Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Steaks with Steamed Asparagus

This was a recipe I made once before but wanted to try it again to see if the kids would enjoy it and I wanted to try on the grill.  It's an easy recipe requiring only 4 ingredients: thin flat steaks, roasted red pepers (in a jar), mozarella cheese and fresh basil.  You put the ingredients on the steak, roll it up and thread on skewers.  You can grill them or pan fry them or I guess even bake them (without the skewers).  Grilling tastes best but is most challenging to keep the ingredients sealed in the steaks. 
The only fresh mozarella I could find were little balls and they made this even more challenging. I recommend slices if you can find it fresh or even grated in a package would've been better and easier.  But I managed and they turned out very nice.  When cooking stuffed meats remember it takes longer to cook and you can easily overcook the outside with the interior still being raw so sear them and then keep them on low heat on the grill to finish cooking the inside.  The asparagus was from a steamer bag which I think was a perfect compliment to the steaks.  Of course being frozen they'll be mushier then fresh and a nice balsamic glaze would've been perfect with them. I'll try that next time. 

SIFE Lunch

When word got around that I was taking culinary classes, those who also liked to cook came up with the idea of cooking up a meal for the SIFE Staff (where I work).  We decided on Mexican and planned the menu to feed about 40 people.  We made everything from chicken tortilla soup, a taco bar with chicken and beef, baked chimichangas, cheese enchiladas and all the fixins including guacamole, mango salsa, sour cream and lots of cheese.  Oh and there was dessert too - flourless chocolate lime cake with Margarita whipped cream and Liz made her famous carrot cake.There were 3 of us who primarily did the cooking - me, Bruce & Kirk.  Then we had help from a few sous chefs and lots of people to help clean up afterward.  Between all the planning, many trips to the food store, the prep and cleaning it was a lot of work but well worth it as it turned out to be a great experience for all - those who cooked and of course those who ate.  We were asked to do this again with another cuisine and I'm sure in due time we probably will. 

Here's some pics of our buffet line with all our homemade food.

New Recipe

Coq au Vin Blanc

Recipe from: Rachel Ray Magazine

Taste Rating: 9 out of 10

Execution Rating: 8
Learned: The flavor of Pinot Grigio instead of Moscato
as my white cooking wine

So from the thighs and breasts of the chicken I cut up I decided to make Coq au Vin (Chicken with White Wine).  I have three different recipes for this dish - one that is very amateurish and turns out more to be more like country smothered chicken, one that is a little more advanced using white wine and one that is from my simple french cook book and uses red wine.  I decided to go with the white wine version.  I didn't take pictures along the way so I am providing the recipe for this one to help explain the process and to share a very good recipe with you that is worth trying.

3 Tbsp EVOO                                                                            4 sprigs of thyme

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 2” pieces                     2 cups chicken broth

1 lb bones chicken thighs, cut into 2”pieces                           2 cups dry white wine

2 Tbsp flour, plus more for dredging                                        ½ cup heavy cream

4 slices of bacon, chopped                                                       8 slices of break

1 lb of frozen pearl onions (about 2 cups)                               2 garlic cloves

  *(I used sliced onions)                                                           Butter for spreading

1 bay leaf                                                                                  Parsley for garnish

Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO, in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt & pepper, dredge in flour & add to the pan in single layer; do not crowd the meat.  Cook the chicken until browned about 4-5 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is working, heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over med-high heat with the remaining EVOO. When the oil is hot, add the bacon & cook until crisp, about 5 mins.  Remove the bacon with slotted spoon & drain on paper towels.  Pour off a little bacon fat, leaving a thin layer in dutch oven.  Add the onions, thyme (whole sprigs), mushrooms & bay leaf.  Cook until onions have a little color and mushrooms are tender, 7-8 mins.  Add 2 tbsp flour to dutch oven and cook for 2 mins.  Deglaze with chicken broth and cook for 5 mins.

Over high heat add the wine to the cooked chicken in skillet and scrape up bits.  Reduce the liquid for 5 mins, then add the chicken & wine to the broth & vegetables in dutch oven; stir to combine.  Stir in the cream, lower heat to a simmer & reduce sauce for about 5 mins.

Toast your bread and rub garlic across the hot toast and butter lightly (oops...I obviously buttered heavy as you see it in the picture). Cut slices of toast corner to corner.  Remove the bay leaf & thyme from sauce.  To serve, fan toast triangles across plate, lining up points and top with chicken & sauce. Top with bacon & parsley.

I followed the recipe exactly except I added a bit of cornstarch at the end to thicken it up a little more and I used sliced onions instead of frozen since I couldn't find them.  The final result was a total success as the kids even ate it and my husband praised me multiple times while eating it. With 2 cups of wine and bacon I knew it was going to be good. :)  If I would change anything it would proabably be the presentation, it just didn't show quite as good as it tastes.If you do try it, please share pictures and your process. I would love to hear how you did.

Danielle Dishes Up - A recipe I've always wanted to try

Beef Wellington

Recipe from: Rachel Ray Magazine

Taste Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Execution Rating: 6

Learned: That it takes 40 minutes to defrost puff pastry dough.  That I should have all my ingredients cut & ready before turning on the stove and that my chef knife is sharper than I thought - OUCH!

I have had this recipe for a while and every time I would see the picture I would just drool.  I finally decided that during my week of vacation I would be able to give it the time it needed and decided to go for it.  Boy, do I underestimate the timing of things!  I didn't know it took 40 minutes to defrost pastry dough sheets.  I didn't know I had to let the meat sit in the fridge for 30 minutes after I put the mushroom topping on it and I didn't know it would take me so long to chop 2 pounds of mushrooms. Needless to say an hour after I thought it would be ready I did end up with a very pretty golden brown Beef Wellington that was cooked to perfection (thanks to my handy dandy new thermometer - which I properly calibrated thank you very much).  The flavor was very earthy tasting with the portobello mushrooms and thyme.  I used Beef Tenderloin from Harter House and it was worth it - so tasty.  I enjoyed the pastry dough but overall I thought it was missing something - a gravy or something to balance that earthiness.  I was very pleased my result being my first Beef Wellington to ever make, but don't think I'll try this one again for a while - it did take a lot of steps. 

So how did I find out my chef's knife was so sharp, you ask? When I used it like it was my Rachel Ray knife and cleaned the food off with my hand - I got myself a nice (paper cut sized) slice on my left palm.  So glad I didn't do that in class!  Gotta get use to my knives!

Danielle Dishes Up - Dinner & Dessert

Chicken & Artichokes over Orzo

Recipe from: Some random magazine

Taste Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Execution Rating: 6

Learned: The texture of orzo, the flavor of cherry peppers, that you can reduce a sauce too much.

This dish was very tasty and included artichoke hearts mixed in orzo with onions, garlic, cherry peppers, & dill.  By making this dish I got to cook two ingredients I've not cooked before - orzo and cherry peppers (the red strips in picture).  The orzo is going to be my new staple as I loved it's tiny oval pasta shape and the smoother texture it has than rice.  The cherry peppers added a nice kick to the dish and the onions sauteed in chicken broth, cherry pepper juice and white wine (I had to use Mascato as it's the only white wine I always have on hand) had me eating out of the pan on the stove with a spoon.  What I would change is to use boneless, skinless chicken breast in addition to thighs to make this lighter and easier to execute.  I would also use more cherry peppers for taste and flavor and would keep an eye on my sauce so it doesn't reduce too much (as mine did).
 

White Chocolate Creme' Brulee

Recipe from: Back of Ghiradelli White Chocolate Bar Package

Taste Rating: 7 out of 10

Execution Rating: 4

Learned: Only use fresh Chocolate

Okay so this dessert was. . .well. . . let's just say, a challenge.  First of all let me tell you the history of the main ingredient. I have had a Ghiradelli White Chocolate bar in my pantry for a looong time.  I don't even know why I got it in the first place but when I discovered the easy creme' brulee recipe on the back of it I knew exactly what I'd be doing with it.  I guess that was like a year ago because in mid-stream of making this dessert I actually took a bite of the chocolate and it had that rancid-been sitting in your cabinet too long-taste.  I thought with enough cream, eggs and sugar it would hide that nasty rancid flavor but no, not so much. If that wasn't enough it took almost 2 hours for the brulee to set (was only supposed to take 45 minutes).  I followed instructions to a tee so really can't put my finger on where I went wrong.  When I finally did get it to set and was even pleased with my broiled carmelization I was hit hard with that nasty rancid taste.  What a disappointment as the texture was divine and the taste was superb until the aftertaste hit.  Will I try again....maybe as I really want to taste this as it was meant to be. 

Danielle Dishes Up - Dinner for the Family

Hoisin Shrimp with Crispy Noodles

Recipe from: Some random magazine

Taste Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Execution Rating: 7

Learned: How to crisp up ramen noodles

This was a sweet, deep-flavored asian dish I made with hoisin sauce, shrimp, pineapples & green beans over crispy noodles (ramen noodles). The noodles took the longest to make of this dish.  To make them crunchy required boiling them, forming them into a pie pan and then frying them in a skillet.  I liked the crunch for the added texture but not sure the hungry family liked waiting for this extra step.  Next time it might go faster though now that I know the steps.

If you ever want a recipe just let me know and I'd be happy to share.