Lamb Loin Chops with Herbed Cognac Butter Sauce

These were pretty good, but not as good as the ones I make with red wine sauce. I would like to make them again sometime, though, perhaps with brandy instead of Cognac--the flavor was not really present, thus not worth the $$ to use "the good stuff" 8.5/10

Link to original recipe: https://kitchenswagger.com/cast-iron-lamb-loin-chops-cognac-butter-sauce-recipe/
**I made 1.5 times the original recipe; amounts below reflect this modification**

Ingredients:

6 lamb loin chops
1 1/2 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T. butter
6 T. cognac (or brandy)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Set loin chops out on counter 20-30 min prior to cooking and season liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering, then add loin chops.  Cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes, then turn and cook on other side for 3-4 minutes more.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to skillet and stir until butter has completed melted.  Simmer for additional 1-2 minutes, turning the loin chops at least once to let the sauce flavor soak in on each side.

4. Remove from heat and use the pan sauce to drizzle over the loin chops when served.  Enjoy!

Pork Loin Chops with Camembert Sauce

Extra MMM for this one...I've made this a few times, though none recently.  Not for lack of desire to do so, just always distracted by so many other recipes :) Anyway, this is yet another wonderful recipe from the book French: delicious classic cuisine made easy by Clements & Wolf-Cohen (I have made and blogged many of the recipes in this book already).  While you can make this with heavy cream instead of crème fraîche, I highly suggest you use the latter, as it really enhances the taste. These pair very well with rosemary potatoes.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/e3YF0Um3sgo

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. boneless pork loin chops, pounded to 1/2" thickness

coarse ground black pepper

1 T. butter

3 T. dry white wine (I used Barefoot Chardonnay)

1/2 c. crème fraîche (or heavy cream)

1/2 T. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/2 T. fresh sage, chopped

4 oz. Camembert cheese, rind removed (~2.5 oz. de-rinded), cut into small chunks

Directions:

1. Season pork chops with pepper on both sides.

2. Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add butter.  When butter has melted and just started to barely brown (watch carefully!!!), add pork to skillet.

3. Cook pork for 2 1/2 minutes, then turn and cook additional 2 1/2 minutes.  Transfer to plate.

4. Add wine to pan, stir to deglaze.

5. Add the cream and herbs, stirring to combine.

6. Add the cheese and any accumulated juices from the resting pork.  Stir until cheese has nearly all melted.

7. Serve pork with sauce and enjoy (a lot)!

Dark Chocolate Ganache Brownie Cutouts

Attention chocolate lovers: this is a superbly chocolaty recipe that you will want to make as soon as possible.  I renamed it slightly because the original ends with "cakes", implying that these are bake-like in consistency; this is not the case.  Brownie aficionados know there are fudgy ones and cakey ones--this recipe is the former, and quite so.  Super moist and rich plus a lovely ganache topping=heavenly.  10/10 all the way!

Link to original recipe: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/145439/dark-chocolate-ganache-brownie-cakes

Ingredients:

16 oz. dark chocolate chips (I used Nestlé brand), divided
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into large pats
3 T. water
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F and line a 13" x 9" baking pan with foil.  Lightly grease/spray the foil after lining.

2. Using a double boiler (or a saucepan over low heat), melt chocolate, sugar, butter, and water together, stirring constantly.  Once melted/smooth, remove from heat.

3. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and stir the eggs, one at time, until well blended.

4. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the flour and salt.  Pour into prepared baking pan.

5. Bake for 30-35 min (I went 30), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky.

6. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, then transfer brownies (keeping in foil) to cutting board.  Cut into circles using 2 1/2" cookie cutter, or cut into squares (I just did circles so it could look like the original recipe--will do squares next time).

7. Make the ganache: heat cream in microwave using a 4-cup glass measure (or similar sized microwave-safe bowl) for 30-40 seconds on high.  Remove from microwave and slowly pour in morsels.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 5 minutes, then stir to combine until smooth.  (Note: I used 30 seconds and this was not near enough to make the cream warm enough, so I ended up having to microwave 2 more times for 20 seconds to get full melt/smooth.)

8. Top brownie cutouts with ganache and enjoy!!

Soy-Marinated Chicken Thighs with Shiitake Mushrooms

Another yummy dish...but I'm only going to give it 9.5, as it is not quite over-the-top amazing, but close :) Despite the hot sauce level used, the finished product is not all that spicy (unless you dip up a bunch of the sauce with each bite).  The walnut oil was pricey--but it definitely lends its flavor to the final product, so don't skip it or substitute!  Now to hunt for more recipes using walnut oil...

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/soy-marinated-chicken-thighs-with-shiitake-mushrooms

Ingredients:

1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T. finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
1/2 c. water
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 T. canola oil
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms (remove stems, slice caps 1/4" thick)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (you can also use the dark green parts, but I just didn't prefer to this time)
2 tsp. lemon juice mixed with 1 tsp. walnut or hazelnut oil

Instructions:

1. In an 8" x 8" baking dish (glass or ceramic), combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and hot sauce.  Stir in the 1/2 c. water (oops, just realized I did not do this when prepping it--still turned out great :))

2. Add chicken thighs and turn to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  (I actually went closer to 2 hours, and original recipe says to turn a few times.  I was not at home, so this did not happen.  Again, it turned out fine :))

3. Uncover dish and discard half of marinade (I did not measure, I just poured off what looked like half to me). Place dish in oven.  Heat oven to 350°F.

4. Once oven reaches 350°F, bake for 45 min.  Turn chicken at 15 min. intervals.

5. Meanwhile, in a large, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium to medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms, along with sprinkles of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for around 4 min.

6. Add the green onions and continue cooking for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

7. Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon juice/walnut oil mixture.

8. Serve the chicken drizzled with a bit of the marinade sauce from the pan, along with the mushrooms and enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

MMM!  Oh, how tasty this is!  I shall definitely make this again, albeit with one change: flour the pan after buttering it.  There is no pic of final product from oven, as it stuck terribly in the pan, despite my efforts with a flexible spatula (and the serving pic does not flatter it at all, so I am not posting that, either).  I highly recommend this, though, even if you are not a major blueberry fan (I rarely make things with blueberries, as followers already know).  10/10.
Edit 26-Feb-19: My mom made the cake and floured the pan, turned out far better (as I suspected it would!)  These are her pictures of finished product (used with her permission, of course):

Link to original recipe: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/best-lemon-blueberry-bundt-cake-176927

Ingredients:

cake--

2  3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 T. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter (or margarine; I used butter), softened
1  3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk
6 oz. blueberries

glaze--

1  1/2 c. powdered sugar
10 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 T. light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Butter (AND FLOUR) a 12-cup Bundt pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Heat oven to 350°F.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth.

5. Add sugar and beat until fluffy (around 2-3 min.)

6. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

7. Beat in lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

8. Beat in flour and buttermilk a third at a time, alternating between each--beat for 2 minutes once all of each are in.

9. Fold in blueberries, then spread into prepared pan.

10. Bake for 50 min (or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean).

11. Cool on a rack for 20 min, then gently loosen from pan using a flexible spatula.  Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

12. Make glaze: whisk together all 3 glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour over cooled cake, slice up, and enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Short Ribs

The original recipe describes these as 'spicy'--however, despite the 6 Thai chili peppers in the sauce, the spicy level is just barely present.  The other flavors meld in the sauce and make it more on the sweet side.  It is certainly different and quite good--would give these an 8.5/10 the way I prepared it.  I would like to try the short ribs again with the lime marmalade the original recipe called for, as well as the fresh basil (was going to pick up some until snowy weather decided against that for me that evening!); if and when I do, I shall do a follow-up entry about it with new ratings.

Link to original recipe: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/spicy-slow-cooked-short-ribs-with-lime-basil

Ingredients:

1 T. peanut oil
~3.5 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs (long-bone style)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 Thai chili peppers (I used 2 red and 4 green), stemmed, seeded, halved lengthwise
2 medium cloves garlic, quartered
1 piece (3") fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 c. orange or lime marmalade (I used orange, as I could not find lime in the store I shopped then)
1/2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. finely chopped fresh basil leaves (I subbed 1 tsp. dried basil)
Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

Directions;

1. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat.  Add short ribs and brown for 2 min. on each side.  Transfer ribs to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft (around 3 min.)

3. Stir in the chilis, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, and nutmeg, until fragrant (around 1 min.)

4. Add the marmalade and stir until melted, then remove from heat.

5. Stir in broth and soy sauce, then pour into slow cooker.

6. Arrange ribs pointing short side up, nestled in the sauce.  Cover and turn cooker on to either low for 9 hours or high for 6 (I chose the latter, as I did not get started until afternoon).

7. Remove ribs from slow cooker and de-bone, discarding bones and saving rib meat in a dish (I had not yet de-boned them when I took pic).

8. Strain fat from sauce in the cooker (I spooned it off, as I still haven't replace my broken fat separator) and pour de-fatted sauce into a 3 quart saucepan.

9. Stir in the vinegar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half (around 8 min.).

10. Stir in basil and cook for 1 additional minute.  Season with salt and pepper, then pour sauce over ribs, serve, and enjoy!  I highly suggest mashed potatoes to accompany--they were perfect with it :)

Chocolate Mousse

Mmm so delicious!  I have a recipe that I used to use for a 'cheat' version of chocolate mousse that I really liked, which used French vanilla Cool Whip...but the last time I went to make it (about a year ago), I found out that they no longer make this lovely product.  Grr.  Thus, when I came across this recipe the other day, I figured I'd better attempt the 'real thing'.  So glad I did, too--it's great!  And I made it in a non-liqueur version, as hubby wouldn't care for it if I used liqueur, and probably not kiddo, either.  It's not too difficult, either--just a tad time consuming and a bit of an arm workout lol.  10 out of 10, will make again for sure :)
p.s. This makes a very large portion; I will likely cut down by half or 2/3 next time.
p.p.s. We ate the mousse when it had only chilled for about 2 1/2 hours, so it doesn't look quite as "set" and foamy in the pic below.

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ultimate-chocolate-mousse

Ingredients:

8 oz. good-quality semisweet dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% Intense Dark), broken into chunks
6 large eggs, separated
3 T. water
1/2 T. almond extract (or 1/4 c. Amaretto; I used the extract)
2 c. heavy cream
6 T. sugar, divided

Directions:

1. Using medium heat, heat a double boiler with around 1/2" of water in bottom part.  Once heated, add the chocolate to top part of double boiler and melt until smooth, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and separate top and bottom, setting aside.

2. In a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat, whisk together the 6 egg YOLKS and 3 T. of water.  Whisk constantly for 6 minutes. 

3. Whisk in the almond extract (or Amaretto) and continue whisking constantly for 6-8 minutes more.  The sauce should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.

4. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl.  Discard the foamy part and anything in strainer.  Set strained liquid aside.

5. Fold melted chocolate into sauce and set aside.

6. Beat heavy cream (using an electric mixer on high) until stiff peaks form, 2-4 min, beating in 2 T. of the sugar towards the end.  (Note: I chilled my beaters and bowl in freezer from when I started the recipe; it doesn't have this in original, but it's in most recipes where you have to beat heavy cream.)

7. Fold beaten heavy cream into chocolate mixture and set aside.

8. Using an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high until soft peaks form (about 1-2 min.)

9. Beat in remaining 4 T. (1/4 c.) sugar, and continue until stiff peaks form (about 2-3 min.).  Fold into chocolate-cream mixture.

10. Chill mousse for at least 4 hours prior to serving.  Enjoy!