This recipe (from August 2008 Bon Appetit magazine) is amazingly easy and was absolutely delicious. This would be the perfect thing for a dinner party if you’re serving Italian food and want a dessert that is tasty, universally appealing and impressive, but very easy to execute. Seriously, I had this on the table in less than 5 minutes (I used Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate, which we keep on hand to decorate fancy coffee foam, instead of grinding my own, so that saved a little time). While I sent Girl out to the garage (where the extra freezer is) to retrieve the ice cream, I whipped the cream. While I scooped the ice cream, she crumbled the ladyfingers and Hubby made the espresso. Boy? Well, he mostly said, “Is it ready yet?” Luckily, it was ready so quickly, he didn’t have to wait long…
This would still be a lightning-fast dessert to execute, even if you didn’t have any help…
Category: Favorites
Chicken Scallopine
Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Scallopine
This recipe is from Pioneer Woman’s wonderful website. I haven’t tried a lot of her recipes before, but the ones that I have tried have been winners. This one was no exception. I sauteed the mushrooms before the chicken, because I like them when they get all golden-browned and they also add great flavor to the fat that the chicken will eventually get cooked in. I used whole-wheat spaghetti instead of linguine, because I already had some in the pantry and I served it with some sauteed spinach on the side.
We had a lot of pasta and spinach left over, and a bit of the sauce, so I took what was left of the sauce and added a bit more broth, lemon juice and cream and some more parmesan and simmered it down until it had thickened, then dumped in the the leftover spinach and poured it over the leftover pasta for what I hope will be a good lunch tomorrow. Mmm…
Lemon Creme Brulee Tart
(ugh. yet another over-exposed photo. I’ve GOT to take some photography classes!)
Lemon Creme Brulee Tart. Recipe here.
Mmmmm…perfection. The broiler in my oven doesn’t work perfectly, so I used a kitchen torch instead, but this was fabulous. All four of us loved it.
Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee
Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee
Dear Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee:
It’s true that our relationship didn’t start off on the right foot. When your recipe first turned my head and I attempted to prepare you, I didn’t read clearly enough and realized that I had misjudged you. You cannot be rushed. On that day, our paths were not meant to cross. You are not a last-minute kind of dish…Oh, no, not you… to gain access to your company, a suitor must begin early in the day and allow for plenty of time to allow you to simmer and then cool again, gently stirring, then warm you up again in a sultry oven bath…and then chill again, before the eventual climax of sugar and open flame.
After that first initial attempt, it would have been easy to turn away forever, dismissing you as “fussy” or “time-consuming” or even “high maintenance,” but to do that would be to forever miss out on your creamy goodness, your decadent richness, your vanilla bean-speckled loveliness. How shall I describe what one would forever lose if one is unwilling to put forth the effort that is necessary? A warm version of a rich chocolate malt, with a crisp and crackly-sweet crust that melts in your mouth? Something sweet and wholesome enough to put a smile on the face of not one, but two, innocent children, but sultry and decadent enough to satiate two jaded adults as well?
Yes, it’s true…you’re not “easy”, but if one is willing to read carefully and plan ahead, then you will make it all worthwhile.
Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee, I love you.
Until we meet again,
Yours very sincerely,
Lara
This recipe is originally from the “RSVP” column in Bon Appetit magazine, from a now-closed Martha’s Vineyard restaurant called Bittersweet, and not available “officially” online anywhere, but some lovely soul has done us the favor of typing it in here. I halved the recipe (yes, I halved an egg yolk) to make 4 portions, but this is so rich that the portions could easily be sized down and baked in smaller ramekins to serve more.
Pork Chops Oreganata and Asparagus with Brown-Butter Hollandaise
Pork Chops Oreganata and Asparagus with Brown-Butter Hollandaise
(click each recipe name for a link to the recipe)
I used only two pork chops to feed the whole family and cut it into slices, rather than serving the whole piece, which was plenty. The pork chops were pretty good and quite easy.
The asparagus and hollandaise, on the other hand, was stellar. I left off the eggs, which didn’t seem crucial. The hollandaise was delicious and it was very simple to make it in the blender. Browning the butter added a wonderful depth, without being too distracting or odd. I will never again make hollandaise without browning the butter first. Fabulous.
Crispy Salmon with Lentils du Puy and Two-Mustard Creme Fraiche
Crispy Salmon with Lentils du Puy and Two-Mustard Creme Fraiche
(Click here for recipe.)
Has anyone ever played the game (popular amongs chefs, if my voyeuristic chefography reading is any indication) where you name what your “last meal” would be? Anthony Bourdain mentions this in his books and it was once adapted into an Elimination Challenge on Top Chef. Apparently, chefs like to discuss what their dream “last meal” would be and try to out-do each other in their inspired (and usually quite nostalgic) gluttony. There’s even a great song (by Asleep at the Wheel, I think?) about a death row inmate, ordering his last meal of over-easy dinosaur eggs, tiger steak and cross-eyed cat fish (more in an attempt to postpone the inevitable than to have a gourmet experience, but still….)
This is the second time that I have prepared salmon with lentils at home (here’s the first version) and I have decided that I love it enough to put it on the “short list” (I have a hard time narrowing it down – my love of soft-shell crabs is getting in the way) of potential items for my “last meal.” The combination of buttery salmon and peppery lentils is just perfection, in my mind. I like this preparation more than the first version that I tried. The mustard sauce is outstanding and I enjoyed the lentils better without all of the leeks (the flavor of the shallots in the second version is much more subtle and just kind of melts into the background).
In you’re so inclined, leave me a comment and tell me what your last meal would be…
Cap’n Crunch French Toast
Seriously, really. I really did make this. I saw the recipe on Serious Eats and was intrigued, but when I saw Cap’n Crunch was on sale at the grocery store, I knew that I had to try it. Boy and Girl both had a friend spend the night, so we had extra taste-testers around that morning. This was a HUGE hit with everyone, including the grown-ups. I didn’t crush the cereal completely, but left just a few recognizable pieces of Cap’n Crunch, so that everyone would know what it was. The kids thought this was hysterical. I didn’t serve it with the whipped cream or blueberries, as specified in the recipe, but just did regular maple syrup, instead, for the kids. I like mine with Knott’s Berry Farm boysenberry syrup. Mmmm…
Breaded French toast, before cooking.
Update: Ooooops! I forgot to include the recipe! Here’s the link: Cap’n Crunch French Toast from Serious Eats
Alton Brown’s Orange Sherbet
This was SO yummy and quite easy. The recipe is from the same episode as Alton Brown’s “Orange Delicious” and has a pretty similar ingredient list.
Buttermilk French Toast
This recipe from November 2008 Gourmet magazine was straight-up fabulous. There’s nothing more to say. It was phenomenal. The preparation instructions are VERY specific and include the exact bread-to-soaking liquid ratio, plus exact soaking times. Preparing this french toast and seeing how crusty-delicious it turned out made me realize that I’ve been over-soaking my french toast in the past. I’ll definitely be using a lighter hand in the future.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles with beans and avocado, topped with a fried egg
Sorry for the over-exposed photo. Click the “Simply Recipes” link all the way down at the bottom of this page for a more picturesque version of chilaquiles.
Chilaquiles
Makes 4 smallish servings or 2 very large ones
8 leftover (stale is actually better!) corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
about 1 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
4 eggs (or 1 egg per person that you’re planning to serve)
butter for frying the eggs
1 avocado, sliced, optional
1 1/2 to 2 cups of leftover red chile enchilada sauce (we LOVE the sauce in this recipe)
1 can beans, optional
(pinto, black or refried – any kind is fine, but these are yummy)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas, in batches if necessary, until browned and crispy. Remove from oil and set aside to drain on paper towels.
Pour the oil out of the skillet. Heat the enchilada sauce over medium heat in the (now empty) skillet until warm.
In a separate skillet, fry the eggs in butter to your desired level of doneness.
While the eggs are cooking, toss in the fried tortilla wedges into the sauce and gently fold until they are lightly coated in sauce.
Portion the chilaquiles out onto serving plates (or bowls) and garnish with cheese and avocado. Place a fried egg (or two, if you’re making two servings) on top of each portion. Serve with beans alongside.
You can adapt this recipe to just about anything that you like. Feel free to incorporate cilantro, sour cream, onions, different kinds of cheese, etc. Chilaquiles are wonderful for breakfast, but are also great anytime of day or as a snack after a late night out.
Here are two other great recipes for chilaquiles variations:
Chilaquiles from Simply Recipes
Chilaquiles from Gourmet Sleuth