No More Christmas!

Thank goodness Christmas is over! I don't think I could take another week of the same songs played over and over when you're shopping. It's really enough to drive someone crazy!

Anyway, I've been in a cooking frenzy the past couple of weeks. Here's a rundown of what was prepared in my house since my last post:

French Onion Soup
Homemade Egg Nog
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Apricot Syrup
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cherry Pie

And last night we cooked the turkey breast we were going to have on Christmas until we were invited to a friends house. So last night was roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. A rather easy but very tasty meal.

So here's the recipe for the French Onion Soup. I got it from Cooks Illustrated (and I'm going to try to recite it from memory because I don't have the recipe in front of me):

Ingredients:

6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf

And for serving:

1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.

remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.

After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Food is Good

It was a small crowd last Saturday night because the weather was kind of bad and other things happening. So the participants were Antonio and Lynn, Dave and Maggie and me.

First course was my asparagus soup. It was OK, but I think it's much better when asparagus is in season.

Next course, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) and pan seared steak. Both fantastic plates.
Last but not least, dessert. Maggie and Dave made chocolate ice cream with bittersweet chocolate. So good, so rich! I brought some little Italian cookies from the deli that accented the flavor of the ice cream.

All that, along with bread that Dave and Maggie made, cheeses, olives, and lots of wine. Oh, and Bacardi Raz and sour mix - yikes!

Except for the soup, I don't have the recipes to the other items. As I get them, I will post them.

DECEMBER FOOD CLUB!

The December 2007 edition of The Food Club will meet tomorrow at Antonio's house. As of right now, no menu has been discussed. But if previous meetings have any indications, the food will be good, dinner will be late (we once sat down to eat at 2AM one time - everyone was too tired to eat!) and the wine will be flowing.

Pictures and recipes to follow... Stay tuned.

Hearty Soup For A Cold Weekend

Since it was pretty bad out this weekend, I decided to take the opportunity to make a soup from the leftover ham hock I had from Thanksgiving.

This recipe is from Cooks Country:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Ham Steak (I used leftover ham), cubed
1 -2 Smoked Ham Hocks (I didn't use smoked)
1 Onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chick broth (I used chicken stock)
6 cups water
1 lb. navy beans, soaked overnight
fresh thyme for garnish

Over medium heat, heat oil in dutch oven until it starts to smoke. Add cubed ham and cook until brown, around 3 minutes. Add aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and cook until soft, around 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.

Add broth, water and beans and cook until it starts to thicken, around 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Garnish with thyme and serve.