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By mlb, on March 8th, 2013%
I had every intention of skipping this week’s French Fridays with Dorie because I didn’t think I’d have enough time to make it. Then I checked the schedule and saw that it was Cheesy Crème Brûlée and well, I found myself heading right to the store to pick up supplies.
I love crème brûlée and I love cheese, so this was quite the alluring combination for me. But, because it is all cheesy and creamy, I did opt to only make about a third of the recipe. This was roughly one egg yolk, 3/4 cup half and half (which I subbed for the whole milk and cream to make it a bit easier) and about 1.7 oz of cheese (a mix of Parmesan and cheddar). I used a very short, wide crème brûlée dish and it ended up being the perfect size to share.
Other changes I made: I added about 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard to the custard and for the topping cheese, I mixed in a little smoked paprika and more freshly ground black pepper.
I had some troubles getting mine to set at such a low oven temperature (mostly due to . . . → Read More: FFwD: Cheesy Crème Brûlée
By mlb, on February 12th, 2013%
Valentine’s Day Baking Tips & Tricks at Darigold in Seattle
I was recently invited to a dairy baking demonstration at Darigold headquarters in Seattle. And of course, when someone invites you to spend the day in Seattle tasting fancy desserts and pastries made with mountains of cream and butter, the correct response is, “Yes! Of course I will attend!”
Upon arriving at Darigold, we had a butter and sour cream tasting, learned a bit about the company and then it was time for the demonstrations and dessert tastings.
Chef Pierre Fauvet was on hand to take us through the creation of not three or even four desserts but five! Five dairy-rich, decadent desserts. Such a difficult way to spend an afternoon. In addition to Sour Cream Raspberry Chambord Cheesecake, we also sampled Salted Caramel Tart, Cream Puff Swans, Raspberry Cream Tart and Chocolate Eclairs.
I’ve posted the cheesecake recipe below. It would definitely make a wonderful Valentine’s Day dessert, but it does need to chill overnight, so plan accordingly.
 . . . → Read More: Valentine’s Day Dessert: Sour Cream Raspberry Chambord Cheesecake
By mlb, on February 11th, 2013%
I really enjoy finding a new ingredient that I’ve never cooked with before and discovering something fun to do with it. That’s exactly what happened with me and oat groats. To be honest, when I first got the bag I wasn’t even sure what an oat groat was — oat kernel with its hull removed. But one thing I’ve learned about oat groats? They can be delicious!
I came across a recipe for savory oat groats and used that as a starting place and ended up with a creamy, kale-filled, risotto-like dish topped with herbed, garlicky shrimp. Oat groats can also of course be cooked for breakfast as a more traditional porridge. But, as I tend to do, I opted for the savory, cheesy option and now, oat grouts have turned into one of my favorite grains.
Win a Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway $50 Gift Card: Would you like to find your own new favorite grain? Bob’s Red Mill is a great place to discover new whole grains and they’ve given me a gift card to give away on my blog! Leave . . . → Read More: Savory Oat Groats with Kale, Feta and Shrimp, plus a Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway!
By mlb, on February 7th, 2013%
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was fairly interesting — pork tenderloin, cut into pieces, browned and then cooked quickly in orange juice, zest and segments, cardamom and onion. So, um, I changed a few things.
Originally, the diced onions were to be added with the orange, but I caramelized those a bit first thing, then removed them and browned the pork. I added the onions back in when I added the rest of the ingredients. I just wasn’t really into the idea of boiled diced onions, when I could brown them at the beginning and give them a sweeter flavor.
Also, I only made a half recipe and I put my cardamom seeds in a spice bag so I wouldn’t have to fish them out before serving.
Oh and I only cooked my pork for about five minutes in the sauce, as I wanted to pull it out before it overcooked (plus, I think I cut my pork a bit smaller than I should have). I just kept it warm under foil while I finished the sauce.
Everyone’s posts are here and my photos are below.
 . . . → Read More: FFwD: Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin
By mlb, on February 5th, 2013%
Update: Voting will start on February 14th and run through February 28th. You can vote for me here at Lamb Lover’s Month!
Recently, I was asked to participate in the American Lamb Board’s Dinner for Two Recipe & Photo Contest, which is a absolute treat because I really do love lamb. Even more awesome, is that they sent me some lamb to use in developing a recipe for this contest. Seriously like Christmas. Delicious, lamb-filled Christmas. Or, Valentine’s Day, actually, since the theme of this contest is Dinner for Two.
The idea here is that you and the companion of your choice can make this meal for a lambtastic and romantic (or completely platonic) meal. And honestly, this would make a great Valentine’s Day meal — and I’m not just saying that because I want to win. No, really…
There are a lot of components here, but it’s all pretty manageable even for a week night. After getting home from work, just start with getting the tomatoes ready to go in the oven and you can roast those whenever. Rub the lamb with the smoked paprika. Start . . . → Read More: Lamb Lovers Month: Smoked Paprika Lamb Chops, Green Olive-Goat Cheese Risotto and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
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