Florida Agenda

By JEAN DOHERTY

This one is easy, healthy and delicious. You can serve it hot or cold, with a hot coulis (pronounced “coolee,” it’s a fruit or vegetable purée, used as a sauce) of tomato, or with a greens salad.

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 or 4 black olives, sliced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• ½ eggplant, cubed
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 ¼ cups of self-rising flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 ½ cups of shredded Swiss or sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Heat two tablespoons of EVOO olive oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat, and cook the shallot, garlic, green bell pepper, eggplant, tomato, and zucchini, stirring until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Season the vegetables with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper as they cook. (I usually add a pinch of Herbs de Provence, but, as always, you are the chef.) Whisk the flour with the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl until they are smoothly combined, and then whisk in the 1/3 cup of olive oil. Gently fold the vegetables and the olives into this flour mixture, and stir in the cheese.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the loaf in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, which should be about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing, and then finish cooling on a wire rack. Slice when cooled, and serve with a greens salad. Bon appétit!

Although born in Dublin, Ireland, chef Jean Doherty spent most of her life in Lyon, France, the gastronomical capital of the world. Together with Vero, her partner of 25 years, Jean has owned and run multiple restaurants including Fort Lauderdale’s Le Patio.

Scallops, “Coquille St. Jacques” in French, are also known as “King scallops,” “Saint James’ shell” in the British Isles, and here in the states as “Sea scallops” and “Bay scallops” for the smaller ones.

In France, the species is protected and is considered quite a luxury food. The “whole” shell fish is served there, the round fleshy white piece, or the muscle, as well as the delectable “coral” or roe. It looks like a red /orange half moon and I think is the best, tastiest part. Vero’s mum would get them at Christmas and we’d eat them raw, thinly sliced, like “Carpaccio” with lemon juice and a hint of fresh ginger. In this recipe, we’ll cook ‘em.
• 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour, for coating
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, divided
• 2 large chopped shallots
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ glass dry white wine
• 1 lemon cut in half

If you’ve got bay scallops, keep them whole. If you’ve got sea scallops (the bigger ones), cut each one in half horizontally. Season with salt and pepper, toss in the flour, and then shake off the excess.

In a large thick assed sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops, all in one go. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on one side without moving them, about 1½ minutes, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. Again 90 seconds, total. This is important cause you don’t want rubbery overcooked scallops.

Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, and add the shallots, garlic, and parsley, which you have chopped nice and fine. Sauté for two more minutes, tossing all the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, and cook for one minute more, (this is called “deglace”) and taste. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice. Ratatouille or rice Pilaf goes well with this dish. You are a chef!

In response to the cover story “Gay Rodeos; Sexy Cowboys or Animal Abuse” in the Florida Agenda, April 7, 2011.

DEAR EDITOR,
[The Gay Rodeo is] Horrible! Definitely animal abuse. I would hope that a group of people who want to be treated with respect would show the same for innocent animals and not torture and injure them for sick “entertainment.”
Sincerely,
Shelley

In response to Recipe in the Florida Agenda, Jean Doherty.

Dear Editor,
Just desired to say Jean Doherty’s article is amazing. The clarity in the post is simply spectacular and that I can think you are knowledgeable on this subject. Together with your permission allow me to take hold of your recipes to keep updated with forthcoming articles. Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
Sincerely,
Anonymous

In response to the “Outs in Florida”

DEAR EDITOR,
Thank you for such an informative piece. This is the only place I can get that type of information written in such a perfect method! I’ve a mission that I’m simply now running on, and I have been on the lookout for such info. Magnificent points altogether, you just won a new reader.

Sincerely,
Anonymous

There are several ways for you to comment on what you’ve read in the Florida Agenda: e-mail your comments and
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Most moder n recipes for apple pie require an ounce or two of sugar, but the earliest recipes didn’t. There are several possible reasons: Sugarcane imported from Egypt was not widely available in 14th century England, where it cost between one and two shillings a pound – roughly the equivalent of about $50 a pound in today’s prices.

Or, the absence of sugar in early recipes for apple pie may instead indicate that the medieval English did not have quite as sweet a tooth as their descendants. Perhaps, as in some modern “sugar-free” recipes, the juice of the fruit was intended to sweeten the pie. This open-faced tart is typically French.

The glaze will not only sweeten but will beautify the tart.

• 4 Granny Smith apples

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced

• 1/2 cup apricot jam

• 1 rectangle of puff pastry

• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples. Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices (I don’t use the apple ends so as the arrangement looks even and delicious to the eye, but you are the chef). Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter … OR use the whole apple as I did in the photo and make individual tarts which are gorgeous too!

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don’t worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be grand! When the tart’s done, heat the apricot jam with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so as it doesn’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Bon appétit!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

I was lucky to spend 36 years in Lyon, which has been known as the French capital of gastronomy. This is due, in part, to the presence of many of France’s finest chefs in the city of Lyon and its surrounding areas. This reputation also comes from the fact that two of France’s best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyon: Beaujolais to the North, and Côtes du Rhône to the South.
My first encounter with delicious food was in Lyon when I was 17 years old. This is a typical “Lyonnais” special… simple yet “ab fab.” In Lyon, they use “piss en lit” (translated literally “pee in the bed” and is in fact Dandelion leaves) but frisée will replace that nicely. This is for one serving, so do your math for the number of guests.

• A handful of fresh frisée lettuce,
torn into bite sized pieces
• 2 strips bacon
• 1 teaspoon chopped shallots
• 1 slice French or Italian bread and a
little butter to make buttered croutons
• 1 poached egg
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook two strips of bacon on medium heat until done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let drain off excess fat on a paper towel. Once cool, chop.

Cut a slice of French or Italian bread into cubes. Toast on medium high heat in a small saucepan with a teaspoon of melted butter. Don’t stir the croutons unless to turn to a different side, once one side is toasted.

Poach the egg. Bring about an inch of salted water to a boil in a small, deep skillet, then lower heat to barely bubbling. One at a time, break eggs into a shallow bowl and slip them into the bubbling water. Cook eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the white is set and the yolk has filmed over. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper towel.

Layer the frisée, bacon, shallots, and croutons on a salad plate. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad. Top with the poached egg.

You are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

“Coq au vin” (French for ‘rooster in wine’) is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and garlic as an option.

While the wine is typically Burgundy wine, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune (Jura), coq au Riesling (Alsace), coq au Champagne, and so on. You can use any wine really, for as I always say, “You are the chef!”
• 4 chicken thighs and legs
• 5 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 30 small pearl onions, peeled
• A pound of button mushrooms,
  wiped clean and halved
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• A bottle of full-bodied red Burgundy
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni

In a large, heavy-assed saucepan over high heat, fry the bacon until crisp and all of the fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crisp bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Set aside and reserve. Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper. Brown the chicken pieces in the hot bacon fat, working in batches, if necessary, until golden on all sides. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate or bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chopped onion and pearl onions, and cook until golden brown.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until they’ve released most of their liquid and have begun to brown. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Slowly add the wine and stock, stirring constantly. Add the bouquet garni, the reserved bacon, carrots and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the sauce at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, until liquid is slightly thickened. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring regularly until the chicken is very tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. This dish may be prepared 1 or 2 days in advance and then reheated slowly just before serving. Serve with egg noodles.

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

By Jean Doherty

The origins of vichyssoise are a subject of debate among culinary historians; Julia Child calls it “an American invention”, whereas others observe that “the origin of the soup is questionable in whether it’s genuinely French or an American creation”.

Louis Diat, a chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, is most often credited with its (re)invention. In 1950, Diat told New Yorker magazine: In the summer of 1917, when I had been at the Ritz seven years, I reflected upon the potato and leek soup
of my childhood which my mother and grandmother used to make. I recalled how, during the summer, my older brother and I used to cool it off by pouring in cold milk and how delicious it was. I resolved to make something of the sort for the patrons of the Ritz. The same article explains that the soup was first titled crème vichyssoise glacée – then, after the restaurant’s menu changed from French to English in 1930, cream vichyssoise glacée. Diat named it after Vichy, a town not far from his home town of Montmarault, France. The proper French pronunciation is “vee shee swahzz” and NOT “vee shee swah” because an “e” after the final “s” signals a “zzz” sound.

• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 big potatoes chopped
• 2 pints chicken stock
• salt & ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Gently cook the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Do NOT let them brown. Add the spuds and stock to the saucepan. You may need to add a cup of water to cover, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Cool. Gently stir in the cream before serving. Garnish that with chives upon serving … I like to use fresh rosemary, but you choose, you are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

DEAR EDITOR,

I have just completed reading your message in the Florida Agenda advising gay men as to how to improve their appearance while out in public.  I am a gay man in his late fifties and I recall a time when gay men set the fashion trends for men in the straight community. From flowered print shirts and neck scarves of the 1960′s to pierced earrings and big leather jackets in the 1980′s. Something changed in the 1990′s with the development of the metro-sexual male. Now I find a sea of fashion blandness or an absence of fashion all together while observing the patrons of any one of the bars in Wilton Manors.  It is often a sea of men in baggy “ill fitted” jeans and tee shirts. Aside from the occasional drag queen, there is nothing to distinguish our bar from any of the “straight” bars on the beach. And what is comical to me is when a young man will boast to me how much he paid for his “Ed Hardy” tee shirt. I want to scream and remind him “It is still only a tee shirt”.

Occasionally I will spot a well coiffed individual wearing a pressed shirt with a collar and jeans, which is worn properly and accentuate his behind.  But I have to ask, why is this fellow an exception?  I no longer have the thirty-two inch waist I had as a youth.  I often will wear a silk club or tropical shirt and do not tuck it in my slacks or jeans.  But why should I feel I am overdressed while bar hopping on a Saturday night?  I see too many young men hiding their sleek hard bodies under shirts and jeans which are two sizes too big for them.

However, I do have hope for the future.

I thought the hippies of the 60’s and then the grunge movement of the 90’s almost succeeded in killing good and fun fashion for rest of us.  But then there were 1970’s disco’s, where patrons were not accepted in if they were not wearing a suite or a dress. And 1980’s television shows like Dynasty, which made it fun to dress up again. We just need a movement to bring sexy back to fashion and it traditionally is the gay community that does just that.

Sincerely yours,
Michael Prokuda

DEAR EDITOR,

I would like to thank you for continuing your series of Jean’s Kitchen recipes. As a young man, I?was never taught how to cook by my mother, and so it is very helpful for me to read AND?TRY to cook some of the recipes in your newspaper. It’s nice to see a publication include something like that, which can help those of us who want to become better men, rather than just focusing on the bars and the drag shows in town. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Bill J.

Please send all your comments and letters to Editor@FloridaAgenda.com

By Jean Doherty

In my opinion, the best mashed potatoes are made with “floury” types of potato (like russet), although “waxy” potatoes are sometimes used for a different texture. Butter, olive oil, milk or cream is usually added to improve flavor and texture, and the potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, and any other desired herbs and spices. Popular ingredients and seasonings include: garlic, cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, crisp onion or spring onion, mustard, spices such as nutmeg, chopped herbs such as parsley or rosemary, or fresh thyme. A French variation adds egg yolk for pommes duchesse; piped through a pastry tube into wavy ribbons and rosettes, brushed with butter

and lightly browned. In low-calorie or non-dairy variations, milk, cream, and butter may be replaced by soup stock or broth, as in this recipe where I use the water used to boil the spuds and then a little butter.

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1/4 cup butter (in fact, use as much or as little as you like)

• Salt

• Fresh ground pepper Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.

Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain, but don’t discard the water. Add butter, salt and pepper. Mash, adding some of the water until light and fluffy, or to the consistency you want. You are the chef.

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

jean’s kitchen

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. The pavlova’s internal  consistency is completely different from a meringue, having a soft marshmallow  like texture. This difference is due to the addition of cornstarch, the use of which is the defining feature of a pavlova recipe.

You will need:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup superfine (castor) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
And for the topping:
• 1 or 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Fresh fruit of your choice… you are the chef.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a b

aking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch circle on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circle is on the reverse side.

Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. Add the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the
center. (You’ll want a little well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the outside is dry and is a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit and serve immediately.

Happy Easter everyone!