FFWD: Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese



Lyonnaise Garlic and Herb Cheese

I have been having a really hard time keeping up with my postings.  To you it seems like I may have given up on my kitchen adventures, but there have been many over the past several weeks I have just not had the time to write about.  Working crazy hours right now and weekends have been very full.  I even missed last week's posting for a dish I actually had the time to make, though in my defense I was on vacation.  So that brings us to this week and a super simple recipe, thank goodness, that did not take a day and a half to make.  Not a criticism, I'm just sayin'.....

So, this cheese spread is the type of appetizer I enjoy serving, because you almost can't go wrong.  Most party guests love cheese, garlic and herbs, so herein is the perfect appetizer solution.   I used store-bought ricotta because I was unable to locate fromage blanc and, frankly, did not want to go to the trouble of making my own.  I think if I had to make this again I would use a combo of goat cheese and ricotta (if I still cannot find the fromage blanc).  Even with the vinegar and the salt this seemed to cry out for a tangy something or other.  I am taking this to a potluck lunch at work today, so we will see other's reactions.  From tasting this morning (made last night), I was surprised at how strongly the tarragon flavored the cheese.  I would have expected the garlic and shallots to overpower it, but the flavors all blended rather harmoniously. 

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend with friends and/or family.  Please take a moment to remember the fallen soldiers who gave their lives defending the freedoms we all enjoy this Memorial Day.  Until next time, bon apetit!

FFWD: Double Chocolate Banana Tart

Hey gang, on vacay this weekend, so photos and discussion to follow, but this was truly delicious and pretty simple, really. Looks hella impressive, too. Will post next week.

Almond Flounder Meunière-French Fridays with Dorie



Almond Flounder Meuniere

Hello, dear reader. I have to tell you all about my exciting weekend in NYC, where with my job I was, coincidentally, so fortunate to be with a group of very influential home, cooking and lifestyle bloggers at an event celebrating the launch of Sandra Lee's new venture in to kitchenware and tabletop with Kmart and Sears. I was so inspired by these lovely ladies who work so hard on their blogs and have cultivated huge followings as a result.  I truly enjoyed meeting them all and talking with them about what inspires them. Sandra Lee was also rather inspiring. I found her to be warm and genuine. She said at one point that she feels the Food Network edits her personalIty out of her shows, and I must concur. She has a wicked sense of humor, but you really dont get that from her shows.   Anyway, meeting these "real" bloggers makes me want to do better with my own blog!  It's certainly something to aspire to at any rate.  If you have a chance, please check out a few of the blogs created by the attendees of this event. www.rachelferrucci.com,  www.tonyastaab.com. 

  Almond Flounder Meuniere...hmmm.  So, anyone who knows me will probably be surprised that I actually cooked this dish because I am not a fish lover at all. I have been dabbling with sea creatures as food over the past several months, however, and I think I can safely say that I...like....crab now. There, I said it.  All other seafood is still on my wait-and-see list, however, until I have that one fabulous dish.   

The entrance to the event at The Kitchen in Midtown Manhattan

  Anyway, back to the flounder.  Maybe one of you with more experience can explain why this dish came out rather on the soggy side.  I paper-toweled the filets, got a good crust on the fish, but still they were soggy.  My theory is that with an oil able to take high heat, rather than or in addition to the butter, I could have raised the heat and flash-fried the fish creating a more firm texture and crispier crust.  Your thoughts?  I'm thinking I just dont have enough, or frankly any, experience in cooking fish to know if I had even cooked it all the way through, either.  The flavors of the dish were nice, if conventional, but I was underwhelmed as was the hubby.  Hopefully the next seafood dish I attempt will be a bit more inspiring.  Until next week, bon apetit. 



A Tablescape featuring Sandra Lee products available at Sears and Kmart

French Fridays with Dorie: Coconut Friands

Coconut Friands...giant sized.

Two weeks after my surgery and all is well.  Almost fully healed!  I did manage to bake these lovely little coconut cakes during recuperation, but failed to write this post in a timely manner.  It's certainly not because these weren't delicious.  The hardest part of this recipe (which is insanely easy) was locating unsweetened coconut, but once found I was off and baking.  I actually misread the recipe and greased a regular size muffin tin instead of a mini, and only realized it when I only got 8 cavities filled.  Oh well, go big or go home I always say. 

I am not a coconut fan, honestly,  but we both loved these.  Something about the vanilla-y, coconutty, buttery goodness.  I enhanced the recipe a little by adding some lemon zest as well.  Served with a little lemon curd, these were amazing, and even a little fancy!  We ate all of them by the next day and I had to make another batch last night.  This time I made them without the baking cups and the edges got browned and crispy, making them even more delightful.  Oh, Dorie, I am never going to lose that 10 pounds before my friends' wedding this Summer at this rate! 

Anyway, mes amis, this week's recipe is lamb stew.  I will do my best to make it, but I am headed to NY late this week for a work event, so I may not get to it before Friday.  Hope you all have an amazing week.  Bon apétit!

French Fridays with Dorie: Sardine Rilettes. Well, not really.

Gross.

All I have to say is eww.  I draw the line at sardines.  Sorry folks, but I am just not adventurous when it comes to fish.  Read on, though if you like delicious bread!
What I would like to share with you this week is Cinnamon Swirl Bread.  You may be saying ho-hum about now, but I feel like a veil has been lifted and the elusive secret to Cinnamon Swirl Bread, the kind with no gaps between bread and filling, has been lifted. 


Delicious!


Those geniuses over at Cooks Illustrated (which is probably my new favorite resource for all things cooking) figured it out, and it could not be simpler.  The bread dough is not just a basic white loaf, as you normally find in most recipes.  It is based on a type of Japanese bread called shokupan, which in Japan is swirled with red bean paste.  The author of the article was inspired by a piece of shokupan toast from a Norita airport kiosk.  The bread dough is more like a brioche, with the amount of butter and sugar added to the mix, but the real secret is in the filling.  My immediate thought when choosing what to put in my filling would be brown sugar and cinnamon, and maybe some raisins.  But the secret actually lies in using powdered sugar and LOTS of cinnamon, and using a fine mist of water on the filling to make it stick to the dough, therefore alleviating the gaps. The coolest part of this recipe (which can be found here if you are member of their website http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/login.asp?docid=35476)  is the twist.  Literally.  After you fill the dough, you cut the rolled loaf length-wise, exposing the filling.  You then braid the two halves Russian style, brush with egg wash and bake.  The end result is a springy, delicate, delicious loaf that is honestly easy enough to make all the time, but looks super special, and would make a very nice gift bread. 

The dough, risen and ready to bake

I will be back next week with the French Fridays recipe for Coconut Friands, which sound fun.  Until then, bon apétit!
P.S. For those of you curious about the outcome of the oral surgery, all is on the mend.  I had a small cyst on my tongue  removed, which turned out to be benign.  I spent the better part of the Holiday on Vicodin, which is actually a pretty good way to survive a visit from the in-laws, to be honest.  Hope you had a fantastic time with your families, or whoever you were with over the weekend.

French Fridays with Dorie: Asparagus and Bits of Bacon



Everything is better with bacon....

I am going to have to make this a brief post.  Had a bit of oral surgery today and am in a bit of a vicodin haze, but wanted to post nonetheless.  A very simple side dish, and one that will be repeated very soon, Asparagus and Bits of Bacon was not particularly challenging but the flavors were top notch.  Asparagus is lightly cooked and dressed with a bit of lemon juice and walnut oil (or, if you prefer, hazelnut oil).  I really enjoyed the nutty flavor of the oil with the asparagus, and would even serve it without the bacon and onion topping, but, c'mon...what isn't better with bacon and onions?  Delicious and nutritious, while at the same time clogging the arteries.  But, as Paula Deen has said...I'm a cook, I'm not your doctor. 

Until next week, mes chers, bon apétit!

French Fridays with Dorie: Crab & Grapefruit Salad

Refreshing Crab & Grapefruit Salad

We have had a beautiful, early warm spring here in the normally frozen tundra known as Chicagoland, so this week's recipe was a pleasant and refreshing accompaniment to a breezy Sunday afternoon lunch on the sun porch.  I love being a member of French Fridays because things I would not normally seek out, like crab (as I have said before, not much of a seafood fan), end up being such pleasant surprises.  This recipe was no exception.  Incredibly simple, and undeniably elegant, this little salad will be on my summer menus for sure.  I was able to find super chunky and delicious lump crab at a nearby specialty market.  The dressing of olive oil, grapefruit and lemon juices was perfect, but the mint is the real standout here,  I was surprised a bit by this ingredient, because I normally associate mint with desserts, but it adds so much to the delicate flavor of the salad. 

I also used this opportunity to catch up on the Cheese Souffle, with what I thought was a great result.  To me, though, cheese souffle sounds a lot better, or at least more exotic, than it really is.  It is essentially really cheesy eggs.  Delicious, yes, but rather simple nonetheless. 

Apologies, dear readers, for the late and rather short post, but it has been an extremely busy week, and this little blogger is tuckered out.  Until next week (asparagus and bacon, oh my!), bon apétit!