New Year's Resolutions

It's that time again to make goals for the upcoming year. It's been proven that people are more likely to achieve their goals if they write them down, and even more likely if they share their goals with others. I'm killing two birds with one stone here.

So with that in mind, I have the following culinary resolutions for 2014:

1. To improve my plating & photography skills for food presentation

2. To finally use my immersion blender that I bought back in January

3. To use my new finishing salts (pictured above), which are the hot chefy Christmas gift of 2013

Happy New Year!!

(I already used a combination of two of the salts tonight on the crust of our chicken pot pies after an egg wash.)

Herby Provolone Scones

Just the name sounds tasty! It makes me think of those addictive little "Cheddar Bay Biscuits" you get at Red Lobster. I'm still able to use our fresh herbs from this summer. Somehow they are surviving in our garage even though it's really cold outside.

Pulse together 4 cups of flower, 1 Tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1 1/2 tsp salt in a food possessor. Then cut in 2 sticks of cold butter and pulse it together until it is mixed, but keeping little pea-sized pieces of butter.  You want to keep the butter as cold as possible when baking biscuits or scones.

Transfer it to a large bowl and add 2 Tbsp fresh chives, 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary and 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely minced.   Mix in 8 oz of shredded Provolone cheese.

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients.  Add 4 eggs.  Then pour in 3/4 cup of cream and slowly mix them together. At least that's what the directions say. I have always had a hard time accepting mixing eggs in this way. I feel there is no way to be sure they are evenly incorporated. I would rather mix the wet ingredients together first, and then add them to the dry.

But I digress. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients into the wet, until a rough dough is formed. Do not over-work the dough. The key is to keep those little pockets of butter in tact. That will ensure thought your scones are flaky and not tough.

Lightly flour your counter top and press the dough out into a 1" thick square. You can see I didn't get a perfect square -- but that's alright. It will still taste good.  Flour a chef's knife and cut the dough into 16 even squares (or a couple corners like mine).  Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with cream, like an egg wash.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Bake them in a 400-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Scones seem to be pretty forgiving. So you shouldn't worry too much if you're not a seasoned baker. I'm not. Baking is more of an exact science than cooking. But this is a nice way to start.  I really like the cheese and herbs together with all that butter. These are also really nice if you slice them open and use them as bread for a breakfast sandwich.  Thankfully the recipe makes quite a lot. So you can find many ways to use them over the course of a few days.

Chicken "Noodlette" Soup

My wife bought me a Food Network cookbook called "How to Boil Water" a few years ago. It was a little tongue-in-cheek way of saying that the recipes are pretty easy to tackle. I didn't take any offense.  So last week when some friends were coming over for dinner, I asked her what recipe she would like me to make.  After turning down (several) of my suggestions, she finally decided she wanted soup. That is a pretty standard response for her when it's Sunday night and the weather is cold.

So after looking through a few different soup options, she decided this chicken noodle soup sounded good. And it worked out well for me because I didn't have to fuss over it too much. Later today I plan to upload another blog of some great savory scones I made that night -- which took a bit more effort.

Start with a classic mirepoix of celery, carrots, and onion in a little butter or olive oil.  Season it with salt & pepper.

If you want your soup to be a little more rustic, you can chop the vegetables larger. If you want it really smooth, you could blend everything together with an immersion blender and add some cream to it.  I went for a fine dice.  Cook them down until they soften and the onions become a little transparent.  

In the meantime, I boiled some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in salted water with a few sprigs of thyme.  When I first heard that my wife boiled chicken sometimes for enchiladas, it grossed me out. I'm not sure why -- but the thought of boiling meat sounded unappealing.  Like most things, I have come to realize my wife had a point. She usually does. Boiling the chicken keeps it really moist and makes it pretty difficult to overcook. Just let them go for like 7-10 minutes, and at some point pull one out and see if it's cooked all the way through.

After letting the chicken cool a little I finely shredded it on a cutting board. Then I added it to my veggies, poured in a box of low-sodium chicken stock, a few cups of water, and seasoned it all with pepper (and a little salt).  You can let this soup bubble and simmer away for a long time to let the flavors really marry. Or you can just bring it to a boil and add the pasta. Swanson already did the work for me by making a chicken broth.  

We added these adorable little "Ditalini" pasta shells from Barilla, and it was good to go!

The little pasta made it kind of fun, and it was easier to eat without the risk of splattering soup all over as you slurp up longer egg noodles.  The soup was quick & easy, and provided a great dish to warm us up .... and something to dip those scones into.

Roasted Vegetables

I would have called this "Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables" but I didn't have anything to do with the stuffed pork chops other thank cooking.  They were purchased from the meat counter.

I think stuffing the inside of them can add another level of moisture and flavor. All I did was heat up my cast iron grill pan really hot, brush it with some olive oil, and get a really good sere on the outside of the chops after seasoning them with salt & pepper.

Then I put the whole pan in the oven and finished them along with the roasted vegetables. I also added a little apple cider to the pan to help keep the chops moist.

I assembled a bunch of fresh cauliflower on an old cookie sheet with some fresh herbs and onions.

You might also notice some celery on there. I figured that onions & celery are used as aromatics in so many dishes, why not roast them together to infuse some flavor into our veggies. I also used rosemary & thyme.  I used my olive oil mister to spray all the veggies and then seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.

I roasted them off for a good 30 minutes to get them broken down and really soft. I also wanted to get a little caramelization on them as well.  Then I served them  together with the pork chops for a really nice winter dish.  The house smelled great. The vegetables were soft and really flavorful. And the stuffing inside the pork chops added to the moisture of the dish. 

Rosemary Parmesan Bread

Baking your own fresh bread really isn't that hard. Heck, I have made my own on several occasions .... and they have always turned out. But you get this really great smell in your house, and the bread is super rich and flavorful. It's sort of like walking into a Subway or Jimmy John's and being greeted by that wonderful aroma. The bonus is that you will have a lot of bread to use later to make your own fresh sandwiches.  Here is a quick rundown of the process.

Put yeast in warm water. Then add flour, rosemary, and finely shredded Parmesan.

Knead. Cover in a little oil.

Then let it rest 30 minutes, covered.

Punch. Then another 30 minutes rest.

Punch again. Form into a loaf.

Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes with an egg wash.

Cut slits into top, and bake. That's it!

When you first pull it out of the oven, I think you should just enjoy some fresh bread sliced by itself. Maybe you could serve it with some pasta or a soup. But the bread should be able to stand on its own. And this one was great because it had another level of savory-ness (that's not a word, I know) with the rosemary and sharp cheese.

The next go 'round, though, you can make some really fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches with your fresh bread.

I called these my "Tres Quesos" because I layered sharp cheddar, American, and Parmesan cheese into these little beauties.

And with another level of of Parmesan literally baked in the bread -- forget about it!

Leftovers You'll Want to Eat!

Thanksgiving can sometimes turn into the meal that will never end! What are you going to do with all that turkey and dressing you now have leftover in your fridge? Heating up a plate is good once ... maybe twice. But after a while you don't want to keep having the same meal over & over.

There is a sandwich chain out of Delaware called Cappriotti's.  They opened in Cedar Rapids about a year or two ago and I decided to go with a co-worker. Their signature sandwich is called "The Bobbie" and has pulled turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce and they serve it all year 'round.  I thought "when in Rome..." so I tried it. It's really good. It was at one point named the best sandwich in America by an online poll at AOL (remember AOL?)

So that is one really easy way for you to enjoy your leftovers. I toasted some whole wheat bread, spread a little mayo while the toast was still warm, and then layered on my delicious cold turkey and homemade dressing & cranberry sauce. It's an interesting concept to get your head around. But it actually works really well together.  If you have one of these chains in your neck of the woods, give them a shot.

The second idea for leftovers came from my wife. She read online that you can take a pie crust and line muffin tins. Then load them up with turkey, green beans, dressing, and top them with mashed potatoes.

It's sort of like mini turkey pot pies. I love pie crust. And this was a really great way to eat everything the day after Thanksgiving. It feels a little more inspired than just heating things up on a plate.  Top it with gravy and some fresh parsley -- and this might actually be something I request at some other point in the year! It was seriously good.

I think you need to bake the pie crusts a little before adding the filling so the crusts will be crisp & flaky. Then you really only need to heat the rest up to temperature. Just looking at that picture warms my stomach.

...OK. That was my last Thanksgiving post. I promise.

The Ties That Bind -- Meal Cohesion

Turkey Breasts	Dressing	Smashed Potatoes	Brussels Sprouts	Cranberry Sauce	Green Beans
Thyme	Thyme	Red Potatoes	Lemon Juice	Orange + Zest	Lemon Zest
Rosemary	Sage	Rosemary	Cranberries	Cranberries	Ginger
Garlic	Garlic	Garlic	Walnuts	Walnuts
Turkey Breasts	Parsley		Parmesan Cheese	Ginger
	Challah Bread		Brussels Sprouts	Maple Syrup
	Chicken Broth
	Cayenne
	Onions
	Celery	Cream
Butter	Butter	Butter			Butter

I like to watch "Chopped" on Food Network. Sometimes the contestants cook 3 disparate items and serve them together as one meal.  The judges usually say they are looking for something to tie all the separate parts together.  So I wanted to illustrate the ties between all of our Thanksgiving dishes.

I had to point out the butter -- because it's funny.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Walnuts & Parmesan

This is the dish that nearly ruined my entire day. The recipe suggested using a mandolin to slice the Brussels sprouts really thinly, and I shouldn't have listened. I sliced off the edge of my thumb and have had difficulty doing most things for the past six days.  I should have just used my sharp chef's knife. It's actually really easy to slice the sprouts thinly and get this great loose-leaf salad.

Lightly toast 1 cup of walnuts and then sprinkle them with salt while they're still hot. Set them aside to cool.  Slice 1 1/2 lbs of Brussels sprouts thinly and break them up with your hands.

Mix together 1/4 cup olive oil with 3 Tbsp lemon juice in a large bowl to make a really fresh vinaigrette.

Add 1/4 cup of dried cranberries.  I plan to add a cool post tomorrow that shows how many ingredients were in common in all my dishes so you can see what tied them all together.  That's why I used some artistic license and added the cranberries to this salad. I also thought a little sweetness would be nice.  Throw in the sprouts and walnuts and toss everything together.

Sprinkle it with fresh black pepper and a little salt.  Then finely grate 2 Tbsp of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese on top.

This salad was so delicious and refreshing.  It was really  nice to have something fresh and light to break up all the heavy fare.  I had never eaten raw Brussels sprouts before and I wasn't sure how they would taste. I was pleasantly surprised. Our guests even said that if I hadn't said so, they would  never have known the greens in this salad were Brussels sprouts.

The lemon has great acidity and brightness. There is a nice salty element from the cheese and nuts. This salad is chewy and crunchy at the same time.  I think it was a real winner.  I already made it again, in fact. I seriously like it!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I really like smashed potatoes that still have the skin. I also really like a super smooth, butter & cream loaded, silky mashed potatoes. But this time I opted to go a little more rustic -- and to use less butter & cream in an effort to be a little more healthy.

I rinsed & scrubbed about 1.5 - 2 lbs of baby red potatoes and cut them into smaller chunks.  Then bring a large sauce pot up to boiling, and add several cloves or garlic and salt.  Toss in the potatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer with the lid covered for 20 minutes.

Thoroughly drain the potatoes and then return them to the pot and add 1/2 cup of cream and 3 Tbsp butter.  Then smash everything together and then mix it all together will with a fork.

I love this recipe because the garlic adds another level of flavor and depth so you don't have to rely on all the fat to carry these potatoes.  A little salt & pepper will round this out and make these really soft potatoes shine.

Fresh Green Beans with Ginger Butter

My family is pro green bean casserole -- but my in-laws do not share the same love. Therefore my wife picked out a recipe for a much different application of green beans.  And these are so fresh, crisp, and rich ... I almost didn't miss my beloved French-fried onions.  (Almost)

I started by boiling fresh green beans (or haricots verts, if you want to be really fancy) in salted water until they are just tender, maybe 5-7 minutes.

Then drain them and "shock" them by throwing them into a bowl of ice water.  This will immediately stop the cooking process, keep them crisp, and lock in that great bight green color.

I actually did these in the morning.  The I patted them dry, wrapped them in a paper towel, and put them into the fridge in a sealed plastic bag until I was ready to cook everything later in then afternoon.

Then heat up a few Tbsp of butter in a large pan with a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks.  Heat it all through and coat the beans in that great buttery sauce.  The transfer them to a serving dish and top with the zest of 1/2 lemon and a few pinches of salt.

The butter is really rich, but the lemon zest cuts through with a nice acidity.  Then there is a complexity of flavor from the ginger.  It is a really great dish ... much better than some plan old green beans. That's for sure.

Butter Roasted Turkey Breasts

Since we had an intimate group for our Thanksgiving meal, there was really no need to roast an entire bird.  Plus, this technique was so great and cooking the turkey quickly, while achieving perfectly golden & crispy skin, all while keeping the meat succulent and moist.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who has had a dried out turkey before.

The bone-in turkey with the skin on will really help to retain moisture also.  So be sure to find the turkey with bone in and skin on.  Then get a big, sharp knife and split the thing right down the center.  Spread it out on a baking sheet with 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 cloves of garlic, and 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Then gently lift up the skin and spread butter all under the skin. Rub more butter over every inch of the surface of the turkey.  Then season all sides liberally with salt & pepper.

Roast it in a 425-degree oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating once halfway through.  Cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 160-degrees in the thickest part of the breasts.  Don't be freaked out by smoke coming from your oven -- that is just the butter.  Set it aside for 10 minutes to rest before carving.

This was the best turkey I have ever eaten. No question about it.  The crispy skin was so delicious. Then the meat was moist & succulent. My mother-in-law helped make a gravy with the pan drippings and it really made the dish even more rich.  I used to only like dark meat from turkey; but now I'm a convert. This was that good!

Dressed Up Dressing

In honor of Thanksgiving falling on Chanukkah, I decided to do a version of dressing using Challah bread.  It won't happen for 79,000 more years, after all.

It was also a suggestion of Bon Apetit to use nicer breads to start your dressing. I cut/tore a 1 lb loaf of bread into 1" pieces and spread it out on cookie sheets the night before to dry out and harden.

The next morning I diced 4 celery stalks, 1/2 a medium red onion, 1/2 a medium yellow onion, and one granny smith apple (peeled).  Then I set them aside until later when I was ready to cook everything.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. The add the diced celery, onion, and apples.  Add garlic, sage, thyme, and salt & pepper.  Cook until everything is softened (10-12 minutes).  Then add 3/4 stick of unsalted butter some cayenne pepper, and 1 1/4 cups of low sodium chicken broth.

After the butter is melted, transfer it to a large bowl along with the bread and some fresh parsley.  I also saved the leaves from the celery to add as well.  Then bake, covered, in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and finish cooking another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

This was fantastic.  There is a real richness from all the chicken broth, butter, and bread. The apple lends some sweetness and a little tart flavor. And the all the fresh herbs & aromatics really make it sing.

I love Stovetop -- but I think it's worth the effort to make this from scratch.

Thanksgiving Feast

This should be like the Super Bowl to a food blogger. An American holiday dedicated almost entirely to eating (I realize that isn't the real reason for the holiday ... but you know what I mean.)  This was my very first time being the cook for Thanksgiving. For 31 years someone else has toiled in the kitchen all day so I could overindulge.  After the day was said & done, my wife asked if I had fun. I honestly said "yes" because it was a real point of pride to be able to lay out a spread of delicious food for my family.

Here is a mosaic picture of all the dishes I prepared yesterday.  Over the course of today and tomorrow I plan to write a blog entry for each dish.

I used our "Gourmet" cookbook and "Bon Appetit" magazine to help with the recipes. None of the recipes were my idea; but I did make a few minor additions based on what I thought would be good.

The biggest piece of advice from Bon Appetit was "Make. A. Damn. Plan."

My dad always said that timing was the hardest part. I laid out all the recipes first and made a shopping list. Thankfully we only had to go to the store once and weren't forced to make any last-minute trips to get forgotten items.

Then I listed the times for each dish to see which should be started first. I numbered them in order and had a gameplan. The next best thing I did was do as much prep work as possible in the morning.  I spent probably two hours slicing, peeling, seasoning, and even par-cooking items.  I wanted to have all my mise en place done so when the hectic part of the cooking started I would be ready to go.  It was a HUGE help, let me tell you.

But we all know the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  The very first thing I worked on a 8:30 AM on Thanksgiving day was my Brussels sprouts salad. About one minute in a sliced about a 1/8" piece of my right thumb clean off.  It literally landed in the bowl without any blood.

After throwing that away, cleaning & bandaging the now throbbing wound on my dominant hand, I set to work slicing and dicing without the use of my thumb.  I often admire chefs on "Chopped" or "Top Chef" who persevere through adversity like this. It wasn't easy. But I wasn't going to let something like that derail an entire day.  (It turns out it makes it hard to type as well -- in case you were wondering.)

Doesn't that look worth it?  I know it was.

Herbed Pot Roast

While it isn't officially winter until December 21st, I might beg to differ based on the current temperatures. So what could be better when you come home from a long, cold late-November day than to be greeted by the aroma of a cozy pot roast that has been simmering away all day?  This takes a little planning ahead. But if you're willing & able to start a dish before you leave in the morning, then you can walk in to a dinner that's ready to go when you get home.

Slow-cooking is a great way to tenderize a more modest piece of meat and really build a great depth of flavor.  I wasn't a huge fan of pot roast when I was a picky child, but this adult version really hit the spot for my current taste pallet.

Take a big 2-3 lb piece of meat and lightly cover it in some all purpose flour. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Get a really good sere on both (or all) sides.

Slice up a bunch of yellow baby Yukon potatoes in half.  Then quarter an onion, and use about half of a bag of baby carrots.  Toss them all into a slow cooker with 14.5 oz of low-sodium beef broth.

Add six sprigs of fresh thyme ... and my addition of some fresh rosemary. I figured potatoes are so good with some rosemary, so why not?  Season the veggies with pepper and a little salt.  Set your meat on top and turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for at least 8 hours.

(morning)

(evening)

Look at the difference there!  The veggies have softened up a ton, the flavors have bubbled & steamed together, and the meat is fall-apart tender.  Discard the herbs.  Set the meat & veggies (carefully) aside on a plate to rest.  Then transfer the beef broth to a sauce pan and add 2 Tbsp of butter and bring to a boil.

Let it reduce and thicken. Then skim off the fat that rises to the top.  Tear apart your pot roast with a fork into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces.  Here's where I tried to take this humble dish and make it a little more upscale. Arrange the meat & veggies around a flat plate.

I have been trying to work on my plating. I hope that looks as cool as I think it does. It's sort of Jackson Pollock.  But I thought it would make a more impressive presentation. Then I carefully spooned on the reduced sauce and served it while everything is still warm.

The potatoes are so velvety soft they almost melt in your mouth. The herbs & seasoning have really made everything taste rich and vibrant.  The pot roast is almost like a beef brisket you would get at a great BBQ place after they have smoked it all night. It was broken down so nicely by all the steam and beef broth while it was simmering away all day long that it just falls apart when you pick it up. I think this was a great dish to warm you up from the inside on a cold (winter) day.

And the best news is that we have leftovers to heat up later!