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As part of our broadcast The Sweet Llife...Uncorked offers you
delicious recipes to share with family and friends.

On The BRUNCH SHOW, a creamy Velvet Turtle Cucumber Soup followed by an excellent Poached Wild Salmon with Sorrel Sauce a tenderFilet Benedict a few Waffles with Assorted Fresh Fruit Compote, and final, a sweet Cinnamon Crumb Cake.

Appetizer
Velvet Turtle Cucumber Soup
What you will need:

1 onion
1 cup chopped leek(white part only)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced.
4 Tbls. butter (approx.) Divided
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbls dry white wine
2 cups of water
1 1/2 teasp.chicken base
2 Tblsflour
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2teas lemon juice
5 drops hot pepper sauce
Dash chopped or fresh dried dill.
1/2 cuphalf &half (if required)
sour cream, optional
Lemon wedges, parsley.

Reserve 1/2 cup of diced cucumber.



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Velvet Turtle Cucumber Soup
The Velvet Turtle chain of restaurants in Los Angeles serve this outstanding creamy soup that many of their patrons clamor for year in year out. This is not easy to make but it is an authentic recipe that the Velvet turtle corp shared with the readers of the Los Angeles Times newspaper in the 1970's.

What you will do:


Saute onions, leeks & cucumber, in 2 Tbls of butter until onions are transparrent. Season to taste with salt/pepper. Cook and stir till blended. Add wine, water, & chicken base & bring to a boil. melt 2 Tbls of butter in small pan & blend in flour. Add to onion mixture & simmer 1 hour.

Process soup in blender or food processor about short blasts totaling 12/15 seconds. Then strain through fine sieve. Add whipping cream, lemon juice,pepper sauce, dill, & reserved diced cucumber. Cool soup completely,correct seasonings to your taste, add half & half if soup is too thick. Serve in chilled soup cups. Add 1/2 teas sour cream to each & garnish with lemon wedge & parsley,if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Entrée Poached Wild Salmon with Sorrel Sauce

What you will need:

8 – 6 oz. portions Alaska King Salmon filet 4 oz.Chateau Ste. Michelle chardonnay 2 oz. lemon juice 2 oz. olive oil Salt and pepper

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Poached Wild Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
What you need to do:


Preheat oven to 375º. Place the salmon on a baking sheet or ovenproof baking dish. Whisk the wine, lemon, and olive oil together and add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle over the salmon. Marinate for about 20 minutes, then place in the oven and bake until done, approximately 8-10 minutes. Serve with sorrel sauce and lemon wedge.
  Sorrel Sauce
3 shallots, finely chopped 1 cup Chardonnay 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups julienned sorrel Salt and white pepper Lemon Olive oil Heat a small amount of olive oil in a small saucepan, add shallots and briefly sauté. Then add the chardonnay, bring to a boil and reduce the liquid to ¼ cup. Whisk in the cream and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Reduce the liquid to sauce consistency, then add the sorrel and simmer to wilt. Using a hand blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice if needed. The sauce should be slightly tart from the sorrel.
Serving Suggestions:
This is also an excellent preparation for Copper River Salmon.

Entrée Filet Benedict

What you will need:

2 eggs (cracked)
16 ounces filet mignon, sliced into 8 medallions
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 English muffin, split
Oil
Water
Salt and pepper

The bearnaise sauce:

1 cup white wine vinegar
4 shallot
8 black peppercorns
2 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 egg yolks
8 ounces butter, cut in small pieces

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Filet Benedict
What you need to do:


To make the sauce, put vinegar, shallot, peppercorns, bay leaf, tarragon and thyme into a small sauce pan and boil until reduced into one tablespoon of liquid. Then strain. Place liquid and egg yolks in the top of a double saucepan or a heat-proof bowl. Bring water to a simmering point in the bottom of the double sauce pan. Place container with egg yolks over water (which must not touch the container) and whisk until the yolks thicken slightly. When you begin to see the bottom of the bowl between strokes, add butter, a piece at a time. Whisk continuously, incorporating each piece of butter thoroughly before adding the next piece. When all the butter has been added and the sauce is thickened and creamy, fold in the tarragon. Set aside.

To make the eggs:

Bring water to a boil. Add vinegar. Drop eggs in the water to poach. Heat oil in a skillet. Season the filet medallions with salt and pepper and saute until they reach desired doneness.

Toast the English muffin. Place the muffin on the plate and add a medallion to each half. Remove eggs from water and place each one atop the medallions. Top with bearnaise sauce and serve.
  Creamy Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons ranch-style dressing mix
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
salt, to taste

Toppings (optional):
assorted shredded cheese
crisp bacon, crumbled
Boil potatoes to fork-tender, in just enough salted water to cover.

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Over medium heat, brown onions and potatoes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until just until sauce thickens.

If desired, top with cheese and bacon.
  Grilled Asparagus
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for accompaniment
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).
Brush asparagus with olive oil. Grill asparagus until tender and beginning to brown, turning frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon, if desired.

Dessrt Waffles with Assorted Fresh Fruit Compote

What you will need:

Waffles
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 eggs
• 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups milk

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Waffles with Assorted Fresh Fruit Compote
What you need to do:


Preheat the waffle iron. Sift the dry indredients into a medium sized bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in smaller bowl. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. (If you are using an electric mixer, you can beat the egg whites first, then beat the batter without having to wash the beaters. The reverse is not true. If you beat the batter first and you have to wash the beaters before beating the egg whites.) Add the egg yolks, oil and milk all at one time to the dry indredients. Beat until there are no lumps in the batter. Fold the egg whites into the other batter using a spatula or other flat utinsel. Put a full 1/2 cup of batter in your waffle iron to make a 9-inch round waffle. This recipe makes about eight 9 inch waffles.

If this recipe makes too many waffles for one setting, try freezing the waffles you do not eat. After the waffles have been cooked in the waffle iron, put them out on a cooling rack. When they are cool, place them in a plastic bag taking out as much air from the bag as possible. Then freeze the bag of waffles. The next time you want a quick waffle, microwave one from the freezer for about 45 to 60 seconds. They are almost as good as fresh waffles.
  Fruit Compote
4-5 cups pitted and sliced assorted fruit, such as peaches, plums, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and boysenberries.
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
sprig of mint leaves
Combine the fruit, the maple syrup and the vanilla extract in a bowl and serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate until an hour.
Right before serving, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.
To serve arrange the fruit on the waffles and top with fresh whipped cream and mint sprig.

Dessert Cinnamon Crumb Cake
with Sour Cream and Butter Sauce

What you will need:
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, divided 1 tablespoon butter

Sauce

4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

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Cinnamon Crumb Cake with Sour Cream and Butter Sauce
What you need to do:


n a large mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in 1/2 cup butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for topping. Combine lemon juice with evaporated milk.
Add to flour mixture along with baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the pecans; stir to blend well.

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Stir in confectioners' sugar, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Turn batter into a greased 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Cut additional 1 tablespoon butter into the reserved topping. Stir remaining 1/2 cup chopped nuts into topping. Sprinkle topping mixture over the batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm drizzled with sour cream sauce.