Dinner du Jour

Coq au Vin and Gâteau au Chocolat Fondant de Nathalie

by Kristin on February 5, 2010

Don’t be intimidated by this post’s fancy name — I could have just called it chicken in wine and chocolate mousse cake, but where’s the fun in that? I had a Francophile friend over for lunch the other day, so decided it was as good a time as any to make the Barefoot Contessa version of coq au vin that I’ve been wanting to try. And after being very good for all of January and not baking a single thing, I undid all my efforts and made this cake. But oh, such a cake. It’s one of my top two favorite cakes (Beatty’s chocolate cake is the other). Fudgy, smooth and intense, it was worth every previously forsaken calorie.

This is a great menu for entertaining because you can make both dishes in advance. In fact, the cake gets even better after a day or two. It’s also incredibly easy to make — just melt the chocolate and butter together, then stir in all the rest of the ingredients in the same bowl (you can watch Trish Deseine herself making it to see just how easy it is). You often hear that you should use the best-quality ingredients you can find, but it’s particularly true for this cake. I used Green & Black’s organic chocolate, organic eggs and Lurpak butter from Denmark.

Ina Garten suggests serving the coq au vin with garlic mashed potatoes, but I wanted to make things easier on myself and so just served it with a good store-bought crusty bread instead. I also served a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a plate of Brie and Roquefort. There are few better ways to spend an afternoon than with a good friend, good conversation and a table full of good food.

Coq au Vin
adapted from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

If you can’t find frozen small whole onions and don’t want to bother with peeling small shallots, just use 2 yellow onions instead of the 1 called for at the start of the recipe. And if you don’t have a Dutch oven, simmer the coq au vin on the stovetop for 45 minutes to 1 hour instead.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz (110 g) bacon or pancetta, diced
1 x 3 to 4-lb (1.4 to 1.8 kg) chicken, cut into eighths (or use an equal weight of chicken breasts and thighs)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb (225 g) carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup (60 ml) Cognac or good brandy
1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy
1 cup (240 ml) good-quality chicken stock
10 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 lb (225 g) frozen small whole onions (or small peeled shallots*)
1/2 lb (225 g) cremini mushrooms (button mushrooms will also work fine), stems removed and thickly sliced

*Note: To peel shallots easily, drop them into a pot of boiling water for less than 1 minute. Drain, then slip off the skins.

Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, salt and pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink (or simmer on the stovetop for 45 minutes to 1 hour). Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir it into the stew to thicken it. Add the frozen onions (if using peeled shallots, saute them along with the mushrooms in the next step before adding to the stew). In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over a medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste and serve hot.

***

Gâteau au Chocolat Fondant de Nathalie
adapted from Je veux du chocolat! by Trish Deseine (recipe via Orangette and RTÉ)

This cake is even better on the second day, so consider making it the day before serving. Molly Wizenberg at Orangette says this cake is also suitable for freezing, and even improves in texture and flavor after a week or two in the freezer.

7 oz (200 g) best-quality dark chocolate
1 tablespoon double-strength espresso or 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
7 oz (200 g) best-quality unsalted butter (preferably European-style butter such as Lurpak or Beurre d’Isigny), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
confectioners’ (icing) sugar, to dust (optional) (or you could use Trish’s chocolate glaze, recipe here)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan or springform tin (which is what I prefer, since you don’t have to turn it out).

Finely chop the chocolate and place it, along with the coffee, in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring regularly (every 30 seconds if using a microwave). Once the chocolate has melted, add the butter, stirring until it too has melted. Add the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, mixing well, and set aside to cool for a few moments. Add the eggs one by one, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition, then add the flour. The batter should be smooth and dark. If you can see fat still floating on the surface or if the mixture looks at all grainy, switch to a whisk and beat lightly until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center of the cake barely trembles when the pan is shaken (the cake should be very moist in the middle) and the top is a bit crackly looking. Let the cake cool completely in the tin before you turn it out, then revert it so that the crackly side is facing upward. Dust with icing sugar or spread with the chocolate glaze and serve at room temperature.

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Tagged as: Cakes, Poultry, Soups and stews

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Green Chile Pork Tacos and Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

by Kelly on February 3, 2010

“I have a great idea, Mom.”

“What’s that, Sam?”

“I know, let’s make chocolate muffins. With whipped cream. And sprinkles.”

Some days, folks, that all the encouragement I need to grab the sugar from the cupboard and butter from the fridge. It didn’t hurt that our main course required little more than a few minutes of prep and the able assistance of my (er, Reuben’s) new slow cooker.

Green Chile Pork Tacos

Serves 6

3 lb (1.4 kg) pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
1 x 4-oz (110-g) can diced green chilies
1 x 10-oz (280-g) can Rotel tomatoes (or other diced tomatoes with green chilies)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
corn or flour tortillas
toppings: avocado, salsa, cheese, green onion, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, lime wedges

In a large frying pan, brown the pork cubes in the oil until they just begin to brown. Drain the meat and place into a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients through salt and pepper and cook on low until the pork is tender, about 8 hours. Gently shred the pork with a fork.

Warm the tortillas and serve the pork, taco-style, with desired toppings.

***

Devil’s Food Cupcakes
adapted from Alpineberry

Makes 1 dozen

1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (30 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (don’t use Dutch-processed cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/3 cup (80 ml) unflavored oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the wells of a standard muffin pan with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and the batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix.

Divide the cupcake batter evenly among the wells of your muffin pan. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool fully on a wire rack.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
adapted from Magnolia Bakery

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes [Note: I halved recipe for 1 dozen cupcakes]

1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups (720 g to 960 g) confectioners’ sugar (a.k.a. icing sugar)
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups (480 g) of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup (120 g) at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Tagged as: Cakes, Meat, Slow cooker

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Mussels, Leek and Bacon Chowder

by Kristin on February 2, 2010

Remember how I was saying last week that it’s worth buying a cookbook even if you only make a few recipes from it? I got Nigel Slater’s new cookbook, Tender, as a Christmas gift this year. So far I’ve only made two recipes from it — a cauliflower gratin and this chowder — and I would buy the book for these two recipes alone. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to making more. This chowder knocks the socks off any I’ve had in Smugglers Creek Inn in Co. Donegal, O’Dowd’s in Co. Galway or PJ O’Hare’s in Co. Louth, which all make excellent versions. But this isn’t for the faint-hearted or calorie-conscious — see that broth in the soup? It’s nothing but cream and vermouth, and it’s incredible. I mean died-and-gone-to-heaven kind of good.

Mussels, Leek and Bacon Chowder
adapted from Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater

Serves 4 (or 2 very greedy people, ahem)

You could turn this into a pasta dish similar to one featured in River Café Two Easy by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers by omitting the potatoes and using it as a sauce for 1 lb (450 g) of ditaloni or penne pasta.

3 leeks, white and light green parts only
5 oz (140 g) smoked streaky bacon
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
2 1/4 lb (1 kg) mussels
2 glasses vermouth or white wine
1 lb (450 g) baby potatoes
7 fl oz (200 ml) heavy cream
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped
crusty bread, to serve

Thinly slice the leeks and rinse them thoroughly. Cut the bacon into short, thin strips and put them in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot with the butter. Let the bacon color lightly over a moderate heat. Turn down the heat, add the leeks and cover with a lid. Leave them to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and sweet — they should not color. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, check the mussels and pull away any beards. Discard any mussels that are broken, open or exceptionally heavy. Put them in a large pot, pour in the vermouth or wine and cover with a lid. Place over a high heat until the mussels have opened — this will only take a few minutes. Remove the mussels from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon (don’t throw out the liquid!). When cool enough to handle, remove each mussel from its shell. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and set aside.

Quarter the baby potatoes or cut them into large dice, depending on how big they are. Put them in a saucepan with 14 fl oz (400 ml) of the strained mussel cooking liquid. Add the cream, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and a little freshly ground black pepper (no salt). Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat so the potatoes simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Add three-quarters of the cooked potatoes to the leeks and bacon. Put the remainder in a blender with the cream (pick out the herbs first) and blitz very briefly until smooth (don’t process this for too long or the potatoes will turn gummy). Pour into the pot and add the mussels and parsley. Bring everything to the boil again, then serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up every last drop. (Or just lick the bowl clean. No one will fault you.)

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Chicken, Shallot and Tarragon Pot Pies

by Kristin on January 27, 2010

Chicken pot pies are classic comfort food in the wintertime. This version is a nice change from the usual ones made with stock, peas and carrots — what I tend to think of as nursery food — with the crème fraîche and tarragon lending it a more grown-up feel. If you make the slow roast chicken with vermouth and mashed potatoes with crème fraîche, this is a no-brainer to make the next day with the leftover chicken and since you’ll probably still have crème fraîche on hand as well. How’s that for clever meal planning?

Chicken, Shallot and Tarragon Pot Pies
adapted from BBC Good Food

Serves 4

13 oz (375 g) pack of ready-roll puff pastry
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks (or leftover shredded chicken from a roast chicken)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 small shallots (12 peeled and left whole,* 4 peeled and sliced)
5 tablespoons tarragon or sherry vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) white wine
1 cup (240 g) crème fraîche
1 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, or a small bunch of fresh, leaves chopped

*Note: To peel shallots easily, drop them into a pot of boiling water for less than 1 minute. Drain, then slip off the skins.

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut circles from the pastry big enough to cover 4 small ovenproof bowls or ramekins with a 1/2-inch overlap, then chill.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, brown quickly all over, then remove from the pan. (If you’re using leftover roast chicken, you can omit this step.) Add all the shallots and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the vinegar and reduce by half. Add the chicken back in, then stir in the wine, crème fraîche, corn starch mix and tarragon and cook for 5 minutes. Divide between the bowls/ramekins. Dampen the rims of the bowls with water, put a circle of pastry over each one, then press down over the sides. Make a small slash in the top of each pastry circle to let the steam out. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes on a baking sheet, until the tops are golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Slow Roast Chicken with Vermouth and Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche

by Kristin on January 25, 2010

It’s often said that a cookbook is worth its purchase price even if you only make a few recipes out of it. I’ve had the River Café Two Easy book for years but have never really been excited about most of the recipes in it — except this one. This is a roast chicken worth writing home about. You roast it at a very low temperature for three hours, flipping it over once an hour, then jack up the heat for the final 30 minutes to crisp the skin to a picture-perfect golden brown. The chicken is unbelievably moist — roasting it at such a low temperature makes it almost impossible to dry out — and the flavors of the lemon, garlic and rosemary in the cavity really penetrate into the meat. If you know you’ll be home all afternoon, there is no better dinner to make, as you can bask in the amazing aromas that will drift out from your kitchen for hours. Once you make this, I’m willing to bet that, like me, you won’t want to roast a chicken any other way again.

The tang of the crème fraîche in the mashed potatoes is a good match for the lemon and vermouth in the chicken. I like to also serve this with simple sauteed carrots or green beans dressed with lemon and olive oil.

Slow Roast Chicken and Vermouth
adapted from River Café Two Easy by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers

Serves 4

1 x 4.5-lb (2-kg) whole chicken
1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
7 fl oz (200 ml) water
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-dry vermouth

Preheat the oven to 175°F (80°C) and wipe the chicken clean.

Cut the lemon in half. Rub one half of the lemon all over the chicken, getting as much juice onto the skin as you can.

Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Peel the garlic, wash the rosemary and stuff it into the chicken, along with both lemon halves.

Place the chicken upside down in a roasting tin just large enough to hold it. Add the water. Cook for 1 hour, then turn right side up (I can usually just do this with my bare hands since the roasting temperature is so low). Return it to the oven and cook for another hour, then turn upside down again and cook for yet another hour.

Remove the chicken from the oven and raise the temperature to 400°F (200°C). Brush the melted butter all over the skin, season very well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add the vermouth to the pan.

Return the chicken to the oven (make sure it finishes right side up) and cook for 30 minutes, until golden brown and the juices run clear. Strain the fat and serve with the lemony, salty juices from the pan.

***

Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche
adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2002

Serves 6

3 1/2 lb (1. 5 kg) russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (or any good mashing/boiling potato variety, such as Yukon Gold, Maris Piper or Kerr Pinks)
2/3 cup (160 ml) crème fraîche or sour cream
4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Return the potatoes to the pot. Add the crème fraîche and butter and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Potatoes can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over a low heat, stirring frequently.)

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Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce, Rice, and Steamed Spinach, Japanese Style

by Kelly on January 20, 2010

Like many teenage girls, I tried out vegetarianism in high school for about three months. I lost weight, my skin turned an odd(er) shade of white, and all I could think about was turkey croissants and sausage. Although my vegetarian experiment didn’t last long, I still try to eat vegetarian at least once a week. It’s healthy, of course, but also cheap. Tonight’s dinner, made with all organic ingredients, served two adults and one toddler and cost about $6, about the price of a fast-food value meal.

Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce
adapted from Gourmet, March 2009

Serves 2 to 3

1 x 15-oz (425-g) package soft tofu (not silken)
1 small clove garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted and crushed with the side of a heavy knife
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse Korean hot red pepper flakes or other ground hot pepper

Carefully rinse the tofu, then cover with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat, then keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Meanwhile, mince and mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together the garlic paste with all remaining ingredients except the tofu and hot pepper flakes.

Just before serving, carefully lift the tofu from the saucepan with a large spatula and drain it on paper towels. Gently pat dry, then cut the tofu into 4 to 5 slices. Spoon some sauce over each tofu piece, sprinkle with pepper flakes to taste, and serve warm. Serve the remaining sauce on the side with rice.

***

Steamed Spinach, Japanese Style

Serves 3

9 oz (250 g) baby spinach
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Wash the spinach and drain, but do not dry thoroughly. Place the spinach in a large saucepan and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the spinach over a medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. There should be enough water on the spinach to steam it. Toss the cooked spinach with soy sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

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Tagged as: 30-minute meals, Vegetarian main dishes

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Pork Chops and Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese Dressing

by Kristin on January 19, 2010

Last week I admitted to getting cable just so I could watch the Barefoot Contessa’s shows, but an unexpected bonus has been discovering Tyler Florence on the Food Network. He’s a real meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, but all taken to the next level. This dish is a case in point — what would otherwise be a forgettable pork chop and roasted potato is transformed into something tantalizing simply by adding a blue cheese dressing. So far I’ve wanted to make just about everything I’ve seen on his show, and invariably my husband comments that he wouldn’t complain if I made whatever Tyler’s cooking on TV. This is an easy weeknight dinner, requiring only a bit of chopping for the potatoes and any vegetable you want to serve, a quick stir to make the dressing and 10 minutes spent at the stove to fry the pork chops.

Since you’ll already have the oven on at a high heat for roasting the potatoes, a roasted vegetable would be a good choice to serve alongside the pork and potatoes. Roasted beets would complement the flavors in the blue cheese well, or you could try roasted winter vegetables, roasted parsnips and carrots, roasted squash, roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts.

Pork Chops and Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese Dressing
adapted from Tyler Florence

Serves 4

2 lb (900 g) baby potatoes, cut in half through the equator
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thick pork chops (about 3 lb/1.4 kg) total
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves only

for the blue cheese dressing:
1/2 cup (100 g) crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh chives, minced

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pour enough olive oil in a roasting tin, baking sheet or casserole dish to coat the bottom, then place the tin in the oven to heat the oil.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, then drain. Add the parboiled potatoes to the hot oil in the roasting tin, stirring well to ensure all the potatoes are coated with oil. Season well with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

To make the dressing, put the cheese, buttermilk and olive oil in a small bowl and stir together with a fork, mashing a little to break up the cheese. Season with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chives.

When the potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, season the chops with salt and pepper. Put a large saute pan over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil, and heat until it begins to smoke. Add the pork chops and saute until golden brown on the outside and just barely pink inside, 4 to 6 minutes on each side.

To serve, put a chop on each of 4 plates. Put the potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Add the mint and toss. Set one portion of the potatoes on top of each chop and serve.

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Citrus Tilapia, Bulgur with Leeks, Cranberries, and Almonds, and Easy Peach Cobbler

by Kelly on January 18, 2010

I’m not sure if it’s post-holiday letdown, the lack of sunlight, my crazy caseload at work, or my wakeful seven-month old, but whatever it is, I haven’t been too energized lately. After a couple of weeks cooking my favorite tried-and-true comfort foods (lasagna, enchiladas, chicken chili), I decided that a few new recipes might be the thing to pep me up again. And I was right! Tonight’s citrus-glazed tilapia tasted fresh and light and came together in about 10 minutes. I also loved the addition of tart cranberries and toasted almonds to the hearty bulgur pilaf. When other fruit is pithy, bland, or jet-lagged from a cross-continent trek to the local grocery store, a handful of dried fruit or a good spritz of orange juice can really get you through the dull winter months. And as for the peach cobbler, it’s good any month of the year, any day of the week, and any meal of the day. I can’t believe I haven’t posted it before now.

Citrus Tilapia
adapted from Epicurious

Serves 4

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb/450 g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice or high-quality store-bought orange juice
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

On a plate, combine the flour and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the tilapia in the flour.

In a large skillet over a medium heat, add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the fish and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden and just cooked through. Remove the fish and set aside.

Add the orange juice, 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the ginger to the skillet. Increase the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and more lemon juice if desired. Return the fish to the skillet, coat with sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until heated through.

***

Bulgur with Leeks, Cranberries, and Almonds
adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1995

Serves 6

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large or 2 small leeks, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups (340 g) bulgur
1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (50 g) sliced almonds, toasted

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped leeks and saute until very tender, about 12 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to the boil. Stir in the bulgur and boil for 5 minutes. Add the dried cranberries. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Mix in the sliced almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

***

Easy Peach Cobbler
adapted from Gourmet, August 2004

Serves 6

20 oz (560 g) frozen peaches
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 2/3 cups (340 g) sugar, divided
1 stick (110 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) milk (not skimmed)
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve

Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the frozen peaches in a saucepan, covered, over a medium heat. Cook until they begin to defrost. Add the lemon juice and 2/3 cup (140 g) sugar. Simmer the peaches for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked through and syrupy but not falling apart.

While the peaches simmer, place the butter in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish. Place the dish in the oven to allow the butter to melt.

While the butter melts, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1 cup (200 g) of sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk until just combined. Pour the batter over the now melted butter but DO NOT STIR. Spoon the peaches and about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the peach cooking liquid over the batter but DO NOT STIR. Bake the cobbler until it’s bubbly and the top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool the cobbler in its pan on a rack until warm. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Tagged as: 30-minute meals, Fruit, Grains and pulses, Other desserts, Seafood

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