How to Bake Bread in a French Oven

This weekend I will likely be sloughing on the sofa with my face slathered in Vicks, as I recover from what seems to be the plague that is making its way around my office. And if that isn't dramatic enough for you? Think Jane Eyre in the 1943 movie where they are forced to walk ceaselessly in the rain until her friend contracts pneumonia and dies. 

Anyway.

I thought I would share a baking success from last weekend. A boule baked in a French oven (Le Creuset). Frankly this is the easiest bread I have ever made, and has all of the ear marks of a professionally baked loaf.

Segue.

I have never had any trouble baking on the east coast where I grew up. Out here in the mountain west, results are frequently disastrous. I wasn't sure if it was the altitude (possible), but I read the opening chapters of the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, and it became almost insanely obvious that it was because of the dryness of the air (which also devastated my attempts at meat curing without MacGuyver-ing a curing room). What effect does the air have? So glad you asked. 

Having overly or under-ly(?) humid air can affect the weights of your ingredients, creating a situation where you may be putting in too much or too little of any one ingredient. Heat can similarly affect your ingredients in that it alters the chemical reactions. This is especially true when you cook by volume instead of weight.

You guys? I am a convert to cooking by weight. By the looks of my new kitchen scales you would think I was opening up shop as a drug dealer. In reality I am just OCD and refuse to settle for second best edible product. Or anything for that matter. Measuring by weight creates a fantastic looking and tasting product! It allows you to bake using one bowl!  It allows you to easily increase or decrease your recipe without the proportions becoming wonky. And precision! I can't say enough for it.

And why use a French oven? Well, those great loaves of bread with the great crust and the fantastic crumb? There are steam injectors in the ovens which help to develop the crust, and the nubs in your pot lid serve the same process... To drop the bits of steam on the dough and develop the crust. 

When all was said and done, the bread was miraculous. It's the sort of thing you could just eat fresh out of the oven (after having given it time to rest of course!!) With maybe a little good olive oil or fresh butter or with jam or as a crostini... How could anyone ever buy a loaf of bread again? Or use a dumb bread maker? This is so easy people... I challenge you to do it. You won't be sorry.

I used the recipe from Ruhlman's Twenty. You can see the recipe here and he has an awesome video to go with if you are so inclined. 

French Toast Bread Pudding

Every year I went out to Montauk during the summer (the very east most point on Long Island) for a little R&R with my mom, gram, and brother. Dad would join us the last weekend after he was done with work. Even before I came into existence, this had been an annual tradition for my mom and gram, I think beginning right after my great-gram had passed away.

Anyway, in Montauk there is a great breakfast place - Mr. John's Pancake House and we would eat there almost every morning. There was always a wait to get in, and the staff there knew my mom and gram by their first names.

My standard fare for breakfast has always been french toast with bacon. My gram would always chime in "make sure the french toast is well dipped". What she meant by this was make sure the bread is well soaked through before you put it on the griddle. Otherwise the egg scrambles and hangs off of the bread. Or you get scrambled eggs on top of your soggy bread. YUCK! (Incidentally, Tom and I went to a nice place for our anniversary last year and the shrimp was egged and breaded and just what I hate happened -- there were scrambled eggs hanging off the shrimp... BLECH)

A few weeks ago Tom and I went to the Farmer's Market at the park downtown, and a co-worker of mine was helping out Vossen's Bakery at their booth. When he saw me he gave  me a loaf of raisin bread for free! By itself I wasn't sure what to do with it since it was a sweet bread, but then I though - AHA! French Toast Bread Pudding! I saw Ina Garten make this on her show one day, and it looked delish. I didn't use her whole recipe -- just the basics, and then made it my own. This method makes it custardy, and the bread is definitely soaked through (which is what made me think of my gram) -- no scrambled eggs on my french toast here! This is perfect if you have a crowd for breakfast and don't want to slave over the stove, or you can just serve it up traditionally here, with a scoop of vanilla custard and maple syrup drizzled over. The recipe is also pretty versatile - you can really add in whatever you like. Ina's recipe is here if you want other inspiration.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Slice your sweet bread (raisin bread, challah, etc...) about 3/4" or so thick. This is not an exact science.
Line an 8 1/2" x 11" baking dish with one layer of your bread, breaking it into smaller pieces if necessary to fill the cracks
Repeat with a second layer of bread.
Mix together 5 cups of milk and 8 eggs wells, and add cinnamon to taste
Pour your mixture over the bread, and once you have poured it all in, put small plates on top to weight your bread for about 10 minutes (this will ensure your bread it soaked through)

Place your baking dish into a roasting pan, and fill the roasting pan with lukewarm water, about 1" up the side of the baking dish.
Tightly wrap the top with aluminum foil, and then cut a few slits into the foil to vent. Make sure the foil does not touch your bread pudding.

Bake for 45 minutes with the foil on, and then remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes (at which time it will be puffed and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and try not to burn your mouth as you gobble it down!

Tom's Birthday Dinner

Just as Tom's Birthday rolled around this year, we found ourselves with a sudden onset of Autumn. Usually here in Utah we don't get a real autumn until November, it feels like. With both of us being native East Coasters, we love the crisp in the air, the smell of the fireplace burning, and the leaves under foot.

Autumn also starts to bring to mind comfort food. Tomato Soup is one that comes to mind! With this in mind, we ran (well, we drove) to the Millcreek Farmer's Market and snagged up 8 pounds of end-of-summer tomatoes. It took me about an hour to make Cream of Tomato Soup, and we have several bags frozen for the cold months ahead! I used Ina Garten's recipe and I can tell you that nothing tastes as good as fresh tomato soup long after fresh tomato season is over. If you can get some end-of-season tomatoes, I would strongly advise you to make some soup and stock up!


For Tom's Birthday Dinner, I made him Steak Pommes Frite. Yes, those are home made french fries! Silly me though, I neglected to replace my oil thermometer (lost my other) before making the fries, and of course I decided to just wing it (bad idea), so of course the first batch came out burnt to a crisp, setting off the fire alarm and Tom scrambling to open all the doors and windows to air out the smoke. OOPS. Anyway, All's Well that Ends Well. The butter is a maitre d'hotel compound butter (YUM) and my guidance came from the Bouchon cookbook.

Last but not least! Birthday Cake! Traditionally I make Tom a Black Forest Cake from scratch, but this year he wanted to try something a little different. He had never had Sachertorte (I've had it regularly from a young age), and I found a good recipe on Epicurious. It was a HUGE HIT. Velvety dense chocolate cake layered with homemade Apricot Preserves, and swathed in a chocolate glaze (with more apricot preserves underneath it). Remarkably easy to make. I think I will make another one soon!

 

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches with Blue Cheese Coleslaw

By popular outcry, here are the recipes for the barbecue pork sandwiches and the Blue Cheese Coleslaw.

First the pork:

Dry rub:

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne
• 4 pound shoulder pork roast 

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 cup apple juice
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 

Accessories:

• 6 soft hamburger buns with seeds
• Bbq sauce
• Cole slaw

Directions

Mix the dry rub ingredients in small bowl. Sprinkle dry rub all over the pork roast, pressing into the pork. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When two hours have passed, preheat your oven to 325.


Combine liquid ingredients and the garlic powder in a medium bowl and pour into a large Dutch oven or Le Creuset style pot. Place pork in the pot and tightly cover with aluminum foil then lid. Roast for 4 hours or until fork tender and shreds easily. Brush the roast with cooking liquid every hour.

Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred the pork with a fork or tongs into bite size pieces.

Serve on hamburger buns topped with BBQ sauce and Cole Slaw.

Next, the Cole Slaw:

Ingredients

• 1/2 small head green cabbage
• 1/2 small head red cabbage
• 4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled (optional)
• 2 cups (16 ounces) good mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled Roquefort blue cheese

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Sliver your cabbage by running your knife from the outside of the cabbage towards the core (it is easier to lay it on one of the cut sides while shaving the cabbage. Likewise you can always use a food processor to do this faster). Repeat with carrots. Transfer into a large bowl, discarding any very large pieces. Before you pour the dressing on the salad, save a handful of the grated vegetables to decorate for serving. Transfer to bowl with the cabbages. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour enough mayonnaise dressing over the grated vegetables and toss to moisten well. Add crumbled blue cheese and toss together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature

Ciabatta Bread from Scratch!

On Michael Ruhlman's blog, he is dedicating this month to bread making from scratch. A recipe was posted here for a fabulous recipe from Two Sisters Bakery up in Homer, Alaska for Ciabatta bread from scratch. The pictures were mouth-watering, and I just knew I had to try my hand at it.

It was a great success! The process is a bit fussy, but I think alot of that was my lack of confidence that I wasn't royally f***ing everything up. Was my starter too dry in this Utah air? I think it looks funny! Oh good, it wasn't dry at all. Will the starter break down enough when I add the rest of the dough ingredients? Is it rising properly? Did I stir it down enough? Blah, blah, blah... but as Carri from the bakery said "Trust the process... it works!". It really does as long as you follow the recipe, which I hawked over throughout the entire process.

I was probably never buy another loaf of bread again (well, maybe French Bread, since that one is a little beyond me right now). Once I got over the insecurities I had, it was a remarkably easy process. And the end result was AMAZING! When my husband tried it he started to think of a hundred ways he could enjoy it. :-) It's chewy, and light, and has a delicate flavor (and the holes are even an appropriate size, considering how dry it is here in UT). Do it!

Hazlenut Truffles

I regularly make truffles - not always this kind - but I just finished these last night. Delish!

Edited to add: In my haste to get back to my Ciabatta bread, I neglected to put the recipe for the truffles on here.

3.5 oz of good bittersweet chocolate
3.5 oz of good semi-sweet chocolate (don't use chips - they have stabilizers in them which will ruin the whole thing.)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 tbs of Frangelico or other Hazelnut Liquor
1/2 tsp of good vanilla extract

Put your chocolate in a heat-resistant mixing bowl.

Put your heavy cream on the stove in a small sauce pot, and heat to just at a boil (don't let it boil for more than a second... yuck!)

As soon as your cream hits the boil, remove immediately, and strain over your chocolate bits. Stir until smooth. Add your liquor and vanilla, stir until smooth.

Cover and let it set in the fridge overnight.
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The next day (or whenever you get around to it) chop 1 cup of hazelnuts and set them in a bowl. I used my mini-cuisinart.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop your chocolate mixture, roll in your hands to achieve a round-ish form, and then immediately roll in your hazelnuts. Set on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and return to fridge to firm up, or until you eat them.

Enjoy!

I don't know what to call this except for a fish stew.

First, I have to apologize for the lame pictures. Unfortunately my camera died (permanently), so until I can afford to replace it with a lovely DSLR camera, you will have to deal with the crappy cell phone pictures. :-)

This recipe came from "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy". I think I've said it before, but, buy this book! It's filled with fabulous recipes, and I find myself cooking from it regularly.

You'll want to make your pasta first. It's a pretty simple 1lb of flour to 1.25 cups of very cold water, kneaded, and left to rest for a half an hour. Roll it out, cut it into large diamonds, or really whatever shape you like. Set your cut pasta on a cookie sheet to dry out while you cook dinner, but make sure the pieces don't touch each other or they will stick together something fierce. As in, you won't be able to separate it unless you tear it.

For this dish it's really important that you have all of your ingredients prepped, which is to say "mis en place". Things tend to move fairly quickly in some places, so you want to be prepared.

You will need:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb red potatoes, diced into a .25" cube
2 tbs tomato paste
2 medium stalks of celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 lb skinless fish of your choice (I used Mahi Mahi last night and it was better than the last time when I used a pretty delicate tasting fish, so I would recommend something with a stronger taste)
2 ripe medium sized tomatoes, cut into 1" cubes
3 qts of water

Now, since I generally only make this for me and my hubby, I only use some of the pasta. Too much is overwhelming, I think. I just chuck the rest in the freezer for another time.

So, you'll want about a quarter of a cup or so of good extra virgin olive oil. Set your large heavy bottomed (preferably enamelware, like Le Creuset or similar) pot over a medium heat and put in your olive oil and onions, sprinkling a good four finger pinch of salt on top, stirring to mix. Once your onions have softened, add in your cubed potatoes. When those begin to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, clear a space in the middle, and put your tomato paste right in the hot spot and leave it for a moment or two. Stir your paste in with your onions and potatoes. Add your bay leaves and celery, get everything hot, and then add in 3 qts of cold water. Stir one more time, put your lid on, bring your heat up to high, get your stuff boiling, and then reduce your heat to a steady perk. Let this go for 30-40 minutes.

When your 30-40 minutes have passed, uncover, and drop in your fish and tomatoes. Leaving the lid off, let your stew go for about 15 minutes, or long enough for your fish to cook through and your tomatoes to fall apart into the stew. Add your pasta right to the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Serve and eat immediately.

Crumb Cake

Growing up in NYC had alot of perks. Can you imagine that it wouldn't? Anyway, my dad is entirely German, with a teeny touch of Swiss thrown in. His family has always lived in predominantly German areas of Brooklyn and Queens after they immigrated from the Black Forest region of Germany back in the early 1800's. In these areas there are fabulous German bakeries. We even had one 5 blocks from my house on Jamaica Ave - I forget what it was called - and there was Reinwald's over on Braddock. Then there was Glendale Bakery, in, well, Glendale (where my dad spent some time growing up). Maybe the one on Jamaica was called Glendale Bakery too? Anyway, they always made these fabulous crumb cakes (a very German cake, unique to New York City), and forever I've been searching for a great recipe for one. This is probably the closest to the kind I grew up with, although the texture and taste of the cake is a little different than what I am used to. Nevertheless, this recipe from Martha Stewart is pretty freaking good, and of course you give it a good spanking of powdered sugar at the end. My husband says it is better than he has ever had, which were dried out and well, probably not from NYC. Yum!

PS - don't forget the cinnamon in the crumb topping... I did the first time around and had to scrap the whole thing after it was baked.

Vanilla Crescent Cookies

I wanted to give this recipe for Vanilla Crescent Cookies a whirl tonight. In my mind they would come out beautifully, and I would package them prettily for Christmas gifts. I don't know if it is because the air is so dry here in Utah or what, but I just couldn't get the dough to come together. It was just a big mess of nothingness. I guess I need to find a different recipe, but I am feeling rather defeated tonight.

A few new things

Forgive me public, for I have sinned. It has been nearly 8 months since my last blog post...

Anyway, here are a few recipes that were requested, and I apologize for not having pictures for all, but there it is. As always, using real ingredients rather than their cheap and tasteless mass-produced counterparts always, ALWAYS makes a huge difference.

First off, roasted chicken. It's an easy one dish meal that I make regularly, and by regularly I mean once a week. Preheat your oven to 425. On a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan cube yukon gold potatoes, yellow onions, carrots, etc... whatever vegetables suit your fancy, but these are the ones I use. Salt them (use kosher salt). Take your fresh chicken (3-4 lbs), and stuff it with quartered lemons. Slather it with about a stick of (real) butter, and salt it generously. Massage the butter in. Love it. Set the chicken on top of your veggies, and then stick the whole thing into the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes. After you are done with the chicken DON'T THROW IT AWAY! Nicely wrap it in foil and stick it in your freezer for the next step. Or at least, save your carcass and give it to me. I will return it to you in the form of fresh stock.

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Second off, I would like to re-emphasize to Kimmy how easy fresh stock is. It's so easy an infant can do it. All it requires of you is minimal attention. When you've made your first pot, let me know how you like it. You'll never go back to boxed or canned stuff when you see how freaking easy it is. Whenever you are making anything that requires even half a cup of fresh stock you will notice the difference.

The basis of the recipe I like to use is from Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy". I usually save enough carcasses to fill a 16 qt stock pot, and then double the ingredients because I just go through it that fast, but I will just list the recipe as she has it in her book. 

Put your carcasses into an 8qt pot, and just cover the chicken parts with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for a minute or two and you will see foam rise to the surface. Skim off and discard this foam, lower to a strong simmer, and cook for one hour occasionally skimming the fat and foam off.

Once you have let it simmer for one hour, add in 1 large onion cut in quarters, 3 medium carrots cut into chunks, 1 tbs of tomato paste, 8 cloves of unpeeled garlic, half a bunch of fresh Italian parsley, and 12 whole black peppercorns. I generally don't salt it at this stage - I usually wait until I am using it in my recipe. 

Cook for another 3 hours. Strain your stock through a sieve and discard the rest (saving the meat, if any, for the dogs). What I usually do is take the stock and refrigerate it overnight so that any remaining stock congeals  on the surface, making it super easy to spoon off. I usually store my stock in the freezer in 2 cup increments in ziplock bags. They say you can store it for up to 6 months but it never takes more than a few used to use it up.

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This one is for Aly. You'll have a chance to put your fresh stock to the test with another recipe from Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy" (It's a fab cook book. Go! Buy!) called Veal Chops with Fontina. I don't ever use Veal Chops though because they are just so expensive. I will just get some thick, center-cut pork chops and make them instead. Make one chop per person. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut your chops as if you were going to make them thinner, but don't cut all the way through (so, parallel to the counter). In a separate bowl, mix 8 oz of real Italian fontina cheese and 8 oz of real (Fresh! not from the Green Bottle of Death!) Paremggiano Reggiano. Take a meat mallet, and pound out each half of your chop. Take a generous mound of your cheese mixture and stuff it between your chop halves. "Sew" them closed along all your edges with toothpicks - you want to make sure your cheese doesn't leak out.

In a 10-12" oven-proof sautee pan that has pre-heated on medium-high, put two tablespoons of (real!) butter and a turn of extra virgin olive oil, and then when the butter melts, add the chops to your pan (only one layer though, so if you are making more than four you will need to do another batch). Quickly add 12 sage leaves between your chops. Turn your chops once or twice in the next 5 minutes that you are cooking them. 

After 5 minutes, clear a space in the middle of your pan and drop in 1 tbs of tomato paste. Pour two cups of white wine over the tomato paste, and stir it together, shaking the pan gently to distribute the yummy goodness. Bring to a boil, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add another 2 tbs of (real!) butter, turn your chops over again, and add in 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cover your pan, and put in the oven for 15 minutes. If you remove your pan at this time, your sauce will be thinner which is how I like it (wherein I make fresh spaetzle and serve it over the spaetzle), but you can thicken your sauce by taking the cover off and letting it cook off for another 10 minutes in the oven. 

Serve immediately so the cheese is oozing out. Yummm!!

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Fresh Spaetzle is so easy. Again. You'll kick yourself for ever buying the boxed stuff from the grocery store for $4 when you can make this for really, only about $1. I highly recommend investing in a $12 spaetzle maker before you ever make this so you don't have to spend three hours pushing it though a sieve. I speak from experience when I say that if you try to use a colander or sieve to push it through you will never want to make it again.

Whisk three eggs, and 3/4 cup of milk (any fat percentage will do), and salt to taste. After this has combined, add in 2 cups of flour and stir 'til combined. Let your dough rest 10 minutes. Maybe it's obvious, but it should be said that your spaetzle maker should be set over a pot of boiling, generously salted water. As soon as the dumplings pop to the top they are done. I use a spider to transfer them directly to the sautee pan with the sauce above, after the chops are done and removed.

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Last but not least. Gingerbread cupcakes with Orange Icing. I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa the other week, and they looked so good that I thought I would make them for Thanksgiving. They were everything I hoped they would be, albeit a tad rich. For the record I didn't use the crystallized ginger that the recipe calls for. I thought it was great without it. Click the picture for a link to the Food Network site where they have the recipe.

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Chicken Roll Ups

I think it has been a while since I last blogged. I've started a new part time job, and now I am sick,  and well... you know... life just happens right?

I don't know about anyone else out there, but we are being teased with spring here. I'm so done with the lack of available tasty produce. I definitely prefer a warm weather diet... I like light and bright flavors in my food, so this whole cruciferous and root veggies are starting to irritate me. I'm ready for new flavors!! Most of all I wish we weren't land locked because I prefer fish to meat. :-(

So in the last few weeks, I've made a couple of spring and warmer-weather inspired dishes. The first, a leg of lamb, is a classic spring meat, and is traditionally served on Easter (at least in the North East where I am from)(and this is a one dish meal so you have fewer things to clean up). Yum! The second was thrown together on a whim - chicken roll ups. I needed something fast and I used what was on hand. No pictures because the food disappeared to fast to take a picture of it!!

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

Recipe Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)

• 12 large unpeeled garlic cloves, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (6-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
• 4 to 5 pounds small unpeeled potatoes (16 to 20 potatoes)
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.

Peel 6 of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced. Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Toss the potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes and roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the lamb is 135 degrees (rare) or 145 degrees (medium). Remove from the oven and put the lamb on a platter; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow the lamb to rest for about 20 minutes. Slice and serve with the potatoes.

Chicken Roll Ups

This is an incredibly easy dish. You can make substitutions to this dish, but since I just threw this one together I'm really thrilled with how the flavors balanced. If you do make substitutions, you will want to make sure that you don't have one ingredient that will overpower the others.

You'll need one boneless skinless chicken breast per person

1/2 lb of thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma (Harmon's has started to import directly from Italy and it's so good I almost ate the whole thing without saving some for dinner!!)

Baby Arugula

Freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggiano

2 cups of chicken stock

Juice of two lemons

First, set a 10-12" sautee pan on a medium high heat, adding 2 tbs of butter and 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil to your pan.

Beat your chicken breasts to about 1/4" thickness between two pieces of wax paper. On each breast, put two layers of Prosciutto, a layer of arugula, and then a thick layer of Parmeggiano (the more the better with the cheese so that it stands up in taste to the Parma and the arugula, both of which have strong tastes.

Once  you have assembled your layers, roll your chicken breast up tightly, and secure with kitchen twine. Salt and Pepper the outside of your roll, and then brown your rolls in the pan on all sides. Once all sides are thoroughly browned, remove from the pan, and set aside. 

To your pan, add 2 cups of chicken broth and the juice of two lemons (three if they aren't very juicy), and then scrape the fond (the brown bits) from the pan. Bring your liquids to a boil, and then add your rolls back into the pan. Cover and let simmer until your roll is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. 

Serve with pan juices, and enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken

 

Another recipe from the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten).

This was delicious, and I used arugula instead of the mesclun mix that Ina's recipe called for. I would also urge you to definitely beat your chicken breasts, because it does affect your cooking time. Since you are coating the meat, it will burn if you cook it as long as you need to cook it through without beating it.

• 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• Unsalted butter
• Good olive oil
• Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
• 1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

nocoupons

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

This is a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). I can't eat mushrooms, but my husband's reaction was "WOW". Also, you will need a solid 2 hours to make this soup, although it definitely makes for leftovers.

• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

 

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Cinnamon Buns with Mascarpone Cheese frosting

This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Giada DiLaurentiis. We always enjoy these in our home! 

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (1-pound) loaf purchased frozen white bread dough, thawed in the fridge
• 1.5 cup powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoon buttermilk

Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. (I didn't use nuts as I don't prefer them, but you would put in 1/3 cup of nuts here if you like) Mix the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll out the thawed dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush 1 tablespoon of butter over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, forming a log. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the log into equal pieces. Arrange the rolls, cut side down, in the prepared baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm draft-free area until puffed, about 45 minutes.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Bake the cinnamon rolls uncovered until the tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese, and buttermilk in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the baked cinnamon rolls and then drizzle the cheese mixture over top. Serve warm.

Days 1 and 2 of the Great Week of Eating In

I was a bit too tired to post anything about my lack of exciting cooking yesterday (but really... who can say that they make all out meals every day?), but yesterday was grocery shopping day and it was exhausting as it usually is. On top of that, we live in a third floor walkup, and had already brought up a gratuitous number of non-perishables from Sam's Club the previous day (Relay style. It took an hour!)

Since I did the shopping, uncomplicated was on the menu for the day. I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch with this awesome roasted tomato and olive DaVinci Gouda on a fresh French boule. OK... Honestly? I just can't get enough of that cheese. It's creamy, it's delicious, it's versatile. I think it would make a great fondue, but I have yet to experiment with that.

Dinner found a corned beef and cabbage in the pot. This can't be an easier dish to make, and you only see the corned beef seasonally in the store so I snatched one up while I was there. Into the pot with the water and seasonings, then the cabbage goes in for the last 30 minutes. Can it get any easier?

Today for  lunch I made myself Smoked Salmon Pinwheels. I created this recipe as a variation on a favorite from my teenage years, again, from Yura's. They make them with different ingredients, and I came up with these one year for a cocktail party. They are so easy and so delicious - there are so many layers of flavor here. Recipe after the picture.

To make them, you will want to start with some pre-made flour tortillas. The larger the better, as they will yield more servings. You'll want one package of smoked salmon/lox (I prefer lox as it is a little saltier than smoked salmon), one 8 oz package of cream cheese, fresh dill, half of a large onion or shallots, finely chopped (I used shallots as I prefer their taste), and half of a lemon, juiced and zested.

Mix half (4oz) of your cream cheese, your lemon ingredients, your shallots or onions, and 4-5 stalks of fresh dill in a mini-prep or by hand until well combined. If you plan on making this by hand, do make sure that your onions or shallots are very finely diced unless you like larger bites of the flavor.  

Once it is combined well, spread your mixture onto one tortilla, making sure to leave a 1/2" border from the edge. Put one layer of salmon on top of your spread, and then roll your tortilla up like a jelly roll. Cut your edges off since they will not have anything in them, but then slice 1-1.5" rolls (as big as you like), serve, and enjoy. 

****

Tonight for dinner is a roasted chicken over onions, carrots, and potatoes. I plan on toasting some croutons to serve the chicken over. I am also defrosting a loaf of bread dough with which to make cinnamon rolls with Mascarpone frosting. Yummm!! 

Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

 

 This is like Gourmet Mac & Cheese. Definitely comfort food for a cold winter's day. Also this sauce is a great sauce to know how to make - great for using in other combinations. Best part? It couldn't be much easier. This recipe is courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis.

• 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
• Pinch fresh nutmeg
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned (roll it up as a cigar, and then cut it into slivers)
• 1 pound dry rigatoni
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce. Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce. Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Dot the top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Irish Soda Bread

 

Traditionally for St. Patrick's Day my mother would make Corned Beef with Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread. So what if St. Patrick's Day is still a month away and I'm not Irish? I was in the mood so I whipped up some Irish Soda Bread. It's easy and delicious. This recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). Oh... mom used to put in Carroway Seeds which I left out because I don't like the flavor of them. (Sorry! But not really!) Feel free to add a handful to your dough if you like a little anise flavoring.

nocoupons

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup dried currants
• 1 handful of Carroway Seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (in my case I used a non-stick sheet pan that I had lightly sprayed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour (your butter should be about pea sized).

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk and egg. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough (this helps the currants to not fall to the bottom of your dough. If you are adding Carroway Seeds, now is the time to do so. Your dough will be very wet.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Garlic Roast Chicken

Another great way to make chicken. We eat a lot of it in our house since it is locally slaughtered and it isn't expensive. I love this particular recipe because everything is done at once and in one dish. It had a delicate roasted garlic taste to it which was delightful. This recipe is courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa.

Preheat your oven to 425. 
Halve two whole heads of garlic, and quarter one whole lemon. Stuff these into the cavity of your 4-5 lb bird. Place into a roasting pan or on a half sheet as I do, slather with softened or melted butter, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut 2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes each into 8ths, 2-3 large carrots into 2-3 inch pieces, and one small to medium yellow onion into thick slices. Scatter these all around your bird. (See "before" picture, below)

Place the whole thing into the oven when it reaches temperature, and then roast for an hour and fifteen or so until the juices run clear when pricked. You'll know it is done when, if you listen to the cracklings in the oven, you will all of a sudden hear what sounds like a rain storm of splatterings.

When it is done, remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. If your veggies are not done, feel free to put just the veggies back in the oven while the bird rests. Carve and serve. (See "after" picture, below)

Although the veggies have no seasonings directly on them, they do cook in the drippings and butter from the bird. It was delicious! And, of course, it left me with another carcass for a pot of soup or stock. :-)

Step by Step Basic Risotto

I  love Risotto. I really do. There is something so magical about the way simple ingredients transform the way they do. There is also a meditative aspect from the rhythm of stirring the rice as you do. The best part is that you can make it as a side dish, or you can make it as a main dish as I do when I am too lazy to do anything else! Once you know how to make a basic Risotto, you are set. You can add anything else or make any other recipe once you know the technique.

* For this, you will want to bring to a boil 8 cups of chicken broth or stock (and then reduce to a simmer)
* Also, dice one medium onion or two smallish shallots (I love the flavor and aroma of shallots, especially when you use lemon as I did)
* 1.5 cups of Arborio rice

 
In a 12 inch sautée pan (you want one with at least an inch and a half in depth), bring a bit of extra virgin olive oil to a shimmer between medium and medium high. Add your shallot or onion to the pan, and cook until they become less opaque.

One you have cooked your shallot or onion, add your Arborio rice to the pan, and sautée that until the rice also becomes less opaque. With these two steps you want to work fairly quickly because you don't want anything to burn. You will also want to make sure you are dedicated to this dish, attention-wise, because it needs to be constantly stirred until it is done from here on out.

As soon as you have the first two ingredients to the pan, you will start to add your broth to the mix, and you will want to probably bring your temperature up to a full medium-high. Add one ladle (about a 1/2 cup) at a time, letting it become absorbed by the rice. As soon as the liquid is more or less absorbed, add another one, stirring constantly (otherwise it will stick and burn). Proceed this way until you reach the end of your broth (or near it - I use nearly all 8 cups, but not all). You'll know you are nearing completion when it becomes creamier and thicker. Your half-way point looks about like this, although the steam was keeping it from a really clear picture:

When I neared the end, I added in the juice of 2-3 lemons, and 3/4 cup of fresh Parmiggiano Reggiano. When I served it, it looked like this:

 

Enjoy!

Easy and Delicious Pork Loin

I made this as a challenge for my husband. Generally, for one reason or another, my husband has not really been a fan of Pork Loin. I said "I bet that I can make you a fan of this, and if, at the end of dinner, you still don't like it, I will never make it again".

I win.

Since it was just the two of us for dinner, I purchased one package of Pork Loin, containing two loins (appx 2 lbs), which gave us leftovers when all was said and done.

What you will need is the juice of 4-6 lemons to constitute 3/4 - 1 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 of good extra virgin olive oil, 6 cloves of garlic, chopped, a few fresh sprigs of Rosemary and Thyme. (NOTE: in all instances here, make sure your ingredients are fresh. It makes a huge difference, since anything in a shelf container generally tastes nothing like the fresh version. The herbs should be stripped from their stems, and minced as much as possible, but don't kill yourself over it.)

Combine all ingredients into a large, sealable Ziplok bag, and then add your pork loins. Seal the bag, and then mush the bag to evenly coat. Refrigerate and turn every so often for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours. I marinated for about 8 hours, and it turned out great.

When you are ready to cook, remove the meat from your bag, but do not wipe it down. Leave whatever clings to the meat. Set your meat into a dish, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Generously salt and pepper all sides of your pork loins while heating an oven-proof pan with a few drags of olive oil in it on medium high heat.

I know you are all confused and like, "are we cooking it on the stove or in the oven?".

Both.

When your pan heats up (generally when the Olive oil starts to shimmer), brown your loins on all sides. When that is done, and your oven has reached temperature, put your pan (with the loins) straight into the oven. This sears the outside of your meat, ensuring a nice juicy and tender interior (as long as you don't overcook it). You will want to leave your meat in the oven until a meat thermometer registers a temperature of around 137. Because it is pork it cooks fairly quickly, and you will find that if you leave it in the oven for any period of time beyond this, it will overcook.

Once it has reached temperature, remove it from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes while you finish your other meal preparations. Like I've said previously, this is really important because it lets the juices settle back into the meat.

Enjoy!