Cooking with Cousin

Cooking is amazing.  Spending time with someone you love is divine.  So is it any wonder that spending a day with my incredible cousin Emma cooking a classical French tasting for a dinner party we catered was one of the better days I have ever had?

The menu:

• Gougeres
• Mushroom bisque with foamed milk
• Homemade French bread
• Tilapia en papillote
• Roasted asparagus with mint
• Potato mousseline
• Vegetarian cassoulet
• Chocolate pot de creme with lavender salt

Not bad for our first catering gig, huh? The diners were so impressed with our menu that we may even have a part-time business on our hands.  Once that launches, I will keep everyone posted.

On a more personal note, I know the blog has been very slow in recent weeks.  While I don't exactly have a good excuse, I can say that blog posting speed and work craziness are exact opposites, so as work quiets down heading into July, I hope to ramp things up on here.  I also hope to cook with ramps. 

Finally, Emma, who will be my equal partner in our new catering venture, is also in the process of launching her own food blog.  Once she is ready for the public, I will post it on here, and it is my sincere hope that you all support another foodie!

I will leave you with one of the recipes from our dinner.

Tilapia en Papillote (Each is a single serving)
1 small handfull thinly sliced (and well cleaned) leeks
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tilapia filet (about 1/4 to 1/3 lb)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp white truffle oil
A pinch of salt (we used black truffle finishing salt, but any kosher or sea salt will do)
Put the leeks just off center on a small piece of parchment paper.  When cutting the paper, keep in mind that these are going to have to fold over and seal, so you are going to want about a 1 foot square.  Place the pad of butter on the leeks, and place the tilapia filet on that.  Pour lemon juice and truffle oil on the fish, then add the salt to the top of the fish.  Fold the parchment over and crimp the sides, stapling if necessary to create a sealed package.  Add to a 350 degree oven and cook until the top of the parchment package browns (appx 25-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your filets).  Cut open and serve either on a plate or directly out of the package.  Note, you can also add vegetables to the papillotes if you are so inclined.  A favorite combination of mine is diced apples and parsnips.