tilapia and mushrooms

tonights we started with a red lentil curry soup. For our entrée we had Cumin Tilapia with mushrooms. After our salad, our dessert was fruit with cheese. Here is the recipe for the Tilapia.

6-8 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt & pepper

1 tilapia fillet, thawed and dried off
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
wedge of lemon to garnish

In a large frying pan, melt the butter into the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Toss in the mushrooms, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and fry until golden brown.
Set the mushrooms aside, keeping them warm until you’re ready to plate the dish.
Coat both sides of the tilapia with the cumin, salt and pepper.
Cook the tilapia in the frying pan over medium heat (about 3 minutes a side).

To serve, pile up the mushrooms, put the fish on top and garnish with the parsley and lemon slice.

Cornish Game Hen

Tonights dinner started with prosciutto and cantaloupe. Then I made a succulent Cornish game hen with a herbes de provence butter. I made slots in the skin of the hen and stuffed it with the butter. I also stuffed it with rosemary and garlic. I roasted it for 45 mins. I also steamed an artichoke and sautéed some asparagus. Here are the recipes. 






    Ingredients 

• 3 tablespoons of herbes de provence
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 4 poussins (young chickens; about 1 pound each) or 4 small Cornish hens (about 1 1/4 pounds each)

Directions

Preheat oven to 475° F.

Discard gizzards from birds and trim necks flush with bodies if necessary. Rinse birds inside and out and pat dry. Starting at neck end of each bird, slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Cut butter into sixteen 1/4-inch-thick slices and gently push 4 slices under skin of each bird, putting 1 slice over each breast half and thigh. Tie legs of each bird together with kitchen string and secure wings to sides with wooden picks or bamboo skewers.

Arrange birds in a flameproof roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Gently rub birds with lemon halves, squeezing juice over them, and season with salt and pepper. Roast birds in middle of oven 30 minutes (for poussins) to 45 minutes (for Cornish hens), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° F.

Transfer birds to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add Sauternes to roasting pan and deglaze over moderate heat, scraping up brown bits. Transfer jus to a small saucepan. Skim fat from jus and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.

Garnish birds with herbs.

Ingredients

• 1 very ripe melon
• 4 slices Prosciutto-style ham (such as Parma ham, Jambon de Bayonne or Jambon de Paris), sliced very thinly (you should practically be able to read through it)

Directions

1. Halve and seed the melon. Slice into grins, and peel. If you like, remove the fat from the ham, which looks better than if you don't. Arrange the melon slices on a plate, drape the ruffled ham slices over, and serve.

disaster dinner and a quick recovery

Tonight was nearly a disaster! I planned on making stuffed mushrooms and mussels steamed in white wine. Well, only about half of that worked out. The portobello mushrooms broken in half as I was trying to trim them inside, so in about 3 seconds I had to come up with something else. So I quickly start sautéing my shallots and grounding some beef and boiling some pasta. As this was happening, Jared was cleaning the mussels and I noticed they were all open and he was cleaning them with warm water. My first thought is "well F! now we can't eat them, they are all dead!!!" After panicking about the mushrooms and now the mussels, I let my pasta cook too long and now I have overly cooked shells on my hand. I quickly drain them and realize that the mussels we got were already cook. wah wah waaaah. Good thing I already prepped my steam pan for them. I quickly threw them in and let them steam. I rinse my pasta (GF pasta tastes better to me if it is rinsed of) throw it back in the pan, put in some tomato sauce add the mushroom, ground beef, and let that cook for a while. I realize I have no other vegetable accept for the mushrooms. Good thing I have a little spinach left and a jar of artichoke. Now the next horrible part. Jared hates wine. He hates all alcohol and these mussels are soaked in it!! He is going to hate the mussels I am going to love them. He will love the pasta, I will hate it. These are my thoughts. I am so upset I drink some wine before dinner, which I never do. Tell me not to fret all you want. Screwing up dinner is just something I hate to do. It is third favorite meal of the day and I want to enjoy, damn it. I want it to be fragrant and beautiful. That is my goal. That is my goal for myself. I want it perfect. Well, all ends well. Jared loved the mussels! He even drank the sauce out of the shells :) The pasta was not bad. I found it a bit bland, but it was not terrible. It was not my best meal, but it was my best recovery. I give myself credit for coming up with an alternative meal in about 2 nanoseconds. Go me. Here is the recipe for the mussels

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon butter
• A handful chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Pick over the mussels, discarding any that are open. Scrub the remaining mussels, removing any beards. Put the wine, bay leaf, shallots, garlic, and pepper in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and steam until they open, 5 minutes.
2. Move the mussels to a large serving dish with a slotted spoon, discarding any that have not opened. Whisk the butter into the cooking liquid, along with the parsley, and pour over the mussels.

Soufflé night

Tonight I made my first soufflé. I have actually never eaten any sort of soufflé in my life, so I did not know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be puffy and slightly over the top, but as far as taste and the science of the soufflé, I had no clue. There is the recipe for the soufflé I made tonight. It was so great.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 bay leaf
• half of a small onion, peeled
• pinch of paprika
• Parmesan, grated, for dusting the dish
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 3 eggs, separated + 1 egg white
• 3 ounces cheese, grated or mashed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper
• branch of rosemary, cut in three

Directions

1. Put the milk with the bay leaf, onion, and pinch of paprika in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Butter 8 1/2-cup/125 ml ramekins or 1 4-cup/1 litre soufflé dish, and dust with the grated Parmesan.
2. In a clean saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook one minute. Gradually whisk over the milk, and cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the yolks. Stir through the cheese and herbs. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Beat the whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Stir a spoonful into the yolk mixture, then pour the yolk mixture onto the remaining whites and gently fold together. Pour into the soufflé dish and bake until risen and set, but still slightly creamy in the centre, about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the soufflé dishes. Serve immediately before it slumps.

Baked Provençal Tomatoes

• 4 medium tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs (heaping)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (heaping)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Olive oil, for drizzling

1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Cut the tomatoes in half at the waist. Lay them cut-side up in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the tops of the tomatoes. Drizzle over a little olive oil. Bake until hot and slumping, about 20 minutes

Mushroom Brie tart

Tonight I made a tart similar to the swiss chard tart accept used mushrooms, spinach and brie. We started with a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Then we had the tart and I I also sautéed asparagus. Later we had salad, which consists of nothing but a romaine lettuce leaf and olive oil. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 ounces bacon, cut into lardons
• 1 1/2 pounds spinach 
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream and sour cream combined
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper
• 4 ounces cubed brie
• 1 deep tart shell, pre-baked in a 9-inch/22-cm spring-form pan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and fry the shallots until soft and translucent. Add the garlic one minute. Remove to a plate. In the same pan, fry the bacon, and remove with the shallots. Add spinach to what is left of the bacon fat and add a little butter if needed (You may want to cover the pan for a few minutes to speed up the process.) 
2. Beat the eggs together with the crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the shallots, bacon, spinach, cheese, to combine evenly. Taste, and season. Fill the tart shell with the vegetable mixture, and pour over the cream mixture. Bake until the tart has set, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 24 asparagus (this is for 2 people) 
• Olive oil
• Fleur de sel (coarse sea salt)
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Trim the tough ends from the asparagus and discard. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan. When very hot, add the asparagus in batches, not overlapping.
2. Sauté, turning occasionally with tongs, until slightly golden and tender, but still maintaining a bit of bite – approx. 5 minutes, depending on how thick the asparagus are. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Sunday night dinner

Since Jared and I have been planning our meals on Sunday together, not only have we saved money at the grocery store, but we have saved a lot of food from being wasted. I am so lucky to have a guy who supports my cooking habits. Some girl spend money on clothes, shoes, getting hair and nails done. Not me. My weakness is not shopping, it is cooking. I can really rack up our grocery bill if I am not careful, but Jared doesn't complain and neither do our waist line these days. We are already to a point where we can fit into our old jeans. I think we both want to lose a little more before we wear them out in public. We are paying less attention to the scale and more attention to our zippers.This French meal plan and our dedication to exercising together has really helped us.  We spend more time together because we plan our meals, grocery shop together and sometimes I let him help. I cannot always have him in the kitchen with me. It is too small and I get nervous for him. Todays shopping was extra fun for me. I got 3 new kitchenaid cutting boards, a recipe moleskin to keep track of my fabulous French recipes, and a great cookbook called The French Women don't get Fat. I am very excited to sit down and look through this cookbook. She seems to have the same love and passion for food that I do. It is nice to know other out there are as obsessed with eating as I am. Dinner tonight: Butternut squash soup, rack of lamb, roasted vegetables, salad and the reason I am eating dinner tonight- yogurt with creme chocolat

Ingredients

      Lamb

1.27 lb lamb rack (good for 2 people)

salt and pepper for seasoning

      Roasted Vegetables

1 Zucchini 

1 yellow squash

2 potatoes (quartered)

4 carrots

3 leek leaves cut into 2 inch logs

salt and pepper

olive oil

fresh parsley

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Directions

Lamb

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place a saute pan over hight head and add a little oil

sear lamb rack then place in oven

cook lamb to 145 degrees internal temperature (16-20 for medium- I like lamb very, very rare- 10 minutes)

remove from rack and let rest for 10-15 mins

Vegetables

Wash and cut all vegetables

line pan with olive oil (I use a brush)

spread around vegetables flat on the pan 

Coat with more olive oil, salt and pepper and your favorite herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme are mine)

make sure oil has coated the vegetables

place at 400 degree for about 40 mins on the second to bottom rack (watch the leeks, they burn fast)

for the last 5 mins, place at the top closest to the broiler- keep a close eye on the leeks and carrots

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Yogurt with Creme Chocolat

Ingredients

1/4 heavy cream

4 ounces of dark chocolate- chopped

2 cups plain greek yogurt

Directions

heat the cream in a small saucepan- use low heat

once it reaches a simmer place chocolate in a bowl and pour hot cream over it

let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir till smooth

put your yogurt into small bowls and pour chocolate cream over yogurt

serve immediately

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Thursday night dinner

Tonight I made coquilles Saint Jacques. I thought this was going to be very difficult and take a long time. It actually was not time consuming nor difficult. I was not sure what order to do things and I think I did it a little backwards. I think next time I will prepare it in the order in which I read the recipe. I made my duxelles first, the my sauce, then cooked the scallops. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time with this recipe), I will cook my scallops, make my duxelles and then my sauce. Regardless of the order in which I prepared this dish, it was magnifique!

Ingredients

Scallops

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound scallops
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper

Duxelles

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound mushrooms
• 2 shallots, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons GF flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup fish stock
• 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
• Lemon juice to taste

Topping

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 6 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Scallops

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan. Season the scallops and sear one minute per side, to brown. Do not cook completely. Set aside.
2. To assemble the dish: Heat the oven to broil with the rack at the top. Lay 6 large scallop shells or individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Divide the mushroom mixture among the shells. Arrange six scallops on each, then spoon over the sauce. Add topping (see instructions) and broil until golden and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Duxelles

1. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan until foaming. Add the shallot and sauté until soft. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and the pan is dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir through the parsley.

Sauce

1. Melt the butter in the sauté pan until foaming. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Whisk in the wine and boil down by half. Add the stock and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche. Check the seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice if needed.

Topping

1. Scatter parsley and breadcrums over scallops and mushroom mixture. Drizzle melted butter over entire dish.

Wednesday night dinner

Tonight I made butter chicken with roasted vegetables. It was so good. It is nice to use butter again. Nothing smells better to me than sautéing shallots in butter. 

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 chicken, about 3 pounds/1.2 kg
• sprig of rosemary
• sprig of thyme
• sprig of tarragon
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup butter

Vegetables

• 6 small potatoes, peeled and cut into grins
• 4 carrots, cut in half, then halved lengthwise
• 3 leeks, trimmed and cut into logs
• 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse sea salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 bay leaves
• branch of rosemary, cut in three

Directions

Chicken

1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Stuff the chicken with the herbs and truss it. Season all over with salt and pepper. Set the chicken in a roasting pan on its left leg, and set the butter on top.
2. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the bird onto its right leg for 15 minutes. Turn on its back for 15 minutes. Finally, set it upright and continue cooking until done, about 1/2 an hour more or until the juices run clear. Remember to baste the bird constantly as it roasts. It is done when the juices at the leg run clear.

Vegetables

1. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread over a baking sheet. Cut the butter into little pieces over top and tuck in the herbs. Bake until tender and even slightly caramelized, about an hour, tossing occasionally.