A Feast Fit for Our Lady of Lourdes

Often non-Catholics are under the impression the Vatican dictates every aspect of Catholic Faith. While we do have our Dogma and Decrees, not everything acknowledged by the Church as true must be accepted by the faithful.

For example Marian Apparitions that are acknowledge by the Church to be true are not required to be accepted as an article of faith. The belief in visions are a matter of private consideration by Catholics. Even so, millions make the pilgrimage to Lourdes in the hopes of receiving a miraculous healing. I have a rosary that once contained waters from Lourdes. Today the water has all evaporated, leaving tiny golden grains of sand or other minerals left behind. Although the waters are now gone, it remains my Rosary of choice when seeking Our Lady’s intercession in issues of health. This was also the rosary I carried with me during our Walk for Life in San Francisco.

Most of us know the story of Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. It’s one of those stories, thanks to the magic of Hollywood, that has been brought to the silver screen. It was one of my favorite movies as a young girl.

On this day in 1858 a young, sickly girl saw the Lady for the first time. She would report meeting our Blessed Mother 18 times, and that the Lady called herself The Immaculate Conception. What many struggle with in the story of Bernadette and the miraculous waters of Lourdes is that Bernadette was sickly all her life. When she died, it was after a lifetime of pain and suffering. While others received healing, she did not. Nor did she ask to be healed. Bernadette understood two things. She was chosen to bring the desires of Immaculate Conception to the people and that the healings were never meant for her. She excepted and even embraced a life of suffering. People struggle with this because they do not understand a common thread that runs through many of the saints. God’s graces are the blessings of strength to endure suffering in the name of the Lord. The greatest example of this in modern history would be Saint John Paul II. He showed us how to live and die with dignity.

Since today is all about Bernadette and Our Lady, I wanted to create a feast from many of the recipes we’ve shared in the past. It needed to be special, in part because this truly is a blessed day, and the meal itself needed to conclude with an amazing Torte in recognition of Peppermint Patty Day.

Petites Bouchées pour Commenceror
Pommes de Terre Dorées cuites deux fois au Caviar
Pâté sur Toast avec Relish d’Oignons Caramélisés

Main Entrée
Steak Maître D’hôtel
Asperges Braisées au Basilic

Douces Conclusions
Tarte au Chocolat et à la Menthe Poivrée

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Pommes de Terre Dorées cuites deux fois au Caviar
1-1/2 lb. small Gold Potatoes, about 12 to 16
4 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
3/4 cup Crème Fraîche
2 teaspoons Chives
Fine Salt to taste
Freshly ground White Pepper
2 oz. any variety of Caviar or Fish Roe
Fresh flat-leaf Parsley Sprigs for garnish

Heat an oven to 475 degrees.

Scrub potatoes well, pad dry with paper towels. Place potatoes in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl. Oil potato skins well with olive oil. Place the oiled potatoes on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until cooked through and slightly crispy, 45 to 50 minutes; prick with a knife or skewer to test for doneness. About half way through baking time, shake baking sheet to redistribute the potatoes and allow for more even baking.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce oven to 425 degrees.

Cut each potato in half crosswise. If the ends of any potatoes are uneven, cut off a thin slice from them so they will stand upright once they are filled. Carefully scoop out all the pulp from each half, leaving only a thin shell. Place the pulp in a bowl and return the potato shells to the baking sheet, hollow sides down. Brush the skins with remaining oil. Once brushed with oil, turn potatoes hollow side up. Set aside.

Add 1/2 cup of the Crème Fraîche pulp. Snip and scatter in the chives. Season with salt and white pepper. Mix well to create a smooth filling. Using a small teaspoon, spoon the pulp mixture into the shells. Place the filled potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Arrange the warm potatoes on a serving platter. Garnish each potato with a dollop of the remaining Crème Fraîche, then of caviar. Garnish the platter with parsley sprigs. May be serve immediately or at room temperature.

Pâté sur Toast avec Relish d’Oignons Caramélisés
Caramelized Onion Relish
2 large White Onions
6 Garlic Cloves
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Red Wine
3 tablespoon Cognac
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Fresh Black Pepper

Cut onions in half from root to tip, peel and thinly slice. Peep garlic, thinly slice.

Melt utter in a large pot. Once foamy, add onions and brown sugar. Cook, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to caramelize.

Scatter garlic over the onions. Add wine, cognac and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

Season with salt and pepper, let cool.

Pâté de Foies
2 Shallots
4 tablespoons Butter
1/2 lb Chicken Livers
1 sprig fresh Thyme
1/4 teaspoons Salt
Fresh Black Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Crème de Cassis (Black Current Liqueur)

Peel and finely chop the shallots. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Sauté the shallots until they start to wilt, about one minute. Add the livers and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. While livers are cooking strip the thyme leaves, scatter over chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut into a liver to check for doneness. When pink inside, and no longer red, turn up the heat, add the liqueur and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula. Allow to simmer for a minute or two. Turn off heat.

Blend lightly. Taste Pâté for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Lay plastic wrap out on the counter. Place Pâté on the wrap. Cover in wrap, form pate into a round cylinder. Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until firm and sliceable.

Pâté on Toast
2 Baguettes
Olive Oil as needed
Fresh Thyme garnish
Fresh Black Pepper

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice baguette into half-inch rounds. Brush both sides with olive oil. Arrange slices on the prepared baking sheet and set aside.

Heat broiler element in the oven. Toast baguette slices until golden, keeping an eye on bread to prevent burning. Remove from oven, let cool.

Remove Pâté from the refrigerator. Slice into rounds with a sharp knife. Place rounds on toasted baguettes. Arrange on a serving platter. Top each round of Pâté with a little Onion Relish. Pluck thyme from the sprigs, scatter over and around the Pâté . Finish with fresh black pepper.

Steak Maître D’hôtel
4 New York steaks, about 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 teaspoon Olive Oil
Smoked Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons softened Butter
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh Parsley, finely minced
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Garlic Clove

Remove steaks from the refrigerator. Trim any excess fat and set fat aside.

Season steaks generously with smoked salt and black pepper. Let rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat almost to the point of smoking. Drizzle pan with a little olive oil.

Fry the reserved steak fat in the hot skillet to season the pan. Cook until very crisp ole frying bacon. Remove fat pieces with a slotted spoon and discard.

Place steaks in the skillet, lower heat to medium-high. Sear undisturbed for 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn steaks over, continue to sear another 6 minutes or until the desired doneness is achieved.

While the steaks are searing, place butter in a small bowl. Chop parsley, scatter over the butter. Add lemon zest. Finely mince garlic, add to the butter.

With a fork, mash the flavoring agents into the soft butter. Form a small log. Refrigerate until hard.

When ready to serve, slice the butter into four pats and place one pat each on top of the steaks. Let the butter melt into the meat and enjoy.

Asperges Braisées au Basilic
1 lb Green Asparagus, trimmed
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Basil Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 Lemon, freshly squeezed juice only
Basil Leaves for garnish

Rinse the asparagus and trim off the ends, leaving spears about 8 inches long. Season asparagus with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the Basil Olive Oil and butter to sizzling. Turn down the heat to medium and add the asparagus.

Using a broad spatula, turn the spears over from time to time until they are browned and become tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus.

While the asparagus chars, cut the lemon in half. Stack basil leaves and cut into small ribbons. Set aside.

Just before serving, squeeze half of a lemon over the asparagus. The pan will spurt and sizzle. Roll the asparagus in the sizzling juice, then transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with basil and serve at once.

Tarte au Chocolat à la Menthe Poivrée
Flourless Torte
6 large Eggs
12 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate
5-2/3 oz Brown Sugar
8 oz Butter
1 tablespoon Black Coffee
1 tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoons Salt

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch torte pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. Spray the pan and paper with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

To warm the eggs, place in a large bowl with warm water for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Finely chop chocolate, set aside. Measure and weigh lightly packed brown sugar, set aside.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine eggs with brown sugar at medium speed until tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.

Gently fold in melted chocolate, coffee, vanilla and salt. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer.

Bake the torte in the heated oven for about 40 minutes, until edges are set while torte still giggles in the center.

Torte will appear puffy. A cake tester inserted into the center will come out with moist crumbs, but no raw batter when done.

Cool torte on a wire rack until cooled completely. As the torte cools, the center will sink. That’s natural.

White Chocolate Mint Ganache
12 oz White Chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz Heavy Cream
1 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
2 tablespoons Butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Mint Extract
Pinch of Salt

Finely chop the white chocolate. Place in a medium bowl, set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine heavy cream and corn syrup. Heat the cream until it comes to a simmer with small bubbles appearing around the sides of the pan.

Pour hot cream over the white chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute for chocolate to melt.

Gently whisk the cream and white chocolate together until it is smooth, blended and the chocolate is completely melted.

Add the butter, whisk in. Add mint extract and a pinch of salt. Whisk well. Taste the ganache, add additional mint extract a little at a time if desired.

Pour the white chocolate mint ganache into the indentation in the center of the torte.

Smooth ganache into an even layer that is flush with the edge of the torte. The top should be flat.

Refrigerate torte until the ganache is very firm, at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Glaze
10 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate
1 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
10 oz Heavy Cream

Finely chop chocolate, set aside.

Unmold the cake from the pan and place it on a cardboard cake circle the same size or slightly smaller than the torte itself. Place the torte on a wire rack.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Place wire rack with torte on the baking sheet. Set aside.

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat the cream until it comes to a simmer and small bubbles appear along the sides of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for one minute to melt the chocolate.

Gently whisk the cream and chocolate together until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted. Immediately pour the warm chocolate over the cake, using a small offset spatula to push it to the edges and to smooth it over the sides.

Refrigerate the torte to set the chocolate glaze, for about 30 minutes.

Transfer torte with cake board to a cake platter. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Finishing Touches
Fresh Mint Leaves
Gold Leaf Sprinkles
Silver Leaf Sprinkles

When ready to serve, garnish the torte with fresh mint and a sprinkling of leaves.

Slice torte while still cold for a smooth cut. Place slices on dessert plates. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

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Incline my heart, O God, to Your decrees;
And favor me with Your law.