Poached Pears

The Mister is trying to lose weight. I have a sweet tooth, particularly for desserts of the chocolate and high-fat variety. I felt really bad eating chocolate ice cream with an almost equal amount of whipped cream on top while he ate an apple, so I decided to make a dish that I haven't made since culinary school: poached pears. 

Poached fruit is versatile dessert. It can be eaten warm, room temp or chilled; on its own, with ice cream, or a slice of cake. Most firm, juicy fruits can be poached. I used white wine below, but you can use red as well, which adds a beautiful jewel tone to the fruit flesh. 

Pears are a particularly good fruit to poach because their natural flavor is so light, they take on the flavors of the poaching liquid and any added spices very well. Experiment with different spices: whole cloves, star anise, allspice berries.

The skin of the fruit can be left on (which prevents the fruit from falling apart as it poaches), or it can be peeled off (trying to cut through the peel with just a dessert spoon is a bit difficult). 

And the aroma this creates should be one of Yankee Candle's next scents! 

Cinnamon-Vanilla Poached Pears
Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe on FoodNetwork.com
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 (750 mL) bottle Riesling or other dry white wine
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 4 Bosc pears

Directions

1. Combine the wine, water, sugar, vanilla bean and pulp, and cinnamon stick in a large sauce  pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of the pear, and core the pear from the bottom. 
3. Decrease heat to medium low, and submerge the pears in the liquid. Cover the sauce pot and simmer the pears for 30 minutes, or until fork-tender. 
4. Remove the pears from the liquid. 
5. Remove the vanilla bean and the cinnamon stick and discard. Increase heat to high again, and boil the liquid until reduced to approximately 1 cup of syrup (about 20 to 25 minutes). 
6. Serve the pears and syrup on their own, over vanilla or caramel ice cream, or alongside a slice of your favorite cake, such as gingerbread, pound cake, spice cake, etc. 

Recipe Swap: White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

I went through a phase as a child where I hated red sauce. I wouldn't eat spaghetti if it had been touched by red sauce (I had my spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese on one plate, and my meatballs with a smidge of red sauce on a different plate). No lasagna. I wouldn't even eat pizza. When my mother got takeout from Pizza Hut, my dinner was their breadsticks. 

Before I outgrew that phase, I discovered white pizza (with spinach, yum!), and veggie Alfredo lasagna (broccoli, carrots, and spinach with Alfredo sauce instead of red sauce). They are both still some of my favorite foods. So, I was really interested in the white cheese chicken lasagna recipe that I received from the Cooking for Fun blog for the latest pasta-themed recipe swap. 

Like most lasagna recipes, it is labor-intensive, but the end result is worth the work. This dish is fattening, cheesey, gooey, and delicious — my definition of true comfort food. It also made a ton more than the Mister and I can eat by ourselves. You could possibly make the sauce as written, and divide it among two or three loaf pans, then bake one, and freeze the rest. 

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna
Adapted from Cooking for Fun

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles
• ½ cup butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to salted water to boil, add lasagna noodles, and cook according to package directions, erring on the side of al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Lay flat on paper towels to prevent sticking. 
2. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter of medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer and stir for one minute. Mix in the broth, milk and cream, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute while stirring. Add in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan and stir until melted. Stir in 1 tbsp fresh basil, oregano and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. Coat 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray, and spread ⅓ of the cheese sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay three lasagna noodles over the cheese. Then layer the ricotta, then the chicken. Arrange 3 more lasagna noodles over the chicken, then another ⅓ of the cheese sauce, then the spinach, then the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan. Arrange the remaining 3 lasagna noodles, then spread the remainder of the cheese sauce over the top, then sprinkle with the ¼ cup of fresh basil, and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese. 
4. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 15 minutes until the top is lightly browned and bubbly. 

Mediterranean Tilapia with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Yes, I know, I did a tilapia post a week ago. But, we bought a two-pound bag of individual frozen filets, and there wasn't much else in the freezer. But, I like this recipe, because it's a quick, easy weekday meal. The fish cooks in 15 minutes. I chose to serve it with frozen veggies and cous cous, which are ready even quicker. 

I also like how adaptable the flavors are: the original recipe called for Cajun seasoning (a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme), but I didn't think it would go well with the lemon and dill flavors in the sauce. I like the Mediterranean seasoning (a blend of rosemary, cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon and salt), but many other seasoning blends would work well. 

This recipe makes a generous helping of sauce, depending on the size of your fish filets. If you're not one to drown your fish in sauce, cut back on the sauce ingredients by about a quarter.

Mediterranean Tilapia with Lemon-Dill Sauce
Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia filets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Mediterranean seasoning
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried dill)
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Season both sides of the tilapia with salt, pepper and Mediterranean seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes, or until fish turns opaque. 
3. While fish is cooking, combine the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, dill and garlic powder. Serve each filet with a generous spoonful of sauce. 

Brown Butter Waffles

I've been seeing a lot of recipes lately that call for browning butter. It's not a new technique by any means; the French have been doing it for a long time, and call it "beurre noisette." When you brown butter, you're essentially cooking the milk solids and the salt particles in the butter, and cooking out the water. This process gives the butter a deeper, nuttier flavor. 

The waffle batter contains only a little bit of brown butter, but a little goes a long way. The deep, complex flavor is a contrast to the light, fluffy texture. They tend toward the savory side, rather than sweet, so fruit compote topping adds another layer of contrast. These waffles could also be used for savory purposes — perhaps topped with chicken and gravy.

Brown Butter Waffles
Adapted from FoodNetwork.com
Yield: 4 waffles

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• ⅛ ounce instant yeast*
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Make the brown butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Skim off any foam; set the brown butter aside.
2. Make the batter: Place the flour, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and yeast in a bowl (do not let the salt and yeast touch). Whisk together a little less than ¼ cup of the browned butter and the milk, then stir into dry ingredients. Reserve the remaining butter for greasing the waffle iron. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight at room temperature.
3. Preheat a waffle iron; brush with the reserved brown butter. Stir the egg and baking soda into the batter. Spoon ½ to ⅓ cup batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden. The waffles are best when eaten fresh from the iron, or else keep in a warmed oven (~250 degrees). They are delicious on their own, or topped with fruit compote. 

* If using active dry yeast, use an equal measurement, and follow the instructions in the FoodNetwork.com recipe. 

Spiced Pork Chops over Butternut Squash Purée

I had really been looking forward to trying this recipe, particularly the purée — it's one of my favorite flavor combinations, as evidenced by the number of times I ate Trader Joe's butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter sauce last fall. 

I was actually worried I was anticipating this meal TOO much — that it couldn't possibly live up to my expectations. And I was partially right. The pork was just okay. Maybe I overcooked it, but I didn't taste the spice mixture on the pork. 

The squash, however, was just as tasty as I thought it would be. The Mister was expecting it to be sweet, due to the honey, but it wasn't. It was more of a deep, rich flavor. 

Spiced Pork Chops over Butternut Squash Purée with Honey Sage Browned Butter
From Recipes by Cooking Light and Food52.com

Ingredients

• 1 (1-lb.) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed into 1" pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper 
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground allspice
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. On a large cooking sheet, combine butternut squash, oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Roast the butternut squash for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Remove from oven.
4. While the squash is roasting, combine cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a dish and stir to distribute evenly. 
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pork evenly with spice mixture, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Add pork to pan; sauté 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.
6. Push the squash pieces through a ricer into a large bowl (or purée in a food processor). Stir in milk and cream and set aside.
7. In a shallow pan on the stovetop, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it starts foaming, skim the foam.
8. Raise heat to medium high then drop the sage leaves in in batches, submerging them in the butter for 5 to 10 seconds until they become crisp, but before they turn brown. Remove them one by one as they finish and set aside. Repeat with all remaining sage leaves.
9. Once you've fried all the sage leaves, remove pan from heat. Stir in the honey and then pour the butter mixture over the squash. Top with the fried sage leaves and serve.

Recipe Swap: French Onion Soup

I tend to be picky when it comes to soup, which is precisely the reason I signed up for this round of the What's Cooking board recipe swap. I thought it would force me to try something new.

Instead, I received a recipe for French Onion Soup from Colleen's Kitchen Therapy, which, aside from my creamy pumpkin soup, is one of my favorite soups! I've never made it at home, though, so I was still very excited.

The recipe did not disappoint! It tasted just like the French onion soup at my favorite diner, The Great American (locations in Bensalem and Langhorne, PA). Definitely don't skip the brandy in this recipe. I'm not a fan of drinking straight brandy, but it really complements the beef broth in the soup. 

French Onion Soup
Recipe by Colleen's Kitchen Therapy
Yield: 2 large servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds yellow onions
• 1 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 ½ tsp olive oil
• pinch sugar
• ⅓ cup brandy (I used Christian Brothers)
• ¾ cup dry white wine (I used Yellow Tail Chardonnay)
• 32 ounces low-sodium beef broth
• Salt and pepper
• 2 thick slices bread, toasted
• ½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or a combination of  Gruyère and Gouda)

Directions

1. Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a large stock pot over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot.
2. Reduce the heat to low and let them simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, add the sugar and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions caramelize and turn golden brown, adding more butter or oil, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary to prevent the onions from burning.
3. Add the brandy, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any brown bits in the bottom of the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 15 more minutes. Add in the beef broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
4. Preheat the broiler with a rack 5 inches below the heating element. Ladle the soup into oven safe bowls. Top each both with a piece of the toasted bread and a heaping mound of the cheese mixture. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Tilapia

Whenever we do a recipe swap, I look at the other recipes that were swapped, and bookmark the ones that I'm interested in trying later. From the fish swap in September 2011, I bookmarked Parmesan Tilapia. It sounded quick and easy, and used ingredients that I almost always have on hand. And this week, a 2-lb bag of individually frozen tilapia filets was on sale at the grocery store. 

Obviously, having bookmarked the recipe, I was pretty sure I would like it. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. It was tangy and very flavorful. I served it over chopped kale, with a side of whole wheat cous cous.


Parmesan Tilapia
Recipe from The Cookaholic Wife, who adapted it from Mrs. B Cooks

Ingredients

• 1 lb. tilapia filets
• 2 tbs. butter, softened
• 1 tbs. mayo
• 1 tbs. lemon juice
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ⅛ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the fish on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, add the butter, mayo, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder and Italian seasonings. Stir to combine.
4. Broil the tilapia for 3 minutes, then flip the fish over and broil on the other side for 2 more minutes.
5. Remove the fish from the oven and spread the cheese mixture over the fish. Return to the oven and broil until the fish is lightly golden brown.

Menu for the week of February 19, 2012

In an effort to save money, I'm trying to get into shopping the sales, couponing, and meal planning. It's still a work in progress, but here is this week's menu. 

Sunday - cheeseburgers with a side of sweet yellow corn
Monday - French Onion Soup - this is my recipe for the Soup/Stew swap, and I'm really looking forward to it. 
Tuesday - Parmesan Tilapia over Kale - I have a job interview earlier in the day, so this sounded quick and easy to put together
Wednesday - Spiced Pork Chops and Butternut Squash 
Thursday - Honey Lime Chicken 
Friday - Brown Butter Waffles - I broke out my waffle maker and made simple, classic waffles for breakfast the other day. Inspired me to want to use the waffle maker more often! 
Saturday - Homemade pizza - I will be trying out the pizza dough recipe from the Culinary Institute of America's Baking at Home cookbook

Recipe Swap: Gratin of Yukon Gold Potatoes

It's finally starting to feel like winter in these parts. It's the perfect time for warm, delicious comfort food. When I received my latest swap recipe, Potato Gratin, from A Taste of Home Cooking, I knew it would be the perfect accompaniment to the pot roast in my freezer.

This gratin dish is rich and creamy and fattening and I could not stop eating it. The original recipe called for russet potatoes, but I had Yukon Gold on hand, and they worked well. I prefer to keep Yukon Gold in the house because they are a more versatile potato, good for both baking and boiling. I had forgotten to pick up the Pecorino cheese, which was optional anyway, but since I'll definitely be making this again, I'll try it next time.

Also, it really is worth it to use fresh nutmeg rather than ground. Ground nutmeg looses its warm spiciness rather quickly, so you'll get a lot more flavor out of fresh whole nutmeg. If fresh whole nutmeg is kept stored in a tightly-sealed jar in a cool dark place, it will last a very long time. 

Gratin of Yukon Gold Potatoes
From A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 large cloves garlic, one halved, one minced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold, Russet, or other baking potato
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub a 2-quart ceramic baking dish with the cut sides of the garlic clove, then discard garlic. Coat the bottom and sides of the dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. 
2. Peel the potatoes, then slice thinly using a grater, mandolin, or slicing blade of food processor. 
3. In a large pot, combine the milk, cream, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, the nutmeg, and the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Stir well. 
4. Add the potato slices, and over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and simmer for three minutes, stirring occasionally. 
5. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potato slices to the baking dish, spreading evenly. Cover the baking dish with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, buttered side down. 
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake an additional 20 minutes to allow top layer to crust. 
7. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Kale Tossed with Bacon

The Mister and I have been getting tired of our kitchen staples. For a change from pork chops, I bought a pork tenderloin from Trader Joe's. One my favorite impressive, yet simple, main dishes is a stuffed tenderloin. And we decided to give kale a try — neither of us have ever tasted it before. I decided to make bacon a recurring element in the meal: a slice of bacon cooked on top of the pork, and crumbled bacon tossed with the kale. 

I used garlic, dried rosemary and sage in my pork stuffing, but many combinations of herbs and spices would work well: coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, savory and thyme are some of the more common flavorings used on pork.

Kale is a form of cabbage, and used similarly to spinach. It is rich in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and lutein. I used frozen kale in my side dish, but fresh works just as well. Just remove the thick stems from the center before cooking.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Based on this recipe from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (1-lb) pork tenderloin
• ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp rubbed sage
• ¼ tsp dried rosemary
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 strip of bacon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan or baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place tenderloin on a cutting board. Carefully make a lengthwise slit about three-quarters of the way through tenderloin (do not cut all the way through); open so it lies flat. Cover with plastic wrap, and use a meat tenderizer or mallet to flatten to ¼-in. thickness; set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. 
4. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about two minutes. Add garlic, and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add to the bowl of bread crumbs, cheese and spices. Add enough of the beaten egg to moisten the ingredients. 
5. Spread the stuffing over the tenderloin to within 1/4 in. of edges. Close meat and place the strip of bacon on top; tie with kitchen twine. 
6. Cook, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 150 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes for carryover cooking before slicing.

Kale Tossed with Bacon

From TasteofHome.com

Ingredients

• 2 bunches fresh kale, stems removed, or 10 ounces frozen kale
• 8 slices bacon, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. If using frozen kale, cook according to package directions. 
2. If using fresh kale, bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the kale, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. 
3. Place bacon in a large skillet, then place over medium heat. Cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tsp of bacon fat. 
4. In the reserved fat, cook onion and garlic until onion is tender. 
5. Toss together the kale, bacon, onion, and garlic, then season to taste with salt and pepper.