Date Night--week of 2/22

So, I'm going out of town this Saturday. Alone. I'm leaving my husband alone for 5 days. There will not be a regularly scheduled date next week. I will be having my dinners with another man. Allen. My 3 year old nephew. He lives in SC. With his parents--my sister and brother-in-law and near his grandparents--my parents.

Because I'm going away, I wanted to make this date night a special one. I have done this menu before, I know. But we do love our steakhouse dinners and this is...well, it's cheaper and it's at home. I think you can figure out how that's better.

What is the menu? Wouldn't you like to know.

Who am I kidding? I'll tell you:

Cocktail: House Manhattans (whiskey half rye, half Makers Mark)

Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail

Salad: Caesar for the man, garden for me

Main Course: Filet Mignon---pan seared, pepper crust

Side Dishes: Broccoli
Potato-Parsnip Gratin--I am mixing in garlic, 1/2 and 1/2, and a little cheese (variety tbd), topping it with caramelized onion and baking for 1 hour at 325

Dessert: Mini cheesecakes topped with raspberries that I bought at the market

Methinks this will be nice.

Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips

Having used both potatoes and parsnips to make my chicken stock, and being that I usually cook my potatoes for mashing in chicken stock, I decided to fish these out and mash them after I made my stock. I treated them just like I treat my potatoes...a little melted butter, a little sour cream, salt and pepper.

I thought they were yummy; Hubby thought they were just okay. He really loves his tators.

I had a little bit of my beef bourganion left, and this was a very good combo. One that I will intentionally repeat. I love these happy culinary coincidences.

Date Night--week of 2/15

Being riddled with a cold, I decided that a slow-cooking-make-hours-before-date-night-began kind of a dinner was called for.

Additionally, I had just gotten my latest copy of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food in the mail.

It contained this recipe for Beef Bourganion:

Ingredients

• 6 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 1/4-by-1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 pounds stewing beef, such as lean rump pot roast, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 medium onion, sliced crosswise
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups red wine, such as Chianti, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone
• 3 cups homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef stock, plus 1/2 cup
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic, crushed
• 1/2 dried thyme, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 dried bay leaf, crumbled, plus 1/2 bay leaf
• 4 fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 24 cipollini or pearl onions, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, and peeled
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with oven racks set in the middle and lower-third. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a simmer; add bacon and rind, simmering for 10 minutes. Drain; dry bacon and pot. Reserve rind.
2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch-oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon; set aside.
3. Increase heat to medium-high; oil should be just below smoking point. Test by placing one piece of beef in pan; it should sizzle immediately. Add beef in small batches and cook until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat, and set aside with bacon.
4. Add carrots and sliced onions; cook until browned. Drain excess; discard.
5. Return beef and bacon to pot; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle in flour, tossing to coat. Transfer pot, uncovered, to middle of oven; bake for 4 minutes. Toss meat and vegetables; bake for 4 minutes more. Transfer pot to stove. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.
6. Over medium-low heat, stir in wine and enough stock to barely cover meat. Add tomato paste, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 crumbled bay leaf, and bacon rind; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, and transfer to lower-third of oven. Bake, regulating heat so stew simmers, until meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
7. Meanwhile, make an herb sachet. In an 8-by-8-inch piece of cheesecloth, combine 4 sprigs parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and tie using kitchen twine. Set aside.
8. In a medium skillet, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When butter is bubbling, add whole onions; sauté until browned, about 10 minutes.
9. Add 1/2 cup stock to pan; season with salt and pepper, and add herb sachet. Simmer, covered, until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove herb sachet, and discard. Set aside.
10. Wipe out skillet; place over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil; butter will begin to foam. As foaming subsides, add mushrooms; sauté, stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from heat; set aside.
11. Pour stew into a sieve set over a large saucepan. Rinse out Dutch-oven. Return beef and bacon to pot; add cooked mushrooms and onions.
12. Skim fat from sauce. Over medium-low heat, bring sauce to a simmer, skimming off additional fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, bring to a boil and reduce to correct consistency. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.
13. Bring pot to a simmer, covered, over medium heat, basting meat and vegetables with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.

We thought it was very good. Not as good as the one my mom made when I was a kid though. Having talked to good ol' Mom, though, I now know that she made Julia Child's recipe. I shall seek this out.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Armed with the carcasses of 2 rotisserie chickens, I couldn't resist the urge to make my own stock.

How did I do that? you ask? I raided my pantry and fridge and threw whatever veggies and herbs I could find in it.

This time it included:

potatoes
parsnips (purchased specifically for this purpose)
carrots
celery--including the leaves
onions--with the skin
garlic--a lot; I had 2 partially spent bulbs in reserve
rosemary
thyme
salt and pepper

Simmer for several hours; cool, strain, refrigerate (or freeze).

Stock in box is oh-so-convenient, but when I find myself in possession of chicken bones, this is not so difficult and frequently is good enough to sip when you're laid up with a cold.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spahetti

My family in SC love this soup. I had never made it until hubby stayed home from work with my cold (yes, I believe a couple should share EVERYTHING!) and, as the dutiful wife that I am, quickly found the recipe and dashed off the market to get the necessary ingredients.

Ingredients

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook's Note
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt

Directions

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

*Cook's Note: You can use any short pasta from your pantry as a substitute for spaghetti.

Changes that I made: Because there was no zest in the soup, I simmered the spent lemon rinds along the parmesan rind and the bay leaf.

Mushroom Soup

So, the past week have not been healthy ones for the Saxe household. Icky, achy, snotty colds prevailed.

Thus, I have been busy making soups.

In no particular order, I will begin sharing them with Ina Garten's Mushroom Soup. Ooooh, is this tasty.

Ingredients nocoupons

• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Early in the cooking process.

It is not particularly low in fat or calories. But, imho, those extra fat grams are soooo worth it.

Changes that I made: I had just made a big batch of chicken stock, so I used it rather than dirty a second pot with the mushroom stock (which sounds yummy, and assuming I don't have a batch of chicken stock clogging up my fridge, I will make and use the next time I make this soup. Oh, and there will be a next time.)

Roasted Veggies and Tarragon Ginger Chicken

I woke up craving a dish my mom used to make called Chicken Riesling. It's suateed shallots, mushrooms, chicken and Riesling wine. Oh, and red grapes. Here's the kicker, though. My husband doesn't like "sweet with his meat." Thus, I shy away (usually) from cooking with fruit.

I don't have Mom's recipe anyway.

Then I called my sister. I remember that she made a Tarragon chicken recipe. She doesn't remember that.

But I'm still craving tarragon chicken. Sooo...I chopped a shallot, grated about 2 inches of ginger, and mixed it with some leaves of tarragon. Smells great. I pounded the tar out of some chicken breasts. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with it all.

Probably I'll sautee the chicken in a combo of olive oil and butter. Then I'll deglaze with the pan some white wine, add the aromatics, and, if it seems necessary, I'll thicken the sauce with some cornstarch dissolved in cold white wine.

As for veggies, I have a combo of sweet potatoes and cauliflower roasting at 450°. I don't really understand this combination. It was, however, a side dish to a chicken recipe in the latest Everyday Food (Martha Stewart) magazine. Not to give you the impression that I always bow to my husband's tastes, he really doesn't like sweet potatoes.

So that's dinner tonight.

Happy cooking.