Mac & Cheese "Broccolissimo"!

This recipe comes from "Macaroni & Cheese" by Marlena Spieler. I am fully aware that there's really nothing healthy about this recipe but the addition of glorious green broccoli made me feel slightly better about my indulgence. This was really very good....creamy and cheesy without being overly rich or claggy. A glass of crisp pinot grigio or two and some roast chicken rounded out this meal nicely. You could make this healthier by doubling the quantity of broccoli and cutting back on the pasta, and you could use whole wheat pasta.



















Ingredients:
1-2 heads of broccoli cut into florets and stems into bite-size pieces
8 ounces of small shell pasta
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups hot, but not boiling, low-fat milk
salt to taste
dash of cayenne
grating of fresh nutmeg
8 ounces Appenzeller or similar tasty firm cheese, grated
2 ounces Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, grated

Directions:
Steam broccoli and set aside. Cook pasta in salted water until almost al dente and set aside. (I did both of these things in the afternoon and then popped them in the fridge until I was ready to make dinner)
In a heavy, non-stick saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook for a minute to get rid of the raw flour tatse. Remove from the heat and add the milk all at once. Stir with a spoon or whisk to remove any lumps. Return to medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt, cayenne and nutmeg. (I also added pepper) Set aside a few tablespoons of cheese for the top of the casserole and stir the rest into the sauce until melted.
Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of a large shallow baking dish, then in layers, add the pasta, broccoli, and the remaining sauce. (I added some sauce as I layers the ingredients just to make sure everything got some cheese!) Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake until hot and bubbling, and the cheese has melted and browned in spots, about 20 minutes. (as the recipe didn't specify what oven temperature to use, I did 350 degrees F then under the broiler for a minute or so to brown in more) Serve immediately.

Winter Wonderland

As I forgot to take pictures of the yummy dinner we made last night, I thought I would entertain you with pictures of the snowstorm instead :)

Dinner last night was Parmesan-panko baked chicken, oven roasted broccoli and watercress salad with a roasted tomato dressing courtesy of Tyler Florence....I was napping during this part so can't take any credit for the dressing! In fact, to be honest, the only thing I did do was the broccoli! Here are the recipes anyway...The chicken was delicious and perfectly cooked even though it did look slightly anemic....we choose a lower oven temp so the kitchen wouldn't fill with smoke! Check previous posts for the oven roasted broccoli recipe.

Roasted-Tomato Dressing

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, smashed
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/4 cup for the dressing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Handful fresh parsley leaves
2 bunches hydroponic watercress (feathery variety)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take a roasting dish and lay the tomatoes out with the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes have burst and juices are slightly caramelized.
Remove from the oven and place in a blender with all the pan juices. Add the red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, sugar, parsley, and salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Set aside to cool. in the refrigerator. Once cool, drizzle the roasted tomato dressing over mounds of watercress.

Parmesan-Panko Crusted Chicken (From Ana Pump's, "Summer on a Plate")

Ingredients
3 large skinless/boneless chicken breasts

3 Tbsp peanut oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 cups panko or dry bread crumbs

2 Tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (we used 425 degrees F). Brush a metal sheet pan with 1 Tbsp of the peanut oil and set aside.

Combine the mayo, mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Mix together the panko, salt, pepper and parmesan on a large sheet pan. Cover both sides of the chicken breasts, first with the mayonnaise mixture, then generously coat each breast wuth the panko mixture. Place the chicken on the oiled sheet and drizzle with the remaining peanut oil. Bake 20-25 minutes ( depending on what temperature you choose).

I'm back :)

Exactly 11 months after my last post, I am back! Keep an eye out for more regular posts :)

My Dream Kitchen

My dream house is basically Ina Garten's home in East Hampton....however, its her kitchen that I would really love to have one day. It is traditional and functional yet fresh and modern (without being stark) and the green walls are to die for! These are the best pictures I could find...please let me know if you come across better ones!

Ina walls:

The walls in my kitchen are, in fact, not wallpaper, but rather they're painted. There used to be a striped wallpaper that I liked but it was discontinued, so a friend who's a decorative painter offered to paint the same stripes. You might want to look at books of wallpapers from Clarence House or Canovas in New York City to see if they have something similar.

What are the materials in Ina's kitchen?
My kitchen has white painted wood cabinets, the center island has a black honed granite countertop and the back counters are black Formica. The floors are black and white linoleum tile. The refrigerator is Sub Zero, the 2 dishwashers are Bosch, and the 8-burner stove is Viking.

Other Kitchens I love:

Healthier Brownies, part 2

In a previous post, I tried making brownies with pumpkin puree..yum! Now the the second experiment....brownies made with garbanzo beans, eggs and agave nectar...no butter, flour, or sugar!
These were actually quite good! I took them out after 40 minutes to maintain fudginess (good idea!). Next time I would add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or nuts to the batter for some interest. The brownies could not have been easier to make, they rose beautifully, and were a breeze to cut. I cut mine into small squares and stored them in the fridge (they taste more chocolatey this way). If you don't have agave nectar or are having trouble finding it you could use brown rice syrup or raw sugar.

Garbanzo Bean Brownies
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
2 c. garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
¾ cup brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs.
Add brown rice syrup, baking powder, and chocolate, process until smooth.
Pour batter into a 9” or 8X8” non-stick pan. (or spray a glass one with cooking spray)
Bake for 45 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Soup

This soup uses a horrifying number of garlic cloves...40 something, I think. However, as most of them have been roasted, the end result is much milder and smoother than you might expect. The squeeze of lemon and parmesan cheese at the end really brings this soup to a whole new level! Even for non-garlic lovers, this is an outstanding. The only change I made was to substitute half and half for the whipping cream.

Beware: you may get a bit of indigestion from consuming this much garlic, so keep your portions small!

This soup is originally from Bon Apetit, February 1999, but as with a lot of my recipes, I found it on epicurious.com. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/100669

Ingredients

26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 1/4 cups sliced onions

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

18 garlic cloves, peeled

3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)

4 lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)
Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

Christmas Dinner

Menu:
Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Horseradish Cream-Gourmet, October 2004
Potatoes Dauphinois Madame Laracine-Bistro Cooking, Patricia Wells
Steamed Green Beans
Citron Fromage

Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Horseradish Cream

This Christmas we decided to change up the menu a bit. We all agreed that this recipe was fantastic! It is the new Christmas dinner meal!
A few notes :
1. We made the sauce ahead of time..it takes a lot longer to reduce than the recipe says. We then refrigerated it and then brought it out to come to room temp a few hours before serving. To thin it out a bit, I microwaved the sauce on 50% power for 15-30seconds. This is a thick sauce.
2. If you like your beef medium to medium rare, I recommend you take it out of the oven at 125 degrees F.
3. Use about half the amount of black pepper...it will have enough kick!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/230745

For sauce
1 head garlic (1/4 lb; about 2 1/2 inches in diameter), left intact
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup drained bottled horseradish
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For tenderloin
1 (3-lb) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, tied
1/2 cup cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated beef bouillon
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika (not hot)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Special equipment: a roasting pan with a rack; an instant-read thermometer

Directions:
Make sauce:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off and discard top fourth of garlic head. Drizzle exposed garlic with oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then wrap head tightly in foil. Roast garlic until tender, about 1 1/4 hours, then open foil and cool. While garlic roasts, simmer cream in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Squeeze garlic into a small bowl, discarding skins, and mash together with horseradish, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt using a fork. Stir garlic mixture into cream, then chill until ready to use.
Roast tenderloin:
Increase oven temperature to 475°F. Pat tenderloin dry. Stir together pepper, bouillon, salt, cornstarch, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika in a small bowl. Rub oil all over tenderloin, then sprinkle with spice mixture, rubbing it into meat. Put tenderloin on rack in roasting pan and roast 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 425°F and cook until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 130°F, 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare. Let beef stand on rack in pan 10 minutes before serving. Cut beef into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with garlic horseradish cream.
Cooks' note: Garlic can be roasted and squeezed 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Potatoes Dauphinois
3 pounds baking potatoes, such as russets, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 cups whole milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 imported bay leaves
Freshly ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
2 cups (about 5 ounces) freshly grated Gruyére cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with the milk and 2 cups of water. Add the garlic, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the potatoes to a large, 14- by 9- by 2-inch gratin dish. Sprinkle with the nutmeg, pepper, half the creme fraiche, and half the cheese. Cover with the remaining potatoes, and sprinkle again with nutmeg, pepper, and the remaining creme fraiche and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until the gratin is crisp and golden on top, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Citron Fromage (Lemon Mousse)

Juice and rind of 2 large lemons
1 level Tbsp powdered gelatin
3 eggs
4 oz caster sugar
¼ pint double cream
Garnish:
¼ pint whipping cream

Sprinkle the gelatine over 2 tbsp of water in a small pan and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into a large bowl and the whites into another. Finely grate the rind from the lemons, and mix it into the egg yolks, together with the sugar. Squeeze the lemons and strain the juice into the soaked gelatine. Place the saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously. Do not allow to boil, and once the gelatine has dissolved immediately remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the eggs yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Slowly pour in the dissolved gelatine, whisking all the time. Continue to whisk the mixture until it is cool and beginning to thicken. Lightly beat the double cream and fold into the mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then blend them in evenly and lightly. Spoon the mousse into a serving dish or individual dishes and chill until set. Pipe whipped cream over mousse.