Quick Veal and Pan Sauce

With the boil water notice, the water mains leaking like the Iraqi Navy and a full day of writing, I really didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking tonight. Veal was an easy choice. Veal + butter + heat = yum. Sorry for the blah picture. I tried something new with the Blackberry camera and got this muddled garbage.

Veal Scaloppini with Pan Sauce

8 thin veal fillets

4 Tbsp. butter

2 green onions

¼ cup dry white wine

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup beef stock

½ tsp. Ivy & Devine Poultry Seasoning Blend

Salt

Pepper

Prep

Finely chop green onions. Dry veal fillets with a paper towel and allow them to come to room temperature. Lightly season with salt, pepper and seasoning blend.

Cook

Heat a large iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. butter to hot skillet and when it foams and brown add veal. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove veal from pan and set aside in a bowl. Cover cooked veal with foil. Deglaze pan with wine and reduce to ½ original volume. Add stock and continue reducing until the liquid remains separated when a spatula is drawn across the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and add cream plus any liquid in the bowl of resting veal. When cream is fully incorporated reduce heat and add 3 Tbsp. butter (in three pats). Swirl butter until it is fully incorporated.

Plate

Serve with sauce on the top and garnish with green onions.

(Serves 4)

Dinner with Rose and Peter

Part of what inspired me to start Ivy & Devine is the long-standing, weekend tradition of cooking at Rose and Peter's house. They love to eat and I love to cook. In this tradition, there are generally three ways of determining the evening's dishes. Either (a) Rose has a hankering for something specific, (b) I have a new dish that I want to try out, or (c) Peter and I just wander around the grocery store until something strikes our fancy. Saturday night was definitely picked from column "c." The night before they had dined at Bon Ami. Peter had a steak and Rose had veal, so beef was out. We debated chicken (not fancy enough for Peter), fish (just too cold out to do fish), pork (just didn't sound right) and then spotted the lamb chops...decision made! Kroger had the succulent, 1 1/2" t-bone chops that had our name on them. With the protein in hand we buzzed around the rest of the store making snap decisions about the greens, the starch and the dessert. Here is the menu we created in the isles of the I-55 Kroger:

Rosemary and Sea Salt Crusted Lamb Chops

Asparagus-Shiitake Risotto

Mixed Green Salad with Avocado Buttermilk Dressing

Frangelico Cherry Bread Pudding

Please tell me your mouth is watering. 

We also got a chance to play with some new gadgets, Peter's new video camera and his new home coffee roaster. I'll try to post the video as soon as we can figure out how to get the movie-pictures from the camera onto the "internets," as my mother would say.

Here are the recipes and the photos to go along with them. As you can see, we stayed up so late eating, drinking and roasting coffee that Mr. Pudgems (the world's most laid back cat) fell asleep on us.

Bon Appetit!

~Tom

Sea Salt and Rosemary Crusted Lamb Chops

12 thick-cut lamb chops (t-bone chops)

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ cup red wine

½ cup rich beef stock

1 bunch parsley

Coarse sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Prep

Finely chop parsley and rosemary. Allow chops to rest until they reach room temperature. Liberally season chops with salt, pepper and rosemary. Press the seasoning (with your fingers) into the flesh of the chops. Preheat oven to 225 degrees and warm the dinner plates while prepping and cooking.

Cook

Heat 2 large iron skillets* over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. butter to each and when it foams and begins to color, add the 6 chops to each skillet with the bone side of the chops pointed toward the center of the pan. Cook until medium rare (turning only once) and set aside, wrapped in foil. Raise heat to high and deglaze the pans with the red wine. When the liquid is reduced to ¼ of the original volume, transfer the reduced wine into a single pan and add the beef stock. Continue reducing until all liquid is reduced to ½ the original volume. Add any liquid that is in the foil, under the chops and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat and add remaining butter. Swirl the pan to incorporate all of the butter as it melts. Add 1 Tbsp. of chopped parsley.

Plate

Lean cooked chop against whatever starch you are serving, with one chop standing on end with the “t” portion of the bone resting on the bottom of the plate. Pour sauce the top of the chops. Garnish with chopped parsley.

(Serves 6)

*If you only have one skillet, transfer the chops to the warm oven and wrap them in foil while the other chops are being cooked. You may want to transfer them just before they are done because they will continue cooking in the warm oven.

Frangelico Cherry Bread Pudding

For the Pudding

1 loaf crusty French bread
1 loaf ciabatta bread

1 qt. whole milk

1 6 oz. bag dried cherries

½ cup Frangelico Liqueur

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

6 large eggs

¼ tsp. salt

For the Sauce

1 cup Frangelico

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick butter

Prep

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Break the bread into 1” cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large glass bowl. To the melted butter add; brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and Frangelico. Mix thoroughly until sugar is dissolved. Add sugar mixture and eggs to the bread and blend with your hands until evenly distributed. Add enough milk to moisten all of the bread and mix thoroughly with your hands. Add cherries and pecans and mix again until the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed. Add more milk until all of the bread is wet but no milk is standing in the bowl. This last part is tricky, but trust your instincts and practice. Too much milk is less of a disaster than too much, so err or the heavy side. Spoon the mixture into a greased roasting pan or high-side baking dish and spread evenly around the pan. Cut the butter into ten or twelve pats and place evenly on the top of the mixture. Sprinkle the mixture with ½ of the confectioner’s sugar.

Cook-Pudding

Bake in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Cook-Sauce

In a small saucepan, heat Frangelico until barely simmering. Add sugar and cook until completely dissolved. Add Butter and cook until all is incorporated.

Plate

Cut the pudding into squares and place in a shallow bowl. Top with Frangelico Sauce and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

(Serves 12)

This contraption is Peter's home coffee roaster. We stuck in some fancy Sumatran green coffee and fired it up. About twenty minutes later we had some of the darkest, oiliest fresh roasted beans I've ever seen. We were too chicken to brew any last night and opted instead for a great bottle of Port.
When I had to get up at first light this morning and cook for a bunch of kids, I appreciated the strength of that coffee. I can't wait to experiment more.

Dinner with Friends

Tonight, Kitty and I were lucky enough to be invited to dine with Mandy, Sid, Amy and Monte at Mandy and Sid's home. Monte and Amy brought a fantastic salad prepared from our good friends at Broad Street Baking Company. Sid and Amy picked up ice cream and Kitty and I brought v1.0 of a new soup that I am working to develop. The recipe below is v1.2, but the pictures are of the prototype. See if you can figure out the changes. If you can get them right, I'll award yo with a sample of my new Ivy & Devine Seafood Seasoning Blend, which is yet to hit the shelves.
The nexus of this soup derives from that last bite of steak on your plate at Char or Tico's or Shappley's. You know the one...when you use the one remaining sliver of beef to Zamboni around your plate and pick up the last smear of mashed potatoes, the last leaves of creamed spinach and the last drops of mushroom sauce. In one perfect morsel on the end of your fork you get the melding of the entire steakhouse experience.
Since I've been messing around with deconstructions lately, I wanted to see if I could create a dish that gave the diner this exact experience over and over again. The only thing I could come up with was soup. so give it a try and let me know if it lives up to the mark.

The dessert was featured in today's Jackson Free Press. They were doing a story on the Muppets' creator, Jim Henson (a fine Mississippi boy from Leland, way up in the Delta) and asked me for an appropriate dish. What I came up with was Ice Cream Sandwiches for Grover. You can get the recipe here, or wait a week and come back to this blog (publishing rights and what-not). At our dinner gathering, Amy, who had read the article today, kiddingly asked if we were having this dish for dessert. After a quick survey of Sid and Mandy's kitchen, the answer was YES (with only one short trip to McDade's).
Bon Appetit!
~Tom
Steakhouse Soup

2 large yellow onions

2 whole garlic pods

2 leeks

6 large Yukon gold potatoes

1 6 oz. bag fresh spinach

1 flatiron steak

1 tsp. Ivy & Devine Creole Seasoning Blend

2 Tbsp. mushroom base*

4 Tbsp. Dales Steak Seasoning

1 qt. heavy cream

2 qt. beef stock

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch parsley

4 Tbsp. olive oil

½ stick butter

1 baguette French bread

Salt

Pepper

Prep

Roughly chop onions and leek bottoms. Cut potatoes into 1” cubes. Chiffonade spinach. Finely chop parsley. Season steak liberally with Ivy & Devine Creole Seasoning Blend. Slice through the tops of the garlic (about ¼ inch cut), drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and butter, then wrap individually in foil. Slice Baguette into ½ in crostini. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook

Toast crostini in hot oven until gold around the edges. Remove and set aside. Place foil wrapped garlic pods in hot oven. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and then add 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Allow the oil to heat and then add onions and leeks. Cook until onions are translucent. Add 1 qt. beef stock and simmer. Remove garlic from foil and squeeze out the roasted cloves into the stock pot. Heat a large iron skillet and add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add steak and cook until medium rare (approximately 5 minutes per side). Remove steak and deglaze with equal parts water and Dales Seasoning. Allow meat to rest and add deglazing liquid to the stock pot. Add spinach, mushroom base and remaining beef stock. In a separate large pot combine potatoes with enough water to cover. Add 1 tsp. salt to the water and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat to a light boil and cook for ten minutes. Drain water and mash potatoes with ½ stick of butter. Finish potatoes by whipping with an immersion blender until creamy and completely free of lumps. Add potatoes to stock pot. When meat is fully rested, cut into cubes and set aside. Add any liquids remaining on cutting board to the soup mixture. Add cream and allow mixture to come to a simmer. Remove from heat and add steak and green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.

Plate

Serve immediately in a large, shallow bowl. Top with toasted crostini and garnish with chopped parsley.

(Serves 8-10)

*I recommend a brand called Better than Bouillon.

Cold Weather Cooking

With the temps diving below freezing and into the teens, I start to think about a hot bowl of hearty soup. Tonight, I worked my way through the fridge and came up with this dish to combat the chill. I hope you enjoy it!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

2 cups jasmine or basmati rice

½ gallon whole milk

2 quarts rich chicken stock

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1 whole pod garlic

1 bunch celery

2 medium zucchini

1 bunch broccoli

1 bunch green onions

2 Tbsp. mushroom base*

3 boneless chicken breasts

2 tsp. Ivy & Devine Poultry Spice Blend

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Tabasco hot sauce

Prep

Roughly chop onions, celery, zucchini and broccoli. Finely chop green onions. Cube chicken into 1” pieces and season with Ivy & Devine Poultry Spice Blend. Slice ¼ inch from the top of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and wrap in foil. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook

Place foil wrapped garlic on center rack of the hot oven. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and when the oil is hot, add onions and cook until translucent. Add rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil. Add remaining vegetables (not green onions) and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add enough stock to cover rice and vegetables.

While the rice is simmering, in a separate skillet, brown seasoned chicken pieces in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil until colored on both sides. Transfer browned chicken to pot with rice, vegetables and stock. Add more chicken stock and raise temperature to medium-high until the liquid just starts to boil. Reduce heat back to medium.

Remove garlic from oven and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the stock pot. Add mushroom base.

When the rice is soft, reduce heat to low and add remaining stock and enough milk to fill the pot nearly to the top. Continue cooking until all of the liquid is hot. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Plate

Ladle soup into a large bowl and sprinkle the top with chopped green onions and paprika.

(Serves 8 to 10)

* I like a brand called Better than Bouillon. 

Perfection, thy name is burger.

I broke away from the standard omelette/fried chicken choices for Sunday lunch and made my favorite burgers instead.

Perfect Burgers

1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 lb. ground beef
1 large egg
1 medium yellow onion
¼ cup Dales* Steak Sauce
1 stick butter
1 Tbsp. Ivy & Devine Coffee Rub


Prep
Cut butter into eight pats. Finely chop onion. Combine meat, egg, onion Coffee Rub and steak sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until uniform. DO NOT over work your meat mixture. The friction and the heat from your hands will break down the bits of fat that give the hamburger its flavor. Form a ball with 1/8 of the meat mixture (1/2 pound each) and insert a pat of butter into the center of the ball. Fold the meat around the butter and form into a patty. Repeat this seven more times.

Cook
Cook on a grill or in a large iron skillet until done. Check that the internal temperature at the center of the burger is 150 degrees. Cooking times will vary according to the thickness of your burgers so worry more about temperatures and less about times. DO NOT press your burgers with a spatula while cooking. Doing so makes them loose the juices inside of them and makes them dry.

Plate
Serve on a good, sturdy bun with all the fixins.


Bon Appetit!
~Tom

Kids in the Kitchen

Tonight, Whit had his friend Christian over to spend the night and the three of us cooked a fancy-schmancy dinner for Kitty and our friends Rachel and Andrew. We had a Three Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Dressing, Homemade Ravioli, Tournedos with Bearnaise Sauce and for Dessert, Pears Poached in Wine and Honey. They boys did a great job and the meal was fantastic.

The Chefs and their creations!

Anatomy of a Great New Year's Eve

Kitty and I don't leave the neighborhood on New Year's Eve. Usually, we just walk over to Rose and Peter's house, cook dinner, watch the neighborhood kids shoot fireworks and wait for all of our kids to return home safely. This year, we did all of these things, but the location was our house. Peter brought over some Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon (Winemaker's Blend). Kitty and contributed a bottle of Parados Malbec and a couple bottles of Montsarra Cava Brut. The dinner consisted of Steak au Poivre, Steamed Brussels Sprouts and a White Vegetable Mash topped with Sharp English Cheddar. Here are the "before" and "after" shots!
Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Needless to say, a great time was had by all.

Bon Appetit!
~Tom