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Award-winning Chef Phyllis Segura has cooked for people in all walks of life both in the U.S. and E.U. Chef Phyllis has been cooking for special people since 2000.
She attended the Apicius Cooking School of Lorenzo de’Medici in Florence, Italy; received a James Beard Foundation scholarship; attended various New York cooking schools; and watched her grandmother very carefully.
As a personal and private chef Phyllis cooks for individual clients and offers cooking demonstrations regularly. She specializes in small elegant dinner parties, and intimate dinners - plated or buffet, weekday meals and private and group culinary instructions.
The chef prepares a wide variety of cuisines. Whereas a restaurant chef might have a specialty that is served daily, as a personal or private chef Segura applies her skills to the requirements and palates of her clients. Fresh and seasonal ingredients make the best dishes. She is not shy with herbs and spices and will go out of her way to source ingredients.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Macrobiotic, Kosher, grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, blood type, diabetic and other special diets are available. Chef prefers to use organic, pesticide and antibiotic free, non-GMO and local products as much as possible.
Consultations with nutritionists are recommended for special needs and diets for proper guidelines.

References and a rate sheet are available. She currently lives in Saugerties, NY.
In 2013 she offered cooking classes in her home kitchen in Spencertown,NY www.reddoorcookingworkshop.blogspot.com

Send an email: info@cookingontheriver.com

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

POTATO PANCAKES - LATKES

Today is the start of Chanukah, 2014. And I noticed I've never posted my recipe for potato latkes nor any photos. That needs to be righted! I'm going to be making some in the next few days so photos will likely follow. Meanwhile, if you want to make your own follow this recipe. Feel free to ask questions.



makes about 60

POTATO LATKES

5-7 pounds potatoes, combine Russets and Eastern
1 large Vidalia or yellow onion
3 large eggs
½ cup cake matzo meal, matzo meal, or unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup potato starch
coarse salt
2 bottles grapeseed oil and/or light olive oil, or any oil with a high smoke point

Prepare a cookie or sheet pan to drain the pancakes after they are fried, with a couple of layers of newspapers and/or paper towels, and a cooling rack, as for cookies, on top so any fat can drain off.
PREPARING THE DRAINING RACK
Wash and peel the potatoes taking out the ‘eyes’. You can leave the peel on, if you like. I do now all the time. Cut the potatoes small enough to fit into the feeding tube of your processor. Reserve the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water.
WASHING THE POTATOES
SCRUBBING THE POTATOES
Process the onions and potatoes with the grater blade, the round disc with holes. First put in a bit of onion through then the potatoes until the processor bowl is filled; remove to a bowl. Continue grating with the rest of the onions and potatoes. Optionally, use a box grater and grate by hand. Good luck.

After everything is grated remove the grater blade and put in the rotator blade for fine processing. Put the grated potato/onion mixture back into the bowl of the processor and pulse to fine grate.  You might have to do this in a few batches. Put the fine grated potatoes into a fine sieve over a bowl. Drain and push out as much liquid as possible. Reserve the potato starch at the bottom and discard the rest of the liquid.

Mix in the matzo meal, potato starch and additional potato starch, eggs and salt. Combine very well. Let rest about 30 minutes.
POTATO STARCH
ONION
EGGS
MATZO MEAL
Pour the oil into two frying pans to at least 1-inch. Use either all grapeseed oil or a combination of light olive and grapeseed oil. Heat the oil to very hot. Test by putting a small amount of the potato mixture into each pan. When it sizzles madly, it’s hot enough to start making the pancakes.
OIL AND FRYING PAN
Using a tablespoon, put a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture into the pans. Smooth it out gently but don’t press down. The pancakes should be about 2” x 3”, roughly. Turn after you see the edges turn golden. When golden on both sides, take out and drain on the prepared draining rack. You want them golden crispy on the outside and just cooked inside. Sprinkle some salt on the hot latkes.

Serve right away with selected condiments: sour cream, yogurt, sugar, or applesauce. Some people like them sweet.  If made a bit smaller they make a good base for serving smoked salmon and caviar.

To freeze: once a batch is drained and cooled put them directly on to another baking or cookie sheet and put into the freezer. Once they are frozen put them into plastic bags or use your vacuum sealer to store. 

To reheat: preheat oven to 450 degrees F, put the desired quantity of pancakes on a baking sheet and heat about 7-8 minutes.












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