Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Chocolate Amaretto Mousse

This was the dessert made in the cooking class we took at the Chopping Block.  As you can see, it was an amazing meal...almost too rich for me but I managed!  We subbed Kahlua for the Amaretto and it was really good.  I really think you can use any liqueur you desire.  This recipe as written serves 4.

1/4lb. semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 eggs, separated
1 tbsp. Amaretto
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/3 C. heavy whipping cream

Bring an inch of water to boil in a saucepan.

Place chocolate and butter in a large bowl or bain marie that will fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water.  Turn off the heat and place bowl on top of the saucepan.  Allow the mixture to melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pot.

Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, and add the liqueur.  Set aside until cool to the touch.

Place the heavy whipping cream in a large mixing bowl.  Whip by hand or with an electric mixer until very soft peaks form.  Do not overwhip.

In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites using an electric mixer and clean beaters until they become foamy.  Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat.  Keep whipping until the whites form shiny soft peaks.

Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture, one third at a time, until almost incorporated.  Fold in whipped cream until no streaks appear.

Place mousse into individual serving dishes or one large serving bowl.  Chill thoroughly, about 2 hours. Serve cold.

Aged Cheddar Potatoes Gratin

This dish was THE BOMB!  It was so rich and creamy...and cheesy.  Pair it with the Mustard and Herb Crusted Pork Loin from the previous recipe for a great meal.

1 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
5 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1 tbsp. thyme, rough chopped
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
Truffle salt and pepper to taste
3 C. aged white cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Heat together the cream, garlic and thyme in a saucepan until steaming.  Set aside while preparing the potatoes.

Lightly butter a baking or pie dish.  Placed a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom of the dish in a concentric circle.  Season with truffle salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle about 1/4 C. of the infused garlic cream on top, and finish with a sprinkling of cheese.  Continue with more layers in this fashion until the baking dish is full.

Top the gratin with the remaining cheese and cover with foil.  Bake in a parchment lined sheet tray for 30 minutes.

Uncover the baking dish and continue to cook until the potatoes are knife tender and the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then cut into slices and serve.

Notes:

These can be made in ramekins, which will take half the time to cook.

To roast garlic, slice the top off of a whole head of garlic to expose the cloves.  Place it in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cloves are soft and a light golden in color.


Sauce Robert

This is a rich and yummy sauce that was used over our pork loin from the cooking class we took last month at the Chopping Block.  This is a sauce you're going to want to have bread for just in case you have some left over on your plate that needs to be sopped up.

2 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, medium dice
1 stalk celery, medium dice
1 carrot, peeled and cut into medium dice
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 C. white wine
2 1/2 C. beef stock
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. cold butter

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the butter.

Saute the onion, celery, and carrot  until lightly caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and continue to cook an additional minute.

Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 additional minute.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping any fond off the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock, thyme and bay leaf and whisk to combine the ingredients.  Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced slightly.

Remove the bay leaf and whisk in the mustard.  Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste and mount with cold butter.


Dijon and Herb Crusted Pork Loin

This was the main dish we made (OK we watched it being made) at our Chopping Block class.  It was delicious and if it ever gets warm enough here to grow things outside, I'll have fresh herbs.  The jury is out about it ever getting warm enough.  :(  Of course, it's awesome to have the oven going when it's this cold.

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 2-2 1/2 pound pork loin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 roasted garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, rough chopped
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, rough chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add the oil.

Season the pork loin with salt and pepper to taste and sear all sides to a deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Place on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan.  Save the saute pan to prepare the sauce.

To prepare the mustard glaze, mix together the Dijon, olive oil, roasted garlic, thyme and rosemary in a small bowl.

Brush the seared pork loin with the mustard glaze and roast until the internal temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees.

Remove the pork from the oven and set it on a cutting board with a juice groove.  Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

Cut the loin into 1/2 inch slices and serve with Sauce Robert and Aged Cheddar and Potato Au Gratin (recipes to follow).


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Endive and Watercress Salad with Apples, Toasted Walnuts, and Goat Cheese

This is the salad we ate at our cooking class at Chopping Block...thinking about swapping out the walnuts for pecans but that shouldn't surprise anyone who reads this blog regularly.

For the salad:

2 heads Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise
1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed
1 sweet red apple, julienned
1/2 C. walnuts, toasted
1/2 C. goat cheese, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:

1 small shallot, minced
3 to 4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. dijon mustard or whole grain mustard
2 tsp. honey or maple syrup
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Gently toss together the endive, watercress, apples and walnuts in a large salad bowl.  Set aside while preparing the vinaigrette.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, mustard and honey.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking rapidly to form an emulsion.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dress the salad with just enough of the vinaigrette to coat.

Serve on chilled salad plates topped with a sprinkling of the goat cheese.

Sauteed Scallops with Brussel Sprout Bacon Hash and Brown Butter Sauce

A couple of weeks ago...OK, it was the weekend after Valentine's Day...Chris and I went to a cooking class at one of our favorite cooking schools, The Chopping Block.  This was a demo class so we were able to sit back relax and eat.  The Chopping Block has fantastic chefs that have such a passion for cooking and with great personalities as well.  This class got Chris to eat Brussels sprouts and me to scallops.  Yep, it's possible the Earth fell off its axis that night.  All of the food was fabulous but the appetizer was one of the more amazing things I have eaten lately.

For the hash:

1/4lb. bacon, cut into thin slices
4 fingerling potatoes, sliced into thin circles
1lb. Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
t tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh thyme, rough chopped
salt and pepper to taste

For the scallops:

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
8 sea scallops
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. butter
4 fresh sage leaves

To prepare the hash, heat a saute pan over medium low heat.  Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until just crispy.

Add the potatoes and cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the Brussels sprouts and shallots and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender and the Brussels sprouts are crisp yet tender.

Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

To cook the scallops, heat a separate large saute pan over medium high heat and add the grapeseed oil. Season the scallops with salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange them in the pan so they aren't touching and sear on the first side until very caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium, flip the scallops and swirl in the butter.  Baste the scallops with the butter until they are just cooked through, about 1 additional minute.  Remove from the heat and add the sage leaves.

For the assembly, place a small spoonful of the Brussels sprout hash on each plate.  Top with 2 scallops and drizzle the brown butter sauce around and over the scallops.  Garnish with sage leaves and serve.

Chipotle Braised Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe from Flavour Cooking School which is one of the local schools where Chris and I take classes.  This was one of the their holiday 2012 recipes.  Chipotle goes so well with sweet potatoes.

4 pieces of bacon, stacked and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tsp.-1 tbsp. minced chipotle pepper with adobo
1/4 C. dry white wine
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2-3 C. chicken or beef stock
1/2-1 lime freshly sqeezed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add bacon to cold, large heavy soup pot.  Cook over medium heat until crispy.  Remove bacon from pot, drain and set aside.

Add onion, garlic, ginger and sugar.  Saute until onion is tender--5-7 minutes.

Stir in chipotle to taste and wine.  Cook until wine evaporates--2-4 minutes.

Add sweet potatoes and enough stock to reach 1/2 way up the potatoes.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are knife tender--20-25 minutes.  Add bacon back to pot.

Stir in some lime juice.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Mistakenly Zesty Pork Chops

I found this on allrecipes.com  A simple mistake of cocktail sauce instead of chili sauce and a taste sensation was born!

1 C. soy sauce
3/4 C. water
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 dash lemon juice
1 C. ketchup
1/2 C. cocktail sauce
1/4 C. brown sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. ground dry mustard

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the soy sauce, water brown sugar, honey, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and cool.

Place the pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag.  Pour the cooled soy sauce mixture into the bag, seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the pork chops, and discard marinade.  Arrange the pork chops in a baking dish and bake 30  minutes in the preheated oven.

In a bowl, blend the ketchup, cocktail sauce, brown sugar, water and mustard.  Pour over the pork chops and continue baking 30 minutes to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.



Baked Omelet Squares

I may try selling Chris and the kids on breakfast for dinner.  We all like breakfast...I've just never served it for dinner for them before.  This would be easy enough to serve with some bacon and English muffins.

1/4 C. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 12oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 6oz. can sliced black olives (Might have to omit these, not too many fans in the family!)
Chopped cooked ham, optional
sliced jalepeno peppers, optional
12 eggs, scrambled
1/2 C. milk
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, can cook the onion until tender.

Spread cheddar cheese in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Layer with mushrooms, olives, sauteed onion, ham, and jalepeno peppers.  In a bowl, scramble eggs together with milk, and season with salt and pepper.  Pour egg mixture over ingredients but do not stir.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer runny in the center and slightly brown on top.  Allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Balsamic Strawberries over Angel Food Cake

For years we have had strawberries with angel food cake for many a spring dessert.  We've never put balsamic on the strawberries though.  Going to have to try it.

1/4 C. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 C. halved strawberries
Angel food cake

Combine sugar and vinegar in a bowl; stir until sugar dissolves.  Add berries; toss gently to coat.  Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon berries over cake slices.

Portobello Saute

I made this tonight for dinner with NY strip steaks.  Chris is not a big mushroom fan so I diced two giant portobello caps and sauteed them in a pan with a diced onion in garlic infused olive oil.  I cooked them over medium heat until the mushrooms and the onions were almost the same color, about 10 minutes.  I added some additional oil during cooking and salted and peppered them when I took them off the heat.

This might be the shortest recipe on the blog.

PS--the beagle does NOT like portobellos!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Easy Corn Chowder

I am getting the feeling that it's going to be cold forever.  Now I realize that we really didn't get any winter weather until February this year but I am tired of the cold and snow.  Time to move on and honestly spring and summer are so much nicer.  It's a good thing I can eat soup year round!

2 medium unpeeled red potatoes
1 C. cubed cooked ham
1/2 C. diced red bell pepper
1/2 C. coarsely chopped celery
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
14oz. chicken broth
1 12oz. can fat free evaporated milk
1 15oz. can creamed corn
2 tbsp. sliced chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cooked crumbled bacon (optional)

Cut potatoes and ham into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside.  Dice bell pepper.  Coarsely chop celery.  Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender.  Stir in flour; heat until bubbly.  Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking as you go.

Add potatoes; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in ham; heat through.  Remove from heat, stir chives into soup and season with salt and pepper.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cooked bacon, if desired.

6 servings (6 1/2 cups)

210 calories, 4g. fat, 34g. carbs, 11g. protein, 880mg. sodium, 1 g. fiber.

Chicken and Orzo Soup

This is a Pampered Chef recipe.  I have most of the stuff that Pampered Chef sells so making this soup shouldn't be difficult.  I haven't added a ton of new soup recipes recently.  I have been relying on a few old favorites...I currently have Italian Sausage Soup thawing for future lunches.

1/2 C. shopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
32oz. chicken broth
1 C. water
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/3 C. uncooked orzo
1 1/2 C. diced cooked chicken (I will probably season the chicken with my Greek seasoning)
1 C. chopped zucchini
1/3 C. chopped roasted red pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Feta cheese and snipped parsley (optional)

Chop onion.  Heat oil in saucepan over medium high heat until hot.  Add onion, garlic, and oregano; cook and stir 3 minutes.  Add broth, water and black pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in orzo; cook stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Meanwhile, dice chicken.  Chop zucchini and red pepper.  Add chicken, zucchini and red pepper to broth.  Return to boil; cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.  Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with feta and parsley if desired.

Yields 4 servings (6 Cupsx)

Per serving: 190 calories, 5g. fat, 18g. carbs, 17g. protein, 980mg. sodium, 1g. fiber


Sunday, March 10, 2013

Sunburst Fruit Salad

This recipe is in the new Kraft Food and Family that arrived yesterday and I think I am going to make it for Easter.  With a few little people who are a little picky in their eating habits, sometimes chunks of fruit are an easy sell.  The photo in Food and Family shows the fruit arranged on a platter, I may try it in a glass salad bowl.  It should be very colorful.

1/2 C. sour cream
2 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. zest and 1 tbsp. juice from 1 lime
1 C. seedless red grapes
4 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 C. fresh blueberries
1 1/2 C. fresh pineapple chunks
3 navel oranges, peeled, quartered and sliced
3 C. halved fresh strawberries

Mix sour cream, honey, zest and juice.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Arrange fruit as desired.

Serve fruit with dressing.


Monday, March 4, 2013

Lemon Bundt Cake

Who saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding??  Who knew that "bundt" had so many syllables??  This is from allrecipes.com, one of the several sites that send me recipes on a regular basis.  Does that make me a food dork?

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 C. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 C. lemon lime flavored carbonated beverage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix, then stir in the oil.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the lemon lime soda.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool.

Key Lime Bars

 We love key lime pie.  I found this recipe in the April/May issue of Taste of Home.  It will be a nice addition to some of our spring and s...