A Wedding Feast for Less
Weddings are expensive, but you can make dining costs a little lighter with some inventive menu choices.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning" we called in the owner of Terrapin restaurant located in Rhinebeck, N.Y. - the site of Chelsea Clinton's wedding - to give us a menu that won't break the bank.
Josh Kroner, chef and owner of the restaurant, delights diners with his unique style of New American cooking, blending a classical French approach with the influences of Asia, Italy, and the American South West.
And on the broadcast Saturday, for a special edition of "Chef on a Shoestring," he created a wedding feast you can try out for yourself for less than $80:
RECIPES:
Garlicky Shrimp with a Red Chili Glaze
INGREDIENTS:
8 large shrimp, cleaned
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon Ancho Chili powder
1/2 tablespoon honey
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook briefly on both sides. Add the garlic and chili powder and continue cooking until the garlic starts to turn golden brown. Deglaze pan with the sherry, then add the honey and season to taste with salt. Remove from heat immediately and serve.
Onion and Bacon Tartlets
INGREDIENTS :
8 tartlet shells (available frozen at the supermarket or specialty food store)
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
Preheat an oven to 400ºF. In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the onions and cook until tender. Arrange the tartlet shells on a baking pan and fill each with a teaspoon of sour cream. Top each shell with the onion and bacon mixture and bake until the edges of the shell start to brown.
Peach Camembert Canapé
INGREDIENTS:
1 ripe peach
4 ounces camembert cheese
4 inch piece of crusty baguette
1 tablespoon butter
Make 8 slices of baguette, each about a 1/2 inch thick and then lightly toast them. Butter one side of the baguette toasts. Slice the peach into 8 equal wedges and cut the camembert into 8, 1/4 inch slices roughly the same size as the peach wedges. Place a peach wedge onto each piece of toasted bread and top with the cheese. Heat them under a broiler for about 1 minute, until the cheese starts to melt, and serve warm.
Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese Rollatini
INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, cleaned and cut into 8 strips
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat an oven to 400ºF. In a mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese and herbs then season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay the strips of red bell pepper on a cutting board and equally divide the goat cheese mixture between them. Spread the goat cheese on the pepper slices and roll them lengthwise. Place the rollatini on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake until golden and serve hot.
Tuna Tartar with Lemon, Capers, and Ginger
INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces high quality fresh tuna
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chives, finely sliced
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of capers, chopped
Salt and hot sauce to taste
Dice the tuna into 1/4 inch cubes. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and season to taste. Serve immediately on potato chips or crispy thin crackers.
Note: if the tuna is not served right away it will start to cure in the lemon juice.
For more recipes, go to Page 2.
Sautéed Duck Breast with Cassis Glaze, Creamy Polenta and Haricot Verts
INGREDIENTS:
8 - 6 ounce pieces of duck breast with the skin on.
2 ounces of cassis liqueur
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chives, finely sliced
1 1/2 pounds haricot vert, cleaned (French Beans)
6 cups creamy polenta (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste
Blanch the haricot vert in boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain and cool in an ice bath. Score the skin of the duck breast with a very sharp knife in a 1/4 inch wide crosshatch pattern. Be careful not to cut into the flesh of the breast. Season the duck on both sides with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat a sauté pan, over high heat, large enough to accommodate all the breasts, if necessary use two pans. Place the duck breasts skin side down onto the hot pan(s). Reduce the heat to low and cook the breasts for 10 minutes or until the fat has completely rendered from the skin.
While the duck is cooking drain the rendered duck fat periodically so the pan remains relatively dry. Flip the breasts and continue cooking on the opposite side for one minute and remove the breasts from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat back up and deglaze the pan with the cassis. Reduce slightly and swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter, then season the sauce with salt and pepper.
In another sauté pan, melt the remaining butter and heat the haricot vert until hot.
To prepare the plate, equally divide the polenta and haricot vert among eight plates. Slice the duck breast against the grain and fan over the vegetables. Top with the reserved sauce and enjoy!
Creamy Polenta
INGRDIENTS:
3 cups chicken stock
6 ounces instant polenta
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces of camembert, rind removed
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the chicken stock, cream and butter to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add the polenta while whisking. Bring the mixture to a boil, while whisking continuously. After the mixture starts to thicken, reduce the heat and continue cooking for three minutes. Add the camembert cheese and season to taste. Reserve and keep warm.
Wedding Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 container of prepared white icing.
Edible flowers for decoration
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add butter, milk, sour cream and vanilla. Place in mixer and mix with paddle attachment for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula. Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed. Spoon the cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely. Spread the white icing evenly on the cupcakes and arrange on a display plate. Decorate with the edible flowers.
So what did it all cost?
Menu:
Grilled Peaches with Camembert Cheese
Garlicky Shrimp with a red chile glaze
Bell Pepper and Goat cheese Rollatini
Bacon and Onion Turnovers
Tuna Tartar
Glazed Duck Breast with Creamy Polenta
Tower of Wedding Cupcakes
Hors D'Oeuvres
shrimp $6.99
garlic $.39
ancho chile powder $1.50
peach $.99
camebert cheese $5.00
baguette $1.19
red bell pepper $.99
goat cheese $2.99
parmesean cheese $2.24
breadcrumbs $1.99
tarragon $1.49
basil $1.49
tuna $8.60
ginger $.21
chives $1.99
lemon juice $.45
capers $1.00
tart shells $2.99
bacon $2.00
onion $.89
sour cream $1.23
total $46.61
Duck Breast with Polenta
duck breasts $16.78
cassis liquor $3.79
haricot verts $2.50
chicken stock $2.79
polenta $1.39
heavy cream $1.19
total $28.44
Wedding Cupcakes
icing $2.69
total $2.69
Grand Total: $77.74