Olive Olive Cornish Hens

"La Rentree". The re-entry indeed. 

Nana and I encountered this term throughout our recent visit to France.  Fall in France means the "re-entry" to work, school and virtually all other non-vacation activities. 

It was enjoyable to see how the French transitioned, but we soon enough had to face re-entry ourselves.  Let's just say that our re-entry involved taking a 3rd week off the FFWD routine.  

Having to only cook a Cornish hen with a bit of tapenade and spices this week proved to be a much easier transition.  Thank you all for the well wishes regarding our trip.  When we have fully completed "La Rentree" I will post a separate link with photos and specifics on our trip, but suffice it to say that it was lovely.  Like French Fridays and Dorie, France does not disappoint.



Per Nana :

LITTLE BIRD SETS OFF SMOKE ALARM.......

(this should be the title of our post)

We have been in this house for 13 years and that

 is the first time I have set off the smoke alarm.

A 500 degree oven can do that, to say nothing of

the mess that little bird made of my oven.

  

That being said, the recipe was fantastic. 
 Even though the skin was crispy and well
done, the white meat was not dry. 

 I thought the amount of tapenade was perfect,
as it can be quite salty, but I think the
 lemon actually helped on that score.

This is a recipe that I will definitely make again. 

 Per Tricia:

Unfortunately, this is a recipe

that I will NOT make again. 

But not because we didn't love the taste....
I can not handle dissecting that poor
 little bird to get the spine out.

 

And even though Nana gave me the heads up about the smoke

 alarm, it didn't keep mine from going off by the 20 minute mark. 
Since I cooked it for 28 minutes, even my younger son was
 declaring that this "better be good" after listening to the ruckus.

(Though I have to admit this was not

the first time the smoke alarm went off in MY house. 

My husband used to joke that it was our "dinner bell".)

This recipe was very simple and quick.

  I love the idea of a quick prep and the end result looked
 gorgeous with all it's crispy skin.  We very much
 liked the taste of the tapenade. 

 I am used to putting spices under my poultry skin
 but adding this ingredient was a new one for me.

 My family raved about it so while I may not be
 revisiting it, I will not be surprised to see my
 fearless hubby in the kitchen with page 225 open

 and a large knife in his hand......

Creamy, Cheesy, Garlicky Rice with Spinach

After this week Nana and I will be skipping two Fridays, but for an "acceptable" reason :) 

We will be in France !

We have plans to hit Paris for several days and then TGV down to the South and tour around by car.  I drive and Nana navigates - esp. crucial since I do not speak or read French !  It should be an adventure for sure and we plan to eat from the moment we touch French soil. 

We will play "catch up" when we return and wish everyone a few happy French Fridays in advance.  Now, on to that lovely rice......

Per Nana :

The only Risotto recipe that I ever used was taken

from a cookbook of the Frugal Gourmet back in the 80's.  

His book was the very first cookbook I had collected that

was signed by the author. He had a television show on

PBS stations on Saturday afternoons, and was one of the

first chefs on TV.  The recipe was made with Gorganzola

 cheese, and hubby and I worked together patiently

cooking it slowly, adding a little bit of chicken broth

as the arborio rice absorbed the liquid. 

 Just one of those cooking rituals we enjoyed as

 we sipped our glass of wine.

  

This week's rice recipe was such a different method

 of cooking that I had my doubts.  But I

was really surprised at the results.

I brought the chicken broth to a boil and just added

the arborio rice and simmered until tender. 

I then combined it with the onions, garlic and

 chopped spinach.  The Gruyere cheese and cream was

added to the rice and gave it  a very creamy texture.  

Hubby and I thought the rice was very tender,

 the taste wonderful, and the simplicity of the

recipe was a nice change.

I still love my risotto with the blue cheese,

but this dish is definitely a winner.

Per Tricia ~

As indicated by Nana, this method for preparing
risotto is a "keeper".    Having a lower maintenance
recipe will inspire me to prepare this more often. 



 Dorie's lovely combination of flavors only adds to this
 inspiration.  This combo would was pretty much  a
"sure thing" for my household and the dish did not disappoint.



I followed the recipe exactly, though I took my cooked
 spinach out and drained it on paper towels - which I
 really think helped that process along.  The next time I
am not going to be shy about "cheating" and using my
 favorite frozen chopped spinach (which handily
comes in 10 oz boxes...thank you Green Giant). 



We are busy with travel preparations
 so I did not try the stuffed peppers but will absolutely
do this again, as my husband is a fan of them. 
 This was lovely, warm, comfort food and we
 will be seeing more of it over the winter !

Corn Soup

The weather has "turned" in the Mid-Atlantic region this week (well, turned crazy with the recent earthquake and hurricane....) and Nana and I have been enjoying the cooler temperatures.  This week's selection of Corn Soup was a perfect match for the season and provided some appreciated comfort food.


Per Nana ~

This week's recipe for Corn Soup was such a pleasant surprise. 

 It takes a little time to prep all the veggies, but it is well worth it.  

I could only find white corn  at the farm stand,

but I don't think it matters as long as the corn is fresh.  

 Normally soup is not a summertime item,  but

 this was so creamy and tasty, it really hit the spot.

For the garnish, I used the extra kernels,

bacon, and scallion and instead of a chile pepper I

used a bit  of cayenne pepper.  

I served a simple caprese salad made with fresh

mozzarella and a farm fresh tomato.  

Hubby and I enjoyed this a lot and I  

will definitely make this again.

Per Tricia ~

 I was running so late in  preparing this I thought

 it would end up a "French Saturday" :) 

Nana had mentioned that the prep time took a little while,

so I was getting a bit nervous as I shopped for ingredients

around 6pm on Friday.  I was pleasantly surprised that

the ingredients were few, fairly "ordinary" and the
 prep time was not bad at all. 

The steps coordinated very well - chop this, simmer

that and in the meantime cook up some bacon. 

It never felt like a frazzling experience. 

 And I was anticipating frazzle. 

 The taste  - was simply lovely. 

I got to bring out the immersion blender that Nana gave

 me one year and had a fun time blending it to a

"not too smooth" consistency.  I added the bacon as

 a garnish and while my photo shows a bit on top

(just to add a little color) I listened to Dorie and

 served it with the bacon on the bottom. 

This soup was a keeper.

 A perfect dish that I will definitely revisit again this fall. 

My taste testers loved it  and were standing at
the ready while I blended it with the mixer.  When they
 learned the bacon was going into the bowls too,
 it was as if they won the lottery - who doesn't love bacon ?

Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger

Per Nana ~

Our recipe for this week was "Cafe Salle Pleyel" hamburgers.  

Since Tricia is traveling, I borrowed some of her food tasters

 and we all enjoyed a lovely dinner.

This was a really good hamburger. The filling mix consisted

of sundried tomatoes, capers, cornichons and herbs - which

 gave it a wonderful flavor.  I made the onion marmalade

 and used sandwich slices of dill pickle cut into strips.

My only complaint was that it was too much meat

 for each hamburger.  It looked more like a mini meatloaf.

 Hubby and I only ate half of the burger,

but they were delicious.

My method of cooking was pan frying, but I know

this would be great on a grill too.  

I served the  Barefoot Contessa's "Sagaponack Corn Pudding"

and a mixed salad with this recipe.

Per Tricia ~

I missed out on this one but my guys enjoyed it - big time.

 I was in Buckhead/Atlanta for the week and enjoyed

 many lovely restaurants.  Not surprising, my favorite

 ended up being the "Varsity"  near Georgia Tech.

It is the worlds' largest drive-in restaurant and

showcases hotdogs, burgers, fries, chiili and similar goodies. 

  One of their claims to fame is the standard "what'll ya have"

that the cashiers holler out to encourage people to

 step up and order.  It is hilarious - you hear a continual

chant of this from behind the counter. 

They had arguably the best onion rings I have ever tasted

 (and I have tasted a lot.....)and their "naked dog" and

 "slaw dogs" were amazing.  That said, I still wish I was

 home to taste the "Dorie Burgers"........

Eggplant Caviar

Phew. Summer used to be the slow time of the year, but this summer has been jam packed with activities and commitments.  Nana and I decided to take turns for this week and next - she was out this week and I travel next week, so I experimented with the "Eggplant Caviar" without her expertise.  Next week, she is up at bat :) 

Per Tricia:

I am actually embarrassed to say that I have never tried caviar.  But I have tried eggplant.  I am not certain that the results of this dish resembled either, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was a bit of  a "user error" on my part.

I got to this recipe late on Friday after a particularly

hectic week.  Having only read over the recipe and

not the FF blog tips, I thought the dish seemed pretty

straight forward, so I asked my 17 year old to

 run for the groceries at dinner time......on Friday ! 

 He did a wonderful job, though it appears he focused

 a bit too much on the "firm" portion of the eggplant

description and less on the "1 1/2 pounds each".  I am

 still not complaining because it was a real luxury

 to have someone else run out for the items. 

 That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that my ratio

of eggplant to onion and tomato ended up making a difference.

The recipe was very easy.  Thankfully :)

 It was also fun to roast and then use only the inside

 of the eggplant - I had not prepared one this way before. 

The recipe smelled lovely and looked lovely (a bit of a

surprise  given the color scheme involved....) and we

 tested it on little toast crackers.  My hubby said he

 officially "liked" it....I think he was afraid I would not

make it again unless he made it clear that he enjoyed it. 

But he did say that he tasted a bit too much of onion. 

 The kids were troopers again for Dorie, who gets them

 to eat what they would not try for me alone. 

They do not care for eggplant but willingly tried it

and declared that they "did not dislike it", but it

 wasn't their favorite either. Given the fact that

 they don't eat eggplant, I actually considered

 this a victory.

We sent a "taste test" package over to Nana and

 Grandpa, but they  were not fans.  It was still well worth

the trip next door to deliver them a sample, since now

we will be  expecting a care package of the

"Cafe salle pleyel hamburgers" next week......

Happy French Friday ~

Salmon in a Jar

This was a banner week for us ~ and not just due because of the "Salmon in the Jar" adventure. 

Nana celebrated her 80th birthday this week - yay !!  One of the most special surprises of her big day was an extremely lovely comment on our blog - left by none other than Dorie Greenspan herself  !! (check out last week's post) 

I had contacted Dorie to give her a heads up about the special occasion, yet I was still astounded that she emailed us directly to send warm wishes and then put an utterly lovely comment on our blog.  We already believed that Dorie was a talented and special person, and this act proved it beyond the shadow of any doubt.  Lovely.



Per 80 Year Young Nana :

I tried to find some quart size jars for this recipe but the

only option was a case of canning jars.

I was not in the mood for a trip to the mall, so I improvised.  

With all the different bowls and crocks 

that I have collected over the years, my Le Creuset

pate terrine ended up being the best choice.

When it was completed I thought it looked quite elegant

and I could not wait to serve this dish.

The salmon was very easy to cut up  and I then coated it

 with the salt and sugar.  After about 24 hours I rinsed it and

proceeded with the rest of the recipe.

I cooked the potatoes as instructed and layered

 them as I did the salmon.

I put both of the dishes in the refrigerator for another

 day and then  served it as an appetizer.  

I did try one slice of salmon but I was very apprehensive

about eating raw fish and since Tricia's family loves

 sushi, I decided to let them enjoy this.

Believe it or not, I do love bagels and lox,  

and knowing that whoever prepares

the lox knows what they are doing, it does

not bother me to eat it.

Per Tricia ~

I made it through a birthday dinner for Nana (which did

not involve salmon in a jar.......) and then hit the road

again for work.   A few days in DC foiled any chance for the 

salmon recipe experiment but my family was delighted that

they got to eat Nana's results.  They all adored it and it appears

 I will have to block out some time to try this one myself. 

Happy French Friday all and Happy 80th Nana !

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Nana and I were more than ready to "slow down" after a hectic few weeks, and this recipe fit the bill perfectly.  Another "non-recipe" French Friday with ingredients that we both had on hand ~ yet the results far from ordinary.
We both enjoyed these right out of the oven and just as much as leftovers, accompanying chicken and pasta.




Per Nana ~

I liked this method of cooking tomatoes -slow

 roasting, as it really brought out the flavor.  It reminds

me of sun dried tomatoes, except the flavor is milder.
 

 
The recipe takes no time at all, (except for the

three hours in oven).  I did not use fresh herbs but

instead used dried rosemary and garlic salt (sorry Dorie) .  

After 10 minutes in the oven Hubby

was going nuts with the aroma.

I made this earlier in the week and served it

 with baked pork chops and we loved it.  

Another night I served the leftover tomatoes

 on pasta and it was delicious.

This is definitely a recipe to be used again.

Per Tricia ~



                               I was absolutely delighted to see how simple this

 week's recipe was, and even more delighted when it

 delivered unexpected wonderful results.

  While I was a little incredulous of having the oven on for

 3 hours (225 or not.....) I followed Dorie's instructions and

even made a double batch.  Boy, am I glad I did.   

I went with dried Thyme, since I had it on hand, and used fresh

 pepper, fresh garlic, Maldon sea salt and Extra Virgin Olive oil. 

The family + a visiting teen (recall the rhubarb tester ?)
gave a big "thumbs up" and proclaimed the tomatoes
to be "sweet". What's not to love ?