Pork Loin Chops in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Last in the series "dans la cuisine de ma mère" is a lovely entry indeed, mmm.  Everyone at the table raved about this one, very pleased with the results and will make again for sure!

Original recipe link:
http://vikalinka.com/2015/03/21/pork-loin-steaks-in-creamy-shallot-and-mushrooms-sauce/

Ingredients:

sea salt (to season chops)
4 boneless pork loin chops
 (around) 1 T. olive oil (we didn't measure)
2 shallots, chopped
2 large portobello mushrooms, chopped (we also added 4 oz. of baby bellas leftover from the other day)
2 rosemary springs, chopped
Splash of cognac or brandy (optional; we opted for brandy)
1/4 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. whole-grain mustard (used Grey Poupon Coarse Grain Mustard)
2/3 c. crème fraîche
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Use a meat tenderizing mallet to pound lightly on chops.  Season chops with some sea salt.

2.  In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Cook chops for 2 minutes each side.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.

3.  Reduce heat to medium and add shallots to pan.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms and rosemary, cook for 5 minutes or until liquid has nearly all evaporated.

5. Add the splash of cognac or brandy and stir for 30 seconds.

6. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

7. Return chops to pan and cook for 2 minutes.

8. Serve and enjoy! (We served with fried potatoes, great pairing :))

Lasagna Roll-ups with Goat Cheese

Another post "dans la cuisine de ma maman" (see previous post for explanation).  This was super delicious and will definitely make again.  It came out a little on the salty side, so I think I'll go lighter on the salt next time.  I modified here and there from original recipe, but not much.  Served with garlic bread mmmmm!

Link to original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-basil-and-goat-cheese-lasagna-roll-ups.html

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional; I added and recommend)
2 tsp. salt, plus additional if desired (to taste)
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper, plus additional if desired (to taste)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano (my addition--didn't measure, just estimating this much)
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes (we used 1 quart of home-canned fresh tomatoes)
3/4 lb. dried lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
4 oz. fresh goat cheese
1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I may have used more than this, as I didn't measure this part)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, red pepper, salt, black pepper, and oregano.  Cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes.  Use an immersion blender (if available) to blend sauce until mostly smooth.  Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (enough to cover lasagna noodles) to boil and cook noodles according to package directions (I used Barilla brand, which took 8 minutes).

5. Drain noodles and lay flat in a single layer on a baking sheet.

6. Heat oven to 400°F.

7. In a frying pan, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, until browned. Drain off any fat.

8. Season with salt and pepper if desired, then transfer to a large bowl to let cool slightly.

9. Add the ricotta, goat cheese, 1/2 c. of the Parm.-Regg., egg, basil, and 1/3 c. of the tomato sauce.  Stir to combine.

10. Pour 1 1/2 c. of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, spread to cover evenly.

11. On each lasagna noodle, spread a thin layer of the beef mixture.  Roll up the noodle and place noodle seam side down in the baking dish.

12. Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top of roll-ups.

13. Sprinkle to cover with mozzarella, followed by remaining Parm.-Regg.

14. Bake for 20 min.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Spice-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin Roast

The first post of 2017, woot!  I'm actually on vacation at my mom's right now, so this will be "dans la cuisine de ma maman" (in my mom's kitchen) :) We're still on the 12 days of Christmas and have been cooking together every evening to celebrate.  This recipe uses a spice neither of us had ever tried before: caraway seed.  Glad we did, as this was really delicious, special occasion worthy for sure.  We served it with roasted Parmesan potatoes, which paired very well.

Link to original recipe:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/spice-rubbed-roast-beef-tenderloin-red-wine-sauce.aspx

I modified only a little (amounts listed below are with modification)--I halved the first part of the original recipe because it was intended for 8-10 servings; we only had 4 people to serve and still ended up with a good amount of leftovers.  I still made the sauce part as the original amount because we like sauce and wanted to be sure about the reductions going correctly.

Ingredients:

For the beef/seasoning--

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 T. ground fennel seed (we used whole and ground it by hand)
1/4 tsp. caraway seeds, coarsely ground (we also did by hand, but I will use spice grinder next time, as this is rather difficult)
1/2 T. Kosher salt
3/4 tsp. fresh ground/cracked back pepper
2 1/2 lb. butt-end of whole beef tenderloin, trimmed

For the sauce:

2 T. unsalted butter, divided
1 T. olive oil (or canola; I used olive)
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium thinly sliced shallot
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
3 large sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns
1 bottle (750 mL) dry red Zinfandel or Shiraz (I used Barefoot Zinfandel), divided
1 can (14.5 oz.) lower salt beef broth
1 T. all-purpose flour
freshly ground/cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and all seasonings (in the "seasoning" part of ingredients list).  Pat the tenderloin dry with a paper towel and then, using your hands, coat it evenly all over with the spice mixture.

2. Place the roast on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Begin with a 10 inch skillet over medium heat and melt 1 T. of the butter.

4. Add the mushrooms, shallot, sugar, and salt.  Cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes.

5. Add the thyme, peppercorns, and half of the wine.  Bring to simmer and keep simmering to reduce the wine until it just covers the solids, around 10-15 min.  (I went 12).

6. Add remaining wine slowly, keeping at simmer.  Continue simmering to reduce again until just covers the solids, another 10-12 min. more.  (I went 10).

7. Add beef broth slowly, keeping at simmer.  Continue simmering until reduced by half, around 15 minutes.

8. Strain through a fine mesh strainer set over a 1 quart measuring cup (or, as I did, just a regular mixing bowl) and press lightly on solids to expel most of liquid.  If you have more than 1 1/2 c. liquid, return to pan to simmer down until you have 1 1/2 c. (I had just over 1 cup, so no extra reduction needed).

9. In a 1 quart saucepan over low heat, melt remaining 1 T. of butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until smooth and light beige in color, around 1 minute.

10. Slowly add the wine reduction, whisking constantly, making sure to keep sauce smooth.

11. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

12. To roast the beef: position a rack in center of oven and heat to 375°F.

13. Roast the beef until desired level of doneness (check with an instant-read thermometer): 120°F for rare, 125-130°F for medium-rare, or 135°F for medium.  I went for medium rare, which took about 40 minutes.

14. After removing from oven, let beef rest 15 minutes prior to serving.  (Note: tent with foil for this part; original recipe did not say to do so and meat was barely serving temperature by time we served.)

15. Slice up and serve with sauce, and remaining solids if desired (not indicated in original recipe, but they are delicious, I recommend it!)  Enjoy!!

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Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Yay for holidays with some time off!  Lately, when I have had the chance to cook, I've been mainly revisiting favorite recipes I've already cooked and blogged, thus not a great deal of new material to post, my apologies.  Starting from now and into the new year, am hoping to post at least once a week while school is in session and more often when on break :)
Thought I'd start with these lovely baked donuts I made Christmas eve morning!  They are very tasty and very not low calorie, I'm sure.  A nice treat that is easy to make...enjoy!

Link to original recipe:
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/06/09/baked-cinnamon-sugar-donuts/

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large egg, room temperature
1/3 c. light brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c. whole milk
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
***
Coating:
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
***
Special equipment: donut baking pans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter (or spray) donut baking pans and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, milk, and yogurt until smooth.

4. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined--be careful not to overmix!  Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.

6. Spoon batter into a plastic sandwich bag and snip off the corner to make a fingertip sized opening for piping.  Pipe batter into prepared donut pans (should make 8 or 9 donuts).

7. Bake donuts for 9-10 minutes (I went 10), until edges are lightly browned.  Remove and place on cooling rack for 2 minutes.

8. Remove donuts from pan and allow to cool a few more minutes while you prepare the coating.

9. For coating: Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Dip each donut in the melted butter first, then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat all over.

10. Grab some milk and enjoy--donuts are best when warm!

Pork Tenderloin with Brie and Mushrooms with Potatoes

Finally, I have managed to cook AND blog once again!  I've missed this soooo much.  I had an outstanding time spending my summer in France and have been super busy ever since my return.  Once I did get back, I craved many of the the recipes I'd already blogged, thus nothing new to add at first.  Now I'm ready to get back to the routine and explore more recipes...allons-y!

This turned out quite tasty indeed, will make again for sure.  I adapted it from this:
http://www.food.com/recipe/pork-tenderloin-stuffed-with-brie-and-mushrooms-410227

4 medium to large yellow flesh potatoes, cut in 1/2" thick chunks
12 oz. pork tenderloin (after trimming)
2 T. butter
1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 shallot, chopped (used food processor)
12 oz. button mushroom, sliced (food processor)
1 c. (slightly over 1 oz.) baby spinach
2 splashes red wine (used Alamos Argentinian Malbec)
4 3/4 oz. Brie (prior to rind removal)
1/4 Granny Smith apple, chopped (in food processor, with walnuts)
2 T. walnuts, toasted, chopped (above)
salt, pepper, dried thyme--to taste
olive oil

1. Place cut potatoes in microwave safe container and cover.  Microwave on high for 8 minutes.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme--to taste, and toss to combine.

2. Meanwhile, butterfly tenderloin lengthwise, set aside.

3. Heat oven to 375°F.

4. Melt butter in skillet (used cast iron, obviously) over medium heat and add mushrooms.

5. Cook mushrooms for a few minutes, until somewhat softened.  Add shallot and garlic.  Cook until liquid has nearly disappeared/evaporated.

6. Add baby spinach and cook briefly (it will quickly begin to reduce).

7. Splash in red wine and cook for around 1 minute.

8. Remove from heat and add Brie, apple, walnut, and seasonings.  Stir until Brie has melted and well combined.

9. Spread enough mixture over the tenderloin to cover it entirely; leave remaining mixture in pan.

10. Fold tenderloin over to enclose the filling.  Secure with butcher string.

11. Place tenderloin in middle of pan.  Add potatoes to surround tenderloin.

12. Bake for around 40 minutes, or until meat thermometer registers 155°F.

13. Let it rest for 5 minutes.  Remove the strings, plate it up and enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Clove Chicken

Mmm another recipe with herbes de Provence...how could I resist?  This recipe was fairly easy to make and pretty yummy.  I only did one head of garlic, which she indicated was around 20 cloves; mine was more like 12, with size varying widely.  Next time, I would use fully 20 cloves, as they are not overpowering like one might expect.  I'm not sure if the sauce turned out exactly as was intended; it was a bit on the greasy side, which I would attribute to using a non-stick pan.  I should have probably went with my cast iron skillet instead (again, next time).  Was great with "zigzag fries", as my 4-year-old likes to call them :)

Link to original recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/roasted-garlic-clove-chicken-recipe.html

Ingredients:

8 bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
20 cloves garlic, whole, skins removed
3 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 tsp. herbes de Provence
1 tsp. flour
1/4 c. chicken stock
squeeze of lemon juice (maybe 2 tsp.?)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Salt and pepper chicken to taste.

3. In a large ovenproof skillet (see note in intro), add olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add garlic cloves and cook until lightly golden all over (mine took around 8 minutes, not 10 as indicated in original).

4. Remove garlic from pan and set aside.

5. Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken to pan.  Cook on each side for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

6. Return garlic to pan. Sprinkle half of herbes de Provence over each side of chicken pieces (as in, I used 1 tsp. to sprinkle all over, then turned the pieces and repeated).

7. Place pan in oven and back for 20-25 minutes (be sure to check for 165°F for doneness; mine only took 20 minutes).

8. Transfer chicken and garlic to platter.

9. Place pan over medium-high heat and sprinkle flour over the drippings; stir to combine.

10. Add chicken stock and lemon juice, stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.

11. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.  Enjoy!