Wolf's Den

Our July 2012 Daring Cooks’ host was Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie! Sarah challenges us to learn a new cooking technique called “Cooking En Papillote” which is French and translates to “cooking in parchment”.




The hardest part of this Challenge, was figuring out WHAT I wanted to cook. See, I've cooked this way before, though, normally, I use tin foil.

This is a great way to cook a simple but delicious meal when you're either tired or short of time.

I ended up doing asparagus with Ahi Tuna for Mark and asparagus with Orange Roughy for me. Both were served over simple egg noodles.





This is how easy it is- You place your ingrediants in the center of the parchment, layering them. Put a bit of added 'oil'- I used a dab of butter- and any seasonings you want over the top.



Now you either fold the sides together and fold/pinch the edges shut to seal them, staple it shut or like I did, gather the parchment together and tie it shut.



Depending on what you use, you place the packages in the oven, on a cookie sheet, until they're cooked - it took roughly 30 minutes for ours.

Open and serve!

When I was a kid, at camp, we'd make dinner packets like these and place them in the campfire to cook. It was always simple fare- hamburgers, and potatoes mostly, but oh so good when you know you did it yourself.

This was a fun Challenge than brought back fun memories!

THE RECIPES


New Orleans Style Shrimp:

Laura Martin, Cooking Light, April 2007
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons (45 ml) Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (½ oz/15 gm) butter, melted
2 teaspoons (4 gm) chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons (5 gm) chopped garlic
½ teaspoon (¼ gm) dried thyme
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
¼ teaspoon (¼ gm) freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
2 pounds (1 kg) unshelled jumbo shrimp (prawns)
2 lemons, sliced into ¼ inch slices
4 teaspoons (20 gm) butter, divided

Directions:
1.Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2.Preheat oven to hot 425°F/220°C/gas mark. 7
3.Prepare the parchment paper as described above. Remove shrimp (prawn) mixture from bowl; reserve marinade. Place one quarter of the shrimp mixture on each parchment sheet. Drizzle remaining marinade evenly over shrimp. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon (5 gm) butter. Seal edges as described above.
4.Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake in hot oven 425°F/220°C/gas mark 7 for 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Place on plates. Carefully cut the packets open and serve immediately.



Tarragon Lime Bay Scallops over Angel Hair Pasta:

Gourmet / August 2002
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 min.

Ingredients
3/4 pound (350 gm) dried angel-hair pasta (capelli d'angelo)
1 ½ pound (700 gm) bay scallops or quartered sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) (90 gm/3 oz) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lime juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons (6 gm) finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste

Directions:
1.Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart (6 to 8 litre) pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander.
2.While pasta is cooking, pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons (45 gm) butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of scallops, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cook remaining scallops in remaining 3 tablespoons butter in same manner. Return first batch of scallops to skillet and stir in lime juice and tarragon.
3.Toss pasta in a bowl with half of scallops. Place pasta on parchment paper. Top pasta with remaining scallops and sauce and season with salt and pepper.
4.Tie the parchment like a sack and roast in a moderately hot oven 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5 for 10 minutes. Serve immediately with grated parmesan.



Slow Roasted Asparagus:

As found in the New York Times by Melissa Clark, April 21, 2010 “The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook”
Paula Wolfert

The recipe, from Paula Wolfert’s “The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook,” involved baking the asparagus in a parchment-paper packet on very low heat for around 90 minutes. During that time, the herb-scented steam gently softens and suffuses the stalks, unlike asparagus I’ve made in a steamer basket, which tends to cook unevenly.

Why was the parchment-steaming different? I called Ms. Wolfert to ask.

“I haven’t used an asparagus steamer in years,” she said. “Metal steamers get hotter, and that affects the way the asparagus cook.” The parchment insulates the asparagus, she said. It keeps the temperature steady and allows for even cooking. Also, the long, slow cooking time lets the vegetable absorb the flavor of the seasonings.

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 min. (active time: 15 min.)

Ingredients
*Note: No specific quantities are given – as a guide, use 1 bunch asparagus, enough oil to drizzle, ½ tsp. dried tarragon or 1 tsp. fresh tarragon, 3-4 slices prosciutto and a handful of your favorite mushrooms.

• Asparagus
• Olive oil
• Tarragon
• Prosciutto
• Mushrooms

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to very slow 200°F/95°C/gas mark 1/8. Wash and trim the asparagus. Lay it on a square of parchment paper large enough to wrap and fold.
2.Drizzle with olive oil, lay on some dried or fresh tarragon. Drape with prosciutto and roughly chopped mushrooms.
3.Tightly fold the parchment paper into a bundle so no steam can escape and tie with string. I like using the sandwich fold. Bring the two long edges together and fold over and then continue to fold over until the seam is tight to the package. Turn each short end under and tie with string. You could also just staple all the edges closed to create the seal.
4.Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.