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

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

Sunday Supper: Creole Fried Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Carmelized Apples

I'm a day late on Sunday Supper, sorry! But, this actually was my Sunday supper so I still feel it's appropriate!

This weeks Sunday Supper was inspired by wanting yummy fall ingredients, but trying to stay far away from all things Thanksgiving since all that goodness is just a few short days away. But I was craving sweet potatoes so I searched for something yummy with sweet potatoes and came across this recipe from Emeril. It turned out pretty delish and is something I will definitely make again, but with some tweaks, which I'll add in my tips below. And as much as I was trying to not have a turkey day type meal, I think the mashed sweet potatoes could be a great Thanksgiving side dish. It would be a nice alternative to plain old mashed potatoes and it's ridiculously easy. Plus, sweet potatoes are bigger than regular old potatoes so you'll have less to peel, and less work is always a good thing, right!?

Creole Fried Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Carmelized Apples

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper
5 tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 thick cut pork loin chops (about 2 inches thick)
Cajun seasonings
2 cups seasoned flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/ inch thick slices
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cane syrup
1 tbsp bourbon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and put in a large bowl. Mash potatoes and add 3 tbsp butter, cream, vanilla, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

To a large hot oven proof saute pan (I used a cast iron skillet) heat 1/2 cup of the oil. Season pork chops with cajun seasonings and dredge in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Place chops in hot oil and pan fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Move to preheated oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a saute pan and add the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Once melted, add sliced apples and saute about 5 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Add lemon juice, cane syrup and bourbon and cook until apples are carmelized, about 2 minutes.

To serve, place potatoes on plate and top with fried pork chop. Top pork with a few carmelized apples. Serves 4.

Modern Housewife Tips:
1. The mashed sweet potato recipe calls for vanilla but I found that it overwhelmed the dish so next time, I'll forego the vanilla altogether. I think the natural sweetness of the potatoes is enough.
2. Emeril's recipe calls for his creole seasoning, which you can find the recipe here, but I just used McCormick's Cajun seasoning which has basically all the same ingredients as Emeril's.
3. Find a recipe for seasoned flour here, which makes more than you'll need but you can store in an airtight container and is great for seasoning other meats too. I'm definitely going to try it with fried chicken sometime soon!
4. For the apples, I found the lemon juice to be a bit strong so I suggest cutting it in half and only adding 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice.
5. I couldn't find cane syrup at my grocery store (although I'm pretty sure they sell it at Whole Foods if you have one close to you) but I did find agave nectar which I substituted for the cane syrup. I think maple syrup or honey could be a nice alternative as well.

Recipe adapted from Emeril via Food Network

Scrumptious Sides: Sweet Potato Fries

I often serve sweet potato fries when entertaining because not only are they delish, but they are incredibly easy. I mean, who doesn't love sweet potato fries and after stumbling upon Giada's rendition with garlic mayonnaise, I've fallen in love all over again! Now, I do have a little secret. It's a little something I like to call Emily's Essence (ok, ok, so it's really Emeril's Essence but Emily's Essence has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?) The best thing about this scrumptious side is that it dazzles your guests while being so quick and easy that you can focus on your main course to really blow them away.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayonnaise

4 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 by 5 inch fries
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp Emeril's essence

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place fries on foil lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil and Emeril's Essence, enough to lightly coat. Bake until golden, about 30-45 minutes.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, garlic and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

When the fries come out of the oven sprinkle with salt to taste and serve garlic mayonnaise along side for dipping. Serves 4-6.

A couple small tips:
1. Keep an eye on the prize, er, fries. I'm not gonna lie, I've burnt a batch or two.
2. Make sure to toss fries about half way through. This way they will cook evenly and are much less likely to burn.
3. Emeril's Essence is a spice mix by, you guessed it, Emeril Lagasse. It's a pretty basic mix of spices- salt, onion, paprika, etc- but it's super delicious and good on many things... sprinkle it on asparagus before you cook it with a little olive oil. You won't be disappointed!
4. Another tasty option that is part of Giada's original recipe is tossing the fries with basil salt after baking. Sometimes I leave this step out depending on if I have fresh basil or not. The recipe is as follows:

Basil Salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tsp kosher salt (sea salt works well too)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combine in a small bowl and sprinkle over fries after baking. 

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis on foodnetwork.com and modified by moi.