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Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Posted on July 26, 2010 by amydeline

Today’s a very special day! Right now, at this very moment, you are reading my 100th blog post! Wow! One hundred posts! Where in the world did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that I was spending all of my free time tending to my imaginary mafia.

Change a diaper. Beg for untraceable cell phones and illegal transaction records. Play legos. Save up enough Thai Baht to buy a Nguhea Sniper Rifle. Clean up the play-doh that’s been rubbed into the carpet. Try to collect the last faberge egg for my Moscow collection. Console a crying baby. Spend 24 million rubles on a musk ox. All in a day’s work.

Then, I abandoned my mafia and entered the blogosphere. Now I alternate between toys, cooking, temper tantrums, food photography, snuggling, recipe writing, laundry, editing, bath time, and menu-planning. I suppose that being The Gourmand Mom is a much more productive role than Mafia Wars Mom.

So, you may be wondering what else has changed during these past 100 posts.

Well…

Writing recipes feels a whole lot easier than the first few posts that I fumbled through. I hope they’ve become easier for you to follow.

I’ve baked more bread products than I ever did in my pre-blog life. In fact, I had to buy a new cover for my dining room table, since the old cover seemed to be harvesting yeast which my three year old so kindly scattered across the table.

I’ve gained back a couple of the pounds I worked so hard to lose. Going to have to fix that. But it’s been for a good cause and I had fun doing it. Perhaps I can file for some sort of blogger’s compensation for my troubles?

My love of cooking has been completely reinvigorated.  Having a forum for sharing recipes and stories about food has been truly fulfilling for me. Thank you for being my audience.

Having an audience has forced me to add even more variety to my cooking. Since I’m guessing you don’t want to read about the same recipes every week.

My children have become the most skilled toddler sous chefs. I think I need to find little aprons and chef’s hats for them.

Through practice, my photography has become more purposeful. Now, rather than taking a hundred pics to get five that are post-worthy, I take about fifty. Though I’m still quite the novice photographer, I’m getting better at judging lighting and approximating camera settings.

It’s been a fun hundred posts. I’m looking forward to writing a hundred more!

In honor of such a momentous occasion, I’ve been saving something special for you. My favorite food in the whole world is macaroni and cheese (or ‘Ronis and Cheese, as my little guy calls it). And I don’t discriminate. I love ALL macaroni and cheese, whether it’s frozen, from a box, or made fresh from the finest cheeses. I like it baked or creamy. I like it smothered with cheese and bread crumbs or not. Just give me any macaroni and some form of cheese and I’m a very happy girl.

Today is a special day though, so a special macaroni and cheese is in order. And I’ve got just the thing to turn something sort of pedestrian into something elegant and worthy of a celebratory meal. That’s right… Lobster!! Lobster makes everything fancy. Now, once we throw lobster into the mix, we need to pay special attention to the cheese selection. Now would NOT be the time for American cheese or Velveeta. They’ve certainly got their place in the world of mac and cheese, but it’s definitely not here. Now’s the time for smooth cheese with grown-up flavor. I’m using three of my all time favorite cheeses; Gruyere, Fontina, and Brie. You can substitute other cheeses, if desired. Try gouda, chevre, provolone, asiago, or sharp cheddar.

Our sauce starts as a basic Bechamel Sauce, which is simply a white sauce, made with milk that is thickened with a roux. (Check out my roux guide by clicking here.) The thickened milk is then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Bechamel is one of the five French mother sauces, meaning that many other sauces can be made with a base of bechamel. To our bechamel, we’ll melt in the delicious cheeses. Finally, we’ll toss the macaroni with the sauce and warm lobster meat. If you feel like racing lobsters, go ahead and buy some live lobsters, steam them, and collect the meat. Or, do as I did and buy a container of frozen lobster meat. You grocery store may also sell lobster tails, which can be steamed.

Before we get to the recipe, I want to let you in on a little secret. I made the macaroni and cheese on Saturday when we had people over. And I actually sort of botched it. Not a complete botch, but a definite error of convenience. My prime focus at the time, was on the burgers. My intention was to submit the burger recipe for a contest. So, I wanted to be able to devote all of my attention towards working out the timing and flavor balance of the burger components. Then the storm came, which totally turned the burger plan upside down. Anyway, I prepared the macaroni and cheese earlier in the afternoon and stuck it in a baking dish, figuring that I’d bake it in the oven to reheat with a little extra cheese melted on top. As I should have anticipated, the pasta drank up most of the sauce during the baking. It was still very flavorful, but not the creamy mac and cheese I’d intended.

Never fear though. The recipe I’m writing for you does not include a baking step. So, your macaroni and cheese will be creamy and delicious. If you do want to prepare it ahead of time, I’d recommend tossing the pasta with just a bit of sauce. Then, refrigerate the bulk of the sauce and the pasta separately. You can reheat both and combine, along with the lobster, when you’re ready to eat.

This is good, good stuff. If there were a way to send food through the world wide web, I’d send you each a taste and a glass of celebratory champagne. But since that’s not possible yet, I’ll share my recipe instead. Then you can whip yourself up a batch of fancy ‘Ronis and Cheese.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 box Pasta, such as Campanelle
  • 1/2 cup Gruyere
  • 1 cup Fontina
  • 1/2 cup Brie
  • 3 cups Milk
  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 3 Tbsp Flour
  • 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 pound Lobster Meat

Directions

Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside. In the same pot that you cooked the pasta, whisk the butter and flour together over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. This is your roux for thickening the milk. It should have a pasty consistency. Remove the roux with a spatula and set aside. Add the milk to the pot. Bring the milk to a simmer. Then, begin to whisk in the roux, whisking until smooth. Allow the milk to simmer with the roux for a few minutes until it begins to thicken. Whisk constantly. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. Turn down the heat to low. Add the cheese and stir until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Add the lobster meat and the cooked pasta to the hot sauce. Stir for a minute or so until it’s well combined and hot.

I hope you’ve been enjoying this blog during these first one hundred posts. Let me know how you’ve liked it so far and if there’s any way I can serve you better! Thanks for reading!

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Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese in a Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette

Posted on July 22, 2010 by amydeline

In general, I like to alternate heavier meals (like last night’s Chicken Cordon Bleu) with something a bit lighter. A fresh salad of spinach in a citrus vinaigrette with beets and a bit of herbed goat cheese seemed perfect tonight. Since my hubby always likes to have some sort of meat or fish protein with dinner, I’m also roasting up a few Sweet Apple Chicken sausages. But the real star of tonight’s dinner is the salad.

I’ve made beet salads a few different ways, sometimes slicing and stacking the beets, other times cutting them into little cubes. Today it occurred to me that I could have a little fun with the stacked beets. So, I pulled out my bin of cookie cutters to find one which would be the right size for my beets. Apparently, my cookie cutter bin has a magnetic pull on my three-year-old. He was content in the living room playing with his cars and motorcycles, but the moment the bin came out, he was magically by my side asking to help. How can I say no to my little sous chef?

Little chef, making teddy bear and gingerbread man shaped beets.

This particular little sous chef happens to be quite the picky eater, albeit a very eager and creative chef. He was the mastermind behind Ice Cream Pizza, the artist behind teddy bear beets, and has recently been suggesting I make Vanilla Soup. (I’m still working on that one.) He’d eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and popcorn for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every single day, if I let him. Which, much to his dismay, I do not. I just keep plugging along, exposing him to a variety of foods and hoping that if he’s hungry, he’ll eat. But it’s also my hope that by involving him in so much of the cooking process, he’ll be more likely to try new things. We’ll get there eventually.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad in a Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 4 Beets
  • 4 ounces Goat Cheese
  • 4 cups Baby Spinach
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

For the Dressing

  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • Juice of 1 Orange
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Shallot, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Zest from the fruits, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top and bottom of the beets. Wrap the beets in foil. Make sure they are thoroughly wrapped. Place the foil packet of beets in a baking dish on the middle oven rack. Cook for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the beets, until the tip of a knife inserts easily. Cool. Using a knife, remove the skin. Slice or cut as desired.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients. (You should have about 1/2 cup combined juice from the orange, lemon, and lime.) Whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add additional olive oil, if desired.

Toss the spinach in a little dressing. Create a tower of alternating layers of roasted beet slices and goat cheese. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and citrus zest.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu and Green Beans Almondine

Posted on July 21, 2010 by amydeline

Chicken Cordon Bleu has been on my mind recently. I just love the crispy breaded chicken breast combined with salty prosciutto and cheese. Yum… Cheese. Lately, I’ve been acutely aware that if you don’t like cheese, you probably hate my blog. I’ve kind of got a little thing for cheese. I sure hope you like cheese too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu can be made a number of different ways. The most common procedure involves stuffing or rolling a chicken breast with ham or prosciutto and some type of swiss cheese, then breading and cooking. That approach will work, but I’ve had issues with the cheese oozing out during cooking. I hate to lose even a bit of cheese. So, I’ve come up with a different way of making chicken cordon bleu. I roll prosciutto in chicken breast, bread it, brown it in olive oil until golden brown, and finish the cooking in the oven. While the chicken is baking, I make a basic white sauce, or bechamel sauce, and then melt in some tasty Gruyere swiss cheese. No cheese is lost in the cooking and you get a nice creamy sauce to drizzle over the chicken. And who doesn’t like having a sauce to dip in??

On the side, we’re having green beans prepared my favorite way; sauteed in a bit of olive oil with sliced almonds and a sprinkle of salt. To make things just a smidgen easier, I buy the cleaned and cut fresh green beans, which can be microwaved right in the bag. I typically cook them for less than the recommend time, so they do not become mushy.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken Breasts
  • 4-6 slices Prosciutto or Ham
  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
  • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

For the Gruyere Sauce:

  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Flour
  • 1 cup Milk
  • Dash of Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 cup Gruyere (or other swiss cheese), shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken breast between plastic wrap until about 1/4 inch thick.

Lay slices of prosciutto or ham on top of the flattened chicken breast. Roll the chicken and tuck in the ends. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken roll in flour. Dip into the lightly beaten eggs. Then, roll in the bread crumbs until well-coated. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the chicken rolls in the pan and cook for a minute or two on each side, until lightly browned.

Place the browned chicken into a baking dish. Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Combine butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a couple minutes while stirring. It should have a paste-like consistency. This is your roux (roo) which will thicken your white sauce. Scrape the roux from the pan and set aside. Add milk to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Using a whisk, incorporate the roux into the milk until smooth. Simmer for a few minutes until the milk begins to thicken. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Turn down the heat and add the shredded Gruyere cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.

When the chicken has finished cooking, spoon some sauce over each chicken roll and serve.

Green Beans Almondine

Ingredients

  • 1 package Cleaned and Cut, Fresh Green Beans, steamed
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
  • 1/4 tsp Salt

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until almonds just begin to toast. Add the steamed green beans. Use tongs to toss the beans in the oil and almonds.

Cook for a minute or two. Taste and adjsut seasonings if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Green Beans Almondine

If you have any leftover chicken and sauce, it makes an amazing sandwich! Spread the leftover sauce on a ciabatta roll. Slice the chicken. Place the slices onto the roll. Sprinkle a little extra swiss cheese on top, if desired. Wrap it in foil and bake in the oven until heat through. Excellent!

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Feta Cheese Mousse and Summer Fruits

Posted on July 8, 2010 by amydeline

I shrieked at the grocery store. People were staring, a look of pity on their faces for the poor, crazy girl shrieking over produce. Or maybe their look was of concern for the two children in the crazy girl’s care. But I promise there was good cause for shrieking. Honest, there was.

You see, I had gone to the store to buy watermelon for today’s recipe. My grocery store likes to play a game with its customers by constantly rearranging the items in the produce section. I swear that if I walked from the produce section to frozen foods and back again, the apples would be someplace different. Anyway, I found the watermelon. Score one for me! And then I spotted the sign; the sign which read Fresh Figs. Fresh Figs!!!  My heart skipped a beat. My eyes went into overdrive scanning for the aforementioned fresh figs! They landed on their target and that’s when the shriek escaped from my mouth. First fresh figs of the season!

I told you there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for my reaction!

Figs make me think about Greece and a lovely dinner my husband and I enjoyed on the patio of a restaurant that sat on one edge of a huge town square. As we were preparing to pay the bill, the waiter brought over two glasses of ouzo, on the house. We were delighted. Moments later, the owner of the restaurant appeared, carrying a plate full of fresh figs and other fruits. It was the first time I’d ever tasted a fresh fig. The owner, whose English was excellent, chatted with us for a while. He then proceeded to plan our wedding, which was to take place the next morning at the church across the square, excitedly claiming that he knew the priest and could arrange everything for us. Just come back tomorrow morning and you get married, he instructed. We did not take him up on his offer to marry that next morning, though part of me wishes we did. But that was well before our marrying days. Good memories though, which make figs taste extra sweet to me.

Thankfully, fresh figs fit beautifully into my existing plan for today. I’ve been thinking a lot about cheese mousse since making the mixed berry mousse last week. I’d tentatively decided that I would make a goat cheese mousse this week. Well, after yesterday’s Farfalle with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts, I’ve got a tub of leftover feta cheese in my fridge. So, Feta Cheese Mousse it is! My plan was to pipe the goat cheese mousse into cubes of fresh watermelon. We’ll still be doing that. But now we’ll also be piping the mousse onto fresh figs! Oh, glorious summer treat!

Serve these little snacks as a first course appetizer, an hors d’ oeuvres, or even as a lunch over some mixed greens!

Feta Cheese Mousse

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Feta Cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup Heavy Cream, divided

Directions

Whip 1/2 cup of the heavy cream until it begins to form firm peaks.* Set the whipped cream aside. Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender to combine the feta, cream cheese, and 1/4 cup heavy cream until smooth.  Blend a bit of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture. This will lighten the mixture. Then, gently fold in the remaining cream. Do not over-mix or you will lose the fluffiness of whipped cream.

Refrigerate while you prepare the fruits.

*When whipping cream, it’s important to keep the cream and equipment cool. Place your whipping bowl and whisk in the freezer for a few minutes before beating the cream. Then, set the bowl in an ice bath as you beat the cream. The bowl with the whipped cream can stay in the ice bath while you blend the cheese.

To prepare the watermelon, cut the heart from the rind. Then, cut the watermelon into your desired shapes. Small cubes or tiles work well. You can also use a cookie cutter to create circle or star shaped tiles.

Use a melon baller to remove a portion of the cubes.

I’m sure you can find a use for the leftover watermelon scraps.

This is curious...

Satisfied Watermelon Face

Spoon the mousse into a pastry bag and pipe it onto your watermelon and figs. To create a makeshift pastry bag, cut off the corner of a ziploc bag. Insert your pastry tip. Fill the bag with the mousse and pipe it into your fruit. The mousse would also be delicious on vegetables, crackers, bread.

Ziploc Pastry Bag

Watermelon with Feta Cheese Mousse and Mint

Sweet Summer Treat

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Farfalle with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

Posted on July 7, 2010 by amydeline

The name of the game today is staying cool in the pool. By pool, I’m referring the the 10 foot wide, 3 foot deep play pool which my son received as a birthday gift from his uncle, aunt, and cousin. It’s been a godsend during this hot weather we’re having. The depth is perfect for the kids, since they can both touch the ground, which makes it much easier for me to handle two toddlers in the pool at once. A bottle of sparkling water and a dip in the pool with the kiddies. Sounds like a great afternoon plan to me!

But before we hit the pool, I have a great summer side salad to share with you. It’s delicious and perfect for summer entertaining. It’s great served at room temperature, warm, or chilled. Plus, it does well out of the fridge for a few hours, which makes it a great dish to bring to a potluck BBQ. We’ll be enjoying it tonight with roasted chicken sausage!

Farfalle with Spinach, Feta, and Toasted Pine Nuts

Ingredients

  • 1 box Farfalle pasta
  • 1 16 ounce package frozen Cut-Leaf Spinach, defrosted
  • 4 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Shallot, diced fine
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup Feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 1.75 ounce bottle Pine Nuts (about 1/2 cup)
  • Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

Directions

Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the other ingredients. Place the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat and cook for about 3-4 minutes until they just start to brown. Set the pine nuts aside. Squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach using your hands or a piece of cheesecloth.* When the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. In the pasta pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook for a minute or two. Add the drained spinach and stir. Add the cheese. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until the cheese begins to melt into the spinach mixture. Add the hot pasta and pine nuts. Toss to combine. Season with a bit of crushed red pepper, if desired. Serve immediately, refrigerate or hold at room temperature for a few hours.

Makes 8 Side Dish Servings

*Cheesecloth is a thin mesh fabric. My supermarket carries the cheesecloth in the same aisle as utensils and other cooking supplies. It comes in a huge piece, which you can cut to size as needed. It’s handy to have around for straining foods or bundling herbs to cook in stocks or soups.

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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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Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella Caprese

Posted on June 15, 2010 by amydeline

Were you worried that this was going to be another strawberry recipe??? Don’t worry, we’re all strawberry’d out for now. Today, I’m thinking tomatoes!

On a warm, late spring day, nothing beats a fresh Caprese salad drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. It just might be my perfect warm-weather lunch!! Throw in some beautiful, ripe heirloom tomatoes and it’s even better!

There’s no big secret of a recipe here!  Slice up some ripe tomatoes and a bit of fresh mozzarella.  Add a few basil leaves and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.  Check out my basic balsamic vinaigrette recipe here.

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Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

Posted on June 14, 2010 by amydeline

Dear Yesterday’s Strawberries,

I feel compelled to offer you the sincerest of apologizes for my actions.  In choosing to engulf you in a layer of sugary gelatin, I disrespected your fresh-picked strawberry goodness. It was a mistake. You’re good enough.  You’re sweet enough. And, doggone it, people like you. I’m going to make it up to you! Today, I will enjoy your brethren in all their unadulterated natural goodness in a salad of fresh spinach and strawberries, adorned with goat cheese and almonds, and dressed in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. It’s the least I can do!

Sincerely,

The Gourmand Mom


Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • Baby Spinach, washed
  • Strawberries, quartered or sliced
  • Goat Cheese
  • Almonds, sliced

For the Strawberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette:

  • 1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 3 ripe Strawberries
  • 1/2 Tbsp Honey
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
  • Salt

Directions

In a blender or food processor, combine oil, vinegar, strawberries, cinnamon and honey. Blend until well combined. Season with a sprinkle of salt. To compose the salad, toss the spinach with a small amount of dressing. Top with strawberries, crumbled goat cheese, and almonds.

Make it a meal by adding a sliced chicken breast! I seasoned my chicken with a little salt and pepper. Then, I placed it in a baking dish, poured a bit of balsamic over it and baked in a 375 degrees oven. Perfect with the salad! Light, refreshing, and incredibly satisfying!

This is how to use fresh-picked strawberries!!

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Quiche Lorraine

Posted on June 1, 2010 by amydeline

I’ve got a fridge full of leftover cheese that I don’t want to waste, including a large tub of shredded gruyere.  One of my favorite ways to use gruyere is in Quiche Lorraine. Doesn’t get much better than gruyere and bacon in a pie crust! I like to add sauteed onions, but if you’re not an onion fan, leave them out. Quiche makes a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal! It reheats nicely in the oven, making it a convenient dish to prepare ahead of time.

Today’s schedule does not include time for making a pie crust, so I’ll be using a frozen pastry shell. But, if you’re feeling sassy, go ahead and whip up your own buttery pie crust for this recipe!

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust, homemade or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 8 oz. bacon, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If using a frozen pie crust, allow it to thaw in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before using. Line pie crust with a piece of foil.  Fill with dry beans.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and beans.  Return to oven for another 5 minutes. (You can save the dried beans to reuse as pie weights.)

In a saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter.  Saute the chopped bacon over medium heat until it is cooked, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from the pan and place it over a double layer of paper towels to remove the excess grease. Sprinkle the bacon into the pie shell. Add onions to the bacon grease remaining in the pan.  Cook onions for about 5 minutes until they are soft and slightly caramelized. Drain over a paper towel. Sprinkle the onions over the bacon.  Distribute the gruyere evenly over the bacon and onions.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, and seasonings.  Pour over the bacon, onions, and cheese, being careful not to overfill.

Place the pie shell on a baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack for 35-45 minutes, until the filling has set in the middle. (You’ll know because it won’t wiggle anymore.)

Allow it to cool slightly before serving.  Serve with a side of spring greens and balsamic vinaigrette.

Quiche will keep well in the fridge for a couple days.  You can reheat it in a 200 degree oven until warm.

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