Cassoulet

Recently, I made my first-ever trip to Europe.  I was pleasantly surprised to have dined in some fabulous French restaurants while in Paris and my partner and I have been inspired to make French cooking night a weekly routine.  Without a doubt, I took this challenge full-force and we began with this hefty task:  Cassoulet.

With beans and duck as a base, it was an arduous task that took us a lot longer to finish than we had hoped, but the taste was amazing.  If you're up for somewhat exotic meat (I've never made duck myself before) and beautiful flavors blended together, this is worth a try... as long as you have several hours on hand.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cassoulet-Au-Canard-Duck-Casserole

Enjoy!

Layers of beans, duck/sausage, topped with duck fat bread crumbs

Paired with Pino Noir and a baguette from Acme Bakery

Having fun on this multi-step process meal

In charge of preparing the duck!

Apple & Brie Crostini

There are some food pairings that are way out in left field.  One of these pairings, apples and brie cheese, have been a recurring favorite of mine (in addition to others like tomato, mozzarella and basil... caprese!).  It tastes so good with a crusted baguette... a perfect snack, appetizer or dinner in large quantities.  ;)

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced diagonal, approx 1/2 inch
1 wheel brie cheese
1 apple, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Cut the brie cheese into quarters and bake at 350 until center is beginning to ooze, approximately 10-15 min.  You can use a toaster oven for the small quantity.

2. While the cheese is baking/melting, toast the baguette slices on a pan in extra virgin olive oil until golden on each side, adding evoo as needed.

3. Stack the baguette, a slice of apple and cheese.  Enjoy!

Toasting the baguette slices!

Beautiful golden color and so delicious

Melted just enough!  Oozes more after you take it out of the oven

I prefer the sweeter apples... the tart ones don't taste
quite right with the cheese

Stacked.  No particular order- whatever your heart desires!

Secrets from a Nutritionist

Ever look at ingredients in a recipe and think to yourself "man, I wish I could take that out, but what would I substitute it with?" or "I have these ingredients but I don't want to be eating casserole for the next 5 days.  What else can I do with this?"

Here is a quick slideshow of 30 tips/tricks from a nutritionist.  I will definitely be looking back at this for ideas when I get stuck with no ideas in the kitchen.

Chewy Oatmeal-Coconut-Craisin Cookies

Once in awhile you crave that chewy dessert without all the sweet.  Something a little more healthy than the refined, plastic-wrapped, corn syrup coated candy.  These cookies were inspired by Catherine, Lena, and the Pioneer Woman's original cookie recipe.  Here's my "healthier" twist (which is generally a combination of several of my favorite ingredients from different recipes) and with it comes raving reviews by my co-workers and family members.  

Enjoy!

1 cup Sweet Butter, Softened

3/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Honey

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 large Eggs

1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour

1 dash cinnamon

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats

Mix-ins (craisins, coconut, pecans and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips) -optional

Cream the butter and brown sugar.  Add honey and vanilla extract.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  In another bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  Gradually add dry ingredients to butter/sugar/egg mixture 1/3 at a time until mixed just enough.  Mix in oats (with mixer or by hand if necessary).  Add mix-ins if desired- coconut/craisin, chocolate chip/pecans, or all the above are great combos!

I enjoy bite-sized cookies... that way you can eat more!  ^_~ Press the cookies as flat as desired, since the cookie will expand very little.  At 350*, bake for 10-11 minutes.  Bake longer for crispier cookies.  Let cool on rack before serving.  

Note:  this is not a very sweet cookie, which makes it all the better.  The thicker the cookie is on the sheet before baking, the more chewy center there is (and the rounder the cookie is).  

Chicken Cordon Bleu

At my attempt to purge all baking due to lack-of-oven in the guest house of Santa Barbara, I began going through withdrawals.  It was then when my coworker/friend offered baking night at her place.  She shared a family recipe they would make as if it were the next day's daily dinner, but it was absolutely delicious.  Simple yet tasteful... how many things can you make that have those categories?

Well, here you go.  :)

Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 servings

3 chicken breasts, sliced in half long ways
6 slices swiss cheese
6 slices ham
flour
egg white
seasoned panko or bread crumbs



Preheat oven to 375.  Pound chicken flat with tenderizer (best with saran wrap to prevent sticking).  Layer 1 slice of cheese and ham, then roll.  Toothpick to form shape.

Spray baking sheet and place chicken rolls on sheet.  Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove toothpicks, then dip chicken rolls thoroughly in flour, then egg white, then panko.  Place on pan, bake for 20-40 minutes (depends on how thick the chicken is).

You can also make a parmesan cream rouge using melted butter, flour, cheese, mustard, salt
and Worcestershire sauce to sauce it up a bit.

Turkey

It's almost Thanksgiving and most Americans gorge on this food-based holiday.  A little info about the gobble gobble so no guilt is to be had.

Turkey
- A low-fat protein source
- Tryptophan = production of serotonin in the brain = more sleep
- Turkey's high protein helps control appetite by balancing blood-sugar levels
- White meat has lower fat content, but the difference between white & dark meat is minimal.  Dark/brown meat can help raise metabolism and burn fuel.
- High iron produces fuel for cells and helps muscles store oxygen
- Contains zinc needed to make serotonin, vital in the process of repair to the body.
- Considered a free-range bird, a lower fat alternative to chicken
- Best taste when roasted :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best with sides & stuffing :D

Vanilla French Macaroons

Hello and welcome!  It's been awhile since I've posted something delicious on this blog.  I've been busy traveling, perfecting, and... well... consuming foods of all kinds!

By popular request (via photos on Facebook) I have been asked to post the secrets of making French Macaroons, a delightful little cookie with a lot of complex textures & consistencies; however, once perfected, they are the perfect bite-sized snack and are a treat every single time you make them.  Plus, they can vary in both flavor and color, so eating these treats is never a bore (not that they will ever be, but variety is the spice of life).

It had been awhile since I made these.  Having a fully stocked kitchen has so many benefits and choices, it's hard to leave home and go to an empty kitchen, cooking with just the bare essentials.  Every time I come home, I bake bake bake, because it's not worth buying a whole bag of sugar just to use one cup for a batch of cookies, not to mention teaspoons of baking soda, vanilla extract, flour, etc.

Don't worry if you don't have all those things in your kitchen!  French macaroons are so easy, it requires only a few ingredients (which make it delicious.  In cooking, sometimes less is more).  Without further adieu, I present to you vanilla French macaroons with chocolate creme (or as I like to call it, black and tan).

Black and Tan French Macaroons

Vanilla Macaroons
3/4 cup ground almonds (you can buy bits/slices and grind them in a food processor)
1 cup confectioners' sugar (also known as powdered sugar)
2 extra large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 cup superfine sugar (also known as Baker's Sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 bowls
1 sifter
spatula
mixer
piping/pastry bag (I use disposable ones) with .5 inch tip (I prefer smaller, since the batter is somewhat runny)
*Makes approximately 16 sandwiches (I prefer making smaller ones so I can eat "more" ^_^)


Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Mix the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar in a food processor for approximately 15 seconds.  Sift the mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

Beat egg whites in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks. Gradually beat in the superfine sugar to a glossy meringue.  Beat in the vanilla extract.

Fold the almond/sugar powder into the meringue with a spatula 1/3 at a time, folding/cutting thoroughly.  Your batter will look shiny with a thick, ribbonlike consistency.

Fill the piping/pastry bag with batter carefully.  Pipe 32 small circles onto the baking sheets (I make them smaller and cuter so I can have more).  Tap the baking sheet on the counter to extract air bubbles.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes (this gives the macaroon the hard top shell).

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Bake one sheet at a time on center rack for 10-15 minutes.  This part is important!  If you overbake, your macaroon will be hollow and have no chewy center, in addition to burning.  If you underbake, your macaroon won't frill around the edges and won't peel off the parchment paper. Check your macaroon at 8 minutes, just in case.  Your macaroon should look light tan and easily peel off the parchment paper.  The smaller the macaroon, the shorter the baking time (not by much, maybe just a minute or three).

Cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack, removing the cookie from the pan.  Make sure you cool completely.  Ta-dum!  You're done!

Notice the glossy top & the frill around the edges.

Chocolate Filling
3.5 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream (yes!)

Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until just boiling on med-low.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth.  Cool for 15-20 minutes (I preferred refrigerating mine to make it a thicker, creamy texture) and stir.  Use to sandwich pairs of macaroon cookies together!

Itty bitty bite sized treats!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe.  Remember to be patient and be careful.  These cookies are extremely fragile but are worth the care.  I had to make these while kiddos were ringing my doorbell for trick-or-treats!  Best of luck to those who try this, and don't give up!  If at first you don't succeed, try try again.  :)



PS- what did we do with the egg yolks?  We made white chocolate creme brulee.  ^_~

The crayola crayon is pro at making this dessert :D