Jan 282013
 

I find that butternut squash is one of those vegetables that you look at and think “what am I going to do with that?”  Of course there are the popular options Butternut Squash Soup or Roasted Butternut Squash. But here is something a little different and absolutely delicious a savory pie. Pies here in the UK are very popular, I have not totally gotten into all of them but they are inspiring to be creative and think outside the box of standard apple pies!

Butternut Squash Pie

Butternut Squash Pie

 

Crust

2 Cups of Flour

4 Tablespoons of Butter

4 Tablespoons of Shortening

1 1/2 Teaspoon of dried Sage

1/2 Teaspoon fo Sugar

1/3 Cup of Cold Water

Mix all of the ingredients together except the water. With fingers bring together until small pieces form the size of oatmeal. Then add the water and quickly blend together. Form dough in ball and wrap in plastic wrap/cling and pat down. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator and place in between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll dough out into 1/4 inch thickness. Remove top piece of parchment paper and flip the dough into  tart or pie shell. I used a 10 inch tart shell. Using baking weights, bake the shell for 20 minutes at 375.

Butternut Squash Filling

Butternut Squash Filling

Filling

1 pound of Butternut squash Cut into matchstick pieces 1/4 of inch by 2 inches

1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg

1/3 Cup of Cream

1/3 Cup of Milk

1 Medium onion Chopped  (sauted in 1 tablespoons of butter for 3-4 minutes)

1 Tablespoons of fresh Sage Chopped

3/4 of Cooked Bacon Pieces

1 Teaspoon of Fresh Thyme

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a bowl beat the egg, milk and cream. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Pour the ingredients into the baked pie shell and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375.  Serve warm. I served this with a simple green salad

 

 

 

Jan 252013
 

Hazelnut Truffles

 

There is something about chocolate that is comforting. As snow descended upon London this past weekend, I got it in my head that it was perfect timing to make Truffles. I also prefer Milk Chocolate and Love Nutella so I thought, why not make Hazelnut Truffles.  This was a perfect activity to do as I watched the snow fall. By North East and Midwest standards this would be considered flurries, here a large storm!  Also, that evening I was able to package them up and bring them as a little hostess gift, rest I gave to Neil to bring to his office.

View of snow from our flat

View of snow from our flat

 

1 Cup of Hazelnut nuts with skins off and roasted for 10 minutes

3/4 Cup of Sugar

1/2 Cup of Water

20 oz of chocolate of Milk Chocolate

1/2 Cup of Cream

4 oz of Butter

14 oz of either Milk Chocoalte, Dark Chocolate, or White Chocolate

In a sauce pan bring sugar and water to a boil until it becomes a light amber color. This will take about 10-12 minutes. On a jellyroll pan spread out hazelnuts over a silpat and pour the melted sugar over the hazelnuts and let set and harden. Once cooled and hardened break off pieces and pulse in a food processor until it breaks up into little crumbs. Set aside.

In a double broiler melt the chocolate, cream, and butter. Once melted and smooth, let cool slightly and then stir in ground hazelnuts. Place in Refrigerator until completely chilled about 2 hours.

 

Forming Truffles

I used a small Ice Cream Scoop and scooped out balls of chocolate hazelnut goodness and placed on a baking sheet with a silpat underneath. (basically I have multiple silpats in every size and USE THEM ALL THE TIME!) I put them in the freezer for about 1 hour to make them easier to work with.

In a double boiler melt 14 oz of Milk Chocolate or Dark or White or a mixture of all Three! (separately!) Once chocolate is smooth and completely melted place a ball of hazelnut goodness in the chocolate and roll around until all covered and place on a baking with a silpat and let the chocolate harden completely!

ENJOY! Happy Friday I hope you have a good weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan 232013
 
40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

 

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

I love when I can throw a group of ingredients into a pot and walk away for an hour + and return to something amazing! The only difficult part is preparing the the garlic and I shouldn’t say difficult more time consuming. The chicken came out perfectly juicy, this is a fantastic weekday meal.

 

Preheat Oven 375

40 Cloves of Garlic skinned and crushed

6 Chicken Thighs with skins

4 Stalks of Celery Chopped in 1/4 inch slices

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped Tarragon

8 sprigs of Flat Leaf Parsley

3 Bay Leaves

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

1 Cup of White Wine

5 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Dutch Oven- Serve with Long Grain Rice, so it can absorb all the fabulous juices of the chicken from roasting.

Heat oil in a dutch oven and add Chicken thighs, skin side down and lightly sear the chicken flip the chicken over and remove from heat. Add the remain ingredients and cover with tin foil (see picture below) Put the lid of the dutch oven on and place in oven for 75-90 minutes. Remove from oven and ready to serve.

 

Tin Foil on Chicken

Jan 222013
 

The name is telling, they serve Champagne and Hot Dogs, can we say AMAZING? Back in the Fall this new restaurant arrived to London.They offer three sides to go with your hot dog: Sweet Potato Fries/Chips, Tater Tots, and Cole Slaw. I was so excited to see tater tots as an option, something I have not seen here and definitely a comfort food! The Champagne list is quite extensive and fun to see boutique growers that I visited, when I was in Champagne country in the fall.

Bubble Dog reminded me of a NYC restaurant called Asia Dog, that has a similar concept of hot dogs with great unique toppings. I went for  more of a classic, a Chili Cheese Dog, my friend went for the Kimchi Dog. Overall it was a fun night. Would I go back? Although, I thought the food was great and I can never go wrong with Champagne , for me it was a one time experience. At the end of the evening I was a little overwhelmed what I paid for a hot dog. I do recommend trying it though but get there early as the line forms when the doors open. They do take reservations for parties of 6 or more.

Bubbledog

70 Charlotte Street

Lunch 1130:-4 Dinner 5:30-11

Jan 212013
 

I am of the mentality Bacon makes everything better. One of the things I love about London are all my choices I have when it comes to bacon. I thought this was also great to give the fish a less fishy flavor. Neil, is just starting to introduce fish into his diet so having it wrapped in bacon was a great way to segue.

Bacon Wrapped Monk Fish

Bacon Wrapped Monk Fish

 

For each individual cut of the monk fish I wrapped two pieces of bacon around. I also had some mini roasted plum tomatoes and placed those on top of the fish before wrapping. Cook the fish in a skillet with a little bit of butter and oil. My Monk fish took about 10 minutes to cook. I served it with Unlce Ben’s Original Recipe and Carrots. This was a very fast meal to put together and would definitely do it again.

Bacon Wrapped Monk Fish  with Uncle Ben's Original

Bacon Wrapped Monk Fish with Uncle Ben’s Original

Jan 192013
 

Now to finish the meal, I made Rice Krispies Treats to bring home to their two children. Neither being American, I thought I could share the joy of one of my favorite childhood treats. I also gave some to an American friend of mine here,  sometimes you can’t go wrong with a childhood classic.

 

Rice Crispy Treat

Rice Crispy Treat

I just used the original recipe from Kellogg’s and added 2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract to the melted marshmallow. I also topped with some sprinkles for a more festive and fun presentation.

Jan 182013
 
Thomas Keller's Plum Tart

Thomas Keller’s Plum Tart

 

Finally dessert, I did not go super healthy, but I thought since I served a fruit tart it could go under a very large umbrella of healthy.  This recipe came Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery cookbook. I love his cookbooks, they are beautiful and so educational in how he explains all of his steps. Each of his books I own truly inspire me when I flip through them from time to time.

Pate Sucree- The Crust

2 1/2 Cups of Flour

1/4 Cup + 21/2 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

1/4 Cup + 3 Tablespoons of Almond Flour

8 oz. of Unsalted Butter

3 1/2 Tablespoons of Eggs or 56 Grams

In a bowl sift the flour, 1/4 Cup + 1Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar and Almond Flour

In a separate bowl, mix the butter with a paddle attachment and cream together till it has the consistency of mayonnaise. Sift the remaining powdered sugar and mix for 1 minute, until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing for 15-30 seconds after each or until combined. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs and mix on low speed until just combined 15-30 seconds.

Transfer dough to surface and work it together. Divide the dough into two equal portions and form a 4×6 inch rectangle, about 3/4 inch . Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm about 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Can be frozen up to 1 month.

Almond Cream 

1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons of Almond Flour

2 1/2 Teaspoons of Flour

2.5 Ounces of Butter

1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons of Eggs

Sift the almond flour and flour in a bowl and whisk together. In a standing mixing mix the butter until the consistency of mayonnaise and sift in powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the almond mixture and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add the eggs and mix on low until smooth. Out cream into a container and place a piece of plastic wrap on the cream to prevent skin form forming. Refrigerate until cook or up to 4 days. Before using bring to room temperature.

Plum Tart

Pre heat Oven 350 F

5 large plums (about 2 inches in diameter) Cut into 1/8 inch wedges

Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out dough to be inserted into and 8 by 3/4 inch tart ring. ( I used a 9 inch tart ring) Once rolled to desired size take top layer of parchment paper off and flip the dough inside the tart ring. Now Thomas Keller says to use a pastry bag to pipe in the almond cream, but I skipped that step and evenly spread it inside the tart shell.  Then arrange the plum wedges on top of the cream. You want it to be very full as the fruit shrinks when baking.

Bake for 45 minute until the crust is well browned. Let cool completely before serving.

To finish- I heated 2 Tablespoons of Plum Jelly until in a liquid state and brushed the top of the tart.

 

 

 

 Posted by at 7:54 am
Jan 172013
 
Whole Roasted Sea Bass

Whole Roasted Sea Bass

Now the main course was going to have to be Fish. Since the trainer’s diet pretty much consists of only eating fish. When I was buying Monk fish earlier in the week, I started talking to a women who was buying whole Sea Bass for a dinner and she sold me on its simplicity. In terms of a main dish, this could not have been any simpler as a main dish.

Selfridges Fish Market

Selfridges Fish Market

Preheat Oven 375

My fish was 1.2 Kilograms.

In a large baking dish, I place 3 fresh springs of Rosemary, 1 and 1/2 Lemons Slices, 1 Cup of mini plum tomatoes cut in half, 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, 5 garlic cloves sliced,  1 red onion slices, and 1 Cup of white Wine. Cut about 3-4 slices on one side of the fish and place on top of all the seasonings. Drizzle with a handsome amount of Olive Oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and done!

 

Whole Sea Bass & Seasonings

Whole Sea Bass & Seasonings

 

Jan 162013
 
Roasted Vegetables and Barley Salad

Roasted Vegetables and Barley Salad

Barley is something I recently, have started cooking a lot with. It is a healthy alternative to add a carb to your meal. Since it was a trainer coming over for dinner, who  pre-holidays put me on a no potato carb free diet, I couldn’t make potatoes to go with the roasted fish as I would have liked. But sometimes having limitations actually provides for more creativity!  This salad is loaded with different flavors and lots of color. So as my Nanna would say “If it is colorful then it is healthy.”  I made it one day in advance and added the cheese before serving.

Roasted Veggies

1 small Eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 Medium sized Carrots cut in half lengthwise and then in 1/2 inch pieces

1 Zucchini quartered lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 Cup of Broccoli Florets

1/4 Cup of Olive, Salt and Pepper

Barley

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Cup of Chopped Scallions

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander

1/4 Teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper

1 1/4 Cup of Barley

1 3/4 Cup of Chicken Broth

Dressing

3 Garlic cloves chopped finely

2 1/2 Tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon of Sugar

Fresh Ingredients

1 Cup of mini plum tomatoes, quartered

1/2 Cup of thinly sliced Red Onion

1/2 Cup of Flat leaf Parsley Chopped

1/4 Cup of Fresh Mint Chopped

3/4 Cup of 1/2 inch cubes of Fresh Mozzarella

 

Preheat the over 425 degrees.

Place the Eggplant, Zucchini, Broccoli and Carrots on a baking sheets, toss with Olive Oil then Salt and Pepper. Roast of 10 minutes and remove and toss veggies followed by another 10 minutes of roasting. Let cool and place in large  salad bowl/ desired serving dish.

In a Sauce pan heat olive oil with scallions and spices- Cayenne, Coriander, and Cumin. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add Barley. Cook for 2 minutes mixing well and add the chicken broth. Cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and remove from heat. Add Barley to the serving dish with the roasted Veggies.

Once cooled add the fresh ingredients.

In a small bowl mix together all of the dressing ingredients and mix together till combined.  Toss over the salad.

Serve at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

Jan 142013
 

This past weekend we were having a couple over for dinner, and the meal had to be heavy on the vegetable and fruit side, as the guest is a Personal Trainer. The first course was Pumpkin Soup and the rest of the dinner will be coming later this week. This Pumpkin Soup, I was inspired to make after a weekend in Paris. It most definitely will become apart of my soup repertoire, such a perfect mixture of different flavors and crunch.

Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro

Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro

1 Can of Pumpkin Puree

1 Yellow Onion Medium in Size Chopped

2 Small Shallots Chopped

4  Cloves of Garlic Chopped

2 Celery Stalks Chopped

3 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

2 Sprigs of fresh Thyme

3/4 Cup of White Wine

1/2 Cup of Milk

1/2 Cup of Cream

2 1/2 Cups of Chicken Stalk

1/3 Cup of Chopped Cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

Zest from 1 Orange

Optional Toasted Hazelnuts (chopped not too finely), Croutons or Roasted Corn

In a medium sized saucepan heat the oil and melt the butter, add the onions, celery, shallots, garlic and thyme. Saute for for 4-5 minutes, then add the white wine followed by the pumpkin puree and mix together. Add the remaining liquids and cook for 15- 20 minutes on low heat. Add the Cilantro and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a blender. (Now I did not put through a strainer after blending, I think it would have been a little nicer had I.  Honestly, I  just didn’t feel like adding that step or cleaning the extra utensils.) Return the  soup to the pan. When ready to serve place a little orange zest on the bottom of each bowl before serving. Optional to add a few chopped hazelnuts. Top the soup with a sprig of cilantro and either roasted corn nuts or buttered croutons (I had corn-nuts and thought it would give it a crunch that I wanted and was happy with the result.)