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Showing posts from August, 2018

Pork Chops in Mustard Sauce with Apples

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I got the Tartine All Day cookbook, and the first thing I tried in it didn't disappoint. The sauce on these pork chops is awesome (and no, I won't call it awesome sauce). The flavor is lovely, and it would go well on many different things. I give it an 8. 2 1-inch thick bone-in pork chops, patted dry and seasoned ahead of time sea salt black pepper, freshly ground 2 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces I left this out 1 apple, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick, and cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 cup white wine 1 tablespoon Armagnac or Cognac 3/4 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped I used 1 tsp. dried 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped I used 1 tsp. dried Here's a link to the instructions:  https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/pork-chops-apples-mustard-sauce-31948

Peach Ricotta Layer Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream

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Oh my, this cake was good. The browned butter buttercream is really what makes this cake fantastic, so do not skip the step of browning the butter. I do think it could use a bit more jam between the layers. I give it an 8 and the recipe came from halfbakedharvest.com. 1   cup  olive  oil 1   cup   whole milk ricotta cheese 3   large   eggs 2   cups   granulated sugar I used 1 1/4 C. 1   tablespoon   vanilla extract 1   cup   buttermilk 3 3/4   cups   all purpose flour 1   teaspoon   baking soda 1   teaspoon   baking powder 1   teaspoon   kosher salt BOURBON PEACH JAM 6   cups   fresh or frozen peaches 1/2   cup   packed brown sugar 2   tablespoons   bourbon 1/3   cup   raspberry jam I made my own BROWN BUTTER BUTTERCREAM 3   sticks   salted butter, at room temperature 4   ounces   mascarpone cheese, at room temperature 3   cups   powdered sugar I used 2 1/2 C. 2   teaspoons   vanilla extract Here's the link:  https://www.halfbakedharvest.co

Blair’s Salad

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So, Lisa brought this to dinner at our house and it was fantastic—I give this an 8. In addition to what you see below, she adds avocado, cucumber, and feta cheese. This salad looks impressive for company, and is unique and really good. Salad Ingredients: 1 head red-leaf lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces Lisa just used romaine 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces half of a small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced 2 (14 ounce) jars quartered artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped 1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1 batch zesty red wine vinaigrette optional garnish: extra freshly-grated Parmesan cheese Zesty Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, store-bought or homemade 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic pow

Potato and Poblano Corn Chowder

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OK, so this soup is really good. I give this an 8, and it is easily the best corn chowder I have had. It had heat, but it didn’t burn your mouth (it was the upper limits of what I can tolerate though, so next time I will probably remove the ribbing and the seeds). The fresh corn is a must here! We had to double the batch to feed our family. The recipe came from Fine Cooking Magazine. Potato and Poblano Corn Chowder By Ivy Manning August/September 2018 Issue 1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter I did a bit less than this 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 poblano, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup) I would take out all the seeds and ribbing 1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup) I doubled or tripled this 1 medium rib celery, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup) I doubled this 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme I used dry and decreased this by 50% Kosher salt and freshly ground

Frittata

I forgot to take a picture, but I love me some frittata, and this is a good base recipe. Essentially, you melt 1 Tbs. of butter and 1 Tbs. of oil in a big skillet. Then you add vegetables of your choice. Tonight we did anaheim peppers, onions, and bell peppers. Then, I poured the following on top of the vegetables: 9-10 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup of cheese (I used colby jack tonight) 4 green onions, chopped (including the scallions) You cook this on medium for 4-5 mimnutes, pushing the edges up and letting the raw part run to the sides. Then, you put it in an oven heated to 375 and bake for about 10 minutes, until the top is not runny anymore. Then, we sliced fresh tomatoes and basil on the top.

Pasta Salad

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So I am not the world’s biggest fan of pasta salad, but this was was good. My Dad’s neighbor made it (Jackie Scoffield), and it’s really yummy. Here is her recipe: Drained jar of capers drained jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 2 roasted red peppers, diced Handful of chopped fresh basil 1/2 cup large grate parmigiana reggiano 1 container heirloom cherry or pear tomatoes, halved 1 box pasta cooked al dente (she used Barilla brand cellentani) 2 bunches of asparagus, roasted with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cooled in freezer, then chopped Dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Chocolate Cheesecake

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This was really good--it gets a 9. However, we had some issues, so here you go. I hate it when cheesecakes crack. It makes me so, so mad. Here are some things I have learned to avoid that: 1. Don’t overbeat it, and add eggs towards the end since these hold air 2. I always use an aluminum pan 3. DON’T OVERBAKE IT!!! It will still be jiggly in the middle, and only the outside 1/3 to 2/3 won’t jiggle. This is my biggest downfall. 4. Put a small container of boiling water in the oven when you bake it 5. Put a cookie sheet underneath the cheesecake to catch butter drips and avoid a nasty oven smoke 6. Bake it off look, not time. My new oven seems to bake too hot, so I might change up the temperature Chocolate Cheesecake 4 8-oz. blocks cream cheese 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 Tbs. milk 4 eggs 1 Tbs. vanilla 1/4 cup cocoa 3 Tbs. flour 10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted Basically you use a paddle (not whisk) to combine your softened cream cheese and sugar. I

Rosemary Bread

So, I love the artisan bread recipe I use, and it’s the best. This one tastes fine, but you just don’t get the really crusty outside when you don’t bake it in a cast iron pot. The downside is that it is SOOOOO smoky that I really have to want the bread to be willing to cook it at my house. This recipe is fine if you aren’t going to use a dutch oven, and I think the one thing I really took away from this is to put rosemary on the outside of the bread, and to use fresh. These are obvious ideas, but still. I also am curious to see how the butter would work since this was made for a friend and we ended up omitting the butter. Anyway, this came from melskitchencafe.com and it was a solid enough recipe: · 1 tablespoon instant yeast or 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast · 1 tablespoon sugar · 1 1/2 cups warm water · 2 3/4 – 4 cups all-purpose flour (see note) · 1 1/2 teaspoon salt · 2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped and divided · 2 tablespoons butter, melted · Coarse salt for s