Braised Pot Roast With Carrots And Mushroom Gravy

When the weather outside is nasty, there is nothing like staying in all day, drinking beer, watching football, and braising a pot roast all afternoon. The house smelled so good all day. Braising is a method of cooking meat where by you sear it on all sides real deep, then add some sort of liquid such as wine or broth and simmer over low heat for hours until the meat is tender.

1 English pot roast

1 onion chopped

1 package of fresh mushrooms

1 package of baby carrots

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. fresh rosemary chopped

1 bottle red wine

1 ½ cups beef broth

3 cloves of garlic - minced

Salt

Pepper

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS corn starch

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven until smoking. Cut roast into 2 inch chunks, place in Dutch oven, and sear on all sides about 3 min. a side. Pull out meat and add onions, mushrooms, thyme, and rosemary. Sauté 3 min. add garlic and sauté one more min. add beef broth, wine and finally the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer on low heat for about three hours. Add carrots in the final 45 min. remove carrots, and meat.  Turn up heat to high. Add 1TBS corn starch to 2 TBS of water and Wisk into remaining pan juices to make mushroom gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Chocolate Sheba with White and Dark Chocolate Lattice

My wife’s cousin came over for dinner last night. That gave me an excuse to try this dessert I saw the other day on Emeril Live. It was a lot of work, but well worth it, Very rich and very delectable. Everyone loved it, and it is now my wife’s favorite dessert. I  took a step further and made a raspberry sauce out of raspberry preserves and brandy cooked down in a pan. You could also sprinkle some powdered sugar over the to as well, or a few sprigs of fresh mint. Give this a try, you won't be sorry you did.


Ingredients

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
10 large egg yolks
7 large egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
1 cup chopped white chocolate

Directions

Melt the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler, stirring with a rubber spatula to facilitate even melting. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter to the chocolate. Stir to melt the butter and mix well. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, and whisk to thoroughly combine.

In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and beat the whites to stiff, glossy peaks (do not overmix or the whites will dry out). Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Using a large spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Repeat with the remaining cream, folding just until the cream is incorporated. Do not overmix.

Line a 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap that over hangs by 4 inches on all sides. Sprinkle the pecan pieces on the bottom of the pan. Pour the mousse over the pecans and fold the plastic over the top of the mousse. Wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the dark chocolate and place in a small pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip. (Alternately, place the chocolate in a small resealable plastic food storage bag and cut 1/4-inch from the tip of the bag.) Drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the baking sheet in vertical strokes. Melt the white chocolate and place in another small pastry bag or plastic bag. Rotate the baking sheet 1/4 turn and drizzle the white chocolate over the dark chocolate in perpendicular strokes to form a lattice-like design. Place the sheet pan in the refrigerator to cool. When the chocolate has hardened, break the chocolate lattice into pieces as needed for garnish.

When serving, unwrap the sheba and cut slices with a hot, wet long, thin knife. A slicer works best for this. Place slices in the refrigerator until softened slightly before serving, about 20 minutes. When ready to serve, place the slices onto dessert plates andgarnish with a piece of the chocolate lattice. Serve immediately.

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

I’ve started buying Lamb Chops from my local market. I haven’t really had much lamb in my life, but I have to say I’m really starting to like it a lot. I found this recipe on http://allrecipes.com, and I have to say it’s off the hook! It’s a reduction sauce made with balsamic vinegar. If you have never worked with it, Balsamic vinegar is an Italian vinegar, made from balsamic wine, and when reduced turns into a thick sweet syrup that makes a great pan sauce. You could use this with veal or beef as well. Give it a try.

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter



Directions

In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Steak Diane

Yes I know what you’re going to say, “It’s been a really long time since he has posted on his blog.” Apparently the summer time is not the time for me to maintain a blog. I would rather be pool side than inside cooking, and on the computer, so now that it’s too cold to be outside, it’s time to cook.

I can’t think of a better dish to start off a renewed passion for cooking than with Steak Diane. Named for Diane the goddess of the hunt, the dish used to be made with venison. Now it’s served in very fine restaurants with fillet mignon, and is served at the Delmonico in New Olean’s table side. This is probably my wife’s favorite dish, and I have made it many times. The recipe I use belongs to who else, but Emeril Lagasse. This dish is the ultimate fine dining dish and will make you look Technically Gourmet.

4 (3-ounce) filet mignon medallions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 teaspoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup sliced white mushroom caps
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup reduced veal stock, or beef stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 drops hot red pepper sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves

Season the beef medallions on both sides with the salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook for 45 seconds on the first side. Turn and cook for 30 seconds on the second side. Add the shallots and garlic to the side of the pan and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft, 2 minutes. Place the meat on a plate and cover to keep warm.





Tilt the pan towards you and add the brandy. Tip the pan away from yourself and ignite the brandy with a match. (Alternatively, remove the pan from the heat to ignite, and then return to the heat.) When the flame has burned out, add the mustard and cream, mix thoroughly and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the veal stock andsimmer for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir to combine. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn the meat to coat with the sauce.





Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley. Divide the medallions and sauce between 2 large plates and serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

It’s starting to get warm enough outside that you can stand to be outside, and that makes me start thinking about grilling out. The cold never use to bother me, I would grill out in the middle of a blizzard, and I wouldn’t care. Now the older I get, the more I hate to be out in the cold. The other night it was so nice out I decided to fire up the grill for the first time this year. I didn’t have any steak, but I had some really nice pork loin chops. I wrapped them in bacon, then gave them a really nice sear on both sides, and cooked them through. I used the sauce from my first post as a garnish. As for an accouterment, I decided on these rosemary roasted potatoes. The recipe came from “The Essence of Contemporary Italian Cooking” cookbook that my lovely wife got me for my birthday. They turned out wonderful, and was a good complement to this fine meal. Give these a try, they are a simple way to change up ordinary potatoes.

2 pounds small potatoes washed and cut into chunks, peals on.
4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS fresh rosemary leaves chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
Course sea salt

Preheat the oven 375, line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Toss the potatoes with 2 TBS of the olive oil. Spread them evenly on the sheet pan, and bake, turning occasionally until golden brown on the outside, and tender on the inside, about 30 Min. Remove the sheet pan, and drizzle remaining olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle the sea salt and the rosemary/garlic mixture, and toss together until the seasoning is warmed through, serve immediately.

Chicken Fried Steak

I made this dish a few nights ago, and as soon as I plated it there was no doubt in my mind I was going to blog it. This is a recipe I make once in a great while, and every time I do, I ask myself why I don’t make it more often. This is so rich, and savory. Every bite melts in your mouth, and you get just a little bit of heat right at the end. I love that. If you like authentic southern style comfort food you will love this dish Buon appetito!





8 slices of bacon chopped
2 cup plus 1 ½ TBS flour
2 to 3 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 to 3 cups whole milk
Four 6 oz cube steaks
Vegetable oil for frying
½ cup onion.
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cayenne pepper


In a bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg, salt and pepper. In another bowl combine flour and ¼ tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. In a sauté pan render bacon down until crispy. Remove and let dry on a paper towel. Add onion to pan with rendered bacon fat, and sauté until translucent. Add 1 ½ TBS flour and make a roué. Whisk in milk, and add ¾ of the bacon back to the pan. Bring to a simmer until thick. Meanwhile heat oil in another sauté pan. Dip cube steak in buttermilk, and then dip in flour mixture. Next dip steak back into buttermilk, and back in flour mixture. Place in hot oil and fry until golden brown and nice crust forms. Serve steak over a bead of mashed potatoes, and spoon gravy over the entire dish, and garnish with remaining bacon bits.

Gnocchi

After traveling to Italy a few years ago for work, I developed an appreciation, and a passion for authentic Italian food. While in Italy I tried gnocchi for the first time. These little pillows of potato pasta where light and fluffy and tasted so wonderful. After returning to the states I found several recipes for gnocchi, and this is by far the best I have found. The great thing about gnocchi is you can make them with any kind of sauce. I made mine with a tomato cream sauce, but you can use a white pasta sauce of some type. Every time I make gnocchi it takes me back to Italy, and I remember seeing those little old ladies standing in the back of the Italian bistro, cutting fresh gnocchi and I long to return some day.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds Potatoes
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain, and mash with a potato masher until real fine and let cool. Spread potatoes out on a lightly floured work surface. Make a well in the center of the potatoes. (this is called the well method, and is how they make all types of pasta in Italy) Pour in eggs, sprinkle in 1 ½ cup of flour, the cheese salt, pepper, nutmeg. Using your hands, and working from the outside edges, knead until the mixture is just evenly blended, adding flour as needed.about 4 minutes. Do not over mix or the gnocchi will become tough and very dense. Good gnocchi should be light and fluffy. Lightly dust the dough and your hands with flour. Form the dough into a log about 4 inches in diameter. With a knife or dough scraper, divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder about ½ inches in diameter. Cut into 1 inch pieces, put on tray lined with waxed paper and dusted with flour, and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and boil gnocchi in batches until they float on top of the water, about 3 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. When all batches are cooked, add them to the sauce of your choice, and toss until well coated.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Torte

This month was our turn to host the monthly dinner party. In honor of Valentine’s Day we decided to do a French theme. What a good idea that was. We had lots of rich French food. One of my contributions was this little truffle torte. It may be little but it packs a punch, a very sweet punch. You really need an insulin shot after you eat it. Everyone seemed to like it very much. If you like very sweet and very rich French style desserts then you need to give this a try.




Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Torte


16 (1 ounce) squares of semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 TBS all-purpose

Melt chocolate and butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Let cool slightly. Gradually add mixture to eggs, beating at medium speed with electric mixer for 10 minutes.

Fold flour into batter. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9” springform pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Cover and chill thoroughly.



Peanut Butter Chocolate sauce

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium sauce pan melt corn syrup, peanut butter, and cream over medium to low heat stirring frequently. When completely melted add chocolate chips and continue to stir until it comes to a simmer. Take off heat and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator and microwave when needed.

Pasta Carbonara

I think everyone has a go to dish. You know that one dish that everyone in the family loves, the one that you just automatically think of when nothing else sounds good, and that you always have the ingredients for in the pantry. Your go to dish would be the one that you have committed to memory, and you can fix it when you are in a hurry. In my house that dish is Pasta Carbonara. I have tried different variations of this dish by using and combining different recipes. But the one I always kept going back to was Linguine alla Carbonara, from Emeril Lagasse (who did you think it was going to be Paula Dean….I don’t think so). I will sauté some chicken tenders in olive oil and either serve them on top of the pasta, or I will chop them up, and toss them up with the pasta. I also just use whatever pasta I happen to have at the time. I have even used elbow macaroni before. This is a very kid friendly dish. All my kids love it, especially my two-year-old. My two oldest are as picky as they come, and they love it, so give this a try and I bet you put it in your regular rotation.

Ingredients


1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, minced
4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced (I use plain old bacon most of the time)
1 pound fresh linguine (or whatever pasta you have)
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature (more expensive than plain old parmesan, but worth it)
Freshly ground black pepper


Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook until the onions are translucent and the pancetta is beginning to crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine according to package directions until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander (reserve a small amount of the cooking liquid in a small bowl) and return pasta to the pot. Return the pot to the heat and add the reserved pancetta and onion mixture. Stir over high heat until pasta is coated with the pancetta mixture.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream and add to the pasta, along with the Parmesan. Remove the pot from the heat and toss the pasta until it is well-coated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If needed, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to help toss the pasta if it is dry. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Sabayon

What can I say; this is the classic French dessert. My wife gets a huge smile on her face when she sees me making this. Serve this to your family and friends and they will walk around for a week saying “Did you try the sabayon?” This dessert is so smooth and creamy with a rich chocolate flavor that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. I served this last summer at our monthly dinner party, and everyone raved about it. Next month is our turn to host, and we are having a French theme, so I think I am going to serve this again. I don’t think anyone will mind.




Ingredients

6 tsp sugar
5 TBS dry Sherry
4 large egg yolks
2 TBS water
4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
a couple dollopes of whipped cream
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium metal bowl to blend. Set over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water) Using handheld electric mixer, beat mixture until thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from water and pour into bowls. Place in refrigerator until it cool add whipped cream and chopped chocolate for garnish.

Spicy Smoked Sausage, Tomato, and Mushroom Soup

Once a month my wife and I take turns hosting a dinner party with two other couples. Its good fellowship and good fun. We all share a common interest, food! Right now my go to cookbook is Emeril 20-40-60 by Chef Emeril Lagasse. Emeril is my favorite chef followed closely by Mario Batali. I was looking through the cookbook looking for something I could take to our dinner party when I came across a spicy smoked sausage, tomato, and mushroom soup. It looked very tasty, so I decided to give it a try. It was a hit. Everyone loved it, and asked that I make sure and blog it, so here you go guys here’s the recipe. It was even better the next day for lunch.


Ingredients

1 TBS olive oil.
1 lbs smoked sausage diced
8 oz button mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
1 ½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup diced green bell pepper
2 TBS fresh garlic sliced thin
2 28oz cans of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped with juice ( I ALWAYS use San Marzanos)
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh soft herbs (I used Basil)
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp crushed red pepper

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. When oil is hot add sausage and cook until it’s browned around the edges. Add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft and lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, herbs, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the flavors have married.

Creamy Tarragon Sauce

I love sauces! Sometimes they can make or break a dish. You can cook the same type of meet, or fish, and just by adding a different sauce with it, you have a totally different dish. It was to my surprise that when I walked into my local dollar store the other day I noticed a pile of books on clearance. In all these volumes of knowledge I came across a book of 84 sauces. At a bargain basement price of $2.00 I was soon the proud owner of this tantalizing text of culinary goodness. After getting it home I found a creamy tarragon cream sauce for vegetables that looked really good. The next night after work I stopped off at the grocery store and picked up all the ingredients I needed. I decided to serve this sauce with one of my favorite veggies, asparagus.


I blanched the asparagus, then rolled three or four of them into a premade croissant roll. They were good by themselves, but after placing them on a pool of this wonderful tarragon sauce, it was a little slice of heaven. This will help your kids eat their veggies.

Ingredients

½ cup real butter
2 TBS flour
1 TBS Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon dried tarragon
½ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper to melted butter; stir to form a thin paste. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Cook stirring constantly, 5 to 8 minutes or until thickens. Serve immediately.

The New Years Meal

For the first dinner of the year I like to have corn beef and cabbage. I really don't believe in the "eat this and it will make you prosperous crap", its just really tasty. This is also the time of year that the local markets have it on sale. That brings me to my first ever tip. Buy food that is in season. It will taste better and will be less expensive. Also try to buy food that is locally grown. It doesn't have to come from as far away, so it will taste better and you are putting money back in your local economy. Now as for the corn beef, I didn't do anything real fancy with it. I used the packet of spices that came with it and just simmered it in water low and slow all afternoon. The real star of the show IMHO was the sauce. I made a balsamic and dijon sauce that I still dream about. The cabbage was just chopped and fried in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper until it just starts to caramelize around the edges. I also served a side of rice and black eyed peas. Again another eat on New Years Day and you will be prosperous food. It seemed to fit.

Balsamic and Dijon Sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp water
2 TBS dijon mustard
1 pinch of sea salt
a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper

combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until everything is well blended.

Preface

I have wanted to start a food blog for some time, so I picked 2010 to start. I have been a foodie since I was a teenager. Cooking is my passion. Taking a few simple ingredients and turning them into a symphony of flavors that melt in you mouth and stimulate your pallet in ways you have never before experienced is as close to nirvana as it gets for me. It brings me great joy to cook good food for my family and friends. Seeing their expressions after taking a yummy bite of something I have prepared is very satisfying. With this blog I plan to post good recipes both mine and borrowed, as well as some of the knowledge I have acquired over the years. My hope is to help you become a better cook, and bring new and delicious recipes to your repertoire that will make you technically gourmet!