Stuffed Pork Chops

I've become quite a fan of stuffing pork chops because I find it helps keep them tender thanks to the slight moisture from the stuffing.  I first started stuffing pork chops when I had leftover stuffing from thanksgiving, but you don't have to stuff them with just bread.  Some people like apples with their porkchops, or you could do all veggies, or maybe even rice if you wanted something else starchy.  But here's what I did this time around.

Stuffing: toasted bread cubes, leeks, mushrooms, garlic, chicken broth, oil/butter
Sauce (optional): white wine, butter, flour

Preheat your oven to 375.

I didn't have any leftover stuffing this time, so I made my own.  I took two slices of sourdough and two slices of wheat bread, chopped them into cubes, put them on a cookie sheet, drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil, and baked for about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, I added the chopped leeks, mushrooms, and garlic to a little oil or butter.  Once softened, add the toasted bread and cook for about a minute or two.  Then add the chicken broth.  I eyeball it.  Starting with a small amount, maybe 1/4 of a cup for this quantity of bread.  You want the bread to absorb the liquid, but you don't want extra sauce sitting in the pan, and you don't want your bread to be too soggy.  It should look like this:

 

To prep the pork chops, you'll want to butterfly them.  Basically use a paring knife to cut directly in the center of the chop and make a little pocket for the stuffing.  Once butterflied, stuff the chops, and you may want to use a skewer or toothpick to help keep the stuffing in place while they cook.  If you have a skillet that can be used on the stove and in the oven, cook your chops in that, otherwise you'll have to transfer them to an oven proof roasting pan.  In said skillet with a little butter or olive oil, sear the outside of the chops.  

After about 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chops) turn them over and sear the other side.  After another 5 minutes transfer to the oven to cook through.  This will probably take about ten to fifteen minutes or so.  You don't want to overcook and dry out the chops, but you don't want the inside to be pink.  Though, trichinosis is actually destroyed at 145 degrees F, which corresponds to a medium rare pork chop.  Most people are afraid to eat a pink chop, but just know if your temp is hot enough, you don't have to worry about disease.  

When done, plate the chops and add a little more stuffing on top if you'd like (I served with mashed potatoes, big surprise there), and I made a quick sauce to pour over.  Deglaze your skillet with some white wine to soak up all those great pan drippings.  As the sauce cooks and thickens, you can add a tiny bit of flour if you want it to be thick and creamy, otherwise you can add a little bit of butter to have a similar, but less thickening effect.  Spoon over the chops, and enjoy!

  

Yellow Split Pea and Pumpkin Soup

 

My apologies for the blogging hiatus.  We've got quite a bit of backlog here at LND, so in no particular order here we go!

Soup.  Perfect for the winter.  I've had the last of a bag of yellow split peas for the past 2 years, and wanted to finally get rid of them, so I opted to make this soup I made with the split peas 2 years ago.  This is also great if you've got a leftover can of pumpkin in your pantry from the holidays that never quite turned into a pie.  

The most time consuming part of this soup is soaking the peas in broth.  I used vegetable, but in the past I've used chicken broth.  I emptied 2 cans of broth into a pot, and added about 3/4 cup of split peas. 

Also in the past, I've chopped 1/4 of a large onion and put it in the broth with the peas, but I sadly had no onion this time.  After about an hour and a half the peas will look like above...still a little crunchy but much softer than before.  At this point I added the can of pumpkin, some pepper, and thyme and cooked for another 45 minutes.

Next I spiced it up.  I added some powdered saffron, but you should throw in whatever you have/like.  No need to blend this soup since the ingredients are so mushy.  I added about 1/8 cup of cream because that's what I do, but it would taste just fine without the cream.  I feel like this would also work with squash and/or green split peas.  And if you wanted to throw some carrots in maybe?  Go wild with your winter soups!

Oysters and Pearls

Not as pretty as when they serve it at the French Laundry, but I was going for taste and maximal oysters per ramekin.

Happy New Year faithful followers!  Tonight's post has been under construction for two weeks now, but it's so complex I never felt like finishing what I started, until now.  For Christmas dinner this year I wanted to attempt the best tasting oyster dish I have ever eaten.  It is a recipe from Thomas Keller's restaurant, The French Laundry.  This dish is one of the favorites at the restaurant and is usually the first item served to patrons.  I found the recipe online a few months ago and immediately knew I would be making it for a special occasion.  I was surprised to receive The French Laundry cookbook for Christmas this year, so I followed the recipe from there, but the online version is the same basic idea.

I won't go through all the details of the recipe, since you can follow along online, but I'll share my pictures and experiences.

First let the tapioca soak in the milk for an hour.  Unfortunately, we were unable to find small pearl tapioca at any of our grocers, so we settled for instant.  I fear this may have altered the flavors/textures in some way, so again, next time we'll get the real deal.  But this is what it looked like after an hour of soaking; pretty much all the liquid was absorbed.

While the tapioca is soaking, take care of the oysters.  We opted to buy jars of fresh Eastern oysters, but next time I plan to splurge, bust out the shucking knife, and get fresh oysters still in the shell (our local grocer did not carry oysters and would have required a special order a few days in advance, hence the jars).  To get beautiful oysters, the recipe calls for trimming away the edges.  I used small kitchen scissors, saved the trimmings in a small saucepan, saved the juice, and the shapely oysters in separate bowls.  Typically the FL serves two oysters per dish.  I went for six.

Whip the cream.  Store it in the fridge.  We went for hand whipping.  It took about ten minutes.

Cook the oyster trimmings with milk and cream.  Simmer so the flavor of the oysters infuse into the milk.

Take the tapioca that was soaking, strain it and run water over it to get all the milk off.  Then cook it in the milk/cream that was steeping with the oysters.  It'll thicken.

Prepare the sabayon.  This is one part you'll need to constantly monitor.  It takes about 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk the egg yolks and oyster juice in a double boiler (a bowl placed over a pot of simmering or boiling water).  Constantly whisking, it will eventually thicken and you'll know when it's a different consistency, like the whipped cream.

Here comes the mixing/folding.  Tapioca, sabayon, creme fraiche, pepper, whipped cream.  When properly combined, pour into the ramekins or whatever dishes you'll be using, cover, and place in the fridge until ready for use.  

Finally, prepare the sauce.  Vermouth, oyster juice, shallots, vinegar.  When the liquid is absorbed (as seen above), you can start whisking in the butter.  The FL cookbook has a page long description about this butter mixture.  It's really interesting, but I wont bore you with the details.  Basically they have this part butter liquid that if kept at the right temperature can keep food hot without continuing to cook it.  And it won't leave the meat/fish/whatever tasting like butter, but it will keep the juices in because of the fats in the butter.  It's a way they keep foods warm at the FL if they're not quite ready to be served, but they're done cooking.

Once the butter is added, you can cook the tapioca in the oven for five minutes.  Once out, add the oysters and chives to the butter to just slightly heat through (don't overcook.  i found that round two of the oysters yielded slightly shriveled and drier oysters).

No need to cook these ramekins in a water bath.  Once out of the oven, place oysters on top.  Spoon the buttery sauce over, and add a dallop of caviar.  Serve immediately.

So they were good, but nowhere near as phenomenal as at the restaurant.  Next time (yes, even after an afternoon of cooking, and a kitchen full of dirty pots, there will be a next time) I will use fresher oysters, small pearl tapioca, and use smaller ramekins/dish less tapioca into them.  The sauce was delicious, and I found that when I added more it really made the difference.  Having nice quality caviar was also a huge flavor bonus.  I highly recommend it.

Garlic Shrimp and Corn Soup

Happy Holidays everyone!  I hope you found yourselves warm and surrounded by loved ones this holiday season!  It's cold outside, which means it's soup weather.  So here's what feels and looks like a summery soup, but is warm enough you can enjoy it in the winter. 

Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp minced garlic, 1 lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp, 1 bag frozen corn kernels, 2 zucchini chopped, 3 cans chicken broth, 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, bacon for garnish

Start by adding the olive oil, garlic, and shrimp to a hot soup pot to cook through.

Once the shrimp are nice and pink, transfer to a bowl for later, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as you can.

Next add the zucchini to the pot and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until softened and slightly golden. 

Next add the chicken broth and thyme and let it all stew for about 15 minutes.  Add the corn and return the shrimp/garlic to the soup.  You only need to cook about 5 minutes more, but you can stew the mixture as long as you want before adding the shrimp back because the shrimp may overcook if left in a simmering pot for a long time.

Finally, I served with a garnish of crumpled bacon, because really everything tastes better with bacon.  You can put this over rice for more substance, or melt some cheese on top too.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

  

Another produce item in the fridge just asking to be used before it goes bad (again thanks to the roommate's CSA) so I was inspired to make lettuce wraps!  More sauces/ingredients would have been ideal (like hoisin, water chestnuts, carrots), but you work with what you've got when it's dinner time and you're not up for a trip to the store.  

So this rendition of lettuce wraps included: chicken (4 breast tenders) diced, sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 cup diced red onion, ~1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, dash of lemon juice, 1 tsp corn starch

Begin by sauteing the garlic and onion (and potentially any other veggies you have) in a skillet covered in a thin layer of sesame oil (~1 tbsp or so).  

Once suitably softened add your chicken.  You want to saute but also potentially get a little bit of crisp from the oil.  

Once cooked through, push the meat and veggies to the side and add the brown sugar to the pan and a tbsp of the soy sauce.  Stir in place to completely dissolve the brown sugar into the soy sauce, then stir with the rest of the chicken/veggies.  

Add other sauces if you have any (teriyaki, hoisin, oyster).  Again, pushing the meat to the side of the pan, add the corn starch to the skillet and some more soy sauce.  Mix thoroughly and watch as the sauce thickens.  Add your desired amount of soy sauce.  Splash with a little lemon, and when done, spoon into the lettuce (ideally Bibb, but use whatever you have).  And most importantly, make sure to eat with your hands!

Salmon and Leek Risotto

Yes, I love risotto.  I love cream sauces.  So when I don't know what to make for dinner, but I have arborio rice in the pantry and whipping cream in the fridge, this is what happens.

I had salmon in the freezer and some leeks, shallots, and garlic in the fridge.  Done.  Start by sauting the leeks, shallots, and garlic in some butter.

Then add the arborio rice.  I'm not a measurer, but I probably used a cup and a quarter of rice.  Coat with the butter and heat through for about a minute or two.  Then deglaze the pan with some white wine, about a quarter of a cup.  Now comes the adding of the broth in 1/2 cup amounts every few minutes for the next 22 minutes.  Each time you add the broth, you want to barely cover the rice, and you will need to stir constantly so the rice doesn't burn and stick to the bottom.

It's not really that glamorous looking as it's cooking, but eventually the liquid will be absorbed and the rice will be tender.  At that point, add the cream, about 1/4 of a cup.  Also now is a good time to add the salmon that is thawed and cut into chunks.  It will cook thanks to the heat of the rice, almost like poaching because of the moisture, but it will not overcook and dry out since you add it at the end.

Finally add whatever seasonings/flavoring you'd like.  I added parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and some fresh basil, tarragon, and thyme from my herb garden.  Remove from heat and let sit for a couple minutes to thicken, absorb, and meld.  Makes for great leftovers too.

Potato Leek Soup with Corn

Who doesn't love warm homemade soup on a cold winter's night?  So when I noticed my roommate's CSA leeks in the fridge the other night, I was immediately inspired.  I adore potato soups, cream soups, and thick blended soups, so potato leek was the perfect winter pick me up, and I threw in a splash of corn at the end for an added texture and flavor.

Ingredients: 3 large russet potatoes, 2 large leeks, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp butter, 2 cans chicken broth, water, 1/4 cup fresh taragon, 1/4 cup fresh thyme, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp dried saffron powder, 1/2 cup corn, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, dollop of pesto sauce as garnish

Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping everything.  Add butter, garlic, and leeks to a large soup pot over medium heat.  Saute and stir for about 10 minutes until nicely softened.

Add the potatoes and chicken broth.  Add water until potatoes are just covered.  

Throw in your fresh herbs and let simmer for about 20 minutes or so, until potatoes are nice and tender. 

When flavors have melded, veggies softened, and you're so hungry you can't wait anymore, go ahead and blend the soup.  I'm a big fan of immersion blenders, but if you don't have one, puree in batches in a regular blender.  I blend on the lowest level so that most everything is blended, but there's the occasional piece of leek or potato.  Next I added the cream, saffron, and salt and pepper.  I threw in the corn, straight from the freezer bag, and let it heat through.

To serve I sprinkled in some cheese and spooned a little pesto sauce over the top.  Delish.

LND: Lunchbox Edition - Grilled Cheese

The art of the grilled cheese sandwich.  It does not involve a microwave or toaster oven, but rather a skillet or grill if you are lucky enough to have an industrial kitchen at your disposal.  Get yourself some nice rustic bread, pick your favorite cheeses, and decide what other veggies or fillings you might be in the mood for.  I'm a big fan of avocado and tomatoes in my grilled cheese, but some days you work with what you've got.

This grilled cheese consisted of: Sourdough Rye bread, shredded cheddar cheese, herbed goat cheese, and red onion. 

The trick is to prepare the sandwich without burning the bread, but still completely melting the cheese.  Here's how I do it.  Heat the skillet over medium heat and add two bread slices.  Let them get warm, then remove.  Add a little butter to skillet, flip over the bread slices, and put them back in the skillet.  This way the side that will be touching the cheese is already warm while the outer side can begin to crisp in the butter.  Add the cheese at this point.  I added the cheddar to both slices of bread so there wasn't one piece covered in cheese that needed to melt, but both sides could take the same amount of time to cook.  I then added the red onion slices and the goat cheese to each slice of bread.

Since I love cheese, I piled a little more cheddar on top of the goat cheese at this point.  Once ~90% melted, put the two slices together and continue to cook about a minute on each side until the cheese fully melts and the slices meld together.

Slice asymmetrically, pile artistically, and take a picture.  Or just start eating.

LND: Wake Up and Smell the Bacon

My favorite brunch item is most definitely Eggs Benedict.  It's because of the Hollandaise sauce. but I could do without the Canadian bacon.  So when I have time for making my own weekend brunch, I'm a fan of Benedict variations, with or without the sauce. 

Thanksgiving weekend we had leftover mini english muffins from the shrimp melts, but no hollandaise sauce so I came up with this version: Toasted English Muffin, Bacon, Avocado, Pesto sauce, Garlic/herb cheese spread, Poached Egg.  The runny yolks provided all the "sauce" we needed for what a restaurant might deem a "California" benedict.  (apparently California is all about avocados and bacon, at least that's what I've learned from ordering the "California" version of many restaurant menu items).

To prepare, toast the English muffin halves, crisp the bacon, slice the avocado.

To get perfectly poached eggs, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Using a slotted spoon, spin the water in a circular motion to create movement in the pot.  Crack an egg into a small prep bowl and quickly remove the spinning spoon and add the egg to the center of the spinning water in the pot.  This causes the white to wrap around the yolk and avoid all the extra stringiness that can come from plopping a raw egg into a regular pot of boiling water.  

Assemble.  Spread a light layer of pesto on the toasted english muffins.  Add a dallop of cheese (I used Alouette brand spreadable garlic/herbs cheese).  Top with bacon, two avocado slices, then nestle the poached eggs on top, using the slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water.  Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

LND: Entertaining Recipes - Puff Pastry Pizzas

 

Yes, I cropped the same picture from the last post.  I was too lazy to differentiate between the two appetizers last time, but I couldn't start a new blog post with the same header.  I originally had envisioned some mad photo shopping to be involved.  But this blog is about my cheffery, not my computer design skillz.  So focus on the stuff without shrimp in the above picture and be glad I didn't resort to arrows and borders a la MS Paint. 

So here's what you need to make this crowd-pleasing hors d'oeuvre (do you add the s at the end even when you want it to be singular? French is not a language I know.):

Puff Pastry (buy it in a box from your grocer's freezer section that contains two sheets of dough)

Onion

Garlic

Pesto (I buy the Trader Giotto's premade variety, but choose your fav)

Balsamic Vinegar

Brie Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce (didn't see soy sauce coming with the S&P did you?)

1. Slice puff pastry sheets while still chilled, but not completely frozen because they will crack, but when too thawed they'll stick to things and lose their shape.  Good luck.  Cut into whatever size you want for your party and place on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet.  Spread a little bit of the pesto sauce on them.  

2. Slice your onion.  Saute with a tablespoon or so of garlic over medium/low heat in butter/oil/bacon grease, whatever you prefer! (I opted for EVOO this time).  Stir often so as to avoid burning.  Carmelization will occur in due time.  Patience, young grasshopper.  It can take up to 45 minutes if you're working with a bad stove, a lot of onions, and low heat.  

3.  Once carmelized, add the balsamic to the onions.  Start with 1/8 of a cup and add more to your taste.  You don't need too much for it to pack a punch.  Salt and pepper at this point and if you're so inclined, and add a dash of soy sauce to cut the bitterness of the balsamic.  

4. Now the fun parts (i.e. the time-consuming, potentially finger-burning, not so fun parts).  Put some of the carmelized onions atop the pesto-covered pastry sheets.  Then add a small slice of brie cheese atop the onions.  

5. Bake.  I'd follow the package directions if they recommend a particular temperature setting.  I used 375 degrees for 12-18 minutes, until the puff pastry puffed and was light golden brown.  Serve warm, but they're not bad at room temp either (so no worries if you don't consume them all within the first 5 minutes).  

*photo credits for the past 2 thanksgiving appetizer posts given to LND's father and his fancy DSLR camera that far outperforms my point and shoot.  But do not get comfortable with this level of photo-quality because this blog hasn't made it to the big leagues yet.  That, and I haven't resorted to moving back home where the nice camera lives, so for now you'll have to settle for quality photos only during the holidays.