Dutch Baby

Sunday morning we had what Williams-Sonoma called a Dutch Baby.  I’ve had these before, but never made one.  It is easy and the results are a visual sensation.  With this I made lots of extra bacon and scrambled eggs with farm fresh eggs that Pam brought us. Serves 4-6. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

¾ C all-purpose flour

¾ C milk

¼ t vanilla extract

4T unsalted butter

Extras for serving

Syrup:

2 bacon slices, diced

½ C maple syrup

Heavy cream for whipping

¼ C confectioners’ sugar for dusting.

Directions:

1.      Place the first 4 ingredients in the blender.  Blend and scrap sides until it is fully combined. 

2.      Put an 11” French skillet or ovenproof sauté pan in a cold oven.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

3.      Whip the cream with ¼ C powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla. 

4.      When the oven is heated, put the butter in the skillet and return it to the oven until the butter melts and browns, 2-3 minutes.  Carefully pour batter into the hot skillet.  Bake until Dutch baby is lightly browned and sides have risen, 17-19 minutes. 

5.      Meanwhile in a small skillet cook the bacon until crisp.  Transfer the bacon to drain and discard the grease.  Return the bacon to the skillet and add the maple syrup.  Simmer on medium heat of 20 seconds.

6.      Remove the skillet from the oven; let cool for 3-4 minutes.  Cut into wedges: dust with confectioners’ sugar.  Serve immediately with whipped cream and bacon syrup.    

I did not see that the syrup and whipped cream added anything.  Just warm the syrup of your choice and serve. 

Ny Strip Steaks with dried Mushrom Rub,Cheese Grits Slouffle and Sauteed Brussels Sprounts with Apples and Bacon

Jim’s brother was visiting for the weekend.  Jim wanted a steak meal to go with the wines he wanted to serve.  I made the whole meal out of my Basic to Brilliant, Y’all cookbook.  So the first recipe is how you take the basic NY Strip Steak from basic to brilliant. 

Ingredients:

6 (6-8 oz) boneless NY strip steaks Jim had them cut 1 ½” thick

1 oz dried mushrooms

1 sprig rosemary

Directions:

1.      Put the dried mushrooms and the rosemary in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Puree until finely ground. 

2.      Transfer to a shallow plate and coat both sides of the steak

3.      Jim cooked them on the grille.

I can’t tell you whether this made a difference or not, as my steak was overdone so I would not eat it.  His cousin was here at dinner also and she will not eat meat until it is well done, so the grilling did not go well.

To go with the steaks I chose to make Cheese Grits Soufflé and Brussels sprouts.  The grits is a recipe that according to the author she learned while apprenticing with Nathalie Dupree.  This is easy and you can make ahead and bake while the company is snacking on appetizers.  This is a very generous 8 servings. 

Ingredients:

5 C whole milk

1C unsalted butter

1 C stone-ground grits

1 t fine sea salt

¼ t cayenne pepper

4 C grated sharp white Cheddar cheese (1#)

1 T  Dijon mustard

1/8 t ground mace

6 large eggs, separated

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven if immediately baking to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 9x 13 ovenproof baking dish. 

2.      Bring the milk to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in the grits and return to a boil.  Season with the salt and cayenne pepper.  Decrease the heat to low and simmer until creamy and thick but still loose and saucy, 45-60 minutes.

3.      Remove from the heat and stir in cheese, butter, mustard and mace.  Cool slightly.

4.      Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl.  Stir a little of the grits into the yolks to heat them slightly, then add the yolks to the grits mixture and combine thoroughly. 

5.      In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium speed until foamy.  Whip until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. 

6.      Add about ¼ of the beaten egg whites to the grits mixture and stir until well mixed.  Pour this lightened mixture over the remaining whites and fold them together as gently as possible.   (You can make the soufflé several hours ahead to this point, cover and set aside or in the refrigerator.  If refrigerated, return to room temperature before baking.) 

7.      Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Bake the soufflé until it is puffed and lightly browned, 40-45 minutes.  Serve Immediately.

Brussels sprouts are not only my favorite vegetable, but when serving grilled steak they are an anti-cancer agent.  Jim is not as fond of the sprout so I look for different recipes.  This recipe serves 4-6.  I was afraid it would not be enough, but we had leftovers.

Ingredients:

1# Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼” dice

Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme, chopped.  (I used dried, abut ½ t)

1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.      Either boil the sprouts fin water for 5 minutes or cook them in the microwave.  I did mine in the microwave for 3 minutes in ¼ C water.

2.      In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. 

3.      Decrease the heat to medium; add onion and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add the apple and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple is golden brown, about 3 minutes. 

4.      Add the sprouts and toss to combine.  Cook until tender about 5 minutes. 

I guess the meal went well.  Jim went on and on and on about his wines.  I kind of turned off.  The wines were a French 1982 Chateau Lynch Bages and a California, 1982 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.  We finished our “once in a lifetime” wine experience with an Elk Cove Vineyards Gewurztraminer to accompany my Grape Cake that I blogged about earlier this month.  The appetizers were very simple, cheese, pate and crackers.   

Ginger Sweet Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This is a light version of a Chinese stir fry.  We really liked it.  This recipe is again from Rocco

Dispirito’s cookbook.  It serves 4 and we even have a little left over for lunch.

Ingredients:

4 C fresh broccoli florets

¼ C water

2 t canola oil

1# skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into medium size chunks

Salt and pepper
1" knob of fresh ginger, cut into disks and smashed with the side of a large chef's knife

¼ C sugar-free apricot preserves, such as Smucker’s

¼ C low-sodium soy sauce

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

½ t garlic-chili sauce

2 C cooked brown rice

Directions:

1.      Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe dish.  Add the water and cover.  Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

2.      Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add 1 t oil and the chicken.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes per side.  I kept tossing like a stir-fry.   

3.      Move the chicken to the side and add 1t oil.  Add the ginger to the oil and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

4.      Add the apricot preserves and the soy sauce.  Stir together and bring to a simmer.

5.      Drain the broccoli and add to the pan.  Toss together and add the cilantro and garlic-chili sauce. 

6.      Serve immediately with brown rice. 

Honey-Mustard Pork Chops and Red Cabbage with Ginger

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and we were at Jim’s cousin’s house for a catered dinner.  The day before, we had this simple dinner from the Weight Watcher’s cookbook.  The pork was very good; cabbage, OK.  They both serve 4. 

Pork chops

Ingredients:

¼ C Dijon mustard

4 t honey

1 t cider vinegar

¼ t black pepper

4 (5oz) bone-in loin pork chops about 1” thick (mine were thicker, no bone)

Directions:

1.      To make marinade, stir together all ingredients except pork in a cup.

2.      Transfer marinade to large zip-close plastic bag; add pork.  Squeeze out air and seal bag; turn to coat meat.  Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.  (I marinated first thing in the am)

3.      Preheat broiler or grille.

4.      Remove chops from bag; discard marinade.  Place chops on the grille and cook about 6 minutes per side.

Cabbage

Ingredients:

2 t EVOO

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 T minced peeled fresh ginger

4 C thinly sliced red cabbage

2/3 C reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1.      Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. 

2.      Add onion and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

3.      Stir in cabbage and broth.

4.      Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. 

Scallops Fra Diavolo with Linguine / Grilled Garlic Bread

I really wanted scallops today and I did not want to go to the store to buy any ingredients, so I scoured my cookbooks and came up with this recipe.  This was in The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook,  I just bought at Costco.   Looking it over, the calories were quite high, but I worked on it and reduced  by half.  I will write the original recipe and in parentheses give you the version I made.  Jim and I both thought my version was delicious.  Jim had two huge servings and we have a lunch portion left over.  So, even the reduced version serves 4. 

Ingredients:

1# spaghetti ( I used ½# whole wheat spaghetti)

Salt

1# large scallops

6 T EVOO (I used 3)

1 t red pepper flakes, or to taste

¼ C cognac or brandy (I used 2T)  If you use the 1/4C, tie back your hair, roll up your sleeves, turn off the exhaust fan, have a high ceiling.  Make sure all burners are off and light with a very long match. 

12 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28 oz can) diced tomatoes, DRAINED   (I used a 15 oz can)

1 C dry white wine

½ t sugar (I used Splenda)

¼ C minced fresh parsley

Directions:

1.      Bring 4 qts. water to a boil in a large pot.  Add pasta and 1 T salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Reserve ½ C cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot.  I have a Calphalon pasta pot.  I love it.  I cook the pasta, and pull it out with the insert and leave the insert resting out of the water, but over it.  When it is time to serve the pasta, I dip it back in the water, pull it out and it is warm and adds a little pasta water to the dish. 

2.      Meanwhile, toss the scallops with 2 (1) T of EVOO, ½ t red pepper flakes, and ¾ (1/2) t salt.

3.      Heat a 12” skillet over high heat.  Add the scallops, spread into even layer, and cook, without stirring, until bottoms of scallops turn spotty brown, about 30 seconds.

4.      Off heat, flip the scallops then add cognac and let warm through, about 5 seconds.

5.      Wave lit match over pan until cognac ignites, then shake pan to distribute flames. 

6.      When flames subside, transfer scallops to a bowl and set aside.  Cool skillet slightly, about 3 minutes. 

7.      Heat 3 (1 ½) T EVOO and three quarters of garlic in now-empty skillet over low heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is stick and straw-colored, about 10 minutes.  (Mine took less and never foamed.)

8.      Stir in tomatoes, wine, sugar (Splenda), ¾ (1/2) salt, and remaining ½ t pepper flakes, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes.  

9.      Stir in scallops along with any accumulated juices, parsley, and remaining garlic into sauce. 

10.  Simmer until scallops have heated through, about 1 minute. 

11.  Off heat, stir in remaining 1 (1/2) T EVOO. 

12.   Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to combine. 

You can also make this recipe with shrimp.  With this I served the Grilled Garlic Bread from Cooking Light Mix & Match low-calorie Cookbook.    

Ingredients:

1T EVOO

4 (1-oz) slices French bread

1 garlic clove, halved

Directions:

My stove in this rental house is severely lacking in size and large size burners so I had to use the broiler and couldn’t get cute grille marks. 

1.      Heat a grill pan over medium heat. 

2.      Brush EVOO evenly over bread slices on each side. 

3.      Add bread to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. 

4.      Rub 1 side of each bread slice with cut sides of halved garlic clove. 

Jim served a great Italian white wine.  It is a 2007 Ribolla Gialla, DOC Zuc di Volvpe.  We got it in VA from the Opera House Gourmet.  It stood up to 12 cloves of garlic and was really good. 

Osso Buco and Brussels Sprouts Lardons

I watched a Dr. Oz show yesterday that said that if you don’t cheat on your diet, you will never stay on it.  He gave three people $100 to go gather the items they were missing.  I’ve never seen so much garbage food in my life.  They were cheating with prude junk food.  The following is my idea of cheating.  I was served this at my friend Fran’s house and she was gracious enough to share her recipe.  It is a winner and serves 4.  It is a great dish to make ahead for dinner guests as it takes a long time in the oven.  Jim serves a great Pinot Noir, limited selection, from Gainey Vineyard

Ingredients:  

3 T canola oil

¼ C all-purpose flour

2 T kosher salt

2 t freshly ground black pepper

4 veal shanks, tied to secure meat to bone

1 C dried porcini mushrooms (3/4 oz)

1 dried bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

3 fresh sage leaves

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

Zest of half a lemon or orange, cut into long strips, pith removed

10 whole black pepper corns

2 medium carrots, chopped very small*

1 celery stalk, strings removed, chopped very small*

1 medium onion, cut into the same very small pieces*

*you can use your food processor if you do not like chopping

2 canned plum tomatoes, crushed

1 ½ C dry white wine (I used last night’s left over wine)

1 ¼ C veal or beef stock

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with a rack centered. 

2.      In a 7 qt. ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the canola oil until hot but not smoking. 

3.      In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.  Coat each veal shank well with the seasoned flour; tap off the excess.

4.      Working in batches if necessary to keep the veal shanks from touching at all, add the shanks (they should sizzle the moment they hit the pan).  Cook until well browned on all sides, 10-15 minutes or in the case of this house the entire kitchen is filled with smoke. 

5.      Remove the veal shanks from the casserole; set aside on a plate. 

6.      Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, and cover with very hot water.  Let stand until the mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes.  Strain the mushrooms through a fine sieve, reserving ½ C of the soaking liquid.  (If you do not have a super fine strainer, use a coffee filter.

7.      Tie the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, zest, and peppercorns in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni. 

8.      Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the casserole; cook until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

9.      Add the tomatoes, wine, stock, mushrooms and soaking liquid, and bouquet garni. 

10.  Return the browned shanks to the casserole; stir gently to combine. 

11.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven; cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 ½ hours.  Check occasionally to ensure a gentle simmer; adjust the heat as needed. 

12.   Transfer the shanks to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. 

13.  Place the casserole over medium heat; simmer until the sauce is thickened about 15 minutes.  You can return the shanks to the casserole jut to heat and coat with sauce.  Serve hot.

Traditionally this is served with Risotto.  You have 2 ½ hours so it would be easy to attend to the rice.  However, I just made plain Rose’s rice.  Rose’s rice is plump and a little sticky so it works. 

I used my time making Brussels sprouts from Barefoot in Paris.  I divided this recipe in half as Jim is not as much a fan of the sprout as I am.  He said he like these.  Serves 8. 

Ingredients:

2 T EVOO

6 oz Italian pancetta or bacon, ¼” diced

1 ½ # Brussels sprouts (2 containers), trimmed and cut in half

¾ t kosher salt ( I skipped  because my chicken broth was not home made

¾ t freshly ground black pepper

¾ C golden raisins

1 ¾ C homemade chicken stock

Directions:

1.      Heat EVOO in a 12” sauté pan and add the pancetta.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, 5-10 minutes.  Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. 

2.      Add the sprouts, salt and pepper to the fat in the pan and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. 

3.      Add the raisins and chicken stock. 

4.      Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.  If the skillet becomes too dry, add a little more stock or water. 

5.      Return pancetta to pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve. 

Kiwi Sorbet

I bought a lot of Kiwi at Costco.  I could not eat them all and started searching for recipes.  I found this one on Epicurious.  It was published in Bon Appetite in July 2009.  This was a real find as it took 2# of the fruit.  I changed out the sugar for Splenda and had a sugar free dessert.  You could use any fruit.  It tasted wonderful.  I would however recommend that you buy a lot of disposable ½ C storage containers as it becomes quite hard in the freezer.  Jim broke the storage container I had used spooning out 2 servings.  With individual containers, you could leave to soften slightly and unmold into the serving dish to further soften.    This was so good and good for you.  We don’t get enough fruit. 

Ingredients:

2 # tender ripe green kiwifruit

¾ C superfine granulated sugar (I used Splenda)

Directions:

1.      Peel and chop kiwis, then pulse with sugar (Splenda) in a food processor until smooth. 

2.      Chill until cold, about 1 hour.  (This recipe was published in the summer.  I did not find the need to chill.)

3.      Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up, about an hour.  (Like I said, firm was not the word, when left in longer.)

Note:

Kiwi can be ripened by storing in a sealed paper bag with a banana.