Pork Chops w/ Kidney Bean Risotto & Pommes Frites

It was offal week at school.  People either hate it or love it.  I happen to be of the latter population.

There's hardly anything I won't eat.  I'm of the belief that you don't know you don't like something unless you give it a try.  More often than not, once I try something, I like it.

My offal assignment this week was kidneys.  My offal experiences have only really consisted of sweet breads (LOVE!) and livers.  Kidneys, not so much.  But like I said, I'm willing to give anything a try at least once.  They're not something I want to run out and buy boatloads of, but I'm glad I tried them.

So I thought I'd do a recipe with offal this week, but turns out I couldn't find any within short notice!  Most butcher shops around here didn't carry them just on a whim and the items needed to be special ordered.  So I thought I'd do something with a little more mass appeal and use kidney beans.  Totally not offal, but hey, it tasted pretty damn good.

Ingredients:

2 bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup mirepoix (small diced shallots, carrots, and celery)
14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste

2 russet potatoes, finely julienned on a mandolin
peanut oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 425 F.

The risotto will take the longest, so it's best to start off with it.  I used to be under the impression that your stock had to be hot while doing it, but in learning how to make risotto at school and at the restaurant, we always use room temperature/cold stock.  It always turns out well, so why dirty another pot if you don't have to?

In a large high sided skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil under medium heat.  Stir in your rice and coat well with the oil.  You're just trying to coat the rice with the oil, not trying to toast it, so make sure you do this step quickly.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce until almost dry.  Add in enough chicken stock to just barely cover the rice and reduce your heat to a slow simmer.  You may need more stock than listed above (it just depends on your heat during the cooking process).  You'll want to stir the rice very frequently because it's the agitation of the starches in the rice that causes the risotto to become thick and creamy.  Don't add more liquid until the previous amount is almost gone.  You'll want to repeat the process until your rice is fully cooked and looks creamy. (The whole process should take about 30 minutes or so - patience is a virtue)

While you're waiting for your rice to cook, you can saute your vegetables.  Heat a medium saute pan under medium high heat and add your remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Add your mirepoix, thyme, and garlic.  Saute until mirepoix starts to soften.  Stir in kidney beans and cook just until warmed.  Season mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

When your risotto is done, stir in your mirepoix and mix well.  Finish with cream cheese, parmesan, and butter until rich and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Keep warm until needed.

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.  Spread about 1 tablespoon of mustard on each pork chop.  Place breadcrumbs on flat surface and press both sides of pork chops into breading to coat.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet under medium high heat and add your olive oil.  Add pork chops and sear until golden brown.  Flip over and transfer pan to oven to continue cooking until medium or done to your likeness.  Let rest for about 3-5 minutes.

Heat a deep fryer or heavy pot with oil to about 325 F.  Blanch potatoes for about 1 minute in oil and remove.  Let drain for about another minute.  Drop back into the oil to cook until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt, to taste.

To put together dish, place a decent amount of risotto in the center of the plate.  Place pork chop over top and garnish with a good amount of pomme frites.  Easy enough, right?  Restaurant worthy in $30 or less!

 

Have a great week guys!

Mushroom-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin w/ Fondant Potatoes

I started my internship this week and it's been a whirlwind.  I'm pretty much at my internship on all of the days I don't work - which means I pretty much won't have an actual day off for about 7 weeks.  Nuts, isn't it?!

Hopefully these 7 weeks will just fly on by.  I have the pleasure of being able to go to my internship on Friday mornings so that I can have at least one night home with Andy!  I made this last night and it was a definite hit!

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef tenderloin, butterflied
2 oz. country ham, small diced
1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 lb. mirepoix (small diced carrot and celery - we'll omit the onion since we're using the shallot)
1/4 lb. spinach
1/3 cup Madeira
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2-3 cups veal or beef stock
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 new potatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves of garlic, cracked
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a medium skillet, heat up a little of the olive oil under medium high heat.  Add country ham, mushrooms, shallot, and mirepoix.  Cook until slightly caramelized, about 3-4 minutes, then stir in spinach until wilted.  Let cool to room temperature.

Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper on both sides.  Spread the filling over top of the butterflied tenderloin and tightly roll up like a roulade.  Tie snuggly with butcher's twine to compact.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat up about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil under medium high heat.  Brown the tenderloin on all sides and transfer to oven to cook to desired temperature - about 20 minutes for a nice medium rare.

While the tenderloin is in the oven, you can prepare your potatoes.  Fondant potatoes are basically caramelized on one side then flipped over and braised in chicken stock and herbs.  Pretty tasty.

In a medium saute pan, add olive oil and heat under medium high heat.  Season potatoes with salt and pepper and place in pan, cut-side down.  Add thyme and garlic to oil to infuse with extra flavor.  Cook until browned, then flip over.  Pour out all of the excess olive oil and add chicken stock to come up about halfway on the potatoes.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and let simmer until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove tenderloin from oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing. 

Add Madeira wine to stock in the pan and reduce to sauce consistency.  Strain if desired and mount with a little unsalted butter and season to taste. 

Serve tenderloin with potatoes and some of the pan sauce.

This was definitely a great meal and I couldn't be more glad to say TGIF yesterday!  Hope you all have a great weekend and I'll probably see you about this time next week!

Filet Mignon w/ Grits & Madeira Sauce

I used to have a hatred for grits.  But I think I just never had them prepared the right way.  The restaurant I work at is pretty famous for our Shrimp & Grits dish.  I happen to work the station that prepares this.  So I've gotten real familiar with how grits are supposed to be cooked in order to be amazing.  First rule?  Grits shouldn't be healthy.  You can argue this point up and down, but for properly cooked, creamy and delicious grits - you gotta take advantage of some fat.  The perfect ratio for grits, in my opinion, is 4:1.  4 cups milk: 1 cup grits: 1 cup heavy cream: 1 cup parmesan cheese plus 2 ounces of butter.  Throw 'em on low and slow, whisking frequently to avoid scorching, and you've got perfect grits every time.  Don't believe me?  Try 'em out that way and if you don't like them, come back here and yell at me all you want.  But I'll make a believer out of you, I promise!

Anyway, I love the sweetness that Madeira brings to a sauce so this is perfectly matched to a savory hunk of tenderloin. 

One other tip.  I've become more of a savvy shopper through the years and notice that you pay more for smaller portions.  Meaning, if you do the brunt work yourself, you pay less.  Same goes for steaks, especially filets.  You could just as easily buy a portion of a beef tenderloin and then cut it down when you get home (allowing you to determine the size of your steak - I hate going to the meat counter and seeing dinky little filet mignon steaks that would only fill up a 5 year old) for less money than buying preportioned filet mignons.  And it only take a fraction of a minute to do so, so why not?!

I'll be super duper busy starting next Monday - I got my internship assignment so I'll practically have no time to spare between school, work, and balancing an internship.  But it's all for the best, so stick with me!

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef tenderloin, cut into filet mignon portions (I just cut the sucker right in half and did 8 oz. steaks for the both of us)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 cup veal stock
1/4 cup port wine
1/2 cup Madeira wine
salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup white stone-ground grits
4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, and butter.  Bring to a simmer, careful not to boil, then whisk in grits.  Turn heat down to medium low and cook until the grits are smooth and creamy, whisking frequently to prevent clumping and scorching.  Ideally, this would cook low and slow for about 45 minutes to an hour.  The slower you cook them, the creamier they'll be.  When the grits are done, stir in the parmesan cheese and then season to taste.  Keep warm.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a small saucepan, add the shallots, veal stock, and port wine.  Reduce by half.  Add in Madeira and reduce until at sauce consistency.  Season to taste.

Heat a large oven-proof saute pan under medium high heat.  Melt the butter.  Season filets with salt and pepper on both sides and then add to the hot skillet. Cook until you develop a nice golden brown sear.  Flip over and sear on the other side.  Transfer to oven and cook to desired temperature.  Remove from oven and let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, place about 1/2 cup of grits on the center of each plate.  Place filet over top and serve with vegetable of your choice (we had some peas).  Top filet with a little bit of the Madeira sauce.

Can't beat a good looking steak like that, now can you?  Cheaper than a high end steakhouse, and sometimes tastes even better too!  Hope you guys have a great week!

Bone-In Ribeye w/ Mushroom Balsamic Sauce

Happy Friday, guys!

How was everyone's week?  Ours was pretty busy.  I've been working all week and just have been too exhausted to do much of anything else!  I had the pleasure of having the day off yesterday, though, and decided to surprise Andy with some big and juicy steaks for dinner.

The sauce is really easy, too.  I decided to pickle some mushrooms (weird, but pleasantly acidic) and use the quick pickling liquid as a component in an easy pan sauce. 

The whole meal came together in less than 30 minutes and was absolutely delicious!  We both cleaned our plates right up!

Ingredients:

2 bone-in ribeye steaks
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup veal/beef stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar and salt to a boil.  Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.  Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the hot pickling liquid.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a large cast iron skillet under medium high heat.  Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.  Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add to skillet and cook until a nice sear forms.  Cook the steaks until desired doneness - a perfect medium rare for us take about 7-8 minutes depending on how thick your steaks are.

Remove the steaks from the skillet and let rest on a cutting board.  Add the mushrooms and pickling liquid to the pan to deglaze.  Cook until mushrooms are starting to soften and vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons.  Add veal stock and reduce liquid by half, or until at a syrupy/sauce-like consistency.  Mount the sauce with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve steaks with desired starch (we had some mashed potatoes) and top with mushrooms and sauce.

This was definitely a nice little treat.  We don't have red meat very often, but when we do, we like to do it up right!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Duck Breasts w/ Ginger Gastrique

Could have rested just a tad bit longer to prevent those excess juices from escaping, but still delicious =)

Duck has gotta be on the top of my list when I think of my favorite proteins.  Something about it just makes me salivate every time.  A crisp and tasty skin just really does it for me!

I've been trying to get rid of some items on our bar shelf so that we can make room for newer and tastier things.  There's been a bottle of ginger liqueur sitting there for quite some time.  I just haven't had the opportunity to do anything with it... until now.  A quick and easy gastrique was just the thing to pair with our duck breasts!

Ingredients:

2 large duck breasts
salt and pepper, to taste

Gastrique:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ginger liqueur
1/2 cup veal or beef stock
1 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter.

Roasted Carrots & Turnips, diced (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar on medium low heat.  Cook until sugar caramelizes and turns into a syrupy liquid... like you're going to make caramel.  When the sugar is dissolved and has a nice amber color, deglaze the pan with the vinegar and ginger liqueur.  Whisk constantly to remove any clumps.  Reduce by about 3/4 and then add veal stock, star anise, cinnamon, juniper berries, and salt.  Continue to reduce until mixture is at a syrupy, sauce consistency.  Keep warm until needed.

Heat a large saute pan under medium heat.  Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add the duck breasts to the dry pan, skin-side down.  Slowly render the fat from the skin until it is nice and crispy, about 7-9 minutes.  You don't want to rush this if you want to get the perfect duck skin!

Flip breast over and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until duck is at a nice medium rare-medium.  Let rest for about 4-5 minutes before slicing.

Reheat sauce and mount with 1 tablespoon of butter.  Spread a nice bit of sauce on the plate.  Top with desired vegetable or starch (I had roasted from carrots and turnips for this).  Slice duck breasts into thin strips and arrange over top of the vegetables.  Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Another simple, but elegant meal. Take the time to splurge on some duck breasts once in a while - you won't be sorry!

Chicken Breasts w/ Mushroom Cream Sauce

It's been a crazy busy week.  I started my last quarter of culinary school and we're already fast out of the gate.  I might have to slow down the posting to at least once a week to keep up with school, work, and everyday life.  But we'll see!

Anyway, we made this quick and easy dinner last night.  Best part?  It's hella cheap, too!  I think I only spent a little over $10 to get everything I needed.  Now that's a bargain, isn't it?!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
1 carrot, peeled and small diced
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup veal or beef stock
1/4 cup port wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. egg noodles, cooked
fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large skillet, melt butter under medium high heat.  Season chicken breasts with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.  Add to skillet and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate to rest. 

In the same skillet, add carrots, shallot, and mushrooms.  If needed, you can add a little more oil or butter to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Saute until mushrooms start to caramelize and carrots are slightly softened. 

Deglaze the pan with the veal stock and wine.  Reduce the mixture by half, or until it resembles an almost syrupy consistency. 

Stir in the heavy whipping cream and cook until sauce is thickened to your liking.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Slice the chicken breasts into small strips.

Toss the sauce with the egg noodles and place a decent amount onto plates.  Top noodles with chicken breast slices.  Garnish with parsley.

This comes together rather quickly and is perfect for any night of the week!  Not to mention that it's pretty darn tasty, too!  Hope you guys have a great weekend!

Secret Recipe Club: Blackberry Coconut Ice Cream

My husband can eat ice cream any time of the year.  Any time of the day.  It can be -3F in the frozen tundra and he would be in the mood for ice cream.

So when it came time to pick something for this month's Secret Recipe Club, I knew I could treat the man with some ice cream.  My secret food blogger was Nichole from Cookaholic Wife.  She's got an awesome blog full of all sorts of recipes.  We're also about the same age as me and discovered her cooking talents later on in life in her early 20's (same as myself, as well!).  I could definitely relate to this girl!

I came across her recipe for Coconut Ice Cream and knew I had to try it!  I've been wanting to experiment with coconut milk as part of a base for ice cream for quite some time.  The only thing I added to the recipe was a little blackberry reduction to make it a little fruity and festive.  The result was a creamy, delicious, coconut laden ice cream that was gone in a matter of hours!  It seriously took longer to make and freeze than it did to completely devour.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Cookaholic Wife's Recipe

1 & 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
14 oz. can of coconut milk
8 oz. blackberries
1 tablespoon sugar

In a small saucepan, heat your blackberries and sugar under medium heat.  Cook until the blackberries soften and start to break down.  Reduce by half.  Strain mixture through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer.  You should end up with about 1/4-1/2 cup.  Let mixture cool to room temperature.

Shake the coconut milk before you open it to emulsify it.  If you don't shake it, you'll end up with coconut water on the bottom and coconut cream on the top.  In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, milk, coconut flakes, and blackberry reduction.  Mix until smooth and a pale purplish color.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Freeze mixture for about 3-4 hours before serving.

The result ended up being one of the creamiest ice creams we've ever made.  My husband, who claims to not like any fruit-laden desserts, ate every last drop.  So it gets the Garbe approval!

I'll definitely be trying more of Nichole's recipes!

Want to join SRC?  Find out how, here!