Pâtisserie, Mais Oui!

I have told you previously about my love of pie crusts. It's kind of like eating fried food--it's always good, no matter what it is. Think about it. Fried pickles, yes. Fried oysters, yes. Fried chicken, hell yes. Now, try it with pie crust. Irish boxty, yum. Pie of pretty much any flavor under the sun, yum. Chicken pot pie, yum yum.

Pâtisserie is just a fancy French way of saying pastry, and so much fun to say! Say it with me, "Pâtisserie..." Yeah, it even sounds delicious. Unlike their fruit-filled sugar-glazed counterparts, these pâtisseries are savory and work well as an hors d'oeuvre or as part of a tasty meal.

Red Pepper Rosemary Pâtisseries
--4-5 small sweet peppers (I used the small sweet bell peppers Costco sells)
--1 refrigerated pie crust dough
--4 oz. brie cheese
--1 TSP + 1 TBSP unsalted butter
--1 small shallot, diced
--fresh rosemary

Take the peppers and place them directly onto the oven rack. Roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once. Let cool before removing tops and slicing in half.

.Roll out the pie crust and cut it into 6 squares. Wrap 6 equal-sized pieces of brie in the pie crust, making packages. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until pie crust is golden, brushing occasionally with 1 TSP melted butter.

While the pastry cooks, melt the 1 TBSP butter in a large skillet. Sauté the shallot and fresh rosemary until the shallot is softened and begins to brown. Add the sliced roasted peppers and sauté until tender.

Remove the pastries from the oven and pour the pepper mixture into the pan. Brush the pâtisseries with any remaining butter and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve the pâtisseries over the sweet pepper mix.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6 Pâtisseries
Calories: 251 per Pâtisserie

Quitting A Chicken Marsala Habit

First, allow me to confess that I love chicken marsala. If I see it on a menu at a restaurant I feel compelled to order it, even if there are other and seemingly better options. Worse, it often occurs in the kinds of places where one should never order chicken marsala, like that airport where the dish definitely came from a vacuum packed NASA or Army-type ration meal... Second confession, I've never attempted to make chicken marsala at home. It would be too devastating if I failed miserably as my taste buds have long ago decided exactly what a chicken marsala should taste like.

Also, chicken marsala is a heavy dish, especially restaurant style, and is laden with butter, oil, flour, wine, and probably sherry. So this dish is like chicken marsala-light. It has the essence of the dish--mushrooms, chicken, wine--but is a lighter, different dish all on its own. It doesn't quite taste exactly like a chicken marsala, but it's close enough to fool me into thinking that I've quelled that craving for the time being.

Chicken with Mushroom Pasta
--1/2 cup dry bowtie or penne pasta
--2 cloves garlic, sliced into thin intact pieces
--1 cup sliced button mushrooms
--2 TBSP butter
--4 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
--3 TBSP cup flour, seasoned with garlic salt & fresh black pepper
--1 egg, beaten
--cooking spray
--1 shallot, diced fine or minced
--1 cup dry white wine, divided
--2 cups chicken broth, divided
--1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook the pasta omitting any oil.

In a medium skillet, sauté the mushrooms and garlic slices in the butter over medium heat until soft and tender.

While the mushrooms and pasta cook, dredge the chicken alternately in the egg and flour until evenly coated. In a cooking spray-coated medium skillet on medium to medium-high heat, cook the chicken tenders for 4-5 minutes on each side. Add 1/2 cup of the wine and 1 cup of the chicken broth and allow the sauce to boil and reduce. Set the chicken aside and pour any remaining sauce over the top of the chicken.

Spray the same skillet the chicken was cooked in with a little more cooking spray. Add the shallots and sauté until browned, stirring regularly. Add the remaining wine to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits before adding the rest of the chicken broth. Allow the sauce to reduce a little so that it is less liquid but not so much that it is too thick.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour the mushrooms into the pot and add the tomatoes. Pour the sauce into the pot and stir to combine.  Plate the pasta and then add 2 chicken tenders to each plate. Drizzle any remaining sauce onto the chicken and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and 1 oz. of grated Parmesan, if desired.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 607 per serving

Tempeh Time!

Tempeh. The word itself even sounds a little weird, I realize. But it actually tastes good, and that is what's important. And is full of protein. And easy to cook. And I needed tasty, protein-packed, simplicity after my workout. I was beat. This getting in shape business is hard.

Stir fry is an easy way to pack in a lot of veggies in a short amount of time. Cook times are relatively short (in fact the most time you spend is the prep time to chop all those veggies) but the payoff is big. If you're tired of chicken or pork or tofu, tempeh does provide you with a different flavor and texture and works well in stir fry. Don't be scared, tempeh won't hurt you. And especially after kicking your own ass at the gym, you need lean proteins and veggies to feed those battered and bruised muscles!

Tempeh Stir Fry
--TBSP seasame oil
--2 TBSP canola oil, divided
--2 TBSP soy sauce, divided (I use the low sodium kind)
--8 oz. package of tempeh (found in the refrigerated section with the tofu), sliced into strips
--small onion, diced
--large shallot, diced
--ginger, minced
--garlic, minced
--medium jalapeno, sliced in rounds
--medium red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into strips
--small yellow squash, sliced into strips
--small zucchini, sliced into strips
--medium carrot, peeled and sliced into strips
--small package button mushrooms, sliced
--1 bunch red chard, stems removed and cut or ripped into business card sized pieces
--1 pear, core removed and sliced into thin slices

Heat the sesame oil, 1 TBSP canola and 1 TBSP of the soy sauce in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the tempeh strips until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add remaining TBSP of canola oil to the skillet. Sauté the onion, shallot, garlic, and ginger for a few minutes until fragrant and tender. Add the jalapeno, bell pepper, squash, zucchini, and carrot pieces and sauté for several minutes, stirring regularly. When the veggies begin to soften add the mushroom pieces, again stirring regularly.

Add the remaining TBSP soy sauce and stir to combine into the veggies. Add the tempeh back into the mix and also add the chard pieces at this time. Mix it all up and sauté for a few minutes to allow the tempeh to get warmed up and the chard to begin to wilt. Remove the stir fry from the heat and stir in the pear slices. The cold, crisp pear will provide a nice flavor and texture contrast to the warm, tender veggies!

Serve! This is not a meal that re-heats well so adjust ingredient quantities as needed to avoid leftovers.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 35 minutes (most of it prep time)
Serves: 4 bowls
Calories: 300 per bowl

Breakfast of Champions

Do you ever have days where you feel like your get-up-n'-go just got up and went? Today's recipe is a perfect cure for that! Packed with a lot of protein, and aided by sugars, this is sure to add a spring in your step. In fact, I've heard some say it's a good hangover cure. I've not tried it myself, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

The key to a perfect balance of flavors is to carefully choose your bacon--also known as meat candy--wisely. I prefer to use a thick slab that is Applewood-smoked or a nice center-cut style.

 Breakfast of Champions
--5-6 pieces of meat candy
--1 PBR

In a large skillet with deep sides, lay out 5-6 pieces of the meat candy. Turn the stove temperature to medium and start cookin'!

I like to use a splatter screen, pictured below (that the nice people at IKEA made), to prevent any kitchen catastrophes.*

 *This is especially important if you are making this as a hangover cure and might possibly still be drunk.

 When the fat from the meat candy begins to melt off, it's time to turn it over. I find that using tongs for this process allows me to easily turn the candy and lay it out for even cooking.

 When the meat candy is evenly cooked and is golden brown on both sides, remove it from the heat. It is important that you drain the meat candy on paper towels so that it doesn't have a greasy texture and the true flavor shines through.

 Remove to a plate and serve with your PBR (in the can is best for optimum flavor). Enjoy!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1
Calories: 450 calories

Calorie Friendly Comfort Food

There's something truly comforting about a bowl of soup and something even more comforting when that soup is covered with cheese. My mom has been making this easy French onion soup since I can remember. After my parents contentious divorce my dad would still get cravings for it--it's that good. And while it's neither complicated nor pretentious, this recipe still tastes fancy and makes you feel with each and every bite like everything is right in the world. And considering how rich it tastes and the fact that it's made with butter and cheese, this soup is still pretty low in calories (though those calories do come from fat).

The "trick" to making a flavorful soup is to use sweet onions. I swear by them. Whether it's a Vidalia from Georgia or a Maui Sweet, caramelizing a premium onion will make your soup taste that much better. When I've got beef stock made I like to use my own, but using Better Than Bouillon (pictured above) will still yield a much more flavorful soup base than using a canned or boxed broth. Traditionally the French used croutons, but I'm a big fan of a slab of Texas toast (which tastes even better if you slather it in garlic before toasting it). The only thing that would make this soup better is having crocks--all I have is bowls so I'm not able to get that cheese-dripping-off-everything look that a restaurant version will have.

French Onion Soup
--2 lbs. sweet onions, thinly sliced into rounds and separated into rings
--1/2 stick of butter, divided
--4 cups condensed beef broth
--1 1/2 TBSP Worcestershire
--salt and pepper to taste
--8 slices french bread or Texas toast, toasted
--Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, either 4 oz. grated or 6 thin slices

In a stock pot with a tight-fitting lid, melt half of the butter over medium heat. While the butter melts, line the pot with the onion rounds. Top the onions with the remaining butter. Cover and cook the onion slices in the butter until tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a roiling boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes before scooping soup into bowls.

Classic french onion soup is served with the bread on the top. Every inch of the bread has been covered with cheese and the crock is then stuck under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and give the dish a nice crust. I have recently purchased a crème brulée torch to test out on future soup-making adventures. I'll let you know how that goes...

For this version, I topped each soup bowl with a piece of toasted garlic-smeared Texas toast before covering the open surface (toast, soup and all) will grated Parmesan cheese. Just pop a tray of trussed up soup bowls into the oven and broil for a few minutes until the cheese melts and browns slightly.

If you're looking to shake it up (or you don't have oven-safe bowls to broil in), here's an alternate approach: Sprinkle cheese onto toast and broil until cheese is lightly browned. Place the toast in the bowl and spoon onion-packed soup on top of it. You rebel!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 55 minutes
Serves: 6
Calories: 377 per serving

The 3 C's of Stew: Coconut, Chickpea, Curry

Hey look! Again I'm trying to use the Flip-Cam; again I've failed to post a video, but instead I have stills from the botched shoot for you. You still win. You are a winner! You are full of as much winning as Charlie Sheen! (Is that joke old yet? The answer--yes. Am I deleting it? The answer--no.) Bonus prize? This recipe is not only vegetarian, it's vegan too. So the weekday vegetarian and animal-free among you can rejoice and we can all nom-nom together.

I've been a very busy girl--working, eating out, working out, rinse, repeat. I notice that my default go-to style of meal is the soup/stew. Why? Because throwing a bunch of things in a pot is fast, easy, super-forgiving, and almost always awesome (there are rare bad batches but everyone has a bad day now and again). Because my go-to on the go dish is a soup/stew, I steal ideas and grab inspiration from all over the place and all over the world. Today's dish combines Asian favorites coconut milk and curry powder with Middle East treats chickpeas, Oceana's sweet potatoes, and broccoli of the Roman Empire.

Curried Chick Pea Coconut Stew
--1 TBSP olive oil
--garlic, minced
--1 small onion, diced
--1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
--cinnamon and cumin
--1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
--1 yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
--1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
--1 14oz. can coconut milk
--1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
--2-3 cups vegetable broth (depending on whether you want more of a soup or a stew consistency)
--1 15oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
--1 lime

--salt and pepper to taste

Heat a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat for two-ish minutes. Add the curry powder and a dash each of cumin and cinnamon. Stir to combine, letting the seasoning mix into the oil, onion, and garlic--this will deliver flavor throughout the dish in these tiny little spice hosts.

Add the sweet potato pieces and sauté for a few minutes before adding the bell pepper. Stir to combine and sauté for several minutes, allowing the vegetables to become tender. Add the broccoli, again, stirring regularly and only allowing the broccoli to slightly sear.

Mix in the coconut milk, then the tomatoes, and finally the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil before adding the chickpeas. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring twice before serving. Season each portion with a dash of salt and a few cranks of fresh black pepper. Take the lime and squeeze juice into each portion. Serve!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Calories: 399 per serving

Wine's The Way To Go

I drink enough wine, it's about time I spent more time cooking with it! So recently I have begun experimenting with making various wine sauces. Wine sauces are an easy way to add a nice rich flavor to dishes. I made dinner for family last weekend and decided a pork tenderloin with a white wine sauce was the way to go, adding some dried cherries that friends from Michigan sent us to give the dish a sweet little pop.

Cooking for groups can be tricky, especially as kids tend to be pickier, many people have allergies or dietary restrictions, and some of us are more adventurous with our food than others. This meal was a filling, healthy, tasty combination we all could agree on. Success!

Pork Tenderloin w/ Glazed Cherries Sauce
--2 lbs. lean pork tenderloin, any excess fat or skin removed.
--salt & pepper
--2 tsp olive oil, divided
--1 medium shallot, minced
--1 cup white wine
--2 cups chicken broth or stock
--1/4 cup dried cherries

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Season the pork with a few sprinkles of salt and pepper and sear the pork tenderloin on all sides for 2 minutes each. Searing the meat will help to lock in the juices. Place the meat in an oven safe dish and place into the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn the pork loins and cook another 7 minutes. Use a knife plunged into the thickest part of the pork loin to check doneness. You want the interior of the pork to be a light pink in color as the pork will continue to cook while it is resting. When the pork is done remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 4-5 minutes before slicing.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in the pan, again, swirl to coat. Add the shallot and sauté over medium-high heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until the shallot is soft and begins to brown. Add the wine and the stock/broth.

Up the heat if necessary to bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce it to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to reduce.

Add the cherries and stir to combine. You may wish you add a little more wine or stock as needed to make more sauce. If your sauce is thin and not thickening or reducing well, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch blended well with 2 TBSP of warm water (mix this together well before adding it to the sauce). Slice the pork into 1/2" thick rounds and serve with the cherries sauce spooned over the pork rounds.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 442 per serving