Frosé Cocktail Recipe from The French Brasserie Rustique in Naples, Florida

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Fred Bollaci

 

Frosé Cocktail: Perfect for Spring and Summer! Recipe by Vincenzo Betulia, The French, Naples, FL

Makes 8 to 10 glasses 

The French’s Frosé:

2 bottles Notorious Pink Grenache Rosé

2 1/2 ounces Epic Vodka

12 ounces Rose Syrup (see below)

2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ounces freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

Rosé champagne or favorite cordial (optional)

Dried rosebuds, for garnish (optional)

Rose Syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 ounces rose water

6 to 8 dried rosebuds (rose water and rosebuds are available on Amazon. A little goes a long way with these two—don’t overuse)

1. In a shallow, plastic container, mix rosé and vodka. Place in freezer for 8 hours (or even better, overnight).

2. Meanwhile, make the Rose Syrup. Bring water and sugar to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add rose water and rosebuds. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Store in refrigerator.

3. Remove wine-vodka mixture from freezer (it won’t be completely frozen), and scrape to create ice chips. Place in a blender with 12 ounces of Rose Syrup and citrus juices and blend well. Pour frosé back into the shallow plastic container and refreeze for 2 to 3 hours.

4. Right before your guests arrive, remove from freezer and reblend (a regular blender will do just fine). Pour into coupe glasses and, for an extra kick, top each with a pour of rosé champagne or cordial (such as crème de cassis) and a single rosebud.

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Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, English Peas, and Bacon Lardon by Chef Vincenzo Betulia, The French, Naples, Florida

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Fred Bollaci

 

Chef Vincenzo Betulia’s Roasted chicken with potatoes, English peas and Bacon Lardon from his restaurant The French Brasserie Rustique. Recipe by Vincenzo Betulia.

Chef Vincenzo and his restaurants were among the top 100 nationwide featured in my first book, “The Restaurant Diet, How to Eat Out Every Night and Still Lose Weight.”

Serves 4

FOR BRINE

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 10 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons peppercorns
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 2 lemons

DIRECTIONS: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot over high heat.  Remove from heat and allow to cool until room temperature.

POTATO MOUSSELINE

  • 3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into halves
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1 stick butter
  • Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Simmer the potatoes and garlic cloves in hot salted water until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, gently warm the cream and butter in a separate pot and reserve until potatoes are ready. Once potatoes are tender, remove from water, and pass them through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add the cream mixture to the potatoes and season with salt.

ROASTED CHICKEN

  • 1 whole chicken, 3.5 to 4 pounds
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6–8 cipollini onions, peeled
  • 1 cup shelled English peas
  • 4 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into lardon
  • 2 bunches thyme

DIRECTIONS:

Brine the chicken overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Brush the chicken with soft butter and season well with salt and pepper on all sides and inside the cavity. Place the chicken on a perforated rack over a sheet tray. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process, add the cipollini to the tray to roast. Toss the shucked peas with the bacon in a small pat of butter and reserve. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest another 5 to 10 minutes. Cut the chicken in half. Serve the chicken with potato mousseline and peas, and garnish with fresh thyme.

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Gulf Snapper “In Cartoccio” by Chef Vincenzo Betulia, Osteria Tulia, Bar Tulia, & The French, Naples, Florida

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Fred Bollaci

Gulf Snapper “In Cartoccio”

Recipe courtesy of Chef Vincenzo Betulia

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 small zucchini

  • 1 small yellow squash

  • 1 tomato

  • 8 oz. filet of Gulf red snapper, skin off

  • 10 Niçoise or Kalamata olives, pitted

  • 1 tbsp. capers, drained

  • 1 scallion, sliced

  • 1 lemon

  • 3 oz. extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 oz. white wine

  • 3 ice cubes

  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

  • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Cut a large piece of parchment paper into a heart shape—unroll about 14 inches of paper, fold in half, and cut half of a heart shape. Set aside.
  • Cut the zucchini, yellow squash, and tomato into ½ -inch slices.
  • Open the paper on a cutting board and shingle the squash, zucchini, and tomato near the top right-hand curve of the heart, leaving at least a 1-inch border from the edge of the paper. Lightly season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and season again. Place the olives, capers, scallion, and 2-3 thin slices of lemon on the fish. Add the olive oil, white wine, and ice cubes. Top the fish with thyme sprig and begin to seal the paper heart by folding in half and making small folds all the way around the edges, crimping the paper to create a sealed packet. Make sure there are no gaps. Place packet on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.
  • Remove packet from the sheet pan with a large spatula and carefully transfer onto a plate. Tear the paper at the top, making sure your hands stay clear of the escaping steam. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Gamberetti e Capellini (Shrimp and Pasta) By Chef Ray Arpke (Euphemia Haye, Longboat Key, Florida)

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Fred Bollaci

 

Gamberetti e Capellini

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Chef Ray Aparke, Euphemia Haye

White Wine, Garlic & Basil Sauce:

1 quart dry white wine

1 tbsp fresh basil, finely sliced as a chiffonade

1 cup fish stock

1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns

1 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced using garlic press

2 scallions, sliced

1/4 tsp dried marjoram

Pasta:

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 quarts fish or vegetable stock

1/2-pound capellini pasta

3 tbsp Italian parsley, finely sliced as a chiffonade

Bring all of the sauce ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and reduce to 3 1/2 cups, then cool and reserve — the sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week, and freezes well. Bring the fish stock to a hard boil. Add the capellini and stir with a pasta fork until the pasta is extremely al dente. Strain the pasta but do not rinse. Add 16-ounces of wine sauce into the pasta-cooking pot, then and add the shrimp and pasta back into the pot. Place the mixture on medium-high heat. Gently combine all of the ingredients and cook until shrimp are just cooked through. Fold in the parsley and serve immediately.

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Chef Ray Arpke’s Famous Creamed Spinach (Euphemia Haye, Longboat Key, Florida)

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Fred Bollaci

 

Creamed Spinach by Chef Ray Arpke of Euphemia Haye, Longboat Key, Florida

Creamed Spinach

Serves 4 as side dish

Recipe courtesy of Chef Ray Aparke, Euphemia Haye

10 oz fresh washed spinach

3 tbsp clarified butter

3 tbsp minced shallots

2 tbsp flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced in a garlic press 

1 pinch thyme

1 pinch cayenne

Salt and white pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Steam spinach until tender, about 3 minutes. Cool, then roughly chop and set aside in a bowl. In a 10-inch sauté pan, sweat the shallots with the clarified butter until they are transparent but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook slowly for another 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme, cayenne, salt, and white pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a very low simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach with any juice which may have accumulated to the mixture and stir well. Simmer for a few minutes until it becomes slightly thickened. Stir in the parmesan cheese and cook until thickened to your desired consistency.

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