#6 - Asparagus Soufflé

Well, I did it.  I made my first soufflé.  I’m not gonna lie, I was kind of nervous.  I got even more nervous when The Hubs informed me that his mom made soufflé all the time.  Yikes… those are big shoes to fill!

I was surprised to find out that there are some fancy words used in making soufflé.  There’s béchamel, a white sauce made from a butter and flour (a roux  in fancy talk) and milk. Béchamel is known as “the mother sauce” of classic French cuisine.  There’s also a bain marie (pronounced: bah-marie).  It’s basically a hot-water bath and it’s used to create a gentle and uniform heat around the soufflé as it bakes. (Head hurting yet?  Don’t let the big words scare ya!).

 

Béchamel

Bain marie

There are several steps involved in making a soufflé.  It’s rare that I follow a recipe exactly as it’s written, but I didn't want to stray too far with this one.  The only changes I made from the original recipe was that I used lemon thyme because that’s what I had just planted in my herb garden, and I forgot to pick up some shallots so I used yellow onion instead.  The recipe called for sprinkling the extra breadcrumbs on top of the soufflé.  I did, but I don’t know if I’d do it that way again. I also realized that I didn't have 6 8-ounce ramekins and had to use 3 16-ounce ramekins.  That meant adjusting the cooking time, also known as winging it.  I think it turned out just fine. The soufflé didn't puff up as much as I thought it would (might have had something to do with my egg whites or the ramekins), but it tasted fantastic! My mom is bringing some ramekins on her next visit so I see more soufflé in my future!

Asparagus Soufflé

·         Prep time: 10 minutes

·         Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

·         Yield: Makes 6 individual soufflés.

Ingredients

·         1 lb asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

·         Salt

·         1/4 cup chopped shallots (onion works too)

·         1 clove garlic, chopped

·         1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme), chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

·         4 Tbsp unsalted butter

·         1/2 cup finely ground dry bread crumbs

·         3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

·         1 1/4 cup whole milk

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         Pinch dry ground mustard

·         Pinch ground cumin

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese 

·         3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

·         5 egg whites

·         6 8-ounce ramekins

Directions

1 Bring salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water) and blanch asparagus for 2 minutes . Drain. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to cool.

2 Melt 1 Tbsp butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook gently until soft, but do not let brown. About 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3 Purée asparagus and shallot mixture in blender. You’ll need 1 1/4 cups of purée for the soufflés.

4 Butter your ramekins and coat well with the bread crumbs, reserving any leftover bread crumbs.

5 Over medium-low heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the flour into the butter, continue to stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Do not let brown. Gradually add the milk to the mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the nutmeg, cumin, mustard, and fresh ground black pepper. Lower the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This is your “béchamel”.)

6 After 15 minutes, remove the béchamel from the heat and stir in the cheese. Combine the béchamel and the asparagus mixture in a large mixing bowl. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. The soufflé base should be well-seasoned. Stir in the egg yolks until well combined.

At this point you can make ahead the soufflé mixture. Refrigerate to store for up to two days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.

7 Preheat oven to 400°F.

8 Prepare a water bath (a bain marie). You’ll need a 9x12 baking dish with at least 2 inch sides and some boiling water.

9 Next, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and using a mixer, beat the egg whites to firm but soft peaks. (Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk or shell in your egg whites before starting.) Do not over-beat or you’ll get stiff peaks that are dry, somewhat reminiscent of styrofoam.
10 Using a rubber spatula, fold in one quarter of the egg whites into the asparagus mixture, then the remaining three-quarters. Use a light touch to keep from deflating the egg whites.

11 Fill ramekins with the mixture up to a quarter-inch from the top. Place the ramekins in the bain marie baking dish and put the baking dish on the middle rack in the oven. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins until the water comes up halfway the sides of the ramekins. 
11 Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for about 15 minutes more, until puffed up and golden brown. Don't open the oven door until the soufflé is just about done, or it may fall.

You can serve the soufflés immediately.  If you are going to serve them later, let the soufflés sit in the bain marie for 15 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the edges and invert the individual soufflés to a buttered baking sheet. Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before re-heating. Heat oven to 400°F and bake the soufflés on a buttered baking sheet, not in ramekins, for 7-8 minutes, and serve.

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

(#6 of 52)

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, over on my OTHER blog…

#5 - Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Cream Chicken

What can I say other than, “I love this chicken!!”?  Seriously, I’m kinda patting myself on the back for coming up with this one!  It’s super easy and SUPER delicious!

If you can’t find thin sliced chicken breasts, you can just pound out a few regular breasts (the junior higher inside me just giggle while I typed that… hee, hee).  I had to go to two different stores to find sun dried tomatoes.  They are usually with the canned tomatoes.  Sometimes you can find them dried and you just let them sit in some hot water to plump ‘em back up.

I served this with buttered penne rigate pasta and a tossed salad.  It would also be fantastic with garlic mashed red potatoes!  I had a beautiful, soft loaf of Italian bread to go with it, but I forgot about it... I see some sort of French toast in my future!  Anyway, eat up and let me know how you like it!

Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Cream Chicken

Serves: 4
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup milk
½ cup dry bread crumbs
1 pound thin sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter
½ tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces sun dried tomatoes, julienned
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
½ cup parmesan; shaved
boursin cheese spread, garlic & herbs flavored
⅛ teaspoon Pepper

Instructions:

Heat skillet over medium high heat.  Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Dip chicken in milk, and then coat with crumbs.
Melt ½ of the butter in skillet with garlic. Add chicken and cook about 5 min.  Add remaining butter flip chicken and cook another 5-8 min or until chicken is cooked.  Remove and set aside.
Add broth to skillet bring to boil over medium heat.  Stir in cream and sun dried tomatoes; boil and stir for 1 min.
Reduce heat, add parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons boursin cheese, basil and pepper; cook and stir until heated through.
Add the chicken back into the sauce.
Serve chicken covered in sauce and topped with 1 scoop of remaining boursin cheese.

(Recipe 5 of 52)

# 4 - Green Goddess Salad

Last month, I had lunch with my son at the Jazz Kitchen (Downtown Disney).  I had their Green Goddess Salad and have been dreaming of it ever since…

...romaine hearts, Granny Smith apples, cherry tomatoes, apple-wood smoked bacon, toasted pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, Green Goddess dressing… it was oh, so good!!  I just had to try making it at home!

I wanted to make sure my guys would still feel like they were having a “meal” and not just a salad, so I added some chicken to it, but it’s just a good without. Oh, and the anchovies… I didn't have any and refused to get any, so I made my dressing without.  I may have also "over dressed" our salad.  Add the dressing a little bit at a time until you've achieved desired coverage (the recipe makes more than enough).

  

Green Goddess Salad

inspired by Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

3-4 romaine hearts, washed and chopped
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 Granny Smith apple, diced

½ cup pumpkin seeds

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Green Goddess Dressing

1-2 Chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (optional)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until everything is evenly coated with dressing.  Serve immediately.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing

from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients:

1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons anchovy paste (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream

Combine all of the ingredients except the sour cream in a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy and smooth. Add the sour cream and pulse just until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Directions:

Makes about 2 cups.

(Recipe 4 of 52)

#3 - CROCKPOT BRAISED BEEF RAGU WITH POLENTA

Cream of wheat. Grits. Polenta. I love it all! Warm and creamy, the definition of comfort food!  So of course I would be all over a recipe that involves one of my favorites!

If you’ve never had polenta, it’s like cream of wheat but it’s made with cornmeal. Water, salt, cornmeal and a little bit of butter… easy peasy! Some people prefer a firm polenta “cake” which you’ll get by pouring the cooked polenta into a pan and letting it sit. I’ll eat it just about any way! When we go to Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria (my guys’ favorite pizzeria), I always order a side of creamy polenta (with a little marinara sauce).  They eat pizza and I eat polenta! Mmmm….. Enough about me, you’re here for the recipe!
  

It sounds fancier and like you spent all day slaving over the stove if you leave off the “crockpot” part... braised beef ragu with polenta.  It’s up to you.  I do have to give the crock its props though, because it smells delicious while the beef is slow-cooking to perfection and I barely work up a sweat in the prep.  That’s my kind of recipe, simple!

Have I mentioned how seriously yummy it was yet? Really! While I was eating it I kept thinking, “I actually made this”!  I was also thinking, “Take it easy, you don’t have to eat the whole pot”!  The Hubs and my son that didn’t leave me yet for higher learning ate heartily too.  “Mmmm, good,” and “Thanks Mom,” were the reviews given.  I served it with a salad and warm bread.  The ragu was even tastier the next day.  Ladies and gentlemen, this one is DEFINITELY a keeper!

Manga!  I'm off to find the next recipe….

CROCKPOT BRAISED BEEF RAGU WITH POLENTA

Adapted from: Pinch of Yum

Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS

For the Braised Beef Ragu

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         3 lbs. beef rump roast or round roast

·         half a yellow or white onion, minced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 28-ounce can San Marzano whole tomatoes

·         ½ cup red wine

·         3 tablespoons tomato paste

·         1 teaspoon basil

·         1 teaspoon oregano

·         2 bay leaves

·         2 teaspoons salt

·         black pepper to taste

For the Polenta

·         6 cups water

·         1-2 teaspoons salt

·         1¾ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

·         3 tablespoons butter

·         ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the roast and fry on each side for about 5 minutes, turning until the whole exterior is golden brown. If you’re short on time you can skip this step, but searing the meat really keeps the yummy flavor in!

2.    Place all remaining ingredients with the beef in a crockpot or slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. You’ll know it’s ready when the beef falls apart easily when pulled at with two forks. I put the beef in a pyrex pan to shred it into pieces.  Then add it back to the crockpot and give it a good stir.  I pulled the bay leaves out at this point – nobody likes to chomp down on a bay leaf, well I don’t!

3.    For the polenta, bring salted water to a boil. Slowly add the cornmeal, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. The polenta will start to thicken quickly. Continue whisking or stirring for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat. Stir in the butter until melted. Stir in the parmesan now if you’re using it, but why wouldn’t you?  For solid and chewy polenta, pour into a rectangular dish, let cool for 15-20 minutes, and cut into pieces. For softer, creamy polenta (so good), serve immediately topped with a big ol’ scoop of beef ragu.  Sprinkle on some parmesan or chopped parsley if you want.

Recipe #3 of 52

#2 - Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I have my 3-month check up with my oncologist tomorrow (Doc Onc) and I almost always take him a treat.  I guess you could call it a bribe… a clean bill of health in exchange for some baked goods.  It’s worked so far!

This time I decided to make shortbread – chocolate chip shortbread.  It’s probably not a great time of year to bring sweets to the office with people being on their New Year’s diets and all, but oh well! It’s not like I’m in there all the time with sweets (thank the Lord!!).

Anyway, after a quick search on Pinterest, I went with a recipe from Delishhh .  I pretty much stayed with the original recipe.  The only thing I did different is that I used 1 cup of mini chocolate chips instead of the 1 ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips called for.  I wanted chocolate in every nibble of cookie. 

They turned out pretty tasty.  Not real sweet.  Crispy.  Chocolaty.  Hope Doc Onc likes ‘em!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Yield: 30-2" cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

ingredients:

12 tbsp (1 & 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

directions:

Make sure the butter is room temperature and then cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour and salt.

Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until it comes together into a dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix in.

Roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter (roll it wider or skinnier depending on how big you want your cookies). Roll the log in some wax paper.

Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice the log into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices on the sheet. They don't spread much, so they can be pretty close together.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to brown.

Remove from the pan and cool to room temp.

Recipe #2 of 52 (keeping up so far!)

Egg Strata Cups

Happy New Year!!

This is usually the time that people resolve to start a diet, exercise, eat healthier, give up sweets… Sounds great! I plan on keeping up with my morning walks, drinking more water, and snaking less. That doesn’t mean that I’m giving up eating yummy things! Moderation (maybe I should have picked that for my “word” of 2015!).

Anyway, that being said, I’ve also decided that I would like to try at least one new recipe every week this year.  Not just sweets.  All kinds of recipes.  That’s 52 recipes in a year.  Can’t be that difficult, right?  We’ll see!

I came up with the first recipe while wanting to use up some of the stuff we had left over from New Year’s… a French baguette, fontina cheese, and Canadian bacon.  It’s one of those “put together the night before” recipes so you have to plan ahead a little, but I think I’m off to a strong start with this one!

I give you Recipe #1, EGG STRATA CUPS!!

Egg Strata Cups

(makes 6)

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups cubed bread (my baguette was a few days old and it was perfect!)

1 small tomato, seeded and diced

1 cup Canadian bacon, diced

1/2 cup fontina cheese, diced (left over from our cheese plate, so I just cut the slices into smaller chunks)

2 T chives, chopped

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk milk and dry mustard together until well blended. Add eggs, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine bread, Canadian bacon, tomato, cheese and chives (I used my hands to mix it all up. Get in there and get messy!).  Spray a non-stick large muffin tin with cooking spray and load with the bread mixture. If you’re fancy-schmancy and have a pop-over pan, that would work too! Pour egg mixture over bread mixture until eggs are evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes until eggs are set. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before serving.  They’re great at room temperature and they’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, if you can keep from eating them all at once!  We couldn’t (so much for “moderation”)!

You could add just about anything to your stratas… bacon, sausage, veg, any kind of cheese.  They’re SUPER easy and SUPER yummy!!  This one’s a keeper!  Enjoy!

J.O.Y. - 2015

I’m sure you’ve heard of people choosing a “word” at the start of each New Year. The word usually has something to do with what you hope for or want to be.  I had always wanted to pick a word, but would usually forget or decide the word I had chosen wasn’t good enough, or some other excuse. The same thing happens when I decide I’m going to start a journal, a diet, a cleaning/organizing plan…

A few months into 2013, I got my first word… BRAVE.  I had breast cancer.  I was going to need to be brave and hold onto my faith to get through it.  I soon learned that being brave had very little to do with what I could do, and had everything to do with what God could do.  God gave me unexpected strength.  He made me brave.

As 2014 rolled in, I was finishing my radiation treatments.  No more cancer!  My next word… SHINE.  I wanted to shine with the victory God had given me over breast cancer.  I wanted to shine with all that He had done in my life.  Matthew 5:14 in The Message says,

“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world,”

                                  and that’s just what I was going to do.

It’s hard to shine all the time.  I sometimes wondered if I was really shinning at all.  Did my flaws and mistakes and short-comings dim that light?  I realized again that my “word” had very little to do with me and had everything to do with what God was doing in me.  He shines.  He is working and moving in my life and that light can’t be put out.  It doesn’t matter what stupid things I do, He’ll shine through.  That’s another word… GRACE.

With 2015 waiting in the wings, it’s time to pick another “word”.  Several words have come up in recent months and definitely have meaning to me for this time in my life…. HOPE, FAITH, PEACE, LOVE, BEAUTIFUL.  I went to The Word (aka. The Bible) to help narrow it down and I found this passage (emphasis mine):

“Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into JOY, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.” -Colossians 1:9-12, MSG

JOY.  God had given me strength to endure (be brave). He let me shine his God-colors to the world and much more.  You can be sure that all of that spills over into JOY.

Each day I want to choose JOY.  I want to remember everything God has done for me and look forward with joy to all that he has in store.

“when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” – James 1:2 NLT

And it’s not just about my joy.  I want to share joy and bring joy to the people around me.

“Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness                         

    they will sing with joy about your righteousness.” – Psalm 145:7 NLT

Bottom line, I want my life to point back to Christ.  I want it to be undeniable whose I am and where my JOY comes from. So in 2015, I’m all about the JOY and I’m wishing the same for you!