Good Morning.
The deal today is to pick an entree, a vegetable, and a dessert - one from column A, one from B, and one from C - to make a
delicious meal that doesn't require a starch and probably shouldn't have one, given the dessert. I recently read an article written by a New York chef who goes bonkers because the diners at his restaurant never save room for dessert. The way to change this is to omit the starch and I rarely say that.
Column A
Herbed Halibut
Serves 4
4 halibut fillets
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs, dill, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Rinse the fillets and pat them dry with a paper towel. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the fillets on the sheet, spoon some crumb mixture on top of each, and press into the fish evenly. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the tops are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Bourbon Walnut Chicken
Serves 4
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup Panko
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. bourbon
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Pound the chicken breasts to half and inch thick. Mix together the chopped walnuts, Panko, and a tablespoon of melted butter. Put this mixture on a plate and coat the chicken breasts on both sides. Heat the rest of the melted butter in a skillet and saute the breast on both sides until golden, about 15 minutes total on medium low heat. In a small saucepan, whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, and Worcestershire until well combined. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat, and whisk in the unsalted cold butter pieces, one at a time, staying off the heat. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and garnish with chopped green onion.
Substitute pecans or almonds if desired. I happen to be a walnut freak but other nuts would also be lovely.
Brandy Peppercorn Steak
Serves 4
4 8 oz. top sirloin steaks
6 tbsp. crushed black peppercorns
2 tbsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red wine
6 tbsp. brandy
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Press the crushed peppercorns into both sides of each steak. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt. Melt butter in a large, preferably cast iron, skillet over medium high heat. Stir in garlic and wine and cook for a minutes. Arrange the steaks in the pan and cook until medium rare, maybe 5 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low. Pour brandy onto the steaks, take off the heat, and carefully light with a lighter gun. Watch your face. Let the flames burn off and remove meat to a platter. Add the shallots and cream and cook, stirring the sauce, until hot. Pour some of the sauce over each steak to serve.
Use other cuts of steak if desired. I get small sirloins from my supermarket and they work out well, as long as you don't overcook them. A lot of people cook a steak until it's the color of a sidewalk and it makes me weep. If you're that scared of meat being at least pink in the center, don't eat it. Vegetarians, by the way, can select two from Column B and one from Column C.
Column B
Baked Spinach
Serves 4
1 1/4 pounds fresh spinach
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup Panko
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Wash and dry spinach thoroughly. Rough chop the spinach. In a greased 2 quart casserole, place some of the spinach, dust with some of the flour, throw in the beaten eggs, then more spinach and more flour. In a bowl mix up the cheeses and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the spinach. Combine the melted butter, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over the casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to one hour.
Fabulous Mushrooms
Serves 4
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned with a bit of oil and paper towel and rough chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Madeira
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Over medium heat saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the wine and cook for two more minutes. Add the rosemary and cream and heat but do not boil. Taste
and season with salt and pepper.
Brussels Sprouts with Mustard
Serves 4
1 pound fresh Brussels Sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Rinse the sprouts and cut them in half. In a large skillet, saute the sprouts in olive oil until nicely browned. Remove them to a plate. Add the butter and when melted, stir in lemon juice, mustard, and pepper. Return sprouts to pan and toss with the sauce.
Column C
Easy Elegant Strawberries
Serves 6
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
1 quart strawberries
1/2 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Wash, dry, and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle them with the sugar and liqueur. Put them in the fridge to chill for an hour and stir them around a couple of times. Put the ice cream in the fridge for an hour to soften but not melt. Beat the whipping cream in a bowl until stiff, then fold in the vanilla extract. Now carefully fold the whipped cream and softened ice cream into the strawberries. You will have leftovers. Have them for breakfast the next morning.
Dessert Nachos
Serves 4
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 6 inch diameter flour tortillas, cut into triangles like nachos
3 tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh fruit, sliced - berries, bananas, kiwi
Make the whipped cream by beating the cream until stiff. Add the sugar and vanilla and combine. Don't overbeat. Put in the fridge to chill. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the tortilla triangles in a large mixing bowl and pour melted butter over them, coating them with a spoon. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and add most of it to the bowl with the tortillas, tossing to coat. Place the triangles on the cookie sheets. Bake, in batches if necessary, for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven, turning once. Remove from oven. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl. In a saucepan, mix the cream, sugar, and corn syrup over low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth, then add vanilla extract. To serve, divide nachos on each of 4 plates, top with some fruit, drizzle with warm chocolate sauce, top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar.
This is sort of a Mexican Pavlova, fun to make and fun to eat. Nice textures.
Pumpkin Trifle
Serves 4
12 shortbread cookies, crushed into crumbs
1 tbsp. melted butter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 pint whipping cream
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Make the whipped cream. See above directions. In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Arrange these crumbs into the bottom of four good-sized glasses. In another bowl beat the cream cheese, then add the pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, and pie spice. Fold in half of the whipped cream and mix thoroughly. To assemble, spoon a layer of the pumpkin mixture onto the cookie crumbs, followed by whipped cream, and repeat these layers. Store the trifles in the fridge until ready to serve.
I have clunky fat glasses from Pier I that work well for these individual desserts. You can, of course, make one big trifle in a bowl and scoop onto dessert plates. Either way, this thing is delicious. I think I'll try it instead of a pie for Thanksgiving.
So, you can have Halibut, Spinach, and Trifle; Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, and Nachos; or Steak, Mushrooms, and Strawberries. Or you can have Halibut, Sprouts, and Strawberries; Chicken, Mushrooms, and Trifle, or Steak, Spinach, and
Nachos. Or you can have Halibut, Mushrooms, and Nachos, Chicken, Spinach, and Strawberries, or Steak, Sprouts, and Trifle. And now about the diners that should also be Mix and Match. At a wonderful party in Vermont many years ago, the guests included the high school art teacher, an attorney, the guy who owned the general store, a woman who knit custom baby sweaters, and an older couple who had fled from the Nazis in Austria. It flat out worked.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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