Jane’s story
As is with most things, a series of life events made me the chef I am today. As a pre-teen, I took over cooking for my mother after she went back to work. My first salmon was for Ron during our courtship in 1969. As the word got out, I was asked by Barbara Partridge to teach a cooking class for Paso Robles Parks and Recreation. I had already been writing a food article for the local Country News weekly. All this lead to my first catering, and Jane’s Gourmet Catering was born. I learned that everything was mys specialty at that point- wonder woman from San Francisco catering to a hundred people twenty miles west of Paso cioppino on a grassy hilltop, bouillabaisse for eight hundred at Justin Winery, and many winemakers’ dinners, and the list goes on.
About this time, I decided to write my cookbook. I wrote it; Ron painted the cover and edited it, and Stacey typed it and added photos, index and page numbers. It was a very fun project for the family and was given to close family and friends. Self published on a copier, I think we made twenty copies. Over the last thirty years, some have been lost, most are dog-eared, and a few are still around.
I had a rule to never try a new recipe out at a catering for the first time. Therefore, it was these same family and friends that were “guinea pigs” for that dish. As always, there is a story when the Morgans and their friends get together. I then decided to add that story to the cookbook. These stories give a lot of meaning to the recipe.
You, by now, know I passed away on January 27, 2024. Ron, Stacey and Shelby are creating this site so everyone can enjoy the stories and the recipes. It’s one of their goals to celebrate my passing. They will work on this daily, if possible, and you will eventually have access to the entire cookbook. Remember, these recipes are thirty years old and may be a little date. However, they were innovative and adventuresome at that time. Look for some updated versions of some of these recipes as we are now in 2024.
Please enjoy the writings and the cooking. It;s the least I could do for you. Jane
Appetizers
Soups
Salads
Entrees
Accompaniments
Breads
Brunch
Desserts
Fried WonTons
My mother used to make these won tons as an appetizer. I loved them then, and I still do. The list of ingredients is lengthy, and it takes some time to fold the won tons. However, I think they are worth the effort.
1/2 lb. pork sausage lightly cooled
1/2 lb. baby shrimp
1/4 cup each minced green onion and water chestnuts
4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
2 TBS each soy sauce and sherry
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 egg
1 lb won ton skins
Canola oil for frying
Combine all but the last two ingredients in food processor, or chop finely and mix by hand. Work with two or three won ton skins at a time. Keep the others covered with a damp cloth to keep from drying out. Arrange the wonton skin like a diamond, the top being north. Place a scant teaspoon of filling on each skin, just south of center of skin. Brush edges lightly with water, and fold south corner over stuffing to within 1/2 inch of north corner. Press edges to seal. Pick up the east and west corners and bring together at south end. Pinch or twist slightly to seal corners together. Repeat with remaining skins and filling.
Keep finished won tons covered. Fry in 375 oil, until golden brown and crisp. They can be served with hot mustard, or sweet and sour sauce.
You can also use these as the basis of won ton soup, or steam as a different preparation.
Salmon Mousse in Phyllo
This is the third recipe in this book using phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is a great product once you get used to handling it. Always defrost the dough in the refrigerator. When thawed, remove one sheet at a time. Brush each sheet with melted butter and fill with the ingredients of your choice. This recipe I have used as an hors d’ oeuvre, an appetizer and an entree. For the hors d’ oeuvre, fold into tiny bite size pieces folded in a flag fashion. The appetizer works well in larger triangles, and the entree is formed in the shape of a fish. To form the fish, sketch a fish on a sheet of paper. Using the paper as a pattern cut the pyhllo, fill, seal, and bake.
For the appetizer and first course, I like to use Knorr Swiss lemon dill sauce with a little white wine and additional lemon juice. All three recipes use the same salmon mousse recipe and freeze well after being formed. Just defrost, cook and serve.
l lb. phyllo
Melted butter
FILLING:
2 tsp. butter
3-4 shallots finely minced
1 lb. salmon filets
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Heat butter in a small frying pan, add shallots, saute lightly and set aside. Bone and skin salmon; place in a food processor. Process adding cream through feed tube, add cream cheese, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper as well. Blend well, add shallots.
Find a piece of paper the same size as full sheet of phyllo. Then cut out a rounded free form fish. With this as your pattern, cut 16 whole sheets of phyllo in same shape. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, lay out 8 sheets of phyllo, one on top of the other covering each sheet with melted butter. Spread the salmon mixture evenly over the phyllo leaving a one inch margin at the edges. Cover the mousse with the remaining eight sheets of phyllo, brushing each with butter. Seal the edges well with butter, using your fingers. Apply an egg wash around the entire edge of the fish. Fold the edges over 1/2″ to seal the fish completely. Brush entire fish with egg wash.
Bake in 375* oven until golden brown about 30 minutes. Cool about ten minutes before serving. Serves six to eight as an entree.
Phyllo Triangles with Pesto
This recipe was an experiment using sun dried tomatoes and pesto. I combined them in a food processor and wrapped them in phyllo. The combination of these two ingredients in the crispy phyllo is explosive. They can be made ahead of time and frozen. Then thaw and bake.
Phyllo dough
Melted butter or margarine
Pesto
8 whole sun dried tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup of fresh basil
2 Tbs. parmesan or romano cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
To make the pesto, place all ingredients in a food processor and process until blended thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Remove two or three sheets of phyllo from the package at a time. Brush each sheet with melted butter. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. Then cut each half crosswise into six equal parts. Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto the end of each strip. Then form a triangle by folding the right hand corner to opposite side as you would a flag.
Place the triangles on a cookie sheet and brush with butter. Bake in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes or until brown. They can be made ahead of time; then refrigerated or frozen and reheated.
New Year’s Day Chili Cheese Dip
Another easy hot dip recipe is CHILE CHEESE DIP. It’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing. This has become a standard in our New Year Day football-watching indulgence. Ron, when describing it, says, “It’s so good, that I’ll eat it until I’m sick”.
When I was writing my food column, I used it as a recipe for New Year’s Day. When we went to the grocery store to buy our ingredients, we were momentarily panicked when the chile without beans appeared to be gone. Our search yielded a few cans on the back of the shelf, so I think a good many households were eating that New Year’s Day Chile Cheese Dip.
1 can Dennison's chili con carne, no beans
3 oz. package cream cheese
Combine and cook until cream cheese and chili are mixed together. You can do this on top of the stove,in the oven or in the microwave. Keep warm during serving, if it lasts long enough to need it.
Serve with jumbo Fritos.
Pesto Cheese Loaf
Pesto Cheese Loaf is a good HORS ‘d oeuvre to serve at holiday parties, because it looks so festive with its red bow. The combination of feta and cream cheese along with its layer of pesto and snipped sun dried tomatoes tastes great anytime.
I used this recipe at my very first catering, before I was even a bona fide caterer. That’s why it is so dear to my heart. I have had up to twelve of these stacked in our fridge at a time during a busy Christmas season. You can make this up to one week before serving.
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
4 oz feta cheese at room termperature
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, rinsed dried and loosely packed
3/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, rinsed, dried and loosely packed
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 tsp fresh garlic minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup slivered oil packed sun dried tomatoes, patted dry
Combine the cream cheese and feta in a bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside. Combine the spinach, parsley, basil and garlic in a bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle the oil through the feed tube and blend with those ingredients. Continue processing until smooth. Transfer the pesto mixture to the bowl. Add walnuts and mix thoroughly.
Line a 7″ x 5 3/4″ x 3″ Loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving extra wrap hanging over the sides. Spread one third of the cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Next spread one half of the pesto minture and arrange a layer of sun dried tomatoes on top. Repeat cheese, pesto, and tomato layers. NOTE: When topping cheese layers over tomatoes, pat gently. Do not spread, or the tomato layer will be pulled apart. Finish with the remaining cheese layer. Cover with the overhanging plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. To serve, allow the loaf to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Invert onto a platter and garnish with a red pepper bow. Provide a cheese knife with bread or crackers. Makes six to eight servings
Baked Elephant Garlic
Baked Elephant garlic is an unbelievably easy and delicious recipe. It has the added feature of permeating your home with appetizing aromas, making your guests think you have toiled for hours. I like to serve it with toasted baguettes and either goat or feta cheese depending on your preference.
3 cloves elephant garlic
Olive oil
Fresh herbs ( Try rosemary or basil)
Toasted baguette slices
Cut the top quarter of the whole bulb off. Place on a pan with two sheets of foil to be able to wrap the entire bulb with the foil. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the exposed garlic heads. Cover with herbs that are chopped as you like them. Wrap well in the two layers of foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for one hour.
Serve with toasted baguette slices
Dill Dip
The origin for this recipe is unknown to me. Wherever I got it, it is a winner. I still make and serve it by the gallons at caterings. We hollow out a red cabbage and place it on the crudite’ tables to use for the vegetable dip. Our rule is to never put a spoon in the dill dip, because people heap it on their plate. It will be gone before you know it. It is that good.
1 cup Sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. minced, dried onions
1 Tbs. dried dill
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 Tsp. beau monde
Mix all ingredients together. Let sit several hours before serving
Chicken Wrapped in Bacon
This is a recipe that I swore I would never reveal. I never used it in cooking classes and would never give it out at a catering. I developed it because we liked the taste of Rumaki, but hated the texture of chicken livers. When I serve this at a catering, people invariably came into the kitchen asking, “Are there anymore of those chicken things?” Our servers had to be taught how to hold the serving tray above their heads so as not to be intercepted at the kitchen door.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Bacon, each slice cut into thirds, lengthwise
Wrap each chicken piece with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Marinate in Kikkko’ Man soy sauce for ½ hour
Broil until the bacon is crisp; then turn and broil the other side. Once cooked, place on paper towels to drain and serve at once.
