From Canada With Love: Poutine

One of the best things about where I grew up was that we were just steps away from the Canadian border. We had lots of fun times with our neighbors to the north... some our parents knew about... some they did not. I mean, the drinking age was 18! One of the BEST things to ever derive from Canada is poutine. Now, a classic poutine is found at a diner type place and consists of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Over the last few years poutine has begun to pop up at finer establishments in fancier forms with ingredients such as short ribs or even with fois gras. I'm not opposed to these new, classier dishes but I do feel that maybe they could be given a new name. Poutine is supposed to be served in a dive on a huge plate with lots of grease... it's just the way it is. 

Last weekend I was craving poutine and since it would take me over 6 hours to get the classic ingredients I realized I was going to have to make due. The fries I could easily do but I was going to have to be a little more creative with the cheese and the gravy. As long as the gravy is good and rich, it'll work so I found a recipe that included shallots, beef stock, and red wine. It sounded rich enough so I gave it a shot. The cheese was a challenge though. Poutine is traditionally made with cheese curds which are no where to be found in my hood therefore I went with original flavored baby bell cheeses. It was the closest I could think of to the texture and flavor I needed and I have to say it was a good choice. It melted a bit to quickly but the flavor was perfect! All in all I made a really great dish that I'm not sure I can confidently call poutine but I will happily call it French Fries with Gravy and Cheese.

French Fries with Gravy and Cheese 

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into about 1/2 inch thick fries

Vegetable oil, enough to fill a large pan about 1/3 full for frying

salt

3 tablespoons minced shallot

2 (3-inch) sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon water

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup beef or veal demi-glace

1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

6-8 babybell original flavored cheese, unwrapped and cut into about 4 squares per cheese round.

Clean potatoes and cut into about 1 inch thick fries. Place in a large bowl of cold water and let soak about 10 minutes. Rinse potatoes until water runs clear and place on paper towels to dry. Dry off potatoes as much as possible before frying. 


In a heavy bottom large pot heat vegetable oil to about 375 degrees. Once oil is hot fry potatoes in as many batches as needed so as to not overcrowd. Drain on a paper towel.

Cook shallot and thyme in butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat stirring frequently until shallot is softened and golden, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. While wine thickens, stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Stir 1 cup beef stock into wine and bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and return to a boil, then boil until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pepper, salt, and butter until butter is melted.

Place fries on a large plate and top with cheese and gravy. Heat in preheated oven for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees just until cheese starts to melt. Do not completely melt cheese. It should still have it's shape, it should just be soft. Serve hot.

Gravy recipe adapted from epicurious.com

Summer Sides: Carmelized Tomato Salad with Smoked Gouda

One of my most favorite things about summer is delicious tomatoes. I am absolutely head over heels for fresh tomatoes that are best at the peak of summer. They are delicious in a tomato sandwich which I'm pretty sure my mom enjoys at least once a day all summer long. And by tomato sandwich I mean just that... soft fresh bread (toasted if you wish), tomatoes, mayo (or miracle whip as is the case in our family), and to top it off a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and a little dill. I also love roasted tomatoes as a super simple side dish... Roma tomatoes, olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and roast in the oven for about an hour in low heat. To make a long story short, I love tomatoes because they are absolutely delicious when you let them shine and when prepared in super simple fashion.

Now that I've professed my love to tomatoes and given you a couple super simple recipes to boot, let's get to the matter at hand... a recipe with both tomatoes and cheese... my two loves (other than the hubs and the hounds of course!). Summertime makes me want to cook lots of fresh vegetables and this recipe is one that totally enhances the freshness. It screams summer to me. It was great as a side dish. I served it with sea bass topped with a super yummy cilantro, lime, jalapeno sauce (recipe will come... promise). I think this could also be great at a summer BBQ as an app. It's super easy. Toss it all together, throw it in a bowl, toast up some bread and put it on a table for your guests to pick at until it's completely demolished.  Either way it's the perfect summer side dish.

Caramelized Tomato Salad with Smoked Gouda

2 cups olive oil
1 3/4 lb cherry tomatoes, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
8 oz smoked Gouda
8 green onions thinly sliced
baguette, cut into about 1 inch thick slices and toasted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place 1 1/4 tomatoes in a 8x8x2 inch metal baking dish and toss with oil, sugar, and thyme. Roast in preheated oven until tomatoes are tender, about 2 hours. Cool caramelized tomatoes in oil.

Using a slotted spoon transfer tomatoes to a large bowl. Transfer 1/2 to 3/4 cup oil from baking dish to a separate medium bowl, reserving rest of oil. Add vinegar to oil in bowl with oil. Whisk to blend oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Add reserved fresh tomatoes, cheese and dressing to bowl with caramelized tomatoes. Lightly toss just enough to combine all ingredients. Top with green onions and serve with toasted baguette slices.

Recipe adapted from epicurious 

Spring at the Farmhouse: Savory Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

Finally... some recipes from my super yummy first ever holiday dinner party. While planning my Easter dinner menu I wanted to make some Spring classics while also including some dishes that represented my cooking style. One of the best dishes I've made and posted here was this past fall with my savory butternut squash bread pudding. It was a super yummy dish, I got great feedback from those who tried making it, and I was even linked to on a very cool blog that gives lots of tutorials on all kinds of different things called Tipnut.com. So, I decided that another, more Springy, bread pudding would make for a perfect side dish to pair with the classic Roasted Spring Leg of Lamb that I planned to make for my main dish.

One of the things I find so exciting about food these days are all the fun twists and turns chefs make. Obviously, bread pudding was a classic sweet dish generally served for dessert. Nowadays though, do a little google search for bread pudding and all kinds of sweet and savory recipes pop up. I found this dish on epicurious.com and with my love of mushrooms (and my moms) I couldn't help but add this to our Easter menu. It was a yummy alternative to plain old dinner rolls and it's a hearty dish so it would make for a really great dinner with a little mixed greens on the side.... whether it be a leftover from a big holiday dinner or made for a low key romantical dinner at home with you and the one you love.

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

4 cups fresh bread crumbs (preferably challah or brioche)
1 1/2 lb fresh mixed wild mushrooms such as criminis, oyster, chantrelles
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups half and half
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated parm

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rach in middle of oven. Bake bread cubes in a single layer in a large shallow baking pan until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Tear or cut mushrooms into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Cook shallot in butter over medium heat in a heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet. Stir occasionally until shallots begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook until liquid that mushrooms release has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together half and half, eggs, cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add mushrooms and bread cubes and stir to combine until bread is well coated. Let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb egg mixture.

Butter bottom and sides of a baking dish or casserole. Spoon mixture into baking dish and bake until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.

A couple tips:
1. The bread is important! I used challah because that is what my local Whole Foods Market had on hand. Most importantly, you want a soft bread and not a crusty one such as a french bread or baguette.
2. The recipe says to cut mushrooms into 1/4" thick pieces but I really wanted to taste the mushrooms so I made mine a little larger, about 1/2".
3. There are lots of ways you can change up this recipe. Try different bread like whole wheat or a different type of cheese, fontina maybe? Also read reviews that made it a little healthier with substituting olive oil for some of the butter and lowfat milk for some of the half and half. Lots of things to try for the next many times I plan to make this dish!

Recipe adapted from epicurious

Sunday Supper: Crab Cake Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favorite childhood memories stems from all the time I was lucky enough to spend as a kid with one of the most amazing women I know, my grandma Watson. She was a nurse in World War 2, raised my mom all on her own, and was absolutely the most fun person to hang out with when I was a kid, along with her sister, my aunt Hazel. When my brother and I visited her house for sleepovers it was all about what we wanted to do. I would make magazines with aunt Hazel, we'd play cards and lots of games including Tripoli and Sorry, and on New Year's Eve every year we would dance and party until the ball dropped. She truly made me feel like there was nothing else in the world she would rather be doing than hang out with my brother and I.

Along with all the great times we spent with her, I have great memories of food. We used to make delicious sugar cookies with frosting in fun shapes. I still remember exactly what all her cookie cutters looked like. She made the most amazing bread and butter pickles which I only hope to get the recipe for one of these days. And finally, something my brother would eat every day if he could, her macaroni and cheese. It wasn't anything special and was made with good old Velveeta cheese but it was so creamy and delicious and perfect every time she made it. This mac and cheese was such a huge part of my childhood that any time I see mac and cheese anywhere, it always takes me back to all of the great times I spent with my Grandma Watson. I think of her often and miss her a ton, but I'm so glad that I have so many memories that I will be able to share with my family one day through her recipes.

I saw this recipe on a Rachel Ray show recently. I don't really care for Rachel Ray and was telling the hubs that we should change the channel but then she said she'd be making crab cake mac and cheese. Between my love/warm fuzzies for mac and cheese and my love for crab cakes, I couldn't bare to change the channel. It looked so good that I had to give it a shot! I thought it'd be a perfect twist on my grandma's classic and perfect for Sunday Supper! The dish isn't terribly cheesy, which is a good thing because you really want the crab to be the star player. The panko gives it a little crunch and the hot sauce adds the perfect touch of heat. It turned out SO delish and definitely something that I'll make again. The only downfall is that it dirties quite a few dishes but it's so good and your hunny will be so satisf that I bet you could easily talk him into doing all the clean up!

Crab Cake Mac and Cheese

1lb elbow pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp butter
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp thyme (2 tbsp if fresh)
about 1 tbsp lemon zest
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1lb jumbo fresh crab meat (picked through for shells)
1 tbsp old bay
3 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup gruyere, grated
3 tbsp (or to taste) hot sauce
1 cup panko bread crumbs
fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, about 2-3 minutes less so pasta is undercooked (it will cook more in the oven) and drain. Add to a large bowl.

In a saucepan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Add celery, onion, red pepper, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add crab meat and season liberally with old bay. Stir to combine and remove from heat.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tbsp butter and whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute then whisk in milk until just starting to boil. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring so as not to burn, until cream sauce starts to thicken. Add mustard and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add cream sauce and vegetable mixture to bowl with pasta and stir to blend together.

Spoon mixture into a large casserole dish or into small individual baking crocks. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add hot sauce and bread crumbs and toss to coat. Remove from heat and cool enough to handle then add parmesan. Top pasta mixture with bread crumb mixture and bake until heated through and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray on The Cooking Channel

Scrumptious Sides: Twice Baked Potatoes

The hubs and I had a wonderful holiday in the north country with my family this year where I ended up doing most of the cooking for our Christmas dinner. I hadn't planned on it so I didn't do much prep work in planning my menu therefore, it wasn't my best showing. It was good, but definitely not great. My brother requested that we have twice baked potatoes and since I have a super yummy recipe, I gladly obliged. Unfortunately though, I left my recipe in Jersey so I ended up winging it. They were ok, but I found that there are 3 main components in making a really great twice baked potato:

The potato, the cheese, and eggs!

Yukon gold potatoes are the way to go! They are more buttery in flavor and they make fluffier mashed potatoes. They also look prettier. I like to use Gruyere cheese because it's mild enough that it doesn't overwhelm the whole potato with cheese and it adds more creaminess to the filling. And finally, adding egg yolks to the filling make it so deliciously fluffy.

I had to remind myself of why this recipe is so good so I made these potatoes on New Years Eve and they turned out perfectly! Next time, I won't forget this one.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

12 small Yukon gold potatoes (or 6 large)
6 large egg yolks
4 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prick potatoes in several places with a fork. Bake on a baking sheet until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each in half. Scoop out flesh, leaving skin in tact. Mash flesh until smooth. Stir in egg yolks, butter, cream, 1 cup cheese, salt, and pepper. Scoop filling into skins. Place filled potatoes on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in 400 degree oven until cheese is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

A couple tips:
1. Leave about 1/4 inch of flesh in the skins when scooping out to help keep shells more stable.
2. I like my potatoes to be full so I typically will use the flesh of one of the halves and discard that skin so that I have a bit more filling for the rest of the potatoes.

recipe adapted from "Martha Stewart Holiday: Season's Eatings Holiday 2008" magazine

San Fran Forever In My Tummy Part 2: Stuffed Poblanos

One of my favorite things about living in the bay area is the Mexican food. Being a small town girl from the Northeast, I never ate mexican food growing up, but after moving to California, I fell in love. After living out here for a bit I realized how much I love different kinds of peppers. My go to pick any time it is on the menu is definitely a chile relleno. How can I resist a delicious poblano pepper stuffed to the brim with cheese and deep fried... my mouth is watering just thinking about it and I just got back from a very fulfilling dinner!

I found this recipe from the ever fabulous Martha a year or so ago. It is a great meatless weeknight meal that isn't quite a chile relleno but does use delish poblanos and is a much healthier option being that its not packed with cheese and deep fried. Don't worry, there is still some cheese and a little cornmeal goodness, but no where near the fat filled amount of the fabulously fatty chile relleno, which unfortunately should probably be enjoyed in moderation- bummer!

Stuffed Poblanos

1 can whole tomatoes in puree (28 oz.)
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat)
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
salt and pepper
1 can black beans (19 oz.), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 tsp ground cumin
4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeno, half the onion,S 2 whole garlic cloves and puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onion, minced garlic, cumin, and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

Dividing evenly stuff poblano halves with a portion of the bean mixture. Place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining half cup of cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce is slightly thickened and cheese is browned, 10-15 minutes more. Makes about 4 servings.

photo and recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Pretty Little Piglet

The best thing by far, about living and working in the beautiful city by the bay is the food! There are new, delicious restaurants popping up all the time and I just can't get enough. I've been trying to be really good with not eating lunch out since buying the farmhouse but when The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen opened up a short 10 minute walk from my office I couldn't help but succumb to its sexually cheesy advances. I finally got the chance to fall hard in love with a grilled cheese sandwich today that goes by the name of Piglet. It really couldn't have been any more perfect. Unfortunately, I can't yet provide a recipe for the deliciousness that is Piglet so for now, I'll provide the components. But I promise to work on my very own version and will post once it's perfected.

Piglet:
2 perfectly cut slices of country style rustic levain
beautiful tillamook sharp cheddar cheese
2 giant slices of artisan cured ham
a dollop of apple mustard
and finally, all fried up in rosemary butter

Let's just say, today, I died for a pretty little Piglet!

Vermont Cheese Alert: Grafton Village Maple Smoked Cheddar

I swear, my love affair with cheese grows by the minute! I can't get enough. I just have to share with all of you a beautiful cheddar I discovered this weekend and it comes from the great state of Vermont- where else?! It is Grafton Village's Maple Smoked Cheddar. It's not a stinky cheddar which you mild cheese lovers will be very happy to know and the smoking adds just enough smokey flavor but doesn't overwhelm the creaminess of the cheese. All in all- it's deliciously cheesy and absolutely cheese plate worthy! I think it'd be really great with apples- grilled cheese and apple sandwich, anyone???

Cheese Plate for the Divinely Cheesy

If I had it my way, I would eat a cheese plate for dinner with a glass (or two) of vino at least a few times a week. But, being that I don't live alone and the hubs prefers carnivorous meals most nights, I have to settle for making myself a cheese plate as an afternoon snack on weekends, which I guess I can live with. I feel there are a few very important components in making the perfect cheese plate. Think of the following as my rules to live by in the world of delicious cheese plates.

To start, you need a plate! Find a cute platter or cheese board because in cheese plates, looks matter! I LOVE this plate that I stumbled upon at Flora Grubb in San Francisco. 

Now that we've found the plate, onto the cheese. I like to round out my plate with 3 cheeses of different varieties. I feel its best to start out with a crowd pleasing cheddar. You can find many great cheddars out there. A safe bet would be a delicious Cabot Sharp Cheddar from the Great State of Vermont (who will not apologize for their cheese!- tell me you've seen Thank You For Smoking) but I happen to like my cheddar with a bit more bite and Whole Foods stocks a great option from England called Seaside Cheddar. It's a bit softer and even a little crunchy, yes crunchy. I have no idea why but it's divine!

Moving on to the 2nd cheese... I like this to be my wild card cheese. The 2nd cheese is never pre-determined. I often browse the cheese counter at Whole Foods trying any and all cheeses they have out to taste and looking very eager and needy in the case that I haven't tried something I like enough to buy so that the cheese man will offer to gimme a little taste of whatever he has behind the counter. Sometimes I walk away with a delish gouda, or maybe a brie. 

For my final pick, I always go with a goat cheese. I found an amazingly delicious goat cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre called Humboldt Fog. Not only do I love love love goat cheese, but I love love LOVE this goat cheese. It has a thin layer of vegetable ash running through the center which doesn't add to the flavor much but makes the cheese wedge absolutely stunning. And like I said before, in cheese plates, looks matter!

Now, probably the most important rule when building a cheese plate is to realize that it's not all about cheese... you gotta throw in some extras. First, get a scrumptious salami. I like Sopressata, but no matter your choice, it's gotta be a cased, cured meat which you can find at a gourmet deli counter. You also need bread or crackers. I like to get a sourdough baguette, being that I'm in the bay area and all. Now keep in mind, crackers can be delish, but if you've gone for more soft cheese options then I'd definitely go for the bread. And finally... FIG JAM!! This is the most important component (Humboldt Fog is a close 2nd) to my cheese plates. There is just something truly special about a slice of sourdough baguette topped with a hunk of Humboldt Fog and topped off with a thin spreading of Fig Jam. I can't even explain where this little bite of goodness takes me but, believe me, you wanna go! 

Now pop open your favorite bottle of vino, slice some bread, sit back, relax, and eat some cheese!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Being the very lucky lady that I am, I recently had the grand experience of dining at Gary Danko. For a small town girl like me, and as my mom would say, it was a real treat! The whole experience was too much to sum up in one sitting so for today, I'd like to focus on Oma.

Oh Oma! The hills are alive with the Sound of Oma. Somehow and someway three of my most favorite things came together in Oma.... cheese, Vermont and The Sound of Music. Oma is a beautiful cow's milk soft cheese, similar to a brie, made in Waitsfield, Vermont by Sebastian and Dan Von Trapp, direct decendents of the Captain and Maria!

The amazing thing about this cheese is not only that it is divinely cheesily delicious but that there are just too many similarities between the two of us. When I was a kid, my parents would take us to Waitsfield and we would stay in this Inn. Actually, I'm pretty sure the name of it was Waitsfield Inn, go figure. I remember my most favorite thing about it was that the room we would get had a loft where my brother and I would sleep and I thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. Second, I live and die for cheese. Third, I grew up watching The Sound of Music which came to be my most favorite movie of all time. I even walked down the aisle at my wedding to Edelweiss.

I think I've found my soulmate, other than the hubs of course. So ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you, Oma...