Tilapia with Kale and Mushrooms

Here is another recipe which I made in my new Le Creuset pot. This is a very quick and easy one pot meal and very satisfying. I couldn't stop eating the kale, which is my new favorite vegetable. Again the amounts are approximate.

Ingredients
2 tilapia fillets
1T olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 small sweet spanish onion
1 bunch of kale chopped (about 4-5 cups)
2 portabello caps sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 C to 3/4 C white wine


Method
1. Heat the oil in a medium dutch oven or stock pot. Saute the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the kale and cook until wilted, stirring frequently to distribute onion and garlic throughout kale.
2. Add the portabello caps and mix to distribute. Add the wine. Place the tilapia fillets on top of the kale mixture and cover pan. Simmer until tilapia is done and flakes easily. Make sure to serve with some of the juices from the pan poured over.

My new Le Creuset

I've been working at Williams Sonoma during the holiday season, which was wonderful by the way, and very quickly began to covet the beautiful Le Creuset cast iron pots that we were selling. I finally couldn't resist anymore when we I saw this lovely yellow pot on sale. I had to have it. I have been cooking with it every night since and I am convinced the food tastes better. I noticed specifically that my onions didn't burn or stick to the pan and cooked very evenly. Plus it is such a romantic pot to cook in. It makes me feel a little bit like I am in the French countryside. Here is the recipe I made tonight. The amounts are approximate so don't be afraid to improvise or change to suit your tastes.
P.S. I also got a yogurt maker which at this moment is in the process of incubating my very first batch of homemade yogurt. Unfortunately, I noticed after I filled the cups and set the machine that some of the culture didn't dissolve in the milk, so I am hoping that enough got in to create a acceptable yogurt. I will keep you posted.

Shrimp and Vegetable Stew with Pesto

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
1 small/medium sweet spanish onion
3-4 T prepared pesto (see recipe below)
2 cups canned diced tomatoes with juice (I used tutta rosa with natural basil flavor)
1 c vegetable broth
20 medium shrimp, thawed, peeled with the tails removed
2 small zucchini, cut into quarter length-wise and the diced
1 portabello mushroom cap diced into 1/2 inch pieces
whole wheat pasta cooked as per package (optional)

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a medium stock pot. Add onion and saute on medium heat until translucent. Add tomatoes with some of the juice from the can and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat so that it is simmering rapidly.
2. Mix in the pesto, the shrimp, the zucchini and the mushroom. Cook until shrimp are pink and tails are curled and zucchini is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on its own or over whole wheat pasta.

Pesto (from Prevention's Quick and Healthy Low-Fat Cooking Featuring Cuisines from the Mediterranean)

2 Cups loosely packed basil leaves
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 T pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and process to until finely chopped. Remove from processor to a bowl and mix in olive oil and cheese. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a month.

Hazelnut Cream Puffs with Chocolate Cream

I love cream puffs. I love the way they puff up in the oven, I love the way they taste, and I love their versatility. Once you master the basic recipe for these golden puffs there are so many options to try. I have been thinking about adding hazelnuts to cream puff paste for a long time, but I was worried that the nuts would cause the puffs not to rise. Happily this is not the case. The puffs do rise, though a little less than they would sans nuts. They are delicious with the chocolate cream, which is simply chocolate pastry cream with whipped cream folded in. If you have extra cream left after filling the cream puffs, it can be served on its own as chocolate mousse or as filling for chocolate cream pies.

Cream Puffs
Makes about 35 puffs

Ingredients
1 C flour
1 C water
6T unsalted butter
2T sugar
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
1 C hazelnuts, ground fine

Method
 1. Put water, butter, salt and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. When the mixture is boiling and the butter is completely melted, add the flour and mix until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Continue to cook the paste until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
2. Put mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for a few moments to cool the mixture down. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium high until completely incorporated between each addition. Add the hazelnuts and beat until just incorporated.
3. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe 1 to 1 1/2 inch round balls of dough onto a sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave room between each for puffs to rise. Using wet fingers, smooth out the top of each puff and make sure each is round.
4. Bake the puffs at 400 degrees for approximately 25 minutes until brown and hard to the touch. Cool completely before assembling puffs. At this point puffs can be stored in an airtight container until you are ready to fill them.

Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
3 oz 60% dark chocolate
6T sugar, divided into two equal portions
1T vanilla extract
1C milk
2 eggs
1 ¼ T cornstarch
1C heavy whipping cream
2T unsalted butter

Method
1. Wisk eggs, cornstarch and half the sugar in a large mixing bowl to form a paste.
2. In a medium sauce pan bring the milk and the other half of the sugar to a scald.
3. Slowly add half the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking the eggs constantly. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and milk wisking the mixture in the saucepan continuously. Return the saucepan to the heat over medium heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken considerably. As soon as it boils, remove from heat immediately and put cream in a clean bowl.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave. Mix the melted chocolate into the pastry cream. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the entire surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely cool.
5. Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Fold into cooled pastry cream. Use immediately to fill the puffs.

Assembling Puffs

Assembly should be completed close to the time you are going to serve the puffs.

Ingredients

3 oz melted dark chocolate

Chocolate cream

Hazelnut cream puffs

Method

1. Cut each puff in half horizontally. Dip the top of each puff in chocolate. Set aside until chocolate is set.
2. Using a large star tip, pipe a generous amount of chocolate cream onto the bottom of each puff. Place the tops back on. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato and Kale Gratin

I imagine this dish as going well with roasted chicken or turkey. The kale and the sweet potatoes complement each other well and the kale becomes pleasantly crispy under the broiler.
　
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/8 C brown sugar
7 T butter
¼ t nutmeg
Salt for boiling water
3 C chopped green kale
1 C diced onion
3 oz Emmenthal Swiss cheese, grated
3 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

Method
1. Bring a large stockpot with salted water to a boil. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Add to boiling water. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
2. While sweet potatoes are cooking, melt 5T of butter in a sauté pan. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until softened. Add chopped kale and mix thoroughly. Cook until kale is wilted and softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes. Mash potatoes with brown sugar, nutmeg and 2T of butter.
4. Using a pie plate or shallow baking dish, spread the sweet potato mixture on the bottom of the dish. Spread the kale mixture evenly on top of the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with cheeses.
5. Place dish under the broiler until cheese is melted and just slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Birds

This chocolate sculpture was a project for one of my advanced baking classes. It is made from tempered white and dark chocolate. The tree design was accomplished by painting dark chocolate on acetate and pouring colored white chocolate on top. When the chocolate was partially set, the shapes were cut out with cake rings and cookie cutters. The birds are piped with dark chocolate on parchment paper, chilled and attached to the tree with a little dark chocolate to hold them.

Turkey Meatball and Vegetable Soup

This soup is fun and easy to make. With spinach, tomatoes and turkey meat as main ingredients, it is good for you as well. I like to make a pot and freeze half of it for lunches or quick dinners.

Ingredients1T olive oil
1 15 oz can pink beans
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 large sweet onion diced
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked chopped spinach, fresh or frozen
2 cups cooked brown rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb ground turkey meat
½ C grated parmesan cheese
¼ C plain bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
Pinch garlic powder
½ t salt
Shaved parmesan for serving (optional)

Method1. Put turkey meat in a bowl. Add beaten egg, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a portion of the mixture. Divide scoop in two and roll each portion into a meatball. Repeat for the rest of the meat mixture. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pot. Sauté onion over medium heat until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a little while, being careful not to burn. Add chicken broth, spinach, brown rice, beans and tomatoes and bring soup to a boil.
3. When soup is boiling carefully add the meatballs one at a time stirring carefully now and then to distribute meatballs in pot. Simmer 10-15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shaved parmesan if you like.
　

Brown Sugar Gelato

Using brown sugar gives this gelato a richness and depth of flavor that is very pleasing. I recently tried it as part of a cookie sandwich with somewhat less than stellar results. I think this was the fault of the cookie, a brown butter pecan shortbread, which overpowered the gelato due to its flavor and thickness. I still think the gelato would make an excellent cookie sandwich with a chewier, thinner cookie and plan to keep experimenting. I'm also contemplating adding some spices and/or nuts to the mix.
　
Ingredients2 C Heavy Cream
1 C milk
1 C dark brown sugar, packed divided in two
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks

Special EquipmentIce cream or gelato machine

Method1. Prepare ice bath by placing ice and water into a large mixing bowl and placing another mixing bowl into the bath. Have a fine mesh strainer ready
2. Place milk, cream, salt and one half of the brown sugar in a saucepan. Stir to combine. Heat on medium to a scald (nearly boiling with small bubbles around the edges), stirring occasionally.
3. While milk mixture is heating wisk together the egg yolks and the remaining half of the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Wisk vigorously for a few minutes until mixture lightens in color.
4. When milk is scalding, remove from heat. Slowly drizzle half the milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking the eggs constantly. When half of the milk mixture is incorporated into the eggs reverse the process, pouring the new milk/egg mixture back into the pan while whisking constantly.
5. Return the pan to the stove. Heat over low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Be very careful not to boil the mixture as that will cause the eggs to curdle.
6. When mixture is ready immediately remove from heat and pour through the strainer into the bowl floating in the ice bath.
7. Allow mixture to cool then place in a container in the refrigerator. Allow to cool thoroughly before processing in your ice cream maker. Process according to your machines instructions.