Gruyere Shallot & Thyme Grilled Cheese with Apple Salad February 25, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Gruyere Shallot & Thyme Grilled Cheese with Apple Salad 2015-02-25 13:50:04 Serves 2 Best Grilled Cheese Ever! Print Ingredients 3 T. unsalted butter 1 T. mayonnaise 3/4 cup 1/4-inch-thick sliced shallots 1 t. fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough bread 4-6 ounces Gruyère, sliced 1/8-inch thick 2 cups arugula 1/2 apple (such as Gala), cut into 1/4-inch slices 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Instructions Preheat oven to 400°. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, add shallots and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula, until shallots begin to soften and caramelize, 4–5 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. Heat a large heavy-bottomed (cast iron works great) skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and swirl in pan to melt butter and coat bottom of pan. Spread mayo on 1 side of each slice of bread. Add bread slices to pan (mayo side down) and cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Transfer bread, toasted side down, to a rimmed baking sheet. Divide cheese evenly among bread slices; top cheese with reserved shallots. Place baking sheet in oven and bake until cheese is melted, 7–8 minutes. Press 2 pieces of bread together, melted cheese sides in; halve sandwich on a diagonal and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining bread slices. Combine arugula, apple slices, lemon juice, and oil in a large bowl; toss to coat and evenly distribute. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad between plates. By Amy Patterson Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen / Bon Appetit Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen / Bon Appetit Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Cooking Companion by Kelly Montgomery February 25, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Otis I have a scavenger in my kitchen. It’s not quite as bad as it sounds. He’s actually rather cute and charming. Otis, my dear Boston Terrier, follows me just about everywhere I go. But he downright stalks me in the kitchen, sitting right underfoot while I cook. (Literally. I frequently trip over him and he gives me a look like “Sheesh! Will ya watch where you’re going?”). Otis loves messy cooks. The messier the better. Lucky for him that seems to come naturally to me. How powerful I must seem to my four-legged friend. I bring home endless bags full of food of every imaginable variety (Cheese! Peanut butter! MEAT!!) in the machine that means “go for a ride”. And then, as if that weren’t mind-blowing enough, I can do incredible things to this food with all sorts of crazy contraptions, making it even better than it was to begin with (usually). Oh, the fantastic smells I can create! And when it’s finally ready I eat it, just like that, without permission . Pumpkin Dog Treats Thinking about all of this one day last week inspired me to cook something just for Otis. A quick Google search later and I had a recipe for pumpkin dog biscuits. They were easy and fun to put together. Apparently they were tasty too-Otis gobbled them right up. And he didn’t even have to beg. . Pumpkin Dog Treats 2015-02-23 10:59:11 Print Ingredients 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 T. dry milk 1 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1 t. non-aluminum baking powder 2 t. cinnamon 3 T. vegetable oil or olive oil 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 cup water + 1 tablespoon water Instructions Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Roll the dough to 1/4" thick and cut with a cookie cutter, knife or pizza wheel. Place treats on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for about an hour. Check them occasionally toward the end of the baking time, to make sure that they are not getting too dark. Turn off the oven, and let the dog biscuits continue to dry overnight in the oven. When the dog treats are completely done, they will be hard, dry and crisp. They will be hard for you to break in your hands--and better for your dog's teeth. Notes You can store these pumpkin dog treats for a month or so at room temperature. By Kelly Montgomery Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Frizzled Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Walnuts February 24, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Frizzled Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Walnuts 2015-02-24 16:15:30 Print Ingredients Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 clove garlic, smashed Pinch of crushed red pepper ¼ pound pancetta, cut into ¼-inch dice ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 pint Brussels sprouts, stemmed and leaves pulled apart Kosher salt Instructions Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil; add the garlic and red pepper and bring to medium heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny! Add the pancetta and walnuts and cook until the pancetta is crispy and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts and toss to combine. Season with salt, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sprouts have wilted. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium-high, and let the sprout leaves brown and “frizzle”, 8-10 minutes more. Taste and season with salt if needed. By Diane Sibon Adapted from Anne Burrell Adapted from Anne Burrell Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Let Italians Save Your Dinner: A Recipe for Pasta Carbonara by Robin Nathan February 20, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment It’s dinner-time and you’ve been running all day. The kids will be home in a few minutes, your other half is right behind them, and all they want to know is “what’s for dinner???” Allow me to introduce you to your new dinner best friend … pasta carbonara. “Carbonara?” you say. “I’ve been eating that for years. What the heck is so special about that??” Well, my friends, you only think you’ve been eating it for years. If you order it in a restaurant and one of the ingredients is heavy cream, it’s not an authentic carbonara. The classic, authentic Roman creation contains only 4 ingredients – pasta, eggs, romano cheese, and bacon. That’s it. For many of us, these are ingredients that are always in our fridge and pantry. Welcome to dinner. Or brunch. Or midnight post-party snack. The first time I had this dish was in the kitchen of a former Italian boyfriend, and man, was it a revelation. (The pasta, not the boyfriend.) So simple, so soulful, so satisfying. (Again, the pasta, not the boyfriend.) Just cook the pasta (I love it with fettucine or pappardelle), cook the bacon. Drain the pasta, put it back in the pan with a tablespoon of bacon drippings. Pour in beaten eggs and grated Romano cheese, and use a tongs to toss and stir. The heat of the cooked pasta turns the beaten egg into a thickened, satiny sauce in about a minute. Tumble in the cooked bacon, tong it through. Pile into bowls with loads of grated Romano cheese on top. The boyfriend is a memory, but the pasta remains. Dinner is served!! Pappardelle a la Carbonara 2015-02-17 12:41:15 Print Ingredients 12 oz. Pappardelle 5 Strips thick cut bacon, cut into ½” dice, cooked slowly until crispy-chewy and rendered 5 eggs, beaten to blend 2 T. Grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus more for garnish) 1 T. reserved bacon drippings Black pepper to taste Instructions Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely al dente. Cook the bacon while the pasta cooks. Scoop out the cooked bacon pieces and discard all but 1 T. of the bacon drippings. Beat the eggs with the 2 T. grated cheese in a bowl. Season with black pepper. When the pasta is barely al dente, drain it and put it back into the pot. Pour in the warm bacon drippings, and quickly toss. Add the egg mixture all at once and toss with tongs for one-two minutes, until the egg mixture becomes slightly thickened, satiny and clings to the pasta (This must be done off heat, otherwise you’ll have scrambled eggs and pasta. No bueno.) Tumble in the cooked bacon pieces and toss once more. Tong into serving bowls with a generous handful of grated Pecorino Romano. Buon Apetito! By Robin Nathan Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Ina Garten’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars February 17, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Ina Garten’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 2015-02-17 12:22:37 Print Ingredients ½ lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 ½ cups sugar 1 t. vanilla extract 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)* 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 t. baking powder 1 ½ t. kosher salt 1 ½ cups raspberry jam or other jam (18 oz. jar) 2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13x2 inch baking pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until combined. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined. Spread two thirds of the dough in the prepared pan, using a knife to spread it evenly. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if the jam isn’t covered; the dough will spread when it bakes. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into small squares. Enjoy! Notes *Carolyn loves to make her own peanut butter in her Vitamix for these scrumptious bars. By Carolyn Raber Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/