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Big Black Dog: January 2009

January 30, 2009

Chunky Cream of Tomato with Bacon Soup


It is still so cold here, the high today was 7 degrees. Beautiful, bright sunny days are so deceiving because no matter how you dress, the bitter cold wind just cuts through every layer. I usually enjoy winter, I love the solitude and the quiet a new snow brings. With no bugs nor heat to bother us, hiking in the woods with my dogs is so much fun. But this year, it's just too darn cold to do much outside! So I am making body-warming comfort meals and with no warming trend predicted any time soon, it appears as if I will be making them for sometime!

I saw a similar tomato soup being made on one of the Foodnetwork programs and it looked so good. So I whipped up a batch for my own taste and what I had on hand. It was a huge hit and Mr. Tastebuds loved it!

Instead of crackers, I served it with some of my Fennel Seed Breadsticks. The breadsticks were delicious dunked into the chunky tomato goodness.





Chunky Cream of Tomato with Bacon Soup
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

3 pts of my home-canned tomatoes from my garden
2 TBL EVOO
3 garlic cloves, I used fresh Simonetti Garlic
5-6 green onions including stem, chopped into 1/4" pieces
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1-2 TBL dried basil leaves
1 tsp tarragon
2 strips smoked bacon, fried crisp and finely diced
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish with minced fresh parsley

Pour 2 TBL EVOO in a heavy-bottomed, non-aluminum pan on low heat. Add the peeled, whole garlic cloves and saute until the cloves are just golden brown. Remove the garlic to a cutting board and mash the soft garlic with a fork. Turn the burner up to medium and add the minced bacon. Return the mashed garlic to the pan and add the tomatoes, Thyme, Basil, Tarragon and dried tomatoes, stir. Add the chicken broth and heat through. Add the green onions and heavy cream and stir slightly and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with minced parsley. Serve hot.


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January 27, 2009

Whisk Wednesday -- And an end to my fear of fish!


While making this week's Whisk Wednesdays recipe, Truite aux Amandes or Trout Almondine, I tackled my fear of fish! And it was so easy too and very delicious. I will never again be hesitant to prepare fish, well unless I have to filet it but Mr. Tastebuds can do that!

OH MY...the Rainbow Trout was fantastic and the recipe was so easy. Just remove any exterior fins and trim the tail fin. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and saute, 5-7 minutes per side, in butter/EVOO until golden brown. Garnish with toasted almonds, lemon and parsley. And it was perfect! I served it with a huge dish of roasted vegetables. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good the trout was.



Truite aux Amandes
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

6 trout, about 8 ozs each
1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 c. flour
1/2 lb unsalted butter
1 TBL vegetable oil
6 oz sliced almonds
1 TBL chopped parsley
Parsley for garnish



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January 26, 2009

Cranberry Pudd'n Cake


Over the past months I'd tried many new recipes and the Cranberry Pudd'n Cake is one of our new favorites. First I made it with blueberries as the recipe stated, but then I tried it with a mixture of blueberries and black berries and it was better. Next I tried Sweet Cherries and it was delicious! But then for Christmas I made it with fresh cranberries and it was the best ever! I can't wait to try rhubarb!

It is a very moist, almost pudding-like cake, do not over bake this cake!!!




Cranberry Pudd'n Cake
Recipe adapted from All Recipes

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (I used either 1/2 tsp vanilla or 2 TBL dark rum)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (cherries, blackberries, blueberries or any fruit)

Topping:

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (I used 2 c. ricotta)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle of Powdered Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar and butter. Add the egg and flavorings. Next mix in milk, flour and baking powder.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.

Sprinkle blueberries over the batter.

For the topping in a medium bowl, stir together 2 beaten eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and vanilla extract.

Spoon ricotta mixture over the fruit, and spread evenly.

Bake until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Start checking if you cake is done after about 25 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve.



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January 25, 2009

A non-chili Lover's Chili!


I'm not much for Chili but every 3-4 years I enjoy making a big pot full. I was watching the Foodnetwork's Chili Cookoff about 6 years ago and noticed that most of the contestants were very opinionated when it came to what should and should not be included in an authentic chili. Being a non-Chili lover, I noted the outcast ingredients that were mentioned and mixed up a pot of non-Chili. And we really liked it and I've been making it every since!

It's been so cold here, that I've been thinking about Chili for 2 weeks and finally made some last night. OH it was so good.





Non-Chili Lovers Chili
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

1-2 lbs ground chuck, browned (sometimes I sub 1/2 lb ground pork)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1-20 oz can of crushed Italian tomatoes
1-16 oz can of black beans, drained
1-16 oz can of corn, drained
1 small Jalapeno Pepper, chopped very fine
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 TBL chili powder
2 celery stalks, chopped
5-6 green onions, sliced into 1/4" pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Brown the ground chuck and pork if you've subbed some pork. While browning add the minced garlic. Mix in the can of crushed tomatoes, drained black beans and corn. Add the chili powder, minced Jalapeno Pepper and chopped sweet pepper. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. I like some crunch to my food so don't add the chopped celery or onions until about 5 minutes before the chili is done.


I served the Chili with Dorie Greenspan's Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins, which were out-of-this-world fabulous!



Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins
Recipe adapted from "Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup corn kernels (add up to 3 tablespoons more if you’d like)–fresh, frozen or canned (in which case they should be drained and patted dry)
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded, deveined and finely diced
1/4 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined and finely diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

The directions are very easy and to make it short. Just mix the dry ingredients together. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients. Then mix the wet into the dry and add the minced peppers and cilantro. Pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The muffins are best if served warm. But they're not bad the next day for breakfast too!


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January 24, 2009

Whisk Wednesday --- Sole Belle Meuniere



OH MY...this was just a wonderful dinner. Once again Whisk Wednesdays hit the spot. I do love any fish but rarely make it at home. Fish always seemed to me to be too much trouble to cook but really fish is no trouble at all.

Finding the correct variety of fish for a recipe is a huge problem in my area. We have no fish market to speak of, so I am a victim of what's available at the moment and what looks fresh. I did find some sole, but it did not look good to me so opted for some wonderful Orange Roughy fillets.

I served the fish with a side of mixed white and wild rice laced with pinenuts and EVOO and a small, tossed salad with Green Goddess Dressing. It was just yummy!



Sole Belle Meuniere
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

2 lemons
6 whole sole, 1/2 lb each (I substituted Orange Roughy)
4 TBL vegetable oil
15 TBL unsalted butter
12 large mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 c. flour
2 TBL chopped parsley


Here's a picture of the Orange Roughy before I remembered to add the mushrooms!




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January 23, 2009

Whisk Wednesday's----Poulet au Cocotte Grand-Mere



This recipe, Poulet au Cocotte Grand-Mere or Braised Chicken Casserole with Bacon, Mushrooms, Potatoes, and Onion, was from our Whisk Wednesdays lesson 2 weeks ago, although I made the Chicken on Monday, Jan 12th, I never wrote the post. I know....terrible of me but there's been no time. How I wish I could just wave a magic wand and the post would be totally typed, pictures, cropped and uploaded. With the way technology is advancing maybe this kind of magic will be available next year!

But it was an involved recipe and took me about 3 hours to complete...WHOA! But it was very good but honestly I think my method for Roast Chicken is better and it is far easier!!

I do not like pearl onions so substituted small yellow and red onions. The braised onions were delicious!



Poulet au Cocotte Grand-Mere
Recipe adapted from "Le Condon Bleu at Home"

4 1/2 lb chicken
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 sprig of thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1 bay leaf
8 TBL butter
2 TBL vegetable oil
24 pearl onions
2 1/2 waxy potatoes
1 lb. button mushrooms, trimmed and rinsed
10 oz slab bacon
1 TBL chopped parsley





Later in the week, to use up the Roasted Chicken I made a quick Chicken Pot Pie in my new individual baking dishes that Mr. Tastebuds gave me for Christmas. Aren't they cute!





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January 21, 2009

Côtes de Porc Flamande and Whisk Wednesday


This week for my French Cooking Class aka Whisk Wednesdays we made Côtes de Porc Flamande or Baked Pork Chops with Potatoes and Thyme.

Now my family are not big fans of pork chops but with the temperature hovering around zero, some comfort food was in order. And it was very good dinner, very easy and the recipe only used 1 pan. Can you believe it...only 1 pan! The potatoes were delicious but I love roasted potatoes. But the tad of pork flavor just sent the potatoes over the top!

This recipe was a snap to make. Brown the pork chops in a little butter and oil. Slice potatoes 1/8" thick and cover the bottom of a well buttered casserole dish. Then place the browned pork chops on top of the potatoes and then cover the chops with more sliced potatoes. Drizzle with 2-3 TBL melted butter, season with salt, pepper and thyme. Pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes!! Yummy and so simple.



Côtes de Porc Flamande
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu"

6 pork chops, 6-8 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ pound (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds potatoes
Several sprigs fresh thyme

I served the Côtes de Porc Flamande with braised red cabbage, which is one of our favorites.





I'm starting a new category Call-it-Dinner" for very easy recipes, when you just don't have the time or don't feel like cooking. Côtes de Porc Flamande was so easy, it's going to be my first entry for my new category.


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January 9, 2009

Ducking the trend -- Whisk Wednesdays


Well, I did it...I roasted my very first duck and it was delicious! Mr. Tastebuds usually makes Duck a la Orange for New Year's Eve Dinner but I took over this year. And to tell you the truth I like my version of duck better then his! But we did not miss out on his cooking, he made his Duck for Christmas Eve Dinner!

The recipe called for Veal Stock which was a real learning experience and I will never and I mean never make beef stock again. I had some trouble finding veal shank bones and had to settle for veal neck bones but it was worth all the fuss. The Veal Stock was a fabulously scrumptious, full-bodied yet uniquely mellow stock! I am so glad I went to all the trouble of finding the veal bones....so worth it!!!

Shari, our fearless leader of Whisk Wednesdays, did a complete study of beef and veal stocks...well a picture tells it all. She also recommended The French Laundry At Home blog for directions on the Thomas Keller French Method for making veal stock. I love to make stock, so stretching out the process to 2 days was so much fun and the results were just wonderful. I was never impressed with my beef stock, although I always had some on hand. Granted homemade is always better then canned stock but still my beef stock was never what I thought it should be. So leaving my thinly veiled beef stock in the dust and replacing it with perfection, is just fine with me.

This post is supposed to be about this week's assigned recipe, Canard aux Navets (Roast Duck with Glazed Turnips). And don't be confused what looks like potatoes in the picture are actually the Glazed Turnips. My family has never liked turnips but we could have easily eaten 4 times the amount I actually made....just delicious and so easy.



Canard aux Navets (Roast Duck with Glazed Turnips)
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

For the Duck:
2 ducks, 4 to 5 pounds each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2½ cups Brown Veal Stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 carrots, chopped coarse
2 onions, chopped coarse

For the glazed turnips:
3 pounds small white turnips
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Brown Veal Stock

For the Duck Sauce:
½ cup dry white wine
1 Bouquet Garni
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ bunch watercress for garnish



Pseudo Peking Duck:

Since we usually have Duck for New Year's Eve dinner I use the leftover duck as our snacking food on New Year's Day while watching the Bowl Games. Just shred up the duck meat. Next cut some green onions into 4" sticks and then slice, lengthwise again to fine sticks. Serve with flour tortillas and plum sauce for a Make Your Own Pseudo Peking Duck. Place some shredded Duck in the middle of the tortilla, add a few sliced onions and some Plum Sauce. Fold up the torilla and you're all set. BBQ sauce can be substituted for Plum Sauce. Delicious...and so easy!


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