Jenny's Food Blog

Random Winter Dinners

2009-12-02T21:58:00.001-05:00

Lentils have become one of my favorite things to cook recently. They have a wonderful buttery flavor and you could put whatever you want in them. This is my take on a wonderful Indian dish called dal makhani. Believe me it tastes more exciting than it looks.

Here is a nice skillet supper with pasta, sweet potato, sausage and sun dried tomato.

Summer Cake

2009-08-02T23:25:00.003-04:00

A nice light cake for summer: raspberry-peach filled lemon layer cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. Too bad I forgot to take a picture until it was almost gone!

Wisconsin Gruyere

2009-08-02T21:49:00.004-04:00

A new good cheese I had tonight, a domestic Gruyere from Roth Käse in Monroe, WI

Carrot Soup, Fresh Beets, Flank Steak

2009-08-02T21:41:00.006-04:00

Just a random dinner really. The carrot soup, "Potage Crecy," is one of my favorites.

Starting the carrot soup and braised beets

Smooth and creamy after blending

Searing the flank

Mushrooms drowning in red wine, a beautiful sight

A very red meal with flank steak, mushrooms in red wine sauce and braised beets

Enjoyed with a nice glass of Cabin from Hookstone winery in Wisconsin, order yours today! Hookstone Winery

Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers

2009-07-16T21:40:00.001-04:00

Also on vacation: jalapeño peppers, stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, cheddar, bacon and cilantro, cooked on the grill in this cute little holder until roasty. Mmmmmmm, watch out they've got a kick.

I Caught You a Delicious Bass

2009-07-13T21:39:00.004-04:00

On vacation in Wisconsin this summer I enjoyed some wonderful cuisine provided by the Chippewa Flowage. Delicious bass, fresh caught by Uncle Gary and Aunt Cindy, stuffed with lemon and garlic and cooked on the grill. What could be more delicious?

On the grill

On the plate

Strawberry Season

2009-06-15T14:46:00.003-04:00

Early summer is strawberry season, and these parfaits were the logical conclusion when Nourse Farm had their fresh strawberries ready to go! They were some of the sweetest, reddest strawberries I have had in a long time.

Marche Jean-Talon

2009-06-14T19:04:00.005-04:00

While in Montreal, we visited one of the city's famous markets, Marche Jean-Talon.

We didn't have breakfast before going here, and I had a little bit of beast in me as I bit into my much anticipated date bar from a patisserie in the market. Before this I devoured the maple syrup tart before Ben could even get out the camera.

Mmmmm roasting meat on a spit. This place had roasted lamb, chicken, beef, and Merguez sausage.

I order the special of the day, 2 for 1 Merguez sausages. This dog also wants the sausages.

I am less beast-like after my sweets and sausages.

Au Pied de Cochon

2009-06-14T18:25:00.006-04:00

Near the corner of Chateaubriand and Duluth in Montreal, you find Au Pied de Cochon.

Au Pied de Cochon is the reason I went to Montreal. I saw it on an episode of No Reservations and I HAD to go. When I realized it's only a 5 hour drive from Boston, I was there the next weekend. This is what we had:

Foie Gras Cromesquis: these were completely unbelievable. Really, words fail me. Basically, this is a cube of foie gras terrine, which has been breaded and deep fried. These are one bite affairs, you pop it in your mouth, bite down, and the molten center fills your mouth with sublime pleasure. I could eat way too many of these.

Pickled tongue: so tender, so good.

My main course, Plogue a Champlain: this is a buckwheat pancake topped with cured ham, brie cheese, and a large piece of foie gras which has been sauteed in a maple syrup glaze. This was amazing, one of the best things I have ever eaten.

Ben's main, the foie gras and boudin tart: housemade blood sausage and foie gras on top of a buttery flaky tart crust, awesome, and as you can see, it was huge.

Apparently we forgot to take a picture of dessert, which was the dark chocolate pot de creme. I think by that time we were both so completely satiated it didn't cross our minds. The whole meal was thoroughly awesome, I'd do it again anytime. Just a 5 hour drive...

Leg of Lamb

2009-05-31T12:50:00.005-04:00

I actually made this stuffed, roasted leg of lamb for valentine's day, but never did post it! So, here it is. This was really really good...

I ordered a 3-4 lb boneless leg of lamb from the butcher, but it still needs trimming.

Once trimmed, pound it to an even thickness and spread it with the garlic herb filling.

Roll it up and tie it tight!

Sear the tied up roast on all sides.

After spreading with mustard, the breading is pressed on.

Here is the finished roast, golden brown. No no, don't touch, it needs to sit for 15 minutes before carving.

We had these sauteed pears with a mustard sabayone for starters.

Enjoy the meal with a nice glass of wine. This Hess Collection 2004 Cabernet was fabulous!

Eggplant Bites

2009-05-23T21:47:00.009-04:00

Ok Shane, here's your eggplant creation. They're easy to make and delicious, I think I will keep the pesto around from now on because I could eat it on just about anything. Recipe is below the photos.

I used two small eggplants: look for skinny uniform Italian or Japanese eggplants rather than the big ones.

For the sundried tomatoes, you have two options: dry or oil packed. I used some of each, so take your pick. The oil packed ones are particularly delicious.

Here's the finished sun-dried tomato pesto. It is quite delicious.

First peel the eggplant, you will want a very sharp vegetable peeler.

Cut it into 1/4" pieces.

Set up a breading station with cornstarch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.

Happy frying eggplants.

Here's a pile of nice golden brown eggplant rounds cooling.

Make the cheese filling while the eggplant cools. I love this chevre from Vermont Butter and Cheese Company.

Here's the finished goat cheese filling.

Here's a closeup of the finished product. Kinda cute aren't they?

A whole plateful.

Recipe:

For sun-dried tomato pesto:
~1/2 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes or dry sundried tomatoes that have been soaked in scalding water for 10 minutes
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
grated zest from 1/2 lemon
few leaves of basil
~1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil depending on what type of tomatoes you used (use less if you use oil packed)
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

For eggplant:
2 small thin Japanese or Italian eggplants
~1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, well beaten
~1 cup bread crumbs (mine were garlic and herb)
oil for frying

For cheese filling:
1 small package goat cheese (I used vermont butter and cheese company)
few spoonfulls of the tomato pesto
1 tbsp creme fraiche (you could leave this out if you feel it is creamy enough without, but I thought it made it extra unctuous)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
few leaves chopped basil

Directions:
Put the ingredients for the pesto, except the parmesan, in a food processor and process, pushing down sides as needed, until well blended. Set aside in a bowl and mix in the parmesan. Try not to eat before the eggplant is done.

Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1/4" rounds. Coat the slices in the cornstarch, then dip in egg wash, then coat in breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Set aside to cool.

Place all ingredients for the goat cheese filling in a bowl and mix until creamy and well blended.

Pair up the eggplant slices by size, put a spoonful of filling between them and top with a dollop of the pesto. Serve with red wine (yes you have to).

Chocolate Souffles

2009-02-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

Yes I do drink red wine with chocolate.

On my birthday weekend, I was allowed to go wild with chocolate. So, in addition to having Ben make me a very dense chocolate birthday cake (a Reine de Saba, aka "Queen of Sheba") I made these intensely bittersweet chocolate souffles from Alice Medrich's book Bittersweet which I recently bought due to a nice 40% off coupon from Borders. Thanks to Alice for giving me my chocolate fix this weekend and many to come. My new Le Creuset heart shaped stoneware ramekins my parents sent me for my birthday arrived just in time and inspired the souffles since I had been wanting a set of ramekins for just this purpose for quite a while. Here they are!

All good things start with a large block of chocolate.

Ben caught me with the butter. I swear I was just buttering the ramekins.

Folding whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter.

Filled ramekins.

Baked and ready to eat.

Valentine's Cookies

2009-02-14T14:18:00.004-05:00

Almost every year I make cutout cookies for Valentine's day and take them to school/work/lab with me. It's amazing how people go crazy for frosted cookies with sprinkles. They are quite festive, don't you think?

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2009-02-14T13:39:00.006-05:00

Are you horrified at the price of vanilla extract? Me too. I really go through the stuff sometimes, and I am horrified at a $5 (or more) price tag for a measly 2 oz bottle that I could use up in one recipe. So to remedy this dire situation I have decided to make my own.

I ordered some vanilla beans - a few Mexican and a few Ugandan (randomly chosen just to compare). The process is so easy, I don't know why I didn't do this long ago. All you need is some moderately strong alcohol of your choice - vodka, rum, bourbon, etc - nothing fancy or expensive please, the vanilla is going to do the flavoring, so cheap booze is fine. Cut several vanilla beans in half to splay them open then place in about 8 oz of alcohol - or put more beans in a bitter bottle. I made them right in the bottles I bought the alcohol in. Mexican beans in gold rum and ugandan beans in vodka. Place in a dark cool location in a cabinet and forget about it for a while. Just give it a shake now and then when you think about it. Ideally this should sit for about 8 weeks to reach good potency to use for cooking. Mine have been going about 4 weeks now, I open them up and smell once in a while.

The beautiful thing is that you can continue to replenish your vanilla stock with this method. Don't take the beans out, and continue to top off your bottle with more alcohol now and then. If you use vanilla beans in cooking, don't throw them out, you can put the spent pods right in the bottle as they have more flavor to give and the alcohol will extract it.

The cost:
vanilla beans are about $1 each (cheaper if you buy in bulk) and can be found at many stores nowthe alcohol cost me about $4 for an 8 oz bottle

So I had a total cost of about $7 for 8oz, which I can continue to replenish as needed. I'm sure I could go much cheaper with the alcohol too if I bought bigger bottles from a discount store.

Vanilla Day 1

Vanilla Week 4

Chocolate Tasting Lab!

2009-02-14T13:13:00.003-05:00

Inspired by America's Test Kitchen, I decided to do my own chocolate tasting to pick my own favorite dark chocolate. These are the brands I tasted:

1) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate
2) Ghirardelli Semisweet Chocolate baking bar (percentage unmarked)
3) Lindt Swiss bittersweet fine dark chocolate (percentage unmarked)
4) Callebaut bittersweet 60% cocoa solids
5) Callebaut bittersweet 70% cocoa solids
6) El Rey Extra bittersweet Gran saman chocolate 65% cocoa solids
7) Valrhona Guanaja 70% cocoa bittersweet chocolate

And the winner is: Callebaut bittersweet - either 60% or 70% is great for nibbling and wonderful to bake with. Even at 70% cocoa solids, this chocolate is not bitter tasting and has a nice, smooth, nutty flavor. Yum! Callebaut sells this chocolate in 11 lb blocks, but I find it broken in small chunks at Whole Foods at a great price (cheaper than buying the small wrapped bars you usually see).

Honorable mention: Valrhona, LIndt and the Ghirardelli 60% were also quite tasty to nibble, but didn't have quite as perfect a flavor as Callebaut. The Lindt and Ghirardelli are readily available, sold in nicely wrapped, easy to deal with 3-4 oz bars in most any grocery store's baking or chocolate section. These are a bit easier to handle than the Callebaut for nibbling.

Homemade Pasta

2009-02-01T23:47:00.003-05:00

I decided to try my hand at homemade pasta, and I made this simple egg pasta recipe into long wide noodles. No pasta machine required, just mix by hand, roll and cut. I made a sauce with browned butter, sage, roasted sweet potatoes and prosciutto to go with it. Delicious!

Cheese Souffle

2009-02-01T23:42:00.003-05:00

I wanted to make something new for dinner tonight, and so the first course was the cheese souffle from Julia Child's cookbook. It is very easy and came out perfectly. Eggs are amazing. That is a bottle of Artezin Carignan from Mendocino County (one of our Hess wine club wines) posing with the souffle.

Garlic So Cute

2009-02-01T23:35:00.002-05:00

This is Le Creuset's petite garlic casserole and I used it for roasting whole garlic cloves. It was amazing - they were sweet, succulent, and did not even think of burning or drying out. I just drizzled them with olive oil, and sprinkled salt and pepper over the top. Isn't this the cutest piece of cookware you could imagine having?

French Style Chicken in a Pot

2009-02-01T23:26:00.005-05:00

Inspired by this week's episode of America's Test Kitchen, I made the French Chicken in a Pot. It was every bit as good as they made it look. So easy to make and this is easily the moistest chicken preparation I have had in a long time. I don't usually make chicken very often, but this may change my mind. Happily, I also had leftovers for two more nights and made chicken quesadillas and lemon chicken pasta.

Birthday cake

2009-01-21T23:49:00.001-05:00

Somehow, a sheep ended up on my birthday cake.

German smoked pork chops

2009-01-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

Yay! I found a store with smoked pork chops! Time for German food - this is the only time beer is used in my kitchen. It makes a lovely sauce with bacon, apples and onion. I make the "chops" part of this recipe.

Bacon and onions being happy together.

You don't often see me holding a beer.

Most of that beer goes into the pan with the pork chops and the bacon and onions. You also add sliced apples at this point.

The finished product, served over mashed potatoes.

Paella Party

2009-01-19T13:25:00.000-05:00

After watching the Paella Party on America's Test Kitchen, I had to make my own. My new Calphalon Copper pan made a perfect paella pan.

First blister some red peppers.

Next season up some chicken (some shrimp are already bathing in garlic in the fridge).

The chorizo is happy.

The start of the sofrito.

This is my snack while I cook. Yes that is a Muskie on that wine bottle.

Adding the rice and stock to the sofrito.

Cover and place in the oven where the magic happens.

After the rice cooks, top with shrimp, mussels, peppers and peas, and bake again. The paella is done!

Post Holiday Food Coma

2009-01-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Santa (and his evil brother Zanta) left me lots of kitchenwares under the tree this year, so I've been doing a lot of cooking.

The day after returning to Boston from Christmas break, we had a friend over to try out my new fondue pot. A creamy blend of gruyere, emmenthaler, and aged gouda with white wine was perfect for dipping chunks of bread, cured meats, and veggies. Sorry, I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of the spread until we had annihilated the entire pot of cheese and only scraps were left. Maybe next time...

The next night I made Moroccan style braised chicken legs with couscous. I use my new Le Creuset saucier pan for this and it was wonderful for braising a couple of chicken legs. These are tender and delicious and you can find the recipe here.

Here's an easy dish with grilled pork, arugula and grapes. It takes less than 15 minutes to make! Recipe

I like red.

Food Blog Intro

2009-01-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

So I created this blog to have an easier way to post my food pictures and stories to share. Ben likes to take pictures as much as I like to cook, so I have lots of pictures! Enjoy!