It isn’t! If nobody questions Tyler Florence, Ina Garten, Emeril, and over 335,000 Google hits, you don’t get to question me when I do it! And you certainly can’t be surprised by my combination when cheddar cheese and apple pie shows up in chain restaurants.

Pear and Goat Cheese Triangles

Besides, my approach was more subtle than cheddar and apple pie. I wanted to make little appetizers of crisp phyllo dough around a pear, blue cheese and honey mixture. Fold these into triangles, then bake until the phyllo begins to brown and the cheese melts. You’ll be left with a very tasty appetizer. I have to say, I even impressed myself.

If you have never worked with phyllo dough before, it can seem to be a little intimidating. The dough is very thin and can dry easily. Don’t worry though, a gentle hand and some plastic wrap to cover any unused dough is the best solution. Work on a large counter with enough space so the dough can remain flat. Any dough not immediately in use should be covered to prevent to becoming brittle and hard to work with.

Pear and Goat Cheese Trianlges

Be sure to wrap it completely around the filling or the cheese will ooze out onto the parchment paper as it bakes–I had a few leaks the first time I made this. In the end I found the best method was to use a double-wide strip and fold the dough over itself before folding into triangles (like little paper footballs). See here (here for video) for some folding tips, it’s not difficult. You don’t have to tuck the dough into the last bit as you would with paper, simply use a tiny bit of water to stick it to itself.

Pear and Blue Cheese Triangles

Ingredients
A note about the quantity of cheese and pear: Once the pear is peeled, seeded, and diced, you should have about equal parts by weight of pear to cheese.
7 oz blue cheese
about 2 pears (about 7 oz) peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice
phyllo dough

Directions
1. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced pear and cook until it begins to become tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the honey, cumin, and Chinese five-spice and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring often, until the pear is very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Can be refrigerated overnight.
2. In a medium bowl, crumble/smush the cheese. Fold in the cooled pear mixture. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Cut a sheet of phyllo dough in half lengthwise. Cover the rest of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Depending on the width of the phyllo dough (and the size you wish to make your appetizers) you will have some leeway with how wide to cut the dough. Put about a heaping tablespoon of the pear-cheese mixture near the bottom corner of the strip. Fold the strip in half down the length of it. Then fold the dough diagonally into triangles (see the links above). Once you get to the end, wet your finger in some water, then trace your finger around the last bit of dough to moisten it. Fold this over the top of the rest and it should stick to itself.
4. Place each triangle onto a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Bake (without the plastic wrap) for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough browns and becomes crispy.

Pear and goat cheese trianlges.

Because I thought it was ridiculous to only cook turkey once a year, I made a turkey a couple weeks ago.  I followed my previous method, and with an overnight brine the turkey was amazing.  And instead of taking the turkey carcass and throwing it in the trash, I dumped it in my stock pot.  Three hours later and I had delicious tasting turkey stock!  The next day I added a couple ingredients and voilà, a soup that was not only delicious, but it helped me turn some of my leftovers into a delicious hot dish.  So hopefully you will see this in time and save your leftover turkey.  With a little bit of effort you can get some extra mileage out of your bird.

Ingredients:
1 Turkey Carcass with some meat still on it (from a 12-14 pound turkey)
2 Cups Leftover Turkey Meat
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Sliced
2 Large Carrots, Sliced (About 1 Cup)
2 Celery Ribs, Sliced (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1/2 Cup Dried Noodles (Or more if you like)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

Directions:
1. Break up the carcass, taking the wings off, and then ripping the ribs off of the backbone.  Put the wings, skin, and body into a stock pot.  Add cold water to cover everything by 3 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours, skimming off any froth as you go.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely uncovered (Do not cover until cooled because it can make the stock taste sour).  And then refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours).
4. Take the pot from the fridge and pull off any fat from the top (it will be hard).  Then heat the pot for about 15 minutes until hot, and then dump through a colander sitting in a pot.  Save the stock and discard the used up solids.  Season the stock with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat the olive oil in a 3-4 quart stock pot over medium high heat and add the carrots, onions, and celery.  Cook for about 15 minutes and then add the stock and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
6. Add the noodles and simmer until the noodles are soft, about 15 minutes.  Add the turkey and heat through.
7. Divvy the soup into bowls and add the parsley for garnish.  Enjoy!

I used to be a Turkey Hater. Many years ago, my weak attempt at roasting a turkey resulted in an overcooked, dry, tough mess. Since then, I stuck to making hams or side dishes and let others have a go at the turkey. But earlier this year, I got a smoker. This smoker has treated me very well, cranking out delicious, tender foods with amazing ease. This year I would make a turkey again. And it would be good.

Smoked Turkey.

I know that not everybody has a smoker, but there are some things anyone can take away from this post to get a vastly superior turkey. The single biggest thing you can do to improve your turkey is also the easiest and involves no real work. Make a brine.

I’ve spoken about brines before and about how they are probably the single biggest thing you can to do improve poultry. As Kyle has had a bit more experience cooking and brining turkeys, I turned to him for advice. Over the years, he has found that longer brine soaks are essential to getting flavorful, juicy turkey. I dissolved 3 gallons of water with 3 cups of salt and 1.5 cups of brown sugar and let the turkey soak for 24 hours.

You can also take advantage of this long soak to add some flavors to the turkey. Nearly anything that dissolves well into water can be added. I have seen recipes call for honey, apple juice, vegetable stock, pepper, and/or herbs. Personally, I wanted to let the smoke flavor shine, so I did a basic salt and sugar brine. If I was going to oven roast it, I would have been sorely tempted to give it a soak in apple juice.

Apart from the brine, the rest is fairly simple. I trussed the turkey to help it keep its shape during the cooking. Rather than try to explain it here, I’ll point you to a video clip of the always informative Alton Brown with instructions on how to tie it. It’s almost easier than it looks.

Now, the last step between you and dinner is carving. Don’t let this intimidate you. Personally, I find carving slices directly from the turkey to be a bit cumbersome. It is impressive if you do it right, but I found it easier to cut it apart in the kitchen and place all the slices on a serving plate. I’ll point you to a Food Network article showing the method that I used. Cook’s Illustrated has a good video, but a membership is required to view it.

I had a bit of a dilemma when it came to the gravy. As I was smoking the bird, I wouldn’t have any drippings (which can provide most of the flavor). I worked around this by using the giblets to their fullest extent. I first seared them to create a fond on the bottom of the pot, then added a few vegetables for more flavor. Deglazing the pot with a bit of wine was important to release the fond and get the flavors back into the dish. I used a combination of store-bought turkey stock and home-made chicken stock to add more liquid. A roux thickened the final product and the tasty giblets were diced and added back in. The gravy can actually be started a few days ahead which helped with time management come the day everything had to come together.

Smokin'!

Gravy
Steps 1-3 can be made a day or two ahead. Makes about 4 cups.
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Turkey giblets and neck from turkey
1 large onion, unpeeled, cut into large chunks
1-2 carrots, unpeeled, cut into large chunks
1-2 ribs celery, unpeeled, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups turkey stock (store bought is fine) or homemade chicken stock
1 Tbsp dried thyme (or Herbs en Provence)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the giblets and sear for 3-5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
2. Add the wine while scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Add the turkey/chicken stock and the herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. Strain the liquid into a bowl and set aside. Dice the heart and gizzard and refrigerate until needed.
4. Melt the butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in flour. Stir constantly until well combined and it smells slightly nutty (about 10 minutes). The color of the mixture should change from nearly-white in the beginning to between a blond or peanut-butter color. The darker it gets, the nuttier it will taste (but it will have less thickening power). I moved to step 4 just as it was passing the blond color to a slightly darker blond. (This is a roux to thicken the gravy.) Meanwhile, reheat the liquid from step 3.
5. Gradually add the liquid to the roux while whisking. Constant whisking is needed to ensure a smooth, thick gravy that is free from lumps.
6. Simmer gravy until thick. Add the reserved, diced turkey bits and serve.

Brine
Makes one gallon. Scale the ingredients as needed. I ended up making about three gallons.
Ingredients
1 gallon water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
Directions
1. Heat about a third of the water in a large pot over high heat. Add the salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Cool the mixture with the remaining water. You can put water in the freezer or use ice cubes.
2. DO NOT USE THE BRINE WHILE STILL HOT. Chill the brine. Add the turkey to the brine and refrigerate overnight, at least 12 hours. I have had better results when the turkey brined for at least 20 hours. Longer times result in better brines.

Smoked Turkey
I used a vertical water smoker for this recipe. Anticipate about a half hour for every pound of meat. Use a probe thermometer to verify the results. A 14 pound turkey will serve 10-14 people.
Ingredients
1 12-14 lb turkey
several chunks of soaked smoking wood (I used hickory)
Directions
This is pretty easy… Just monitor the temperature.
1. Place the turkey into the smoker. Regulate the heat so that the smoker stays between 200F and 250F.
2. 6-7 hours later, check the temperature of the turkey with a probe thermometer. Measure once in the thickest part of the breast (at least 165F) and a second time in the thickest part of the leg (at least 170F).
3. Remove from heat, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for about 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

As an aside… I’m interested in this time-temperature table provided by FSIS for achieving 7-log10 lethality of Salmonella. I could cook this turkey much lower than 165F and get safe results. I don’t suggest people try this without knowing what they are doing, but it would make for an interesting experiment. Low temperatures would be key to getting more tender meat, the trick would be to do it without drying the turkey.

OMG so tasty on anything.

The possibilities to use these up are nearly endless. Burgers, hot dogs, steak, rice pilaf, omelettes, and nearly anything else can all be greatly improved by the addition of caramelized onions.

After this long, slow cook, the taste of these onions is completely unlike raw onions (or even onions cooked in most other manners). Raw onions can have a harsh, biting taste. When cooked a bit, onions loose some of their harsh edge, but still have a lot of bit and pungency. But when caramelized, onions become a different thing altogether. They transform into something sweet, earthy, and aromatic. If you do it correctly, the texture contrasts between crunchy, almost burnt-but-not-quite, and soft, cooked-though goodness. What is not to like? Nothing. Nothing.

Another huge bonus is that it isn’t hard to prepare. It just takes some time, a large skillet, and some onions. There is no real trick to it, just keep the heat around medium and give it a stir every so often.

One more reason everyone should do this is that they freeze beautifully. I always make a large batch, about 4 or 5 onions worth. The cooked onions can be stuffed into ice cube trays or into small zip-lock bags and frozen until ready to use. I use the ice cube trays so that I can portion out small amounts whenever I need, for whatever I need.

These guys seriously made my eyes water.

Directions
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the olive oil.
2. Add the onions and the salt. Reduce the heat to medium and stir.

The onions go into the pan.

They will continue to shrink. You could probably eat them now, but why? Wait until they are really awesome.

Now wasn't this worth the wait. Put them on everything.

You just went to the trouble of making pizza dough. If you wanted the easy way out, just order a pizza. Show this dough some respect and put something a little better than processed, bland pizza sauce on it.

Quick and easy pizza sauce.

I’m not going to ask you to oven-roast your tomatoes, or even use fresh tomatoes, but by all means go ahead. This recipe is about getting the best possible flavor for the least possible effort. We are going to stick with canned tomatoes. The quality is consistent year-round and probably better than what you can get in the off season.

Canned tomatoes.

This sauce will be more vibrant and will taste fresher – nothing like the dull paste of whatever is put into the prepared, preserved pizza sauces. So pick up a can of crushed tomatoes, some olive oil and a few herbs and spices that you probably already have in your panty. Mix, heat, and spread on your pizza.

Fans of simple recipes will like this one. There is all of one step.

Ingredients

1 (28-oz) can Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes (with basil)
3.5 tbsp olive oil
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1. Combine everything into a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium to medium low heat. Let simmer, uncovered, for about 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced slightly and looks thicker.

To save some time and to get the process moving quickly you can follow these steps:

1. Everything but the garlic and tomatoes goes in a pan on med-low heat. The spices will infuse their flavors into the olive oil.

2. Mince the garlic, add it to the pan. Let cook 30-45 seconds (just the time it takes to do the next step!).

3. Open the can of crushed tomatoes and stir into the skillet.

4. The sauce will thicken after about 20 minutes.

If you like a less chunky sauce, blend all (or just half) in a blender after it has cooled. I like my sauce to have small bits of tomato, so I skip this step. I also don’t want to clean a blender. Anyone want to buy me a stick blender?

One teaspoon of red pepper flakes doesn’t make for a particularly hot sauce, but if you really don’t like heat, reduce this to about 1/2 teaspoon. Don’t eliminate the red pepper completely though, as there is just something about red pepper flakes that completes a pizza sauce.

If you have a splatter screen, use it. Otherwise you will end up with red splashes all over your stove top from the bubbling tomato sauce. If you don’t have a splatter screen, you can make the sauce in a large pot. Most of the bubbling will splash onto the walls of the pot instead of your stove top.

This recipe will make enough for several pizzas. I make the full amount and freeze the rest until I need it.

Two Birds, One Stone: I’ve also used this as a pasta sauce in a pinch…

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I’m not discounting stove-top mac and cheese here, but the really good stuff is the baked mac and cheese. That thicker consistency with the browned bread crumbs on top is soooo much better than the more liquidy stove-top version. Don’t get me wrong, the stove-top version has it’s place; It’s easier and faster than going to all this trouble. But for a plate of comfort food that really hits home, this is the way to go.

Plate of baked mac & cheese

Click through for the recipe and more pics.

Baked Mac & Cheese

This recipe comes almost directly from Alton Brown. I have made this a couple times before and always enjoyed it. I have changed it slightly, but the essence remains true to his style. Omit the onion or use less if you are not a fan. I’d go ahead and say err on the side of putting in too little onion if you are not sure. I add a bit of cayenne to it for some heat. It doesn’t so much make it spicy as add some depth to it. Use your favorite hot sauce if you don’t have cayenne around. Use any combination of cheddar cheeses you like. I’m a fan of the sharpest I can find, but I have used a combination of different cheddars in the past.

Plated mac & cheese

Also, as a final note, make sure you temper the egg well. Adding egg directly to a hot liquid will result in scrambled eggs. Tempering an egg into a hot liquid will result in a thickened liquid that can bake up stronger. In short: scrambled egg in mac&cheese = bad.

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 /2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook the pasta according the the directions on the box for al dente. It’s OK if it is a little more firm than you would normally make it, remember you will be baking it surrounded by a cheesy liquid later, it’ll cook more.
3. Melt 3 tbsps of unsalted butter in a small pot. Whisk in the 3 tbsps flour and 1 tbsp of mustard. Raise the heat to medium and keep whisking for five minutes. You are going for a roux here, so the butter and flour mixture needs to be just about to simmer, but not quite.
4. Once the roux is prepared, slowly stir in the three cups of milk while whisking. Then add the onion, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
5. Temper in the egg. See Kyle’s technique post about how to do this.
6. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese.
7. Taste it! Adjust with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you want.
8. Add the macaroni and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
9. In a medium saute pan, melt the butter. Toss in the bread crumbs to coat with butter. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs.
10. Bake for 30 minutes. (If the top isn’t as golden and crusty as you like, move it to the top rack and broil for 30 seconds or until it looks good. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Spinch Salad with Strawberries and Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

When someone first served me this dish, I thought it sounded like an odd combination.  After I tried it, I was amazed at how well the spinach, strawberries and dressing paired together.  I tend to enjoy dressings that are somewhat sweet with spinach, and the strawberries add that nice hint of sweetness.  The dressing perfectly complements the strawberries, and rounds out this side dish nicely.  I try and make this dish anytime that I can get my hands on good strawberries.  Next time you find ripe strawberries at your local supermarket, I hope you will give this recipe a try.

Ingredients
Spinach
Strawberries, Sliced

Dressing:
1/4 Cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds

Directions
The dressing for this recipe can easily be halved, depending on how many people you are serving.  You can add as much spinach and strawberries as you desire.  I like a lot of strawberries in mine, because I enjoy a bite of strawberry with each bite.

1. Mix vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and poppy seeds in a jar or sealable container.  Shake until combined.
2. Divide spinach and strawberries into bowls and top with dressing.

Ingredients
2 Pork Tenderloins
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup White Wine or Dry Vermouth
2 Tablespoons Minced Shallots
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Don’t use yellow mustard)
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Trim the pork tenderloin of any of the silver skin (fat), because this can sometimes burn when seared. Salt and pepper all sides of the pork.
3. Heat a 12-inch stainless steel skillet (don’t use nonstick at all costs) over medium-high heat.  Add oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter and melt until the butter foams and then the foaming subsides.  Swirl the pan and add both tenderloins to the pan.  Sear for 1-2 minutes on all 4 sides until well browned.
4. Transfer the pork to another baking vessel (we need the skillet for the pan sauce).  Bake until the temperature of the pork reads between 150-160 F (I prefer the texture better when it’s closer to 160).  Remove the pork and place on a plate and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
5. While the pork is baking in the oven, take the skillet and add 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium-low heat.  Melt, and then add the shallots and garlic.  Cook until softened about 2-3 minutes.  Add the wine to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high.  Bring to a simmer and scrape the fond (see Pan Sauce 101) from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Simmer the wine until it is reduced by half.  Add the cream, and cook until reduced by half again.  Off heat, whisk in the mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Cut the pork into medallions (see picture) and spoon pan sauce over the top.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Sundried Tomatoes

The nice thing about an olive oil sauce is that it lets you play with more spices and herbs to bring those tastes to the front of the dish. You infuse the olive oil with any number of ingredients and drizzle it over the pasta. In this dish I used garlic, red pepper flakes and parsley as the primary flavors. I also soaked the sun-dried tomatoes in the oil to help reconstitute them and help the flavors mix.

The small brown things you see are fried garlic chips. I sliced some garlic into thin disks and essentially fried them in the olive oil. This yielded crispy garlic chips that not only infused the oil with the garlic flavor but also served as a great texture contrast in the dish and looked great as a garnish.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Sundried Tomatoes

We’ve discussed picking out shrimp/shellfish before in Erica’s guest post about scallops. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Shrimp should be bought frozen. Most shrimp boats freeze their catches directly on the boat and thawed shrimp begin losing their flavor in just a couple of days.

As far as what size to go with? I tend to like large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) because you don’t have to prepare as many to get a full dish. But it’s up to you, these were smaller but on sale, so I went ahead and got these.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Sundried Tomatoes

Though I don’t always do this, I have read that it’s best not to buy cleaned and peeled shrimp. A chemical called tripolyphosphate is sometimes used in commercially cleaned shrimp. This chemical aids in water retention and can give shrimp an off flavor. The extra moisture will be released during cooking, and the shrimp will steam rather than sauté. That said, I am sometimes lazy and if I’m the only one eating it, I have bought prepared shrimp before.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 cloves garlic ; 6 cloves sliced thin lengthwise, 1 clove minced
6 sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I like this dish spicy, if you don’t like very spicy food, use 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the spaghetti as directed on the packet. (Dry pasta generally takes about 8 to 9 minutes for al dente.) When the pasta is al dente, drain and set aside (covered to retain heat). The pasta should be finished about the same time, or before, the shrimp finishes.
2. After shrimp has been prepared, pat them dry with some paper towel and toss with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Put the oil into a small skillet and heat over medium heat. Once oil is hot add the sliced garlic to fry it. Stir occasionally. If you do not hear the garlic sizzle, increase the heat to medium high. Once the garlic is golden and crisp, remove with a fork or slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the red pepper flakes and sun dried tomatoes. Stir to cover everything with oil.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2-3 tbsps of oil from the small skillet then add the shrimp. Increase the heat to high and spread the shrimp in a single layer so that they are all touching the bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges turn pink, about 1 minute.
6. Flip the shrimp, add sherry, and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 1 minute more. Transfer shrimp to the pasta bowl.
7. Reduce the heat to medium, add the contents of the small skillet to the large one. Add the minced garlic, parsley, butter, and lemon juice and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Adjust seasonings if needed.
8. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and pasta. Mix the dish to coat everything with the sauce.
9. Serve. Garnish with the browned garlic chips and place some lemon wedges on the side.

Open some wine and enjoy!

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Sundried Tomatoes

Pâté Maison

We started the night off with some pâté I had brought back from France. The pâté comes from a shop that cans their own meat near Loubressac. To give it a nicer finish, the pâté is topped with truffles. I served this with a fanned cornichon, toast and a baby tomato.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

The next course was a Tuscan White Bean Soup made by Kyle. This was very good. We served it drizzled with Extra Vigin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar with a slice of toasted baguette.

Mussels steamed in white wine

Following that we served steamed mussels in a white wine, lemon and shallot sauce. Most of my guests had not had mussels before, so this was a new experience for them. If you have never had mussels before, this is a good recipe to try. They are very simple to make and full of flavor. The go exceptionally well with pastas or just own their own with a good crusty bread.

Parmesan Crisps with Swedish Meatballs

Next up was Swedish meatballs served in Parmesan crisps. Each plate had three crisps on them, two of the crisps held meatballs, and the third was filled with marinara sauce–kind of a deconstruced meatballs in sauce dish. The parmesan crisps are very easy to make and wonderful on their own as crackers or can be shaped into cups as soon as they come out of the oven.

Beef bourguignon

The next course was a bœuf bourguignon. This is a French beef stew made with lardons, onions and mushrooms in a Bourgogne wine sauce. Very flavorful, full beef taste rendered very tender by cooking over low heat for a long time.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Brussels sprouts and savory polenta

This was followed by a roasted rack of lamb served with a wine sauce. This was plated with Brussels sprouts that had been finished in duck fat and a savory polenta with sun-dried tomatoes.

A cheese tasting came next. Brie, Cambozola Triple Creme, Doux de Montagne and a Petit Pont L’evequê.

A salad with a French Dijon vinaigrette was served next as a way to help clear the pallet for the dessert.

Gâteau (torte) au chocolat fondant de Natalie

The dessert was a chocolate torte. The recipe was taken from Chocolate and Zucchini and was fantastically rich and wonderful. Soft, dense texture and a rich, deep chocolate taste.

Espresso with Creme

Finally, espresso’s were served. And people were given the option of digistifs of Limoncello, Fernet Branca or Sambuca.

Click through the jump to see recipes for some of the meals.

Pate

Pâté Maison

Here is a photo of the tin of pate. My family brings these (and other things) back from the shop in Lavergne in the Lot near Loubressac, where my grandfather grew up.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine

Mussels in White Wine

This dish is amazingly easy to prepare and quite a treat. Mussels are very easy to cook and are quite versatile: they are nice on their own, better served with a good crusty bread, or in a pasta, or in a soup…

A note on the prep work: Today, many mussels are fairly clean when you buy them, but you should always check them. As you go through the mussels there are a few things to do. Using a pair of pliers, remove and “beards” coming out of the mussels. This is the “hair” that is poking out from between the shells. Any mussels that are cracked should be discarded. Any mussels that are open and do not close after given them a few squeezes should be discarded. Give them all a quick rinse in cold water and you are ready to go.

Ingredients:

2 lbs mussels
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium lemon (juice and zest)

Recipe

1. Bring mussels and white wine to a boil in a large pot. You don’t need a steaming basket or anything, just throw everything in there. Boil/steam for about 5 minutes. Remove the mussels and discard any that have not opened.
2. To the pot add the shallot, garlic, lemon juice and zest. Simmer at least 3 minutes to blend flavors. Serve with the mussels (and crusty bread!).

Rack of Lamb, Savory Polenta, Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Pan Sauce

This recipe closely followed a Cook’s Illustrated recipe. I have roasted/grilled lamb before, but usually serve it with a parsley butter rather than a pan sauce. But pan sauces are so good, I figured, ‘why not?’

It’s a two step process. First you cook the lamb, then you make the sauce. So the recipe is split as such.

Lamb
2 racks of lamb (each 8 to 9 ribs, weighing 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds), rib bones frenched, and meat trimmed of fat and silver skin
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

There is actually quite a lot of fat on the outside of the lamb. If possible, ask your butcher to remove it for you. If this is not possible, be prepared to remove what looks like a surprising about of fat.

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Put oven rack in lower-middle setting and place shallow roasting pan in the oven to preheat.
2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Place the racks in the skillet with the “meat-side” down in the center of the pan. The ribs should point out. Sear until it is browned and a nice crust has formed on the surface, about 4 minutes. Now stand the racks up in skillet, leaning them against each other to brown the bottoms. You may have to hold then with tongs to get them to stay up. Sear until bottom sides have browned, about 2 minutes more.
3. (Begin the pan sauce, below.) Transfer lamb to the preheated roasting pan. Roast 12 to 15 minutes. A thermometer inserted into the center of each rack should read about 135 degrees. I just use a probe thermometer and let that tell me when it is done. Cover meat loosely with foil and let rest about 10 minutes. To carve, slice between each rib into individual chops, and serve immediately with the sauce.

Pan Sauce (continue from step 3 after transferring the lamb to the oven)

1. Pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fat from skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat.
2. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 1 minute.
3. Add the red wine and rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until dark and syrupy, about 7-10 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth and simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5-7 minutes more.
5. Off heat, swirl in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve poured over the lamb.

Savory Polenta with Sun-dried Tomatoes

For this recipe, I was inspired by a few different recipes: Alton Brown’s Savory Polenta recipe, Cook’s Illustrated Creamy Polenta recipe, and a few experiments of my own with sun-dried tomatoes.

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 ounce chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmesan, grated

1. Heat about 2 tbsps olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once hot, add the red onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, reduce heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, stir occasionally to help make sure the garlic does not burn.
4. Add the chicken stock, milk, and sun-dried tomatoes. Turn the heat to high and bring just to a boil. (Do not let boil for long as this will cause the milk to break. Don’t worry if it does, it should not affect the taste.)
5. When it first reaches a boil, slowly add the cornmeal while whisking continuously. The whisking prevents lumps forming.
6. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes to prevent lumps. Taste the polenta after 30 minutes, if it does not have a creamy consistency and looks dry, add some more chicken broth. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the heat and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.

Brussels Sprouts

Yes, these are called Brussels sprouts, not Brussel’s sprouts or brussel sprouts. They are named after the city of Brussels in Belgium. And they are delicious. I don’t know why so many people fear these things. I love their taste and that they can be eaten nearly plain or with just a few small additions to boost different flavors. For this recipe, I kept it fairly simple: steam them, sauté them in duck fat, and add a bit of salt and pepper. If you don’t have duck fat around (who normally does?) you can cook them in butter and crumble some cooked bacon around the sprouts.

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tbsps duck fat
salt and pepper

Recipe

1. Trim the root end of the Brussels sprouts to remove the dryer ’stalk’ part of the sprout. Remove any loose or yellowed leaves from the outside.
2. Place in a steamer basket and steam for 6-10 minutes, until a knife can be passed through the sprout without too much resistance. It should still feel slightly firm but go in easily (if you don’t have a steamer basket, you can boil them in an inch or so of water, see this Cooking for Engineers recipe for an idea how). After this, the sprouts can be held until ready for the next step.
3. Pick a skillet large enough to hold the sprouts in one layer and place over medium-high heat. Add the duck fat and let melt. Add the sprouts and sauté for 2-4 minutes, stirring to rotate the sprouts so that they brown evenly. The outsides should crisp and this should heat the sprouts through. Sprinkle some salt and cracked pepper over them and serve.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

This cake was taken from Chocolate & Zucchini, who in turn got it from Trish Deseine’s Je Veux du Chocolat!. This is a delicious, decadent, rich chocolate torte. This is denser than a regular cake as it uses almost no flour and many eggs. If you like rich chocolate taste, this is for you. Because the chocolate plays essentially the only flavoring role in this dessert, it is essential to use high quality chocolate.

Ingredients

200g (2 sticks minus 1 Tbsp) butter
200g (7 oz) dark chocolate
200g (1 C) sugar
4 eggs
a rounded tablespoon of flour

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F and line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate together. (Use a double-boiler if you have one or do it in the microwave on medium power for just a few seconds at a time. Break up the chocolate into small pieces before doing this and stir often.)
3. Transfer into a medium mixing-bowl and add the sugar while stirring with a spoon or spatula.
4. After it has cooled a little, add the eggs one at a time being sure to incorporate each one before adding the next. (The cooling is important so that the eggs do not scramble, you shouldn’t have much to worry about though.)
5. Add the flour and mix well.
6. Pour the dough into the pan, put the pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off–leave the cake inside the oven for another ten minutes, don’t touch it or open the oven. Then put the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely. Cover, refrigerate, and take it out about an hour before serving.