Creston Costa Rica Trip: Arenal

Creston Costa Rica Trip: Arenal: We are here in the Arenal region of Costa Rica. We have had a long day of traveling but the kids have been such troopers. We went to Poas, ...

I hope everyone is safe and healthy and having a good time.

Chef Troi's Jambalaya

When most people think of Mardi Gras, they conjure up images of drunken revelry, colorful beaded necklaces, and vibrant jostling crowds in New Orleans. Here at A Chef's Affair, we think of jambalaya. Oh, glorious one-pot-wonder of spicy sausage and succulent shrimp! This dish sums up the heart and soul of New Orleans. Since it is Mardi Gras week, what a perfect time to try your own variety of jambalaya at home!

Jambalaya originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where it is a combination of Spanish, French, and Caribbean influences. Similar to Spanish paella, traditional jambalaya contains rice, a hearty sausage like Andouille, seafood, vegetables and stock, and is made in one pot.

Chef Troi replaces the rice with penne pasta in her updated, quick Jambalaya interpretation. If you have some bell peppers and onions, rice or pasta, meat and seafood, stock, and one pot to cook in... well, you have everything needed to make your own! You can make your own substitutions to the recipe to put your own personal spin on it, or to use what you have at home in the cupboard.

CHEF TROI'S JAMBALAYA
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Cloves minced garlic
1 Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced or julienned
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced or julienned
2 Andouille or Cajun-style sausage, sliced into diagonal rounds
2 Cups shrimp, deveined and peeled
2 Chicken breasts, grilled and diced
1 Lb Penne pasta, cooked
1 Can Stewed or diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon chopped thyme
2 Tablespoons Creole seasoning
1/2 Cup white wine
1/2 Cup chicken stock
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons basil leaves, cut into thin chiffonade- for garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large pan, Dutch oven, or wide bottomed pot, melt butter with olive oil over medium high heat. Add minced garlic diced onion, sauté until translucent. Add bell peppers and sausage, sauté an additional 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cooked chicken, Creole seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Deglaze the pan with white wine, add chicken stock, and let simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes. Finish with cream and parmesan cheese, and garnish with basil chiffonade.

* Use pre-cooked pasta, chicken, shrimp, and sausage for a quick, work night dinner that is made in one pan and ready in minutes!

We've Moved!

We've moved! A Chef's Affair has spent the three day weekend relocating to our new building on Cavitt Stallman Rd. at Douglas Blvd. The blustery stormy weather was a nice treat, and us ladies looked oh-so-glamerous with our wet hair plastered all over our faces while we shlepped boxes from one location to the next! Thankfully, we had some strapping young men around to do the heavy lifting.

Some of you may have seen our big purple van, "Barney" as we affectionatly call it, lumbering up and down Douglas... filled to the brim with glassware and dishes, linens, and more office supplies than we could keep track of. If you were REALLY lucky, you caught a glimpse of Chef Troi perched at the topmost rung of a ladder trying to remove the Espresso sign from the old kitchen, with Jessica, Melissa and Kerry holding on to various parts of her and the ladder... all while belting out a Doobie Brother's song at the top of their lungs.

We survived bad weather, sick staffers, no heat, and a phone fiasco. Thank goodness we have Evie in the Oxnard office to keep us going; answering phones when we had none and speaking with clients when we were water-logged and unpresentable.

The office and kitchen are slowly coming together, and we have a full week of catering ahead of us. A big thank you to EVERYONE who came out to help A Chef's Affair with the move, cleaning, and organization after. We couldn't have done it without the help, efforts, and love from our staff, family, and friends.

Come on by and visit us at our new location: 4033 Cavitt Stallman Road, at Sierra College and Douglas Blvd.

For Love and Berries

So it is almost Valentine's Day, and love is in the air.... and so are strawberries. Chocolate dipped strawberries are to Valentine's Day what pine trees are to Christmas! Here are some fun facts about strawberries that you may not have known:

• Strawberries are a member of the rose family



• Strawberries have 200 seeds



• To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.



• Strawberries are low fat, low calorie; high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium



• In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity.



• There is a museum in Belgium JUST for strawberries

No wonder that 94% of US households consume strawberries! But why wait until dessert to enjoy those lushous little berries? Chef Troi's Strawberry and Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette is a sophisticated side dish to any meal.

Strawberry & Asparagus Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette


1 Basket fresh strawberries
1 Bunch fresh asparagus
Pinch of kosher salt
Ice- to fill bowl
1/2 Red onion

Champagne Vinaigrette
1 Orange or mandarin orange, zested & juiced
1 Cup Champagne vinegar
1/2 Cup chilled Champagne, such as Asti Spumanti
2 Cups blended olive oil (1 part canola oil & 1 part olive oil)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced shallot
3 Strawberries
Pinch of Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon Sugar (to taste)
2 Teaspoons Poppy Seeds
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Prepare strawberries; wash, remove stems, and cut into quarters. Blanch asparagus; boil water in a 4 qt saucepan. Rinse asparagus and trim into thirds. Fill a large bowl full of ice, and add water. Drop asparagus thirds into boiling water with a pinch of kosher salt, and leave for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove asparagus from boiling water, and plunge immediately into bowl of iced water. Swish around until asparagus has cooled completely. Remove blanched asparagus and dry between two towels. Thinly slice red onions. Slice blanched and dried asparagus into bite sized pieces, on the diagonal. Toss asparagus bites, strawberries, and onions together, and dress right before serving.*

Prepare dressing; in a food processor combine minced shallot and garlic with champagne vinegar, chilled champagne, 3 strawberries, Herbs de Provence, poppy seeds and orange zest and juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slowly stream in oil. Dress asparagus strawberry salad, and serve immediately.

* Dressing the salad too long before serving may cause the asparagus and strawberries to discolor. Remember to dress immediately before serving.

Enjoy!

Brie My Valentine Dinner Available for Pick Up Feb. 14

Don't have the time or energy to cook it yourself? Call A Chef's Affair and place your order for our Brie My Valentine Dinner Basket. Pick it up on February 14th, impress your loved one with dinner at home. Don't worry about crowded restaurants, making reservations, or mispronouncing "duxelle".

Chef Troi's Brie My Valentine Dinner includes:

Your choice of
Beef Wellington with Garlic Mashed Potatoes or
Salmon Filets in lemon caper sauce, with rice pilaf

~and~

Brie en Croute - a small wheel of brie wrapped in pastry dough with strawberries, and baked to a golden brown. Served with sliced baguette and grapes.

Strawberry and Asparagus salad with champagne vinaigrette.

Baby carrots with ginger glaze

All wrapped in a beautiful Valentine's Day basket, each Brie My Valentine basket comes with re-heating instructions.

Call A Chef's Affair to pre-order your dinner basket: (916) 797 -1404

Chef Troi's Beef Wellington

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Chef Troi shows you how to make Beef Wellington for two. Watch the clip of this week's appearance on Fox 40 Live, and follow the recipe below. You are on your way to a romantic dinner for two in no time!

Beef Wellington
~ serves 2~

13 oz Beef Tenderloin
4 teaspoons Butter
1/3 Onion, chopped
4 oz Assorted Mushrooms, such as button, Porcini, Chanterelle and/or Crimini, chopped finely for Duxelle
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/3 can beef broth
4 teaspoons Maderia, or brandy

Preheat oven to 425°

Prepare mushroom duxelle. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and mushrooms in butter, seasoning with fresh thyme and pepper. (Do not season with salt at this point.) Sauté for 5- 7 minutes, and then deglaze the pan with half of the Madeira wine or brandy. Continue to cook until all liquid has evaporated, an additional 5-10 minutes. When all liquid has gone from pan, season with salt.

While mushrooms are cooking, sear the tenderloin in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Rotate the tenderloin until it is seared and brown on every side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove beef from pan and reserve drippings.

Roll out the puff pastry dough on a floured surface. Set tenderloin in the middle of dough, and top with mushroom duxelle. Wrap dough completely around tenderloin until the beef is completely enclosed with dough. Use some of the beaten egg white as"glue" for any loose edges. Brush the egg wash over the rest of the dough.

* Optional: Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from leftover pastry dough. Attach the dough shapes to the top of the Beef Wellington with egg wash mixture. Alternately, shape your Beef Wellington into a shape like a heart.

Cut a few slits into the top of your Wellington, then place in 425° oven for 10 minutes, until pastry is a rich, golden brown for medium rare. Set aside, and keep warm by tenting with aluminum foil. While meat is resting, prepare sauce.

Add the remaining Madeira wine or brandy to the reserved juices in your sauté pan on medium heat. Scrape up any brown bits from bottom of pan, and add beef broth. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10-15 minutes until slightly reduced. Serve sauce with beef.

This recipe can be doubled for 4 servings.

Meet Chef Troi

Troi Frankhizen is no stranger to the love and passion of cooking and entertaining. She couldn’t be happier than when sharing good food and wine with friends around a beautiful table. Food is her passion; why not make it her business? Thus, the beginnings of A Chef’s Affair.

Being raised in a Greek home, Chef Troi was introduced to Mediterranean foods at an early age. Her mother recalls Troi always wanting to stir and mix things in the kitchen. When she was in her teens, she spent hours creating new dishes for nightly dinners.

She proceeded to take a course in Food Services Administration at a local college and received her Associates degree. She then applied for admission to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco at a time when acceptance was not easily secured. She was granted enrollment and soon started the 16 –month training program. Along with giving her the skills necessary to become a professional chef, the CCA helped her develop the inner strength and confidence required to become a successful restaurant entrepreneur. After a regimented and challenging 16 months of hard work, perseverance and training, she graduated in 1990. She trained in classical French cuisine and specialized in Mediterranean cuisine.

Part of her extensive resume includes working for the San Francisco Opera House where she had the pleasure of cooking for Luciano Pavarotti. She’s cooked on Pacific Marine Yacht charters in and around San Francisco Bay as well as for local and state government officials at the capital building in Sacramento.

In 2000 she ventured out on her own to open A Chef’s Affair, a full service catering company and gourmet café in Granite Bay . The style and presentation of her food and themed buffets was an overwhelming success. A Chef’s Affair has continued to grow, always retaining the excellent quality of food and integrity of staff that are Chef Troi’s trademark.

As our list of local customers and corporate accounts continues to expand, so does our reputation. Through our distinctive presentations, excellent food and attention to detail, word about the best kept secret in Granite Bay is beginning to spread!

Chef Troi and her staff spend many hours in the kitchen creating new dishes for the catering company and café. Changing with the seasons, the menus incorporate use of locally grown products including fruits and vegetables at their peak. We have developed menus representing many cultures and themes and are always on the lookout for new and innovative ideas.

One of Chef Troi’s pleasures is to travel and explore new cultures and foods- be they local or abroad. From these experiences Chef Troi brings her understanding of a cuisine back to the café where she enjoys teaching classes and telling stories of her travels.
We look forward to seeing you at A Chef’s Affair soon!