Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, office potlucks, and winter cooking is somehow already here! As you can see, I don’t have that much time for extreme cooking with all of the restaurant dining, but I just got these amazing knives that forced me into the kitchen, in a good way. My favorite thing about the fall is root vegetables. Parsnips, butternut squash, turnips, sweet potatoes, and colored carrots make everything a bit sweeter and more comforting in an ideal yet healthy way. I used the Michel Bras knives made in Japan to make a bed of carrot and parsnip purée to lay beneath an easy Lemon Butter Halibut. You can use this purée for anything. It’d go great in a bowl topped with ground beef, taco meat, chicken, etc.
I need to point out that these Michel Bras knives make chopping and cutting seem like something you could do with your eyes closed. It’s so smooth. This knife for slicing and dicing is sold at Williams Sonoma is best used for preparing fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Its convex shape enables you to move your hand back and forth without getting stuck half way in a thick carrot or cutting a zucchini unevenly. While your at it, get your favorite at-home chef a set for the holidays. Tell them the famous, Michelin-starred French Chef Michel Bras designed them for you and now no matter what you cook, your food will be delicious.
Now, see below for a fun and super easy recipe to impress your third date, family, office or friends in the next coming months!
Carrot and Parsnip Purée (adapted from Martha Stewart):
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut
1 bunch carrots, peeled and cut
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
Directions:
- Blend butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients, and 1/2 cup water. Cook covered, until vegetables are tender for about 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure you cut the root vegetables similar in size so that they cook down in a timely manner.
- Transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender to purée.
Lemon Butter Halibut:
Go to your local grocery or fish monger to buy whatever is fresh and delivered that day. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the fish in a pyrex dish and drizzle olive oil over the fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper for a light taste. Top with thinly sliced lemon, some butter and any of your favorite herbs or spices. Cook for about 15 minutes and place over the Carrot and Parsnip Purée.
