I started this recipe following Julia Child's directions, and then took off in a different direction halfway through. It worked!
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
3 cups spinach (frozen is fine, just defrost)
1.5 Tbls flour
3 Tbls butter
1/2 onion - chopped
1 cup brown stock
3/4 cup swiss cheese
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
dash of vermouth
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Heat butter on stove and then add in flour. Once flour is mixed in, add the spinach and begin sautéing.
3. Chop onions into small pieces and toss in with spinach.
5. Once spinach and onions are hot, pour in the brown stock and dash of vermouth, and cook until the spinach has soaked up all the stock.
*note* you may need to squeeze some liquid out of the spinach once done cooking
4. Pour spinach mixture into a casserole dish and add in all cheeses and spices.
5. Mix well, and place casserole in the oven
6. Bake spinach for about 30 minutes and enjoy!
Note
The recipe calls for a topping of buttered breadcrumbs, but I omitted that in order to save some calories. If you'd like to do this, melt 3 Tbls of butter and mix into a few Tbls of breadcrumbs. Sprinkle crumble mixture on top of casserole before baking.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Supremes De Volaille a Blanc - Creamy Chicken
The most decadent and delicious plate of chicken you will ever eat
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, split in half
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
pepper to taste
4 tbls butter
1/4 cup beef stock or broth
1/4 cup vermouth
1 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley (optional)
dash grated nutmeg
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400
2. Prepare the chicken and pat each with a drop of lemon, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter on the stove and sear the chicken until slightly brown. You will continue cooking the chicken in the oven.
5. Place half cooked chicken in the oven to continue baking. A trick to keep them moist in the oven is to cover the baking dish with parchment paper rubbed in butter (facing towards the chicken). Should bake for another 6-10 minutes or until ready. Chicken will be ready once springy to the touch.
4. Once chicken is in the oven, add the stock and vermouth to the butter mixture on the stove and reduce down until syrupy.
5. Add in salt and pepper. I also add a dash of nutmeg as a special secret ingredient.
6. Add in the heavy cream and cook the mixture down for about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick and should not be too runny when served.
7. Take chicken out of the oven and plate. Once plated, you can pour the delicious cream mixture ontop.
8. Sprinkle parsely and enjoy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, split in half
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
pepper to taste
4 tbls butter
1/4 cup beef stock or broth
1/4 cup vermouth
1 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley (optional)
dash grated nutmeg
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400
2. Prepare the chicken and pat each with a drop of lemon, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter on the stove and sear the chicken until slightly brown. You will continue cooking the chicken in the oven.
5. Place half cooked chicken in the oven to continue baking. A trick to keep them moist in the oven is to cover the baking dish with parchment paper rubbed in butter (facing towards the chicken). Should bake for another 6-10 minutes or until ready. Chicken will be ready once springy to the touch.
4. Once chicken is in the oven, add the stock and vermouth to the butter mixture on the stove and reduce down until syrupy.
5. Add in salt and pepper. I also add a dash of nutmeg as a special secret ingredient.
6. Add in the heavy cream and cook the mixture down for about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick and should not be too runny when served.
7. Take chicken out of the oven and plate. Once plated, you can pour the delicious cream mixture ontop.
8. Sprinkle parsely and enjoy
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Bacon, Caramelized Onion, Swiss, Gruyere Quiche
This is a new take on Julia Child's traditional Quiche Lorraine. And might I add, it's brilliant!
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
8-inch pastry shell
10 slices bacon
2 cups heavy cream
4 eggs
1 medium yellow onion
3-4 cups grated swiss cheese
1-2 cups grated gruyere
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tbls butter
2 tbls olive oil
Notes
The cheese measurements are varied depending on the amount of cheesiness you'd like your quiche to take on.
I love shortcuts, so I buy the Wellshire Farms Fully Cooked Bacon Strips because it saves me time and a lot of mess. All you do is pop these babies in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or until crispy and you have perfect, organic, and mess-free bacon!
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Prepare pastry shell and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes - until its partially cooked, but not brown at all. Then take it out of the oven and place aside.
3. Chop onions into small pieces and toss into a heated pan with the butter and olive oil. Cook until golden brown and sweet, but make sure not to burn. When finished, place aside.
5. Cook bacon pieces until crispy, then crumble and place aside.
4. Pour cream and eggs into a bowl and whisk together.
5. Add all seasonings as well as the grated cheeses and fold together.
6. Put the onion pieces and bacon pieces on the bottom of the pie crust so it is evenly covering the bottom.
7. Pour liquid mixture into the pie crust.
8. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
9. Let cool and enjoy!
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
8-inch pastry shell
10 slices bacon
2 cups heavy cream
4 eggs
1 medium yellow onion
3-4 cups grated swiss cheese
1-2 cups grated gruyere
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tbls butter
2 tbls olive oil
Notes
The cheese measurements are varied depending on the amount of cheesiness you'd like your quiche to take on.
I love shortcuts, so I buy the Wellshire Farms Fully Cooked Bacon Strips because it saves me time and a lot of mess. All you do is pop these babies in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or until crispy and you have perfect, organic, and mess-free bacon!
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Prepare pastry shell and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes - until its partially cooked, but not brown at all. Then take it out of the oven and place aside.
3. Chop onions into small pieces and toss into a heated pan with the butter and olive oil. Cook until golden brown and sweet, but make sure not to burn. When finished, place aside.
5. Cook bacon pieces until crispy, then crumble and place aside.
4. Pour cream and eggs into a bowl and whisk together.
5. Add all seasonings as well as the grated cheeses and fold together.
6. Put the onion pieces and bacon pieces on the bottom of the pie crust so it is evenly covering the bottom.
7. Pour liquid mixture into the pie crust.
8. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
9. Let cool and enjoy!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Guava-Orange Nectar Martini
Had a bunch of ingredients in my fridge and went for this creation. Genius!
Serves: 1
Ingredients
1 shot vodka
1 shot triple sec
1 shot champagne
1.5 shots guava nectar
1 - 1.5 shots club soda
Directions
I measured everything in terms of shots in order to provide an accurate portion, although, I must admit that I didn't really measure when I made this. I ended up with three servings once I got the creation right.
Put all the ingredients in a shaker, stir, DONT SHAKE or else the bubbly will go flat. Pour into a martini glass, and enjoy.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
THE BEST Vodka Sauce
Better than your Grandmas'.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1/4 lb prosciutto
4 Garlic cloves
1 tsp garlic paste (optional)
1 medium onion
1/2-3/4 cup vodka
1/2 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbls Olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Chop up onions and garlic while you warm the olive oil on the stove. Toss in the onions and cook until almost translucent, then throw in the garlic. Once you smell the garlic (about 2 minutes), toss in chopped up prosciutto. Once the prosciutto is cooked, pour in can of crushed tomatoes, and then slowly add the vodka. Simmer for a few minutes and then add the cream. Cover the pot and let simmer for about an hour. Then add in the garlic paste, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cover pot again and simmer for atleast another 3 hours. The sauce should be ready when the vodka flavor is (mostly) cooked out and leaves the sauce with a robust creamy flavor.
Notes
+I like to refrigerate the sauce overnight and serve the next day because I find that the flavors marinate even more overnight.
+The amount of vodka you add directly affects the cooking time. The less vodka you add, the less time it will take to reduce the flavor. I choose to add the vodka into the sauce instead of reducing it over a flame because it adds a deeper flavor to the sauce.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1/4 lb prosciutto
4 Garlic cloves
1 tsp garlic paste (optional)
1 medium onion
1/2-3/4 cup vodka
1/2 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbls Olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Chop up onions and garlic while you warm the olive oil on the stove. Toss in the onions and cook until almost translucent, then throw in the garlic. Once you smell the garlic (about 2 minutes), toss in chopped up prosciutto. Once the prosciutto is cooked, pour in can of crushed tomatoes, and then slowly add the vodka. Simmer for a few minutes and then add the cream. Cover the pot and let simmer for about an hour. Then add in the garlic paste, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cover pot again and simmer for atleast another 3 hours. The sauce should be ready when the vodka flavor is (mostly) cooked out and leaves the sauce with a robust creamy flavor.
Notes
+I like to refrigerate the sauce overnight and serve the next day because I find that the flavors marinate even more overnight.
+The amount of vodka you add directly affects the cooking time. The less vodka you add, the less time it will take to reduce the flavor. I choose to add the vodka into the sauce instead of reducing it over a flame because it adds a deeper flavor to the sauce.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Parmesan Lemon Broccoli
You will never make broccoli any other way. Ever.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Large broccoli head
1 Lemon
3 Garlic cloves
1/4 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbls olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut broccoli florets off of head and arrange in a cookie pan. Chop up garlic into fine pieces and sprinkle over broccoli. Pour olive oil over broccoli and zest a lemon over broccoli as well. Finally, grate the cheese over broccoli and toss everything together. Salt and Pepper to taste and stick it in the oven, tossing it every 10 minutes or so. Broccoli should cook until the florets are slightly browned and crispy (about 30 minutes.)
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Large broccoli head
1 Lemon
3 Garlic cloves
1/4 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbls olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut broccoli florets off of head and arrange in a cookie pan. Chop up garlic into fine pieces and sprinkle over broccoli. Pour olive oil over broccoli and zest a lemon over broccoli as well. Finally, grate the cheese over broccoli and toss everything together. Salt and Pepper to taste and stick it in the oven, tossing it every 10 minutes or so. Broccoli should cook until the florets are slightly browned and crispy (about 30 minutes.)
Homemade Pesto
Great on pasta, gnocchi, paninis, etc.
Serving: About 1 cup
Ingredients
1 Big bunch of basil
8 Tbls Olive oil
5 Tbls Toasted pine nuts
3-4 Garlic cloves (depending on taste)
1/3 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor and grind until it is a fine liquidy sauce. Salt and Pepper to taste. Make sure not to over-grind or the basil will wilt and turn brown. Once you have the sauce, you can use it right away or store it in a closed container in the refrigerator.
Serving: About 1 cup
Ingredients
1 Big bunch of basil
8 Tbls Olive oil
5 Tbls Toasted pine nuts
3-4 Garlic cloves (depending on taste)
1/3 Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor and grind until it is a fine liquidy sauce. Salt and Pepper to taste. Make sure not to over-grind or the basil will wilt and turn brown. Once you have the sauce, you can use it right away or store it in a closed container in the refrigerator.
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