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How to Clean and Slice Leeks

Posted on June 29, 2010 by amydeline


Leeks, a vegetable with a mild onion flavor, are a wonderful addition to many dishes. They are grown in dirt and have a tendency to gather dirt between the leaves. For this reason, they require just a bit of care to properly clean and slice. Here’s a little guide to get you on your way towards enjoying some leeky goodness…

Start with one fresh, delicious leek.

Cut off the tough, dark green leaves.

Cut off the root.

Cut the remaining white and light green part in half lengthwise.

Rinse the leeks under cool water, using your fingers to separate the layers and rub off any dirt.

Place your clean leeks on a cutting board, cut side down.

Slice your leeks.

Use your mild tasting, sliced leeks just about anywhere you'd normally use onions.

Alternatively, you can slice the leeks before washing and place in a bowl of cool water. Swish the leeks around until the dirt settles on the bottom of the bowl. Scoop out your cleaned, sliced leeks.

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A Prize-Winning Recipe??

Posted on June 28, 2010 by amydeline

I started this blog less than 2 months ago. Way back then, I would never have called myself a ‘recipe writer’. I was certainly a practiced home cook, accustomed to creating my own dishes. But I was definitely not a recipe writer.  My measurements and process were haphazard, virtually indescribable, purely a matter of instinct and experience. Starting this blog has forced me to slow down, reflect on my decisions, and be more purposeful with my cooking.  And I’m thankful for that. Thank you, blog. Thank you.

As I’ve become more entrenched in the foodie blogosphere, I’ve started to notice recipe contests; something I’d neither noticed nor considered in those ancient pre-blog days. As I said, I wasn’t a recipe writer then. I am now.

So, today, I submitted my first recipe to a contest. I can’t tell you what it is, for fear that I’ll jeopardize my chances. But , I can give you a few clues…

It started with some of this...

...and a bit of this.

Throw in some of this.

Add a few other things, apply heat, and end up with this!

Yum...

A prize-worthy recipe? I don’t know, but it was certainly a win in our books!

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Brunch to BBQ – Meal #2

Posted on June 27, 2010 by amydeline

The brunch was a fantastic success, but I must admit that there was a point just post-brunch, when I seriously questioned my grand plan of throwing a party consisting of two separate meals. I mean, after the brunch, I didn’t think any of us would ever be hungry again. Half of us lay paralyzed in a food coma, while the kids climbed all over us and added props to our slumber. The other half was entranced by the steady hum of vuvuzelas while watching the world cup game.

My sister, in a post-brunch food coma

But we managed to peel ourselves off the floor and head outside to play a few games and enjoy the post-rain cool temperature. Eventually, there came a time where we could see another meal in our future.

The weather forecast had been predicting scattered storms throughout the day, so I planned to make sausages with roasted peppers and onions, figuring that if the weather were nice, we’d fire up the grill for the sausages and if it rained, I’d roast them in the oven. Around the time we were ready to eat, the weather was holding steady and dry. But out of sheer laziness, we decided to roast them in the oven anyway. Our menu consisted of the Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions on rolls with provolone cheese, corn on the cob, and a pasta salad courtesy of my sis.

Here are the details and a few recipes from our Brunch to BBQ Meal #2…

Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions


Ingredients

  • 6 Italian Sausages, hot or mild
  • 3 Bell Peppers, sliced
  • 2  Onions, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Hot Cherry Peppers, chopped
  • 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each sausage in half. (This will allow the sausages to release some of their yummy juices into the pepper and onion mix.) Combine sausages, sliced bell peppers and onions, chopped cherry peppers, and garlic in a baking dish.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Toss to combine. Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, until the sausages are fully cooked and lightly browned. The peppers and onions should be soft, but not mushy. Toss the mixture every 10-15 minutes to ensure that the sausages brown on all sides.

Enjoy on a roll with a slice of provolone cheese.

Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

My sister brought along a Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad. The recipe comes from the Food and Wine section of the NBC Today show’s website. You can find the recipe for Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad by clicking here. My sister added slices of turkey pepperoni, which were a nice touch. This pasta salad can be served chilled or at room temperature, which makes it a perfect party dish!

Steamy corn on the cob...for 25 cents a cob, you can't beat it!

Round 2 Results: The Food - 0 The Gourmand Mom - 2

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Brunch – It’s the meal that comes with a Mimosa

Posted on June 27, 2010 by amydeline

There’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then there’s BRUNCH, the meal that comes with a Mimosa. Sign me up for that one! I do love a good, hearty brunch! Aside from enjoying my darling breakfast at lunch time, brunch usually means good times with good friends and family.

Yesterday, we hosted our first Brunch to BBQ party. And it was a fantastic success, though we never actually fired up the grill. We started with a wonderful brunch and several Mimosas. Then, we lied around on the living room floor until we felt like we could move again, watched a bit of the World Cup and then headed outside for a few games of Polish Horseshoes. My sister whipped up a batch of margaritas and the festivities continued. Later in the day, we enjoyed dinner and then relaxed in the backyard until it was time to sleep. A great day!

Here are a few details on the brunch…

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toast English muffins in a toaster. Place on a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you assemble the other components. In a skillet over medium high heat, cook each slice of Canadian Bacon for a minute or two on each side, until it is hot and slightly browned. Place one slice on each English muffin in the oven to keep warm. Poach the eggs, according to the procedure shown here. Hold the eggs in the cold water bath while you prepare the hollandaise sauce (Recipe here). Prepare the hollandaise sauce and keep it warm above a bowl of warm water. Reheat the eggs by gently placing them in a pot of barely simmering water for about a minute. Remove the eggs and dry on a paper towel. Place one egg on each English Muffin. Top with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Serve immediately.  Serves 4


*As a little variation, use smoked salmon in place of the Canadian Bacon. Just don’t cook the salmon or put it in the oven!

Salmon Eggs Benedict

Brunchy Beverages

Brunch and Mimosas go hand in hand. Bellinis are another brunchilicious option. Both Mimosas and Bellinis are champagne cocktails. Mimosas mix orange juice with champagne while Bellinis traditionally combine champagne with peach nectar. About 2 ounces of fruit to 4 ounces of champagne should do the trick. Substitute other fruit nectars to make your own variation. For a non-alcoholic option, use ginger ale or sparking cider instead of champagne.

Mango Bellini

Homemade Cream Cheese with Bagels

Make your own flavored cream cheese by softening cream cheese and adding your own flavors. For today’s brunch, I made scallion cream cheese by mixing in a bunch of chopped green onions and an olive cream cheese using a mix of chopped olives. Sliced Spanish olives with pimento would work great too! After you stir in your flavoring, put the cream cheese back in the refrigerator to cool before serving. A few other ideas for homemade cream cheese flavors: Smoked Salmon, Strawberry, Veggie, Blueberry, Honey-Nut, Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomato, Maple, Cinnamon Apple, Cherry Almond, Spicy Pepper.

Homemade Cream Cheese

Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

My sister treated us to her breakfast pizza, which as she explains, is based off of a breakfast pizza she saw offered at a Hess gas station. Imagine my surprise! Basing a dish off of something you saw at a gas station?? I suppose food inspiration can come from anywhere! I may base my next Beef Wellington off of Hess’ food offerings. All kidding aside, this pizza is delicious. It’s easy to put together and makes a great dish for guests.

Ingredients

  • 1 Prepared Pizza Crust (my sister uses a whole wheat crust)
  • 1/2 pound Bacon
  • 1 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 6 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar, shredded
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Allow bacon to drain. Then, crumble it into small pieces. Reserve bacon grease. Whisk the eggs together with the milk. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and then cook in a pan until scrambled. Set aside. Brush the pizza crust with a bit of the bacon grease. Sprinkle about a cup of the mozzarella cheese over the crust. Top with the scrambled eggs and bacon. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the cheddar cheese on top. Season with a bit of pepper. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Breakfast Casserole

Sarah's Breakfast Casserole

A good friend brought along a breakfast casserole, a delicious mix of eggs, cheese, bread, and sausage. She explained that ever since she enjoyed this dish at a friend’s house, it’s been her go-to breakfast recipe. It’s a great all-in-one breakfast dish that’s perfect for a crowd. My mother in law makes a similar casserole, but she uses peppers and onions too. They’re both delicious. I’ll have to get the recipes to share with you soon!

Part 1 of our day was perfect!  The food, the drinks, and the company were all amazing.

Round 1 Results: Food - 0 The Gourmand Mom - 1

To be continued…

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How to Make a Hollandaise Sauce

Posted on June 25, 2010 by amydeline

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for taking a few culinary ‘shortcuts’, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice quality or freshness. I’m not running a fine dining establishment here. I’m running a home, with two very small and busy masters at my heels. I buy my French bread far more often that I make it. I rarely cook my own stock. I never pick my own crab meat. But, there are a few things that I’m a little stubborn about. Hollandaise sauce is one of those things. I don’t make hollandaise sauce very often; a few times a year, at most. I definitely don’t make it often enough to be really proficient at it. 90% of the time, I fight to keep it from separating. It’s tempting to turn to one of many easy, no-fail hollandaise recipes out there. But, despite my repeated challenges with this buttery-lemony sauce, I insist upon making it the traditional way. I figure that I’ll never get good at it if I don’t practice when I have the opportunity.

Hollandaise is a finicky sauce. Essentially, it involves creating and maintaining two separate emulsions. Forming an emulsion is like joining two parties who don’t want to be together, like oil and water, and coercing them to live together in peaceful harmony. In a hollandaise sauce, the first step involves creating an emulsion of egg yolks with water and lemon juice, called a sabayon (pronounced sa-ba-yawn). In the second step, the sabayon is joined with clarified butter to create a rich, buttery sauce. Cook the eggs a little too long or a little too hot in the first step and you’ll have scrambled eggs. Add the butter too quickly in the second step and the emulsion will separate into a buttery mess. There’s an entire science behind the creation of emulsions in this sauce, but I won’t go there. Suffice it to say, hollandaise is a cruel, cruel mistress; misleadingly simple in some respects, yet so fickle, but so lusciously satisfying.

All that said, making this sauce is doable and definitely worth it. If the sauce breaks, which mine do frequently, it’s usually fixable. Just don’t overcook and curdle the egg yolks. There is no saving a curdled sabayon, other than starting over.

The following step by step guide is adapted from the technique I learned at French Culinary Institute, with a few modifications based on my experience. This recipe will produce about 1 cup of Hollandaise Sauce, which is delicious on Eggs Benedict, over asparagus, seafood, or with steak.

You will need:

  • A Saucepan with an inch or two of water
  • A Bowl, which is big enough to sit on top of the saucepan
  • A Whisk
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Water
  • 5 ounces of warm Clarified Butter
  • Salt
  • Cayenne Pepper

Before beginning, check to make sure that your bowl fits with your pot. It should rest on the top of the pot, above the water and without touching the water. This allows the eggs to cook gently and slowly from the indirect heat of the steam. This set-up is known as a bain-marie, or double boiler.

Place two egg yolks in a bowl.

Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp water to the bowl. Whisk the egg yolks with the water and lemon until they begin to get foamy and pale yellow.

Bring an inch or two of water to a very gentle simmer. Place the bowl above the simmering water. Begin whisking immediately and continuously.

I recommend wearing an oven mitt on your non-whisking hand throughout this process so that you can easily lift the bowl as needed to better control the heat. If you begin to notice the eggs cooking too quickly, lift the bowl from the heat and continue whisking. Lower the heat, if necessary.Then, return the bowl to the pot. It's also a good idea to keep a bowl of icy water nearby during this step. If your eggs are cooking too quickly, you can dip the bottom of the egg bowl into the icy water to slow the cooking. If your eggs begin to look clumpy, they've curdled. If this happens, start over with new eggs. The sauce will not emulsify with curdled eggs.

Continue whisking over the steam until the yolks become thick enough that the whisk leaves a trail which holds for a couple seconds. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Place the bowl onto a towel for stability. Then, very slowly begin whisking in the warm (not hot) clarified butter. Start with just a few drops of butter at a time gradually building up to a stream, whisking continuously. The sauce should begin thickening to a mayonnaise-like consistency. Stop adding butter if it seems that the sauce can't take anymore. If it becomes too thick, add a few drops of warm water at a time and whisk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Season with salt (about 1/8 - 1/4 tsp) and a dash of cayenne pepper.

The finished sauce is best served immediately, but if necessary, it can be kept warm for about hour or so by placing it over of a pot of warm water.

If the sauce begins to look like a buttery mess instead of smooth and creamy, then it has broken. Stop adding butter. Try whisking in a few drops of cold water to reestablish the emulsion.

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How to Clarify Butter

Posted on June 25, 2010 by amydeline

Clarified Butter is butter that has been melted in order to remove the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter, which makes it a good choice for certain recipes, since it is more resistant to burning. It is also commonly used in making hollandaise and bernaise sauces.

Cut unsalted butter into chunks. Always use unsalted butter to make clarified butter.

Over very low heat, slowly heat the butter until it is completely melted. Do not simmer the butter.

Some of the milk solids will create a foam on the surface of the butter.

Use a spoon to carefully skim off and discard the milk solids.

You will reveal the layer of clarified butter.

Slowly pour clarified butter into a cup, being careful not to pour in the layer of milk solids which will have collected on the bottom.

Two sticks of butter will produce about 6 ounces of clarified butter. It can be refrigerated until you are ready to use.

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How to Poach an Egg

Posted on June 25, 2010 by amydeline

Poached eggs can be prepared without any special equipment; no special egg rings or microwaveable poaching dishes required. The following photo guide will show you how to cook the perfect poached egg. Enjoy on a piece of toast or on an English muffin with hollandaise sauce!

Prepare your mise en place. You'll need a bowl of cool water, a small dish or ramekin, slotted spoon, white vinegar, egg, and a spoon or spatula.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to bring it down to barely a simmer.

Measure about 1/4 cup white vinegar per quart of simmering water. Add the vinegar to the simmering water. The vinegar will help the egg whites to come together.

Carefully crack an egg into a ramekin or small dish. Check that the yolk is intact and there are no pieces of shell. Use the freshest eggs possible.

One egg at a time, carefully lower the ramekin close to the water's surface and slowly pour the egg in. Make sure that the water is just barely simmering.

Use a spoon or spatula to gently push the whites over the egg.

Allow the egg to cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how well you prefer the yolks to be cooked. (Three minutes should produce a fairly runny yolk with a cooked white.) Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg.

Place the egg in a bowl of cool water to rinse the vinegar and stop the cooking. If serving immediately, remove from the water and enjoy. If serving later, the egg can stay in the bowl of cool water. When you're ready to serve, gently lower the egg into a pot of barely simmering water for a minute or so to reheat.

Enjoy your perfectly poached egg!

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Brunch to BBQ – Let the preparations begin!

Posted on June 25, 2010 by amydeline

Tomorrow, we’re hosting a little gathering to celebrate the arrival of summer! We’re calling it a Brunch to BBQ! We’ll start with a brunch, then move into the yard for some playtime and beverages. When we get hungry again, we’ll fire up the grill. So, today I’ve mainly been preparing for the festivities.

For the brunch, I’ll be making Eggs Benedict, which is probably my all time favorite brunch dish. It features a toasted English muffin, topped with a slice of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and a spoonful of decadent hollandaise sauce. I’ve put together a series of photo guides that will help you put this delicious dish together.

How to Poach an Egg will show you step by step how to easily poach the perfect egg without any special equipment.

How to Clarify Butter will walk you through a simple process for clarifying butter, which you will need for the hollandaise sauce.

Finally, How to Make a Hollandaise Sauce will take you through the traditional procedure for making this super star of French sauces.

We’ll also be having bagels with homemade Scallion Cream Cheese and Olive Cream Cheese. My sister is bringing her famous Breakfast Pizza and a friend is bringing a breakfast casserole. There will be mimosas (of course) and even some mango bellinis.

Later in the day, we’ll fire up the grill for some sausages, which we’ll serve with roasted peppers and onions. We’ll have corn on the cob and a pasta salad courtesy of my sis!

It’s shaping up to be a great day! Check out the photo guides and stay tuned for pictures and recipes from tomorrow’s Brunch to BBQ summertime celebration!

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Eat Your Greens! Spicy Utica Style.

Posted on June 24, 2010 by amydeline

I’d never heard of Utica Greens until a few months ago. We’d gone out to dinner at a local Italian steakhouse, Delmonico’s. Along with the standard mashed potatoes and Italian Bread, many of the meals were served with a side of something called Utica Greens. It was love at first bite. Spicy, salty, and delicious. A perfect match for my steak. A few weeks later Utica Greens popped up as a question in the weekly trivia night I attend. My interest was piqued. So, I started looking into this tasty dish.

Utica Greens are a spicy escarole dish, named for their birthplace of Utica, New York. I guess they’re kind of a big deal up here. Apparently, there’s even a Utica Greens Fest to celebrate these delicious greens. Clearly, I am no expert on this dish. I know very little of its history or traditional recipe, if there is one, and my only experience with tasting them was during that dinner at Delmonico’s. I tried cooking them once before, following a recipe I found online, but was less than satisfied with the results. So, I’ve decided to create my own version of this Central New York favorite. And, they’re good!

Spicy Utica Greens

Ingredients

  • 12 cups Escarole, rinsed and chopped (It sounds like a lot, but it will reduce significantly.)
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 Red Cherry Peppers, seeds removed, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Prosciutto, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 cup Grated Asiago Cheese (or Parmesan blend)
  • 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Directions

Preheat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Place the chopped escarole in the boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes.  The escarole will be bright green and wilted. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set the escarole aside and dry out the pot. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the pot, over medium heat. Add the prosciutto to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper to the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Try not to eat it at this stage, because it’s going to smell really, really good.

Add the escarole and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add a little more than half of the bread crumbs and cheese. Stir. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining bread crumbs and cheese.  Place in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes, until the cheese and breads crumbs are lightly browned. Serve as a side with steak or chicken.

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Blue Cows in a Blanket

Posted on June 23, 2010 by amydeline

When my husband and I got married, we decided to have an all hors d’oeuvres cocktail reception. When we shared this idea with my parents, my dad made a joke about the quantity of pigs in a blanket that the caterers would be dealing with. Though we were thinking more along the lines of Smoked Duck on Pecan Crackers with Red Currant Chutney, Saga Bleu Polenta Rounds with Beef Tenderloin, and Seared Sea Scallops on a Salpicon of Lump Crabmeat and Sweet Yellow Corn with Poblano Pepper Aioli, the idea of a Pigs in a Blanket themed reception made us giggle. We even arranged for the caterer to present my father with his very own tray of pigs in a blanket just prior to the ceremony. I think the bill from the caterer listed them as ‘Cocktail Franks en Croute’. Fancy! Whatever you call them, the tray was empty in a blink.

Blue Cows in a Blanket is my beefy little twist on Pigs in a Blanket. It’s basically a bacon blue cheese burger, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown. I came up with the idea awhile back, while trying to devise a way to fit bacon blue cheese burgers into a cocktail party menu. You can make the burgers larger or smaller, depending on your needs. And, the best part is that they can be almost fully prepared ahead of time.  Just wrap the cooked burgers in the pastry and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake and serve!

Blue Cows in a Blanket work well as an hors d’ oeuvre or as a main course alternative to a traditional burger. Tonight, we enjoyed them as a main course with a Wedge Salad on the side, playing off the blue cheese and bacon in the burger.

Blue Cows in a Blanket

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Ground Beef
  • 1/2 cup Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Bleu Cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 package (2 sheets) Puff Pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently combine ground beef, bacon, cheese, and salt with hands, just enough to evenly distribute the bacon, cheese, and salt. Form the mixture into about 18 small meatball-sized balls.  Gently flatten into small patties. Place on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep the oven at 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry sheets into squares that measure approximately 12 x 12 inches. Use a pizza cutter to cut each sheet into 9 equal-sized squares. You should have 18 squares that measure approximately 4 x 4 inch each. (Don’t worry if they aren’t exactly square or equal-sized. The dough will stretch when you wrap the burgers.)

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place one cooled patty in the center of each square. Wrap the pastry around the patty and press the dough together on the bottom. Place each wrapped patty on the baking sheet, seam side down. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush each pastry with the beaten egg. Return to oven and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

For the Wedge Salad: Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into 4-6 wedges. Top with chopped tomatoes and crumbled bacon.  Drizzle with blue cheese dressing.

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