Let Them Eat Cupcakes

Cambridge’s Bastille Day celebration proved to have better food than the typical street festival. At this event - hot dogs, cotton candy and fried dough were replaced with Crème Brûlée, Macaroons, Paninis and pastries - served up by local french bistros and cafés. Although Holyoke Street would have by no means passed for the Champs-Élysées, its lively music and great food visibly made many local Parisans proud.
Sweet – Improper Bostonian’s 2009 winner of the Boston’s Best Cupcakes sold creamy Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Dark Chocolate cupcakes topped with butter cream frosting and decorated on-theme with red, white and blue sprinkles. Chez Henri took street food to the next level, with their version of vanilla bean Crème Brûlée - with sugar crusts being burnt to order. The dessert was the perfect combination of rich and creamy, with a thin and crunchy crust.

French or not - Bastille Day (July 14) is the perfect excuse to make your own Crème Brûlée. I am posting a copy of my favorite recipe to make at home. This recipe replaces the typical vanilla bean with fresh ginger, and is paired with a warm fruit compote. Bon appetit!!

Alfred Portale’s Ginger Crème Brûlée with Warm Plum and Raspberry Compote

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
4 6-ounce ramekins

Position a rack in the center of the over and preheat to 325 F. Place the ramekins in a large baking pan. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and ginger to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually whisk in the cream. Strain through a wire sieve into a bowl, and discard the ginger. Place the baking dish with the ramekins in the oven, and carefully ladle or pour the mixture into the ramekins. Using a teaspoon, skim off any foam on the surface of the custards.

Pour enough hot water into the baking pan to come ½ inch up the side of the ramekins. Bake until the custard sets firm (the centers will be slightly loose), 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the water bath and cool completely. Cover each Ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Warm Plum and Raspberry Compote

2 tablespoons butter
3 ripe dark-skinned black plums, pitted and cut into sixths
2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of the plums
¼ cup fresh orange juice
½ pint fresh raspberries

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the plums and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the plums begin to release their juices, 3-4 minutes. Add the orange juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the orange juice is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in the raspberries.

To serve:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Position a broiler rack about 6 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler. Rub the brown sugar through a wire sieve to cover each custard with a dusting of sugar. Put the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil, watching carefully to avoid scorching, until the brown sugar has caramelized, 1-2 minutes. On a large plate, place a Crème Brûlée and a small dish of the compote.

A Berry Merry Birthday

In my culinary mind, a 'momentous birthday' deserves more than the typical layer cake. With Mitti - the birthday girl in-mind, I decided to go to a recipe from Gourmet magazine that combines summer’s ripe berries, zesty candied ginger and puff pastry. The combination is fresh, sweet and a little spicy…hmmm…the birthday girl 'to a T'!

NOTE: This patriotic-looking summer dessert would also be a great treat for the 4th of July.

Charlestown Culinary's Berry Tart with Ginger Lemon Cream (Based on recipe from Gourmet)

1 large egg yolk
2 (17 1/4-oz) packages frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
8 ounces neufchâtel cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped finely

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jelly

1 pint strawberries, halved
1 pint blueberries

1/2 pint red raspberries

Whisk egg yolk in a small bowl with a fork. Cover a chilled cookie sheet with parchment paper. Unfold the pastry dough, covering the cookie sheet. Prick the entire surface evenly with a fork. With the remaining dough, cut 1-inch-wide strips and place them along the border of the pastry (border should be two layers thick). Chill dough in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove dough from freezer. Make 1/4-inch-long vertical cuts through double layers of edge about 1/2 inch apart (to help sides rise evenly).

Bake dough in an oven at 450° until puffed and deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Allow pastry to cool completely. In the meantime, blend the neufchâtel cheese, vanilla, zest and sugar in a food processor until smooth. Add ginger and pulse until finely chopped and mixture is combined well.

In a small bowl, microwave jelly with water for 60 seconds. Toss strawberries and blueberries in mixture. On the cooled pastry, spread the ginger cream. On the cream, arrange the berries in a decorative pattern. Serve within 3 hours.

Summer, Summer, Summertime

'Time to sit back and unwind...'

I don't think Will Smith had a dreary and drizzling 60 degree day in mind when he wrote that song. But weather be damned, Mr. Charlestown Culinary and I were not going to be deterred. Despite the lack of sun, sand and waves – we blasted some tunes (alas no Will though) and fired up the grill for our first official summer meal.

For our dinner, we kept the meal simple - grilled vegetables, corn on the cob and steaks. For the meal I relied on my favorite trio of olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grilled Peppers, Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Onions

Grilled Corn

Charlestown Culinary's Grilled Corn
4 ears of corn, husked
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the corn and cover. Turn heat down to medium and steam for about 5 minutes.

Remove corn from heat, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place corn on the grill, over medium heat, turning frequently until evenly charred.

NOTE: If you do not turn the corn every minute or so, you will end up with popcorn.

Grilled Filet Mignon Steaks

‘…There’s an air of love and of happiness
And this is the Fresh Prince’s new definition of summer madness.’

Feeling Crabby?

I WAS. The weather was reminiscent of a late fall day – rainy and chilly. My latest golf game was miserable (‘I spent more time on the sand than David Hasselhoff’), the living room was waiting to be vacuumed and I had a big pile of shirts waiting to be ironed.

Fortunately for me AND Mr. Charlestown Culinary, there was a cure. And of course this cure involved food! With three key ingredients - golden ripe champagne mangoes, a tub of fresh crab meat and a mint bush growing on the fire escape – I was able to turn my blues around with a vibrant dinner of ginger crab cakes with a mango mojito salad. Now if only I could figure out a recipe to improve my golf game...

Charlestown Culinary’s Mango Mojito Salad

2 ripe champagne mangoes, diced
½ lime, juiced
¼ cup red onion, diced
¼ cup cucumber, diced
10 mint leaves, shredded
Red pepper flakes
Sea salt

In a large bowl, combine mangoes, lime juice, red onion, cucumber and mint leaves. Stir well. Add red peppers flakes and salt, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature at least one hour before serving.

HINT: Check out this link, for great instructions on how to dice a mango.

Charlestown Culinary’s Ginger Crab Cakes

8 ounces cooked crab meat (for best results DO NOT use canned)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1/3 cup panko crumbs
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ lime, juiced
½ teaspoon lime zest
Chipotle Tabasco sauce, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine crab, ginger, panko, mayonnaise, lime juice and lime zest. Mix gently. Add remaining ingredients to taste and mix gently. Dived crab mixture into four equal portions. Using a ramekin or round cookie cutter, form crab mixture into round cakes, and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until crab cakes are golden brown, about 25 minutes. For best results, flip over crab cakes halfway through cooking.

The Secret Ingredient is PEPPERS

It’s been over a week since the last time Mr. Charlestown Culinary and I stepped foot into a grocery store, and our refrigerator showed it. Its highlights included 4 different kinds of salsa, a bag of carrots, 2 green peppers, a couple stalks of celery and various other vegetables leftovers. In an impromptu Iron Chef moment, I decided to make couscous and vegetable stuffed peppers. I served these with a warm loaf of French bread and salad.

Charlestown Culinary's Couscous Stuffed Peppers

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 large bell peppers, top cut off and diced, membrane removed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
½ yellow squash, diced
½ onion, diced
Fresh thyme
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chipotle Tabasco sauce, to taste

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add couscous and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups of water and cover. Once water boils, turn heat to low and cook until completely dissolved. Scoop couscous into a large bowl and set aside. Rinse the same pot and add about 2 inches of water. Place whole peppers in pot, cover and steam for about 7 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and saute for about 10 seconds. Add remaining vegetables and saute until soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add vegetables and cheese to couscous. Add salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste. Fill the drained peppers with the couscous mixture and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Rascally Rabbit

Unfortunately, the Easter Bunny did not visit Mr. Charlestown Culinary and I on Sunday morning. SO-- we tried to lure him to our home with a dinner menu that we thought no bunny could resist:

• Golden Beet Salad
• Carrot Risotto
• Lemon Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms
• Hazelnut Lemon Meringue Tart

All dishes were made from scratch with my own recipes. But-none-the-less, that chocolate-carrying bunny was a no-show. If he only knew what he missed... Charlestown Culinary’s Golden Beet Salad

8 small golden beets, remove and reserve greens
1 orange
¼ shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chives
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Rinse and dry beets. In bunches of 4, wrap beets in foil. Roast in 425°F oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and segment 1 orange, squeezing excess juice into a bowl. To the orange juice add the shallots, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, chives, salt and pepper. Removed roasted beets from oven, cool, peel and quarter. Toss beets with orange segments and vinaigrette. Plate on beet leaves. Charlestown Culinary’s Carrot Risotto

3 cups carrots, peeled and diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ shallot, finely chopped
½ onion, diced
1 ¼ cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups chicken stock
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

In a 10 inch sauté pan add chopped carrots and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add water until carrots are just covered. Cook until all water is reduced and carrots start to caramelize, remove from heat. In a blender, puree 1 cup of carrots with ½ cup hot water. Set remaining carrots aside. In the meantime, bring chicken stock to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

In the same pan used for the carrots, heat the remaining olive oil and sauté shallots and onions until soft. Add rice and stir until translucent. Add wine and stir until evaporated. Add carrot puree and 1 cup of stock. Stir until evaporated. Repeat process, stirring a cup of stock at a time. Towards the end of cooking, add the caramelized carrots, salt and pepper. Garnish with the chives.
Charlestown Culinary’s Lemon Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms

4 chicken drumsticks
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup vermouth
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, halved
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon corn starch
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Combine first 3 ingredients and marinade for at least 4 hours. Combine chicken and marinade with mushrooms, and bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully pour the lemon, mushroom sauce into a pan over medium heat. Turn oven up to 450°F and continue baking chicken until skin is crispy. Meanwhile, add chicken stock and corn starch to sauce and whisk until smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with the chives.
Charlestown Culinary’s Hazelnut Lemon Meringue Tart

½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, peeled and finely ground
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch
¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup cold water
4 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar

For the crust, combine the ground hazelnuts, flour, brown sugar, olive oil, salt and water. Press into a deep 8 inch tart plan. Bake tart crust in a 425°F oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove crust and cool.

For the lemon filling, over medium heat, combine sugar, corn starch, lemon juice and water. Whisk in yolks, 1 at a time. Continue whisking until lemon mixture comes to boil. Pour thickened lemon mixture into the cooled tart crust.

For meringue topping, beat egg white with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and continue beating until shiny, stiff peaks form. Cover lemon mixture with meringue topping. Bake tart crust in a 325°F until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

...make lemon chicken.

As described in my post The Boston Dollar Menu, a trip to Haymarket on Saturday yielded a bounty of lemons and sweet peppers for under $4. These ingredients were used to liven up a comfort meal of roasted chicken and rigatoni. Charlestown Culinary's recipe for Lemon Roasted Chicken

3 split chicken breasts (with bones and skin)
6 lemons (4 juiced, 2 thinly sliced)
Sea salt
Pepper

Marinade the split chicken breasts in the juice of 4 lemons for at least 4 hours. After patting dry with a paper towel, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Layer the lemon slices on a roasting rack and place chicken on rack, skin-side up. Roast chicken in oven at 425°F for about 40 minutes.
I served the chicken over rigatoni that I tossed with a mixture of roasted peppers, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.

Iron Chef Charlestown

Disappointed with the quality of produce at the local grocery store, Mr. Charlestown Culinary and I decided to try Boston Organics, a Charlestown company that specializes in weekly deliveries of organic fruits and vegetables to your door. The concept of the company is simple: pick the size of your delivery, select the ratio of fruit to vegetables you want, pay the fee, wait for your box to arrive, then determine how you are going to use your produce bounty.

One of the items we received in our first delivery was an eggplant. Lacking some of the key ingredients for caponata, my favorite eggplant dish (the challenge of this method of shopping), I decided to make rolled eggplant. NOTE: For this recipe, I made my own tomato sauce, although jarred sauce would work as well.
Charlestown Culinary's recipe for Rolled Eggplant

1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups tomato sauce
Parmesan cheese

Salt eggplant slices and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse slices under cold water and dry with a paper towel. Brush slices with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through. While cooking, mix the cheese, egg and spices in a bowl.

In a baking dish, spread one cup of tomato sauce. Spoon a generous amount of cheese onto the eggplant slices and roll up. Place rolls a dish and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Finish with Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

MEAT me in St. Louis

Other than braising short ribs, I admit I was always scared of making ribs at home. From the way I saw it, I had three strikes against me:

Strike 1: I do not own a smoker (Trade-off for living in the city with no back yard)
Strike 2: I do not own a grill (See above trade-off)
Strike 3: Raised in Massachusetts, I am a card-carrying Yankee (Not to be confused of course with a NY Yankees fan!)

In the grocery store on Saturday I saw hickory smoking bags that were meant for the oven. Right next to them was a case with thick St. Louis style ribs. It was enough to give me a confidence boost. I started thinking - maybe a Charlestown Yankee can make ribs??? Fortunately, Mr. Charlestown Culinary, who thinks with his stomach, was quick to add the extra encouragement I needed.
I started my ribs adventure by trimming off the excess fat and pulling the membrane off of the backside of the ribs. Thanks to some hints from youtube, this was fairly simple. I then rubbed the ribs with a dry rub that I made out of a combination of sea salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, celery seed, paprika, onion powder and brown sugar.

After bringing the ribs to room temperature, I placed them in the smoking bag and closed it tightly. I put the bag on a baking sheet in a 450°F oven for 15 minutes. I then turned the oven down to 200°F and cooked the ribs for an additional 4 hours.
As a dinner insurance policy, while the ribs were slow-cooking, I mixed up my recipes for buttermilk cornbread and mashed potatoes. Both are favorites of Mr. Charlestown Culinary, and could have easily been turned into his full meal (in case the ribs didn't turn out edible). Once the cornbread was done baking, I basted the ribs in a chipotle pepper honey sauce that I made earlier in the day. I then finished the ribs under the broiler for 6 minutes per side. The results? The ribs were so tender, the meat fell off the bone. They had a subtle smokiness from the hickory, spiciness from the rub and sweetness from the sauce. To quote Mr. Charlestown Culinary, 'These are the best ribs I have ever had'.

Famous Trios

Rice Krispies could never be without Snap, Crackle and Pop. Likewise for nursery rhymes and the Three Blind Mice, Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gees, Christopher Columbus and his three ships, AND Charlestown Culinary and olive oil, salt and pepper. Thursday night, these three ingredients were front and center to a meal of green beans, roasted potatoes and chicken.
The green beans were blanched for 5 minutes in salted boiling water before serving.
The potatoes were par-boiled for 15 minutes, then tossed with peeled petit onions, olive olive, salt and pepper. They were then roasted in the oven for 45 minutes at 450°F until crispy on the outside and tender in the inside.
The chicken was coated in olive oil and then generously seasoned with salt and pepper, then roasted in the oven at 450°F for an hour. The result was tender chicken with a crispy skin.

The Luck of the Irish Soda Bread

If you followed Charlestown Culinary back in January, you may remember my post We All Make Mistakes. In this post, I recounted my disastrous attempt at making oatmeal bread. I am not sure if it was because my second homemade bread attempt was yeast-free, or if it was because it was Irish Soda Bread. Whatever the reason, this bread came out wonderful and was completely gone only hours after baking. Traditional soda bread is plain, however I chose to use a recipe that called for the addition of raisins and a little bit of sugar. Hints: The recipe I used, from epicurious.com, called for white flour, but I chose to substitute whole wheat flour. The other change I made that I would recommend, was to use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter in the dough. Using this little tool made mixing the cold butter with the flour mixture very easy.

Bon Appétit's Recipe for Irish Soda Bread with Raisins:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins. Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.

Twice-Baked

Every week Mr. Charlestown Culinary and his friends go to a bar in Somerville for trivia night. A few months back, in the category of 'Food', they were asked 'What Italian dessert translates to twice-baked?'. Unfortunately, he was not channeling his wife that night and was unable to answer the question correctly. The answer, as he now knows, was 'Biscotti'.
In one of my first blog posts, I posted my recipe for Pistachio-Cranberry Biscotti. This time, I chose to follow a recipe from Bon Appétit. Although I love my recipe, I could not resist trying the combination of chocolate with hazelnuts and candied ginger.

Hints: To prevent crumbling while slicing, make sure to let the 'logs' cool completely and use a sharpened chef's knife instead of a serrated one. To make these breakfast friendly, I chose to cut back slightly on the sugar and omit the white chocolate drizzle. Also, to bring out the nuttiness of the Biscotti, I also added a teaspoon of almond extract.
Bon Appétit's Recipe for Chocolate, Hazelnut and Ginger Biscotti

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker’s), chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Add 3 eggs and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and crystallized ginger (dough will be firm). Turn dough out onto floured surface. Gather into ball. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 12-inch-long log. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart. Flatten each to 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Whisk remaining egg in small bowl to blend. Brush logs with some of beaten egg.

Bake logs until golden and firm to touch, about 35 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut logs crosswise into scant 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place slices, cut side down, on large baking sheets. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer Biscotti to racks and cool completely.

Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Place Biscotti on rack set over baking sheet. Using spoon, drizzle melted white chocolate decoratively in zigzag pattern over Biscotti. Let stand until chocolate is firm. (Can be prepared ahead. Store Biscotti in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 1 month.)

Course 3: Coq au Vin

Prior to Saturday night, the best Coq au Vin I have ever eaten was while wine-tasting in France with my friend Marije. We had the Coq au Vin for dinner the first night of our week-long trip at a little inn in Beaujolais. I remember the dish as being extremely tender, rich and flavorful.

Although made with chicken, versus the traditional rooster, I believe Saturday night's entree, as part of the 'Wine Scavenger Hunt', rivalled the dish I had 3 years ago in France. The dish was based on a a recipe from epicurious.com, and was served with a fruity and spicy Haut-Medoc that was paired by the 'Passionate Salter'.

Charlestown Culinary's Recipe for Coq au Vin, adapted from Epicurious.com:

Chicken Marinade:
1 750-ml bottle French Burgundy or California Pinot Noir
1 large onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, peeled, diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled, flattened
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 chicken thighs, 4 drumsticks

Combine wine, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and peppercorns in large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Cool completely. Place chicken pieces in large glass bowl. Pour wine mixture over chicken; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days, turning chicken occasionally. For cooking chicken:Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces from marinade to paper towels to drain; pat dry. Strain marinade; reserve vegetables and liquid separately.

To Finish the Coq au Vin:

6 ounces thick-cut bacon slices, diced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large shallots, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 large fresh parsley sprigs
2 small bay leaves
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 pound baby bella mushrooms sliced in half
10 cipolline onions, peeled
Chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in heavy large pot (wide enough to hold chicken in single layer) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Add chicken, skin side down, to drippings in pot. Sauté until brown, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to large bowl. Add vegetables reserved from marinade to pot. Sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved marinade liquid. Bring to boil, whisking frequently. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 2 minutes. Mix in shallots, garlic, herb sprigs, and bay leaves, then broth. Return chicken to pot, arranging skin side up in single layer. Bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer chicken 30 minutes, skimming off fat as the chicken cooks. Using tongs, turn chicken over. Cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cooking until nicely browned. Transfer onions to bowl. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add mushrooms and half of bacon, sauté about 8 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate. Strain sauce from pot into reserved skillet, pressing on solids in strainer to extract all sauce; discard solids. Bring sauce to simmer, scraping up browned bits. Return sauce to pot and add salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to sauce. Cool slightly. When ready to serve, skim off fat. Add onions and bacon mushrooms and rewarm over low heat.

Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin served with Blanched Asparagus and Roasted Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

Course 2: Orange Fennel Salad

As previewed in Sunday's blog entry, the second course of the 'Wine Scavenger Hunt' was a salad course that was paired with wine brought by the 'Zumba Yogi'.

The salad was a combination of Moto blood oranges with endive, fennel and mint. This was dressed with a blood orange vinaigrette.

Charlestown Culinary's Recipe for Blood Orange Vinaigrette:

Juice from one blood orange
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ground coriander
Pinch salt
Fresh ground pepper

Mix well and serve with salad.

Sliced Fennel

Blood Orange Salad

With this course, we enjoyed a pinot noir paired by the 'Zumba Yogi'. The Pedroncelli Pinot Noir, from California's Russian River Valley was velvety and bright, with hints of berry.

Happy Valentines Day

For Valentines Day I made Mr. Charlestown Culinary carrot cupcakes. In my mind - nothing says 'I love you', like making someone their favorite food.

For the mini carrot cakes, I followed a recipe from Martha Stewart. With a few additions (extra carrots, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon and raisins), the results were spicy, moist and delicious.

Even better, I left half the cakes unfrosted and we enjoyed them for breakfast this morning.

Ebel-sk-what?

A trip to Williams-Sonoma last weekend led to a new chef's knife and an Ebelskiver Pan. The knife was for me - the pan was for my husband. Mr. Charlestown Culinary had just finished watching a special on the Food Network that featured the Danish stuffed pancakes and couldn't wait to have his own.

I followed the batter recipe that came with the pan. For the filling I used mashed bananas, chopped macadamia nuts and chocolate chips. Finished with powdered sugar and syrup, these stuffed pancakes were decadent and delicious.

Williams-Sonoma's Recipe for Ebelskiver Batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, light beat the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter.

Directions for Cooking Ebelskivers:

Put 1/4 teaspoon butter in each well of the pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter into each well. Put 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each pancake then top with 1 tablespoon of batter. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the pancake starts to bubble. Using wooden skewers or chopsticks, flip the pancakes over and cook for an additional 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining batter and filling. Makes about 40.

BEEF, It's What's for Dinner

In the 2009 food trend survey I did in January, braising placed second (More about the winner in a future post). Last night I jumped on the braising trend with beef chuck, mushrooms and squash.
Emily's Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Squash:

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut in large cubes
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onion
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup brandy or whiskey (I used Makers Mark)
4 sprigs fresh parsley, stems separated from leaves, don't discard stems
2 bay leaves (not California)
2 cups beef stock
2 cups red wine
2/3 butternut squash, peeled and cut in large cubes
1 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced

Preheat oven to 250° F. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Brown in over medium-high heat in vegetable oil and half of butter. Set aside. In same pan add celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Sauté until tender. Add brandy and cook until absorbed. Add parley stems, bay leaves, beef stock and wine. Cook until liquid is reduced by half then season to taste. Strain liquid. In a separate pan, melt remaining butter. Add mushrooms and saute until tender.

In a braising pot, layer squash with browned beef and mushrooms. Add strained liquid. Cover pot and braise in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until meat and squash are tender. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped parsley. (I served this over a risotto that I made with the remaining 2/3 of butternut squash.)

Friday Night Frittata

Roasted sweet potatoes, vegetable frittata and warm rolls. Our Friday night meal was delicious, although reflective of a need to use up vegetables before they went bad.
Emily's Recipe for Vegetable Frittata:

6 large eggs
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
Parsley, chopped

Preheat broiler. In a bowl, whisk 6 eggs and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add onions and peppers, sauté until tender. Add spinach, stir until wilted. Salt and pepper vegetables to taste. Fold egg mixture into vegetables. Cook until almost set. Broil until frittata is puffed. Garnish with chopped parsley. Cut into wedges and serve.