bacon brie burgers

Bacon Burgers on Brioche Buns

Serves 8.  This is adapted from star chef Tyler Florence.  I actually like to make it into 16 sliders rather than 8 large burgers.

            2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

            ¼ c. + 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing

            ½ c. mayonnaise

            2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

            salt and fresh ground black pepper

            8 slices thick-cut bacon (12 oz.)

            3 lbs. ground beef

            12 oz. Brie cheese, sliced

            8 brioche burger buns (or 16 slider buns), split

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss onions with 2 Tbs. olive oil; lightly season with salt, and roast until softened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise with lemon juice.  Gradually whisk in remaining ¼ c. olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over moderately high heat until crisp.  Drain on paper towels and break each strip in half.

Light a grill or heat a grill pan.  Form ground meat into eight patties, or 16 sliders.  Season generously with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.  Grill over moderately high heat until well-browned on the bottom, 5 minutes.  Flip burgers, mound Brie on top and grill for 4 minutes longer, until cheese is slightly melted and burgers are medium-rare. 

Spread lemon mayonnaise on cut sides of buns; set burgers on the bottoms and top with bacon and onions.  Close burgers and serve right away.   

winter warmer: pasta with greens and beans

You'll have to find this one by subscribing to Cook's Illustrated website or magazine.  We used the last of the chard from our garden to enjoy this hearty pasta 'stew'.  The sauce included pancetta, onions, chard, rosemary, garlic, and beans.  Look for the official title:  Pasta with Beans, Chard, and Rosemary.

grilled shrimp appetizer

Grilled Shrimp with Apple and Charred Scallions

Serves 8 as an appetizer (or 4 as a light main course).  This pairs well with Prosecco or other sparkling wine.  It is from Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson.

            ¼ c. + 2½ Tbs. olive oil

            1 Tbs. Sherry vinegar

            1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

            ½ tsp. sweet smoked paprika

            ½ tsp. Dijon-style mustard

            salt and freshly ground black pepper

            6 scallions (green onions)

            1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

            1 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and julienned

            1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl, whisk ¼ c. + 1 Tbs. olive oil with the vinegar, lime juice, paprika, and mustard.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the scallions until bright green, about 1 minute.  Drain the scallions, rinse under cold water and pat dry.

Light a grill.  Rub the scallions with ½ Tbs. olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  In a bowl, toss shrimp with remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill scallions over high heat until lightly charred, about 30 seconds per side.  Grill shrimp until lightly charred and white throughout, about 1 minute per side.

In a medium bowl, toss apple with 1 Tbs. of the dressing.  Cut grilled scallions into 2” lengths.  Scatter scallions and apple on a platter and arrange shrimp on top.  Drizzle remaining dressing over shrimp, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. 

dark chocolate brownies

Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Makes 48.  These decadent brownies are a Martha Stewart recipe from May 2012. 

            24 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for pan

            1 lb. 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (left whole)

              plus ¾ lb. bittersweet chocolate cut into small chunks (2½ c.)

            4½ c. sugar

            9 large eggs, lightly beaten

            ¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

            1½ tsp. salt

            1¾ c. + 2 Tbs. flour, sifted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 12” x 17” x 1” rimmed baking sheet, and line with parchment, leaving an overhang folded over edges.  Butter parchment.  Melt butter and uncut chocolate in a large bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.

Whisk in sugar, then eggs, then cocoa powder, and salt.  Fold in flour until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chunks.

Pour batter into pan.  Bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with very moist crumbs, 45 to 48 minutes.  Let cool completely, about 2 hours.  Remove from pan, and cut into 2” squares.        

autumn dinner: pork, squash, & polenta

Mustard-Roasted Pork Loin with Squash Polenta

This serves 2.  When I served it I topped the dish with a chopped up mixture of toasted hazelnuts, sage leaves, salt and garlic.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut a small butternut squash in half and take the seeds out.  Using just one half (for now), rub the cut side with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Set it cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 40-50 minutes, until tender.  Let cool a bit and scoop the flesh into a bowl and coarsely mash it,

Meanwhile, peel the remaining squash half and cut it into 3/4" cubes.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss squash cubes with a Tbs. of olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Roast for 30-35 minutes until tender.
When all the squashes are out of the oven, turn it down to 400 degrees.

In a small roasting pan, season a 1-1/2 lb. bone in pork loin (2 ribs, or one very thick loin chop) with salt, coat with 1-1/2 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard, and season with fresh ground coarse black pepper.  Roast for 45 minutes or so - until meat registers 120 degrees.  Transfer to a cutting board to rest while you make the polenta.

In a saucepan, bring 1-1/4 c. water to a boil, and slowly whisk in 1/4 c. polenta (not instant).  Bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 20 minutes.  Fold in the mashed squash, season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, reheat the roasted squash cubes with 2 Tbs. honey, 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar, and a smashed garlic clove over moderate heat until simmering; discard the garlic clove.

Slice pork between ribs into chops.  Mound polenta on plates and top with the chops.  Spoon squash cubes around.

ice cream sandwiches for fall

1. Go to Trader Joe's to buy their molasses ginger refrigerated cookie dough, and pumpkin ice cream
2.  Bake the cookies according to package directions
3.  While cookies cool, let ice cream soften a bit
4.  Slather on some pumpkin ice cream in between the cookies.  Wrap and freeze any leftover sandwiches for later (let them soften a bit before you try to eat them!).

warm up with a patty melt and roasted squash

These are both from the Oct. 2014 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  I don't like rye bread so I just used my usual whole wheat bread for the delicious patty melt:  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/the-ba-patty-melt
And, I had a delicata squash that I cubed up instead of the acorn squash called for in the side dish:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/squash-with-dates-and-thyme

cake in a mug

A quick (microwave) version of a molten chocolate cake, this chocolate salted caramel mug cake is delicious and rich.  I found that 3 people could share one mug and be very satisfied (or one person could be greedy and binge).

In a mug mix together 4 Tbs. self-rising flour, 4 Tbs. sugar, and 3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder.  Add in 2 Tbs. beaten egg, 3 Tbs. milk, 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and stir well until combined.  Swirl in 2 Tbs. caramel sauce (I like Trader Joe's salted caramel sauce) and sprinkle the top with sea salt.  Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the top is just dry.

red curry salmon

Coconut-Curry Salmon

Serves 4.  This came from the October 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  I like to serve it with basmati or jasmine rice. 

            1 Tbs. brown sugar                              

            2 tsp. fresh lime juice               

            1½ tsp. Thai red curry paste    

            1 (15-oz.) can light coconut milk

            4 (6-oz.) salmon fillets, skinned (about 1” thick)

            kosher salt

            1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Place brown sugar, lime juice, red curry paste, and coconut milk in a large skillet, stirring to combine.  Add salmon to pan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 9 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once after 5 minutes.  Place fish on a plate; sprinkle with salt and cilantro.  Bring remaining sauce to a boil in skillet; boil 6 minutes or until reduced to ½ c.  Serve sauce with fish.      

mini-blueberry pies

These are best served warm.  You can use a tube of store bought cookie dough (or homemade) - usually I would do a sugar cookie topping but this one was from the Trader Joe's gingerbread molasses cookie dough.

For 4 'pies':  Mix together 1 lb. blueberries (fresh or defrosted), 1 Tbs. cornstarch, 6 Tbs. sugar, grated zest of a lemon plus the juice from that lemon.  Stir until everything dissolves and let it set for 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Arrange four 8-oz. ramekins on the baking sheet.  Divide the filling plus juices among the ramekins.
Roll out 6-oz. cookie dough to a thickness of a generous 1/4 inch; cut into shapes or strips to top the ramekins.  Brush lightly with water and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake about 50 minutes until filling is bubbly and cookie tops are lightly browned.  Wait 5 minutes; serve.

pumpkin milkshake, mmmm

Thanks Martha Stewart!  http://www.marthastewart.com/1089959/pumpkin-pie-milkshake#1089959

lamb curry

I sauteed some onions, fresh ginger, garlic and salt in a bit of oil in the pressure cooker, then added spices like cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, ground turmeric, and crushed cardamom.  Added a touch of tomato paste, boneless lamb, baby fingerling potatoes, and chicken broth to cover.  Pressure cooked on high for 24 minutes, released the pressure and stirred in some fresh spinach leaves and salted to taste.  Here I garnished it with cilantro, served with plain yogurt and some garlic naan (find it frozen at Trader Joe's).

veal parmesan along with roasted broccoli

An enjoyable Fall dinner, featuring recipes pulled from 2 different sources:
http://www.marthastewart.com/1047454/roasted-broccoli-pumpkin-seeds-and-grated-pecorino

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Veal-Parmesan

not just chocolate pudding...

Chocolate Pots de Crème

Serves 2.  I made this as dessert for us following my birthday-dinner-at-home in 2014, it is from Martha Stewart Living magazine.  Make it a day in advance.

            ¾ c. heavy cream                    

            ½ tsp. instant espresso powder

            ¼ tsp. vanilla extract                

            1½ oz. bittersweet chocolate (70%), finely chopped (¼ c.)

            1 large egg yolk

            1 tsp. sugar

            pinch of kosher salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Bring ½ c. + 2 Tbs. cream, espresso powder, and vanilla to a simmer; pour over chocolate in a medium bowl.  Let sit for 3 minutes; whisk until smooth. 

In another medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk, sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt; add warm chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.  Strain custard through a fine sieve into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  Let cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Place 2 teacups in the center of a baking dish.  Divide custard between cups, and fill pan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the teacups.  Cover tightly with foil; pole several holes in foil.  Bake until custard is set around edges but wobbly in center, about 25 minutes.

Remove cups from water bath, and let custards cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.  Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.  Before serving, whisk remaining 2 Tbs. cream to soft peaks, and dollop over pots de crème.