I know it has been a long time since my last food post, but what better way to make a comeback than on the "food-iest" day of the year! This year I have decided to do an all out Barefoot Contessa Thanksgiving! I shall be preparing classic Barefoot recipes, while sticking with the Barefoot code of not preparing everything yourself. I shall also be including some store-bought items and good old family recipes! So, lets get started with the menu. Barefoot Contessa Thanksgiving Menu: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast Classic Mashed Potatoes Herb and Apple Bread Pudding Sauteed Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar Homemade Cognac Gravy Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce Rolls (Store-bought) Below is a brief description of the recipes and you can click on the pictures to download the recipes for yourself! This is the most flavorful and moist turkey I have ever had. It is also the first Turkey I have ever made myself. It couldn't be easier. The fact that it is just the breast and not a whole bird makes it way easier before you even start. Especially if its only two people for dinner. You start by making an herb "paste/marinade". It is olive oil, ground mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, and lemon juice and zest. You mix that up with other seasonings. Then you loosen the skin of the turkey breast from the flesh without tearing it. Then, you work half of the marinade underneath and on top of the skin. You then roast it in a pan fitted with a rack. You also roast it with some white wine in the pan. This adds flavor and keep the turkey moist. When it is done, you simply let it rest and slice the meat. WARNING! If you are used to making gravy with the pan drippings from the turkey, do not use these pan drippings! The reason is this: I tried using the pan drippings from this turkey last year and I found my gravy was too acidic. This is due from the wine and the lemon juice and zest. I also think that is the reason Ina doesn't show using the drippings when she made gravy. lol. What more can I say. Awesome Mashed Potatoes are Awesome Mashed Potatoes. Most people use plain old russet or baking potatoes, which are fine but they lack a lot of flavor. Yukon Golds are the best for mashed potatoes. They are creamy and flavorful. Just follow the recipe and you will have great potatoes. This dish takes the classic Stuffing/Dressing to a whole new level. It has all of the classic flavors of a stuffing and it has the moisture and texture of a creamy bread pudding. It is flavored with apples, celery, rosemary, Pancetta, and sherry. You start by toasting some fresh country bread cubes. Then, you saute pancetta with celery, onions, and apple and your fresh herbs. While that is cooking, you make a custard of eggs, cream, chicken stock and Gruyere cheese. Then there is a critical point. You must combine the bread and vegetable/apple mixture first. Because if you add the hot mixture to the cold custard mixture the eggs could scramble. Then, you just pour it into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake until it is done. So moist and flavorful. Its Ina Garten and Bobby Flay approved! There has to be Brussel Sprouts on my table at Thanksgiving. Every year I either roast my sprouts with bacon and vinegar or saute them whole with chicken stock, bacon, and raisins. Which, by the way are totally delicious. Unfortunately, they do take a long time to cook when they are whole. So, at Thanksgiving, even with a diverse menu in place there is always trouble finding room int he oven to cook things, so having a stove-top dish is always useful. Plus rather than 30 minutes to an hour to cook sprouts these take about 5-10 minutes. The secret is they are shredded rather than whole. Simple as can be. Shred your sprouts, saute them in butter and oil until tender and finish them off with a drizzle of syrupy balsamic vinegar. I may take it a step further and saute them in bacon fat. Extra flavor is always great! This gravy is as simple as it gets! You simply saute/ caramelize onions in butter (another version of Ina's recipe uses saved chicken drippings from previous cooking). Then, you add flour to cook in the onions. Then, you whisk in chicken stock (preferably homemade) and whisk until thickened. Additional flavorings besides the salt and pepper, include adding brandy or Cognac and cream. This is a great item because this can be made a few days in advance and you simply have to reheat it before dinner. AGAIN...do not use the drippings from the Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. Once again, this Barefoot classic is as easy as it gets. Just combine a bag of cranberries and water in a sauce pan and simmer for about five minutes until the berries begin to pop. Then, add the sugar, a chopped apple, and the zest and juice of a lemon and orange into the sauce pan. Cook for 15 more minutes and allow to cool then serve. I hope all of you out there whether you are having a Barefoot Contessa meal or not, have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving. P.S.. I know if you are using Ina's recipes, it will be a memorable and "fabulous" meal!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
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This shall be the star of my Super Bowl dinner tonight! I was brought up on this pizza for parties and gatherings. It is so easy and delicious that it will please anyone. If you are having a last minute get together, this is a great option if you want something quick and inexpensive for an appetizer or light dinner. it only took me about 30-45 minutes to make it from baking the crust and getting the toppings ready. You start off with two tubes of Crescent rolls such as Pillsbury's. You unroll the tube leaving the crescents together. There should be two full squares of dough in each tube making four all together. You line the bottom of a half sheet pan with the crescent dough squares and pinch them together to make one large dough crust. You then just have to bake it until golden brown and cooked through. Then, you must have it completely cooled before adding the toppings. If you are in a hurry you can place the crust into the fridge for about 10-15 minutes until cooled. While the crust is baking and cooling you can prepare the toppings. The sauce in this case is a mixture of cream cheese, Miracle Whip dressing, and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix. You just mix that in a mixer with a paddle attachment and set it aside. Then, for the veggies. You can use pretty much any combo you want. You just should make sure they are all about the same size. For my pizza I used carrots, radishes, green onions or scallions, red pepper, and broccoli florets. You could also use cucumbers, cauliflower, olives, tomatoes, etc. In any case you want them minced or in a small dice. All except for the broccoli because you can't mince it or it would be a mess. I just trim them into small pieces. You want about 3/4 of a cup of each vegetable. Once the crust is cooled, just spread the cream cheese mixture onto the crust in an even layer. Then, evenly distribute the vegetables onto the pizza and press down lightly to make sure they adhere slightly to the pizza. Then, all that is left is to sprinkle cheddar cheese onto the top of the pizza! You then can serve it chilled or at room temperature. I prefer to chill it. If you are having more than 10 people I would highly suggest making more than one pizza as it is a hit with everyone and will go fast. It is cool and crisp and doesn't make you feel as guilty about splurging at your dinner or game-day party! Bon Appetit!
Julia Child has a way of taking classic French techniques and turning it into something outstanding. I have not done any real Julia Child dessert baking for while. I have been watching a lot of episodes of "The French Chef with Julia Child" lately. I have watched this episode a few times and it just made me want to make this cake more each time I watched it. So this morning I got up and headed straight for the kitchen...well... I did make a quick pit stop first! Feel free to laugh! Just kidding! This cake has so much flavor. It is a chocolate cake flavored with almonds and lightened with beaten egg whites. Before you even make this, just like Julia advises, I urge you to read the entire recipe through first. The reason being is that once you start the recipe, you cannot stop and run to the store. You must get it in the oven as soon as you can. Also, before you start mixing the batter you should get all of your preliminaries done first. For example, get the chocolate melting, measure out all of the ingredients, and getting your cake pan prepared. Also, this recipe uses cake flour. If you do not have cake flour, you can make your own. I explain how in the recipe at the bottom. With melting the chocolate, it is melted with rum or coffee in a bowl over simmering water. Now, to begin, you cream butter, sugar, and egg yolks in a mixer or bowl with hand mixer. You then set that aside. Then, in a separate clean and dry bowl you beat the egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and sugar until they are soft and shiny but not stiff. It is crucial that you do not over beat them. Then, you add your melted and smooth chocolate to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Then, you add pulverized almonds (just skinless almonds ground in a food processor), almond extract, and cake flour. The French use pulverized almonds in a lot of desserts. Then, quickly you stir in one-fourth of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Once the batter is lightened, you then delicately but quickly fold in he remainder of the egg whites until the batter is well incorporated but you don't want to deflate the egg whites as much as possible. There is no baking powder in this cake so the egg whites are what is going to make the cake rise. Once the batter is made you immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. You then must swirl the cake pan by tilting it to allow the batter to run up all the sides of the pan. This allows the batter to be distributed evenly and prevents there from being a hump of batter in the center. You then bake the cake for about 25-35 minutes. The cake is done when you prick a toothpick around the outside and it comes out clean, and when inserted in the center it is slightly wet. There will also be a faint jiggle when you shake the pan slightly. You then allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and then remove it and allow it to cool on a cake rack for at least two hours! Once the cake is cool, you then have to ice and decorate it. Julia also provides a recipe for a Chocolate-Butter icing. It is basically just melted chocolate, melted in the same way as the cake and whipped with softened butter. Then all you have to do then is ice it any way you would like and then to decorate it just make a pattern with almonds on the top or sprinkled chopped almonds as I did in the picture above. The flavors of this cake are unbelievable. The flavor or the almonds on top and in the cake matches so very well with the chocolate. This is (like Julia says on her show) truly one of if not the best chocolate cake I have ever made and tasted. I will now tell you what I have below for you. This recipe is the one Julia uses on her show "The French Chef". It is also in her cookbook that goes with the show, "The French Chef Cookbook". She has the same recipe in her very first cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. I", although that recipe has slightly different proportions. I have typed the recipe up and slightly condensed the steps so it is easier to read. If you would like, you can also watch Julia make it herself and it will make understanding the steps a little easier. The recipe looks daunting but, it truly only took me about 20 minutes to prepare the batter. Give it a try. The steps can ease you into the world of French Patisserie! In Julia's words..."Bon Appetit"!
I probably should have posted this yesterday, but I was too busy making it. This is the classic dish to serve for New Year's Day. I am not sure why, but the fact that it is delicious should be reason enough! I used to think that sauerkraut was gross, but now it is one of my favorite dishes. I make this every once in a while when I want some good old fashioned comfort food. In my cookbook (now for sale, check the tab at the top), I have my recipe for pork "chops" and sauerkraut. This is basically the same exact recipe but instead of chops, I am making a whole pork loin roast. In this case, it cooks a little bit longer since you are making a whole piece of meat instead of slices. You start off by browning the roast on all sides in a Dutch Oven. Then, you saute onions until they are tender then add some garlic and thinly diced baby carrots. Deglaze the pan with white wine and add your sauerkraut. Then, add your browned roast and cover with stock (either beef, chicken, or ham stock). When I made this recipe yesterday, I used some Ham stock that I made myself. It was delicious! I just took the scraps from the Christmas Ham, such as meat and fat scraps and the center bone and simmered them in about 6-7 quarts of water for about 8 hours and you have a delicious cooking liquid you can use right away or freeze for later use. Then, after the liquid has gone in you add your seasonings. For this dish I use brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, seasoning salt, black pepper, Thyme, and bay leaves. Then, you just cover and cook in a 325 degree oven for about 2-2 1/2 hours or until the roast is tender and basically falling apart. Then, you simply check the sauerkraut for seasoning and serve with some creamy mashed potatoes and maybe a glass of hard cider or beer! I think one of the best parts is the leftovers you have for a day or two afterwards. I hope if you haven't already, you will make this o continue the New Year's celebration. Happy 2016 to you All!!! Bon Appetit!!!
After watching an episode of "Worst Cooks in America", I saw Chef Robert Irvine make a pork tenderloin, I thought, "I have never made one that wasn't already marinated. So I started brainstorming. I love mustard as many people know, and my mother had just bought some special Apple Cider flavored Mustard so I thought that would be perfect. But I thought that most people may not be able to find Apple Cider Mustard, so I combined it with Country Dijon that can be found most everywhere. To start with, I trimmed a Pork Tenderloin of any fat or silver-skin that was on the outside. Then in a small sauce pan I reduced 1/2 cup of Apple Cider until it was about 1/4 cup. Then, I added some of the Apple Cider Mustard, Country Dijon, and some brown sugar. Then, I set that aside for a minute. I seasoned the pork on all sides with salt and pepper. Then, in an oven proof saute pan, I quickly sear the pork on all sides to seal int he juices while cooking. Then, I paint some of the glaze over top and down the sides of the pork. Also, pour in about a cup of beef stock. Then, place the pan int he oven and cook for about 20 minutes until it reaches 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer. When the pork is done, place it on another plate and cover with foil to rest, reserving the juices from the pan. While the pork cooks, you start on the sauce. You lightly caramelize some onions in butter and olive oil for about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. After they are caramelized, stir in some more mustard. Add the reserved juice from cooking the pork. There should be about a cup. Stir to combine and bring to the boil and cook until slightly thick and syrupy. If it gets too thick add some more stock or water. When sufficiently thickened, slice the pork on the bias and serve the sauce over it. I served it with some simple garlic roasted potatoes and a lot of delicious bread to sop up all the wonderful juices. The result was the most moist and tender piece of pork I have ever made! The flavors marry wonderfully with each other. You get the sweetness from the Apple Cider and the onions, and the bite from the mustard's! I also love that it took no time at all to put together. A great idea for a quick dinner on a cold Autumn night. Bon Appetit!
I have not made a food post for a while so I thought this would be a great recipe to start back up with. This is a very nice autumn dish. It has some great autumn flavors: butternut squash, cranberries, cider, etc. Apparently you will find this at a lot of French Bistros in Paris. It is very easy to prepare. You very carefully cut up a butternut squash into one inch pieces and throw it onto a sheet pan. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Toss together and throw it into a 400 degree oven and cook until tender. While the butternut squash is cooking you make a vinaigrette by combining apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and shallots in a sauce pan and boil until sufficiently reduced. Then, you whisk this with some Dijon mustard and olive oil. I personally am not fond of the strong taste of Dijon so I substituted it for Country Dijon which is like a whole grain type of mustard. The flavor is very delicious. The shallots add a nice sharpness in taste to the sweetness of the cider and mustard. When the squash is done cooking, allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. To assemble the salad, combine arugula, dried cranberries, walnuts and the slightly cooled squash. Toss with vinaigrette and serve. The flavors are incredible. Try the recipe below. Ina Garten continues to please our palates.
I first came across this recipe at a Pampered Chef sales party. The presenter made this to demonstrate a piece of cookware. When the party was over I walked up to her and asked for the recipe. I have been making it every since. What amazed me was how simple it was. You take a can of biscuits and cut each one into quarters. Then, you melt some butter and mix it with cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. You let it cool slightly and put it in a bowl with the biscuits. If the mixture is too hot the dough will become very gooey. Once thoroughly mixed you pour it into a greased pan and bake until golden and bubbly. Then, you simply need a tall glass of milk and a bunch of napkins. Make a lot because they go quick. This recipe can also be found on page 12 of my cookbook above. Bon Appetit!
Tomorrow marks one year since I began "The British Chef. So, I thought it only fitting to go back to the beginning and re-post my first ever food blog...The English Breakfast!!! It is how any Englishman should start the day. It is so simple and so scrumptious. Some people refer to it as a "heart attack on a plate". They are right in the aspect that it is all fried up in a skillet. The slang term for it is a "fry-up". You start out with frying up some bacon and sausages in a skillet. You then add some Black Pudding. For those who don't know, black pudding is a sausage made from coagulated pig's blood mixed with herbs and spices. When you cook it it turns black, hence the name. You also fry up some tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes and eggs. All of this is also served with some good old Baked Beans. The common brand is Heinz. It is hard to get Heinz Baked Beans here in the US. You can however find them online and at some specialty food stores. Once all this is done, you then make fried bread. Just take some sliced bread and brown it in the pan drippings. It is then all served up with some tea, and a bottle of HP Brown Sauce. It is delicious not only at breakfast but at any time of day. If you would like to find some of these products online, I would suggest the British Food Depot. They have everything from sausages and black pudding to HP Sauce and Baked Beans. Click on the link below to go to their site. Cheers!!
This is a quick and easy breakfast. If you don't have a lot in your kitchen, I would be willing to bet you have bread, eggs, milk, and cinnamon. All you do is take some good thick bread (preferably homemade bread, or raisin bread). Then you just quickly coat each side in the mixture below:
Then, you just fry it up until nicely browned in some butter or for more flavor, use reserved bacon grease. That is how I make mine. I fry up some bacon to have along side it and reserve the grease to fry the french toast. Finally, top it with some butter and maple syrup or powdered sugar. Bon Appetit! Pesto is one of the world's best and easiest sauces. You can always buy it already made in a jar, but it is always a good and often better idea to make it yourself. Pesto has so many uses. It is wonderful used as sauce for pizza, or simply tossed over some linguine or penne pasta. But my personal favorite is to combine it with an Alfredo sauce and serve it with grilled chicken and pasta. Pesto also freezes very well. I used to make it in big batches and freeze it down at my school. We would simply pull it out of the freezer the day before and defrost it over-night in the fridge. Although the classic pesto is made with pine nuts, these days they can be really expensive. This recipe is made using lightly toasted walnuts. It tastes just as delicious. This recipe can also be found on page 97 of my cookbook above! Bon Appetit!
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