Strawberry Génoise with Whipped Cream

I made this a while back; it's a recipe that would be good for people that don't like a very sweet dessert.  Unfortunately, I prefer mine a tad sweeter than this and believe there are better recipes for génoise out there.  This is a lot of work, too--quite time consuming.  The beginning part where you have to hold the bowl over the water made me feel like my arm was going to fall off before I got it to the correct temperature lol.  Needless to say, I won't be doing this one again.

Original recipe here:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/strawberry-genoise-with-whipped-cream.html

Ingredients:

--génoise--
4 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cake flour, sifted
3 T. unsalted butter, melted

--filling and topping--
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. kirsch
2 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. confectioners' sugar
3 c. strawberries, hulled and cut into to slices; reserve a few to garnish

Instructions:

1. For génoise: heat oven to 375°F.  Line bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper.

2. In metal bowl of electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar by hand until combined.

3. Place bowl over, but not touching, simmer water in a saucepan.  Gently whisk until mixture reaches 140°F on an instant-read thermometer (this took me far longer than the supposed 3 minutes the recipe indicated.  Am guessing they used room temperature eggs?)

4. Put bowl on the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until mixture is pale and almost tripled in volume, 5 to 8 minutes.

5. Remove bowl from the mixer.  Sift the flour over the egg mixture in 2 additions and carefully fold in with a rubber spatula.

6. Fold a large dollop into the melted butter, then fold back into the egg mixture.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake until top of cake is browned, about 20 minutes.  Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool completely.

8. Run a table knife around edge of the pan, then pop off side of pan.  Invert the cake onto a work surface and turn the cake right side up, leaving the parchment in place.

9. Slice the cake into 2 equal layers.  Put the top layer, cut side up, on a serving plate.

10. For filling and topping: in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine granulated sugar and water.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (I transferred mine to a different bowl to help this go faster).

11. Add kirsch to the sugar syrup mixture.  brush cake with about half of the syrup.

12. Whip the cream and confectioners' sugar to soft peak stage.

13. Place sliced strawberries in a bowl (except for the reserved ones).  Fold about 1/4 of the cream into the berries.

14. Spread mixture over top of cake on serving platter.  Position remaining cake layer, cut side down, on top.  Remove parchment paper.

15. Brush with remaining syrup, then spread remaining cream over top and sides of cake.

16. Use reserved strawberries to decorate/garnish cake as desired.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Braised Short Ribs

Yes, it's yet another recipe for short ribs...this time for the slow cooker!  It's very similar to others that I have tried and posted already, just with a different cooking method.  The taste is just as great; will definitely make again :)

Original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/braised-short-ribs.html

Ingredients:

4 lb. bone-in beef short ribs (I actually used 4.5 lbs.)
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
all-purpose flour for dredging
3 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped (I put both onions and garlic in food processor together)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 bottle full-bodied red wine (I used Red Diamond Merlot)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 c. beef stock (no idea how much I used, as I did not measure)

Instructions:

1.  Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour, shake off excess.

2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown ribs on all sides; be sure to work in batches/don't crowd.  Transfer ribs to slow cooker and set cooker to low.

3. If needed, add more oil to the Dutch oven.  Reduce heat to medium and add the onions/garlic mixture and the carrots.  Cook for around 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened (I think I may have gone closer to 8 minutes).  Transfer to slow cooker.

4. Add wine to the Dutch oven to deglaze the pan, stir to scrape up the browned bits.

5. Add the tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf.  As you stir in, mash up any larger chunks of tomato paste with spoon.

6. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until thickened, 8-10 minutes.

7. Pour wine mixture over ribs and vegetables in slow cooker.  Add enough beef stock to come halfway up the sides of the ribs.

8. Cover, increase heat to high on slow cooker.  Cook for 6 hours or until ribs are falling off bone.

9. Discard bay leaf and herb stems.  Skim fat off of surface and serve with desired accompaniment. (I chose egg noodles, as that is our favorite.)  Enjoy!

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Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges

As mentioned in yesterday's entry, these potato wedges are super yummy and easy to make.  They are a bit on the salty side, so you may wish to cut the salt amount down a bit.  I didn't have shredded Parmesan on hand, so I shredded some Parmesan-Reggiano.  I also did not have the patience to shred it by hand, so I used my food processor.  While these did turn out very yummy, I think a finer shred would have been better.  The original recipe includes a recipe for a dip to go with them, but they are quite wonderful on their own :)

Original recipe:
http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2015/04/baked-garlic-parmesan-potato-wedges.html

Ingredients:

3-4 large Russet potatoes, sliced into wedges (I peeled mine; original leaves skins on)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese (finely shredded, if possible)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  (I used my toaster oven and it worked very well for this.)  Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with baking spray.

2. Place potato wedges in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.

4. Add shredded cheese to bowl and toss to coat.

5. Add seasoning mixture to bowl and toss to coat.

6. Spread potatoes over prepared baking sheet in single layer and bake for 30-35 minutes, until fork-tender.  Serve up and enjoy!

 (yeah, I forgot to get the pic before we all started serving ourselves...)

Garlicky Chicken Thighs

This recipe is great because not only is it very tasty, it is also easy and quick to prepare--great weeknight option.  The potatoes I made with it will be posted tomorrow; they are quick and easy, too!

Original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/garlicky-chicken-thighs.html

Ingredients:

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
4 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. finely chopped yellow onion (I didn't measure, just used a small one that looked about right)
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. dry white wine (I used Barefoot Chardonnay)
2 tsp. white wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F.

2. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

3. In an ovenproof large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, skin side down, and sear until golden brown--about 4 minutes.  Do not turn pieces.  Transfer to paper towel lines plate to drain. (Sorry about the blurry pic--didn't know it was until checked later.)

4. Pour off most of the fat from pan and return to medium-high heat (I would guess that I left around 1-2 T. in pan).  Add onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.  Sauté for 4 minutes.

5. Add wine and vinegar.  Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits.

6. Return chicken thighs to pan, skin side up.  Cover and transfer to oven.  Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken reaches correct temperature.

7. Serve with desired side and spoon sauce over chicken thighs.  Enjoy!

Baked Leeks with Bread Crumbs

Final of the series of side dishes at Easter with my mom: Baked Leeks with Bread Crumbs.  This is a somewhat rich dish that will delight leek lovers.  If you've never had leeks, you really should--especially if you enjoy green onions.  These are like green onions' sweeter cousin.  The pepper in the dish gives it a nice kick, not overpowering.

Original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/baked-leeks-with-bread-crumbs.html

Ingredients:

6 T. unsalted butter, divided; leave 1 T. in fridge or freezer
2 T. minced shallots
3 lb. leeks, dark green parts removed; light green and white portion chopped
1 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper, divided
2 c. milk, plus more as needed
3 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 oz. shredded Gruyère cheese
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 T. of the butter.  Add shallots, leeks, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and 1/2 tsp. of the white pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until leeks are translucent and very soft, about 10 min.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan.  Cover and remove from heat.

4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 T. of the butter.  Remove from the heat and whisk in flour, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, remaining 1/4 tsp. white pepper, and cayenne.

5. Set pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

6. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.  (If sauce is too thin, increase the heat; if too thick, add a little more milk.)

7. Stir in the leek mixture.

8.  Pour the mixture into a baking dish or gratin dish.  Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and bread crumbs.

9.  Cut remaining 1 T. of cold butter into small 'dots' to sprinkle over bread crumbs. (We didn't cut into 'dots' as we should have.)

10. Bake until cheese and bread crumbs are golden, 20-30 minutes (we went 30).  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Herbed Potatoes Anna

Next side dish in the Easter meal series!  Love these potatoes, especially the presentation.  They are a bit of work, though, so plan accordingly :)

Original recipe:
http://neighborfoodblog.com/2015/03/herbed-potatoes-anna-recipe.html

Ingredients:

6-7 medium russet potatoes, peeled (I weighed them at the time, but have now forgotten how much), sliced into 1/8" thick rounds
6 T. butter, melted
leaves from 3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme, chopped
6 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
kosher salt
coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425°F.  Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit bottom of a round baking dish (with sides at least 3" tall; original recipe called for 4", but there was plenty of room leftover, so I think 3" would work and is easier to come by).  Brush the bottom of baking dish with melted butter, then press parchment on top.  Brush with additional butter and set aside.

2. Prepare assembly line of potatoes, melted butter, salt, pepper, chopped herbs (together), and shredded cheese.  Start by making a layer of potatoes in the dish, beginning from the center and spiraling outward to edge.

3. Brush layer of potatoes with butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Follow with sprinkle of herbs, then cheese.  Go easy on each so that you will have enough to last through the layers.

4. Repeat layers with remaining potatoes.

5. Cover dish with aluminum foil (butter if it is touching the potatoes) and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Uncover the dish and bake for additional 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden/done.

7. Remove pan from oven and let set for 5 minutes.

8. Run a knife around the outside edge of pan, making sure that all potatoes are free from pan edge.

9. Place desired serving plate over top of pan to prepare to invert.  You will want to do this over a sink or towel, as there may be liquid that escapes out the side when you turn it over--be careful!

10. Cut in wedges like a pie to serve; enjoy!