|
Author Archives: http://
Okay this post is very late. I have to apologize to the hostess of this event, Christy over at Balance Food, sorry Christy!
I picked the Superfood Blueberries for our last weeks challenge food and the course was breakfast – I know I know, not very creative!!! I had all intentions of making some crazy blueberry waffles for breakfast or steel cut oats slowly cooked and then loaded up with brown sugar and blueberries or these outrageous blueberry muffins. Then I woke up on Saturdy, started the espresso machine, went to the fridge to grab the milk and the blueberries and they were GONE!! Someone no names being named ate the entire basket of them. We were on to plan B, go out to breakfast with friend from out of town and order something with blueberries – the place we went to did not have any fresh blueberries! So here I am apologizing to our hostess for not only being late on this post but also for being lame with my blueberry breakfast! (I did run 3 times). Now to the round-up …
.jpg "dutch-baby") Trish over at Gluten Free in SLC made a sweet little breakfast treat, a Dutch Baby with Blueberry compote. A Dutch Baby is a large eggy pancake that is baked in the oven. Trish went the extra mile and made it gluten free. She made a beautiful blueberry compote which was flavored with orange juice and zest. Even though she felt her attempt at making a blueberry breakfast treat was a bust, I thought it sounded tasty and looked very good! She has the recipe on her site as well.
Christy over at Balance Food made Blueberry Breakfast Mini Pies. They are adorable. The crust is a granola based crust of oats and brown sugar which she shaped in muffin tins. After they were cooled she filled them with Browns Cream Top Yogurt (which by the way is our favorite) and topped them with a blueberry topping – YUM! Christy has a recipe as well.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge, it was really fun and you all did a GREAT job! Thank you to Christy for asking me to co-host this with you, I had a lot of fun (even though I suddenly got so swamped I am really glad I did it) and really enjoyed it! This is a great event and really helps you jump start your healthy eating habits – I look forward to doing it again next year!
Tangy Goat Cheese is gently wrapped with pancetta and pan seared until golden on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside. Before serving with warm bread, fragrant honey is lightly drizzled over the top.
 .jpg "goat-cheese-and-pancetta-0309")
We had a friend in from Dinant Belgium. It was great to see him as it has been a couple years since we were out there. We spent the weekend eating and drinking, not any different then when we were there last. Since he has been here before, we did not need to do the usual San Francisco tourist gig, so we took a drive up the coast to Marshall for some oysters, good seafood and wine. It was great to get out of the city and it was even greater to suck down some fresh plucked oysters – so tasty! On our way back through the city we took a detour over to Liverpool Lil’s for a couple pints of icy cold beer, which just made us really hungry for sushi. Our next stop on the “eating tour” was Sushi Zone. We love this little gem of a sushi joint and we converted Vincent as well. Their mango baked sea bass has got to be one of the best things you can put into your mouth! After plates upon plates of sushi we made Absinthe our last stop for a couple night time cocktails – great spot for old classic cocktails with an updated twist.
Now all this food hopping around the bay was fantastically fun; but, I have to say the meal we had at Chez Us was even better. We had been saving some beef that we had left over from our Argentina New Years dinner – saving it for a special evening. We could not think of a better meal then with a friend from over seas. The Estancia Beef is really fantastic and if you get a chance to have it, do!
We started the evening by letting Vincent into the kitchen to make one of Lenny’s favorite appetizers from when he was living in Belgium. It was a goat cheese (we used one regular one and one infused with truffles) wrapped in pancetta and then pan seared until the bacon was golden and the cheese melted. Before serving Vincent drizzled it with chestnut honey. This was mouthwatering! The saltiness of the pancetta, creaminess of the cheese and the sweetness of the honey was brilliant. Definitely one of my new favorite foods!
Our main course was fillet of beef lightly seasoned with sea salt, pepper and some olive oil and then pan seared. We served it with Kalamata Olive Chimichurri which really complimented the grassiness of the beef. Along the side was roasted baby potatoes with rosemary and steamed green beans and lots of red wine and fresh baguettes. (sorry there are no photos too busy eating; but, I did include two recipes)
Recipe: Goat Cheese with Pancetta
1 small round goat cheese
2 thin slices of pancetta
2 tablespoons honey
Tightly wrap the goat cheese with the pancetta. Pan sear over low – medium heat until the pancetta is golden and the cheese lightly melted. Remove from heat and plate. Drizzle with honey. Serve with baguette. Eat.
Kalamata Olive Chimichurri
*adapted from Bon Appetit
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves; 2 thinly sliced, 2 pressed
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh, broken in half
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Heat olive oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic, red pepper, and bay leaf. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shallots and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, olives, and vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon water. Add more water by teaspoonfuls to thin as needed. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
A sinful flourless chocolate cake. This is the ultimate flourless chocolate cake; dense, but moist; rich with deep dark chocolate, but slightly sweet. This is an easy chocolate cake recipe to fall back on for last minute dessert ideas and it is gluten free.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef and they picked a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge. The DB challenge rules were that we were suppose to make the cake, serve it with an ice cream or we could use another sauce of choice.
When I read about this challenge I knew that I would be able to come with at least three reasons to make this sinful cake, 1) my friend Evelyn’s birthday, 2) Valentine’s Day, or 3) my birthday. Guess what? I did not use any of those reasons to make it. I waited until the perfect rainy day last weekend and made it for no reason at all except pure indulgence!
Since we were going all out with sin for this dessert we used a pound of bittersweet Scharffen Berger Chocolate, if one is going to be bad, then one may as well be bad. The recipe is so simple. You melt butter with chocolate and then fold in yolks and whites that have been beaten stiff. I thought it was going to turn out souffle like, but it did not. It was dense but moist and so incredibly rich.
When I first read the recipe I had all sorts of plans for what kind of ice cream to serve with this cake, Vanilla Bean, Burnt Caramel or Cardamon. Then I switched to thoughts of sweet raspberries, which in turn went to sugary fruit sauces. The end result was a slightly sweet sauce I made out of some Marion Blackberries that I found in the frozen section of the market. They were so sweet that they really did not need any sugar and they went nicely with the ultra dark chocolate.
I loved this recipe and can definitely see it being a fall back on recipe. Especially for those last minute desserts as the ingredient list includes everything that is a staple in our house. Be sure to check out all of the other decadent Daring Bakers challenges today.
Recipe
Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated
Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.
I don’t think I have had Schnitzel of any kind since I was in Germany, which was many years ago, so many it will age me! I remember it being crispy and saturated in butter; it was delicious. When I was poking around Simply Recipes a couple weeks ago I stumbled upon Pork Schnitzel and knew immediately, that we would be eating it very soon. Schnitzel is basically a cutlet and in Germany it usually is veal. While I love veal, Lenny is a little suspect so I knew this recipe would be perfect.
I was going to follow Elise’s recipe perfectly but when I got home I realized that I forgot to buy eggs and I could not possibly borrow another egg from my neighbors, I borrowed 3 this week already. The dill I thought was growing in our herb garden was actually chives. The chicken stock I usually have on hand had magically disappeared. I knew the evening was off to a wrong start ….
The recipe was pretty easy and surprisingly, since I was missing so many ingredients, it came out really well. I loved the crunchy texture of the fried panko and the pork came out very moist. The sour cream was a really nice addition to the spiciness of the paprika and the milkiness of the pork. I served it with a classic frisee salad drizzled with olive oil, fresh squeezed Meyer lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.
Here is the Chez Us version of Pork Schnitzel.
Recipe: Pork Schnitzel
- 2 boneless pork chops – pounded thin
- 1/8 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 3/4 cup panko
- 3 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream – not low fat
Use a meat cleaver and pound the pork cutlets to 1/4 inch thickness.
Set out 3 plates. One will have a mixture of flour, salt and pepper. The second one will have the milk. The third will have a mixture of bread crumbs and paprika.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, do not allow it to smoke. Dredge the cutlets first in the flour, then the milk, and then the panko. Coat well.
Sauté the cutlets for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, until golden. You may have to work in batches if your skillet is not big enough for two at a time – we had too. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and cover with foil and keep warm in a preheated oven.
While the cutlets are cooking, in a small bowl mix the chives and salt into the sour cream.
Serve the cutlets with the sour cream. Eat.
I was not sure what Shrove Tuesday was except it had to do with the catholic church and pancakes. Did a bit of research and found out it is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the christian season of fasting and prayer, also known as Lent.
I don’t think I have ever celebrated Shrove Tuesday. In fact, I am pretty sure I never have. I did a little research to find out why this was never something that was celebrated in our homes, after all, we are both catholic. I found out the reason, it is primarily celebrated in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia.
Once I started seeing beautiful plates of pancakes and crepes popping up last night I decided that our dinner tonight would be just that and that we would kick off this lent season.
I decided to go with crepes as they are a bit lighter. I was going to use Barbara’s recipe over at Winos and Foodies, but it was suppose to sit for 2 hours and I did not have that much time. So I used the the Mark Bittman recipe from my new cookbook and loved it as it was incredibly easy and tasty. Barbara sprinkled sugar on her crepes and that reminded me of how my grandmother use to let us eat ours, so I lightly sprinkled some vanilla sugar over the top and then zest from a blood orange. Lenny looked at me like I have three heads when I brought dinner out but guess what he never said more then 10 words and kept eating! I knew they would be a great new change and maybe we will kick off lent properly now!
By the way be sure to check out our latest podcast. We meant to get it out there at the beginning of the week but got a bit busy. It is funny and light-hearted and gives you a peak into what is cooking over here this week!
[display_podcast]
A traditional steak dinner served with creamed spinach and duck fat fried potatoes.
We were contacted a couple weeks ago by Ingrid who happens to be working with the Travel Channels online team, particularly the No Reservations sector. She asked us if we would be interested in spreading a little Anthony love. We jumped at it for a few reasons 1)we love the show & are faithful spectators 2)well, I am just going to say it, Anthony is HOT and 3)the obvious we should use a little self promotion as well.
Over emails the last week we were given the skinny on where Anthony will be taking us tomorrow night. Yes, it is his hometown & one of our favorite cities, Manhattan. While there he visited one of New York’s beef eating institutions, Keens. Keens has been around since 1885 and has become known as Manhattan’s only USDA Prime only restaurant. As well they have an outstanding Scotch collection. In honor of this memorable meal we thought it was only fitting that Anthony swing by for a little pre-Keen’s meal. Tonight we had one of his favorite meals …. steaks, creamed spinach and a glass of Scotch. Click the photo to see the video WE made of our dinner with Anthony.
 CLICK TONY – TO SEE THE VIDEO WE MADE
Avedano’s Meat Market has been in the back of my mind ever since I read an article about this woman owned butcher shop. Something mildly intriguing about women being butchers as well I heard that they have some of the best beef in San Francisco. Since we were having Tony over for a traditional steak dinner we wanted to get the biggest and juicest cuts they had and we found it with their New York cuts from the Five Dot Ranch. We wanted to keep it simple just as we imagine Keens does so we lightly seasoned them with sea salt, cracked black pepper and olive oil. Pan seared and then cooked to perfection.
Creamed spinach ….. I love the stuff and this was the first time Laudalino has ever had it. I remember the first time I had it at the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. Nothing like creamy goodness next to a hunk of meat. I found an easy and traditional recipe in the Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything cookbook (my honey got it for my birthday). I did add my own touch to the recipe by adding a small amount of caramelized shallots along with the zest of fresh nutmeg. Otherwise, I kept it simple. I loved how creamy and buttery the dish turned out, very flavorful.
One cannot have a perfectly cooked steak without some potatoes. Not your ordinary fried potatoes either. It had to be duck fried potatoes. My first trip to Paris many moons ago I was introduced to this incredibly tasty morsel. Then I kind of forgot about it until I took a French cooking course a couple years ago. Now I keep duck fat in the fridge and when we are aching for some fried potatoes or celery root, out comes the fat. There is some intoxicating while the fat is heating up, the aroma is mouthwatering. I loved slaving over batches of potatoes taking it all in ….
The meal was simple honest food. Good all the way to your core. And if you are wondering, strangely enough, the scotch went nicely with the steak and the creamed spinach, I guess you could say it really cut through the fat!
Recipe: Duck Fat Fried Potatoes
2 potatoes, cut into thin strips
1 cup rendered duck fat
sea salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper
Heat duck fat in a shallow frying pan, over medium heat. Add potatoes in batches and cook until golden. Set aside on a paper towel, in a warm oven (125 or lower). Continue cooking with remainder of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Eat.
The super-food this week with be the Blueberries and you need to use it in breakfast. Yes, boring, I am sure. I had all intentions of picking something crazy for the breakfast category but have not had anytime to really do my research. So … we are ending this challenge on the norm!
It is believed that consumption of ellagic acid, an antioxidant found in blueberries may reduce a person’s risk of cancer by blocking the metabolic pathways that can promote cancer. Laboratory research has found that ellagic acid may actually slow the growth of some cancerous tumors. Blueberries are very good for you!! Not only are they great with breakfast but we love to have them around for snacking!
I also have to admit … I did not get to my challenge for last week. It is sitting in my fridge and I will make it this week. The good news, I ran 4 days in a row and it felt great! Check out the GREAT roundup that Christy posted – everyone did a great job!
Rules for the challenge
Post your entries some time this week on your blog, and send me an email at denise@chezus.com with the link to your post and a picture. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Entries are due Saturday evening before midnight (PST). Have fun!
Making soup can be very easy and this cauliflower soup couldn’t be easier. It is so basic; blanched cauliflower, puree with the blanching liquid and season with salt, pepper, butter and a little olive oil. It is low fat and vegetarian friendly as well.
I am just going to say it …. tomorrow I will be 42! There I said it. I have to admit I am finally comfortable with being in my 40s. Took 2 years but I am there! What is another comfort over at Chez Us …. Soup! One can eat it warm or cold and either way it is comfortable. We love making and eating soup and we seem to do it very often. Maybe it is because you can be creative with it or maybe because it is a comfort thing, as the evenings we decide to make soup seems to be when we have had a long day at the office. Tonight was not that way.
I have been trying to master the perfect Cauliflower soup. One that is not cream based and one that would not turn neon yellow from the stock (okay maybe a little too much photoshop, too). I love the silkiness and creaminess of the perfect Cauliflower soup and I found it. Elise over at Simply Recipes, recently posted the perfect bowl of Cauliflower soup. I knew when I saw it that we had to have it! The recipe is so straightforward and easy; cook cauliflower, puree, season and serve.
We had received some salts from the wonderful folks at Saltworks when we were at the Fancy Food show and one of the flavors was truffle. I had been waiting for the perfect dish to try it out on and when I saw this recipe, I just knew it would be delicious with this soup. I lightly drizzled some olive oil on the soup and then sprinkled a heavy dose of the truffled salt. I did skip adding salt during the puree process. The truffles really complimented the earthiness of the cauliflower and the creaminess of the butter added to the soup.
Thank you Elise for a great recipe. Be sure to check in and see what kind of birthday culinary capers will be taking place – I don’t even know yet!
|
.jpg "blueberries")
.jpg "blueberry-pies")
