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I can’t believe it. I’m headed to Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 24^th to support our Red Carpet Style show on Friday, February 28^th from 9pm-12am EST! You will get to see program hosts Lisa Robertson, Sandra Bennett, and Courtney Cason dressed to the NINES and showing us all that is Red Carpet Style – and it’ll be ALL NEW! You can see my excitement!

Wait a minute, so what am I doing out there? On Wednesday, February 26^th, I will be coming to you live from the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills throughout In the Kitchen with David! Carolyn Gracie will be hosting back at Studio Park and I will be in L.A. with Chef Ashley James. He is going to show us the amazing QVC Red Carpet food he will be preparing for us on the red carpet the following Friday. YUM!

Chef Ashley James is the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and speaks great food. He became a Chef in England and has worked all over the world: France, Singapore, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, just to name a few! According to the Four Seasons website, he is known for his “vibrant flavors”, using local ingredients, and his welcoming personality.

He was also kind enough to share some of the recipes he will be showcasing on Wednesday’s In the Kitchen with David! Below is just a sample of some of his luxurious creations for #QVCRedCarpet!

Salmon Rillettes on Toasted Brioche Crouton

Chef Ashley’s Note: This is an amazing dish. Serve it with an elegant glass of champagne or sparkling wine…or why not a beautiful gin martini? The Rillettes can be prepared two days in advance so you can be totally “red carpet” ready.

Ingredients for 20 small pieces:

2 oz. lightly poached salmon fillet

2 oz. sliced smoked salmon

2 oz. chopped smoked salmon

1 oz. soft unsalted butter

1 oz. sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped chive

1 lemon, zest and a few drops of the juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped capers

1 pinch ground chili flakes, pepperoncino

Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

4 slices of Brioche or Challah bread

1 tablespoon of melted butter

Method:

In a bowl, add the soft butter, chopped chives, lemon juice, capers, pepperoncino, and the sour cream mixed lightly together. Add the cooked and the smoked salmon and fresh ground pepper to taste, lightly mix together. Place the rillettes in a piping bag with a ½ inch nozzle.

On a clear kitchen surface, lay out a 12x24 piece of plastic wrap. Place 2 large slices of smoked salmon onto the plastic wrap. Pipe a straight line of the salmon rillettes horizontally across the smoked salmon. Pull up the plastic wrap from the bottom and move it away from you in order to create a roll of salmon rillettes. Tighten the ends of the salmon wrap by twisting the plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator for 2 orders before serving.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with a little melted butter. Take the slices of Brioche and cut into 20 small rounds with a ¾ inch cookie cutter. Place the cut Brioche rounds onto the greased cookie sheet, brush a little extra melted butter on the top of each piece. Bake until golden brown, around five minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Plating Method:

Remove the plastic wrap from the salmon rillettes. Warm a knife soaked in hot water. Cut a 1/2” slice of the salmon rillettes. Place each slice on a brioche crouton and VOILA!

Crispy Chocolate Napolean

Chef Ashley’s Note: Use your favorite brand of chocolate. However, it needs to be a good quality one with the Cacao percentage indicated to assure recipe success.

Ingredients for 30 bite size pieces:

Crispy Napoleon:

12oz dark chocolate (55% dark chocolate from E. Guittard is our preferred for this recipe)

Preferably use the chocolate coins or roughly chop if you are purchasing a block

Flat plastic acetate sheets

Pizza or ravioli wheel to cut the chocolate

Chocolate Pot de Crème Filling:

1 pound whipping Cream

2 Fresh Egg Yolks

2 oz. Granulated White Sugar

4½ oz. 72% Dark Chocolate (E. Guittard) – coins or roughly chopped

Piping bag, piping tip is optional

Garnish:

Edible Gold Leaf

Method:

Filling:

Heat the whipping cream in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk together the yolks and sugar.

When the cream begins to steam, whisk a small amount into the yolk mixture to warm the yolks up. Pour the yolk mixture into the pot, gently whisking so they do not scramble.

Using a heat resistant rubber spatula gently stir the custard mixture “crème Anglaise” until the temperature is approximately 165°F – the mixture should thicken and coat the back of a spoon.

Strain the crème Anglaise into chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the chocolate is melted. Stir to incorporate with the rubber spatula. Use a hand blender to refine the mixture so it is smooth and there are no lumps of chocolate. Be careful not to aerate it. Place the pot de crème into a heat resistant container and place plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Cool the pot de crème in the refrigerator until fully set, overnight is best.

Napoleon:

Melt ¾ of the 55% dark chocolate over a low water bath in a stainless steel bowl. Once the chocolate reaches 120°F -122°F, remove from heat and gently stir in the remaining ¼ of the chocolate.You want to cool the chocolate to 80.6°F-82.4°F. Make sure the chocolate is smooth.

Once the chocolate has cooled, place the bowl on the low water bath again to reheat to 87.8°F.

(This process tempers the chocolate so that you get a nice crispness when the chocolate cools.)

Once the chocolate is at the appropriate temperature, very carefully spread the chocolate very thinly on the acetate sheets one by one. When the chocolate starts to look slightly opaque (this means it’s beginning to set up), use the wheel to cut 1” squares in the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to fully set up before separating it.

Assembly:

Separate the chocolate squares from the acetate and each other. (The presentation side is the side that was touching the acetate. This side should be very shiny.) Place ½ of the chocolate squares in a single layer on your work surface, these will be used as the base. The remaining half will get a small amount of gold leaf on the top. Use the tip of a paring knife to gently remove the gold leaf from the paper and place on top of the chocolate.

Put the cold chocolate pot de crème filling into a piping bag. Pipe a rosette of filling onto each of the chocolate squares that are being used as a base. Top each rosette with the remaining ½ of the chocolate squares. Transfer the finished napoleons to a platter and serve.

(If you are not serving right away, store in a cold room, but not the refrigerator. The humidity in the refrigerator will cause the chocolate to bloom (the cocoa butter will separate and you will see white spots on the chocolate).)

 

In our ITKWD live chat we talk mostly about FOOD. But, we also talk all things QVC: home décor, gardening, and BEAUTY! The folks at Tarte helped create a cocktail for the event on Friday. Want to have them with us? Here is the recipe:

TARTINI

½ maracuja, pulp only

1 ounce alize passion fruit liqueur

½ ounce Chambord raspberry liqueur

½ ounce absolut citron

Drop of purple food coloring

Shake with ice and strain; garnish with a lemon twist.

 

I’ll take LOTS of pictures and notes. I plan on sharing a recap when I get back, but you can certainly follow along, real-time if you’d like! I am on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at “@Mary QVC”. See you soon! ~ @MARY QVC