Lemony Eggs Florentine

This recipe comes from William Sonoma Comfort Food cookbook which is arguably Tim's favorite book.  What I like about this recipe is the slight twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict with the use of Bacon and the addition of Spinach.  As well, they amped the flavor of the Hollandaise with the brightness of lemon. 

We like to serve this to our overnight guests.  Although there are a few steps in the process, the final presentation is so delicious that every moment to create is worth it.

This recipe was the first time I tried my hand at poaching.  I've seen several gadgets that employ the microwave, but I found the traditional method so fun!  I like looking for recipes that give me a chance to try new ingredients and techniques.

Ingredients listed are for 4 servings

Hollandaise:

• 4 Egg Yolks
• Save the whites for another purpose
• 1 T Fresh Lemon Juice
• I used bottled as I didn't keep fresh lemons on hand
• But now I do
• 1 T water
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/8 t Pepper
• 1 C Butter
• I didn't say this was healthy!

Combine in a blender the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt & pepper.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Start your blender and slowly drizzle in the melted butter to form an emulsion with the yolk mixture.  Process until the sauce is thick and smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.  If the sauce is too thick, adjust with more water to thin.  Transfer sauce to thermal carafe.

Florentine:

• 1 1/4 lb Spinach
• Stemmed, unless using baby spinach
• rinsed, but not dried
• Coarsely chopped
• 1 T Unsalted Butter
• 2 Shallots, finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the shallots and cook stirring occasionally until tender (approx. 2 minutes).  Stir in the spinach, cover and cook until tender (approx. 3 minutes).  Season to taste.  If there is excess liquid, drain.

Meat:

• 8 thick cut slices of Bacon
• We used pepper crusted bacon, but thick cut is key
• Or, use lump crab meat
• traditional would be Canadian Bacon

Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels.

Muffins:

• 4 English Muffins, split with a fork
• We used a multi-grain variety

Toast in a preheated broiler, cut sides facing the heating element.  (Approx. 1 minute)

Eggs:

• 8 eggs
• 2 T distilled white vinegar

In a wide saucepan, combine 8 C water and the vinegar and bring to a boil.  Drop heat until the water is simmering.

Fill a bowl halfway with hot tap water and keep near stove.  This will be used to keep the poached eggs warm for about 10 minutes until serving.

Crack an egg into a small bowl or ramekin.  Slip the egg from the bowl into the simmering water.  Using a large metal spoon, quickly spoon the egg white back toward the center of the egg.  Simmer gently until the egg white is opaque and the egg is just firm enough to hold shape.  You want the yolk to remain a bit runny.  (Approx 3 to 4 minutes)

Using a large slotted spoon, lift the egg and place in the warm tap water. 

Repeat until all eggs are cooked.  I recommend doing one egg at a time until you are comfortable with this technique.

Assembly:

One half English muffin, topped with spinach and 1 slice of bacon folded in half. 

Remove the egg from the water, but blot bottom of slotted spoon on towel to eliminate excess water.  Place on top of bacon and spoon hollandaise on top. 

Season with freshly cracked pepper and serve.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cheese Bread

I am a big fan of cheese bread, but there has never been one that compares to my mother's recipe.  This bread is very heavy so we reserve it for holidays or special occasions.  But the texture and massive pockets or cheese are out of this world.  I'm making this for Thanksgiving this year and I am very thankful for my mother who created this out of thin air.

As usual, the amounts are approximate.  You are looking for a resulting batter that is very sticky and yet pourable, similar to a brownie batter.  We use a bundt pan to bake this bread.  But be careful with the bundt you use as they seem to be smaller than traditional bundts of the past.  I have the Nordicware 60th anniversary 15-cup model which has more than enough capacity.  Some bundts can be as small as 9 cups which will cause some over flowing in the oven.

Due to the density, we are using the equivalent of 2 packets of yeast.  However, this comes together similar to a quick bread in that there is no time devoted to rising.  All of the rising/overflowing will occur in the oven.  Due to this, there is limited development of gluten.  So the bread comes out soft with a medium crumb and a texture that will have you wanting a big piece for seconds.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Swiss, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 lb Cheddar, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 C Parmesan, grated
• 4 1/2 C All Purpose Flour
• 4 T Granulated Sugar
• 2 t Salt
• 2 scant T Yeast, (2 packages)
• 1 C Warm Water (between 90 and 100 degrees F)
• 1 C Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 6 Eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Proof the yeast in one cup water with the sugar.  The water should not feel cold or hot to the touch.  Too cold and the proof will take a long time.  Too hot and you might kill the yeast.  Essentially you are looking for body temperature, so it will feel neutral to you.  Proofed yeast will look like a murky beer with a nice head of foam.

Combine the flour, salt, and grated Parmesan.  Add in the eggs and yeast and stir to combine.  Fold in the cubes of cheese and stir to distribute.

Spray or butter the bundt pan for easy release.  Bake on top of a cookie sheet or sheet pan to catch any overflow... just in case.  If there is any overflow, it makes for a lovely appetizer.  Approximately 40 minutes.

Bake until golden brown on top.  Allow to cool slightly in the pan before turning out.  But serve warm.

Lo Mein

Once again, this recipe comes (only slightly modified) from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  The original recipe called for Pork and certain vegetables that I didn't have on hand so I improvised.  Primarily I was interested in tasting the seasoning and the rest is always flexible.

If you are OK with Fish, then this recipe is easily adapted for a flexible vegetarian meal without an animal for the protein. 

This recipe is cooked over high heat so it comes together quickly.  The bulk of the time is in prepping the ingredients, which should happen before your pan goes over the heat.  Since you will be cooking over high heat, use either a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan (the biggest/widest you've got) or a heavy cast iron Dutch/French oven.

Try to shove in as many vegetables as you can.  This is a great recipe to use up any straggling veggies in your crisper.  When you cook, just put in the heartier veggies first to cook longer before the cabbage, or any of the veggies with a higher water content.

The Sauce:

• 4 1/2 T Soy Sauce (or Tamari)
• 3 T Oyster Sauce
• 3 T Hoisin Sauce
• 1 1/2 T Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1/4 t Five-spice Powder (I totally love this stuff!)
• 3/4 C Chicken (or Vegetable) Broth
• 1 1/2 t Cornstarch (or Kudzu)

In a small bowl, mix together the first five ingredients (Soy, Oyster, Hoisin, Toasted Sesame Oil, 5-Spice Powder).  If you are using a protein such as Chicken, Pork, Beef, Shrimp, Tofu, etc., take 1/4 C of this mixture and marinate the protein for 30 min in the fridge.

Add to the remaining mixture the Broth and Cornstarch.

I didn't measure the ingredients and tend to like a bit more sauce so I likely made about 50% more than what was called for.  You'll want to bump up these amounts if you will be serving this over rice instead of with the noodles as the rice will absorb significantly more.

The Noodles:

• 1 lb of your favorite noodle
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti
• Rice Noodles
• Udon
• Buckwheat Soba
• Large Stock Pot 3/4 filled with water
• 1 T Salt (to season the pasta as it cooks)

Bring water to a boil, add salt and pasta and cook according to manufacturers directions.  Stir occasionally to prevent clumping.  Drain and leave in colander.  If using Rice noodles, drizzle the barest amount of oil and toss lightly to prevent sticking.

The Stuff:

• 4 1/2 t Canola Oil
• Thinly sliced Protein
• We used thinly sliced Chicken, but you easily can use Tofu, Pork, Shrimp, etc.
• freeze the meat for 15 minutes to make slicing easier
• 6 T Chinese Rice cooking wine or Dry Sherry
• I used Sherry
• 1 lb Mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• Shiitake, Cremini, Portebello, or other hearty variety
• 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• called for Napa, but I used regular green cabbage
• 3 Carrots, cut on the bias into oblong rounds
• 8 Scallions, sliced thin
• 1 T Ginger, grated
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced fine or garlic pressed
• 1 t Sriracha Sauce (think Rooster sauce)

In a large Dutch Oven or saute pan, over high heat, cook the protein (Beef, Chicken, or pork) in batches using the canola oil and Sherry.  Do not cook the meat through, but make sure there is no remaining pink and you do want some browning.  (Approximately 3 minutes per batch.)

If using Shrimp, these take no time at all to cook, so watch their color change closely

If using Tofu don't slice too thin; I recommend firm or extra firm texture and either 1" cubes or 1/2" to 1/4" slices.  Do not use high heat as you may scorch rather than lightly brown and you may need to use more oil to prevent sticking.  I also love the texture created with Tofu coated in corn starch and fried.  If you would like to use this method, don't marinate the tofu first.

Set aside the Protein, cover with foil, to cook the vegetables in the same pot.  It was at this point I realized I'd forgotten to use the Sherry, so I used it with the vegetables to deglaze the pan. 

Use a bit of the canola oil, and cook the mushrooms and carrots over high to medium high heat.  (approx. 4 to 6 minutes)  Add in the cabbage and cook until wilted, (approx. 2 minutes more) Add most of the scallions, reserving some for garnish.  Also add in the garlic and ginger.  Stir to combine and cook for one minute. 

Re-wisk the sauce and add to the vegetables.  Add back in the protein and any accumulated juices.  Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened slightly and the protein is heated through.  Add the cooked noodles and the srircha saucee and toss until hot and combined.

Serve with scallion garnish.

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Gallette

This recipe represents something I've always wanted to do, but hadn't tried until now. For those not familiar, a Gallette is essentially a rustic or free-form pie and in this case, a savory one. I've always found the presentation to be very appealing while at the same time elegant. For dinner I thought I'd improvise a vegetarian Roasted Vegetable Gallette.

As this was my first attempt, I didn't have faith the vegetables would roast adequately while the crust was browning, so I knew I'd start by pre-roasting them. It would give the vegetables the best chance to concentrate their flavors while taking on the barest hint of additional color. This step, when prepared as a side dish, takes generally 40 minutes, so I started there. I'd need to cut the vegetables approximately the same size to cook evenly. This was also an opportunity to introduce some flavor to enhance the natural sweet meets savory veggies I had at my disposal. Nothing too fancy, I used a nice fruity Olive Oil along with Thyme and some Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper. While those were roasting, I turned my attention to the crust.

 

I initially thought to use a crust I knew wasn't brittle as I'd be working with it just a bit more than were I to be using a pie plate. As I don't yet have a crust recipe stored in my head I thought to search my archives for a recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I recently bought the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook which reinvented (again) a significant number of their recipes to be more healthful. They had a recipe for a crust that included 1/3 portion of it's flour in whole wheat. It was designed for a rustic apple pie, but the sweetness would be welcomed in my savory Gallette. As a pie crust needs to sit in the fridge for a bit, I prepared this next.

 

Finally, I worried about the Gallette feeling a bit plain and like a pile of veggies that are awkwardly sitting in crust. My mother had once prepared a stunning roasted vegetable quiche, but I feared such a loose base would spill out before it had a chance to set. Then I thought about a bechamel sauce. This would give me a chance to distribute more evenly the creamy elements I was going to include, namely Gruyere and Stilton cheese. As well, I had some mushrooms that I was not roasting that could get a head start in the sauce.

 

Now that I had my parts all assembled, it was time to cross my fingers and hope this prep was worth it!

 

Roasted Veggies:

• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Onion, large chop
• 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 " coins or half moons
• 2 Red Potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Turnip, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 5 Cloves of Garlic, peeled (or you could peel after roasting)
• Your best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Thyme (on stem is fine)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Place all vegetables & garlic in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Toss to coat evenly. You only need to add enough olive oil to provide a sheen to the vegetables. Err on the side of less. Spread veggies on a foil lined half sheet pan or large jelly roll pan and place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

 

Crust:

• 2 T Light Sour Cream
• 2 - 4 T Ice Water, separated
• 8 T Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 " pieces and chilled
• 1 C (5 oz) All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 C (2 3/4 oz) Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 T Sugar
• 1/2 t Salt

Whisk together the sour cream with 2 T of the ice water and keep in fridge until needed.

 

In your food processor, pulse together the flours, sugar and salt until thoroughly distributed, about 4 times. Add the butter and pulse until butter is the size of small peas, about 9 times. Add in the sour cream mixture and pulse until dough starts to clump around the blade. Add more ice water if mixture doesn't clump after 3 pulses, 1 T at a time as needed. (I had to use one additional T before it clumped).

 

Dump onto plastic wrap and form into a disc. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 

Béchamel:

• 2 T Unsalted Butter  
• 2 ribs Celery, small dice 
• 1/4 lb Oyster Mushrooms (optional)  
• 1 1/2 t All Purpose Flour  
• 1/2 C Whole Milk (I eye-balled this, might be less) 
• Salt & Pepper  
• 1/4 C Gruyere, shaved  
• 1/8 C Stilton, crumbled

Melt the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. After the foaming subsides, add the celery and cook stirring occasionally until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the milk and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Taste, then season with Salt and Pepper if needed.

 

Assembly:

• Chopped parsley (I forgot to add this, but it would have been nice)  
• Balsamic Glaze

Drop the oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Toss Roasted veggies back in the same bowl you used to mix them originally. Add in the béchamel and parsley and toss to distribute.

 

Roll the pie dough onto a piece of parchment into the largest round you can muster at about 1/8 " thickness. At least 13 " in diameter, but bigger will make it even easier on you. Move the parchment and dough to the same sheet pan you used for the veggies (with the greasy foil removed).

 

You need to leave about 2 inches from the edge for folding over. Pile your veggies in the center of the dough maintaining a consistent distance from the edge. Start at one side and lift the exposed crust to lay on the veggies. Forming pleats as you go, continue to lift and fold the crust around the veggies. If making ahead, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to 3 days.

 

Drizzle the package with balsamic glaze and bake in oven until crust is brown and vegetables are thoroughly heated.

 

Variations:

 

Now that I've tried this I can imagine limitless variations.

 

The vegetables I selected were based on what I had available, including the oyster mushrooms that I happened to have. I think they worked. Cremini would have been nice too. But they lend a nice earthy taste that is off set by the richness of the Stilton.

 

The cheese can be altered to dramatically alter the flavor profile. For example, add in a smoked Gouda or an extra sharp cheddar in the place of the Stilton and Gruyere.

 

I'd like to make sure to use at least some hearty veggies that will hold their shape when roasted, but including something green would have been nice visually. Green Beans, Broccoli, Spinach (would be added to the béchamel), braised and drained Kale...

 

The beauty of this recipe is the ability to make ahead and it satisfies the vegetable and starch portion of the meal.

 

Enjoy!

Braised Stew Beef with Green Peppercorn Brandy Cream Sauce

A year and a half ago, Tim and I invested in a small chest freezer so we could start purchasing our meats from Costco. We felt buying in bulk, while pricey up front, would minimize our expenses over time. I mention this mainly to express that sometimes we pick a recipe simply to rotate our stock. This recipe is an adaptation that comes from our Bride and Groom cookbook and was originally for Fillet Mignon. However, I wanted to use up some of the stew beef and yet Tim didn't want a stew as we'd been having quite a few lovely soups.

 

What I love about this recipe is the beauty of the pan sauce. The challenge was adapting a recipe that was meant for a meat that is so tender you can cook on high for a few minutes on each side and move on to the sauce. Well Stew Beef has connective tissue that needs to be broken down before the meat is tender. So I decided to craft the pan sauce in two steps by first creating a braising liquid. 

 

The next departure was not straining the braising liquid. Instead I used the immersion blender to smooth the sauce which had the benefit of the aromatics to actually thicken the final sauce.

 

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Step One:

• 2 lbs Cubed Stew Beef
• 1/3 C Flour
• Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Green Peppercorns
• 2 T Olive Oil

In most of the stew recipes I've seen the stew beef is first given a coating of flour before being browned. I'm uncertain why other than the flour contributes to the final thickening of the sauce. Possibly I use more flour than is actually required as the coating wasn't attractive in the final product. However the flavor was nice and the sauce covered any embarrassing "skin".

 

Combine the flour, salt & pepper in a gallon sized plastic bag. Drop in each piece individually; I did this one pound at a time per shake. Seal the bag and shake to coat the cubes. Remove the meat shaking off any excess back in the bag and set on top of a cooling rack.

 

In a cast iron Dutch Oven, or similar oven safe vessel, heat the oil over medium heat until the smoke point. Add in the beef in three batches or as space allows without any crowding. Brown the meat for 2 minutes on each (or at least three) sides. Move to a plate and cover with foil to rest.

 

Step two:

• 1/2 C Shallots, diced (I used 6 very small ones)
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced (or garlic pressed)
• 3 Celery ribs, diced
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 t Green Peppercorns
• 1/4 C Brandy
• 2 C Beef Stock (estimated)

In the same Dutch Oven with the lovely fond, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots and celery and cook stirring occasionally until softened, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and peppercorns (it was at this point I noticed the original recipe called for green peppercorns in brine. I used your standard ready to grind green peppercorns) and cook stirring constantly for one minute more. Add in the Brandy and deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Continue to cook until the liquid reduces by half.

 

Add in the beef on one layer. Slight overlap is fine, but make sure there are none stacked. Pour in the stock until it reaches half way up the beef. If you were to cover the meat with the liquid, this would be a stew. Ensuring the liquid only reaches halfway is a braise. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven. Essentially the braising liquid will create a moist heat which will bring up the internal temperature of the meat and hasten the conversion of collagen to lip smacking gelatin. 

 

We cooked ours for one hour. The meat was tender, but not fall apart. If you let it go for 30 to 60 minutes more, it would be fall apart tender.  Next time... but it was still good!

 

Step three:

• 1/4 C Heavy Cream
• Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Remove from the oven and return to the stove. Remove the meat and set on a plate covered with foil. Rather than straining out the bits, I used an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce. Add in the heavy cream and heat through. Don't bring to a boil, but a gentle simmer is OK. Stir constantly and adjust seasoning as needed.

 

We served this over whole grain wild rice with sweet/hot glazed carrots.

 

Enjoy!