Anchors Aweigh February 8, 2010

Well, it happened.  Yesterday afternoon I had to take my husband to the recruiting office, leave him at a hotel, and then make the long drive back home.  It was an emotional day for both of us. 

My mother in law came up Saturday and left yesterday morning.  She took us out to lunch and I cooked dinner later that evening. 

My husband went nuts for the gratineed chicken in cream sauce, so he requested that for his last dinner at home.  I happily obliged him.  I served it with a simple mixed green salad with herbed goat cheese and blood oranges.  For dessert, I made this chocolate pecan pie. 

I can’t say enough positive things about this pie.  It’s just chocolatey goodness.  He really loved it, and so did my mother in law.  Just in case the Navy decides to spit him back out, I’ve got one slice left waiting on him. 

Chocolate Pecan Pie with Chocolate Crust (Martha Stewart Holiday Sweets)

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

4 ounces semisweet chocolate,, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

All-purpose flour, for dusting

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender, for garnish (optional)

Whipped cream, or crème fraîche

1 recipe Chocolate Pie Dough (recipe below)

Directions

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let cool completely.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt half of the chocolate and all of the butter, stirring until smooth and combined.  Let cool.

Preheat oven to 400.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pie dough to 1/8 inch thickness.  Lightly coat a 9 inch pie tin with cooking spray or oil.  Fit dough into tin.  Crimp edges as desired.  Chill 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Beat eggs until foamy in a large bowl.  Add chocolate and corn syrup  mixture, stirring to combine.  Stir in vanilla and pecans.

Pour filling into pie shell.  Bake 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 350 and continue to bake until filling has set, 20-30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with remaining chocolate and bake for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to let cool.  Serve with whipped cream.  Garnish with lavender, if desired.

This pie dough gave me fits, I’m not going to lie about that.  It was incredibly dry and impossible to roll out.  I sprinkled it with a little water, and then it was incredibly sticky and impossible to lay into my pie dish.  So, I wound up rolling it out as best as I could and layed it in the pie pan in bits and pieces, pressing to seal them, almost like you would a graham cracker crust.  I didn’t get the beautiful crimped edges, but I can live with that.

Chocolate Pie Dough

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

Sift together flour, salt, sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.  Rub in butter with your fingers until mixture is crumbly in texture.

Using a wooden spoon, stir together yolks and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture. 

With a fork, blend until mixture forms moist crumbs, being careful not to overwork.  Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. 

Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes or up to overnight.  Can be frozen for up to 1 month and thawed in the refrigerator.

A Plethora of Desserts February 5, 2010

I’m taking a break from my budget bites, and have largely been absent from my blog ever since my husband got his marching orders.  Time is precious, so I’ve been spending all of my free time with him. 

However, I’ve also been cooking a ton for him.  Whatever he wants, I’ll make it.  I don’t think he’ll get the same treatment in the Navy, so this makes me feel like I’m taking care of him. 

Apparently, the man wants desserts.  I’ve made shortbread, strawberry sundaes, am making a pecan pie and a genoise.  I’ll include a post for the latter two, but here’s the low down on the first two. 

My husband’s parents are British (not sure if I’ve mentioned that before).  Growing up, his mom always made shortbread for him.  She doesn’t really enjoy cooking, so this is the treat to end all treats for him.  Hers really is wonderful and she doesn’t give herself enough credit. 

The one that I made is very similar, I think, to hers.  The recipe comes from an old Martha Stewart magazine that I’ve had for a few years.  It’s incredibly easy to do and only uses a handful of ingredients.  If you’re in need of a dessert on the fly and without having to run to the store, this would likely fit the bill.

Classic Shortbread (Martha Stewart Living, February 2007)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more to grease pan

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F with rack in the upper third portion of the oven.  Sift flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl.  Set aside.

Place butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture all at once.  Mix until just combined.

Butter a 10-inch round springform pan.  Using plastic wrap, press dough evenly onto pan (the plastic wrap will keep dough from sticking to your hands).  Refrigerate for 20 minutes, keeping plastic wrap over dough.

Cut dough into 8 wedges with a pairing knife.  Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, prick holes all over the dough at 1/4 inch intervals.

Bake until golden brown and firm in the center, about 1 hour.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Recut wedges and let cool completely in pan before removing.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar to serve.

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

One of the other desserts that I’ve made recently was a strawberry sundae with a prosecco sabayon.  We had some prosecco left over from our anniversary and I wanted to find a way to use it other than just turning the bottle upside down into a very big glass. 

This would be phenomenal in the summer with fresh berries at the peak of their flavor.  As a winter-time treat, it still held up reasonably well.  The great thing about this is it can all be done 8 hours in advance and just covered and chilled until ready to use.

Strawberry Sundaes with Prosecco Sabayon (adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2008)

Serves 6

For strawberry compote

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided

4 tbsp sugar, divided

3 tbsp Prosecco or other sparkling wine

For Prosecco Sabayon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

4 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Prosecco or other sparkling wine

2 pints vanilla ice cream

Directions

Combine 1 cup strawberries, 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp Prosecco in a food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Pour purée into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and press solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Discard solids left in strainer.

Toss remaining 3 cups strawberries and remaining 2 tbsp sugar in medium bowl.  Let stand at room temperature until juices form, about 30 minutes.  Mix purée into sliced strawberries.  Cover and chill.

Beat heavy cream in a medium bowl until peaks form.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fill large bowl halfway with ice and cold water.  Whisk egg yolks and sugar until blended in a medium-sized metal bowl.  Add 1/2 cup Prosecco and whisk until blended.

Set bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until mixture is thick and resembles whipped cream, about 6 minutes.  Do not let eggs coagulate.  Add cold water and remove temporarily from heat if mixture becomes too hot.

Immediately set bowl into ice water bowl and whisk until sabayon is cool, about 5 minutes.  Fold in chilled whipped cream. 

To serve, spoon 1/4 cup compote into dessert glasses or bowls.  Top each with a scoop of ice cream.  Repeat layers and top with a large spoonful of sabayon.

One of these days, I will have a) the lighting b) the right camera and c) the skill for my photos to do the food justice.

Romantic Dinner for Two January 31, 2010

This has been a whirlwind kind of week.  We found out on Tuesday that my husband was shipping out for the Navy in early February.  We had just under two weeks to get everything in order.  Knowing that we were about to be separated for a good length of time, it was even more important to me to do something really spectacular for our anniversary. 

As of right now, I’ve got one week left with him and it absolutely kills me.  It’s going to be a whole new ball game, and I guess its impact on this blog is that I’ll no longer have anyone to use as a guinea pig.  I feel like I’m really hitting my stride right about now and I hate how my husband isn’t going to be around for it.  He has been a never-ending source of inspiration, my critic and my cheerleader and I appreciate all of it. 

So, while I think that this would be a great Valentine’s meal for anyone who is wanting to wow, it’s really just for David and it’s my way of showing him that I love him. 

Mixed Green Salad with Oranges and Fried Goat Cheese Medallions

2 cups packed mixed baby greens, washed and dried

2 oranges (satsuma preferred)

5 oz goat cheese, cut into 1/2 inch thick medallions

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup panko

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For dressing

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp grainy mustard

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Supreme the orange by removing the top and bottom (I’m going to demo this with a lemon, but it’s the same process).

With a chef’s knife, remove the skin and pith by following the curve of the fruit.  Let the knife do the work for you (i.e., don’t saw back and forth).

Switch to a pairing knife.  Cut on either side of the pith to remove the fruit.

Repeat all the way around the fruit until the segments have all been removed.  There should not be any white left on the fruit segments.

Once orange has been supremed, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Next, place greens in a large bowl.  Set aside.

For goat cheese medallions

Whisk egg and milk together in a medium-sized bowl.  Pulse panko in a food processor until very finely ground.  Place panko in a different medium-sized bowl.  Place flour in yet another bowl. 

Meanwhile, heat enough vegetable oil to come 3/4 of the way up the goat cheese in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Coat goat cheese in flour, tapping off excess.  Next, place goat cheese in the eggwash mixture and turn to coat.  Remove from eggwash and place in panko crumbs, making sure to coat entire medallion. 

Carefully place in skillet and fry until golden brown (1-2 minutes).  Remove from skillet and place on a wire rack with a paper towel underneath.  Let drain and serve while still warm. 

For dressing

Place balsamic vinegar in a small cup.  Add mustard.  Whisk in oil in a steady stream.  Serve immediately. 

Assemble salad

Add oranges to salad greens.  Toss with dressing.  Lay warm goat cheese medallions on top and serve.

Saffron Risotto (adapted from Risotto by Pamela Sheldon Johns)

3-4 cups chicken/vegetable stock or broth

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup Arborio Rice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 pinches saffron threads

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a saucepan, heat stock over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and maintain over low heat. 

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat oil.  Add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant.  Add rice and stir to coat with oil and until a translucent dot appears in the middle, about 3 minutes.  Add wine and stir until completely absorbed.

Add the hot stock one cup at a time, stirring frequently after each addition and not adding the next until almost completely absorbed.  Reserve 1/4 cup stock and add saffron to it. 

When rice is tender to the bite but still slightly firm and looks creamy (about 20 minutes), add saffron-infused stock.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese and butter.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Filet Mignon with Lemon, Chive and Parsley Butter

2 5 oz filet mignons

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Vegetable oil for brushing

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped chives

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Remove steaks from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.  Season heavily with salt and pepper on both sides.  Cover and set aside. 

To make compound butter, mix butter, herbs and lemon juice until well blended.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

If using a grill pan, brush lightly with oil and heat to medium-high/high (the other option is to pan sear the filets and finish them in the oven).  Lightly brush steaks on both sides with oil, as well.  Place steaks on the hottest portion of the grill pan, presentation side down in the 10 o’clock position.  When protein has loosened, rotate to the 2 o’clock position.  For rare/medium-rare, the steaks will cook for about 2 minutes per side. 

Flip steaks and repeat procedure on the other side.  When cooked to desired temperature (120-130 for rare; 130-140 for medium rare; 140-150 for medium; 150-160 for medium well; 160 + for well done), remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, place atop risotto, top with compound butter and serve immediately. 

Raspberry Cream Pavlovas (Martha Stewart Living, February 2007)

For the Pavlovas

10 oz frozen red raspberries, thawed in bag

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

For the filling

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

For the whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream

Directions

To make pavlovas, place raspberries in a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.  Let drain, reserving 2 1/2 tbsp juice.  Set juice aside. 

Press raspberries through sieve into bowl (should yield 3-4 tbsp puree).  Discard solids and reserve puree for filling.

Put egg whites, sugar and salt into the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pot of simmering water.  Whisk until sugar has dissolved (2-3 minutes).  Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Add reserved raspberry juice.  Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form. 

Preheat oven to 175.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a spoon, form meringues into 3 1/4 inch rounds on baking sheet.  Use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the center of each round.  Bake until centers are set and edges are crisp, 1 1/2-2 hours.  Let cool completely on sheet on wire rack.  Can be baked up to 2 days in advance and kept in a covered airtight container.

To make filling, whisk yolks, 3 tbsp reserved puree and sugar in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. 

Remove from heat, whisk in butter and salt.  Transfer to a small bowl, placing plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

For whipped cream, place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. 

Serve pavlovas topped with curd and whipped cream. 

Budget Bites: Day 7 January 25, 2010

One week in!  Overall, this project has been enlightening.  Some recipes that I thought would be dirt cheap haven’t been, and there have been some that were just the opposite. 

I expected this one to be a bit on the expensive side of my experiment, but it was really economical, coming in just over $5.00.   That’s probably because I had to alter the original recipe. 

The original called for watercress, which I couldn’t find.  The other thing was my stock.  I was so excited because I had all of this chicken left over from the gratineed chicken in cream sauce that I made the other night.  I made stock, like I’ve done a million times, and with an hour left to go, it had all burned on the bottom, so I had to toss the whole lot.  I then decided to just make a vegetable stock, but I didn’t have any carrots left.  To sum up, I just used water.  The soup has enough flavor from the parsnips, apple and sweet potato (or yam, whichever you can find), that it turned out just fine. 

One word, though.  If you have to do what I did and use water instead of stock, you’ll likely end up using more salt.  The soup was initially really sweet, which wasn’t going to fly with me.  This is true for anything, but when cutting your vegetables, make sure that they’re all the same size.  It will ensure even cooking, which is important unless you want to have chewy apple in your soup.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Chowder (adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2007)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 onion, diced to 1/2 inch cubes

3 cups water or chicken/vegetable stock

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 peeled sweet potato or yam, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup parsley, minced

Directions

Melt butter in a large stockpot.  Add parsnips and onion and sweat (cook without browning) for about 5 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add water/stock and apple.   Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.  

Transfer to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, working in batches if necessary.  Return to pot and add sweet potato and nutmeg.  Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until sweet potato is tender.  Stir in cream, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grand Total:  $5.32

Budget Bites: Day 6 January 23, 2010

I hate it when spring teases me.  We had such nice weather early in the week.  It was close to 70, bright, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.  By Wednesday, it was cold, miserable and rainy once again. 

As you’re aware by now, we eat according to the weather and seasons.  If the weather is going to be crappy, then I’m at least going to have some comfort food to console myself. 

I am in love with this recipe.  Very rarely do I eat to the point of being uncomfortable, but I sure did last night.  I kept catching my husband trotting back to the pan to get more, so it’s guy-friendly, too.  This reminded me of dinners spent at cafes in Paris on cold, gray winter nights. 

To take this up one more level, make your own crème fraîche.  It’s incredibly easy to do and it’s so flavorful.  You won’t regret it.  I’ve included a recipe below. 

I bought an entire chicken, which was great, because I only used the legs and thighs and still have the breasts and all of the bones for making stock (which is on right now).  The original recipe called for wine to deglaze the pan and baby peas.  To keep costs down, since we were already treating ourselves to a bottle of merlot, I deglazed with stock instead and omitted the peas.  Who really likes peas, anyway?  Not me.  I also just bought a domestic Gruyere instead of the raw milk imported variety (which would have been wonderful, but it’s not a main component to this dish, so you can get away with the cheap stuff). 

Gratineed Chicken in Cream Sauce (adapted from Gourmet, March 2001)

2 lbs chicken thighs and legs

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 fresh parsley sprigs

2 fresh thyme sprigs

1 Turkish bay leaf

4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch thick slices

1/2 white onion, cut into a 1-inch dice

1 cup chicken stock, divided

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick pieces

2/ 3 cup crème fraîche

1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere

Salt and pepper to taste

1 small square cheesecloth

Directions

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.  Once foam has subsided, add chicken and brown all over, working in batches if necessary, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. 

Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat from pan.

Tie parsley, thyme and bay leaf in cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni.  Add to pan, along with carrots and onions.  Stir to coat with fat.  Add 1/2 cup stock to deglaze skillet and bring to a boil, making sure to scrape up fond (brown bits left in the pan), until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add remainder of stock and chicken, skin side up, along with any juices left on plate, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure fond has not burned.  Add potatoes and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

Discard bouquet garni.  Stir in crème fraîche and salt and pepper to taste, then turn chicken in sauce to coat.  Sprinkle dish all over with Gruyere and broil 4-5 inches away from heat until browned and sauce is bubbling, 3-4 minutes. 

Grand Total:  $7.64

Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp buttermilk

Directions

Heat heavy cream to 100F.  Remove from heat, and pour into a glass bowl.  Stir in buttermilk, cover and give it a good shake.  Place it in a warm corner until thickened, 6-24 hours if not using ultra-pasteurized cream, about 48 hours if ultra-pasteurized cream.  Once thickened refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Budget Bites: Day 5 January 20, 2010

Well, I’ve had a fairly busy weekend and haven’t been in my kitchen since Friday.  My husband and I went out of town Saturday and didn’t get back until Sunday, at which point we realized that we were living in squalor and spent most of Monday cleaning.  It’s tough when you go from a larger home into a smaller one and a) you still have just as much crap as you did before and b) you have to use every square inch of space just because there isn’t much to go around in the first place.  

But on to the food.

I got a Williams-Sonoma gift card for Christmas and I treated myself to a tart pan.  I’ve wanted one for a while, but wasn’t sure if I would get much use out of it.  Since I figured out how to make this little concoction, that won’t be an issue. 

To keep this weeknight-friendly, I prepared the dough and cut the onions a day in advance.  Actually, I cut the onions on Friday and cooked them on Tuesday, so that’s even better.  You could also pre-bake your tart shell a day in advance, to save a little more time.  There’s not much to this recipe, onions, balsamic vinegar, sage, heavy cream, butter and an egg.  Pretty basic, really.  The flavor, however, is rich and decadent, which is surprising for something with only a handful of ingredients. 

I can’t really credit one source with this recipe.  I knew that I wanted to make an onion tart with sage and I pulled bits and pieces from various recipes until I arrived at one that used ingredients that I have on-hand.    I will say that if you type “onion tart” into a search on epicurious.com, you can probably figure out the method to my madness. 

This dish is freakishly cheap to make, so much so that I don’t think you’re going to believe me.  The way that I arrive at these totals is by breaking everything into a price per ounce format, then multiplying that figure by the amount used.  For example, fresh sage is about $1.99, but I only used a small fraction of it, so the cost of the sage for this dish was only $0.10.   This might be the winner for cheap gourmet food, it certainly is thus far. 

So without further adieu, here’s my Frankenstein of an onion tart. 

Onion Tart

For the dough

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water

For the filling

1/2 white onion, julienned (aka, very thinly sliced)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh sage, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until fine crumbs form.  Add the water a little at a time until mixture forms a ball, being careful not to over mix. 

Shape into a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. 

Remove from plastic wrap.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Brush a tart pan with melted butter and fit dough to pan.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of dough and use either pie weights or white rice to hold it down and conform to the shape of the pan.  Bake in the top third of the oven  for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove parchment and weights and continue to bake for 10 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Lower oven to 350.  Melt butter in a sauté pan on medium-high.  Add onions, salt and sugar and cook until onions are light brown and very soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add balsamic vinegar, lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook until onions are almost medium brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in sage and remove from heat.  Place in a glass bowl and set aside.

Combine cream and egg and whisk.  Stir mixture into onion mixture and spread in prepared tart shell.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 15 minutes or until liquid is loose but not runny.

Grand Total:  $2.53

Budget Bites: Day 4 January 15, 2010

Part of what has kept my food costs down during this project has been my ability to use ingredients that I already have on hand.  The other part has been not letting anything go to waste.

Last week, when I made the shrimp and chickpea dish, I saved my shrimp shells and froze them.  I already had celery and onion on hand, so all I needed were leeks (which I got for this recipe) and I could make fish stock.

Since I also bought a four pound butternut squash, and only used a pound of it for the risotto, I had plenty of that left, as well.  I’ve found the squash to be incredibly economical.  For less than I would spend on meat, I’ve gotten six servings with enough to make at least two more.   For those who are on a budget, I strongly recommend that you look into incorporating more of this into your diet.  It’s also packed with vitamins A and C, so there’s even more incentive.

To me, this dish was very similar in taste to the butternut squash galette that I make and I think that it’s just as versatile, too.  If you cut the puff pastry into smaller squares, you could serve these as an appetizer.  As an entrée, I would pair these with a fall or winter-inspired salad.  I prepared half of this recipe and it produced six triangles, so about 3 servings.  The recipe below is the version that I made.

Butternut Squash Turnovers (adapted from Jeremy Sommer’s recipe on Food & Wine Magazine’s website)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 1-inch dice

1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp thyme leaves, no stems

1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen

3 oz fresh goat cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium.  Add the leeks and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Spread the squash on the baking sheet into an even layer and bake for 25 minutes, rotating squash halfway, or until tender and starting to brown. 

Remove from oven and add to mushroom and leek mixture.  Toss gently.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. 

Cut the pastry into 4-inch squares (you should be able to get 6).  Spoon 2 tbsp of squash mixture into each square.   Top with crumbled goat cheese. 

Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with the egg.  Fold the squares over to form a triangle. 

Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.  Brush the tops with the remaining egg. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Grand Total:  $14.39

Budget Bites: Day 3 January 13, 2010

Since my husband has been under the weather, I’ve been looking for good, cold weather food.  Soup is immediately what comes to mind for me.  I started the soup but then had to leave for an eye appointment an hour and a half away, so my husband finished it up for me.  He did a good job, too. 

We made this recipe in class, and I was in love.  Mushrooms + cream…mmmm.  I made the full recipe for us, which served 8, but here, I’ve scaled it down to serve 4. 

A few words of advice, make sure that you really incorporate your roux (clarified fat + flour)and don’t let it stick to the bottom of the pot.  If you do, it will likely burn, and all of that burnt flavor will just get into your otherwise perfect soup.  You have to cook this until the starch is cooked out, which means that you have to let it get hot and simmer for a while.  It’s hard not to stir it, because you don’t want it to burn, but the more you stir it, the longer it will take for the starch to cook out.

Also, if you’re like me, you will have a hard time discerning when the starchy taste is gone.  Starch lays like a wet blanket on your tongue, so if it’s still there when you first taste it, it’s going to be hard to taste anything after that.  Have something acidic on hand, like soda or wine, to sip and that should help.  Failing that, if you taste it and it doesn’t feel round in your mouth anymore (I notice it primarily in the roof of my mouth), then the starch is out.

The cost primarily came from the use of shiitake mushrooms.  If you want to just use food service mushrooms, you won’t have as flavorful of a soup, but it will be a little cheaper to prepare (probably by about $2). 

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Chef Jennifer Gallagher)

1 lb fresh mushrooms, several varieties, cleaned, trimmed and sliced thinly (I used shiitakes and medium-sized food service)

2 oz clarified butter *see directions below

1 bunch green onions, white and pale green parts only, sliced on the bias

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, no stems

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 qt chicken stock, warmed

3/4 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a heavy stockpot and cook the green onion, garlic and thyme, stirring, for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until mushrooms just soften.

Toss in flour and cook, stirring for 1 minutes.

Whisk in warm stock, stirring continuously.

Bring soup to simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and starchy taste is gone.

Whisk in cream, and reheat gently, making sure not to let soup boil.

Season with salt and pepper. 

Clarified Butter

Melt 1 lb butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  The milk solids should sink to the bottom of the pan and turn brown, leaving the butter a golden color.  Strain through a collander lined with cheesecloth.  Discard solids.  Will yield 12 oz clarified butter.

 

Grand Total:  $13.13

Budget Bites: Day 2 January 12, 2010

I altered this dish so much that it’s not even close to the original.  I found the original recipe on epicurious.com.  It called for chicken, which we don’t eat very often.  Furthermore, it called for chicken breasts, which I’ve found to be a colossal waste of money.  At least in my experience, it’s just cheaper to buy a whole chicken and break it down yourself than it is to buy the parts. 

Anyway, I substituted shrimp for the chicken since I found some nice East Coast wild-caught shrimp on sale, but that also meant that I had to alter the rest of the recipe.  The original called for you to roast the chicken and chickpeas in the oven for 20 minutes, which just didn’t seem like it would work with shrimp, so I decided to sauté all of it instead. 

My husband loved this.  It had some kick and, since he has a cold, he was a big fan of anything that would help him breathe. 

Shrimp with Chickpeas, Grape Tomatoes and Cilantro (serves 3)

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas, drained

12 ounces grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp cilantro, minced and divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

Red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Mix paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes and olive oil in a medium-sized bowl.  Pour 1 tsp into a small bowl and set aside.

Combine chickpeas, garlic, tomatoes, and 1 tsp cilantro into the medium bowl.  Toss to coat. 

Place the shrimp in the small bowl and toss to coat. 

In a medium sauté pan, sauté chickpea mixture until tomatoes are cooked through and chickpeas are warm.  Add shrimp and continue to cook until shrimp are in the shape of a “C”, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove from heat, season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice and place in serving dishes.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and lemon slices.

Grand Total:  $8.94

My New Series January 11, 2010

I think that gourmet cooking tends to get a bad reputation.  People hear “gourmet” and they usually think fussy, complicated and too expensive. 

I disagree for many reasons, but the primary one being the expense involved.  I’m a student again.  That means no more income from me.  My husband isn’t exactly making bank, either.  So, financially, we’re pretty tight, especially when you figure in the cost of living is through the roof in our new town (side note:  when does a town stop being “new”?). 

From my little blog, you can see how we eat.  We’re not having steak and lobster every night, but we’re not eating Ramen, either.  I know that times are tough for everyone right now, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat good food.  It just means that you have to be a little more up on your game to do it.   Buying things that are on sale is kind of a no brainer, but it extends to taking a few minutes to plan your menu and pick meals with common ingredients so that you don’t have to buy a million different items.  Pick items that are in season, because a) they’ll be cheaper and b) they’ll be at their peak in terms of flavor.  To keep from having to waste money in replacing produce, don’t buy it until the day before you need it. 

So, in the spirit of proving that gourmet can be done on a budget, I’m unveiling a new series.  I’m calling it “Budget Bites:  31 Days of Gourmet Eating on the Cheap”.  The challenge:  not a single meal can exceed $20.00 for 2-4 servings.

Our first contender is this Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Blue Cheese Risotto.  I thought that this recipe was a really good, cold weather, homey kind of meal.  I made half of the recipe, since it’s just me and my husband, but I’ve calculated the price out for the original.  The reviews said that you would likely get more like 5 or 6 servings from this, so that’s even more bang for your buck. 

I’ve been informed by my mom that butternut squash is an intimidating food, and I agree.  The trick to peeling it is to blanch it first.  To do that, you need a large stock pot.  Boil water, then add your squash and boil for 5 minutes.  You don’t want to cook the squash, you just want to blister the skin so that it separates from the meat and makes it easier to peel.  Once you’ve blanched it, throw it in an ice water bath to stop the cooking.  Then, peel it.  It will also make it much much easier to cut. 

Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Blue Cheese Risotto (Bon Appetit, February 2005) 

Serves 4

7 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion

1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided

2 cups arborio rice (about 13 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Directions

Bring broth to boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to low. 

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add squash and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, toss to coat with butter and continue to cook for 4 minutes. 

Add rice and stir occasionally for 2 minutes.  Add wine and simmer until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add broth to pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until risotto is creamy and rice is tender, about 18-20 minutes.  If needed, add more broth to adjust consistency. 

Stir in cream, spinach and Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with blue cheese and remaining rosemary to serve.

Grand Total:  $19.80 for 5-6 servings