Snow Day!

I’ve been at my desk for about an hour now, and there is just enough light outside the window to see the white blanket of snow covering just about everything.  I knew in September that this was going to be a real winter.  I walked outside one day in my bare feet and couldn’t put my foot down without stepping on dozens of acorns.  The fruit on the Bradford pear trees hung in weighty clusters like I had never noticed before.  Nature’s preparations. 

At our house, Tony keeps the wood stacked near the back door and our larder is generally filled with something that could be turned into comfort food.  As long as there are eggs, sugar and flour I can make cookies.  Tomatoes, onions and garlic could become soup, pasta sauce or a pot of chili.  No doubt that some type of home baked bread is in the plans for today. 

One of my most pleasant memories of snow days when my kids were younger and the neighborhood filled with their friends’ comings and goings is Hot Cocoa.  Wet gloves and boots piled up by the back door and wet, red noses at the table asking for Hot Cocoa.  I was chastized by some of the moms in the ‘hood for making cocoa from ’scratch’, but there is nothing like the taste of the real thing.  The kids clamoured for it, piled high with freshly whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Raised before the era of Swiss Miss, our home always resorted to the brown Hershey’s can, sugar, a pinch of salt and milk – imagine that!  Try it, you’ll like it. 

Hot Cocoa www.hersheys.com

Real Hot Cocoa

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• pinch table salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp real vanilla
• whipped cream (sweetened and flavored with real vanilla for full effect)
• shaved chocolate, marshmallows, cinnamon or nutmeg, optional for garnish

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa and salt.  Add enough milk to make a paste and smooth out any lumps.  Add remaining milk and heat over medium heat until hot, but not boiling, stirring often.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour into mugs and garnish with whipped cream and any other embellishments you desire.  Serves 2 generously. 

Enjoy!

It doesn’t matter what the title is, just start writing

Sarah, Caroline and Harcourt

I didn’t know what to title this blog post; it could have been many things.  Like, ‘What did you cook when you were 12 or 13?’, ‘Kids love brownies’, ‘There is never too much cheese in the Mac ‘n Cheese’.  The list goes on.  But what this post is really about is three young ladies getting together to have fun, expand their culinary knowledge and eat some lunch. 

Caroline, Sarah and Harcourt came into my studio on Saturday morning and we began cooking.  On the menu was chicken filets in a pan sauce, REAL macaroni and cheese, and luscious chocolate brownies.  The girls did nearly all the work with some direction and brief demonstrations provided by me.   I steamed some green beans to assuage my guilt of ‘no green’, but for the most part they went uneaten. 

A nod goes to Sarah Fritschner, whose classic ‘Spaghetti and Cheese’ recipe I incorporate into many, many cooking classes.  It really is simple and delicious.  Anything I can do to help people steer clear of boxed and packaged mac ‘n cheese!  The girls loved it – I had them dice up the cheese block to practice their knife handling.  Sarah took the helm in making the bechamel sauce while Harcourt and Caroline diced cheese.  After the sauce was poured over the pasta, we cleaned out the pan with pieces of baguette.  Yum.

With the brownies baking away in the oven, we began the star of the show, the chicken dish.  I love making pan sauces and chicken is one thing that nearly everyone loves, is versatile and easy to cook.  It’s easy to overcook too, and we’ll touch on that issue here.  Pan sauces for chicken can range from cream gravy to clean and sharp piccata.  Tomato and olive or mushroom and onions.  The renditions are endless.  Today I settled on a sauce made with onion, vegetable broth, Dijon and a touch cream.

The girls were skeptical when I pulled out the Dijon mustard, but ended up eating the sauce with a spoon.  Hey, Mikey, they liked it!  Try it for an easy weeknight meal.

Chicken with Dijon Pan Sauce

• Olive oil – about 2 Tbls
• 4 small chicken breast pieces, about 4 oz each
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt, pepper and paprika
• chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 Tbls dijon mustard
• pinch dry tarragon or 2-3 tsp minced fresh tarragon
• 1 Tbls minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Begin by heating 2 Tbls of olive oil in a saute pan.  Season the flour with salt, pepper and paprika.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, just a light coat will stick to the chicken.  Place the chicken in the hot oil and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove to a platter.  The chicken will not be done at this point, we will finish it in the sauce. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add about 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock and the Dijon, whisking until smooth.  Add the dry tarragon and the cream and taste for seasoning.  Return the chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices on the platter.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Add about half of the parsley and stir and spoon the sauce over the chicken.  If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with additional chicken stock, a bit at a time. 

Place the chicken on a platter or individual plates and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and fresh tarragon if using.  Serves 4.

Enjoy!

It’s all German to me

My daughter Lauren left for Germany on Sunday.  She’ll be working on an American army base for 4 months, completing an internship for her minor – Youth and Non-profit Leadership.  I am hoping she likes the food there,  she loves all types of foods – just not meat.  We’re all set up with Skype to see and talk with her and of course email will be incredibly important as the weeks zoom by.  She has also started a blog to keep the extended family and friends up to speed on her travels and experiences.  If you’d like to check it out, click here.  We’re expecting to see lots of great photos as photography is one of the things Lauren excels at (along with cooking, writing, etc.).

Anyway, as we made the drive back from Indianapolis on Sunday I recalled a German Coffee Cake recipe that I hadn’t made in quite a while.  I thought now would be a great time to post it. 

I am embarrassed to say that I can not remember the name of the person that gifted me with this recipe.  Working in a medical office, we were routinely brought food from someone who made a batch of this or that and wanted to share.  Sometimes people would bring stuff just to show off their culinary prowess, win friends and influence people.  I’m not mentioning any names…

This woman that worked in a close-by department actually had parents of German descent and they brought this cake to us from time to time.  It was so good, I had to beg for the recipe.  It didn’t take much cajoling to get a copy.  But, when I looked it over, I could hardly believe it.  No butter, only 1 egg and simple, really simple.  It makes sense, I guess.  A landlocked country with a history of rural and poor economics would certainly create many frugal recipes.

If I were to be asked for a recipe for someone just starting out baking, a sure fire, no fuss cake – this would be it.  Even though I forget about it sometimes, when I do get around to baking this cake, I’ll do it several times before I put the recipe back in my files for a bit.  The cake has a tender crumb and a crunchy-sweet streusel topping.  The best part about that is that the streusel is a part of the cake batter’s first stage, so no separate mix (or bowl) is necessary.  It’s great for breakfast, coffee breaks and good enough for a weekday dessert.   The cake stays moist for 3-5 days, if it lasts that long.

Traditionally, this cake was baked in a 9×13″ pan, but I have experimented with lots of other choices.  Two 8″  round cake pans work well, as do muffin tins, a 10″ square pan and 4″ ramekins for sort of a ‘crumb cake’ effect.  Today when I made it, I used only 1 bowl, a whisk and a rubber spatula.  So, even if you don’t have a mixer you could pull it off.  No excuses.

German Coffee Cake

German Coffee Cake

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• powdered sugar

Prepare a 9×13″ pan by spraying or buttering lightly.  Preheat oven to 350.

Stir together the sugars, flour and salt.  Add the oil and mix until crumbly.  (You can do this part with your hands.)  Remove 1 cup of this mixture, lightly packed, and set aside.  To the remaining mixture in the bowl, add the soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix until combined, then add the egg and milk.  Mix well with a whisk.  Scrape into the prepared pan. Add the chopped walnuts to the reserved cup of crumb mixture and sprinkle evenly over the cake. 

...ready to bake

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly touched.  Remove from the oven and cool. 

...waiting to cool and cut

Gently cut into portions and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. 

Enjoy!

Comfort in a bowl, and a glass

I picked up a package of stew meat on Thursday thinking that I would put together a quick stew for my husband before my class on Pate Choux.  That didn’t work out since my daughter had already planned to make potato soup for her sweetie and was consuming the real estate in the kitchen.  (Excuses, excuses.)  I went back into my office and got back to work, letting my husband fend for himself that night. 

Not wanting time to completely get away from me, I decided to make stew last night.  Employing many of the techniques that Julia Child used in preparing her Boeuf  Bourguignon,  I set out to streamline a pot of beef stew so that I could get dinner on the table in less than two hours.  TWO HOURS????  Who has two hours? 

Calm yourself down!  Most of the two hours was time I spent drinking wine, surfing between HGTV and The Food Network, and piddling,  stirring and, oh yeah, making a batch of dinner rolls.  Don’t hate me because I can cook.

I was too lazy to make another stop at the store for mushrooms and knew that I had some dried porcini and shittakes in my pantry (invariably when I am typing the word ‘pantry’, I leave out the r and have to go back and retype – just thinking out loud) so I re-hydrated them and viola!  From my Minestrone on Sunday, I had 1/2 of a can of tomato paste, carrots from class on Wednesday, and always in stock a selection of soup/sauce bases to ‘beef up’ flavors.  So, like a good home economist, I was utilizing what was on hand. 

While at the store on Thursday, I did pick up a few potatoes and my thought was to simmer them in the stew.  Inspiration hit me and I decided to make rich mashed potatoes and plate up the dish in my large white bowls with the potatoes an island in the center.  This way, bites of creamy potatoes could be forked or spooned with every bite of the savory sauce that surrounded the meat and veggies in my stew.

Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

• 1 1/4 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2-3 Tbls olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup (or about 1/2 of a small can) tomato paste
• 4 oz dry red wine
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 oz dried mushrooms
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 Tbls beef soup base (Better than Bouillon or Minors)
• large pinch dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 carrots, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 cup or more frozen limas
• minced fresh parsley or chives

Mashed potatoes:

• 3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and chunked
• 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
• 2 Tbls butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream, heavy cream or milk

Begin by heating 2 Tbls of olive oil in a 3 quart dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Pat the meat dry with either paper towels or a clean, lint free kitchen towel.   Salt and pepper the meat lightly.   In three or four batches, brown the beef pieces over relatively high heat.  I used the lid of the pan, sitting ajar on top to sheild me and my kitchen from all the spattering that was inevitable, but don’t cover the pan.  Remove the meat to a plate or bowl nearby and continue the searing process until you have browned  all the meat. 

Add the onion and reduce the heat, stirring for a few minutes to soften it.  Add the celery and cover the pan for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour the boiling water over the dried mushroom and allow to soften.  Add the beef base to the mushrooms.

Once the onion and celery are softened, return the meat to the pan.  Add the flour and stir for 3-4 minutes to brown the flour, then add the tomato  paste and continue stirring to brown the tomato paste.  Stir, stir, stir.  Add the wine and allow it to nearly evaporate (al sec);  mixture will be really thick.  Add the mushrooms and soaking liquid and bring to a simmer.  If the sauce is too thick, add enough water to keep the consistency of a light cream.  Too thick and the stew will stick and scorch.  Cover and simmer slowly for an hour, stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add lima beans  and continue cooking until the limas are tender, about 10 minutes.  Taste the stew for additional seasoning and remove the bay leaves.  Serve over the mashed potatoes and garnish with the fresh herbs.

To make the potatoes, cover the peeled and chunked potatoes with cold water and add a generous pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook at a gentle simmer for about 20-30 minutes until a fork piercing the largest potato chunk breaks the potato apart.  Drain thoroughly and add the butter and cream to the pan.  Cover to allow the butter to melt, then mash with a potato masher until creamy.  You may need to add additional cream, salt and pepper to get the seasoning and texture right. 

Enjoy!

Flour Power

Last Sunday, I had the idea that I would make a big pot of Minestrone and share some with a friend who was a bit under the weather.  Of course, that would be dinner for us too; I had too much to do to plan two things.  In discussing the dinner option, Tony wondered if our favorite bakery might have any Asiago bread.  I called, they didn’t.  Tony’s idea was to pair up some paninis made with Breadworks fantastic Asiago bread, but alas, it is baked only on Saturday and Tuesday and we didn’t plan ahead.

Not to be deterred, I decided to make bread myself.  I got to work and began the biga for my stand-by Ciabatta recipe.  I schemed all day about how I might finish the loaves, knowing that I had some Parmesan, Asiago and Romano in the fridge.  The biga needs a long head start, but once it’s ready, the bread comes together fairly quickly.  I placed the biga in a crockery bowl in the warmest room in the house – near the woodstove.

Once the biga was ready – about 6 hours later, I added the remaining flour, yeast, water and salt and kneaded the dough until it was a beautiful, smooth round.  Resting and rising again for about an hour, the plump, sensual dough was ready for experimentation. 

I brought out my collection of cheese shards, threw the rind of the Parmigiano Reggiano into the Minestrone and diced up the remainder into 1/4″ pieces.  I took about 2/3 cup of the dice and kneaded it into the finished dough and placed the oval loaf in a standard bread loaf pan.  So the rising of the dough would be unrestricted, I placed the pan under a huge Tupperware bowl on the counter.  I wouldn’t have to worry about pulling off the plastic wrap and inadvertantly ‘de-gassing’ the loaf right before baking.

Kneading in the cheese pieces

Another trick that I employed was to preheat the oven with a large, oval roasting pan inside to 450 degrees.  I was going to use this roaster as an oven inside my oven to trap the steam emitted from the loaf as it bakes.  This idea isn’t original, of course, but is taken from the revolutionary work done at the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York.  If you don’t know about that, read here.

So, after about an hour of the second rising, I popped the loaf pan into the preheated roaster, closed it up and set the timer for 30 minutes.  When the timer alarmed, I removed the lid of the roaster and continued to bake for another 25 minutes.  The loaf was cracked and brown dotted with carmelized cheese pieces.  We set the loaf outside (because it was about 10 degrees out there) and let it cool down a bit before we sliced it and grilled it for paninis.

The crust on this bread was brittle and crunchy, the interior soft and riddled with slightly irregular pockets of air and cheese.  Since the cheese pieces were small and relatively dry, I didn’t quite know what to expect.  The cheese melted into the loaf and gave a subtle taste and texture.  I would call this a successful experiment for sure.  The loaf was gobbled up by six paninis and the end crusts didn’t go wanting either.

The next day, I brought out the remaining portion of dough and shards of cheese and began again.  This time, I heated up a 3 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven and moved the cheese bread directly into that vessel (once the rising was complete), covered it and again set the timer for the initial portion of the baking.  Uncovered, baked longer and what you see below is the evidence of another successful loaf. 

Cheese Bread

So, there you have it.  If Breadworks would have had the Asiago bread, this experiment may never had happened.  I am glad they were out of bread, glad I failed to plan ahead.  The result was empowering.  Every successful cooking experiment pushes me to try new things to feel more secure in my knowledge and more capable to teach. 

I won’t spell out the details of the start to finish Ciabatta recipe, that recipe in its entirity is here.  Just know that after you have allowed the finished dough its initial rise, cut the dough into two portions.  You can add in about 2/3 cups of little cheese chunks  to one half of the dough and allow the dough to rise again.  The remaining dough can be used for Ciabatta, or another experiment. 

If you’d like to make a slicing loaf, place the dough in a traditional loaf pan, the ready the oven with a large roasting pan that will hold the loaf pan.  You’ll get the idea by reading the Mark Bittman article here.  I must say, that every time I uncover a loaf of bread baked with this method, I am overcome with curiousity and amazement.

Enjoy!

And then, we ate a big cookie…

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  I love cookies!  Today, my post combines a list of my favorite ingredients and tosses them into an oatmeal cookies for a blast of flavor in every bite.  After a ‘Healthy Food Fast’ class yesterday, I heard the guilty pangs of  ”And then, we ate a big cookie.”  Meaning, I guess that we should feel badly when ending a healthy meal with something sweet and delicious.

Baking cookies is an art.  Really.  Quality ingredients, timing and portioning are very important.  If you don’t believe that cookies are worth the trouble to use only finest ingredients, bake them from scratch, and eat them only when fresh, then please, stop reading this now!  I mean it!  Go on down to the store and get a package of slice and bake, and have a great day.  It’s been nice knowing you. 

If you are serious about cookies, then you are my friend.  Before you get started, you must know some things that will make you the goddess (or god) of the cookie sheet, queen of the kitchen, prince of the PTA.  Mastering a few basic recipes for cookies will be a pivotal experience in your life.  The techniques are simple, the results sublime.  You trust me, right?   

Here are some simple tips to raise the bar on your cookie baking:

• Use unsalted butter, softened but not mushy
• Use only pure vanilla extract
• Eggs and other ingredients should be at room temperature
• Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets – don’t listen to those who remove them after only 1 or 2 minutes.  This tip will give you crispy edges and chewy interiors.
• Buy enough baking sheets to allow them to cool off between rounds in the oven.  You can get 2  half sheet pans at Sams or GFS for about $10.  Ask for them as a gift, or buy them for yourself – you deserve them.  Sorry, but ‘cookie sheets’ – the kind with only 1 rimmed side are not necessary.  These baking sheets are a work horse in the kitchen.
• Use parchment paper – this saves time and clean up.  But, don’t get the kind on a roll (useless!)  Go to GFS and get  a package of 50 sheets for about $4.  These will last the average home baker 6 months to a year.  You cut them in half and they fit EXACTLY on the half sheet pans with no rolling up.
• Measure accurately!  Spoon your flour, level your salt, baking soda, etc.  Doing this will give you the same result every time.

Give up on sweets for the new year?  Not in my book.  What is the point of eating healthfully unless you satisfy your sweet tooth with a modest indulgence?  The trick is of course, eating just one cookie.  With these, I realize it’s hard.  So, I’ve devised a number of tips for avoiding over-indulgence when eating one of my cookies:

• Wear really tight jeans while eating
• Promise to eat one cookie only when hungry
• Eat really slowly
• Eat with someone much smaller than yourself
• Eat, standing naked in front of a mirror
• Drink a big glass of water or skim milk with your indulgence
• Keep all but one cookie frozen

I’m not sure that these tricks will help, but hey, I’m trying.  Here is the recipe for my favorite Oatmeal Cookies.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

grated zest of one orange

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

2/3 cup chopped, dried dates

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.  Blend together the flour, salt, cinnamon, orange zest and baking soda, then mix into the butter mixture.  Stir together the oats, cranberries, dates, walnuts and coconut, then mix into the cookie batter with a wooden spoon. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the racks in the oven to the two most central levels.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  With a portion scoop or spoon, portion the dough into 2 Tbls size pieces, then flatten slightly with your fingers.  Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the pans in the oven from side to side, then switch the pan placement from top to bottom racks.  Bake for 4 minutes longer.  Cool completely on the pan, then move to a platter or container.  Cool the pans completely before baking the next batch of cookies.  Because of this, it’s great to have several baking sheets.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen 3″ cookies.

Enjoy!

Buon Giorno!

This morning, I am eating a steaming bowl of oatmeal – penance for my double dose of Italian food yesterday.  I do it for you, you know.  Research.  Development of my product.  Culling out the best of the best and working hard to be sure you guys don’t get led astray. 

If you haven’t heard yet, Cook With Mary is planning a Gourmet Tour of Italy later this year.  I am on the hunt for experiences of the Italian variety right here in town.  These experiences will get the travel group primed and ready for Italy, and begin to gel the group.  I have lots of plans in the works, and went to an Italian restaurant yesterday to cement one of our first group outtings.

BLU Italian Grille is located inside the Marriott Downtown. 280 W. Jefferson.  Parking is a breeze, and I was quite relieved to be able to walk through the garage to the elevator and arrive in the lobby of the Marriott without catching the ‘breeze’ outside in downtown Louisville yesterday.  Temperatures were in the lower teens with wind chills well below that.  Enter the parking lot on Liberty.  Parking reciepts are validated for diners at BLU, so if the weather is as wicked as it has been, this might be a nice choice just based on convenience.

But convenience isn’t the only reason I’ll be returning to BLU.  Smiling faces, great service, great food, and a fantastico cappucino to end your meal!    Working my way through the menu is another reason which will take me multiple trips.  I browsed through the lunch and dinner menus while waiting on my lunch.   Lots of wonderful sounding selections.

I chose the BLU chicken club, based on the recommendation from the restaurant manager, Kelly Salat.  While waiting for my sandwich, Mei (my waitress) brought me a roll with some of the house made Parmesan Butter.  Flecked with pepper and textured with grated parmesan, the butter, some bread and a glass of wine could have been lunch.  But then, I would have been checking into the hotel for a nap.  I was mentally deconstructing the concoction so that I could repeat this at home.  Magnifico!

My BLU Chicken club turned out as an Italian twist on an American Standard.  Grilled chicken breast on crusty ciabatta with lettuce, tomato, pesto mayo, provolone and proscuitto.  Considering the size of the sandwich, I immediately decided to take half home and share with my son.  My club came with addictively delicious and crispy house made potato chips, dusted with salt and paprika.  I have never seen such thinly sliced potato chips!  Royston Green, manager on duty for BLU’s lunch informed me that the restaurant bar serves these as snacks for patrons there.  A generous sized pile of field greens dressed in a shallot vinaigrette also accompanied the sandwich.  I wished I had brought my camera because the presentation was lovely.  Another reason that I should have brought my camera – it would have been nice to have my son see the sandwich, since I managed to make it through the entire thing! 

Word to the wise – if you work in the downtown area and are looking for a place to stop for a cocktail or glass of wine after work – this would be the place.  It might seem sad to say that another reason to return would be to share the potato chips with my husband.  They are that good. 

Back to my club.  The chicken was perfectly cooked, just enough char on the very edges to give some crunch, but still moist and tender in the middle.  Perfectly dressed with a slice of prosciutto and provolone and enough pesto mayo to hold things together without making the sandwich drippy.  I polished off the edges of the bread by dipping them in more of the parmesan butter, and hoped that no one was watching my gluttonous exhibit.

My favorite lunch at a restaurant, especially at a fine one, is to have soup, salad and dessert.  Rarely a sandwich.  I am so glad I did this time – it was worth it.   The lunch menu also includes a grilled tuscan vegetable sandwich, an Italian panini club, and an Italian roast beef – great choices.

During lunch, and to slow down my intake, I continued browsing through the dinner menu.  So many times, I look over a menu with lots of selections and find only one or two that appeal to me.  Not so here.  Many items called to me, giving me even more chances to return.  Italian restaurants frequently offer fried calamari – Blu’s version comes with roasted red pepper aioli.  Maybe a crab stuffed portabello mushroom or Fritti Mozzerella with yellow beefsteak tomato cruda.  These are just the appetizer selections. 

Next time at BLU, I’m going to try the Caesar salad, or maybe the Caprese.  Oh yeah, a Nicoise salad is offered too.  Not just Italian selections, but covering a bit more of the Mediterranean.  A Minestrone and a soup del giorno  are offered nightly. 

There are Pasta and Risotto offerings from Spaghetti and Meatballs to Seafood Risotto.  Entrees include a Tuscan NY strip, Filet, Veal Osso Bucco, Seafood, Chicken and Lamb Chops.  My head is spinning.  Maybe if I took enough friends, and we all got something different, I could taste everything!

I haven’t even touched on the abiance of BLU.  Such attention to detail!  The floor is imported from Italy, the furnishing chic, but comfortable, the blown glass pendant lights are lovely!  BLU has two nice private areas for parties and a beautiful bar area.  Here is a table setting that will give you an idea of the environment:

Table setting at BLU

The restaurant sent me a picture of a pizza on their menu to drool over:

Pecorino Crusted Shrimp Pizza

All in all, a great experience. See lots more about BLU.  Great service, great food in a beautiful setting.  A frothy cappuccino was the perfect ending.  You know, if I were a REAL restaurant reviewer, I would have gone back 3 or so times before I wrote this.  Being my impetuous self, I just couldn’t wait to share!

Enjoy!

Welcome Newbies!

Today, I had 7 Newbies in my cooking class!  That might be a record, pretty sure that it is.  At Cook With Mary, there are 3 types of participants: Newbies (at their first or second class), Regulars (in attendance at routine intervals, and Groupies (these guys will come to almost any type of class, love to eat and have fun).  Occasionally, we might be able to say we have a ‘Stalker’  or two. 

Today’s class was on Quick Chicken Dinners, and we made three easy dinners in about 2 1/2 hours.  Rosemary Roasted Chicken Quarters (see New Year’s Day post), Chicken Fried Rice (last Monday’s post) and Easy Chicken Parmesan (coming up soon).  The chemistry in the room today was great.  Lots of conversation, great questions and good food. 

One thing you’ll learn as a Newbie is that you’d better come to class hungry. The 7 put a pretty good dent in the supply of food, but there was plenty of Roasted Chicken leftover.  Before the group left, I had made my decision about the family dinner tonight – I was making stuffing to go with the chicken.  My daughter was around with her new digital camera to grab onto the steps in the stuffing making process and to keep the dishes washed up. 

We rounded the menu out with lima beans and steamed broccoli.  But the stuffing – I love it.  Looking back over the prior posts, I can’t believe that I haven’t posted a recipe for stuffing.  Some may think that it’s too late, stuffing is for the holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter.  NOT!  Stuffing is comfort food.  So I vote that stuffing should be served when the temperatures outside reach the lower double digits and when you happen to have the ingredients on hand.  Bingo!  Today is my lucky day (no one else in the house complained, either).

So begins our stuffing making process.  First, you melt a stick of butter and saute up some celery, onion, and today (since it’s on hand), some diced fennel too.  This is perhaps an unusual addition, but once while cooking for Williams-Sonoma, it was called for in their recipe and it was great!  Once the veggies are softened, I add chicken stock, herbs, check for seasonings…

Sauteed celery, onion and fennel

Next, we make and toast the cornbread while the veggies are getting soft.

Cornbread

Toasted Cornbread Cubes

I added the vegetable and stock mixture to the waiting white bread cubes, added in the corn bread and thoroughly blended everything so that the bread was uniformly moistened. 

Adding liquid to the dry bread

I add two beaten eggs to the mixture for extra moisture, flavor and loft, then scoop up fist-sized balls and place in a buttered pan.  Once all the ’stuffing balls’ are arranged in the pan, I cover the pan and bake it till it is heated through, about 30 minutes.  Uncovering the pan for the last 10 minutes or so results in lots of crispy edges. 

Finished Stuffing

The only thing left to do now is to make some gravy and plate our yummy dinner.  Thanks to my Newbies for providing me with the opportunity to walk you through three distinctly different Chicken Dinners, and for the inspiration to use the leftovers for a scrumptious dinner!

Mary’s Cornbread Stuffing

About 6 cups of torn or cubed white bread (today I used dried French)

4-6 cups of toasted cubed cornbread

1 stick butter

1 large onion, diced

3-4 ribs of celery, diced

1/2 -1 cup diced fennel (optional)

4-6 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

fresh or dried herbs to taste (today, I used sage, savory and tarragon)

2 eggs, beaten

Follow the directions, above.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, uncovering for the final 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Everybody Loves a Quickie

Don’t we all need a quickie now and then?  A quick snack, a quick dinner, you know what I mean.  I love to run into the kitchen when the mood is high and for just a moment, you think you might starve if you don’t eat something RIGHT NOW, and be able to pull a snack or dinner out of the fridge or the pantry.  Something delicious, something satisfying and hopefully something unique. 

We’ve all had our moments when Ritz  crackers, cold cheese and mustard have had to sit in for a snack attack.  I’m talking about something a bit more lavish, but equally simple.  Enter the Culinary Quickie.  You’ll know you’ve achieved the status of a true Culinary Quickie by the level of pure, almost animal satisfaction that will follow.

A true Culinary Quickie will satisfy, but not stuff – it will always leave you wanting more.  Curiousity piqued.  You will most likely have recurrent thoughts about the foray.  Your mind might drift in and out, visiting adaptations, what ifs.  When can I have this again?  How might I change it?  Was that as good as I thought it was?  Did my husband enjoy it as much as I did?  What will my other foodie friends think?

New Year’s night, while the chicken was roasting, and the potatoes simmering, it hit me!  Rosanne Roseannadanna might say “I thought I was gonna die!”  Starving!  Pulling from some leftovers from the dinner I prepared the previous evening, I began executing my quickie.  Lavash round made at Baban Bakery(available at Paul’s and Lotsa Pasta).  Old Forest salami from Lotsa Pasta.  Toasted Walnuts.  Olive oil.  Honey.  Freshly ground black pepper.  Fresh rosemary. 

Put together and slid into the oven where the chicken was roasting.  In less than 5 minutes, my husband and I were noshing on an utterly divine slice of culinary magic.  The moans, the groans, eyes rolling, teeth gnashing, lips smacking.  This, my friends was a true culinary quickie.   We were working on a bottle of White Bordeaux, 2007 Bellechasse, which added to the experience.

You too can achieve this level of satisfaction.  Follow the list below, or dream up your own little bit of heaven.  I’m sure you have all the ingredients you need, if not for this particular version, something equally as satisfying.  Let yourself go.

Gorgonzola flatbread ready for the oven

Gorgonzola and Salami Flatbread

1 round of soft lavash

olive oil

4-5 slices Old Forest salami

2-3 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese

a handful of toasted walnuts, broken

honey

black pepper

a few rosemary needles

Heat the oven to 400 degrees, or just bake at the temperature of whatever is in the oven.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the lavash; smear it around with your hands.  Space out the salami over the bread.  Sprinkle on the cheese and walnuts.  Drizzle with honey, then grind black pepper over the top to your liking.  Chop or tear up the rosemary needles, sprinkling them over sparingly. 

 Using a peel or your hands, place your creation directly on the oven rack and watch very closely.  Crisping up the lavash and melting the cheese just slightly will take only a few minutes. 

A word to the wise – etiquette when experiencing a new culinary creation requires that the chef recieve adequate praise.  Don’t assume that your purveyor of bliss will know that you enjoyed the experience.  Be sincere, but be sure to convey your appreciation.

Enjoy!

Hands-Off Dinner Menu

Sometimes you just have to let the appliances do the work and go back to reading your book.  Lazy doesn’t fully describe my day.  I knew it was going to be this way yesterday when I was cooking away and on my feet for over 12 hours.  I promised myself a lazy day, but I do that often.  Most of the time I end up being at least partially productive. 

A bowl of cereal for breakfast, hoppin’ john and rice for lunch (Tony fixed this yesterday while I was cheffing at a private party – YUM),  napping and book reading filled the remainder of the day. 

What’s for dinner?  Lots of choices, still working through leftovers from the holidays and the seemingly continual runs for provisions.  Tony had picked up a whole chicken on Wednesday (just in case) and the choices were leftovers, roasted chicken, or something that required more effort.  Roasted chicken it is. 

I prepped the chicken, put the already prepped asparagus on a sheet pan for roasting after the chicken, and asked Tony to peel potatoes for our stand-by: smashed ‘taters with sour cream.  I headed off to the shower.

Once the chicken was roasted, the oven went up and the asparagus went in.  Potatoes were mashed, and Lauren and I threw together a sauce with the rosemary infused pan sauces.  Dinner was done.  Active time, maybe 15 minutes.  Pleasure time: I’m still thinking about it hours later.

The crust on the bird was crispy and flecked with crunchy salt and coarsely ground pepper.  The flesh was succulent, tender and oh, so delicious.  The smooth and tangy smashed potatoes and crispy, oven roasted asparagus were the perfect sides for a simple, satisfying meal.

Roasted Chicken

Rosemary Roasted Whole Chicken with Pan Sauce

1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds

olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

3-4 short stems fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 Tbls flour

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream, chicken  broth or water

Place the rosemary and 2 of the garlic cloves in a small roasting pan.  Seat the chicken over the herbs and place the other two garlic cloves inside the chicken.  Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and liberally salt and pepper the bird.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roast the chicken for an hour and 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced, or the internal temperature registers about 165-170 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a cutting board.  Cover with foil or a clean kitchen towel.  Remove the large pieces and stems of rosemary from the drippings.

In the roasting pan atop the stove, heat the drippings and sprinkle the flour over the pan.  Whisk until smooth and thickened.  Pour in the wine and allow to simmer until reduced.  Add the remaining liquid and whisk until smooth, hot and thickened, about 3 minutes.  Keep the sauce warm while you carve the bird into pieces.  Serves 3-4. 

Enjoy!