First dinner in France

I'm working a back-log of entries, so the dates are a little delayed from when I actually cooked some of this.  But I thought I'd write about the first meal I made during our vacation in France.  This was after I got over the alien infestation in my stomach and was able to stand without doubling over in pain and consume more than two bites of plain bread without my stomach turning into the gastrointestinal version of Mount St. Helen.  So, with that mostly behind me, I set out to cook for the 8 of us as I had originally promised to do.  Through sheer luck, and Trey's superior planning ability, I had everything I needed for a complete dinner except for vanilla, which was easily aquired at the store.

The first course was Potato Croquettes, not because I set out to make them but because there were 2 types of left over potatoes in the fridge and I hate having leftovers hanging around.  So the two leftover potato dishes got mashed up with cheese, butter, and bread crumbs, then dredged in rice crispies and fried.  I have to say I was quite impressed with the rice crispy outside.  It made a perfect coating.  They crisped up very fast, so I definitely wouldn't recommend using rice crispies for something that needs to cook all the way through, but for croquettes it was perfect.

The Panzanella Salad was the first time I had done it, and all I knew was that it consisted of fresh tomatoes, onions, and dried bread.  And since Trey likes caramellized onions so much, I decided to caramelize them and add them hot to the salad.  The only bad part was that I burned some of the bread, and the salad would have been a little better if I had let it sit for about 20min before serving it, that way te bread would have gotten a little softer and soaked up the juices.  But overall I was pretty pleased with the taste.

The chicken with pan sauce turned out fine, nice and tender but kind of unremarkable.  Which I guess was good since the kids liked it.

Desert was Croissant bread pudding, since we had a bunch of sweet croissants that we hadn't eaten and needed to be used or thrown out.  This one was pretty good, would have been better in a different baking dish.  And it DID NOT go well with the coffee icecream that I served it with for myself.  But luckily everybody else got to learn from my mistake and eat it without ruining it.

Potatoe croquettes
1 1/2 C Cooked Potatoes, mashed
3/4C Soft Cheese (cream cheese can substitute if you don't have access to really nice fresh cheese)
1/2C Milk (whole milk is best)
3/4C Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 C Rice Crispies, roughly crushed
1/2C Oil for frying

Mix potatoes, cheese, milk, salt, and pepper.  Consistency should be fairly stiff.  Add milk slowly to avoid making the mixture too soupy.  Add more bread crumbs to make it stiffer.  Shape into balls about the size of a golf ball.  Roll in rice crispies, pressing rice crispies into the balls and flattening the balls into disks.  Heat 1/4C oil in a pan until smoking.  Fry the croquettes until golden brown, about 2 min on each side.  Add more oil to the pan as necessary to keep the level at about 1/2in.  Serve immediately.


Panzanella salad
3 Fresh Tomatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/2 Loaf Bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
3T Olive Oil
3T Herbs d' Provence
1t Salt
2 Medium onions, chopped into slivers
3T Butter
1/4C Olive Oil
3T Dijon Mustard
1T Honey
2t Balsamic Vinegar
1/2t Salt
1/4t Pepper

Place bread cubes in a single later on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 3T Olive Oil over bread cubes, sprinkle Herbs d' Provence and 1t salt over bread, tossing to coat.  Toast under the broiler until dark brown, but not burned.  Remove and set aside.  Caramelize onions in 3T butter and set aside.  Whisk together olive oil, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a large bowl.  Add tomatoes, bread, and onions.  Toss to coat with dressing.

croissant bread pudding  - Recipe to come later.  Here is a link to a good one, just substitute croissant for bread  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vermont-Maple-Bread-Pudding-with-Walnut-Praline-230662.  I'll put my actual recipe up later.

Out of Practice

I had a friend and his nephew over for dinner.  And I'm in about as good a shape at cooking meat as the Tin Man after a salt-water bath.  It was a great concept, pork loin stuffed with onions and apricots, topped with a mustard pan sauce.  I won't even bother to put the recipe down, because it turned out terrible.  Well, actually the sauce and the stuffing were pretty good.  But the pork was really really tough.  I think I mis-handled the braising.  However, I did have oven roasted potatoes with homemade aoli and a very good strawberry pudding cake to make up for the mediocre pork.

The farmer's market is one of my vices.  Now, you would think that a market with fresh fruits and vegetables would be the exact opposite of a vice.  But I tend to impulse buy.  And currently the impulse is strawberries.  Well, actually it is any type of berry.  Which is fine, as long as I practice moderation and only buy 1 container.  But of course I didn't, each booth seemed to have better and better strawberries......  So 4 cartons of strawberries later I can't figure out what to do with them.  Thus the pudding cake described below.  One of the cartons was a little bruised and didn't look very good, so this was the perfect solution to use them.

Strawberry Pudding Cake
(adapted from Rhubarb Strawberry Pudding Cake on Epicurious)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Butter an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish.  Stir together water, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl.  Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.  Reserve 1/2 cup fruit mixture, then add remainder to baking dish and pour batter over it, spreading evenly. Drizzle reserved 1/2 cup fruit mixture over batter. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake portion comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes before serving.

New Computer

I don't have any recipes tonight.  Or even anything culinary to talk about.  But Trey got me a new computer.  A Mac Book.  So I could watch shows and type emails in bed.  And so I could talk to him at night from bed as opposed to sitting in front of the desk in the living room.  Which is wonderful.  Especially because curling up in bed makes me so much more expressive.  Although the tiredness is starting to lay in now.  Perhaps it is the Sekt also.  Regardless, no matter how much I like the smooth feel of the new keys and the slivery metal computer outside I need to rest.  I'm hoping the new computer will help me with writing in this blog.  If I ever want to really make something of myself in the culinary world, I need to practice the kind of consistency that I in engineering and wine tasting.  Yeah, I said wine tasting, those of you who know me are probably scoffing and asking how many glasses qualify as a taste for me.  Ah well, I have my vices.  Food and wine among them.  And now, to sleep.  Perchance to dream.....of sourdough bread, caviar, and angel toe cheese.

Not In Charge of the Guest List

In an effort to minimize the amount of time out at dinners while my boss was in town, I volunteered to host a barbeque at my place.  My thought was "hey, I have a grill, I can buy meat and beer, one of the guys can cook, and with only about 10 people it won't be such a big deal."  Well, as I indicated in the title, I was not in charge of the guest list.  When all was said and done, there were 38 people in my house.  Luckily I bought 2 whole tenderloins, started marinating them the night before, brought out the biggest bowl I had for a green salad, and baked a cake.  The cake was the only real homemade thing I contributed.  But it was a good thing that I did, since only 1 other person brought anything and there were THIRTY EIGHT PEOPLE in my house.  Oh, and I also got hotdogs, buns, and fixings for the kids.  And the beer.

I think it was a pretty decent success.  Especially for a thrown-together barbeque on a weeknight.  The cake was an experiment, and in general was pretty tasty.  I was pleased.  So the total consumed was:
2 whole tenderloins
1 bushel of salad
2 cakes
2 lbs. potato salad
2 cases of beer (24-bottle variety)
12 bottles of wine
1 magnum of sparkling rose
1 bottle limoncello
3/4 bottle jack daniels
1 bottle really good grappa
1/2 bottle really really good scotch

The only casualty was a shot glass.  Amazing.

Limoncello Cake
Pound Cake
1/2 C Limoncello
Lemon Glaze
Strawberries

Recipe to come later....  A little one is in need of a snack.

Devil in a dish

Caviar.

Mmmmmmm........  Let me savor that for a minute.......  c...a...v...i...a...r.........

So there I was, having a bad day.  Again.  Reminded that I have all this responsibility and constraints by my 23-year-old babysitter who thinks getting up before 9am is stressful and my 20-something-acting-like-16 colleagues who drink until 4am most nights.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my family for the world.  But I have those days when I get a little jealous.  Ok, so that day I was a lot jealous.  With that feeling I headed out to get my good friend a birthday present for her 40th.  Since her husband wasn't in town due to the Icelandic volcano I promised her champagne and caviar one night.  In preparation to make good on my promise I went to what was purported to be the best grocery store in town.

Here is where the director would cue the suspense music and everyone in the audience thinks "NO!  Don't go in that door!"

And in I went.  There may as well have been angels and trumpets at the opening of the door.  This is my heaven.  As I strolled leasurely through the isles, being more and more tempted by the exquisite displays of culinary delights I continued to have this rock churning in my stomach.  Next thing I know, as I'm standing at the caviar counter the devil himself walks up.  As one would expect, he was tall, dark, and handsome.  With a great accent and perfect teeth.  As I casually mention that I'm looking for caviar for a friend he smoothly offers me a glass of champagne.  Pink champagne.  Ohhhhhh that primrose path of dalliance.....

As he begins to explain the different species of fish responsible for the different caviars, the subtle taste difference and the best pairings I feel the pink champagne slowly bubble up to my head.  And as the bubbles rise and the rock churns in my stomach that keeps reminding me that I have "all this responsibility" and the tall, dark, handsome, exotically accented man lulls me into a trance about the buttery taste of beluga caviar......  suddenly I find myself chucking the rock out the window, giving in the bubbles, and saying "yes, I'll take 50mg of the most expensive caviar you have."

And in that blissful moment of surrender I realize, I can't just have 1 container.  Because as long as I'm being reckless, I need one just for me.  So I get another, more moderately priced I assure you.  But still more than most people spend on a pair of shoes.  And of course 2 bottles of champagne.  Because I like mine dry and she likes hers sweet.  Or at least that was what I was telling myself.

By the time I completed my selection of champagne and caviar, I'm feeling a little guilty.  Almost guilty enough to change my mind.  The devil, sensing this, informed me that he would have my package rung up at the VIP register while I had a glass of wine on the house.  Well, sitting at perfectly appointed bar at 3pm drinking a well aged french white was exactly what I needed to completely squash that green-eyed monster.  No more was I jealous of the 20-somethings with their carefree lifestyle.  Because not a one would have the guts to order the best caviar in the place, and then enjoy every last bite.

Which is exactly what I did.  With a good friend.   Sitting in our pajamas.  Talking until the early hours of the morning.  That caviar, that champagne, and that night were all together priceless.


Oh, and I made blini's to go with the caviar.  Which were the best blini's I've ever had.  Recipe to follow sometime.....

What a Jerk

So far, the biggest success, at least according to my intrepid tastetester, is my jerk chicken with sweet mustard coleslaw.  I think the combo was pretty good, plus the crunchy from the slaw made for a good texture combo.  The chicken needed a better crust on it, or it needed to be shredded with more jerk sauce mixed in.  The chicken came out fairly mild in flavor, with just a hint of the sauce, but with extra sauce added plus the coleslaw, it was pretty good.  The sauce itself was pretty overpowering, but in combo, I think it was great.  I didn't have any bread, or rolls, so we used tortillas.  Now I'm pretty sure there aren't tortillas in traditional Jamaican cooking.  So I have to figure out what they would use for a sandwich holder, but it turned out pretty nice anyway.  And I was able to satisfy MJ's question about whether healthy food can taste good.  So far a success.

I do have to crow for a minute.  I was asking MJ to critique the different combos (I did 2 sauces, a Jerk BBQ and a more traditional pan sauce), and he gave me some good feedback.  He also asked what I thought, and my reply was that of all the sandwiches I have made for him, this one was the best.  Flavor combo was good, texture was good, mixture of meat to veggies, etc.  He agreed, but he also told me that the meals he's had with me are among the best he's ever had!  That made me feel great.  So here's the ingredients to the two parts of the dish.  I will have to go find my notes to get the exact measurements.

Jerk Chicken
4 Chicken Breasts
1/2C Olive Oil
1/4C Soy Sauce
1/8C Ketchup
1/8C Worchteshire Sauce
4T Jerk seasoning (need to get the specific spices for this)
2T Lime Juice
2 Cloves Garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag and marinate for 24hrs.  Remove chicken and pan fry in lightly oiled skillet, about 8min on each side.  Pour remaining marinade into a sauce pan and boil until thickened.

Sweet Mustard Coleslaw
1C Mayo
1/3C Mustard (using medium German mustard for this one, can use dijon)
1/4C Brown Sugar
1/4C Apple Cider Vinegar
2T Celery Seeds
1t Salt
1/2t Pepper
1/2 Head Cabbage (green or red), shredded
1 Red Pepper, cut to matchstick size
1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin

Mix first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add veggies and toss.  Refrigerate for about 4 hours.

Carrot Salad

Its one of those mornings.  You know those mornings.  Where everything goes wrong.  And just when you think you have everything straight and are starting to get some traction to the day you realize you left your ID at home and have to drive back through rush hour traffic....... making you more than an hour late.  Yup, its one of those days.  So I'm taking a quick breather to collect me thoughts, perhaps even my wits, that is if there are any left.  I'm beginning to think my wits have taken a hiatus.  I hope they are having fun wherever they are.  Coming home did give me an opportunity to make myself a shredded carrot salad that I'm loving right now.  Its actually coleslaw, but I haven't shredded any cabbage, just carrots.  I made it for Easter Sunday at a friends place, and there were some carrots and dressing left over.  Since i'm trying to cut down on processed carbs (I say as I put an Eggo waffle in my mouth......), its good to find a salad that I like.  I'm not a big fan of veggies.  But for Charlotte's sake I need to get better at eating veggies.  I'm reading my second book about having a whole food diet and how it is so much better for you.  How do I attract these books?  I didn't buy either of them, they were both gifts.  Something is attracting these books to me.  Ah well, may as well read them and try to eat better.


I'll start with the carrot salad for lunch and perhaps some cabbage rolls for dinner.  We'll see.....


Blue Cheese Coleslaw 

• 3 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons celery seed
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 15 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 4 green bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 4 carrots, grated
• 2 cups shaved onions
• 4 cups blue cheese, crumbed

Mix all ingredients together.  Or, make dressing, and add to whatever shredded veggies you have.  A la Emily's Shredded Carrot Salad (omit blue cheese for Carrot Salad).  I made half for Easter dinner with 10 people.  This recipe makes A LOT of salad.