Passionate Pursuits

~From time to time, I get stuck on one ingredient, flavor, or dish. Lately, I've been driving in the pasta lane of kitchenland. I will admit to my great disdain of boxed macaroni and cheese, though to my husband, it may taste 'gourmet.' It's a pothole. If I see cheddar mac n cheese, it's generally in the slow lane, and I pass it quickly. I have tried to merge onto the mac n cheese highway, but only found one side road that I enjoy. I took my favorite Au gratin potato recipe using Parmesan and put in elbow macaroni instead of potatoes. Instantly it was as if my car got a tune-up! Finally, flavor combinations I could enjoy paired with elbow macaroni! But alas, I will not linger here for long, though I may drive back this way again soon.

~My next trip in the pasta lane came on Tuesday. I found a recipe for egg pasta. It was like the simple, hard-working truck just waiting for something to carry. I flagged it down, took it for a test drive, and now I am ready to sign the lease. Here's the recipe (altered to my preference) and what I did with it.

~This dish has a light, refreshing taste, given that it is egg pasta. The use of fresh ingredients and a touch of citrus makes it great anytime.

For the pasta:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
2 whole eggs
Fresh Basil

For the sauce:

2 Tbs. Butter
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

Juice of ½ fresh lemon

For finishing:

A few red grapes, quartered

1 Tbs. Parmesan Romano shredded cheese

A couple of basil leaves

Using a stand mixer, mix on low speed until combined. If necessary, you can add a little bit of water to bring the dough together. Change to dough hook and knead until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and allow to sit for at least twenty minutes, or place in fridge for a couple of days. I placed mine in the fridge for a few hours and it worked beautifully.

On a lightly flour-dusted surface, roll out dough thin, approximately 1/8 inch. Using a cookie cutter, cut out desired shape. I used fondant flower cutter and a shaping tool to curve the petals on my flowers. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in pasta one at a time. Allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes, until al dente. Remove from heat and drain, but do not rinse. In a small pan, melt 2 Tbs. butter on med-high heat. Add red peppers and sauté for about a minute. Add drained pasta and sauté until pasta is slightly browned. Remove from heat and squeeze about half a fresh lemon over the pasta and peppers. Stir to combine flavors. Place in a bowl and top with a few cut red grapes. Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan Romano cheese over top, and garnish with basil chiffonade and give them gourmet!

For the record, here's the full picture. I guess it's worth admitting what we had for breakfast if it proves that I don't cook EVERY meal. My two year old would call this gourmet, but she hasn't learned that word yet, so for now, it will remain 'sweeties.'

Regifting, um, I mean re-cooking?

My sister gave me a loaf of pumpkin challah (it's pronounced kha-la) just a couple days ago and *ding* the first thought that pops into my head is Pumpkin Challah French Toast. It's a cross cultural thing- Jewish bread, French style- complete yumminess! So if you're like me and have a random loaf of Challah laying around your kitchen, try this:

In a blender (I used the Magic Bullet same said sister gave me for Christmas 2 years ago) combine

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

a dash or two of cinnamon

Allow your sliced bread to soak up the mixture and then pan fry at med-high until toasty and golden. I made mine even, uh, healthier, by adding calcium in the form of whipped heavy cream, and syrup which I am sure has no nutritional merit that I can attribute to it. But, oh well. I never said gourmet was always healthy, just always delicious!

Christmas Cake

I love getting in the kitchen for the holidays. Sorry I didn't post for Thanksgiving, but here's my start on Christmas goodies: Chocolate-covered cake!  Take advantage of premade candy molds, or make your own as I did here for the tree bark. If you start with the chocolate shapes, you can then fill in with cake by cutting the layers to fit. Using a variety of sprinkles adds those small details that bring the look together.

Southern Gourmet

I have to give a big shout-out to a Southern staple: MoonPies! I found them on sale today at Lowes Foods (a local grocery store) and had a coupon from the MoonPie website which doubles at Lowes. I got a 12 pk of mini MoonPies for only $1.40.
Are these graham cake, marshmallow-filled, chocolate-covered goodies better than a homemade cake? Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. On a day like today, I call them gourmet!

Friday Gourmet

So last Friday night I was wanting some great seasonal foods, and what season could be better than deer season, especially when you know the right people! Now, let's stop for a moment and tell you that I have two kids under the age of two- yes, sir, two in diapers. So, I don't have a lot of time to create a menu and shop for specific items. I like to plan one dish and use what is on hand for the rest. If you read my last blog, you'll remember that I fell in love with a beurre blanc and a butternut squash gratin. I spent $3.45 on a butternut squash and about $5 on Gouda cheese. Everything else I had on hand- venison tenderloin, thanks to my dad's co-worker who hunts for sport, and collard greens care of the garden in my parents' backyard. I am set!!! Let's give them gourmet on a budget. This meal would feed 4-5 and only cost about $9. Talk about a deal!

1. Wash collard greens and remove stems. Bring them to a boil in a large pot with water, bacon grease, and kosher salt. Reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for a couple of hours, at least, until dark green and tender. Remember that these will cook down to about a third of what you started with, so plan accordingly.

2. Two hours before the meal, wash, peel, and half the butternut squash length-wise. Remove seeds. Slice extremely thin, preferably with a mandolin. Grate Gouda cheese and mix with 1.5 tsp fresh ground nutmeg, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Thinly slice half a sweet onion. melt half a stick of butter with about half a cup of milk. Begin with squash and build layers in a 9 inch oven-safe dish. Squash, onions, cheese and spice mixture, drizzle of milk and butter, and repeat, ending with cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for about an hour. Then remove foil and bake another 30 minutes to allow the cheese on top to become golden and crispy.

3.Cut the tenderloin into 1.5-2 inch thick pieces to make filet mignon. On a plate coarsely grind black pepper and mix in equal parts kosher salt. Press the filet into this mixture on one side only. Sear in a hot pan that has about 1 Tbs olive oil. Cook about three minutes to allow a crust to form and then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until done to your preference. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to rest.

4. While the meat is resting, prepare the beurre blanc. Put 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar ad 1/2 cup orange juice in a pot with 2 diced shallots or 1/4 cup chopped onion, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to half. Strain liquid and return to pot. Whisk in 1/2 stick of butter until melted. Continue to whisk until frothy. Reduce heat to low to keep warm until serving.

5. Presentation is key! Place a small mound of collard greens in the center of the plate. Cut a square of the gratin and place at an angle on to of the greens. Place one or two filet mignons on top of the gratin. Building high in the center of the plate makes it look more dramatic and eye-pleasing. Spoon some of the beurre blanc around the plate, but do not get any on the rim. Keep the rim clean! Don't forget to garnish, preferably with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

6. Give them Gourmet and enjoy it yourself!

Get Inspired!

My husband recently treated me to dinner at The Green Vally Grill in Greensboro, North Carolina for our anniversary. Let me tell you, the food was incredible! I had "Pan Seared Scallops over a butternut squash-Vintage Gouda gratin and sautéed spinach, topped with blood orange-sage beurre blanc." The scallops were perfectly seared with a well developed crusting. The butternut squash paired divinly with the gouda, and I think I detected a hint of nutmeg. The bright spinach was sauteed in garlic and added a beautiful contrast of color to the plate. What made the dish, though, was the beurre blanc. This one sauce tied everything together.The vinegar added a needed acidity to the spinach, the blood orange gave a citris kick to the scallops, and the sage and butter further deepened the flavors of Autumn in the butternut squash gratin. I thought if one sauce could do all this, I need to learn how to make it myself! So follow with me on my inspirational journey to re-create a fantastic seasonal dish, incorporating a newly acquired love for beurre blanc. . . .

Welcome to my blog!

I love to cook it, talk it, and teach it- GOURMET!
I also am a firm believer that gourmet food does not have to be complicated or expensive.
So follow me as we discuss food, fun, family and how to do it all on a budget. . . .