Sunday, February 28, 2010

Doughnut Muffins


This is another cop-out post... it's the weekend which simply means that I let you see other sites that I get inspiration and recipes from. THIS recipe, French Breakfast Puffs, is delectable. And a heart attack. In fact, I told Mac when they were all done that they were basically a heart attack and he said, "Well, in that case I'll have two! I'll have TWO heart attacks!" Heh... I hope not literally.

I have renamed them doughnut muffins, because that's what I felt like I was eating. You be the judge....


The only thing I changed in the recipe was subbing butter for the shortening (because we don't have shortening in this house). And definitely, definitely, dip in butter and cinnamon-sugar. You'll know what I mean when you see them.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Bowtie pasta and Brussels sprouts

No pictures for this... I'm lazy apparently, and forgetful. But, this is deeericious!! Rachael Ray throws the occasional healthy, yummy dish. This, would be one. And because I'm lazy and forgetful, I will simply direct you to her website to find this tasty dinner!

A couple of changes we made:
- Added italian-herbed baked chicken. Super easy, just brush some chicken breasts or tenders with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and italian herb seasoning, and bake, covered with foil for about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
- Replaced honey-roasted almonds with skillet-toasted walnuts because that's what we had.
- roasted the Brussels sprouts for less time than listed and at 375 so that I could share the oven with the chicken.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Molten Chocolate Cake


Oh. my. goodness. amazing. rich. decadent. heavenly. perfect. won a chuckling "oh, oh, oh" from Dad, king of chocolate lovers. Okay, enough said.... here ya go:

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3/4 c. unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. all purpose flour

Butter 6 six-ounce ceramic ramekins and dust with flour. In a bowl over a double-boiler, melt the butter and chocolate, set aside and let cool. In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine eggs and sugar until pale yellow batter holds shape and forms ribbon on beaters. Blend flour into egg-sugar mixture with the mixer for 3 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture, being careful to incorporate everything; mix for 2 more minutes. Pour about 6 ounces of batter into each ramekin and refrigerate for 1 hour (or until you're ready to bake). In preheated 475 degree oven, bake ramekins on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until they are puffed up and don't jiggle when moved. Remove from oven and serve immediately with fresh whipped cream.

Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine, Napa Valley Wines

Roast Lemon Chicken


Ah, the main course. Did you know that whole chickens are ridiculously cheap?? It was $7.04 for two 4 lb. chickens. AWESOME. And, in case you don't know, that made about 10 servings of chicken. I'm very happy with whole chickens at the moment. :) This recipe came yet again from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I wish you could just use my book because it has great photos of the prepping process... oh well, you'll have to just try and follow my words.

Unfortunately, I have not perfected the simple art (yes, very simple) of cooking the chicken with flavor. It was the perfect texture and very moist (if you know me, I've gotten over my disgust for that word), but it was a bit bland. Next time, I will do the following:
1. Brine in the listed combination of water, salt, and sugar instead of reducing the salt and sugar by 75%.
2. Remember to use salt and pepper before cooking
3. Use the amount of lemons and garlic it recommends instead of only using half.
Go figure. Try following the directions, and I'm sure it'll turn out great for you! Also, don't let the photo fool you - I forgot to take a nice picture of it before it was devoured.

Ingredients:
1 c. salt
1 c. sugar
1 gallon water
2 - 4lb. whole chickens
2 lemons, cut into quarters
12 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
salt and pepper
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For two whole chickens, brine (if you have time) in the following for 1 hour: 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of sugar dissolved in 1 gallon of water.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prep the chicken for roasting by:
1. remove the gizzard packet and any excess fat from the cavity of the chicken; remove any packaging attached to the chicken.
2. pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
3. using your fingers, taking care not to tear the membrane around the perimeter of the breast, release the skin on either side of the breastbone to form two pockets

Mix 4 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. Spread the butter under the skin and over the breast. Season with salt and pepper.

Spray the rack of the roasting pan with oil and lay the chicken on the rack, breast side up. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and brush over the chicken. Pour 2 cups of the broth into the roasting pan. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees, rotate the position of the pan in the oven, and continue to roast the chicken until the thickest portion of the breast registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer about 30 minutes longer.

Tip the chicken so that the juice from the cavity runs into the roasting pan. Transfer the chickens to a carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim any fat from the roasting pan using a spoon. Stir in the remaining broth, scraping up any browned bits. Pour the juice into a saucepan and simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in any accumulated chicken juice. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, one piece at a time. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the chicken, discarding the lemon quarters and garlic in the cavity. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.





Skillet-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots


Don't let the mention of brussels sprouts turn you away - they're so much better than the negative fame they've received! Especially when you toss them with some good seasoning and BACON. yum.

This was served as the side to the main course. The recipe is from my beloved cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. The only thing I found was the cook time was a bit too long, but I think I like my vegetables a little on the crunchy side anyways.

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, chopped fine (not cooked)
2 shallots, sliced thin
1 lb. brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed, discolored leaves removed, and halved through the stem
1/2 c. water
salt
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
Pepper

Directions:

Cook the bacon and shallots together in a 12-inch skilled over medium heat until the bacon is crisp and the shallots are browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
Add the brussels sprouts, water, and 1/2 tsp salt to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Cover and simmer until the Brussels sprouts are bright green, about 9 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the sprouts are tender, about 5 more minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the bacon mixture, butter, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Grapefruit-mint sorbet


I'm not going to lie, this was a bit different... only because our taste buds are not trained to have a sorbet that is not sweet. I got the idea and recipe from finedinings.com to have a sorbet before the main course as a palate cleanser... I thought it was very elegant and sophisticated, and we had a great time trying it out. We were concerned that it didn't make very much, but you really don't need (or want) more than a few bites.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. fresh mint leaves plus some sprigs for garnish
1/2 c. fresh grapefruit juice (one medium grapefruit)

Directions:

Combine sugar, water, mint leaves and stems in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and set aside to cool. Add grapefruit juice to the mixture, then puree in a blend or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a shallow dish or pan. Cover and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Put the sorbet back into the blender and puree again. But it in a small bowl, cover and freeze until ready to serve. Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop for portions and garnish with mint leaves.

Baked Potato Soup

I chose this particular soup for our formal dinner night because I wanted a heavier soup that I could cook in the crock pot. This is the recipe that I came up with after adapting it from cdkitchen.com. It was a big hit - probably my favorite part of the dinner (except the molten chocolate cake, of course)!








4-6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil or italian herb seasoning
4-8 slices of bacon, fried and diced
1 c. cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbs. parsley
1 c. sour cream

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large (4 to 6.5 quart) crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, stir in the cream, cheese, and sour cream, slightly mashing the potatoes. Garnish with parsley and more cheese and bacon if desired.


Rosemary Whole-Wheat Bread

This is a bread machine recipe. Super easy, and I can't exactly claim that it's entirely home made since I basically throw all the ingredients in the machine and let it do it's thing!

For a 2 lb. loaf:
1 1/2 cups warm water (80-90 degrees)
4 Tbs. olive oil, extra virgin
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. whole-wheat bread flour (or 2 cups whole wheat, 2 cups white bread flour)
3 tsp. dried rosemary
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tsp. vital wheat gluten

Put all the ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order listed. Set the menu cycle to white bread, 2 lb loaf, light crust.

Mesclun Greens with Asparagus and Lemon Vinaigrette

The inspiration for this salad came from a website I found called finedinings.com - check it out if you want. I forgot to take a pretty picture of this salad with the asparagus stacked up like lincoln logs around the salad... oh well. My dad said it looked ready to start a fire.

For six servings:

48 asparagus logs
12-18 oz. package of mesclun greens
1 recipe lemon vinaigrette (see below)

Cut the asparagus into 4-inch pieces. Steam until tender (but on the crisp side), about 6 minutes. Plunge into ice water, drain well, and toss with some of the dressing.

Arrange 8 asparagus spears on each plate in lincoln log squares and put the greens inside the squares and drizzle with dressing.

Lemon vinaigrette dressing:
3/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese (optional)
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Shake all ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to room temperature and shake vigorously before serving.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail with Horseradish Cocktail Sauce from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb. extra-large shrimp peeled and deveined
1 c. Horseradish Cocktail Sauce:

Bring the lemon juice, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, Old Bay, and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the shrimp. Cover and steep off the heat until the shrimp are firm and pink, about 7 minutes. Drain the shrimp and plunge immediately into ice water. Drain and refrigerate the shrimp until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour. To serve, arrange on a platter with the cocktail sauce.


Horseradish cocktail sauce:
1 c. ketchup
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. horseradish
2 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Stir all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Season with additional horseradish and Tabasco as desired.

We made this Friday night and kept it in the fridge until Saturday night for serving.

Fine Dining...


On Saturday, we hosted a formal dinner in honor of Grama's 78th birthday. It was the whole deal - 8 courses, each plated right before serving. It was a lot of time and hard work, but worth every dirty dish! :) The following posts include all the course recipes:

- Shrimp cocktail
- Rosemary whole-wheat bread
- Mixed greens with asparagus and lemon vinaigrette
- Baked potato soup
- Grapefruit-mint sorbet
- Roasted Lemon Chicken on brown rice
- Skillet-braised brussel sprouts with bacon and shallots
- Molten chocolate cake with whipped cream

We served 2008 Castle Rock Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and apple-grape sparkling cider.