Chez Belaire

A month or two ago, hubby won an award at work for being kick-ass. Part of the award was dinner at a nice restaurant with other coworkers who kick ass. Sadly, that dinner has been postponed FOUR times now, the most recent being Monday. I decided it was about damn time my man had himself dinner at a nice restaurant, so I made one.. Chez Belaire, open 1 night with a very limited menu. I tried these mushroom-potato muffin appetizers and had some ready when he got home. Dinner consisted of steaks (marinated in Stubbs Beef Marinade.. sooo good) and brussels sprouts. For dessert, I made a raspberry angel food cake.


The recipe, as is, makes 48 mini-muffins. This is quite a few for just two people; adjust the recipe accordingly. Here's the recipe as I did it.. I apologize to the creator because I am not vegan, so it follows that my version won't be either.

Mushroom Potato Mini Muffins :
5 cups potatoes - about 6 medium potatoes, mashed
2 cups chopped mushrooms - I just used one of the packs of portabello mushrooms from Target
4 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup flour
4 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Okay. Obviously, you're first going to have to boil and mash the potatoes. Add 2 tbsp butter to the potatoes. Put into a large bowl.
Saute mushrooms and onions in 2 tbsp butter. Let them cook down a bit. (At this point, I would season the mushrooms and onions with salt and perhaps Chachere's. I would also add minced garlic to the saute mix - it's much better than adding garlic powder at the end.)
Add the mushrooms and onion mix as well as the rest of the ingredients to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.
Spoon the mixture into a greased mini muffin pan. They won't rise, so you don't need to follow the whole 2/3 of the cup full rule. Keep in mind that how they look at this point is how they'll look baked, except a bit more golden.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden

Hubby and I both enjoyed these. We love potatoes, and we love mushrooms; it's the perfect marriage. They could have used a bit more seasoning, as I mentioned above; the stark potato flavor dominated; perhaps my potato-mushroom ratio was off. Hubby suggested adding bacon, as he is, well, himself. I can see that working. As stated at the original recipe, you could try basically any veggie in these.

Side note: these could also be tasty dipped in a light sauce, perhaps something sour cream based. Hubby dipped some of his in ranch, but he'll dip anything he can in ranch. They're good by themselves and easy to make; if we ever throw a party, these will probably be in circulation.

P.S. Amanda liked them, too! I always appreciate her seal of approval.



We'll skip over the steak and brussels sprouts (which you've heard plenty about) and go straight to dessert. I used a recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook my momma gave me recently. My grandmother has given her a few of their cookbooks over the years, and I've always lusted after them. Finally, I have my own!


So, I didn't have a tube pan and used a bundt pan instead. That, along with the raspberries, made the cake not entirely pretty when it came out of the pan. {sigh} Oh well.

Raspberry Angel Food Cake:
1-1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 eggs)
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups sugar, plus 2 tbsps
1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
the recipe calls for 2 cups raspberries. I would advise NO raspberries. I'll explain later.

After separating the egg whites, let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly combine the cup of flour and 2 tbsps of sugar. The recipe says to sift; I say, if you mix well enough, you don't need to. Just do a damn fine job.
In a LARGE bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, extracts, and salt. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Next, add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in 2 tbsp increments. Beat on high until stiff peaks form and the sugar is dissolved. If stiff peaks have formed, you should be fine. This will take a while, but it is well worth it. Next, fold the flour mixture in a fourth at a time. This will be difficult if your bowl isn't sufficiently large. Mine was not.
*If you want to add the raspberries, fold them in at this point.
Gently spoon the mixture into an "ungreased 10-in tube pan." I put that in quote marks because I disagree with a part of that. Lightly grease the pan. Cut through the batter with a knife.
Bake at 375F on the lowest rack in the oven for 30-35 minutes. If your oven is like mine, I would start checking the cake after 20-25 minutes. The cake is done if it springs back when touched and the cracks look dry.
Invert the cake, using a bottom or funnel or something. Let it cool completely, then run a knife around the edges to release. Invert onto serving dish.

I wish I had not baked the raspberries in the cake; instead, I should have made a light sauce. As the raspberries cook, they release liquid which kind of screws with the surrounding cake. Soggy areas occurred. It didn't taste wrong, but the sogginess was unappealing. So no more fruit in angel food cakes.

P.S. I think angel food cakes are my favorite.

Finally, the tea eggs

Okay, so it took a bit longer than anticipated to get this updated. We went bowling with some friends.. I had a few drinks.. Tipsy blogging doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

After coming across a few links to tea eggs on -- wait for it.. wait for it .. -- TasteSpotting, I remembered that my friend in high school often had a tea egg or two for lunch (yay for traditional Chinese grandmothers who make lunch for high schoolers). Tim had me try it once, and I must have been ambivalent about it because I can't really remember it as good or bad. It's an intriguing idea though.. cooking a shelled egg in tea and spices... So I decided to try it for myself. I based my experiment off of this and this recipe. There was no way I was going to do half a dozen or more eggs, so I only did 3. And I could not find star anise, so I couldn't use that.

Tea Eggs:
eggs (start with a few eggs in case you aren't a fan)
2 black tea bags (I used an english breakfast tea because that was the closest I had)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 stick cinnamon
some whole cloves
tsp salt
tsp sugar

In a saucepan, submerge the eggs in water. Bring water to boil, then remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes. Drain the water, then add cool water to help the eggs cool faster. Once you can handle the eggs, use a spoon and gently tap the egg until cracks appear in the shell. Do not remove the shell!
Pour 3 cups of water into the saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients (remove the strings from the tea bags). Gently add the eggs. If they aren't completely covered in water, add more until they are. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Let the eggs soak for an additional hour.


Peel the eggs and enjoy. You can use them just like regular boiled eggs, though take into account their modified flavor.


I expected the tea and spices to add a stronger flavor than they did; instead it was a just a subtle hint of cinnamon and clove after chewing for a moment. Hubby was a little weirded out by the additional taste, especially since I didn't really explain much about them to him before popping a bit in his mouth. I'll probably give these a try again, once I have a better tea and star anise.

Fettucini with Pancetta and Zucchini

Last night, I took a big risk and served zucchini to the man who says he doesn't eat anything from the "gourd family." I even made him stay out of the kitchen while I was cooking. My body tensed as, while eating, he asked "what's this green stuff?" Surprisingly, he liked it! More than that, he'd eat it again!

I got the recipe from Kirsten's Home Cooking, linked through TasteSpotting of course. I tweaked it a little, within the bounds of the recipe, but all and all I don't think there are many ways in which I would want to change it. I might make it a tad bit saucier. Here's the recipe as I did it.

Fettucini with Pancetta (Bacon) and Zucchini
Ingredients:
1/2 lb fettucini
1 whole zucchini; I sliced it as thin as can be with my mandolin slicer (love) then cut the strips into quarters. They were a tad unmanagable, but they worked.
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
5 slices of bacon, cut into ribbons. I found that it's easiest to cut the bacon raw and stacked as it is in the package. I cut width-wise and slightly diagonally. (That's confusing, I know) Cut it however you want.
Olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
1/3 c heavy cream
Parmesan cheese for grating

Boil a pot of heavily salted water for the fettucini. Cook for 9 minutes - it should be a bit al dente as it will cook a bit more later. While that's going on, you can prep your fettucini and bacon (the recipe calls for pancetta, but I'm poor and don't have any). Once the pasta has cooked, save 1/2 cup of the salted water, then drain the pasta.
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; it won't take long. Remove the fat from the pan, then add a little bit of olive oil. Saute the garlic and zucchini in it briefly. The zucchini should retain most of its shape and firmness, but some of the pieces will cook faster than others. It's okay.
Add the fettucini. Mine was all stuck together so I tried to detangle it a bit before I added it. Toss to mix the ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup of salted water and let it simmer until the water has mostly evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste, though be careful. The fettucini will absorb a good deal of salt while cooking so you might not need to add any.
Add the cream; let it simmer until thickened a bit.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan.


I thought this was tasty and relatively light for a pasta dish; the cream doesn't really weigh it down at all. Hubby suggested adding more meat next time; I expected some comment along those lines. I might add a bit of grilled chicken next time; much more bacon would overpower the taste. I would also add more garlic.. because I love it.

I served the pasta with some bread from the store (no time at all to make rolls) and a little concoction of mine. I'm on these two different kicks: caramelized onions and red bell peppers. I thought perhaps I would join them. I quartered a bell pepper, splashed a little balsamic on each quarter, then filled them with caramelized onions. The bell pepper was a bit too strong or the onion was just super weak. Hubby wanted more balsamic. Perhaps I'll roast the bell pepper next time; but that will detract from the fresh crunchiness that I love about bell pepper.


Well, I am post-gym, so I need to shower. After that, I shall post the tea eggs. Really this time!

Ras-el-hanout and Cottage-fried potatoes

I am back, still with a bajillion things I want to try. Two new foods tonight, though one won't be posted right now. But anyhoo... I at some point and for some unknown reason decided to cook chicken and turned to TasteSpotting for inspiration. I came across this man's recipe for (previously unheard of) ras-el-hanout. It sounded like a tasty spice combination and I've never tried anything Moroccan before. I too chose to rub the ras-el-hanout on chicken thighs, which I have never cooked with before.. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I'd had a chicken thigh before tonight; I'm a breast girl. At the grocery store and driving home, I had all sorts of ambitious plans, but after prepping tea eggs (more on these later) and the chicken, I decided to go with an old favorite from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook we got for the wedding - cottage-fried potatoes. They are simple and easy, but I find potatoes don't need a lot of pizazz to taste delicious.

Cottage-Fried Potatoes:
3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced. (peeled or unpeeled... I leave them with the peel)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion
3 tbsp butter

Melt the butter in a large skillet; add garlic and heat for 15 seconds. Layer the potatoes and onions in the pan, add salt and pepper every few layers.


Pretty layers, right? I usually cut the onion into thin rings, but for some reason did not this time. It doesn't matter. Cook, covered, over medium heat, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY. Not only do you not want the bottom to burn, but you also want to make sure all potatoes have a wee bit of butter and that they cook evenly. After 8 minutes of covered cooking, uncover and cook for 15 minutes or until all of the potatoes look thoroughly cooked. Some of the potato slices will crumble. That's alright; it adds variety. And extra deliciousness.


Ready for the chicken? I bet you are...

Ras-el-hanout
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I would advise using less - like 1/4 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 chicken thighs or whatever else you want to spread the mix on.

Combine all the spices in a bowl. You can keep the skin on the chicken or remove it. I removed the skin from 2 thighs and left skin on the other two. Hubby ate the skin; I did not. Rub the mix onto your meat; I probably rubbed in a bit too much. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes. Tada! It's super easy.


The chicken received mixed reactions. Hubby loved it; I thought the cayenne dominated the flavor and prevented me from tasting anything. I feel like some activating ingredient is missing that would really bring out all of the flavors that went into the rub. I'm not sure what could do that though. Sad. I'll probably make this again, tweaking the recipe.

Tea eggs coming soon!

Baby, It's Cold Outside; Eat Stew!

After discovering it was -9 degrees this morning (not counting the windchill), I decided today would be a stew day. What else can one eat when it is so deliriously cold outside? Lucky for me, I had picked up some stew meat at the grocery store a couple days ago. Stew is one of my absolute favorite cold weather foods; it's heartier than most soups and I love potatoes. I do. I really, really do. The base is slightly tomatoey but not enough to be the focus; it complements the simplicity of the beef and potatoes and adds a slight zing. Delicious. So without further ado......

Mama Sarah's Mama's Delicious Beef Stew
2 lbs lean stew meat (I used 1 1/2 because 1) it's expensive and 2) there's just the two of us)
flour, salt, and pepper
1 onion, chopped roughly
1 glove garlic, diced
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2-4 bay leaves (Mom uses 2, I used 4 because I enjoy putting leaves in my food.)
Salt, Pepper, and Chachere's/Season-all to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup ketchup (don't gross out, it works!)
Potatoes
Carrots (if you like mushy, gross cooked carrots)

Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Roll the meat bits, covering them in flour.
Brown the meat, onion, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil.
Once the meat is browned, add water. I add a couple cups, but it depends on how thick or thin you want the "broth" to be.
Add worchestershire sauce, bay leaves, sugar, and ketchup. Season to taste/smell. Mom had a friend who always said "season to smell" because that's going to tell you off the bat how you're doing. He's right, to a certain degree. At this point, I didn't taste it. Once you add the veggies, you'll have to season a bit more anyway.
Let the stew cook on medium heat for about 30-45 minutes so the meat will be tender. Add the chopped potatoes and carrots. Cook until the potatoes are cooked and slightly mushy: the few that crumble apart will thicken the broth.
Now it's time to season to taste. I ended up having to add a lot more salt, some more ketchup, and a dash more worchestershire.
***Make sure you stir frequently so your meat doesn't stick to the bottom... not like that happened to me or anything ..... thankfully, I like crunchy meat bits....)

Enjoy!

eggplant disappointment

Dinner last night was a disappointment. Hubby requested the turkey meatballs again; they ended up too moist and wouldn't hold shape.. I also decided to experiment with eggplant after seeing a bunch of recipes online. Basically, I cut an eggplant into rounds and baked them with mozzarella on top until the cheese was golden and bubbly. I didn't expect hubby to like it much - he is not a fan of eggplant in general, doesn't like the texture. Sadly, I didn't much like it either. Maybe it was the way it was prepared, or maybe I bought a tasteless eggplant. I was dissatisfied; the texture was a nice balance between firm and soft, but there wasn't much flavor other than that of the cheese.

I'll post something delicious tomorrow. Promise.

I'm back

So after illness and a crazy busy week, I'm got an update. It's simple - baked eggs - and I actually made them a few days ago, but my poor little blog deserves some attention. I promise I'll be better from now on.



Hubby loves eggs - have I mentioned this before? Well he does..he LOVES them.. now I come from a family not big on eating breakfast, so my egg repertoire is embarrassingly tiny. I know nothing about poached eggs or eggs benedicte. Luckily, we got this amazing cookbook for our wedding that had an easy recipe for baked eggs. They've got a similar texture to a boiled egg, but the cooking method allows for the addition of herbs and spices.

The recipe calls for 10 oz casseroles. I just use the little 3 oz (I believe) pyrex bowls we have - also from the wedding. Grease the casserole/bowl/dish well. Crack an egg into each dish.




Season the eggs with whatever you want. I think thyme is tasty with a little salt and pepper. Hubby loves Chachere's on his eggs. You can use whatever you want; I do.



So once you've gotten them seasoned, you're going to place the casseroles into a larger baking dish, then pour an inch of hot water around the dishes. Yay water-baths. Place this in the oven (preheated to 325-350). Bake for 25 minutes; if you want to add cheese - which you do - after 20 minutes take the eggs out and sprinkle cheese on them. They should look like the eggs pictured below (before cheese).


Bake 5 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the yolk comes out clean..or gooey if you like gross runny yolks - hubby does.


Mmmm blurry egg. I like the taste of eggs, so I like seasonings to complement and not dominate. Hubby wants salty-spiciness. We both agree that cheese is delicious. Hubby decided to have his eggs sandwiched between 2 buttered pieces of toast. They are much better than fried eggs I think, much more thick and dense.


I ate mine as-is. So good, so good. I highly recommend using thyme with eggs.