Sunday, March 27, 2011
Menu #26 for the Gutsy Cook's Club - Cassoulet!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
CEiMB ~ Apple Brown Betty and A Savory Stuffed Pumpkin Dinner
Craving Ellie in My Belly Thursday is here and what a dessert! Apple Brown Betty, chosen by this week's host: Jessica of Learning to Love Vegetables.
The recipe for this delicious dessert is found on Food Network's internet site but I did alter the recipe by doing 2 changes.
Change #1: I used all natural, unsweetened applesauce with my apple slices instead of apple cider which made for a thick filling.
Change #2: I replaced 2 of the Golden Delicious apples with 2 Granny Smith apples for a slight tart flavor.
The apple brown betty was served with low-fat vanilla ice cream while the brown betty was still warm. Delicious! Thank you Jessica for hosting. If you would like to see the rest of the group's desserts, click here for the blog roll.
I also stuffed and baked baby sugar pumpkins, each pumpkin weighed about 2 pounds, and what a delicious dinner filled with chunky vegetables, potatoes, and chicken. All covered in a golden, flaky crust of puff pastry. Very easy recipe to approach and fun for entertaining!
Savory Stuffed Pumpkins
4 sugar pumpkins (no more than about 2 lb each)
4T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped or diced
2 large russet potatoes(about 1lb-ish, of red or Yukon Gold)
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup sliced carrots(I used babies)
12 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 chicken, turkey, pork or veggie stock
1 cup heavy cream
about 3 cups left over mildly seasoned chicken (or saute 2 chicken breasts cut into cubes and add)
1-2T fresh sage, rubbed and chopped
kosher or sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 package puffy pastry sheets, thawed but cool or dough for 2 pie crusts, rolled into 2 rectangles
olive oil
1 egg white, beaten(optional)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary(optional)
Directions:
Wash outsides of pumpkins and wipe dry with paper towel. Score around the top portion of each pumpkin with sharp knife and remove top with stem. Scoop out seeds and clean.
Lightly brush insides of each pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until pumpkins have darkened and meat has slight give when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, in large, heavy pan, melt butter and add potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Let cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until potatoes start to change color, slightly. Add celery and carrots and continue to cook another 10 minutes or so.
Potatoes should be started to get just a little tender and very slightly browning. Add onion, garlic and mushroom and cook about 10 minutes more. Add stock, chicken, cream and sage and stir well. Simmer about 10-12 minutes, stirring often, to thicken sauce.
Season with salt and pepper. Fill each pumpkin with the meat/veggie mixture. It's okay to take it almost to the top!
Roll each dough just enough to be able to cut 2 circles big enough to fit the pumpkin openings, and have about 1/2 inch extra to press down over the top of the pumpkin. Poke a couple small holes in top of dough and brush with beaten egg.
Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until pastry dough is browned and crisp.
Remove from oven and place one sprig of rosemary in top of each pumpkin to create "stem", if desired.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Gutsy Cook's Club ~ A Roulade and Quindim
Gutsy Cook's Club is here! Our second posting and we have a delicious, fluffy, moist and flavorful roulade filled with fresh baby spinach and sun dried tomatoes. The original recipe filling was ricotta and arugula. I had baby spinach and sun dried tomatoes already.
For dessert, quindim. According to Victoria, author of The Illustrated Kitchen Bible, quindim is a sweet and rich dessert made popular in Brazil. Filled with coconut milk, coconuts bits, and toasted coconut, we have a light and airy custard.
The roulade could not be quicker and easier to bake up then this recipe. The base is a seasoned roux, the same start as for a tasty gravy or sauce, with Parmesan cheese, eggs (separated so the egg whites can be whipped into fluffy white peaks), and a smidgeon of Dijon mustard. The filling consisted of ricotta with a sprinkling of fresh nutmeg, layered with baby spinach and julienned sun dried tomatoes, then rolled up into the pretty roulade above.
I served the roulade with a double-cut, bone-in elegant pork chop and garden salad.
My only change for the roulade would be to not go as crazy with the julienned sun dried tomatoes. I sprinkled a heavy layer so cutting the roulade into slices was interesting.
The quindim I was going to skip all together but hubby asked why? this morning and I stood there just looking at him. I had no answer. So unlike me too.
Directions:
Friday, October 8, 2010
French Friday with Dorie ~ gerard's mustard tart w/dinner
The kitchen is uncomfortably warm. The oven has been baking away for over 3 hours. Both Shadow and Fluffy are fully extended on the couch "and" ottoman with paws curled over their eyes while they nap. The aroma of a warm tart crust fresh from the oven fills the house. Tomorrow is French Friday with Dorie and our second choice for the month of October; gerard's mustard tart.
Many thoughts circulated through my head while looking at the recipe for this savory tart last weekend. Two types of mustard, one grainy; leeks and carrots, julienned and steamed; and a filling resembling a quiche. Creme Fraiche is already waiting in the refrigerator. What could the tart possibly taste like? Is mustard going to be the dominant flavor? Dorie says to add according to taste. I was not sure what the taste should be. Then there is the dinner menu; one of my favorite past times, meaning get out old and new recipes to find ideas to match the tart.
Feta-Stuffed Shrimp
Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the spine of shrimp from head to tail, cutting almost all the way through the shrimp; remove the dark vein, and rinse shrimp. With your fingers, carefully spread apart the shrimp, and flatten the halves on a flat surface. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, red pepper, garlic, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, ¼ cup melted butter, and egg yolk; stir well.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of bread crumb mixture onto each butterflied shrimp, mounding the mixture, if necessary.
Place the stuffed shrimp in prepared dish.
Pour wine and remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter around shrimp in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.
Transfer shrimp to serving plates, and drizzle with pan juices.
Issues along the Way:
*My crust baked up to more of a chocolate brown, just past golden, and I had yet to add my filling. I made a foil circle and covered the edging while baking the tart filling. Worked out perfect.
*I was planning on making this dinner Wednesday night before I realized the tart dough is chilled for 3 hours, assembled and chilled again, then baked and cooled before adding the filling. For pre-planning purposes, the tart shell dough is a breeze for baking the next day.
Verdict: The mustard was not over-powering. We were pleasantly surprised at how mellow the flavor actually was. The crust was crisp and flaky while the filling was firm and moist. We both loved it!
I can not wait to try the mustard tart recipe again with fresh tomatoes. I already bought them to try this weekend.
Dorie's banana cream pie filling was quick and easy to put together. I wasn't sure about the sound of cinnamon with banana but the flavors mingle perfectly. Hubby had two pieces after dinner. Where he fit them, I am not quite sure. =)
We both are up at 4 a.m. so a special dinner can make the long day melt away.
Thank you Dorie for choosing another dish that will not be forgotten in our kitchen.
Friday, October 1, 2010
French Fridays with Dorie ~ Mushroom Cappuccinos with Dorie's Golden Gougeres

Dorie is just too cute! So are all her friends who created the French Fridays with Dorie blog site! A warm and enthusiastic Thank You to Rachel, Joel, Alison, Travis, and Laurie for creating and achieving the bright, easy to navigate, informative, and fun site!
Dorie is just as excited as the rest of us who have just tried our very first recipe. She picked our opening 4 dishes for the month of October and we are baking her first choice, one of Dorie's favorites to share with friends: gougeres!
baking into round puffs of golden, crispy perfection;
served with steaming hot cups of mushroom cappuccinos (Bouillon de Champignons Comme un Cappuccino, recipe by Michelin 3-star chef Alain Chapel);
and filled with a family recipe of Pacific shrimp salad.
The anticipation wrapped around being a part of an excited group (more like blogging family) of people like myself who cook from the heart, always excited to share with family and friends, just tickles me. Many of us have been baking together out of Dorie's "Baking from my home to yours" and have become friends along the way.
We are excited to welcome new members and Thank you Dorie for letting us share in your spotlight with the newly published work-of-art: around my french table.
Thank you!!!!! =0)
What a warm and fuzzy feeling to have on an early Friday morning.
Mushroom Cappuccinos
(recipe by Alain Chapel; printed in Oct./2010 Saveur magazine)
(Project Foodie website will also have the recipe)
"To foam the broth, use the steamer attachment on a cappuccino machine, or froth it in a blender." (Alain Chapel, Saveur, Oct. 2010; pg. 98)
Ingredients:
6 T. butter
1 lb. button mushrooms, halved
8 oz. mixed mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, and blue foot, thinly sliced, trimmings reserved
1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
12 crayfish tails, cooked and shelled, or 4 oz. cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces
4 sprigs fresh chervil or tarragon
Directions:
Heat 3 T. butter in a 3-quart high sided skillet over medium heat. Add button mushrooms and mushroom trimmings and cook, stirring often, until they release their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add 3/4 ounce dried shiitakes and 4 cups of water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid has reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 2-quart saucepan. Strain broth, pressing mushrooms with the back of a spoon to extract liquid; discard solids. Add cream to mushroom broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Season broth with salt and a pinch of cayenne and set aside.
In a spice grinder, grind remaining dried shiitake mushrooms to a fine powder. Transfer mushroom powder to a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast, swirling pan constantly until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushroom powder to a small bowl; set aside.
Heat remaining butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add mixed mushrooms, season with salt, and cook, stirring gently, until tender, 4-5 minutes.
Add crayfish, season with salt, and cook until hot. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
To serve, foam reserved broth on high speed in a blender or with the steamer attachment on an espresso machine. Mound crayfish mixture in 4 teacups or small bowls, and ladle in broth. Spoon foam on top, dust with mushroom powder, and garnish with chervil.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Chicken in White Wine Served Over Pappardelle Pasta
4 shallots, peeled and diced
8 oz. white mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced
6 T. unsalted butter
1 bottle dry white wine, preferably Columbia Winery Chardonnay
1 t. French mustard
1 Garni Bouquet (1 bay leaf/1 sprig thyme, 2 sprigs rosemary/8 sprigs parsley)
1 T. Extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
4 slices bacon, cut into matchsticks
2 T. cognac
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch chives, chopped
4 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
1 t. sugar
1 c. flour, for dredging
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Salmon Roulade, Garlic Potatoes with Shiitake and Fresh Peas Sauce
Garlic Potatoes with Shiitake and Fresh Peas Sauce
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Six 7-ounce pieces of salmon fillet, each about 1 inch wide, skin removed
Basil infused extra virgin olive oil, to brush salmon
2 TB butter
1/2 pound or so shiitake mushrooms, halved
splash of dry white wine
splash of cream
2 cups fresh English or sugar snap peas, shelled and steamed
a couple sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
chopped chives, for garnish
kosher salt and white pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with foil.
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, and add lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put them in a mixing bowl.
Mash with garlic and 1/4 cup of the butter. Pass the potatoes through a food mill or ricer, then whip until smooth and fluffy.
Brush the salmon with basil oil and season with salt and pepper. Roll each salmon fillet into the shape of a donut, and affix the ends with a toothpicks.
Place them in the baking dish. With a piping bag (or Ziploc with one end snipped off) fill the center of each piece with the potatoes.
Lightly cover with foil (as to not squish down the filling) and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 5-8 minutes longer.
In the meantime, saute the shiitake mushrooms in butter. Add the wine and slightly reduce. Add the peas, thyme and cream, season with salt and pepper; keep warm.
Using a spatula, transfer the salmon fillets to warmed plates. Carefully twist out the toothpick, leaving the roll intact. Spoon peas and mushrooms on side, drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with the chives, and serve.
Note: The potatoes may be made up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.