Thanksgiving Brunch

Before the feast, we had another feast.  We had to have something to sustain us until the turkey was done.  We tend to have Thankgiving dinner later in the day, so this does actually make sense, though it's possible I went overboard in my baking.  We had fresh scones (cranberry-chocolate chip and pecan praline), crumb cake, apple-cinnamon coffee cake, eggs, bacon, Canadian bacon, cheese, fruit ... just a few things to keep us going during the day.

Sunday Brunch

On a suddenly cold, rainy Sunday, what's better than a cozy, leisurely brunch?  We had a ton of food for five people, but that's how it should be.  Brunch is my favorite meal--you can go in so many directions, and you're supposed to have plenty.  You don't have a bowl of cereal for brunch.  I made a leek and goat cheese frittata, a cinnamon-apple coffee cake made with sour cream and lots of pecans, and chocolate chip-cranberry cream scones.  We also had a selection of cheeses, smoked fish, fruit, olives, nuts, the requisite coffee, apple cider, and pear cider with prosecco--which is every bit as tasty as it sounds.

Raspberry Shortcake with Lemon Curd

Our Easter this year was a more quiet celebration--but no less fun or tasty.  For dinner, I roasted a chicken with some oranges and scallions.  There was also sauteed tofu with ginger and honey, mashed potatoes, carrots, deviled eggs, and a spinach salad.  And then for dessert, mostly after finding what are apparently elusive at Whole Foods this week--fresh raspberries (though clearly I've bought a lot lately)--I made raspberry shortcakes with lemon curd.  Flaky, slightly sweet biscuits were layered with chantilly cream, lemon curd, and then piled with raspberries.  It's hard to go wrong with that combination really.

Eggs Wrapped in Canadian Bacon

There's been a lot online lately about eggs baked in bacon. I decided to try baking the eggs in Canadian bacon--which has the advantage of already being cooked and is a little healthier, too. I placed two slices in ramekins--you could use a muffin tin for larger numbers of eggs--and then cracked an egg on top of each one. I then added a splash of cream, a little cheese, some fresh pepper (no salt needed with the bacon and cheese), and baked for 10-15 min. The eggs popped right out and were creamy and delicious. Super simple and really good.

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Maple-Dijon Bacon and Creamy Eggs over Asparagus

Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals. I love breakfast foods--and rarely get the chance to eat them in the morning. I saw these recipes on "5 Ingredient Fix" as part of a larger brunch but didn't feel the need for more. The bacon is glazed with maple syrup and Dijon mustard, so it's sweet but not too, and it literally melts in your mouth when you eat it. Baking it in the oven makes it super easy.



The eggs are soft and creamy, fully cooked, though, and without using any cream. They're slow- and low-cooked, so the protein doesn't develop into large curds. I cooked the asparagus on the stove, vs in the oven per the recipe, but either way works just fine. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Non-Traditional Easter

We don't have any hard and fast Easter meal traditions, and this year we went even further from any kind of norm--in a very tasty way. For brunch, I made my version of a Spanish piperrada and patatas bravas with a smoked paprika aioli. For dinner, we had pizza three ways: BBQ chicken Cobb salad, basil-Alfredo, and cheese with peppers and fresh tomatoes and lots of basil. Dessert was a creamy key lime pie.


Piperrada: Grilled bread topped with crisped jambon, soft scrambled eggs, and sautéed onions, roasted peppers and garlic with a dash of sherry vinegar.



Patatas bravas: Crispy potatoes topped with a garlicky smoked paprika aioli.



Above - Alfredo sauce, fresh basil, and parmesan. Below: BBQ sauce topped with chicken, bacon, Cambazola, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and avocado (added after baking).



Just a slice of key lime pie: Creamy and tart with lots of fresh lime juice and zest.



And Forgotten Cookies, or meringues with lots of mini chocolate chips and pecans, because I had egg whites left over from the pie. They somehow came out perfectly despite the growing humidity of the day.

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Chocolate-Guinness Cake

Continuing the Guinness theme, I made a chocolate cake with it for St. Patrick's Day. The cake was rich and moist but light at the same time. The frosting, not the one paired with the cake recipe, was incredibly dark and chocolatey. I actually added a bit more sugar because it was too dark at first. And because I didn't have a pot of gold handy, I caramelized some hazelnuts and added them as a simple decoration around the base of the cake.





Dinner was more like brunch, and it wasn't overwhelmingly Irish. It was good, though: baked tomatoes with breadcrumbs and herbs, soft scrambled eggs, and asparagus. 



Mushrooms sautéed in Guinness


Cheesy baked hash browns

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Sunday Brunch

Yesterday was rainy--really rainy--but we were cozy inside with good friends and warm food. The night before I put together a big strata, with layers of bread, cheese, onions and peppers and then soaked in a mixture of milk and eggs. This was refrigerated and then popped into the oven about an hour before everyone arrived. It came out puffed up and golden, a savory, delicious sort of bread pudding.


I also made a coffee cake that included lots of fresh ginger and was swirled with crunchy pecans and brown sugar.





We also had a big berry salad--blueberries, raspberries and strawberries--a couple of different cheeses, and, of course, lots of coffee.

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Linguine Carbonara

We had all sorts of grand plans for dinner last night--and watching cooking shows only added more ideas. However, it was a Friday evening, after a long week, and I had no desire to tackle a grocery store. When in doubt, pasta, right? Except that I didn't want plain pasta with things just added on top. The basic carbonara sauce isn't as heavy as some restaurants would have you think. There's no cream, and only two eggs for an entire pound of pasta. Bacon and cheese are featured, but it's all about balance, right? It's quick, easy, uses ingredients you probably already have, and, done right, is so very satisfying.
Pasta Carbonara
(four generous servings)

1 lb pasta (any shape works, but something that will hold the sauce is good)
1 c grated parmesan
2 eggs
12-16 oz bacon
olive oil (opt.)
freshly ground pepper 
parsley

1. Bring a large, salted, pot of water to a rolling boil and cook til done.  Just before the pasta is done, set aside up to a cup of the pasta water.
2. In the meantime, slice the bacon across the strips, so it's in fairly small pieces, and then saute in a large frying pan til crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  At this point you can, as I did, pour off a some of the bacon fat from the pan and add in some olive oil, or you can just go with all bacon fat.
3. Mix together the eggs and the parmesan in a small bowl.  It will be very thick.
4. When the pasta is done, pull it out of the water and add it into the frying pan, tossing it to make sure it's thoroughly coated in oil.  Then add the egg/cheese mixture and, working quickly so the egg doesn't scramble, mix everything together.  Add the bacon back in to the pan, mix again, and season with pepper.  If the pasta seems very dry, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.  Add some fresh parsley, if desired, and serve immediately.

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Souffle au Fromage

I think people are intimidated by souffles, but really they are very easy. Basically, you make a white sauce, a bechamel, then mix in egg yolks, and then fold in whipped egg whites and whatever filling, which was a mix of Jarlsberg and parmesan cheeses today. The end result is both flavorful and impressive. Butter, milk, cheese, and eggs are among the most basic, and tasty, ingredients out there. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Farfalle Carbonara

Bacon sauteed til crispy, and then mixed with Parmesan and eggs til creamy and delicious. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter KISS*

Easter this year was full of eating--and thankfully no jellybean taste tests like last year. There was, however, a rather unnecessary level of cooking on my part--big plans, tasty plans, but more work than needed. We started the day with a brunch that included a cheese soufflé, almond buttermilk scones, bacon, strawberries and blackberries, and various cheeses. I could have stopped there, we were all so full.

But in my mind I saw gnocchi, lovingly handmade and then lightly covered with a tomato-porcini sauce. So I made these, and they were good--though much more time-intensive than I'd meant them to be. We also had asparagus and green beans. Also in my mind I could practically taste the limoncello tiramisu recipe I'd come across months ago. It was also good--though not great--and cutting the recipe down to serve the four of us made more work, not less (just less leftovers, which was the point.) *keep it simple stupid -- something I need to remind myself of every so often. :) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Simply Souffle

When I was growing up we used to have cheese souffles on a fairly regular basis--not all the time, but they weren't uncommon, and they were always very good. A cheese souffle has all the same ingredients of scrambled eggs, but it is so much more elegant and light. Somewhere along the way we stopped having them, possibly when eggs fell out of favor or when we needed something on the table a bit faster. They do take some extra time, but they are super simple to prepare--essentially a white sauce with cheese and separated eggs--and the results are well worth it. Cheese Souffle (based on the recipe in Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking) 1 tsp unsalted butter 1 Tbs Parmesan 3 Tbs butter 3 Tbs flour 1 c hot milk salt and pepper pinch of nutmeg 4 eggs plus 1 egg white 3/4 c grated cheese (any combination) 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 2. Butter the inside of a 2 1/2 qt. souffle dish and coat with the 1 Tbs Parmesan. 3. In a saucepan, melt the 3 Tbs butter and then stir in the flour. Let cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn't brown. Off the heat, pour in the hot milk and whisk til smooth. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Return the pan to the heat and cook for about 1 min., stirring constantly. The mixture will be quite thick. 4. Take the pan off the heat. Start separating the eggs, and quickly whisk the yolks into the sauce after each addition. Set aside. 5. Using a mixer, beat the five egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add about a quarter of the egg whites to the sauce and stir in. Then stir in most of cheese, saving out about 1 Tbs for the top of the souffle. Carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites. 6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. 7. Place the souffle in the middle level of the oven, making sure there is plenty of space above the dish. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. 8. Do NOT open the oven for the first 20 min. Resist the urge. After 25-30 min., the souffle will have puffed up and the top will be lightly browned. Let cook for another 4-5 min. to firm up, and then serve immediately.

Billions of Buttermilk Biscuits and Quiche

We have eggs delivered here from a farm in Pennsylvania each week. Thing is, a dozen eggs is sometimes a lot to use up in a week, and if you don't cook much one week, suddenly you have lots of eggs waiting to be used. So, faced with nearly 3 dozen eggs, I decided to make quiche the other night--ham and cheddar in one, and broccoli and cheddar in the other. I also had a recipe for buttermilk biscuits I'd wanted to try from Gourmet, so I made those and a big salad and called it dinner. The biscuits were good, though I have other recipes I like better, and it made a lot--but having teenagers in the house helped to make quick work of them.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, if somewhat belatedly! Sometimes it takes a while getting back from the festivities--it's a long drive home, you know. My mom and I cooked up a storm. And with family visiting from the north, there were plenty of people to help eat it all. Once again I made maybe too many desserts--four for eight people--but they were all so good. And long gone, alas. Life is short, eat dessert first Carrot cake, with cream cheese icing and pecans Apple crostata Pumpkin chiffon pie Chocolate-mint semifreddo, studded with teeny tiny peppermint patties that taste like mini thin mint cookies. SwimmerGirl and I made this one, which was cool and creamy and refreshing. The main event A mountain of mashed potatoes; Mom's famous stuffing with cranberries, apples, pecans, and other good stuff; and cranberry-orange sauce Homemade applesauce, gravy, and a Cabernet sauvignon cranberry sauce Mashed buttercup squash with butter and brown sugar And of course, the roast beast, a very tasty 15 lb. turkey Many hours before the main feast Breakfast included an apple coffeecake drizzled with a maple glaze a strata made with three cheese, challah, and shallots and lots of fresh fruit

Saturday Morning Frittatta

This morning, while trapped on the sofa with both a cat and dog demanding attention, I was watching Tyler's Ultimate, where he made a Saturday morning frittatta. Suddenly feeling the need to have something similar, I made a frittata of my own, using Canadian bacon and Parrano cheese, among other things. I also made a mini version of his yogurt parfait, but had to skip the mimosas, lacking both blood oranges and Champagne, alas.