Steaming in Plastic Wrap

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Tear off a square of plastic wrap large enough to hold the food in a
flat package (Single layer). Place the food on the plastic.
2. Flavor the food with a scattering of fresh herbs and 1 tablespoon of oil
or butter. Do not season with salt and pepper as this will draw moisture
from the food.
3. Wrap the contents securely into a flat package. Place the package in a
steamer set over rapidly boiling water and cover (see tip 1).
4. Steam for the time given in the recipe or use the general guide (see tip
2).
5. Carefully unwrap the (hot!) package with the aid of scissors or a knife.
6. Season immediately after steaming.
~- Recipes from Jean-Georges Vongerichten in SIMPLE CUISINE, Easy Recipes
for Four-Star Food (1990: MacMillan). -- Text summarized by and email from
kitpath@earthlink.net 2/99 to ELF, FS
TIP 1: They use a traditional Chinese bamboo basket steamer in the
restaurant. Use any form of steamer, purchased or improvised.
TIP 2: timing -Thin Fish: not recommended -Thick Fish (1 inch thick): 7
mins for Halibut steak; 10 mins for Monkfish, swordfish, and salmon steaks
~Sea scallops (left large): 7 to 8 mins -Shrimp: 5 to 10 mins from Medium
through Jumbo (see tip 3) -Boneless half chicken breast: 15 mins
TIP 3: Steaming without Plastic Wrap (Shrimp only) Step 1: Arrange 6 large
shrimp in a single layer in a steamer over rapidly boiling water and cover.
Step 2: Steam for 90 seconds. Step 3: Remove shrimp from the steamer and
let rest 30 seconds. For shrimp more well done, cover before the resting
period.
OPTIONS: Steaming works best when the food to be cooked is arranged in a
single layer. Don't stack scallops, for example; instead, arrange them in a
flat package. You can, however, top the food with a small quantity of
half-cooked cut-up vegetables and then wrap. The vegetables will finish
cooking at the same time.
NOTES : Wrapping in plastic prevents direct contact with steam and creates
a gentle "second steaming" within the plastic. The wrapping saves all the
cooking juices. Use a plastic wrap that is heat tolerant -- such as a wrap
formulated for use in microwave ovens.
Recipe by: Jean-Georges Vongerichten's SIMPLE CUISINE
Posted to EAT-LF Digest by PatHanneman <kitpath@earthlink.net> on Feb 28,
1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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