Cooking with Friends ~ Kevin

When Kevin first moved into his condo, I took one look at his kitchen and declared that I must help him cook a meal there. He owns the bottom level of a gorgeous Queen Anne style home and he's got a big kitchen/dining area that has a lot of character. Last night, I lived up to my promise and we cooked a nice meal together in his kitchen. I've cooked with friends before and it's something I want to do more of because there is something special about preparing a meal with someone and sharing it with them.

On last night's menu was the following:

Mesclun Mix with Grape Tomatoes, a Dijon Vinaigrette and Fried Goat Cheese

Carrot, Leek and Orange Stir-fry

French Silk Tartlets with Fresh Raspberries

Kevin is a vegetarian so we didn't cook anything with meat, which was fine for me because I love creating vegetarian meals. Kevin doesn't cook as often as I do, but when he does he whips up very unique creations. He's famous for his wonderful carrot cake which is so beautiful and so delicious that everyone can't help but be impressed by it. He also makes a great carrot-ginger soup and I'm dying to try his special lasagna and his new recipe for vegetarian chili. He's also a top-notch host and has entertained many guests in his lovely home.

Here are the recipes for the different items on the menu. 

Mesclun Mix with Grape Tomatoes, a Dijon Vinaigrette and Fried Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

Bag of Mesclun Mix

1 cup of grape tomatoes (or a small container)

2 teaspoons of dijon mustard

2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of light olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg beaten with a bit of water (egg wash)

1/4 cup of breadcrumbs

1 small log of herbed goat cheese cut into chunks

Coat the chunks of goat cheese in the egg wash then in the bread crumbs. Cook in a skillet with a bit of oil until both sides of the breaded goat cheese are nice and brown. Set aside.

In a small container, mix the dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Shake shake shake. Taste the mixture and add more of any of the ingredients if you want to adjust the flavor.

In a big bowl, toss the mesclun mix, grape tomatoes and dressing. Serve on a plate topped with some pieces of fried goat cheese.

Carrot, Leek and Orange Stir-fry

Ingredients:

Sunflower oil

2-1/4 cup of grated carrots

1 leek halved and sliced

2 oranges sectioned

1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts

Sauce:

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

In a large skillet or a wok, heat up a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil (or another really light oil). When the oil starts to sizzle add carrots, leeks and oranges and stir and fry until cooked. Mix the the brown sugar, ketchup and soy sauce in a bowl. Stir in the sauce. Serve hot in a bowl topped with the roasted peanuts.

Note: If we were to make this again, we may try mandarin oranges instead of regular oranges.

French Silk Tartlets with Fresh Raspberries

The recipe for this can be found on the Shape Magazine website. I altered it a bit. I made 6 tarts instead of 4. I used 8 graham cracker sheets instead of 6. I used a whole container of silken tofu (16 oz instead of 10 oz). Also I put the raspberries on top only, not in the center. You'll have a lot of leftover pudding which is delicious by itself. This is a super-healthy dessert. The tofu replaces any kind of dairy product, the crust has egg white instead of butter and the filling is sweetened by apple juice and honey instead of regular sugar. I highly recommend you try this.

Mesclun Mix With Grape Tomatoes, A Dijon Vinaigrette and Fried Goat Cheese

Three New Experiments

Hey, I'm not perfect. I never claimed that I was. In fact, there is still a lot about cooking that I need to learn. There are a lot of techniques that I need to fine tune and a lot more recipes for me to try out. Not to mention all the cooking equipment I have yet to use!

Here are a few firsty firsts. Dishes/plates I tried. I made mistakes and I learned from them. Because that's what cooking is all about. Learning from your failures and becoming a better cook because of them.

1. The Meatball Sub

Here I took small Ciabatta rolls and split them in half. I laid out 8 bottoms onto a baking pan and topped each with three meatballs, some marinara sauce and some fresh mozzarella cheese. I broiled it in the oven until the cheese was a little brown and very melty. Then I placed the tops back onto each sandwich.  I really love meatball sandwiches and dream of creating the perfect meatball. Alas, the right mixture of meat, filler and seasoning escapes me. I can't quite get it right. In this sandwich, the meatballs were so-so but the combination of the marinara, fresh mozzarella and the Ciabatta bread made it a worthy meal.

2. Pulled Pork Plate

Maybe my biggest mistake was making this on a queasy stomach? I saw a recipe for Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled-Pork Sandwiches on the Betty Crocker website and thought it would be a good last hurrah for my beloved Crockpot before I put it away until the Fall. The recipe calls for a whole pork shoulder which I intended to buy but just couldn't. I carried a shoulder with me through the grocery store and freaked out about it looking like a real body part. I put it back into the meat section and picked out another cut. I don't remember what it was but it worked. I rubbed a dry seasoning onto the pork, set it to cook in my crockpot and when I came home from work it was cooked to perfection. Soft and fall-off-the-bone-that-wasn't-there-to-begin-with. I made the sauce per the directions but I think I had too little sauce for that much meat. The coleslaw was an experiment. I tried a dressing of mayo, dijon mustard, salt and grated onion. It was so-so. I wanted to put a sprinkle of sugar but my beau fought against it as he started to devour the bowl. I really wish I had pickle slices and thinly sliced onions to go with the sandwich. And that the bread was better. The salt and vinegar kettle chips went well with the meal and the sandwich was just fine!

3. Tuna Noodle Casserole

Who the heck eats this stuff? This is the first time I have ever even tasted Tuna Noodle Casserole let alone make it. My cooking and recipe skills were at it's best here. I completely created this recipe from scratch with virtually no help. 1-1/2 bags of egg noodles, Bechamel sauce made with 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 cups of milk, a cup of frozen peas and 3 small cans of tuna. Salt and pepper to taste and a breadcrumb topping. Baked it in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes and when I opened it up to take the casserole out I was almost knocked unconscious from the bad fishy smell. Blech. When I tasted it I felt a bit strange. Like that feeling you get when someone looks at you inappropriately and it gives you the heebie-jeebies. I much prefer my tuna and pasta combo cold, not hot or warm or even room temperature. Double blech. Let's hope my beau doesn't get food poisoning when he eats the stinky leftovers.

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Have you had any recent failures or experiment gone so-so? What's the best lesson you've learned from a cooking mistake?

Raquelle's Ridonk Chicken Pot Pie

A fancy chicken pot pie that's fast and easy? That's ridonk! With very little effort you can create an amazing chicken pot pie.

I created this recipe out of necessity. I didn't have time to make a fancy pie from scratch with crust and all but I didn't want a boring chicken pot pie either. And I would never EVER resort to one of those frozen chicken pot pies from the supermarket. ::shudders:: So I developed a recipe which required very little cooking and could be made super fast. This is the result:

Ingredients:

1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat removed

3 celeries with leaves sliced thinly
2-3 carrots sliced thinly
1/2 onion chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup of frozen peas

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chicken broth

Pillsbury golden biscuits (8)

melted butter with chopped fresh dill

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This recipe makes 4 servings.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Chop your onion and slice your celery and carrots. Heat up some extra light olive oil in a skillet and sautee the veggies until they start to become soft. While they are hot, place them in a bowl with the corn and peas. Season with salt and pepper and add dill. Set aside.

Now for the gravy. I make a simple gravy based on my rule of 1 tablespoon fat, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 cup liquid. In this case it's butter, flour and chicken broth. I like my pot pie light on gravy so you can double this recipe if you like more of it. Cook the butter and flour and mix until you get a roux. Slowly incorporate the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until it's gravy consistency.

Mix gravy with chicken and vegetables. Pour mixture into a casserole dish.

Cover the top of the casserole dish with the biscuits. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter and add some chopped dill. Brush the butter mixture over the top of the biscuits.

Bake in the oven at 375 Degrees for 25 minutes. You can cover with foil for 15 minutes and then uncover for the rest of the time so your biscuits won't get brown. Serve hot or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Sunday Roundup ~ April 11th, 2010

Today's Sunday Roundup is dedicated to Focaccia bread in all it's glory. I've been fascinated with this bread, which I previously overlooked until I had the most amazing focaccia bread in the form of a meatball sub panini from Deli-icious. Here are some Focaccia recipes from the Blogosphere.

Soft Chickpea Focaccia ~ Cookin' Canuck
Focaccia with Lemon and Dill ~ Closet Cooking
Whole Wheat Focaccia ~ Meatless Mamma
No-Fuss Focaccia ~ Food alla Puttanesca
Rosemary and Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia ~ Coconut & Lime
Potato Bread Focaccia with Cheese ~ Closet Cooking
Olive and Herb Focaccia ~ Tasty Trix