French Food

After our fabulous honeymoon in France, I was inspired to make a french meal.  All the food we had there was so great.  I don't think mine was quite as good as the real thing, but a good imposter. 

Drink...

 

Bordeaux Wine

With France having such great wines, we were sure to stock up our wine fridge with some of the delicious wines we brought back.  We couldn't believe how inexpensive the quality wines were in France.  We saw the majority of bottles on sale for 3-5 Euros per bottle.  We enjoyed many different wines in France in cafes, brasseries, and on our picnics.  

There's no ingredients or directions for this one.  Just get a good bottle, open, pour, and enjoy!

Dinner...

Boeuf Bourguignon

We wanted to have this dish in France, but never got the opportunity to.  I looked up several different recipes and created a combination of them.  One of the recipes I included portions of was Julia Child's.  However, hers seemed very complicated, took a long time, and had to be cooked in the oven.  So, I combined some ideas from her recipe with another quicker, more streamlined recipe I found.  This one was much simpler, quicker, and cooked on the stove top (which was great because our apartment is already way too hot without the oven on!). 

Ingredients:

(serves 4-5)

• 6 oz. bacon, chopped
• 1 beef sirloin steak or top round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/9 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 ounce sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves , crushed
• 2 cup fresh or frozen whole baby carrots
• 1 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup Burgundy or other dry red wine

Directions:

cooked bacon and beef

veggies cooking

1. Simmer the bacon in a large pot or dutch oven until fully cooked.  Remove from the pot.
2. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.  Coat the pieces with flour.  Cook the beef in the bacon fat until well browned. Remove from the pot.
3. Cook the carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, and black pepper in the bacon fat.
4. Add the beef stock, wine, cooked beef, and cooked bacon.  
5. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.  If the broth seems too thin, add a little flour and cook a few more minutes.
6. Serve with potatoes, rice, or orzo pasta.

Plat Du Fromage

My favorite food in France was the cheese, and we ate a lot of it!  We even brought some back with us.  The French eat their cheese course at the end of their meal.  We had it this way in France, but I still prefer it before my meal.  I guess I'm just too American!  
For this cheese platter we had a Camembert and another cheese which we aren't quite sure what it was (maybe it was called Auvergne since it says that on the tag??).  The person we bought it from in France didn't speak much English.  We couldn't bring back goat cheese because it was unpasteurized, so he recommended this cheese as a similar one.  
You could have a cheese plate with any variety of cheeses, but typically the ones we had in France included a Brie or Camembert, a goat cheese, a blue cheese, and a hard cheese.

Dessert...

Mousse Au Chocolat

*recipe from FoodNetwork.com
Chocolate mousse has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a kid. Most recipes either have raw egg, or involve using a thermometer to measure the egg temperature.  This was a bit complicated for me, so I went with Alton Brown's simplified recipe.  It tasted delicious, but my texture seemed to be a little off.  I think I might have over beat my whipped cream which caused it to be too stiff and not incorporate smoothly, so be careful not to over-whip!
Ingredients:
(serves 6)

• 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
• 12 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces espresso or strong coffee
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon flavorless, granulated gelatin

Directions:

1. Chill 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in refrigerator. Chill metal mixing bowl and mixer beaters in freezer.
2. In top of a double boiler, combine chocolate chips, coffee, rum and butter. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat while a couple of chunks are still visible. Cool, stirring occasionally to just above body temperature.
3. Pour remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream into a metal measuring cup and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow gelatin to "bloom" for 10 minutes. Then carefully heat by swirling the measuring cup over a low gas flame or candle. Do not boil or gelatin will be damaged. Stir mixture into the cooled chocolate and set aside.
4. In the chilled mixing bowl, beat cream to medium peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in two doses. There may be streaks of whipped cream in the chocolate and that is fine. Do not over work the mousse.
5. Spoon into bowls or martini glasses and chill for at least 1 hour. Garnish with fruit and serve.
6. (If mousses are to be refrigerated overnight, chill for one hour and then cover each with plastic wrap)

Spring Supper

Spring is here in NYC and we have been trying to take advantage of all the opportunities to be outdoors.  This is a light, delicious Spring dinner - enjoy it indoors or out!
Drink...

Moscato Spritzer 

*recipe from Make It, Bake It, Create It
This is a refreshing Spring drink.  Because it is so sweet, I think it would be perfect for a brunch, a luncheon, or a bridal/baby shower.  
Ingredients:

• Moscato wine
• Diet Sprite (I used Diet 7up)
• Frozen whole raspberries

Directions:

1. Put a handful of frozen raspberries in the bottom of a wine glass.
2. Combine equal parts of wine and Sprite (I would suggest using a little less Sprite, since the wine is already really sweet).  
3. Stir and sip!

Dinner...

Pasta Primavera

*recipe adapted from Mama Grubs Grub
In case you didn't know, Primavera means Spring.  So, this is Spring pasta!  The original recipe uses different veggies than I used (I made it with asparagus, bell peppers, green beans, onion, and tomatoes).  The great thing about this pasta is that you can pretty much put any vegetables into it.  Use whatever you have leftover or whatever is your favorite.
Plus, you can enjoy this dinner while working toward your Summer swimsuit body because it's only 250 calories per serving.  I looked up other recipes and they were higher calories.  You wouldn't know it from tasting this pasta though - it's delicious! (I thought maybe the addition of a little garlic would be good, but I love garlic in everything)
Ingredients: 

All my veggies

• Linguine (I used whole wheat Rotini)
• 2 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper 
• 1 cup chopped organic carrots 
• Asparagus  
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 organic small red bell pepper,julienned  
• 1 cup sliced organic mushrooms 
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth (I used chicken broth) 
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup organic half and half



The colors in this pasta are beautiful!

• 1/4 cup Parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according the package.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. 
3. Add the onion and saute for 3 mins or until soft. Add the black pepper.
4. Add the carrot and asparagus to the pan and saute to coat with seasonings. add the water,cover and allow the veggies to steam for 4 mins or until carrots begin to soften.
5. Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms and stir. 
6. Add the broth to the pan. 
7. Whisk the cornstarch into the half and half, and add to the pan. 
8. Cook for 4 mins or until the sauce thickens up toss in the pasta stir to coat.
9. Add the Parmesan cheese to the mix and toss well.

Dessert...

Bird Nest Treats

*recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot

 These were so easy to make and really cute.  Plus they tasted great.  They are perfect for Spring and would be really great for Easter too.  They include Cadbury Mini Eggs, my other favorite Spring candy (last week I mentioned the other one - Cadbury Cream Eggs).  I took the peanut butter out of the recipe because Doug doesn't like peanut butter (I know, I think the same thing...how could you not like peanut butter???).  They were still great, but would be even better with the peanut butter!
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, for greasing the muffin pan (I just sprayed the pan with Pam and it worked well)
• 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of butterscotch chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 ounces (1/2 of a large bag) of chow mein noodles
• 36 mini Cadbury Mini eggs

Directions:

My nests in the muffin tin

1. Generously grease the wells of a muffin pan with the butter (this will help later when you are taking out the chilled nests).  Or, spray it with Pam like me!
2. In a large microwave-proof bowl, heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips in 30 second intervals until thoroughly melted, stirring after each increment.**It only took me two 30-second intervals.
3. Once melted, add the peanut butter to the chocolate/butterscotch mixture, mixing well until smooth and completely combined.
4. Carefully add the chow mein noodles, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until completely coated.
5. Using a large spoon, mold the mixture into the wells of your muffin tin, indenting the tops slightly with the back of the spoon.
6. Chill the nests until hardened, about 1 hour or so.
7. Once chilled, gently remove the nests from the muffin tin.***I used a butter knife as a lever to pop them out-this seemed to work.
8. Place three eggs (or colored jelly beans!) on the tops of each nest.  (I actually put the eggs in the nest while the chocolate was still melted.  That way, when it hardened, the eggs didn't fall out.)

Magnificent or Mediocre? A Microwave Dinner that is Both.

I haven't written in a while because the gas in our apartment building has been (and still is) shut off.  There was a gas leak...the soonest ConEd could come fix it was in 4 months...we are getting new electric stoves in the meantime...but when?  Who knows!  
I have missed blogging and cooking, so I decided to try a microwave dinner.  I wanted to make things that you wouldn't usually think of making in the microwave.  You will have to read on to see how it went...

Drink...

White Wine (Pinot Grigio)

I Googled what drinks go best with risotto and all that came up was wine.  So, I thought...well, if that's the best...that makes it easy for me!
However, this choice did not turn out quite as boring as I thought it would be.  There ended up being a story to this wine...
Just a couple days before, Doug and I had a conversation about how, due to some strange law, you can not buy wine at a grocery store in NYC (only beer).  When I went out shopping for ingredients I was annoyed.  We had already been to one store, I was on my way to another store, and then I would have to go to the wine store (that's the other thing about NYC - you can not get all the ingredients you need in one store - it requires you going to at least 2-3).  So, here I am walking around Food Emporium (store #2) and there I see it...wine!!  I was so excited that I would not have to go to another store and I could prove Doug wrong at the same time, so I bought the wine.
I started cooking with it and Doug asked for a glass.  So, I poured him a one and he said, "Wow, this wine is really sweet."  I thought, oh, that's good.  I like a sweeter wine.  Then he said, "No, really it tastes like juice."  He proceeded to go in the fridge and look at the bottle.  That's when we found out it was not wine, but "a wine product."  It had alcohol in it, but a very low percentage and it tasted pretty disgusting, even to someone who likes sweet wine.  Moral of the story:  Do NOT buy "wine" at a grocery store in NYC.

Dinner...

Asparagus Risotto and Chicken with Pesto Sauce

Chicken with Pesto Sauce (Mediocre)
This chicken was not bad...just nothing to write home about. 
Ingredients:

• 2 boneless breaded chicken breasts (I used Trader Joes pre-cooked frozen ones)
• 2 tbs. pesto sauce
• 1 tbs. butter

Directions:

1. Microwave chicken breasts for 2 1/2 minutes. 
2. Melt butter and mix with the pesto sauce.
3. Top the chicken breast with pesto.

Asparagus Risotto (Magnificent)

*Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
This recipe was amazing to me.  It was almost like magic the way it cooked in the microwave.  Believe it or not, I have never had risotto before.  But, I must say this tasted pretty good to me!
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cooked, cut asparagus
• 2 Roma tomatoes

Directions:

1. In a large microwave safe bowl combine butter, garlic and onion. Place dish in microwave and cook on high for 3 minutes.
2. Place chicken broth in a microwave safe dish. Heat in microwave until the broth is hot but not boiling (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Stir the rice and broth into the bowl with the onion, butter and garlic mixture. Cover the dish tightly and cook on high for 6 minutes.
4. Stir wine into the rice. Cook on high for 5 minutes.  Add the asparagus and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more. Most of the liquid should boil off. Stir the cheese into the rice and serve. 

Dessert:

Mini-Moist Vanilla Cake (Miserable)

*recipe from: Delicious Microwave Recipes
This cake sounded too good to be true.  I mean, how can you make a cake in the microwave?  But, it looked so good in the picture on the website, I just had to try it.  I found out that some things are not meant to be made in the microwave.

I had high hopes for the cake 

as it started rising in the microwave.

The taste of the cake was ok, I guess.  But it was a very strange texture.  Also, even though it's vanilla cake, it turned out brown.  I think maybe I overcooked it.  But. it did not seem done after the amount of time the recipe said.  Here's the recipe in case you want to see how weird it was.  Or, maybe you will have better luck than me!
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 can of chocolate frosting

 Directions:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, milk, vinegar, applesauce, baking soda, and vanilla extract together by whisking vigorously, until smooth. 
2. Next, beat in the egg. 
3. Spray a large cereal bowl with non-stick cooking spray, and pour  the smooth batter into the cereal bowl (may fill more than one bowl, just pour into multiple bowls until mix is gone).
4. Baking one bowl at a time, place it in the microwave on high for 2 to 4 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  
5. Let cool before serving or frosting!

 And the Results...

One thing I made in the microwave was really good and I would probably make it again (especially in the summer when you don't want to heat up the house by using a stove or oven).  But, I am not converted to a microwave chef and hopefully I will be back to cooking with a stove/oven soon!