Scillian Sytle Potatoes Gratin

This recipe is from epicurious here:

It was fairly quick to put together using a food processor. It would be much more time consuming cutting all the potatoes with a knife. Very tasty. I served this with roast pork.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, halved
Olive oil for brushing plus
4 tablespoons, divided
2 cups chopped onions
Coarse kosher salt
2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, very thinly sliced
8 tablespoons (packed) grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
3 tablespoons drained capers
2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with cut side of garlic clove. Brush dish with olive oil. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkle with coarse salt, and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes.

Arrange 1/3 of potatoes in even layer in prepared dish. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Scatter half of onions over. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano and 1 tablespoon capers. Repeat layering with half of remaining potatoes, coarse salt and pepper, remaining onions, 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano, and 1 tablespoon capers. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Arrange remaining potato slices over. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon capers. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour chicken broth over. Press down firmly on potatoes to compact gratin.

Cover gratin tightly with foil and bake until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano. Bake gratin uncovered until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let gratin stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Beef Burgundy Crepes for valentines day dinner

Valentines day dinner:

Beef Burgundy crepes with orange-glazed carrots, arugula salad, and nutella-raspberry crepes for dessert.

I didn't have any bacon or olive oil - so I made the beef burgundy with no bacon, some canola oil, and a cup of cheap wine. It was still pretty good - though it would be much better if I made it with some care. Overall this was pretty easy and worked well enough to make again.

For the carrots - I boiled (in salted water with a pinch of sugar) some baby carrots for about 5 minutes (this was too long) and used a sauce of:

Simmer until reduced: 1.5 T melted butter, zest and juice from about half an orange, 1t lemon juice -
Add about a T 50/50 flour water mix - stirred smooth to thicken the sauce.

I sort of drizzled the sauce over the carrots - and it didn't look great - next time I will try tossing the carrots in the sauce - but it tasted good.

To garnish the beef burgundy crepes, I spooned some of the burgundy sauce over the rolled crepes, and them mixed about 2T sour cream with 1.5ish t water (to thin it) and spooned this on over the sauced crepe - this worked well, looked good, and tasted good.

The dessert crepes were simple - reheat pans - toss in a crepe, add a stripe of nutella and some raspberries, fold, plate with some ice cream, add a few more rasberries, sprinkle with powdered sugar (through a strainer)

Here is the Crepe Recipe I used:

1 scant C flour
2 eggs
1 C milk
2 T butter - melted and cooled
salt

Sift flour into a bowl
add eggs and 3 or 5 T of the milk - stir to combine
add the rest of the milk and stir to make a thin batter
add the butter, salt to taste, and whisk for several minutes

brush some oil in a crepe pan (I used 2 10' saute pans - 1 non-stick, one stick) and heat. Add 3T batter and tip to coat pan - cook about 3 min. on one and 1 min on the other

Here is a Beef Burgundy recipe from recipezaar. I haven't tried it yet - but I used it to figure out what ingrediants to get.

3	slices bacon, diced
1	lb boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
2	garlic cloves, minced
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon fresh ground pepper
12	ounces mushrooms, halved
1 (14	ounce) can beef broth
1 1/2	cups dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon
10	ounces small white pearl onions, peeled (about 24)
1 1/2	teaspoons dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4	cup flour
1/4	cup water

Not the one? See other Beef Burgundy Recipes

• Stews
  
  
• Pressure Cooker Stews
  
  
• French Stews
  
  
• Beef Stews
  
  
• Reduced Carbohydrates Stews
  
  

1. Cook bacon in a heavy 4 qrt Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat until crisp.
2. Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Brown meat with garlic, transferring it to a plate.
4. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
5. Add mushrooms to drippings in pan; cook 3- 4 minutes or until mushrooms are browned, stirring frequently.
6. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with bacon.
7. Set aside.
8. Return meat with any juices to pan; add onions, broth, wine, and thyme.
9. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.
10. Cover; simmer 1 hour.
11. Combine flour and water, mixing until smooth.
12. Stir into meat mixture.
13. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture.
14. Bring to a boil; reduce heat.
15. Simmer, uncovered, 34- 40 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
16. Remove thyme sprig if fresh thyme was used.
17. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes, if desired.

Steak Salad with Cous Cous and Asparagus

This was a quick and easy dinner using stuff I had in the fridge and lying arond.

preheat broiler and heat a grill pan

1 ribeye steak
arugala (or whatever greens are available)
1 c cous cous
1.25 c chicken stock
2 T craisins
2 T diced apples
asparagus
1 lemon cut in half
Montreal steak seasoning

add the stock, craisins, and apples to a small saucepan and bring to a boil

toss asparagus in olive oil, season with salt to taste -
arrange in a singe layer on a cooling rack placed in a cookie sheet - place under broiler for 5-7 minutes

press seasoning into both sides of steak
grill the steak for about 4-5 minutes on each side without moving
place one lemon half on the grill pan - cut side down while grilling the steak

take the boiling stock off heat and add the cous cous to it - let sit five minutes covered and then fluff with a fork

after the steak is finished grilling, let it rest and assemble a salad and dressing

use the grilled lemon to make a lemon vinaigrette dressing (I used olive oil, cider vinegar, a bit of white vinegar, the grilled lemon juice, and some dried herbs)

slice the steak, serve over salad greens
serve the asparagus over the cous cous

Hors-Derby: Dates vs. Thai Wings

I made the wing recipe below for an hors d'oeuvre contest among friends last night. the recipe looked interesting to me because it uses authentic ingredients. It was tasty and came together well - but, in the end, it looked like a bunch of deep fried chicken wings covered with sticky sauce (which it was). I might try baking rather than deep frying if I do these again. The corn starch and rice flour coating worked very well.

My wifes' goat cheese stuffed, basil and prosciutto-wrapped dates were well made, tasty, unique, outstanding, etc. and earned a well-deserved victory for her.


Thai Wing recipe from MarthaStewart.com:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 fresh red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 pounds chicken mini drumsticks from chicken wings or chicken wings, separated at the joint
• 1 ripe mango, cut into 1-inch slices
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Grape seed or corn oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1. In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, lime juice, nam pla, garlic, chiles, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely.
2. Place drumsticks in a shallow baking dish. Pour over soy sauce mixture and toss until chicken is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss mango slices with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
4. Add enough oil to a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to reach a depth of 3 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.
5. In a shallow dish, mix together cornstarch and rice flour. Working in batches, dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture and carefully add to hot oil. Cook until crisp, browned, and cooked through, about 10 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain temperature.
6. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Place hot-and-sour sauce in a large bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Serve immediately with salted mango and mint leaves.

Hot and Sour Sauce:

• 1/4 cup grape seed or corn oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried red finger chiles
• 1/2 fresh red Thai chile
• 1 piece fresh galangal (1/4 inch), peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/8 teaspoon belacan (shrimp paste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until deep golden brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to the jar of a blender. Carefully puree until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; set aside until ready to use.

Date recipe from Epicurious.com

1/3 cup soft herbed goat cheese
16 Medjool dates, pitted
16 large basil leaves
4 wide, thin slices prosciutto di Parma, each cut into 4 long strips
16 toothpicks, soaked in water 10 minutes

Heat broiler to low. Spoon 1 teaspoon cheese into each date; wrap with a basil leaf, then a prosciutto strip. Secure with a toothpick. Broil until cheese bubbles, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.