French Dip Sandwiches

Rachel Ray. She is one of those celebrities that people either love or hate. I loved her before she was on the path to world domination. I watched 30 Minute Meals when it was the only show she had on TV. I loved the concept of a real-time cooking show and that she was not a classically trained chef. I picked up a lot of basic cooking skills and tips from her and for that I appreciate her contribution to my development as a cook. I hesitate to say I hate her now, but she does get on my last nerve. She is just Too Much. Too much with the EVOO and the stoup and the sammies. Drives me crazy! However, if I am home sick in bed when her daytime show is on, I'll watch because there is something compelling about her.

I don't know why I wanted to make french dip sandwiches, but a search for recipes led me to Rachel's recipe on the Food Network site. These were classic Rachel Ray - quick easy, unfussy food. They were simple to throw together but felt like a special treat and were a big hit in our house. I didn't have sherry so omitted that and used a take n' bake french bread loaf from the grocery instead of rolls. I sliced the loaf into rolls, split them and toasted them lightly before adding the roast beef. A couple of slices of swiss cheese, a few minutes under the broiled and the end result was Yum-O (sorry I couldn't help myself)! A side of my version of cole slaw completed this simple meal.

French Dip Sandwiches

Rachel Ray

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 jigger dry sherry, optional
2 cans beef broth
1 1/2 pounds deli sliced roast beef
Grill seasoning blend for steak, such as Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend, or, coarse salt and pepper
4 torpedo sandwich rolls, split

Directions
In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in sherry and cook liquid out. Whisk in consomme in a slow stream. Bring sauce to a bubble and allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches.

Pile meat loosely across your cutting board or a large work surface. Season meat with grill seasoning or salt and black pepper. Set out 4 ramekins or small soup cups for dipping sauce, 4 dinner plates and 4 split torpedo rolls. To assemble, using a pair of kitchen tongs, dip meat into loose au jus sauce and pile into rolls. Set ramekins or cups with extra dipping sauce along side the sandwiches.

Cole Slaw

1 package shredded cole slaw mix

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup mayo

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Place cole slaw mix in bowl. Whisk sugar, mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in bowl. Pour over cole slaw and stir to moisten all of the slaw mix. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Barefoot Bloggers - Meringues Chantilly

I was excited to try the current Barefoot Bloggers' selection of Meringues Chantilly selected by BMK of Reservations Not Required because it is the type of recipe I might admire but never try. It just seem so fancy and complicated. I make meringue cookies every Christmas and these are nothing more than larger versions of that recipe. The meringues were easy to mix and I had so much fun piping them that I am looking for recipes to use a piping bag again - maybe profiteroles!

Berries are not in season so I decided to do an upside down-deconstructed lemon megingue pie. My husband loves the lemon meringue pie I usually make but I wanted to come up with something more creative and push myself on this challenge. I used the meringues as the base, or crust, and topped them with lemon curd using a recipe I found at fineliving.com. This curd recipe has a rich, creamy consistency and the just-right amount of tartness. I considered crumbled shortbread cookies as the final layer but ended up using refrigerated pie dough cut with a cookie cutter, brushed with egg wash and topped with torbinado sugar. A few minutes in the oven and I had a spin on the pie crust of a tradtional lemon pie. The raw sugar also added another level of crunch. A dollop of whipped cream added the right balance for the sweetness of the meringues and the tartness of the curd.

I was thrilled with the final product! They were so good - simple yet elegant. My husband loved them too!

Meringues

Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

6 extra - large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (3 1/2-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.


Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.

Lemon Curd
by Elinor Klivans http://www.finecooking.com/


3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest


In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.


In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.


Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Quick Beef Bourguignonne

Fake It, Don't Make It from the magazine Real Simple features a reader's quick take on a classic recipe. I have tried several fake it recipes that I love and this month's Quick Beef Bourguignonne submitted by Tracey Morris looked interesting. I have never made the real thing but it looked easy to put together, hearty, and just plain good. The flavor of this dish is fantastic especially considering the small list of ingredients and that it cooks in about 20 minutes. The wine gives richness and depth and the soup provides the flavor and consistency of a gravy that has slow simmered for a couple of hours.

I hate mushrooms but included them for my husband and I don't think it's really beef bourguignonne without them. I say I hate them, but I found myself eating them. A testament to the good flavor in this recipe A couple of changes I will make next time; 1) I would have like the meat to have a little more flavor and may sprinkle with garlic powder and 2) I didn't care for the pearl onions and will try slicing some onions and sauteing with the mushrooms until soft instead. This was really a super quick dish that tasted much fancier than it was.

Quick Beef Bourguignonne
from Tracey Morris as published in Real Simple

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 10-ounce package sliced mushrooms
1 16-ounce package frozen pearl onions
2 cups red wine
1 10.75-ounce can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the steak to a bowl and set aside.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes.

Stir in the soup and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the steak and juices from the bowl and simmer, 2 minutes.

Divide into individual bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Ham, Peas, & Pesto Pasta

It's difficult to admit, but out family wastes a lot of food. Fruits and vegetables bought with the best of intentions but left to rot in the bin, forgotten lunch meat, half-used containers of sour cream all make the journey from the fridge to the trash can. So, I decided a while back to waste less food for environmental and economical reasons. I also knew that using ingredients already on hand would force me to flex my creativity and in the long run make me a better cook.

This dish is a result of one of those evenings staring into the fridge and pantry trying to decide to what I could make without running to the grocery store. Some leftover spiral ham from the holidays stared back at me and that became my starting point. I knew that ham and peas worked together and pesto and peas complemented one another. These three ingredients tossed with pasta, cream, and Parmesan cheese and Voila - dinner! I recently made this dish again using pre-chopped ham from the store. It was still good, but the spiral ham that I had glazed with apricot-mustard sauce provided a much better flavor. I think some toasted pine nuts would also be good for some crunch and texture.

Ham, Peas, & Pesto Pasta

8 ounces pre-cooked, ham chopped into bite-size chunks
1/2 pound uncooked short pasta (bowtie or penne)
4-5 tablespoons pesto
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta. Heat ham in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in pesto. Add peas to pasta water just before pasta is cooked. Add cream to ham and pesto mixture. Add pasta and peas to skillet along with a few tablespoons of pasta water. Finish by stirring in freshly grated Parmesan and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Pork Chops Milanese

I've professed my love for Ina Garten but have neglected to mention my other Food Network love - Giada DeLaurentis. She seems to live a charmed life with her movie star looks, gorgeous fashion-designer husband, family pad in Rome, beautiful house on the beach and incredible success. I know a lot of people find her annoying but I love her. I regularly make several of her recipes including this one for Pork Chops Milanese. I love that most of her recipes are simple, yet are true to her Italian heritage and employ her classic training. I have rarely tried one of her recipes that I don't love!

Pork Chops Milanese

adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada DeLaurentis

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
6 boneless thin pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
lemon wedges


Directions
Combine panko, bread crumbs and cheese into a large shallow bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in another large shallow bowl. Pour flour in another shallow dish or plate. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the pork in the flour, patting off excess. Dip the pork, 1 piece at a time, in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge the pork in the crumb mixture, patting to coat completely.


Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Transfer the pork to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler is one of our favorite desserts and over the years I have tried several variations from the super easy, dumping a can of peaches, a yellow cake mix, and a stick of butter in a pan to a more sophisticated version containing raspberries from the Barefoot Contessa. I wasn't looking to update my current favorite of a peach crisp with pecans but was intrigued by the recipe I came across in an issue of Cook's Illustrated. In my opinion, the best part of the cobbler is the crumb whether it be a crispy crust or something similar to pie dough. This recipe uses biscuits as a topping and I can't remember trying that so I gave it a spin.


I mentioned in an earlier post that I love Cook's Illustrated and their sister publication Cook's Country along with their companion shows on PBS but find that their meticulous attention to detail often results in complicating simple recipes such as this one. I went from usually only using two dishes to make a cobbler to a sink full of dirty dishes after making this. However, this was good. I seem to be Monday morning coaching a lot of the recipes I am trying lately and this was no exception. My biggest complaint is it just wasn't sweet enough. Here down south we like our desserts sweet! I also like my cobbler to be gooey and the syrup here was a tad thin. However, I loved the biscuit topping. The biscuits were light and airy on the inside and crisp on the outside. I finished mine with turbinado sugar for extra crunch.


Oh - one last thing. I used canned peaches instead of fresh. I could lie and say that peaches are not in season or I couldn't find fresh peaches, but really I'm just lazy. Enjoy!


Fresh Peach Cobbler
Cook's Illustrated


Filling
2 1/2 pounds ripe but firm peach (6 to 7 medium)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon juice from 1lemon
pinch salt


Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. For the filling - Peel peaches than halve and pit each. Using small spoon, scoop out and discard dark flesh from pit area. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup of drained juice (discard extra), cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt together in small bowl. Toss peach juice mixture with peach slices and transfer to 8-inch square baking dish. Bake until peaches begin to bubble around edges, about 10 minutes.

3. For the topping - While peaches are baking, in food processor, pulse flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Scatter butter over and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1 second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl; add yogurt and toss with rubber spatula until cohesive dough is formed. (Don't overmix dough or biscuits will be tough.) Break dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.

4. To assemble and bake - After peaches have baked 10 minutes, remove peaches from oven and place dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound with portion of remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool cobber on wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes, serve.

Chicken Artichoke Soup

We went to Daytona Beach, Florida last month for a long weekend to escape the bitter cold of January. After a great day in St. Augustine shopping, exploring the old town, and visiting the Fountain of Youth, a lovely drive at dusk down A1A led us to Betty's A1A Cafe. My daughter has a fairly sophisticated palate for a twelve-year old and decided to try the soup of the day - Chicken and Artichoke. I managed to steal a taste and filed the idea away for another day. That day was today.

I found the recipe below online at Mykel's Restuarant. Now, Mykel's Restaurant is in Alaska which may be as far away from Florida as one can get and still be in the United States, but their Chicken Artichoke Soup recipe seemed like a match. And it is very close to the soup I had on the beach in Florida. I added Parmesan-Thyme toast on top for a finishing touch. The crunch of the bread added some texture and the thyme mirrored the thyme in the soup. The recipe was easy to put together and is simultaneously sophisticated and comforting. Give it a try for a new spin on chicken soup!

Chicken Artichoke Soup
Mykel's Restaurant

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 artichoke hearts from a can (not marinated), coarsely chopped
1/4 cup liquid from canned artichokes
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper

 Heat olive oil in dutch oven. Add chicken breast, onion, celery and cook until chicken is done and vegetables have softened. Add butter and cook until melted. Stir in flour and cook for 3-4 minutes to form a roux. Slowly add chicken stock and lemon juice, stirring frequently. Cook for 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and juice from artichokes. Add thyme, cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES: The next time I make this soup, I plan on seasoning the chicken before cooking (salt, pepper, maybe some dried thyme). I also will reduce the amount of chicken stock by a cup or so and increase the cream to make the soup a little creamier and thicker.

A Trio of Treats

With a name like Candy, I was marked to love sweets. In keeping with my name and in honor of Valentine's Day I made a trio of candy treats. I knew I had to include Oreo Truffles as they are my daughter's favorites. I added pink icing hearts on top to make them more festive. A lot of the hearts more closely resembled teeth but they still turned out OK. (A little free association - teeth = nibbling = romance) I also wanted to make turtles, my husband's favorite. Turtle candies were also my father's favorite candy and making them brought back fond memories of buying boxes of them for him at Father's day. Last, for me, I decided to make a Nutella/hazelnut trufflely thing. I think Nutella is one of the world's most perfect foods with it's chocolately smoothness and nutty undertones. Yum! I searched a lot of truffle recipes and ultimately ended up taking pieces of various recipes for the end result found in the last recipe below.


I've also included a picture of the candy box I made for my girl. I took a cheapy box of Valentine candy, removed the candy and cut out the plastic lining. I added zebra paper to the top and bottom (zebra is her current favorite thing) and finished with a few scrapbooking stamps and embellishments. I especially love the 'sweet thing' tag! Inside, I poured in some red hot hearts and nestled Oreo truffles on top. This was a super easy, cheap, and fun project that I may expand on next year.

Now friends, three recipes today for the price of one - my Valentine's Day gift to you!

Oreo Truffles

(recipe given to me by a friend a few years ago)

1 box Oreos

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1 package white candy coating

Process the cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add cream cheese and mix until combined. Roll into balls (about 3/4 inch) and place on cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator until slightly firm. Melt chocolate. Using a toothpick, dip balls into melted chocolate and coat thoroughly. Place on wax paper covered cookie sheet to harden. Cover toothpick holes with melted chocolate chips or tint leftover white chocolate and decorate. I prefer these stored in the refrigerator.

Turtle Candies

pecan halves

caramels

chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Arrange three pecan halves on sheet so that the pecans are touching in the center and are fanned out. Place a caramel on each cluster. Place in over for about 5 minutes, until caramels are slightly melted. Add a generous dollop of melted chocolate chips on each candy and cool until set.

NOTE: The caramel was very hard after cooling. If I make these again, I think I will melt the caramel and add a little cream to soften, then cover the pecans and eliminate the oven step.

Nutella Truffles

1 1/4 cups Nutella

1 14 1/2 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

hazelnuts (see note below)

dipping chocolate (optional)

Melt Nutella, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate chips in a pan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Place in refrigerator until mixture is set. Cover cookie sheet with wax paper. Roll mixture into desired size. Add nuts if desired (see note). Melt chocolate and dip balls. Chill until set.

NOTE: I used the following options to add nuts to the truffles: 1) take a whole hazelnut and roll the mixture around it so that the nut is in the center, 2) chop hazelnuts and roll balls in nuts until covered then dip in chocolate, 3) dip balls in chocolate then cover completely with nuts, and 4) dip balls in chocolate and dip half the truffle in chopped nuts. The fourth option was the easiest and my preference.

Barefoot Bloggers - Real Meatballs & Spaghetti

Real Meatballs & Spaghetti is February's first Barefoot Blogger dish and was chosen by Rebecca at Ezra Pound Cake, http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/. If you haven't checked out her site, go as fast as your fingers will take you as her blog is full of wit and great cooking.

This is not the first time I have made homemade meatballs and sauce, but it is the best homemade meatballs and sauce I have made. I initially planned on eliminating the ground veal called for in the recipe but I found a meatloaf/meatball mix of the three meats at the grocery store and it just seemed to easy to pass up. I followed the rest of the recipe fairly closely but halved the meatball ingredients and still had more than a dozen good sized meatballs. The elements of this recipe came together easily and the end result was a rich and tasty dish with the red wine providing the simple elegant touch that is signature Barefoot Contessa. Enjoy!

Real Meatballs & Spaghetti
from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Cookies

I've already mentioned my favorite bakery - Sunrise Bakery. This is the kind of place that at 11:30 in the morning is already running out of stuff, it's that good. I almost always , OK always, pick up a cookie along with my usual sandwich. I passed on the chocolate chip cookie that is as big as my head and contains at least three times as many chips as an average cookie for a pretty cream cheese sandwich cooking drizzled with pink frosting. It was so good that I started my weekend trying to find a similar recipe to make my own.

The recipe below from http://ricksalicious.blogspot.com is not an exact replication, but close. I wanted to tint the icing pink as an early Valentine's Day treat. Apparently I used the last of the red food coloring at Christmas but found some rose colored gel coloring that looked like the right color. A teeny little bit of the rose gel created a neon pink circa 1982. A drop of blue coloring toned the color down a bit to more of a slightly neon raspberry. I plan on making these again, but will make the following changes: 1) add more sugar to the dough, 2) flip the dough while rolling for a prettier presentation, and 3) use a 1-inch cutter and make sandwiches.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Cookies
adapted from recipe found at The Ricksalicious Life

Crust:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 cup raspberry preserves

Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbsp. milk (or more to reach coating consistency)

Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together sugar, butter, and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add almond extract and mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until smooth dough forms. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness and cut int to 3" diameter circles with a cookie cutter or top of a drinking glass.

Filling: Put one teaspoon of raspberry preserves in the middle of each uncooked circle, and then fold over and press down lightly with fingers. Bake 12 - 15 minutes, or until the bottom of each tart begins to turn golden brown. Remove from cooking trays to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Icing: Combine softened cream cheese and milk in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Add powdered sugar and almond extract and continue to whisk until a thick but pourable consistency. Add milk a little at a time if necessary to reach the right thickness. Spread about one teaspoon on each tart and let stand to dry 1 - 2 hours.

Dijon-Rosemary Flat Iron Steak

It was 50 degrees here today. Cue Martha & The Vandellas "It's like heatwave..." This little taste of spring led me to fire up the grill. Crunching through the inch of ice/snow that is still on my deck reminded that it is February, but I remained undeterred. Woosh - the fire lit and I made my way back inside only to nearly fall from the ice that stuck to my boots. A few minutes later I threw the steak on the hot grill and anxiously waited for what lie ahead. Hold that thought.

I love steak. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon and a ribeye smothered in caramelized onions are two of my favorites. Another is the flat iron. I was thrilled when our Kroger's began selling flat iron steaks a few years ago after reading about this inexpensive, yet tender, cut of meat in several magazines. I now cook flat iron steaks more than any other cut. They are affordable, sometimes downright cheap, easy to fix, and have great flavor. I prefer to cook it whole and then slice thinly but it can be cut into individual servings. The Dijon-Rosemary marinade below is my favorite because I always have all of the ingredients on hand, has great flavor, and I can marinate the steak in it all day or just for a few minutes like I did tonight.

Back to the grill. I run outside to flip the steak (running because the sun was going down along with the temperatures) only to find the grill ran out of gas, oh, about 30 seconds after I put the steak on. I tong (bet you didn't know that was verb) the steak, carry it inside, heat up my cast iron skillet and throw it on the stove. A quick sear on both sides and 10 minutes in the oven and it was ready and almost as good as if it had stayed on the grill. Yum!

I have learned there are a few tricks to cooking a good steak. I would rather not have a steak at all if it is tough, overcooked, chewy, and/or dry. This is what works for me: First, I pull it out of the fridge for a half hour or so to get the chill off. Next, I rinse the steak and then pat dry with paper towels. A generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and, if I am not using a marinade, a drizzle of olive oil rubbed into the meat. Place the steak on a hot (this is important) grill or skillet. Do not overcook! Lastly, rest the meat loosely covered in foil before cutting or serving.

Dijon-Rosemary Steak
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, stemmed & chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite steak

Whisk together all of the ingredients (except steak) in a bowl. Place the steak in a plastic bag and pour the marinade in the bag, rubbing it all of the steak. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to 8 hours.

Praline Turtle Cake

I've been looking for inspiration. The kind of inspiration that spurs me to impulsively throw on my coat and run out to the store for the ingredients missing from my pantry for the recipe that I have to make. Now. I start with my favorite food blogs - nothing. Next I spend a few minutes looking through a couple of cookbooks I haven't used in a while - still nothing. The way over-priced special issue of America's Test Kitchen - nothing. Giving up, I crawl into bed with an empty stomach and a unfulfilled desire to be inspired.

Determined not to throw in the (kitchen) towel, I steal a quick glance through my binder of recipes torn from newspapers, magazines, and scrawled on scraps of paper before leaving for work and came across a recipe I pulled from a 2005 issue of Country Living. Inspiration found!

I've been wanting to try the Praline Turtle Cake recipe for a while now and am glad I finally did. The cake is fluffy and moist and just a great chocolate cake. Each layer is covered with a I-would-have-licked-the-hot-pan-it-was-so-good praline topping. This is the first cake recipe I have made that doesn't involve use of a mixer and includes vinegar in the ingredient list but was super easy to make.

My dreams of posting a perfect sliver of this beautiful cake perched on a pretty plate were dashed when I gave into pressure from my daughter to cut the cake while it was still warm. The picture above is all that was left and a testament to how good it was.

A blog-worthy picture of the finished product (from countryliving.com):

Praline Turtle Cake

Betty Nicoson, Terre Haute, IN via Country Living Magazine

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup fudge topping
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan.

Heat the butter, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans. Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool.

Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and 1 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the cake pans -- over sugar mixture -- and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake center comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper and cool completely.

Assemble the cake: Spread the fudge topping over the sugar mixture side of one cake layer. Place the second layer over the first and drizzle with the melted chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Frost the cake sides with your favorite chocolate icing.

Ice Storm 2009 & Lemon Custard Cakes

Kentucky was hit with a major ice storm last week. This is the second major ice storm we have had in six years. This one doesn't seem as bad as 2003, but that may be because we didn't lose power at our house like we did last time (7 coooold days). There is something beautiful and sad at the same time about the ice covered trees. A tiny bit of sunlight hitting the trees made it seem as if you were driving through a crystal forest. But their frozen paralysis makes me sad for them as well. As the trees in my yard thaw from the 50 degree sunshine, I am happy to see that our large dogwood, pictured above, and magnolia trees appear not to have suffered too much lose.

The cold temperatures and icy landscape have led me to continue to find recipes that bring warmth or evoke warmer times. A search of some other blogs led to me to try Lemon Custard Cakes originally published in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I loved the light, fluffy souffle-like cake layer that hid a lemony pudding layer at the bottom. The recipe was simple to put together yet produces an elegant and delicious dessert.

Lemon Custard Cakes

from Everyday Food

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for custard cups
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, (1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light; whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then milk and zest.

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add to lemon batter and fold in gently with a whisk (batter will be quite liquid).

Divide batter among prepared custard cups; place baking dish in oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up sides of cups. Bake until puffed and lightly browned (but pudding is still visible in bottom), 20 to 25 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.