As Julia Child always said, "anything with mustard is devilish"! The classic grilled cheese is nowadays in a state of constant re-invention. What could be more delicious than bacon, cheese, and mustard? I wanted to add more flavor to the sandwich than just mustard. I wanted there to be more of a smokey flavor to the sandwich so I added bacon and Gouda cheese. The Gouda has a nice bacon type flavor, so I used that to compliment the bacon itself. I don;t think there is any more to say than to try it with a nice bowl of tomato soup (preferably homemade). This recipe can also be found on page 34 of my cookbook above! Bon Appetit!
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With the weather being so hot and humid lately, I thought it the perfect time to have a nice and light citrus dessert as opposed to a heavy pound cake or chocolate pie. This is one of the earliest desserts I can remember making. I first made them for a dinner party my Nan had for her neighbors. She made a cake and I made these. Since then, she is always asking me to make these. Everyone loved these and asked for the recipe. I am not a big chocolate person. If there is a choice between something chocolate and something citrus, I would go for the citrus. The wonderful thing about this is that you can use and citrus flavor you want. It is not strictly for any one flavor. They are so simple yet so good. All you do is blind bake some tart shells. Then, make a mixture of a citrus curd of your choice, yogurt, and powdered sugar. Once the shells cool completely, simply fill them with the citrus mixture and top with whipped cream. They are meant to be served chilled, I wouldn't leave them at room temperature for too long. They are great during the summer for a picnic or pool party. I prefer them year round due to them being so simple to make. These can be found on page 62 of my cookbook above. Bon Appetit!
If you are in need of a quick dessert, here is a great option. These only take a few minutes to assemble and a few minutes to harden. You are basically taking tempered chocolate and coating anything you want in it. This is really an all purpose recipe and it is meant for the person who is making it to open his mind and be as imaginative as he or she wants. You are only limited to your imagination and creativity. The recipe involves a mixture of both milk and white chocolate. You use the microwave to temper it. You microwave it for 30 seconds, stir, and keep doing that in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is almost melted. Then when it is almost completely melted you add a little more chocolate and stir. This brings down the temperature and allows for it to harden once it is applied to the thing you are coating it in. If you were to just blindly melt it it will turn gray and not harden. The classic marriage is chocolate and strawberries. But I like to do dried fruits such as apricots and pineapple, as well as fresh fruit like apples and Maraschino Cherries on the stem. Some unlikely pairings include salted pretzels and Potato chips. Definitely try the chips. There is something quite satisfying about the combination of the salty chips and pretzels with the sweetness of the chocolate. Like I said you are only limited to your own imagination. This is a great option for a fun dessert to have with a glass of wine after dinner or if you want to involve your guests in the making of it, you can have them make their own. The recipe for this can be found on page 70 of my cookbook above or download the recipe below! Bon Appetit!
Since yesterday was my 21st Birthday, I thought it only fitting for my next food post should be a cocktail. After many hours of research, I found this cocktail to be a uniquely British cocktail. It consists of Vodka, Triple Sec Liquor, Apple Juice, and Simple Syrup. You combine all of these ingredient in a shaker with diced apples and lemon wedges. Then, you muddle the ingredients together. This releases the natural apple and lemon flavor. Then, you add ice to the shaker and shake until properly chilled. Then, you strain the cocktail through a sieve and serve over ice in a chilled rocks or martini glass! All you then have to do is garnish it with a slice of apple. The original recipe I found uses Gin, but I felt that Gin would be too powerful and would overpower the taste of the other ingredients. You want to be able to taste the triple sec and apple. With Vodka, you have a neutral tasting alcoholic beverage. If you were using Gin, you would probably think you were drinking Pine Trees that suddenly grew apples! I am serving this at my upcoming British themed Adult Culinary Class! I hope you will enjoy it as much as they will! Cheers!
Simple is delicious! I don't think I have ever had a meat dish that was any simpler than this! It is sweet and smokey and wonderful. Like Julia Child once said, "turn the lonely super market ham steak into something delicious." I first had this at a restaurant in my hometown called "D'Atris". I then proceeded to go home and recreate it. All you simply have to do is melt some butter with brown sugar and vanilla. Then, in an oven proof saute pan, place the ham in it and pour over the sauce to coat it. Then, bake it until the sugar caramelizes and the ham is hot and crispy. Be careful when eating because you are dealing with molten sugar. That is all there is to it. Like I said, it is that easy. As for side dishes it is up to you. At the restaurant I usually order french fries with gravy. If you want a less fattening option you can go with some green beans and maybe a baked potato. This recipe can also be found on page 46. Bon Appetit!
Forget that so called onion dip you get next to the yogurt in the market! This is a sweet delicious real homemade dip. it has all the essentials that an onion dip requires: sweet yellow onions, mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese. Ina Garten as usual has done it again. Made a delicious twist on a classic dip. You start out with two large sweet onions and thinly slice them. Then, you saute them for 10 minutes on medium-high heat in butter and vegetable oil until slightly tender. While they are cooking you season them with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper for a little heat. The, you turn down the heat and cook them very slowly until they are sweet and caramelized. They go from a large mound of onions to very little. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, you mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and softened cream cheese. When the onions are done, Ina doesn't mention this but if I were you I would drain the onions through a sieve or colander. This eliminates any excess grease so you won't have a greasy dip. You then must let the onions cool and then mix them into the mayo mixture. Check for seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature. I would suggest serving with chip or mixed vegetables. This is particularly good on burgers or sandwiches. It doesn't matter which way you serve it, it is absolutely delicious! Bon Appetit!
I love French Bread, in my opinion it is the best bread you can make/buy. The texture is wonderful and the taste is very flavorful. I cannot stand those vendors and stores that try and pass off that soft crust crap they call French bread. True French bread has a hard crust with a soft and textural interior. These recipes are the absolute best I have found for making French bread. They come from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume Two. The whole recipe for bread is about 12 pages long. I have typed up a one page summary that is much easier to understand. I have made a recipe for both the Baguettes and Boules. Baguettes are of course the long loaves and the Boules (pronounced like "bulls") are the classic round loaves. Both recipes are exactly the same except for the forming of the loaves. The forming of the Boules is pretty simple to understand. However, the method for forming of the baguettes is very challenging to try to explain on one page. As a matter of fact in the book it is like three pages. So I think the best way to describe it is to let Julia Child show you herself. DO NOT DISREGARD THIS STEP, IT IS CRUCIAL TO MAKING BAGUETTES. Below, if you click on the picture, you will be taken to YouTube where I have found the French Bread episode of her show "The French Chef". I will warn you, the recipes I have provided below are made using a stand mixer and dough hook which is faster and more efficient, but, in the video, Julia mixes and kneads the dough by hand which is how it is described in the book as well. I have made the bread this way and it has an entirely different texture if you do it in a stand mixer. So, when you watch the video, if you want to just see the forming of the loaves, skip ahead to 12:30 in the show, that way you are not confused about kneading the dough by hand. So just follow the directions in the recipes I have provided and then if you are making the baguettes watch the video and skip ahead to 12:30. Also, another thing I want to clarify is that these breads are baked using a "simulated baker's oven". This is achieved by lining your oven rack with square red stone quarry/floor tiles. You bake the bread directly one these tiles. It provides the extreme heat needed to harden the crust and give it a nice color and taste. You can buy these tiles at a hardware or home improvement store like Lowe's or Home Depot. In fact, I lucked out and bought some at a yard sale. For a standard oven I can only fit about 6. But ovens vary so I would buy about 9 or 10. Please try these breads out. They are delicious and they give you the satisfaction of knowing you can make something as elegant as homemade crusty French Bread. Bon Appetit!
As many of my friends and family can tell you, I am an experts in everything Harry Potter related. It is a close call but I bet I would feel comfortable challenging J.K. Rowling herself. But I digress...I discovered these recipes whilst scrolling through Facebook. One of my friends posted a link to a Buzzfeed website where someone had created these recipes along with some beautiful pictures. The recipes for these drinks looked delicious, alas I shall not be able to try them myself for a few months yet though. The names of the cocktails are as follows:
I created a handy PDF booklet with the recipes and pictures that way you don't have to scroll through a long webpage. Below is the PDF book of the recipes that you can download and print out and also below I have pictures of the drinks themselves! These drinks look "Stupefy"-ing, if you pardon the pun! I hope you will employ one or all of them at any of your future parties. For example, you could do the Amortentia for a Valentines party (a little late now), or perhaps the Felix Felicis on New Year's Eve, or the Hair of the Three headed Dog for a Brunch party! Anyway you serve these they will no doubt amuse and be delicious for your guests! In the words of Hermione as they first drank the real Polyjuice Potion..."Cheers"!
Probably one of the best things to make on a cold winter night. It is sweet, spicy, and full of flavor. Next to cream of crab soup, this is my favorite soup to make. It is hearty enough to be a complete dinner by itself, but just enough to have as a small cup with your lunch. It has all of the usual ingredients you would associate with chili: beef, peppers, onions, beans, and tomatoes. You start by browning the beef then the peppers and onions. Then, you add diced and crushed tomatoes along with beef stock and vegetable juice such as V8. Now, the crucial part is adding the spices. Among others they include chili powder, paprika, and cumin. These give the essential chili flavor. When it comes to the spicy factor, my teacher and friends like to turn your mouths into lava. I like a noticeable heat but not knock your lights out hot. I add a little cayenne pepper and Frank's Red Hot sauce. It is up to you if you want to add more spice to it. The next part is the sweetness. I add chocolate chips and brown sugar. The chocolate adds flavor to the chili without giving it a chocolate taste. The brown sugar gives a nice sweet taste and cuts through the harshness of the heat. Then, you simply add the beans and simmer for about an hour to allow all of the flavors to meld. All you then have to do is serves some up with a dollop of sour cream and a nice big pile of sharp cheddar cheese. I like to crumble in some saltine crackers. But again it is all up to you. If you are looking for a chili recipe that will knock the socks off of your guests or possibly win a prize, then this is the one for you. This recipe can also be found on page 29 of my cookbook above. Bon Appetit!
This is a great idea for an hor d'oeuvre at a cocktail party or as a nice snack in the afternoon. It is a fancy version of a cheese ball. It is an invention of Ina Garten. You whip cream cheese with cream, lemon zest, and seasonings and it it poured into a cheesecloth lined mold and allowed to chill overnight until the liquid drains and it becomes thick and cheese like. Once you un-mold it you top it up with some good mango chutney or condiment of your choice. You serve it with some crackers or french bread and it pairs well with a nice glass of rose or white wine. I love eating this while watching a nice tv show or movie. Bon Appetit!
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