French Fridays with Dorie - gougeres

This is our first French Friday with Dorie!  I look forward to baking with this group out of Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook around my french table, which is a very beautiful and large cookbook (more than 300 recipes)!  Our first recipe is also the first recipe in the book - gougeres!  We won't be posting recipes, but I encourage you to purchase this absolutely beautiful book.  This recipe was easy to make and the end result made me think I just might be good at this french cooking!!  Another plus with this recipe is that you can freeze the mounds on a baking sheet and then when they are solid you can pack them in a airtight container and bake them as you need them!  I love when you can make things in advance!  I have one of my sister's visiting in a few weeks and can't wait to take these out of the freezer and enjoy with a little bubbly!  I did bake up a half dozen and enjoyed them very much!

Add the flour all at once, lower the heat and stir with vigor, the dough will become very smooth.

Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs one at a time.

Using about 1 tablespoon for each gougere.

gougeres 
Bon Appetit

Prosciutto Roasted Halibut with Autumn Vegetables

This is one of those dishes after you made it you say... I can't believe I made that!!!  This recipe comes again from one of my very favorite chef's Ina Garten.   This is from her Back to Basics cookbook; she states that this dish was similar to one she had at Spago in Beverly Hills.  I love that even Ina goes home and tries to re-create a meal that she had, I too do the same thing often!  I haven't had Halibut in awhile...I think I like it better than lobster!!  I bought my halibut from Whole Foods...good thing I am a "empty nester" because halibut is expensive...but so worth every penny.  DH and I would rather eat fish than beef any day!!  This recipe gets 5 Stars from us!!



Diced butternut squash, Yukon Gold potatoes, parsnips and carrots!

Melted butter with rosemary sprigs and lemon juice.

Halibut wrapped with prosciutto di Parma and ready for the oven!

Prosciutto Roasted Halibut with Autumn Vegetables

• 2 cups peeled, seeded, and (1/2 inch) diced butternut squash
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2 inch) diced Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2 inch) diced parsnips
• 2 cups peeled and (1/2 inch) diced carrots
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 (8-ounce) skinless fish fillets such as striped bass or halibut
• 6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the vegetables, place the butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips, and carrots on a sheet pan and drizzle with 1/3 cup olive oil.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss together.  Spread out in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.  After 30 minutes, toss with the garlic and roast for another 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, line another sheet pan with aluminum foil, and place a baking rack on top of the foil.  Brush the fish fillets on both sides with olive oil and season them liberally with salt and pepper.  Wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto to form a wide bank around the center of the fillet, overlapping the ends on the skin side.  Arrange the fillets on the rack with the prosciutto seam side down and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until barely cooked.

While the vegetables and fish are roasting, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-size saute pan.  Add the rosemary sprigs and cook over low heat until the rosemary leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Discard the rosemary, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside.

To serve, place the fish on a platter or individual plates, spoon the rosemary butter on top, and surround with the vegetables.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve hot.

I am a lucky girl!!



This was on my front porch when I got home today!!


I won this beautiful KitchenAid Mixer from Michael Lee at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ !!

Now I have to decide what I want to make first in my new mixer...  I have a few ideas, check back soon!

Lemon Pepper Parmesan-Crusted Salmon

I found this recipe on the back of Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs.  They are Lemon Pepper flavored...not sure if they are new or not, but I just discovered them.  The recipe was on the back of the box!!  These were easy to make and very delicious.  You can also the panko bread crumbs to bread chicken, I am sure that would taste great too!

This is the box -- sorry for the glare!



Mixing up the crumb mixture.



Salmon with crumb mixture.



Lemon Pepper Parmesan-Crusted Salmon

• 1 Salmon fillet, 1 1/4 lb
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 cup Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onions

1. Heat oven to 375.  Place salmon skin side down and brush with 1 tablespoon butter.
2. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, onions and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter press evenly on salmon.
3. Bake 15 - 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This fun recipe came out of the current issue of Cuisine at Home! It was titled Cuisine for Two which caught my eye because I am a empty Nester! Although I make plenty of recipes for 4 or 6, because we happen to love leftovers! The sauce for this casserole was soo delicious! Eating it in the bread bowl was a "little" challenging but so worth the effort!! :)Saute chicken until beginning to brown.

Hollow cut loaves by cutting off tops and tearing out insides.
Arrange ham slices in bottom of each loaf.

Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts, 7 - 10 minutes.

All you need to go with this dinner is a simple salad. Wait till you try this simple Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing; it'll become your new favorite dressing ...I Promise!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

with creamy mustard sauce

For the Chicken

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup apple juice or cider

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 cup broccoli florets, blanched

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

For the Casserole

2 round sourdough loaves (each 6-inch)

2-4 thin slices smoked ham (2 oz.)

2 slices Swiss cheese, divided

2 tsp. grated Parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add chicken and saute until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in shallots and saute until softened, 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with flour, cook 1 minute.

Combine apple juice and broth; slowly add, stirring constantly to avoid clumping.

Stir in cream, Parmesan, mustard, and thyme; simmer after each addition until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli; season with salt and cayenne. Reduce heat to low.

Hollow out loaves by cutting off tops and tearing out insides. (remove as much bread as possible.) Compress any remaining bread inside loaves to make room for filling. Toast loaves directly on oven rack, about 5 minutes; remove to prepared baking sheet.

Arrange ham slices in bottom of each loaf. Using a slotted spoon, divide chicken mixture evenly between loaves, reserving sauce in pan. Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with 1 tsp. Parmesan.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts, 7-10 minutes. (For extra browning, broil casseroles on high, 3-5 minutes.)

Serve each casserole with reserved cream sauce.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing

with Romaine

Whisk together

1 tsp. minced lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Toss dressing with chopped romaine lettuce, then garnish with thin slices of red onion.

Marbled Stuffed Potatoes

This recipe came from the current issue (October 2010) of Food network Magazine. I love that magazine and look forward to each new issue. This stuffed potato has a mixture of russet potatoes and sweet potatoes. They would be great just like that...but the recipe gilds the lily and tops it off with a nice sharp cheddar cheese. They were fantastic and would be great to add to your Fall menus!

Mashing the sweet potato...isn't the color gorgeous!All stuffed and ready for the oven!

Marbled Stuffed Potatoes

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (I didn't have scallions, used chives instead)
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Put the russet and sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake 30 minutes. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork and continue to bake until tender, 15 to 20 more minutes for the sweet potato and 20 to 25 more minutes for the russet potatoes. Let cool slightly.
2. Peel the sweet potato. Transfer to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork until almost smooth. Trim a thin slice off the top of each russet potato, cutting lengthwise. Scoop most of the flesh into another bowl, leaving the shells intact. Add the sour cream and butter to the bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the scallions, 1/2 cup cheese, the nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the sweet potato.
3. Brush the potato skins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Generously fill with the marbled potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375, place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, 20 to 30 minutes.

Happy Foodie Friday!! Make sure to stop by http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ to see what other Foodies have been eating this week!!

Steamed Paper Bag Greens

This is a fast easy way to cook your greens! They turn out perfect every time!!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut 12 inch squares of parchment paper. Divide the lemon between the paper squares and top with the beans and asparagus. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

Fold the paper over the vegetables and bold over the ends to enclose. Place on baking trays and bake for 15 minutes.Steamed Paper Bag Greens

2 lemons, sliced

5 oz. green beans

12 spears asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and cracked black pepper.