BB: Caesar Club Sandwich

I have been pretty bad lately about keeping up with my fellow bloggers over at the Barefoot Bloggers site for a few months. Which is really a shame, as they've been picking some really good recipe over there that I know for sure taste a whole lot better than the cereal which is my stand by dinner after a long day at work. So when I saw this one, I was happy because I love caeser salad. At least I love the dressing, which I've found makes a lovely dip for crackers. Putting that together with a chicken sandwich was culinary genius for me.

I kept fairly close to the recipe which is always a bit of a shock, even picking up anchovy paste and sun dried tomatoes. The only exceptions I really made were to use a wrap instead of ciabatta bread and to go with bottled lemon juice versus squeezing my own (I know, someday I will get there. I've heard it's lovely in recipes). Also, I went with boneless chicken breasts since I already had that in the freezer.

Now my dressing was a little runny I thought so I might have been a little off on some of my measurements. But OH MY...this was good. Really good. Makes me wonder what the caterer we use for some events at work is putting in their caeser dressing because this was so much more tastier and zingier and just more of everything. It makes me a convert over to homemade dressings for sure. And the chicken was perfect just as it was..now I'm starting to realize that I may be completely inept when it comes to grilling chicken on my foreman grill but I can do quite a decent job with roasting.

This would be an easy enough recipe for me to put together on a weekday night, assuming I did some prep work in the morning  and had the ingredients on hand. It looks great and tastes wonderful.


Caesar Club Sandwich (Ina Garten)
Inocoupons

• 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 large ciabatta bread
• 2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
• 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

BB: Individual Meat Loaves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've often made meatloaf by cheating a little (using a box of stuffing) but never really from scratch. Mostly because of laziness...much easier just to dump everything in a bowl, mush it up, put it in a loaf pan and be done with it. 5 minutes prep time total at best. So when I started out making this recipe I was slightly curious how it would turn out. 

In a word, yummy. I thought it was one of the juicier, subtly flavored meatloaves I've had in awhile. A little extra ketchup goes a long way with this one. 

I made only a few minor changes to the recipe (unusual for me). I went with ground turkey over beef as it was cheaper at the store and as I'd forgotten to buy fresh thyme, I used dried thyme instead. As my cookie sheets were all in use, I made the loaves in little mini square cake pans and it turned out perfect. Thumbs up all around.

 Ina Garten's Individual Meat Loaves

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

BB: Coconut Cupcakes

For our first February recipe over at the Barefoot Bloggers, we got to make Coconut Cupcakes! So thank you to Jaime over at Jaime's Green Kitchen for picking the recipe. And yes, I know I sound like a gleeful five year old, but coconut is one of those sublime moments in life for me. So I was pretty psyched about this recipe from the get go and it did not disappoint at all. Then again...folks..we're talking coconut. Difficult to not satisfy as long as you like the flavor. Enough said.

I did cut the recipe in half as I was faced with a condundrum. Two days off and a house full of cupcakes was not going to work out well. For my tastebuds, yes. For my weight, not so much. And since 5 eggs is difficult to split in half, I went ahead with 3 without any problems. I also added a splash of coconut milk which considering it was sweetened, made the cupcake just a little on the sweet side so I would probably cut back slightly on the regular sugar next time. I also did not bother with folding the coconut flakes into the batter and settled for just mixing it in with the flower and adding it gradually without any visible problems.

For the frosting, I skipped the extract and butter altogether and went with a lighter frosting made of cream cheese, powdered sugar and lime juice which made the perfect compliment to the cupcakes.

My only mixed feelings about the recipe was really the amount of butter called for in the ingredients. Even though I think butter is a delightful thing, there was a tremendous amount of it with 3 sticks in the cupcake portion of the recipe and another 3 sticks in the frosting.

Definitely recommend the recipe for those who are fans of cononut!

Coconut Cupcakes

1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved

Prep Time:1 hr 0 min 

Inactive Prep Time:30 min

Cook Time:35 min

Level:Intermediate

Serves:18 to 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

BB: Almost (but not quite) Company Pot Roast

I have a confession.

I completely forgot about this challenge which is being hosted this month by Lisa at Lime in the Coconut until after I'd woken up Thanksgiving Day.

So when I came across another members post on it, I sort of panicked because I suddenly remembered that I'd taken the roast out last week to thaw in the fridge with the intention of cooking  last weekend. .

Whoops.


Since this all went down Thanksgiving day, it meant I had to make do with what I had. And hope that the pot roast was still edible and wouldn't give me food poisoning. Granted I need time off from work but I have to draw the line somewhere.So I threw everything (or close to it) in the crockpot, turned in on high, hoped for the best and told myself that  if tasted at all strange out it went. My rationalization at the time, sleep deprived as I was on Thanksgiving day, was that in the 1800's people managed to survive eating meat without refrigeration..So therefore, mine should be okay.

It should be said that the tireder I am, the more illogical my rationalizations become.

Also, considering I'd spent an unprecedented $19.00 on the roast (I've never spent that much on meat in my life) I was not about to let it go to waste if there was any way of salvaging it. So after a quick sniff test to see if I passed out, I figured I'd give it a shot. 

So first things first. Let's talk about the substitutions which is why this is almost but not quite company pot roast.

Since all of this went down on Thanksgiving day and I am the person who tries not to go out on the day of T-Day due to the potential for craziness and crazy folks at the store, I had to go looking around the kitchen to see what I actually had and make substitutions as needed.

Lots of substitutions.

Well, maybe not a lot. But I didn't have celery so I substituted celery salt figuring it was close enough (dangerous words for me in the kitchen). And I didn't have leeks, so I had to omit that altogether. Scratch the home made chicken stock as I had some packaged stuff at home. Omit the chicken bouillon cube as I don't usually have that (make that never) in the house. And omit the tied part of the pot roast as I didn't have any kind of twine at home.Also, no fresh thyme or rosemary so I used dried spices sprinkled in the sauce mixture instead.

Actually come to think of it, I think I intended to put dried spices in but forgot about it. And just to be on the safe side, I threw in a large squirt of chili sauce to give it some kick.

What was the most amazing (to me at least) was how good this made the carrots taste good. I have never been a carrot girl. Apart from carrot cake, I don't eat carrots. I eat around them in every recipe. So this is nothing short of a culinary miracle for me if it can get me to voluntarily eat carrots.

I do feel sorry for Mr. Data right now as the smell of this make him yodel for food and I could not give him any due to the onions in the recipe. Right now he's sulking while I sit typing with a full tummy.

I'll have to figure out a way to make this up to him as this was a really good pot roast.

Now what was really great was having the next day off after making this  and catching an episode of Ina's TV show on food network where she happened to cook the company pot roast so I could watch it and learn from some of my mistakes and short cuts. Definitely need to make this again.

Company Pot Roast - Ina Garten "Back to Basics"

nocoupons

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
• 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
• 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 branches fresh thyme
• 2 branches fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

BB: Blue Cheese Souffle

Today's recipe challenge came  from the Barefoot Bloggers . Now this one was leaving me a little worried as it involved egg whites and I have never for some reason quite grasped the concept of properly folding things into batter. I either underfold or way overfold. No happy mediums. Never mind the fact that I have never actually worked with egg whites that involved whipping in general. So I was downright giddy when I saw them actually start to pull together and form peaks...I couldn't have been happier had I scaled Mount Everest armed with nothing more the whisk from my kitchenaid mixer.

It was a little easier for me as I had prepped all the ingredients the night before, putting them into their own little bowls and arranging it all on a platter in the fridge so all I would have to do last night was pull it out and bring it to room temperature. Which did not actually happen quite that conveniently as I worked later and started making the recipe with everything chilled because I didn't want to be eating at at 10:00.

I'm still not entirely sure if I folded the whites in correctly as the top of my souffle didn't look like the pictures I saw from the book. But the very fact that it puffed at all leaves me all relieved that I must have done something right.

End result. I thought it was good but not great. But then, I'm not sure that I'm a savory souffle kind of girl. I had made a chocolate souffle some weeks back with a meetup baking group that I had really liked but this just didn't do it for me. I loved the taste of it but  I think the cheese flavors would taste better for me at least in a omlette or frittata maybe. For all the work it involved putting the souffle together, the result wasn't doing it for me.

But the most important thing is..I think i may be over my fear of egg whites, a good thing too as I have a challenge that involves cookies and whipped egg whites coming up soon.


Blue Cheese Souffle

Copyright, 2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 30 min Level:
2 to 3 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch salt
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar



Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

BB Cheddar Corn Chowder

I should start out by saying I've never made homemade soup or chowder before. I've thought about it. I even bought a discount soup book at Borders a month or so back. That's as far as it went. But having recently signed up to be a part of the Barefoot Bloggers group, wouldn't you know the first recipe was soup.

So I wrote up my grocery list, picked up the items, substituting gold potatoes for white potatoes as they were on sale and commenced chopping and grating. Which seemed to go on forever, especially with the onions and grating the cheese. Seriously. There I was grating and grating and slicing and dicing and thinking "Aren't we done yet?"

Although Mr.Data, Kitty Extraordinaire, thought he was in heaven with all that cheese and very upset with me as I would not give him any.

Fortunately for me, Ina's directions were very clear which helped a lot as she gave very specific timeframes for cooking. And I now know what it means by onions turning translucent. Sad, I know. Also, I've learned that if I make the soup again to make even more bacon as once I set it aside for later garnishing found myself grazing on it while checking on the chowder.

I wasn't sure about the end result as first as I wasn't really sure what chowder was supposed to look like...I guess I had been expecting more of a potato soup, thicker but despite that it was delicious. I would definitely make this again. I did find too that the flavor seemed to intensify a little a few days after the soup was made.


So, now that I am over my fear of soups, maybe it's time to overcome my fear of working with egg whites?


Cheddar Corn Chowder
Ina Garten via Food Network

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.