Enjoy a blast from the past with this lavish 1950s feast. Starting with a simple lobster thermidor, moving onto a classic rendition of Chicken a la King, and finishing with an impressive Steak Diane. Or if all else fails, go with the classic Breakfast for Dinner. We hear it’s very European.
Ingredients
Puff Pastry Dough Ingredients:
24 oz all-purpose flour, divided + more for dusting
½ oz kosher salt
4 oz unsalted butter, soft
10 oz water, cold
1 lb unsalted butter, cubed + cold
Lobster Tail Thermidor Ingredients:
4 lobster tails
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
½ shallot, finely chopped
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Cup milk, room temperature
2 Tbsp dry sherry
½ Cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
½ tsp mustard powder
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
⅓ Cup gruyere, grated
to garnish: lemon wedges + paprika
Minced Meat Filling Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil + more as needed
1 ½ lb chuck roast, trimmed and minced
1 small onion, small diced
1 celery rib, small diced
3 small carrots, washed + small diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 garlic cloves, minced
½ Cup beef stock, preferably homemade
2 tsp worcheshire sauce
¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
⅛ tsp cayenne
To taste kosher salt
To taste freshly ground black pepper
Minced Meat Turnover Ingredients:
Puff dough
Minced meat filling
1 egg
⅛ tsp kosher salt
Vol-au-Vent Ingredients:
1 egg
⅛ tsp salt
Puff dough
Chicken a la King Ingredients:
as needed olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ Cup white wine
2 Cups chicken stock
¼ Cup heavy cream
½ Cup frozen peas
⅓ Cup pimentos (cherry peppers), drained and chopped
to taste kosher salt
to taste freshly ground black pepper
Twiced-Baked New Potatoes Ingredients:
1 lb baby potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
as needed kosher salt
as needed freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Mint Jellies Ingredients:
½ oz gelatin
12 oz water, divided
4 oz white vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 bunch mint
1-2 drops green food coloring
Steak Diane Ingredients:
4 (4 oz) filet mignons
as needed kosher salt
as needed freshly ground black pepper
½ Cup reduced or concentrated beef broth, preferably homemade
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter, cold
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ Cup cognac
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2-3 dashes hot sauce of choice (tabasco)
½ Cup heavy cream
to taste kosher salt
to taste freshly ground black pepper
to garnish: 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Method
Serves: 4
Puff Pastry Dough Method:
Combine 20 ounces flour, salt, soft butter, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix with a dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 1-2 minutes until the dough is homogenous.
Roll the rough out to a rectangle ½ inch in thickness.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 4 ounces flour with the cold butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter with the paddle attachment until the butter and flour have combined. Switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment and continue mixing until the butter is pliable but still firm. Transfer the butter for a well-floured work surface.
Roll the butter block into a rectangle and fold the butter over itself. Repeat the rolling and folding until the butter is homogenous. Shape the butter into a rectangle just less than half the size of the dough. Refrigerate for 5 minutes or until the dough is ready.
Place the butter block on one half of the dough. Fold the dough over the butter block and crimp the sides with your fingers to enclose the block.
Turn the dough 90° and roll the dough out to a rectangle again ½ inch in thickness and about 9 inches x 20 inches.
Perform a 4-fold by folding the dough over itself about half of the way. Fold the other half on itself to meet the over half. Then fold the top half over the bottom half. (See video clarity if necessary). Make sure to dust off any excess flour between each fold.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Removed the dough from the fridge. Arrange the dough on your work surface such that the folded side (without visible layers) is on the left. Roll the dough out to ½ inch thickness and about 9 inches x 20 inches.
Perform a 3-fold by folding the top section of the dough ⅔ over itself. Fold the bottom half completely over the top half. (See video for clarity if necessary).
Turn the dough 90°, and roll the dough out again to a 9 inches x 20 inches rectangle about ½ inch in thickness.
Perform another 4-fold and then wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Removed the dough from the fridge. Arrange the dough on your work surface such that the folded side (without visible layers) is on the left. Roll the dough out to ½ inch thickness and about 9 inches x 20 inches.
Perform a final 3-fold. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Lobster Tail Thermidor Method:
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add the lobster tails and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the shells have turned red and the meat is opaque.
Remove the lobster tails from the boiling water and place them in an ice bath.
Once the tails are cool enough to handle. Cut a straight line down the membrane bottom of the lobster tails. Remove the remaining membrane and the lobster meat.
Cut the meat into small cubes and reserve until ready to use in the refrigerator.
Rinse and dry the lobster tail shells and reserve until ready to use.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute.
Add the flour and stir to combine the roux. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Slowly add the milk in multiple additions, making sure each additional is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Add the sherry and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let cook while you prepare the egg mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the heavy cream and egg yolk.
Temper about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce into the egg yolks. Add the egg mixture to the remaining béchamel sauce. Stir in the mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the sauce on low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 2-5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and fold in the lobster meat.
Spoon the mixture into the reserved lobster shells. Top them with the gruyere cheese.
Broil the lobster tails for 4-6 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and browned. Serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of paprika.
Minced Meat Filling Method:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Once shimmering, add the beef. Cook until browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the beef from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Reserve in a bowl until ready to use.
Add more oil if necessary and then add the vegetables. Cook until they are tender and well browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and garlic, sauté for 30 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add back the reserved beef, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.
Cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
Remove the meat mixture from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Allow to cool until room temperature or refrigerate overnight.
Minced Meat Turnover Method:
Combine the egg and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together until the egg is completely homogenous.
Roll out puff dough to ⅛ inch - ⅙ inch thickness and cut 4.5 inch squares.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each square.
Using a pastry brush, trace the outside of each square with egg wash, then fold the square in half diagonally, enclosing the filling.
Crimp the edges of the turnovers with a fork and brush the tops with egg wash.
Refrigerate the turnovers for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 °F with fan.
Removed the turnovers from the refrigerator. Brush the pastry with more egg wash.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes before serving.
Vol-au-Vent Method:
Combine the egg and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together until the egg is completely homogeneous.
Roll out the puff dough to ¼ inch thickness.
Punch out 8 rounds using a 3 ½ inch cutter. Cut another smaller round out of four of eight rounds using a 2 inch cutter. Transfer all of the rounds to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Egg wash the whole rounds and then lay the cut rounds over top and brush with egg wash again. Don’t let the egg wash drip onto the cut sides of the dough as it will prevent them from rising evenly.
Refrigerate the vol-au-vents for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Remove the sheet tray from the fridge and brush them with egg wash once again.
Bake at 375 °F for 25-30 minutes. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through baking.
Allow to cool slightly before serving, or keep at room temperature until ready to serve.
Chicken a la King Method:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken and add 2 tablespoon of butter. Once bubbling, add the mushrooms and cook until they have released all of their liquid.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, celery, and onions. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
Add the flour, stir until combined and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add the chicken stock in multiple additions, stirring until completely combined before the next addition.
Add the chicken back to the mixture and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream, peas, and pimentos.
Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat in a large skillet before serving.
Spoon filling into prepared vol-au-vents.
Twice-Baked New Potatoes Method:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
Add the potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until par-cooked.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 °F with fan
Drain the potatoes and arrange them on a sheet tray.
With the back of a wooden spatula or meat pounder, lightly crush each potato.
Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, and season them generously with salt and pepper.
Add the thyme sprigs to the sheet pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy.
Mint Jellies Method:
Sprinkle the gelatin over 4 ounces of water, let sit at room temperature until fully hydrated.
Bring the remaining 8 ounces of water, vinegar, and sugar to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the mint, let steep for 10 minutes.
Strain the mint mixture and reserve the liquid. Add the hydrated gelatin to the liquid and stir to dissolve the gelatin.
Add the food coloring and stir until the color is homogenous.
Dispense the mixture into the silicone mold of your choice.
Refrigerate overnight.
Gently remove the jellies from the molds and refrigerate until ready to serve. If the jellies seem stuck in the molds, submerge the outside of the molds in hot water for 5-10 seconds and then try again.
Steak Diane Method:
Season both sides of each filet with salt and pepper. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, sear the steaks, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the steaks from the pan and reserve them on a plate.
Add the butter to the pan, once foaming, add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots are tender and the butter is browned.
Deglaze the pan with the cognac, cook for 1-2 minutes or until the alcohol smell is gone.
Add the mustard, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and reduced stock. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to further reduce the sauce.
Turn the heat to low and add the heavy cream. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce is simmering and slightly thickened.
Add back the steak and the residual juices from the plate.
Spoon the sauce over the steak and cook until the steaks have reached your desired doneness, about 5-7 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Garnish with parsley and serve.