Recipe #289: Steak Tartare

I've been wanting to try this for a long time and finally got around to it.  I'd had steak tartare a few times before in nice restaurants.  Yes, it IS raw beef, which is why you need to pick very lean, very fresh meat for this recipe.  I didn't have the usual quail egg for this one (which, yes, I ate raw in Nashville...) but it still turned out nicely.  It makes for a good base recipe that I'd like to play with- adding other seasonings or pickles or trying entirely different approaches.... and I need a different form besides a funnel.

Still, it was a success, and I even got Nick to eat it!  Copied from allrecipes.com.... I added capers to mine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound finely ground beef tenderloin (I hand-cut filet mignon) 1 teaspoon brown mustard 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™), or to taste 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon brandy 1 pinch salt, or to taste ground white pepper to taste 1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a medium bowl, mix together the beef, mustard, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, salt, pepper and egg until well blended. Arrange the meat in a neat pile on a glass dish, and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve as a spread on crackers or toast.

Recipe #283: Carbonnades À La Flamande (Beef and Onions Braised in Beer)

After several weeks of travel and then time spent catching up with friends after, I finally had time to cook again!  Back to my dear Julia Child and her Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  This one is found on page 317 of volume one.  The meat is so tender and the sauce is savory and sweet.  I think the leftovers are even going to be amazing.

Mmmmm... This would be good with mashed potatoes too.

Browning the beef

Cute little herb bouquet (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)

Ready for the oven

2.5 hours later... the house smells so good...

Recipe #274: Crab Canapés

This was supposed to be for a party, but Mother Nature had other ideas, so it became dinner at home.  I was skeptical about the fake crab, but it was delicious.  I'd try it with real crab too, to see if there's a difference, but it's great as-is.  The cucumber complements it perfectly, but little toasts are probably good too.  I'm not the biggest fan of parsley, but I definitely wouldn't leave it out here.  Fresh and yummy.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 package (8oz) imitation crabmeat
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 green onions, sliced
1-2 cucumbers, sliced
Fresh parsley for garnish (I used curly because it divides nicely and is "compact" for these little things)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl and mix well.

Stir in crabmeat, bell pepper and green onions; cover.  Chil about an hour or more until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture onto each cucumber slice and garnish with parsley.

Recipe #269: Fondue De Poulet À La Crème (Child)

Ok, I admit it, this is NOT the prettiest picture.  The chicken looks pink, but it's not really.  I was too excited to eat it to get the photo right.  This recipe is from page 262 of volume I... I bought some onions and a chicken and decided that was plenty enough to see what Julia could inspire, and I chose this recipe.  Make it with rice for a side- the sauce with the rice and chicken is the perfect combination of textures and flavors.  Thick and creamy, and the curry and onion flavors are perfect!!

Here's my picture (and yes, the sauce was still a little bit lumpy, but I didn't want to dilute it with more cream, which was an option):

I was going to find a picture on Google that looks better than mine, and I found out that actually, it's not photogenic regardless of who makes it!  So  you just have to trust me that this is FANTASTIC!

Recipe #268: Thon À La Provenҫale (Child)

My favorite French recipes so far involve chicken and my French pot, but if I'm going to keep learning, I need to branch out past chicken and beef.  Here's a seafood one that doesn't involve the pot at all.  There are still several steps that involve the mixing of flavors and re-use of cookware... my favorite!  Behold, tuna steaks with an amazing tomato topping.  I changed the recipe some (amounts, not ingredients) since I was only feeding two of us, so there was a little more sauce per tuna steak, I'm guessing, plus some leftovers (which I will be delighted to mix into rice for lunch!)

From page 219 of volume one, here's my not-very-photogenic result.  If you do a Google image search, though, those pics aren't much better- you just have to trust me that this was delicious.  The asparagus was a little overcooked because I was too busy paying attention to the sauce, but that was still yummy too.  

Recipe #264: Boeuf À La Mode (with Carottes Étuvées Au Beurre and Oignons Glacés À Brun) (Child)

A new Julia recipe!  Basically it's like pot roast, but more fun to make!  Here's where I found the recipes in the book:

Boeuf À La Mode- page 309 of Volume I
Carottes Étuvées Au Beurre- page 477 of Volume I
Oignons Glacés À Brun- page 483 of Volume I

What does this translate to?

Beef braised in red wine
Carrots braised in butter
Brown braised onions

I served this with rice so something could catch the extra gravy.  Delish!  I was getting nervous about the roast finally breaking down and becoming tender, but it did happen.  I roasted it for a little over 3 hours.

In the marinade

After marinating, ready for browning

Browned, ready for braising liquid

All ready for roasting

Carrots after braising

Roast, completed

Serving dish

Plated

Recipe #261: Poulet Poêlé à L'Estragon (Chicken with Tarragon) with Farce Duxelles (Mushroom Stuffing) (Child)

I think I'm going to have to establish a new standard with this blog.

I have to say, first of all, that I am hoping to not scare anyone away with these latest recipes.  They're more advanced, if you want to talk about advanced as meaning using TONS of dishes and also spending 3-4 hours making one recipe.  Advanced does not mean difficult.  It might mean a special pot or a random ingredient you might not be used to, but it does not mean hard, by any means.

To me, "hard" in terms of cooking is ALWAYS baking.  Anything involving flour, expecting things to rise and be baked consistently throughout and get people with a sweet tooth all excited just by the sight of them.... yeah that's not me.  Also, I refuse to make pancakes.  I've cried one too many times over pancakes.

But my blog is meant to be "easy"..... so I will make sure I keep posting relatively simple recipes made with basic ingredients.  However, I can't ignore the good results from my forays into the art of French cooking...... I will still post those.

I think, though, that pages of instructions (which are delightfully easy to follow, if you see her cook books) from Mastering the Art of French Cooking are not really what I feel like re-typing.  I thought about copy/paste from internet sites using the recipes, but they are just adaptations of other people's attempts at Julia's instructions.  Not good enough for me.

I follow them as closely as possible.  My other recipes are all about adaptation and tweaking.  These, not so much, to the point where I won't even make something if I have to change more than one or two things.

So here's my new standard.  Julia recipes will not have instructions posted.  Instead, I will reference where I found them from her book and post pictures of my results.

Poulet Poêlé à L'Estragon (Chicken with Tarragon) - page 249 of volume I.... with Farce Duxelles (Mushroom Stuffing) - page 251.

Mushroom stuffing, pre-stuff.

Chicken, post-roast.  I didn't truss the wings.

Post-roast, removal of the stuffing.

Straining of the sauces from the casserole for gravy.

First time using a gravy boat in.....forever....

So moist, tender, rich, and worth a 9:15pm plating time!

Recipe #260: Poulet au Porto (Child)

I need to give my kitchen a break after tonight.  I used four pots, two cutting boards, one 9x13 roasting dish, tons of utensils...  SO WORTH IT.  Here's another of Julia's recipes.  I had to roast the chicken first, which I will post as a separate blog at another time, but once the chicken is roasted, you get THIS deliciousness.  It is like chicken marsala, but LEAGUES better.  Nick and I ate the ENTIRE almost-four-pound chicken with the one pound of mushrooms and the sauce.... by ourselves.  Yes, it was that good.

So here's my kitchen, mid-ordeal.  Trying to keep it neat.

This is a little involved as far as steps and dishes go, and I promise the recipes I post from here on out won't all be like this, but I have to share.

INGREDIENTS:

1 3-4 lb roasting or frying chicken
1 lb fresh mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
Water
Butter
Lemon juice
Salt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream (this turned out to be exactly one of those tiny cartons...)
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Pepper
1/2 tablespoon minced shallots or green onions (I used more like a half of a cup of minced shallots!)
1/3 cup medium-dry port
1/4 cup cognac

DIRECTIONS:

Roast the chicken.  Be sure to not overcook it.  (I WILL POST THESE DIRECTIONS LATER!  But otherwise, just do a basic roast.  I stuffed mine with apple and onion slices and basted with a mixture of rosemary-infused olive oil and butter).

Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms.  Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt.  Toss in the mushrooms,cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes.  Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.

Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of whipping cream.  Add the rest of the cream.  Pour the mixture into the mushrooms.  Simmer for 2 minutes.  Correct seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.

When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan.  Put the 2 tablespoons into a small sauce pan.  Stir in the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute.  Add the port and mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, until the liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly.  Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.

Smear the inside of a fireproof casserole or chafing dish with butter.  Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces.  Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the dish.

Set over moderate heat until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle.  Pour the cognac over it.  Ignite the cognac with a match or lighter.  Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided.  Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken, coating it.  Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil.  Serve.

Recipe #258: Boeuf A La Catalane (Child)

I have a new label/tag in my blogs now- Julia Child.  I'm now the happy owner of her two-book set Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and this is the inaugural recipe I chose.

I love the layout of the cookbooks.  Instead of the typical ingredients list, and then directions, it lists the ingredients needed for each step alongside that step.  Unfortunately, that's hard to duplicate nicely here, but I enjoyed following the cookbook as I made this.  Also, while I was trying to decide which recipe to choose, I noticed many of them called for a fireproof casserole/french oven.  I suddenly knew what I wanted for Christmas (as these are definitely not cheap!) and went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get my new pot.  It weighs a ton, especially with the food in it, but I was so happy using it!

Unfortunately, I was so excited about serving this up after the long cook time, I forgot to put the cheese in at the end.  It was delicious!  The meat was really tender and the flavors were perfect.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4       pound  chunk of bacon
2         tablespoons  olive oil
3         pounds  lean stewing beef, cut into squares 2 1/2″ across and 1″ thick
1 1/2    cups  onions, sliced
1         cup  raw white rice, unwashed
1         cup  dry white wine or dry vermouth  (I used Chardonnay)
2         cups  beef stock or canned beef bouillon
salt to taste
1/4       teaspoon  pepper
2         cloves  garlic, mashed
1/2        teaspoon  thyme
Pinch   saffron
1          bay leaf, crumbled
1          pound  tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped
1          cup  Swiss cheese or Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325°

Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (1 1/2-inch strips, 3/8 of an inch thick.) Simmer in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and brown lightly in oil in the skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon to the casserole.

Dry the meat on paper towels. Heat fat in skillet until almost smoking then brown the meat a few pieces at a time.  Place it when browned in the casserole.

Lower heat to moderate, and brown the onions.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the casserole.

Still in the same fat, stir the rice over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes until it turns a milky color.  Scrape into a bowl and set aside until later.

Pour any remaining fat out of the skillet, add the wine and stir for a moment over heat to dissolve coagulated cooking juices.  Pour into the casserole.

Add stock or bouillon almost to the height of the meat.  Salt lightly.  Stir in the pepper, garlic, and herbs.  Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, cover tightly, and set in lower position of preheated oven to simmer slowly for 1 hour.

Remove casserole from oven.  Stir in the tomatoes, bring to simmer on top of the stove, cover, and return to the oven for an additional hour or so of very slow simmering.  When the meat is almost fork-tender, remove the casserole from the oven.  Raise oven heat to 375 degrees.

Tile casserole and skim off fat.  You should have 2-2.5 cups of liquid; add more stock or bouillon, or water, if necessary.  Stir in the rice.  Bring to simmer on top of stove, cover, and set again in lower third of oven.  Regulate heat to keep liquid at full simmer for 20 minutes so the rice will cook.  Do not stir the rice.  At the end of this time it should be tender and have absorbed almost all of the liquid.  Remove from the oven and correct seasoning.

Just before serving, delicately fold the cheese with a fork into the hot beef and rice.

Recipe #253: Croque Monsieur

All I could think while I ate this is that it's the exotic love child of grilled cheese and biscuits and gravy.  ...except ham instead of sausage.   Oh man...  I linked to this through foodgawker.com, which led me to a great blog called travelcooktell.com.  I only made two sandwiches instead of three, but kept the same measurements for the sauce and cheese. I used a good loaf of Italian bread, sliced thick.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter, plus softened butter for bread
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1½ cups gruyère or emmental cheese, grated
• ½ cup mozzarella
• 6 slices bread  (I used 4)
• 6 slices ham  (I used 4)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
2. For the sauce:
3. In a saucepan melt butter. Add flour, stirring constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, stirring continuously, and cook until the mixture thickens a little and is lightly golden.
4. Remove from heat and add mozzarella, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Lightly and evenly butter bread slices, place them in a baking pan and put it in the oven for 3 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and place the ham slices and about ⅓ cup Gruyère cheese on 3 of the bread slices. Top each with one of remaining bread slices.
7. Spread sauce to cover the top of each sandwich (crusts, too). Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake the sandwiches for about 5 minutes then place under lit broiler until cheese mixture on top is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Recipe #248: Weekday Cassoulet

Even once I took this out of the oven, I was skeptical about the flavor... thought it might be on the bland side.  I couldn't be more wrong.  I'm nearly speechless about this one.  Just amazing and perfect and so simple!!  This is from the Food Network channel site, with my changes in red.

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cut in 1/2 through the bone
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound slab bacon, sliced into large lardons  (I could only get a typical pack, but got thick-sliced, cut them into about 2" pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cooked Northern white beans (I just used one can of Northern beans)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tomato, sliced very thinly
Garlic Bread Crumbs, recipe follows
1 baguette, sliced, for serving


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. I had a lot of bacon fat left, so I got rid of half of it.  Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.

Garlic Bread Crumbs:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices slightly stale or dried bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor  (I just used about a cup of regular bread crumbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

Recipe #236: Beef Daube Provençal

Two new recipes in one day!  I happened to look at my new issue of Cooking Light magazine, and as soon as I saw the picture for this, I knew I had to make it for dinner.  I think it would easily adapt to a crock pot (they say high for five hours, but I bet low for 8 works fine) or a pressure cooker.  The cloves make a huge difference, so don't skip them!  Delicious, tender meat... and the noodles are perfect for it.  It's pretty similar to this recipe as far as looks, but the cloves make a difference.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 
• 1 cup red wine 
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
• Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

1. DIRECTIONS:
2. 
   
3. Preheat oven to 300°.

1. Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.

1. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.  Serve over egg noodles.

Recipe #232: Potatoes Dauphinoise

I normally post recipes that are main dishes, but here's a side to go with any meat.  I made these with my beloved lamb chops (fried on the stove after coming to room temp with light olive oil, garlic powder, and dried thyme, 4 minutes per side or so).  I poured this soupy slop into the casserole dish and it didn't look very pretty, but the result after cooking was amazing.  So much flavor for a basic recipe!  This is from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/).  My changes/comments are in red.  It made enough that tomorrow, I'll have leftovers to go with the fish I'm making.

Ingredients

• 1 kg/2lb 4oz baking potatoes, peeled and placed in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning (use floury potatoes such as Russet,King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree) (I used Idaho- that's all that was available.... four of them was just about the right weight)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (I also supplemented with a little garlic powder)
• 500ml/17½fl oz double cream (you may need a bit extra)  (This is about 2.5 cups.  I didn't use that much)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2.  (320F is sort of an unusual mark for us, but trust me, this is correct.)
2. Slice the potatoes into thin slices, about 3mm/⅛in thick. Place the slices into a bowl as you cut them. (Make sure your knife is nice and sharp!  Put water into the bowl to keep them from browning, and then dump the water before the next step.)
3. Trim the ends off the garlic cloves but don't peel. Grate the cloves on a grater. The flesh will go through the fine holes and the skins will be left behind. Scrape the grated garlic flesh into the bowl with the potatoes.  (I didn't think there was enough garlic, so I shook on some garlic powder too.)
4. Season the potatoes, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Pour the cream over the potatoes and mix well again.
6. Place the potato slices into the gratin dish. They should come to just below the top of the dish. Press the potato down with the back of a spoon or your hands so it forms a solid layer. The cream should come to just below the top layer of potato (top up with more double cream if necessary).  (I put these into a 9x13 ceramic casserole and they came up to about half way.  Only pour as much cream as needed for it to not be swamped.  I didn't use the full 2.5 cups.... maybe less than 2)
7. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1-1½ hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender. (If the cream looks like it's splitting, your oven is too hot, so turn it down a bit.)  (After about an hour, stab a fork into the dish and grab one to see how done it is.  Mine were good after about an hour 15.)
8. Serve the dauphinoise as a side dish to roasted meat or poultry.  (My lamb chops, of course)
   
   
   
   
   

Recipe #231: Coq au Vin

I don't post any recipes on here that I don't think are worthy.... the boring ones, the non-special or unique ones, the ones that turn out not quite to my expectations.... But some of the recipes are a step above the others, and this definitely is one of them.  There are many variations to this recipe, but this one uses all common ingredients for a very un-ordinary, awesomely delicious result.   If you want to impress guests, try this one.  It's not difficult at all; it just takes some time.  I found this recipe (and copied it from) www.simplyrecipes.com with my notes in parenthesis.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb bacon slices (I got thick bacon slices from the deli)
• 20 pearl onions, peeled, or 1 large yellow onion, sliced (I used the pearl onions.  To save time on peeling buy the frozen ones)
• 3 lbs chicken thighs and legs, excess fat trimmed, skin ON (I used 2lbs, which was 4 each of thighs and drumsticks)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel)  (I used pinot noir)
• 2 bay leaves
• Several fresh thyme sprigs
• Several fresh parsley sprigs
• 1/2 lb button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped (I used closer to 1lb.  Quarter these instead of chopping them)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (I forgot this because I was so excited about serving it up)

METHOD

1 Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.

2 Brown bacon on medium high heat in a dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Working in batches if necessary, add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)

3 Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

4 Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.  (NOTE:  reducing takes quite awhile, so plan ahead.  I would have reduced even more, but I was growing impatient and hungry.)

I served this over egg noodles.

Recipe #213: Pressure Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way.  My last (and first) pressure cooker recipe said to release the pressure quickly, so I did, and everything was fine.  This one didn't specify and I was getting hungry, so I tried the same, which ended up with a steamy sauce all over the ceiling, stove, cabinets, floor, and my feet.  It was worth it though... and I learned my lesson.  Anyway, this was really good and hearty, tastes like pot roast but you don't have to spend hours cooking it.  The meat fell apart.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil
3lbs stew meat, cubed
2 large onions, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 parsnips, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 cups red wine
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs parsley
2 cups water
1 beef stock cube
1 rounded tablespoon cornflour

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pressure cooker, heat oil over high heat.  Add meat and brown on all sides for a few minutes.  Add the onions, garlic, carrots and parsnips.  Add salt and pepper and mix well.

Pour in red wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the bay leaf, parsley, stock cube and water, then close the pressure cooker.  Cook for 1 hour.

When themeat is cooked, remove bay leaf and sprigs of parsley.

In a small bowl, combine a few tablespoons of the cooking juices with 1 tablespoon cornflour.  Mix well then pour into the pot.  Thicken over low heat for a few minutes.  Garnish with some parsley and serve hot.

Recipe #193: Coquilles St. Jacques

I was interested in this dish that I found in a cookbook thanks to the picture... And it something new to do with scallops instead of just sauteing them.  Because of the wine and mushrooms, this reminded me of a sort of scallops-version of chicken Marsala   The flavor is very rich thanks to the wine and cheese, and it was a hit with Nick, who particularly loves scallops.

I got distracted and burned the bread crumbs in the 

broiler a little, but nothing was ruined, thankfully!

The goods!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp butter

1/2 c fresh breadcrumbs 

1 medium yellow onion, sliced then halved

1 lb large sea scallops (NOTE:  The store didn't have these, so I had to settle for the much-smaller bay ones)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c water

3/4 c half-and-half

2 oz Swiss or Jarlsberg (which is what I used) cheese, coarsely grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the broiler.  Grease four individual 8-10oz broiler-safe baking dishes (I used 2 larger ramekin dishes).  In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over moderate heat.  Pour the butter into a small bowl; stir in bread crumbs.  Set the buttered crumbs aside.

In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat.  Add onion; saute until soft, 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to moderate.  Stir in scallops and mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes.

Add flour to the scallops and mix well.  Gradually stir in wine and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in half-and-half; heat the mixture until it is hot but not boiling.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

Divide the scallop mixture among the baking dishes.  Sprinkle each serving with an equal amount of cheese and top the cheese with the buttered bread crumbs.  Broil 4 inches from heat until lightly browned on top, 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Recipe #151: Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollups

I had almost all of the ingredients for this on-hand already- only had to get the chicken!  This is my adaptation of a recipe I saw on allrecipes, and the sauce is my take on another recipe.  DELICIOUS and easy!

INGREDIENTS (vary amounts according to desired servings):

Thin sliced chicken cutlets

Thin sliced deli ham

Slices of swiss cheese

Seasonings of choice (I used chicken seasoning)

Olive oil

Toothpicks

Cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup

Sour cream

Lemon juice

White wine

Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Lay a chicken cutlet out flat.  Fold a piece of deli ham in half and place on top, then fold a piece of swiss and place on top of that.  Roll the layers up, with the pointed end of the cutlet going on the inside.  Toothpick into place.  Season with desired seasonings.  Repeat for all.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a pan, and place the rollups into the pan and brown well on all sides.

Place rollups into a lightly-oiled casserole dish.  Bake for 25 minutes or till no longer pink inside.

While rollups bake, mix soup, sour cream (about 1/2 cup per can of soup), lemon juice (to taste, about a couple tablespoons), wine (to taste/texture) and black pepper into a small sauce pan.  Heat through and serve over rollups.