- Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions

TOMATO SAUCE WITH BUTTER AND ONIONS

28 oz (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can
5 T (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with your favorite pasta and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes:

1. I made this recipe because I simply could not believe that anything this simple could taste good – I was seriously wrong. I served it with a pasta (Fusilli Bucati Corti) that I had never used before (thinking that if I made it with familiar pasta I would start to compare it with other meaty or spicy, more complicated sauces). I liked it just the way it was and really appreciated the deep tomato flavour.
2. I used good quality canned tomatoes from my favorite Italian deli.
3. I didn’t discard the onion – it was so full of flavour that my husband ate it as a sidedish.
4. This recipe feeds 3 people.

- Disappointments

Sorry - as you may have already figured out - this is not a recipe! I had planned to post three new recipes that I was trying this week but I made all of them (one soup and two desserts) and not only were they not blogworthy, the soup went down the garburator!

Stay tuned and don't lose faith. There has to be a success around the corner - doesn't there?

Cath

- Créme Brûlée

Créme Brûlée


1 extra large egg
4 extra large egg yolks
½ c sugar, plus 1 T for each serving
3 c whipping cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 T Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 300º.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks and ½ c of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and Grand Marnier and pour into 6 oz or 8 oz ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 T of the sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

This can be made a couple of days ahead but the final step must be done just before serving.

Notes:

1. Guys seem to love this dessert (women enjoy it but wonder “where’s the chocolate”?)

- Coq au Vin

COQ AU VIN


6 large garlic cloves, smashed
4 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
1 bay leaf
7 sprigs flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves separated
2 T olive oil
8 oz pearl onions, peeled
12 oz white button mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T brandy
1 c dry red wine
3 ¼ c chicken stock
1 T tomato paste
1 T cornstarch

Using a small piece of cheesecloth, make a bouquet garni. Wrap 3 garlic cloves, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf and parsley stems; tie in a bundle with kitchen twine. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and remaining 3 cloves of garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Cut the chicken into strips about 2 inches long and ¾ inch wide. Add the butter and remaining 1 T of olive oil to the skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook in two batches until browned, about 1 minute per side. Return all of the chicken to the skillet. Add the brandy and wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Add chicken stock; stir in tomato paste. Add bouquet garni. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, onions and garlic. Cook 5 minutes more.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl. Discard bouquet garni. Over high heat, reduce broth by half, about 12 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 T cold water. Stir back into broth, and mix until incorporated. Cook 2 minutes. Return chicken, onions and mushrooms to pot; cook over warm heat until thoroughly warm. Chop parsley leaves, and stir in. Garnish with thyme and serve.

Notes:

1. I cheated on the bouquet garni. I bought the pre-made version at the Gourmet Warehouse on Hastings in Vancouver (my favourite specialty shop).

2. This recipe says it feeds 6 but I doubled it to feed 7 – it all depends on how hearty your guests’ appetites are!

3. I served this with Duchesse potatoes (recipe also posted) which are yummy (I had a hard time not eating all of the potato mixture before I piped it) and pan sautéed asparagus (okay we started with French Onion soup (previously posted) and ended with Crème Brûlée (recipe also posted).

- Duchese Potatoes

DUCHESSE POTATOES

Russet potatoes
Eggs
Butter
Whipping Cream
Shredded Gruyere Cheese

Boil and mash potatoes.

For each 2 cups of plain, hot, mashed potatoes, add salt, pepper, 2 eggs, 3 T of butter and 2 to 3 T of whipping cream, stirring after each addition and making sure that the mixtures is not too runny otherwise they will not hold their shape.

Pipe potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese on top.

Bake in the upper third of a 400° oven for about 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately. You can also pipe these onto the sheet earlier in the day and bake at the last minute.

- Yorkshire Pudding

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c water
2 c flour
Vegetable oil (about 1 tsp for each muffin cup)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Whisk the eggs, milk and water together, add the flour.

Spray a 12 muffin pan with Pam. Put 1 tsp oil into each muffin cup and heat the pan in the oven until the oil is very hot. Immediately pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the baking time turn on the broiler (don’t move the oven rack) and broil for a minute or two to set up the yorkies. Keep you eye on them or they will burn!!!

Notes:

1. The broiling time is a tip that I got about a year ago and it really helps maintain the size (because yorkies are notorious for shrinking after you take them from the oven).

- Overnight Raspberry French Toast

OVERNIGHT RASPBERRY FRENCH TOAST


8 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
½ c sliced almonds (toasted)
6 eggs
½ c white sugar, divided
½ c milk
½ c half and half cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Grease 8 inch square glass baking dish. Scatter half the bread pieces in the dish. Arrange cream cheese, raspberries and almonds on top. Finish with the remaining bread pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ¼ c sugar, the milk, cream and cinnamon. Pour over bread. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake French Toast, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

Notes:

1. I used frozen raspberries and then put a few fresh ones on top just before serving. If using frozen raspberries, don’t thaw them first.
2. This takes about 10 minutes to put together.