeled garlic
½ C oil
½ C good
quality balsamic vinegar
½ C
chicken stock
1 C heavy
cream
1 C milk
2 TSP
flour
2 TSP
butter
1 C
Parmesan Cheese
5 eggs, separated
8
Ramekins
Directions:
Balsamic
Sauce:
1. In a
sauce pot, heat oil and garlic together and cook until golden brown, taking
care not to burn
2. Drain
off oil and reserve, add balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil, reduce by a
third
3. Add
stock and cream and bring back to boil. Reduce by 1/3 again, remove from heat
and puree with stick blender
4. Return
to heat and thicken with cornstarch slurry (a little cornstarch and water mixed).
Reserve sauce
Soufflés:
Preheat oven
to 350 degrees
1. Bring
milk and flour to a boil and be sure to whisk to prevent scorching
2. Add
butter and Parmesan, remove from heat and let cool slightly
3. Add
egg yolks and season with salt and pepper
4. In a separate
bowl, beat whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into yolk mixture
5. Spray
ramekins with food spray and divide filling between them. Bake soufflés in a
water bath for 12-15 minutes. Remove and cool slightly
Shrimp:
1. Using
reserved garlic oil, in a sauté pan heat oil and dust shrimp with cornstarch. Sauté
shrimp in batches until all shrimp are cooked
Assembly:
1. Invert
soufflé on a plate, place three shrimp around and drizzle with sauce and extra
Parmesan Cheese.
Apricot and
Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce & Bacon Smashed Potatoes
Source: Chef Gregory
Manning, Serenity Café
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 lb. red
bliss potatoes
6 pieces
cooked bacon, chopped
1 C sour
cream
1 bunch
scallions, chopped
2 TSP
butter
S &
P: salt and pepper
1, 4-5 lb
piece pork loin
1 C dried
apricots
½ C dried
cranberries
2 sprigs
rosemary
S &
P: salt and pepper
Olive oil
and foil
½ C sugar
¼ C water
12 oz.
fresh blackberries
1 C white
wine
½ C blackberry
brandy
1 sprig
rosemary
4 TSP
butter
2 C
chicken stock
Cornstarch
slurry
Directions:
Potatoes:
1. Place
potatoes in a pot and bring to a boil until tender
2. Drain
and smash with tongs or fork. Add bacon, sour cream, scallions, butter, and S
& P to taste
3. Keep
in a warm place
Pork:
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees
1. Place
the pork on a cutting board and clean off any excess fat. Butterfly the pork- watch thisor Starting
at the long end a little bit from bottom, cut it partially 1/3 way thru, flatten
it out like a butterfly, then cut the next thicker piece partially 1/3 way
thru, flatten it out and then cut the remaining thick part partially 1/3 way
thru. You should be left with a long thin piece of pork! w
2. Place
apricots and rosemary in food processor and pulse until chopped
3. Season
pork with S & P and then spread on apricot and cranberries
4. Roll
the pork up lengthwise
5. Cut a
large piece of foil, place the stuffed pork in the middle. Rub loin with olive
oil and more S & P. Close the foil up and seal
6. Roast
for 40-45 minutes or until internal temperature is 140 degrees. Remove from
oven and let rest, vent foil
Sauce:
1. In a
sauce pot, bring sugar and water to a boil, cook until caramel in color
2. Add
blackberries, rosemary, wine and brandy. Reduce by half and add stock, bring to
boil and let simmer for 10 minutes
3. Strain
to remove seeds and rosemary, bring back to boil, add butter, let simmer and
thicken with cornstarch slurry (a little cornstarch and water mixed)
4. Season
with S & P
Assembly:
1. Place
pork loin on a clean cutting board. Place a scoop of potatoes on a plate, slice
pork and place on top and follow with sauce. Garnish with rosemary, serve at
once
S’mores
Cheesecake
Source: Chef Gregory Manning,
Serenity Café
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1
prepared large graham cracker crust
½ C
warmed hot fudge ice cream topping
16 ounces
cream cheese, softened
14 ounces
sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp
vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 C
miniature chocolate chips
1 C
miniature marshmallows
Directions:
Preheat
oven to 325 degrees
1. Place
shell on a half sheet pan
2. Coat
bottom of crust with warmed hot fudge
3.
Combine cream cheese and condensed milk in a mixer on low speed until smooth
4. Add vanilla
5. Add
eggs, one at a time, until blended but not over mixed
6. Stir
in chocolate chips and ½ C of marshmallows
7. Pour
over crust and bake for 45 minutes or until set
8.
Sprinkle with the additional ½ cup of mini marshmallows and return to oven for
about 5 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown and puffed
9. Cool
on wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan to
loosen
10. Chill
overnight, then remove the sides of pan
11. Just
before serving, drizzle with more warmed fudge topping
