Garlic and Gruyère Stuffed Mushrooms

I really need to just make these as a meal for myself some night.  I love stuffed mushrooms that much, honestly.

Original recipe here:
http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/garlic-and-gruyere-stuffed-mushrooms

Ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
~24 oz. large button or cremini mushrooms (I used button this time)
salt and pepper, to taste
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 c. dry sherry
1 T. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried sage
1 egg white
1 1/4 c. coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1/2 c. panko

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  Lightly oil a medium baking sheet.

2. Remove stems from caps of mushrooms and chop the stems, set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, toss mushroom caps with salt, pepper, and 2 T. out of the 1/2 c. olive oil.  Place mushrooms stem side down on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil and the garlic in a 12" skillet over medium heat.  Cook until garlic is golden brown, around 4-6 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

5. Add chopped mushroom stems, shallot, salt, and pepper to skillet.  Cook until shallot is softened, around 3-4 minutes.

6. Add sherry to skillet.  Increase heat slightly and cook until liquid has nearly evaporated, 2-3 minutes.  (I went slightly longer, think the oil was not quite as absorbed on the stems/did not have quite as much as original recipe called for.)

7. Transfer mixture to food processor.  Add parsley, sage, and egg white.  Pulse until coarsely ground.

8. Transfer to a medium bowl.  Stir in drained garlic, the Gruyère, and panko.

9. Turn on broiler to "hi" with rack in middle of oven.  Arrange mushroom caps stem side up on tray, all together.  Stuff each generously.  Drizzle with olive oil.

10. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until tops are browned.

11. Serve up and enjoy!

Sautéed Potatoes

Yet another recipe from French: Delicious Classics Made Easy by Clements & Wolf-Cohen.  This was the first time I'd ever tried these and very happy I did.  They went very well with the amazing filets mignons I made the other day, as pictured:

The potatoes are fairly easy to make; they do need longer to cook than the recipe suggests, though (unless you like crunchy potatoes).

Ingredients:

3 lbs. russet potatoes
4-6 T. oil, bacon drippings, or clarified butter (I opted for bacon drippings--highly recommend)
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1" pieces (or slightly smaller, like I did).  Place them in a bowl, cover with cold water, and let soak for 10-15 minutes.

2. Drain, rinse, and drain again, then dry thoroughly in a kitchen towel.  (I forgot to rinse them and still turned out ok...oops.  I also laid them out to dry on paper towels since I was busy cooking the other dish.)

3. In a large non-stick heavy frying pan, heat about 4 T. of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes and cook for 2 minutes without stirring to seal/brown the potatoes on one side.

4. Shake the pan and toss the potatoes to brown on another side.  Repeat until potatoes are browned all over.  Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add remaining oil and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook and stir potatoes for 25 minutes (or most likely more) until tender when pierced.

6. Around 5 minutes prior to being done, add rosemary and stir to blend in.  Enjoy!

Filets Mignons with Bourguignonne Sauce

Oh. my. goodness.  If you are looking for something amazing to make for a special occasion (or just want to try it because it sounds wonderful, like me in this case), this is it, hands down.  Even better?  It's not difficult or tricky :)

Original recipe here:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/filets-mignons-with-bourguignonne-sauce.html

As you can see, this recipe comes from one of my favorite recipe sites, Williams-Sonoma.  I had originally selected a different recipe on there; it required an ingredient that I was going to buy there (demi-glace), as I have a coupon to use there.  However, I foolishly expected the store to be open when I drove by, saw all the lights on, parked down the street, only to walk up at 7:15pm and see that that they closed at 7pm.  Silly me.  Slightly bummed, I continued on my way home and chose a different recipe I'd seen during my search.  This one also contained an ingredient to be purchased in the store: Cabernet Sauvignon wine reduction.  Hmmm, I thought...I've done wine reductions, I bet I could make my own.  Once again, Google happily provided; I got a quick recipe on the first hit of my query.  That recipe is in yesterday's post.

Ingredients:

4 (or 3, like I used) filets mignons, 6 oz. each, 1 1/4" thick
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 extra-thick bacon slices, cut in 3/4" pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 T. bottled minced garlic
3/4 lb. cremini (or button, as I used), stemmed and quartered
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. beef stock
1/3 c. Cabernet Sauvignon wine reduction
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

Instructions:

1. Season the filets with salt and pepper on both sides.  Let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

2. In a cast-iron skillet (or sauté pan, as original recipe suggests), heat 2 T. of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Cook steaks 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.  Transfer to a plate to rest, tent with foil if needed to keep warm (I put mine at back of stove, which was plenty warm).

3. Reduce heat to medium and add the bacon.  Cook, stirring frequently, until just crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel lined plate.

4. Reduce the heat just slightly and add onion and garlic.  Cook and stir frequently for 2 minutes.

5.  Add the mushrooms and stir.  If more moisture is needed, add remaining olive oil (I added around 1 T.).  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

7. Add the stock, wine reduction, bacon, and thyme, and any accumulated juices from the steaks.  After stirring to combine, add steaks back to pan and cook for 2 minutes.

8. Serve with generous portion of sauce and enjoy a lot!

Cabernet Sauvignon Reduction

This is very easy and I'm willing to bet it's similar to what is sold in Williams-Sonoma (no idea, since I didn't get the chance to buy any, and now, probably never will).  I forgot to get a final pic, so I'll have to add that in later.

http://winefolly.com/update/red-wine-reduction-sauce-recipe/

1 T. butter
1 small shallot, minced
1 T. flour
3/4 c. Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 sprig fresh rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add shallot and flour.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.

2. Add wine, vinegar, and rosemary.  Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until reduced by half; this does not take long, so watch carefully (think it was 3-5 minutes at most for mine).

3. Add salt and pepper if desired (I did not, since I was using in another recipe).  Remove rosemary sprig and strain if desired (I did).

Easy Pseudo Chocolate Mousse

Real chocolate mousse is wonderful, but what if you want a similar flavor, less work, and something kid-friendly (read: non-alcohol version)?  Voilà...a recipe is below for just that :)  I'm not sure where I got this recipe, have had it in my box on a notecard for quite some time.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 T. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract (increase to 1 T. if you use regular Cool Whip)
1 tub vanilla flavored Cool Whip, thawed in refrigerator
1/4 c. powdered sugar

*note: when I made it this time, I used regular Cool Whip Lite instead; this does not give quite the same 'mousse-like' consistency, but still tastes good :)

Instructions:

1. Over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and water.  Continue cooking and stirring until sauce is smooth.

2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Let mixture cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, whisk Cool Whip and powdered sugar together in a medium bowl.

4. Slowly add chocolate mixture and fold in.  Place mixture in refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes before serving.

5. Spoon some up and enjoy!

Broiled Chicken Drumsticks

You would think I had learned my lesson last time after the broiler + butter = smoke detector sounding, but no.  I wiped it down, it looked much cleaner, thought it would be alright...beep beep beep beep beep!  At least it was only once this time lol.  Anyhow, this recipe is worth it, too.  This one is a slight adaptation from one of the "Easy Everyday Cooking" cards I talked about in previous posts.  A great alternative when you are craving juicy chicken drumsticks but don't want the mess and time (and fat) associated with deep-frying them.

Ingredients:

~3 lbs. chicken drumsticks (or other bone-in chicken pieces)
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 T. minced bottled garlic
~2 tsp. herbes de Provence
salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.  Place oven rack in lower third of oven and turn broiler on "hi".

2. Place chicken pieces on aluminum foil.

3. Combine butter, garlic, and herbes de Provence in a small bowl.  (I had to squish it together with my fingers because my butter wasn't as softened, which was fine, just messy :).

4. Spread butter mixture on top of chicken pieces as best you can.

5. Broil chicken, turning often (around every 5-10 minutes), for about 30 minutes total if you have smaller sized drumsticks, longer for large ones like I had (I think I went closer to 40 min. total).

6. Serve with desired side and enjoy!  (Pictured here are garlic and Gruyère stuffed mushrooms with the chicken.)

Provolone and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Since I didn't feel like a trip to the store, I decided to modify the recipe to fit what I had on hand.  I'd bought provolone the other day in case I needed it for a different recipe, but decided on another cheese instead, thus I sought out a recipe to use it up, along with something from my burgeoning freezer.  And while my version was good, I would like to try it next time with the original ingredients instead to compare, so I included those on here as well.  I served it with garlic quinoa and brown rice (from a cook-in-the-pouch).  Enjoy!

Original recipe here:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/provolone-and-pancetta-stuffed-chicken-breasts.html

Ingredients:

6 oz. bacon, cut into small chunks/pieces (original= 6oz. pancetta, cut in small chunks; think it would be better)
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic (or 2 regular cloves, minced; again, think this would be preferable)
1 T. minced fresh rosemary (original calls for sage; think you could use any herb you like)
3 oz. grated provolone cheese (I think I had slightly more than this)
3 large boneless chicken breasts, pressed to 3/4" thickness (original is for five 8 oz. breasts, pounded to 1/2".  I was afraid of not having a place to make the slit/pocket, thus I just pressed mine thinner by hand)
salt and pepper, to taste
flour for dredging
4 egg whites
2 1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs (original calls for 3 1/2 c. of toasted breadcrumbs; I doubt toasting would change much, so I did not bother.  You could also use panko here, I think)
1 1/2 c. olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a skillet over slightly less than medium-high heat, cook bacon until slightly crispy.  (If using pancetta, add 1 tsp. olive oil to pan).  Add garlic to pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.  Transfer bacon/garlic mixture to paper towel lined plate to drain.

2. Place bacon/garlic mixture in a small bowl and combine with rosemary.

3. Mix in the cheese.

4. Using a paring knife, make a slit into the thickest part of the breast at the top (the opposite of the pointy end).  Be sure to not poke through the top or bottom sides of breast!  (I made the slit, then used my fingers to open it a bit more.)  Stuff the cheese/bacon/garlic mixture into the pocket/slit and place breasts on wire rack on top of a baking tray/cookie sheet.  Place (uncovered) in freezer for 5 minutes. (You are also supposed to salt and pepper the breasts before putting in freezer, but I forgot, thus not pictured.  I did so after removing from freezer and that seemed to also work fine.)

5. Place flour, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow pans/plates.  Dredge breasts in flour first, followed by egg white, and then breadcrumbs.

6. Transfer breasts back to wire rack and place (uncovered) in refrigerator for 15 minutes).

7. In a wide pan over high heat, heat the olive oil.  (If you have more than 3 breasts, you will need to do this step in batches.)  Fry the chicken until crisped underneath, around 5-6 minutes, then turn over and fry for additional 7-8 minutes to crisp other side.

8. Drain chicken on paper towel lined plate.  Serve with desired side and enjoy!