A lot more good food!!!

Jeanne's chocolate layered loaf cake

I had an idea of making a layered dessert using this flour-less chocolate cake that I love by Jacques Pepin, along with raspberries that I had in the frig, some pastry cream and lady fingers.  So I cooked down 2 containers of raspberries with some sugar until it became like a jam and strained half of it (because their was a lot of seeds from the fruit).  I dissolved some gelatin and added that to the raspberries and chilled it.  The chocolate cake itself is 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate, 3.5 egg whites at room temp and 1 Tbsp of sugar; Heat the cream in a medium saucepan until it comes to a simmer; remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate; whisk slowly and as the chocolate melts it will become one with the cream; whip the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks and with a glossy sheen; spoon 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate and whisk; pour this chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites and fold gently, working quickly; pour batter into a 9 X 9 inch brownie pan that you have sprayed with Pam and lined with parchment; bake for 10-12 minutes or until its done; let cool in the pan

To make the pastry cream layer beat on high speed with the whisk attachment 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp corn starch and 4 large egg yolks until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes; meanwhile combine in a medium saucepan 1 1/3 cups of milk and 1 vanilla bean split and the seeds scraped into the milk and bring to a simmer; fish out the vanilla bean and slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture; scrape this mixture back into the saucepan and and cook over low heat whisking constantly until it thickens, cook an additional 45 seconds; remove to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let it cool at room temp and chill it

To assemble line a loaf pan with plastic wrap; cut the cake in half and lay one half in the bottom; then a layer of pastry cream; then a layer of lady fingers; a layer of the raspberry jam; a layer of the pastry cream; a layer of the lady fingers; a layer of the raspberry jam and the other layer of chocolate cake; wrap with the plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the frig; invert the cake out to a platter removing the plastic wrap and pour on a chocolate sauce (recipe follows); made by heating 4 oz of heavy cream to just under a simmer remove it from the heat and add 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate that is chopped small; let it melt in and whisk to combine.

My chocolate layered loaf cake cut to see the layers...

Eggplant Parmesan Re-du

Instead of the regular breading and frying technique for eggplant Parmesan, I wanted to try an easier and healthier way so I used my broiler instead of a frying pan and added mushrooms, I also made a Frico which is baked grated Parmesan cheese, this adds a nice crunch to the final dish

I got 2 small eggplants, I like them because they have less seeds so they are less bitter.  I cut them lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices; lay them on a sheet pan and brush with olive oil salt and pepper on both sides; roast in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes...

 Make a tomato sauce using whole peeled canned tomatoes, heat a saucepan with a little olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes and crushed garlic; once the garlic starts to sizzle add diced red onion and a pinch of salt; after a few minutes add the can of tomatoes crushing them with your hand as you put them into the pan, add another pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar; simmer and cook for about 45 minutes...

 Make some sauteed mushrooms by slicing Baby Bella mushrooms about 1/4 inch thick and adding to a hot skillet coated with olive oil, cook down a bit and add a pinch of salt; continue to cook for a total of about 10 minutes, add fresh thyme; have ready some goat cheese...

 To assemble spoon some tomato sauce at the bottom of a small gratin dish and place the eggplant in overlapping until you use up all the eggplant; place the mushrooms in and around the eggplant; tuck a few spots with slices of goat cheese; sprinkle some more tomato sauce on but not covering completely place; sprinkle a couple Tbsp of fresh bread crumbs combined with a little olive oil for some crunch; Bake 15 minutes in a 350 oven; serve the Frico (below) on the side for more crunch.

Make the Frico by grating some Parmesan reggiano mix in a pinch of red pepper flakes, a little black pepper and fresh thyme; place a Tbsp of the grated cheese mixture onto a silpat lined cookie sheet and bake at 425 for about 7-8 minutes or until the cheese turns into a lacy cracker; using a small offset spatula remove it and let it harden which takes only seconds.

Beet and goat cheese salad with salted pistachio's and parsley leaves 

You can't go wrong with roasted beets and goat cheese.  The addition of pistachios and herbs are a great compliment. 

Zucchini carparcio

I used a mandolin to evenly and thinly slice a zucchini then I arranged them on a serving plate; drizzle olive oil, a squeeze of a half a lemon, salt and pepper then some amaranth micro-greens.  An easy and different side dish that gets better as it sits.

Smoked salmon draped over Creme Fraiche and toast with salted capers

I saw this in my Evac Eric (Eric Ripert's) book.  He used a piece of Brioche bread, cut it into a round and toasted it, with no oil or anything in the oven.  I used a piece of Chibata bread that was a couple days old and needed to be browned in butter in a non-stick pan.  This was really good and I immediately thought this would be a good appetizer to serve by cutting smaller "one bite" sizes of bread and toppings, (This wasn't that big, it was cut into a 3 inch circle); So it's just the toasted bread cut into a 3 inch round, top it with about a tablespoon of creme fraiche then pound out some smoked salmon and cut it into a 6 inch round; drape the salmon over the creme fraiche and he tops it with caviar (he said for the salt and crunch), I used the capers that I rinsed then drained well then add a good pinch of Fleur De Sel... really good!  Love the idea of pounding the smoked salmon, it make it so tender when you do.

Portabella Mushroom topped with mascarpone cheese, turkey sausage, tri colored baby bell peppers, onions and fresh oregano.

  I made the filling ahead by sauteing the vegetables and browning the sausage, seasoning it all with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and toasted fennel seeds; I marinated the mushroom for a couple hours with olive oil, fresh oregano, salt and pepper and a couple thin slices of garlic; when it came time to assemble and cook it I heated a non stick skillet with a little butter and olive oil then I place the mushroom caps top side down and cooked them about 5 minutes to get the flavors going then flipped it over; top it with mascarpone cheese and the sausage mixture then bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, garnish with fresh oregano; this wasn't meant to have a sauce but the mascarpone cheese ran out of the mushroom completely and mixed with all the juices from the mushroom and the filling and made it's own sauce which turned out to taste really good.

Homemade goat cheese and sage ravioli with crisp prosciutto and baby spinach leaves

I made some fresh pasta sheets and filled them with a combination of goat cheese, finely chopped prosciutto (that I cooked first) and chopped fresh sage from the garden; I also made two bigger ones (just because) and made a bed with the goat cheese mixture then dropped one egg yolk on each, sealed it and boiled it along with the rest of them and it was really good with the "natural sauce" that an egg yolk creates; using butter, shallots, a little flour and chicken stock I made the sauce (I never use flour in a pasta sauce like this, but I wanted to try it instead of my usual heavy cream I add to thicken) and I liked using the roux (butter and flour); Once the ravioli is done add it to the sauce and cook together for a minute; I dropped in the baby spinach into the turned off pot of water that I made the pasta in and after a minute it was done I topped the dish with it along with the bigger pieces of prosciutto

Strawberry Tart with Balsamic Syrup and Whipped Cream

This was great.  I made a basic pie dough and after chilling for an hour I rolled it out to a 1/4 inch thickness and about 10 inches wide; place on a Silpat or parchment lined sheet pan and chill for 30 minutes; cut 1 lb of hulled strawberries into 1/4 inch slices and toss with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch; immediately arrange them in concentric circles on the dough, starting 1 inch from the edge, overlapping slightly); fold the edges up over the strawberries and refrigerate for 15 minutes; brush the edge of crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, dot about 1 tablespoon of butter (cut into small pieces) on the strawberries; bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.  To  make the balsamic syrup pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and reduce by about 1/2, it will thicken and the sugar that's already in the vinegar with intensify and you will have a sweet balsamic syrup (the trick is to stop it from cooking at just the right moment, it should be thick like a sauce but not so much that it starts to get bitter and burn.  Whip some cream with vanilla and sugar and you have a fantastic dessert. 

Ricotta, Shiitaki and Tomato Tartine's

On slices of tasty toasted bread top with ....fresh ricotta seasoned with lemon zest, salt and pepper; sauteed shiitaki mushrooms that I cut into good sized pieces with thyme, salt and pepper and top it with these little colorful tomatoes and some Fleur de Sel on top of that for crunch.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Tomato Aioli

I couldn't believe my eyes when I was shopping at Whole Foods and I came across these zucchini blossoms, they usually don't carry them.  I have only seen them at farmer's markets or growing in my yard (one time).  I love these Flowers to stuff with ricotta, battered then fried.  I combined some ricotta that I drained for a couple hours with an egg, some lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper.  Remove the stamen that you will find inside the flower and using a pastry bag, fill with the ricotta.  Chill until you are ready to fry.  Heat some canola oil in a medium pan, you know it's ready when it starts to shimmer a little. Make the batter by combining a scoop of flour with cold sparkling water, whisking until you have the consistency of heavy cream; That's it, dip in the zucchini blossoms and let the excess drip off, then into the oil.  It will take no more that 2-3 minutes and you will have these light as air, crispy blossoms.  To make the tomato ailoi I use my mortar and pestle and start with one egg yolk and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp of tomato paste a quarter tsp of kosher salt; mix with mortar and add a tsp of white wine vinegar; mortar in some olive oil about 1/2 cup or so, mixing the whole time; add a squeeze (about 2 tsp) of lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

Pork and Prune Roulaud with Sherry Gastrique and Pine nuts

I served celeriac puree and baby spinach with this.  The celeriac is cooked the same as you would do mashed potatoes with the milk and butter added as you mash.  The spinach is sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. 

To make the pork and prunes I first soaked the dried prunes in hot boiled water for a couple hours, drain and pour port wine to cover and let it sit at least 15 minutes; cut the pork tenderloin open by cutting lengthwise about 1/2 inch deep then continue to cut as if you are unrolling a spiral; pound out even thinner to more like 1/4 inch; season with salt and pepper, brush on some Dijon mustard and place the port soaked prunes down the center; roll up and tie with butchers string; chill until you are ready to cook it off; sear the pork in a large skillet on all sides then place it into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so (depending on the size) or until the instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees.  Keep the pork warm while you make the gastrique; in the same pan deglaze with vinegar (I think I used Sherry vinegar) about 1/4 cup and a tablespoon of sugar, cook together stirring the sugar to dissolve and add a splash of chicken stock (1/8 cup or so)remove from the heat and swirl in 1-2 Tbsp of butter; plate and drizzle with the gastrique and sprinkle on some toasted pine nuts.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Yellow Zucchini and Wilted Arugula

I had some leftover ricotta from making the squash blossoms so I decided to add a little flour, and make it into a gnocchi dough.  I added just enough to my leftover ricotta filling to make a dough and without over working it, kneed it gently.  Roll into a 1/2 inch snake shape and cut about 1 inch pieces.  Roll onto a gnocchi tool or the tines of the back of a fork to make grooves.  I froze these on a sheet pan while I made the sauce and zucchini.  Basically just a few sundried tomatoes, a roasted red pepper and some olive oil buzzed up in a food processor and seasoned.  I heated the sauce and after I boiled the gnocchi in salted boiling water for about 4-5 minutes I added them to the sauce, along with some Parmesan cheese.  I slowly cooked the yellow zucchini in butter and water just to soften but not brown ahead so that was heated and added to the top.  I also cooked some arugula and added that.  It came out very nice.

Beet and Goat Cheese Skewers with Pickled Vidallia Onions and Arugula

Fanned out Roasted Potatoes

These are just sliced Yukon Gold potatoes that I drizzled with olive oil, melted butter, salt and pepper then roasted in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  It's a combination of a baked potato and thick potato chips.  Next time I will leave them in another 10 minutes so they get even crispier.

Broccoli Rabe and Bacon Souffle

This was a basic souffle that I added cooked broccoli rabe and bacon that is cut into smaller pieces and the fat rendered off.  It's made by making a bechemel (using 3 Tbsp butter and 3

Tbsp flour and 1 1/2 cups of milk) with 3 egg yolks added to it after it's cooked.  Whip 5 egg whites and fold the whites into the bechemel, broccoli, bacon and some Gruyere cheese.  Put this mixture into a souffle mold that you have buttered and coated with fresh bread crumbs and Parmesan mixed together.  Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minute.  Serve immediately.

Crispy Polenta Layered Cake with Persillade and fresh tomato salad

I made the quick cooking polenta but you can use either one and I let it set in a 1 inch layer; (I roasted some diced eggplant, onion, zucchini and garlic for 40 minutes at 400 degrees with olive oil, salt and pepper, ahead of time), I put a layer of vegetables down on the polenta then another layer of the quick cooking polenta (3 minutes); I chilled that and once it was cold I cut it into the desired shape and dredged into flour, egg then Panko bread crumbs; shallow fry in some Canola oil until browned.  I chopped some fresh parsley and garlic with kosher salt and this is called a persillade, I sprinkled it over the polenta; tomato salad with pickled onions on the side...very nice...

Tiny Pasta Salad with Aioli, chives, sun dried tomatoes and cherry tomato slices

These egg noodles I got in Naples Florida were tiny about 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch thick.  I never saw some so small.  I boiled them and made this cold pasta salad. 

Fig Tart with Orange Zabione

On our last trip to Florida we had dinner at a nice restaurant before going to see the fireworks, and fig tart with orange zabione was the dessert we shared, so I had to recreate it.  The tart itself I just made my regular pie crust and I put a bed of fig jam on the bottom, then I just layered on some fresh figs in a decorative manner, dots of butter on the fruit and egg wash and sugar on the dough.  The zabione is easy it's just 3 egg yolks, 3 Tbsp of sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice ;the egg yolks and sugar are whisked together until lightened in color then you add the liquid (usually white wine but I was doing an orange flavored verity) whisking over a pot of simmering water until it triples in volume and thickens which takes about 5 minutes and your done!  I also zested the orange and added that in to the zabione for extra flavor.  I ended up dusting some confectioners sugar over because it needed to be sweeter (next time I'd sprinkle some sugar on the figs before baking) It was still very good, it's all gone...

New idea's for dinner...

Hot cherry peppers with fresh goat cheese and garnished with fresh thyme tops.  A perfect bite to go with drinks.

Kale and Gruyere twice baked potatoes

Coat 2 russet potatoes with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until the potato is cooked all the way through; cut the tops off and scoop out the potato, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges; mash the potato with butter, warmed milk, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and Gruyere cheese; have ready some sauteed baby kale cooked in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper; fill the bottom with kale and top it with the creamy potato and top again with some more grated Gruyere; place under the broiler to brown; while you brown the filled potato also coat the top with oil and place under the broiler to crisp up and become like a big french fry.  I just made a edamame and cherry tomato salad to go on the side.

Stuffed Baby Bella mushrooms with goat cheese, fresh bread crumbs, Shiitaki mushrooms, shallots and fresh thyme

I saute the Shiitaki with shallot, mix it the thyme, bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper; fill Baby Bella shells half way with goat cheese; fill the rest of the way with the Shiitaki filling and bake for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until the Baby Bella's start to cook down and the filling gets bubbly and browned.

Leek Tart

My friend works with a guy that has cooked for Julia Child, and he actually made this exact recipe for her and she loved it.  My friend knows me and copied the recipe for me...

Make a pie dough and line a 10.5 inch tart pan with it, chill for 30 minutes or until firm; preheat the oven to 425; prepare the filling, trim and clean 12 small leeks and roughly chop them; melt 4 Tbsp butter in a saucepan over low heat ; add the leeks, 1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste; cook, covered until the leeks are very soft but not browned, about 20 minutes, if the leeks have given off a lot of excess liquid, drain (which I did); combine 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup Creme Fraiche in a medium bowl and mix well, add the leeks and mix again; add 3 slices of Parma ham coarsely chopped and about 3/4 cup of Gruyere cheese; pour the leek mixture into the prepared tart shell and top with 1 more slice of Parma ham chopped and 1/4 cup more Gruyere cheese; season generously with freshly ground black pepper; bake until browned about 40-45 minutes; serve warm or at room temperature.

Pork tenderloin with bean sprouts, Enoki mushrooms, red chili peppers over vermicelli rice noodles

I marinated the pork by first cutting pieces about 1 1/2 inch pieces and dropping them into a combination of white wine, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar and honey for about 1-2 hours; drain the pork from the marinade and brown in olive oil on all sides and cook through 90% of the way; remove the pork and set aside while you cook the vegetables, add sliced onion then sliced celery; after a couple minutes add a hand full of bean sprouts and the "noodle-like mushrooms" Enoki mushrooms; add a splash of chicken stock and cook until the vegetables are cooked as you like them and add the pork back in; heat through; soak the vermicelli noodles in boiling water for about 3 minutes and remove to your serving dish then top with the pork mixture; garnish with some celery leaves and thinly sliced red chili.  This was a healthy version of a stir fry, I didn't want to add soy sauce and cornstarch, I wanted to keep it clean and healthy.  It was very good

Baby purple and white carrot salad with orange dressing

It looks like sardines at first glance but Whole Foods had these "just picked looking" baby carrots, that came in 3 colors.  I chose the purple and white but they had the orange ones too.  I peeled and cleaned up the carrots then braised them in a tsp of butter and a splash of water until they were perfectly tender earlier in the day; I hard boiled 2 eggs and separately chopped them finely; To assemble I plated some greens (arugula and baby kale) on a white plate and laid down the precooked carrots that I cut in half, the eggs over that and  the thing that really made this incredible was the orange dressing I made to top it all.  Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with a Tbsp of olive oil then add a shallot finely chopped, juice 1 1/2 oranges and about 1 Tbsp of honey into the shallots and cook to reduce; add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper; strain into a small bowl and add the zest of one orange; spoon this over the chopped egg and carrots; season with fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

Braised chicken thighs with celeriac, potato, onion and pancetta 

I seasoned the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browned them skin side down in a stainless steel skillet coated with a little grape seed oil; when the skin is crisp remove the chicken to a plate and drain all but a Tbsp of the fat; add chopped red onion, celeriac and potato chopped; stir around and coat the vegetables in the oil, adding more if you need to, season with salt and pepper; add a splash of white wine and a splash of chicken stock (maybe 1/4 cup each); add the chicken back in and place in a 350 oven for 35 minutes; add a couple handfuls of green seedless grates and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes; remove the chicken and keep warm; reduce the liquid along with the vegetables right in the skillet on top of the stove until you get a nice "sauce" consistency; plate the chicken and spoon some of the vegetables and sauce around.  Yum

Swordfish over tomatoes and capers

I followed a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for this.  I must have seen this episode a few times and when I was at the store I saw the swordfish, I thought of this, here is the recipe.  It was so good, the combination is great.  The next morning I heated some of the tomato and capers combination and served a poached egg over and it was excellent!

Brioche bread pudding with rhubarb and cardamon whipped cream

I bought some rhubarb because it looked good but wasn't sure what I was going to make with it.  I also bought some brioche buns and I thought of a bread pudding when I got them.  Little did I know I was going to combine the two ideas.  I also had a third idea and it was sticky toffee pudding, I looked it up to see what it was made from because I thought it might be made like a bread pudding, well not really, but one of the ingredients was chopped dates.  I decided to add dates and cooked and sweetened rhubarb to my bread pudding.  It was a 6 pack of buns and they were all stuck together, so I kept them together and cut open like a sandwich and again so I had 3 layers.  In a loaf pan I spread some butter then one layer of  brioche; sprinkle on some chopped Medjool dates; then add the middle layer of brioche; and then the rhubarb that I cooked with sugar, a splash of water, a pinch of salt and cardamon to flavor; top with the top layer of the brioche buns and prick all over with the tines of a fork to help it really soak in when you add the custard; to make the custard mix together 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of milk, a generous 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and a tsp of vanilla; pour this custard slowly over the top, it may take about 5 minutes to let it settle and let it soak in by helping it along with the tines of a fork; allow it to sit for about 15 minutes before placing it into a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until the top starts to puff up.  The whipped cream is just whipped and flavored with cardamon, vanilla and confectioners sugar, good stuff!

Rice pudding with cherries and slivered almonds

I got a message that my new favorite lady Beatrice Peltre was demonstrating her rice pudding recipe for the associates at Google in Cambridge.  I get updates from her blog and this came in one morning and we were eating it that night.  I didn't make the topping the same because I used what I had which was fresh cherries.  Her recipe in her book is topped with strawberries stewed in lemongrass and lime. Here is the recipe.  I didn't have lemongrass (not something I keep on hand), but I added some lemon zest to the cherries as I stewed them a bit.  Mmmm!

Crudite' Platter served with sour cream, cream cheese, mayo and lemon dip

I made this and the Gougere's below for a graduation party.  The Gougere's are basically a savory version of  the shell of a cream puff or profiterole or even the chocolate eclair.  The savory version has Gruyere cheese. You can eat these as is or you can fill them, which was the intention here, to fill with chicken salad.  There were a few more things made here but I didn't get the pictures.

Try some of these idea's for dinner...

Tapinade and spinach stuffed chicken breast with roasted potatoes and onions

Pound out chicken breast and cut them in half if they are really big ones; have ready some baby spinach sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper; also have ready kalamata olive tapinade that you buy or it's just finely chopped kalamata olives with garlic (anchovies and olive oil if you like); season the chicken with a little salt and pepper then spread on the olive and spinach; roll up and use a tooth pick to secure; with a fork beat up a couple egg whites in a bowl and have ready some corn starch; dust the chicken with corn starch then coat with some egg white; place into a non-stick skillet and brown on all sides to get crisp; place in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until it's cooked through and the temperature reads 165 degrees.

For the potatoes; cut the potatoes with or without the skin into desired "fry shape" and coat with olive oil then sprinkle on the salt and pepper; do the same with sliced red onion; spread on a sheet pan; roast in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes tossing a few times for even cooking.

Tartine's

A tartine is an open faced sandwich on toast.  I had lots of cheese, tomatoes, an avocado I had to use up, some leftover tapinade (from recipe above), fresh herbs an a couple slices of prosciutto.  So what do you do with all these bits of ingredients?  Here you go... think of it like pizza but much easier and quicker...

Basil pesto and roasted chicken pasta salad

I roasted a whole chicken and removed the chicken from one breast and about that amount of dark meat, tossed it with some basil pesto and let it soak in, then chill; boil the pasta and while it is hot, I tossed it with the basil pesto to coat, chill; to make the basil pesto I smashed a small garlic clove and added it to the food processor and processed; add a handful of pine nuts and a couple good handfuls of fresh basil leaves and process; add about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and the juice of 1 lemon, process; add olive oil while the food processor is running until you get a sauce consistency; season with salt and pepper to taste; you may want a bit more lemon or cheese, you be the judge. 

To bring it all together toss the chicken and the pasta into a bowl and add cherry tomatoes (sliced or whole), toasted pine nuts, chopped sundried tomatoes and fresh basil. 

I like this served this at room temperature, but cold is good too.

Eggplant ravioli with roasted haricots vert, onion and mushrooms in a basil pesto sauce

I had made these ravioli a month or two ago and they were sitting in the freezer ready for me to boil.  I had some pesto leftover from the "pesto chicken pasta" I made so this came together easy!!!  I roasted the mushrooms, onion and haricots for about 25-30  minutes at 400 degrees just with olive oil, salt and pepper.  So I tossed all the components together and grated some Parmesan cheese over top.  This was excellent with a glass of red wine!!

Shittake mushroom caps with Gruyere and Thyme

I have this thing for mushrooms all of a sudden, which is good because they are so good for you.  I also made some regular stuffed mushrooms using button mushrooms, with a shittake, shallot, fresh bread crumbs, parsley and goat cheese filling (which I didn't take a picture of for some reason).  I had 3 shittake mushrooms left over so I decided to just simply cook them in butter and olive oil for a few minutes then remove to a baking dish cap side up and topped each one with a few small slices of Gruyere then under the broiler to melt the cheese; remove from the oven and top with a bit of fresh thyme from the garden.  Good stuff!

Turkey and Bella mushroom burgers with guacamole, tomato and onion

If I didn't tell you, you would have thought that was beef!  Not at all...I took a whole package of Bella mushrooms; cleaned and trimmed them then into a food processor with a shallot; cook this mixture in olive oil with salt and pepper; once its good and cooked down add fresh thyme and check for seasoning; let it cool then add a pound of ground dark turkey meat; season and fry up a small bit to make sure it's perfect; form into patties.  I made some guacamole by simply chopping up an avocado and mix in some salt, lime juice and cilantro.  These buns were skinny whole wheat and spelt buns you will find at Whole Foods.

Brie on fresh Baguette slices topped with apricot pepper jelly

I saw Laura Calder (French Food at Home show) make a sandwich of just butter and Brie on a Baguette so I did something similar, made without the butter but with the apricot pepper jelly I just came across, and sliced for an appetizer instead of her "hogie" style for a train ride.  Nice with drinks, it's like a big cracker with cheese and jam.

Chocolate crepes with cherry Creme Anglaise

I kept seeing these chocolate crepes in my new book "La Tartine Gourmande".  I finally said OK, it's time to make these.  She (Bea) suggested serving them with thickened creme anglaise which is basically ice cream before it's churned, thickened with a little cornstarch.  I just got these great cherries and wanted to use them.  I did that by infusing some cherry flavor into the milk as I was making the creme anglaise.  You usually heat milk and scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean, add seeds and the bean to the milk, then let it sit covered off the heat for 30 minutes, then strain out the bean.  I added some crushed cherries along with the vanilla bean to give it a pink color and of course the flavor.  Here is her chocolate crepe recipe.  For the thickened creme anglaise heat to just under a boil 1 cup of whole milk, 1 vanilla bean, cut open and scraped and about 10 cherries cut open and crushed slightly; cover and let steep for 30 minutes; whisk together 3 egg yolks and 2 Tbsp sugar until lightened in color and ribbon-y; add a tsp of corn starch to the egg yolk mixture and stir in; strain the milk and heat it gently until you see bits of steam; slowly whisk in the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and then back into the pan; place over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon; once it coats the back of the spoon it's done, this takes about 5-7 minutes; I folded in some chopped cherries and filled the chocolate crepes with the creme anglaise, topped with powdered sugar.

Raspberry, lady finger and creme anglaise triffle topped with whipped cream

I had some creme anglaise left over from the chocolate crepe dish so I just layered in the fresh raspberries, anglaise and lady fingers then topped with sweetened whipped cream.  I let it sit overnight to get the lady fingers really soft (like a tiramisu) yum!

Restaurant Review - Armsby Abbey

This review is a couple months in the making.  We've been a total of three times, but I'm just getting to this now.  I think maybe I just wanted to keep going so I'd have more delicious things to write about!  I would have to say that this place is just about our favorite restaurant these days.

Armsby Abbey is in downtown Worcester, between the courthouses on Main Street.  As you walk by and peek in the front door, at first glance it looks like a dark, dive-y bar. In reality...that description of the look of the place wouldn't be far off.  But quickly you notice that the beer selection is vast, focusing on mostly Belgian style beers.  There also seems to be a desire to feature local New England brews.  Next you notice the selection of craft cocktails made with all fresh ingredients and artisan spirits.  It makes sense that the place was featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Next the food.  The menu seems to change weekly (if not more often).  They always feature locally produced meats and cheeses on "slates" that include appropriate condiments.  All menu items feature local ingredients, simply prepared.  The last two trips to the restaurant featured the aroma of their house cured bacon being smoked.

We've been twice on Sundays for brunch.  Below are the items we had this past Sunday (copied from their online menu).

Onion Frittata

Caramelized Sweet Onion, Shaved Red Onion, fresh Scallion and Gruyere with Local Organic

Eggs from Gibson’s Dairy Farm served with a side of fresh Greens from Berberian Farm

dressed in a Red Wine Vinaigrette

Pig & Grits

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, Spicy Creole Sauce made with Victory Hop Devil, Vermont

Cheddar & Scallion Grits, Bacon braised Tuscan Kale, one 145˚ Local organic egg from

Gibson’s Dairy Farm

Belgian Sugar Waffle

Housemade to order with Belgian Pearl Sugar and Urthel Samaranth topped with a Rhubarb-

Strawberry Compote and Mint Whipped Cream

As far as drinks, I ordered from their "Bloody Mary Bar" (Right Gin infused with peppercorns, house bloody mary mix, garnished with house pickled asparagus, cocktail onions and a slice of house cured bacon).  Jeanne had the "Fleur de Violette" which was Crème Yvette Liqueur and Prosecco

with a candied Wild Hibiscus Flower.

So in summary, two thumbs up.  Worth the trip to Worcester.....

Healthy dinner ideas

Lemon cous cous with swiss chard and turkey kielbasa

I combined 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice, seasoned it with salt and pepper and added that to 1 cup of dry uncooked cous cous.  After it absorbed it all it was still slightly hard; I was watching a show where the chef said "do this and once the liquid is absorbed it's ready to eat".  I really just wanted to try this but wasn't planning on having it for dinner that night.  Well it went in the refrigerator and the next day I made this dish. 

I got some turkey kielbasa and cut it in half lengthwise; Sear the kielbasa in a skillet then add chopped onions (with some olive oil too) and the stems of swiss chard until tender then added the swiss chard greens and cooked until tender; add the cous cous and some chicken stock; let it all simmer together until the kielbasa is cooked all the way and the flavors meld.  I plated it and sprinkled on some amaranth micro greens.

Homemade pizza with tomato sauce, Madeira mushrooms, thyme cream cheese, fresh mozzarella, lemon zest and fresh basil.

Yum!

Bechamel over soft boiled eggs

We watched Jacques Pepin on his show "Essential Pepin", it was his show on eggs. He started the show with this easy recipe. He soft boiled the eggs by cooking them in boiling water for 6 minutes ( make a hole in the rounder end of the egg with a push pin before adding it to the boiling water). When they have cooked for 6 minutes drain and rinse in cold water, let the eggs sit in ice water and get really cold. Peel them by lightly tapping all around and hold them under running cold water while peeling and put them aside while you make the spinach and the bechamel.

Just saute some baby spinach in olive oil and garlic until you taste it and it's perfectly done (pinch of salt). To make the Bechamel, melt 1 Tbsp of butter and whisk in 1 Tbsp of flour in a skillet to make a roux, then add about a cup of milk. Whisk and cook until it thickens and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes to ensure that the raw flour taste is gone. Season the bechamel with salt, pepper and fresh nutmeg. Place the spinach in a baking dish and nestle the soft boiled eggs in, sprinkle on some Gruyere and top each egg with bechamel; place under the broiler just until the bechamel turns a golden brown and serve.

Here is what it looks like when you plate it and cut open the soft boiled eggs. Serve with toast and it's really good!!

Spanish Tortilla

I had never made this Spanish Tapas.  It's very popular in Spanish homes and I keep saying...." I gotta make one of those Spanish tortilla's some day...".  I made it because I was watching a show called "From Spain with Love".  The chef she went to see made one and it was almost under cooked in the center.  I tried to do that but it was kind of cooked all the way through but still very good!!  It's potatoes and onions with eggs and salt and it's cooked in alot of olive oil.  Here is the recipe I followed.

Grilled pork chop, grilled potato with aioli and baby spinach

I brined these good looking pork chops with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup kosher salt and about 1.5 quarts of water, for about 2 hours.  Tony lit the charcoal grill; he put these potatoes into an aluminum foil pouch with olive oil, salt and pepper; he gave the potatoes a head start on the grill, off the heat then added the pork and made some great grill marks and cooked them perfectly.  I sauteed some baby spinach with olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar and some re hydrated raisins.  I made an aioli with garlic, egg yolk, mustard, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil.  I served the aioli (below) with the potatoes.

Panzanella Salad

I had alot of tomatoes and alot of bread so I thought I'd make this.  I made a dressing with equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil, about 2 tsp of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper.  I toasted some flavorful bakery bread, chopped in 1" squares and place in a serving bowl.  I had alot of cherry tomatoes (usually you use fresh summer tomatoes and they are not heated), but I added some olive oil to a non-stick skillet and tossed in cherry tomatoes that I cut in half and about 1/2 of an onion sliced; heat through just to slightly cook the onion but so it's still crisp, and to heat through the tomatoes just to bring out the flavor.  Toss this tomato mix on top of the toasted bread in the bowl and add some of the dressing; toss and let it sit for 5 minutes then toss again (add more dressing if it needs it).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Sheppard Pie

Here is the mushroom Sheppard's pie, plated.

This was so good and easy to make and it's vegetarian.  I simply made some mashed potatoes seasoned with Gruyere cheese at the end.  Simultaneously I made the mushrooms; rehydrate about 1 cup of dried mushrooms with hot water(about 15 minutes), once re hydrated chop them;  saute thickly sliced fresh Baby Bella mushrooms in olive oil and butter for about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper; add 1/2 cup of red wine and let it reduce for 4-5 minutes; add about 1/4 cup of the liquid that you re hydrated the mushrooms in and cook it until most of the liquid is gone; season with fresh chopped thyme. Put some olive oil on the bottom of a gratin dish and layer in the mushrooms and top it with the Gruyere mashed potatoes; place into a 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes until the top starts to brown.

I served the mushroom Sheppard's pie with the Panzanella salad, very good combination.

Chocolate Cake with Chantilly Cream

This was good (sure it's healthy), there is no flour in it... just eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate.  It's from my favorite lady Laura Calder here is her recipe. 

Chantilly cream is a fancy way of saying whipped cream with sugar and vanilla.