Recettes
Baked Camembert with Thyme and Honey
Brown Butter Balsamic Ravioli
Cheesecake Pie with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Caramel Beurre Sale
Coquilles St. Jacques with Truffle Beurre Blanc
Duck Fat Matchstick French Fries
Golden Brown Sauteed Mushrooms
Honey & Rosemary Balsamic Chicken
Potato Galette
Roasted Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Roasted Duck
Spicy Sage and Saffron Pumpkin Bisque
Truffle Butter Mac & Cheese
*I've decided it will be easier to post recipes on the main blog page and just keep the links here so they are easier to access in the future. I'll leave the old recettes (recipes) below for now.
Crab Carbonara
Ingredients
Linguini (we particularly love the nests, 7 nests = 2 servings)
Olive oil
5 slices of pancetta, diced (or bacon if you can't find pancetta)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
Lump crab meat -8 oz.
Red pepper flakes (and cayenne if you like spice)
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan reggiano (with extra for serving)
Optional: Fresh parsley (chopped)
For the past two and half years, the Mr. and I have been trying to recreate a crab pasta that we had at an Italian restaurant in London, Santini (if you like Italian and are looking for a break from British food while in London (who isn't?) I would highly recommend this restaurant). However, if you can't get to London for Italian food, this is our best recreation of the dish. Here is how you make for 2 (maybe 3) servings:
First, beat egg in a small bowl. Pour the beaten egg into a larger mixing bowl and add cheese. Boil water to cook pasta (make sure to add salt to the water). Cook pasta until al dente. In the mean time, put pancetta in large skillet with olive oil on medium high heat (short cut in dicing pancetta - use scissors). Cook until it starts to brown and add garlic. Cook for a minute or so. (Remember, garlic burns easily!) Turn off the heat and add the crab. Let that all sit together and get to know each other. In the meantime, the pasta should be finished cooking. Use tongs to take pasta out of the water and add directly to the egg mixture (the hot pasta will help cook the egg). Toss around until evenly coated. Add the pancetta and crab. Season with red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Add some freshly chopped parsley and more cheese. As Ina says, how easy is that?
French Twist on an American Cheeseburger
Ingredients
Brioche rolls
1 package of hamburger meat (turkey if watching your figure)
Worcestershire
Salt and pepper
Season salt (whatever kind you keep in the pantry... I used Tony Cachere's)
Paprika
Minced garlic, one clove (or garlic powder if you don't feel like mincing)
Chevre (goat cheese)
Spicy mustard and any other condiments you enjoy
Butter
Oil (whatever you have on hand, I used vegetable)
If you couldn't tell, the French twist here is the brioche roll and chevre instead of the typical seasame bun and American/chedder cheese. I like this recipe because brioche rolls are smaller which makes for smaller hamburgers, which is my favorite way to reduce calorie intake - by portion size not quality of taste. (Generally, a great rule to live by - everything in moderation).
Here we go: Put the hamburger meat in a mixing bowl and add a few shakes of the worcestershire. Next, season the meat with s&p, a dash of season salt, dash of paprika and throw in the minced garlic. Get your hands in there and mix it all together. Make little patties with the meat. Look at the size of the roll and make the patty size accordingly. Next, grill the buns with a little butter. I melt a small dollop of butter in my Le Creuset and just let the rolls toast for a few minutes (of course this part is much easier if you have a grill; due to space constraints, I have to toast each individual bun separately).
While the bun is toasting, put a tiny drop of oil in a saute or frying pan. Turn the eye on high to get it hot and then lower it down to medium. Add the patties and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. During the last minute or so, add the cheese to get it warm (longer if you want it totally melted). Finally, add the burger to the toasted roll and load up with condiments. I think spicy mustard is a must on this one. Love the way that flavor melds with the goat cheese. Profitez!
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
I am sure you are thinking, this girl is ridiculous, everyone knows how to make tomato soup and grilled cheese. However, as I sit here procrastinating the inevitable half mile walk to the laundry mat... in the cold and rain..... pulling my grocery cart .... I couldn't help but share my favorite way to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I am old school when it comes to tomato soup. Ina Garten hasn't gotten to me yet on this one yet, I love good old fashioned Campbells. Although they do not have that readily available in Paris, I use something similar out of a box. A couple grinds from the pepper mill and it tastes right out of a little Provencal restaurant. I'm sure many people disagree. So for the soup, make it however you want to.
Here is the part that I would like to share, the grilled cheese The secret to a to die for grilled cheese is using a soft cheese and a hard cheese. When they melt and blend together, it makes for an unbelievably delicious sandwich. Again, I usually do a half sandwich to watch the figure but you can make it as big or little as you like.
 |
| Just look at that cheese oozing out.... yum. |
1. Figure out what cheeses you like and use those cheese. There is no rule saying you have to use American or chedder on a grilled cheese. My favorite hard cheeses are gruyere and white chedder and the Mr.'s favorite is Manchego. My favorite soft cheese is chevre (goat cheese).
2. Use good shredded cheese that does not come from a bag. Shred it yourself. There is a little gadget that you can attach to the food processor that will shred cheese in seconds. If you don't have a food processor, ask the Mr. to manually shred the cheese for you. (It is also economical, you get a ton of cheese out of one block. Put it in a ziplock bag and you have great cheese to use for two weeks!)
3. Finally, again, don't use the grocery aisle bread out of a bag. Splurge for some good bakery bread.
As for assembly of a grilled cheese, I'm pretty sure you can handle that one. Just in case, put the cheese on the bread (no particular order) and grill it on the fying pan.
 | ||||
| Look at that perfect marriage of cheeses and crispy bread. Delish! (As you can tell, this pic. was taken right on the way to my mouth). |
Rotisserie Chicken and Chevre Melt
Ingredients
Pulled chicken
Chevre cheese
Comte cheese (or a similar sliced cheese such as gruyere)
Wheat bread
Butter
I love a good hot sandwich, especially on a cold rainy day (which are pretty frequent in Paris). This is my newest creation. You really can't go wrong when doubling up on cheese. I make only half a sandwich because it is so rich. Half of something delicious beats a whole of something just OK any day.
If you are doing a half sandwich, cut the piece of bread in half and spread one half with the chevre cheese. Using really good bread is key (Poilane, yum!!). Whole Foods has delicious wheat bread in the bakery section. I think the sandwich would loose a lot with regular sandwich bread from a plastic bag.... anyway.... add the chicken and then top with the piece of comte cheese. Put a dollop of butter in a saute pan (no Pam cooking spray in France...) and the grill the sandwich until the cheese is melted and it is perfectly brown on the top. Voila!
 |
| Delicious bakery in Paris |
Coq Au Vin
(in a crock pot.... for those of us without a properly sized kitchen)
Ingredients
Whole chicken (or pre-cut pieces, on the bone)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of baby carrots
6 slices of bacon, crumbled
fresh thyme
I wanted to try my hand at coq au vin but knew it would be hard in the pitiful excuse for a kitchen that I have right now. So, I did it in the crock pot and it actually turned out really well. Of course Ina Garten's recipe will taste far superior to mine, but if you are in tight quarters or done have time to slave over the stove all day, this recipe is great.
Here we go: cook the bacon and wash the chicken. If using a whole chicken, cut it up. I wish I could tell you how to do that, but you'll need to refer to Julia Child for that. If you are taking the easy route, take the chicken pieces out of the styrofoam and plastic and give them a rinse. Load all of the ingredients into the crock pot and let it sit on low for 8 hours. Great dish to make in the morning and have for dinner. I serve it with rice cooked in chicken broth with fresh thyme (any herb you like really) I hate bland boring white rice so I always cook mine in chicken or beef bouillon or stock and add in fresh herbs. Bon Apetite!
Spicy Crawfish Linguine
Ingredients
Linguine noodles (or whatever type you prefer, the sauce melds well with long noodles in my opinion).
1/2 pound of crawfish (if you don't live in the South, they sell them in the frozen section of Whole Foods)
1/3 cup olive Oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
Red pepper flakes
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
This is a very easy dinner. Boil the water to cook the noodles. In the meantime, mince the garlic and heat the olive oil in a big saute pan. Add garlic and cook for just one minute, do not let it burn! Add in the crawfish and white wine and cook for a few minutes until the alcohol burns off. Season with salt and pepper. Once the noodles are cooked until al dente, strain them and throw them in with the crawfish sauce. Turn off the heat and let it all meld together. Add red pepper flakes and cayenne to taste (we like lots of heat, be generous!) Top off each serving with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Bon Appetite!
Orzo with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 pound Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (or use real sausage if that's all you can find!)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups orzo (10 ounces)
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups of water
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
This is one my absolute favorites!! I try to find wheat orzo when I can and use chicken sausage to make this meal figure friendly. Disclaimer- I DO NOT LIKE VEGETABLES. Please add them in if you are a normal person and like them!!
Here we go: in a deep, 10-inch skillet, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, breaking it up until cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the garlic to the skillet and saute for one minute (do not burn!) Add the orzo and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the stock and 2 cups of water and cook, stirring constantly, until the orzo is al dente and suspended in a thick creamy broth, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the sausage and cheese to the orzo (this is where some veges could come in, examples: artichokes, peas, etc...) Cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Serve the orzo risotto in bowls, passing extra cheese at the table.
Mom's Out of this World Cheese Grits
Ingredients
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup half and half
3 tablespoons grits
Chedder cheese, a lot
nutmeg, pinch
My favorite breakfast food. There are tons of grits recipes floating around, but my mom's seems to always taste the best. I must say, in a "grit off" contest in college, with an un-named Vanderbilt Phi Delt, I did win using this recipe. Alright: Pour all of the liquids into a pot and add a pinch of salt (this is key because if you add the salt at the end it will not absorb as well into the grits). Bring to a boil. Add grits and another pinch of salt and stir. Put the lid on cook for 5 minutes on low. Take off the top and stir. Add pinch of nutmeg and a lot of chedder cheese. Add more salt if needed (I love salt, the Mr. hates it... so it just depends on your preference here!)
Fancy Macaronie & Cheese
Ingredients
1 box of cellentani noodles (or penne, whatever you have)
vegetable oil
4 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 T. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. pepper
1 block gruyere shredded (1/2 lb)1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 T. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. pepper
1 block white cheddar shredded (1/2 lb) (getting good, quality cheese is key)
5 slices of bread
This is my go-to recipe for parties and family get togethers. I make it every Thanksgiving and any time I'm invited to dinner and asked to bring a dish. Anything with a pound of cheese is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Heat milk on med-low. In the meantime, melt 6 T.'s of the butter and then add flour whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Pour in heated milk. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook on med-low for a few minutes then remove from heat and add shredded cheeses (there should be more cheese than sauce). Pour noodles into the sauce and mix. Transfer the mixture into casserole dish. To make the breadcrumbs, cut crusts off the bread and put in a food processor. Heat the remaining butter in small saucepan and add the breadcrumb mixture. Spread onto pasta dish and cook 30 minutes in the oven on 375 degrees.
