Lamb Osso Buco with Mousseline Potatoes as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

George Hirsch December 21, 2017

Osso buco is a traditional Milanese dish made with veal shanks, and is just as good or even better when prepared with lamb. Cooking with a low and slow braise is the key to a good tender lamb shank. And, while the lamb slowly cooks you can improve on the osso buco by preparing my Mousseline Potatoes as a side. Both are warm and comforting!

George Hirsch's Lamb Osso Buco

Lamb Osso Buco with Mousseline Potatoes

Makes four servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series

4 whole lamb shanks

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

Pinch of fresh ground black pepper and sea salt

Click For Mousseline Potatoes Recipe

Preheat large saucepan.

Add olive oil and brown meat on all sides. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery and cook until light brown.

Add vinegar and reduce for two minutes. Add tomato sauce, broth, rosemary and thyme. Cover and cook meat for two hours at a gentle simmer. The lamb shanks are fully cooked when the meat becomes flaky and shrinks away from the bone. Add fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste.

GHL fork of moussline potatoes 102 ghl.png

Mousseline Potatoes from George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series

Serve the cooked lamb shanks with sauce and vegetables on top of hot, steamy mousseline potatoes.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

AS SEEN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION & CREATE TV- SEASON ONE
FEATURING CHEF GEORGE HIRSCH DEMONSTRATING HIS SAVORY COOKING, BAKING AND GRILLING RECIPES; WITH HIS EXPERT CULINARY TIPS & TECHNIQUES, ALONG WITH VISITS TO HIS INSPIRING HAMPTON LOCATIONS.

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

Sold out

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$29.99 $34.99

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$34.99

LIMITED EDITION SHIPMENT $29.99 + S & H

Celebrate the season with Hampton Baking Co.’s delectable Savory & Sweet Biscotti assortment. All natural fresh baked small batch, limited edition.

The Hampton-Baking Co. Biscotti Savory & Sweet Biscotti four-flavor assortment comes individually wrapped in a hand crafted wooden keep sake gift box. Fresh baked with all natural ingredients.

- You receive 12 biscotti, 3 of each flavor, individually wrapped. net weight 12 ounces.

- Keepsake wooden gift box.

- Serving suggestion from Chef George.

- Ships via USPS Priority Mail.

Savory

Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti

flour, butter, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole milk, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, baking powder, black peppercorns, salt

Tomato, Thyme & Rosemary Biscotti

flour, olive oil, cage free eggs, parmesan cheese, organic pure cane sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, herb, fresh dried herbs

Sweet

Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti

flour, pure sweet butter, organic pure cane sugar, cocoa powder, cage free eggs, dark chocolate, almonds, salt, baking soda, natural flavorings

Cherry Walnut Biscotti

flour, canola oil, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, organic walnuts, dried cherries, leaving agent, natural flavorings

Dresden Stollen

George Hirsch December 11, 2017

It’s that time of year. No, not Miller Time, it’s Stollen Time! And the best place for stollen is Dresden, Germany. Avaiable at the Backerei & Konditorei (bakery & pastry); but don't worry if you didn't make it to Germany for the festival on Nov 29th. Enjoy with a good mug of coffee.

Stollen Maiden About the Festival:

The history of the Stollen Festival dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. In 1730, Friedrich August I., better known as August the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland arranged a legendary amusement festivity in the framework of a camp known as Zeithainer Lustlager (or Zeithainer Lager). Even today, it is still the epitome of the baroque way of life because of its luxury and splendour. This festivity is the historical model for today's Stollen Festivals.

The Dresden Stollen Festival is quite a young festival. It was celebrated for the first time in 1994. In the meantime, it has established itself as part of Dresden's cultural life and is considered to be the highlight of the Dresden Christmas fair (Striezelmarkt). Originally, the festival was planned as a single PR-Event for the Dresden Stollen. It has become an important destination for the Christmas Capital Dresden and takes place every Saturday prior to the 2nd Advent.

If you dare try, here's an authentic recipe, translated. Note measurements in grams.

Dresden Stollen -recipe with one "Metze" (4 kg) flour for 6 four-pound-stollen

4000 gram wheaten flour

1600 gram butter

500 gram butter lard

600 gram preserving sugar

750 gram sweet almonds, pulverized

250 gram bitter almonds, pulverized

600 gram candid lemon peel

3000 gram seedless raisins

1000 gram milk

250 gram yeast

50 gram salt

100 gram lemon peel

10 gram Macis

300 gram rum

1 gram vanilla pod

Dresden Christmas Stollen (translated from native tongue, German)

The Dresden woman Lenelies Pause delivered in her monography about the "royal Children" a stollen recipe in his high developed form. It demonstrated the high school of the art to bake Dresden stollen:

"There are a lof of tales. The history tells, they don't used milk, they better took the rich cream, 2 cans, full, directly from a farmer. It is the speech of a "Metze" (4 kilogram) dusty wheaten flour. This "Metze" devours desirous 2 kilogram of the best butter, snatch 3 kilogram seedless raisins with themselves, satisfied themselves with 1 kilogram almonds. It desires an hand full with bitter glassy candied lemon peel, planed orange peel, takes also a breath mace - rubbed soft over a peace of sugar with powerless hand -, demands a charge of the good old Arrak and takes the sugar not in the modern crystallized form, but after the good old tradition as an hat which is packed in blue paper, and then also only martared, sifted and on the lemon rubbed off. The Stollen is an unready children only mixed, formed and baked. With 1000 gram melted hot butter the stollen will be slowly and softly touched und steeped, sugar, smells like vanila, sinks up like a snow clouds, till it finally carried home, with a sweet aroma, which march through the whole city in the days before Christmas and all bakeries, whichs breathes out of all corridors."

Sold out

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$29.99 $34.99

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$34.99

LIMITED EDITION SHIPMENT $29.99 + S & H

Celebrate the season with Hampton Baking Co.’s delectable Savory & Sweet Biscotti assortment. All natural fresh baked small batch, limited edition.

The Hampton-Baking Co. Biscotti Savory & Sweet Biscotti four-flavor assortment comes individually wrapped in a hand crafted wooden keep sake gift box. Fresh baked with all natural ingredients.

- You receive 12 biscotti, 3 of each flavor, individually wrapped. net weight 12 ounces.

- Keepsake wooden gift box.

- Serving suggestion from Chef George.

- Ships via USPS Priority Mail.

Savory

Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti

flour, butter, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole milk, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, baking powder, black peppercorns, salt

Tomato, Thyme & Rosemary Biscotti

flour, olive oil, cage free eggs, parmesan cheese, organic pure cane sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, herb, fresh dried herbs

Sweet

Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti

flour, pure sweet butter, organic pure cane sugar, cocoa powder, cage free eggs, dark chocolate, almonds, salt, baking soda, natural flavorings

Cherry Walnut Biscotti

flour, canola oil, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, organic walnuts, dried cherries, leaving agent, natural flavorings

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

I hope that when you are purchasing gifts this season you think of the Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Biscotti Gift Box assortment as that a very special gift!My Pastry Team & I thank you, and may you have a blessed holiday!&nbs… — *I hope that when you are purchasing gifts this season you think of the **Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Biscotti** Gift Box assortment as that a very special gift!*
*My Pastry Team & I thank you, and may you have a blessed holiday!*
Click for additional information

Weeknight Dish

George Hirsch December 7, 2017

If you are looking for that under thirty minutes to-cook-to-table dish without compromising flavor for time, this is it. And, variations on this recipe are very easy to do. My Eggplant sauce recipe is without a meat/protein in the ingredients, but feel free to add grilled sausage, chicken, or shrimp if desired.

This pasta sauce is great served warm or chilled added with a tube shaped pasta.

George's Eggplant Sauce

Makes 4 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups eggplant, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

6 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup pitted calamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup white whine

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, thyme, hot pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons pine nuts

2 Tablespoons fresh basil

parmesan cheese to taste and fresh black pepper

Preheat a large nonstick saucepan.

Add half the olive oil; then eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Cook until light brown. Add the wine, chicken broth, olives, dried basil, oregano, thyme and hot sauce. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes.

Top with remaining olive oil, fresh basil and pine nuts.

Excellent with a rigatoni or tube shape pasta.

Sold out

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$29.99 $34.99

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$34.99

LIMITED EDITION SHIPMENT $29.99 + S & H

Celebrate the season with Hampton Baking Co.’s delectable Savory & Sweet Biscotti assortment. All natural fresh baked small batch, limited edition.

The Hampton-Baking Co. Biscotti Savory & Sweet Biscotti four-flavor assortment comes individually wrapped in a hand crafted wooden keep sake gift box. Fresh baked with all natural ingredients.

- You receive 12 biscotti, 3 of each flavor, individually wrapped. net weight 12 ounces.

- Keepsake wooden gift box.

- Serving suggestion from Chef George.

- Ships via USPS Priority Mail.

Savory

Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti

flour, butter, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole milk, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, baking powder, black peppercorns, salt

Tomato, Thyme & Rosemary Biscotti

flour, olive oil, cage free eggs, parmesan cheese, organic pure cane sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, herb, fresh dried herbs

Sweet

Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti

flour, pure sweet butter, organic pure cane sugar, cocoa powder, cage free eggs, dark chocolate, almonds, salt, baking soda, natural flavorings

Cherry Walnut Biscotti

flour, canola oil, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, organic walnuts, dried cherries, leaving agent, natural flavorings

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Le caldarroste

George Hirsch December 5, 2017

Italian for Roasted Chestnuts.

When in Rome during late fall there are a few must to-dos. Sure, it helps to have family as I do but, I have a list. Must haves; artichokes, lamb, and some great carbonara. Heads-up, there's the perfect walk along treat this time of year. I can smell roasted chestnuts blocks away. I turn the corner coming out of the Vatican and see chestnut vendors with their portable roasters everywhere, at the ready. I scope out the chestnut scene and feel-out who has the perfect roast going on. I use my food radar, (which by the way I am never really wrong) and approach the tidiest chestnut vendor on the corner to place my order. A few Euros later with parchment wrapped warm chestnuts in hand, we stroll through the streets of Rome with the perfect snack.

Roasting Chestnuts

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Clean chestnuts and dry. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a small X into flat pointed tip end of each chestnut, or prick chestnuts with a sharp church key (can opener) fork to allow steam to escape, preventing them from exploding.

Place chestnuts in a shallow roasting pan. Roast in oven for 15-25 minutes, shaking occasionally or until chestnuts are tender and shells peel easily. Chestnuts are enjoyed at their best when warm.

Tip: Roasting time is variable depending on freshness. Choose firm heavy, not hollow when buying.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Fagioli al Fiasco

George Hirsch December 4, 2017

Do you know your fire?

Hankering for a hearty cold weather side-dish? This one happens to be made with a super power food, the cannellini bean - sometimes referred to the white kidney bean. Cannellini beans are a great source of fiber and iron.

Here's a recipe that I learned from my chef friend Gino in Tuscany. He serves this local speciality, a typical Sienese dish in his trattoria located in the medieval village of Montebeniche. You would die for his Fagioli al Fiasco, aka Beans in the Flask; basically beans cooked in a Chianti bottle. Note, without the wrapped straw. It's so simple, yet one of my most memorable dishes I tasted while in Italy.

Fagioli al Fiasco (aka Beans in the Flask)

Cannellini beans are soaked overnight in water with salt.

The next day put into the ‘fiasco’ or heat-proof crock with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, a quarter onion, 2 sage leaves, a small piece of fresh rosemary. Then fill 3/4 full of water or better yet vegetable, chicken or meat broth. Bring beans up to a boil, then moved to a lower temperature, cap and gently simmered for an hour. Traditionally the fiasco was capped and put next to a dying fire in the hearth and slowly cook until the next day.

Sold out

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$29.99 $34.99

Hampton Baking Co. LIMITED EDITION Holiday Savory & Sweet Biscotti Gift Box

$34.99

LIMITED EDITION SHIPMENT $29.99 + S & H

Celebrate the season with Hampton Baking Co.’s delectable Savory & Sweet Biscotti assortment. All natural fresh baked small batch, limited edition.

The Hampton-Baking Co. Biscotti Savory & Sweet Biscotti four-flavor assortment comes individually wrapped in a hand crafted wooden keep sake gift box. Fresh baked with all natural ingredients.

- You receive 12 biscotti, 3 of each flavor, individually wrapped. net weight 12 ounces.

- Keepsake wooden gift box.

- Serving suggestion from Chef George.

- Ships via USPS Priority Mail.

Savory

Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti

flour, butter, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole milk, cage free eggs, organic pure cane sugar, baking powder, black peppercorns, salt

Tomato, Thyme & Rosemary Biscotti

flour, olive oil, cage free eggs, parmesan cheese, organic pure cane sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, herb, fresh dried herbs

Sweet

Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti

flour, pure sweet butter, organic pure cane sugar, cocoa powder, cage free eggs, dark chocolate, almonds, salt, baking soda, natural flavorings