Monday, November 5, 2012

San Francisco, Rustic Sourdough and mushroom stuffing

 Thanksgiving is coming up, that means, turkey, stuffing,  cranberry sauce and green bean casserole with a topping of deep fried onions. :) Below are the pictures of sourdough stuffing I made for a work function my husband attended. 


Getting the recipe together now. 


What you will need

  • 1-pound loaf sourdough bread
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch thick in both directions
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 to 4 stalks celery with leaves, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • About 10 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems
  • 10 to 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

What you will do

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, 2 tablespoons butter, and thyme. Once the butter has melted, cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Hummus and Sriracha Deviled Eggs

These turned out so good you won't even miss the mayo!



What you will need
6 eggs
large pinch of salt
tbsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
1/2 cup of any kind of hummus
1 tsp of Sriracha
1 green onion or a small handful of chives
a sprinkle of paprika
and sesame seeds for garnish


What you will do
Put all six eggs into a pan and then poor cold water over them until they are totally submerged with about a half of an inch to an inch of water over the top. Add a generous pinch of salt, and the tablespoon of baking soda to the water. Turn it on high and when it comes to a boil, turn off the burner, cover the pot and start your timer for 11 minutes. 

Drain the water and poor cold water over the top of the eggs and let it sit. Once the eggs are cool you can begin to peel them, you'll find that since you added the salt and baking soda to the water the eggs will be easier to peel. 

Slice each egg in half and then put the yolks into a bowl, stir in the hummus, Sriracha, and sesame oil. You can either use a spoon, a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner cut to put the mixture into each egg (I just spooned it in).  Top with a sprinkle of paprika, the green onions and sesame seeds, and enjoy! 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Not Your Traditional French Onion Soup.




I used Alton Brown's recipe,  modified.

Turns out I only had one onion and a bunch of mushrooms so I modified the following recipe accordingly. 


what you will need

  • 5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions (about 4 pounds)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups white wine
  • 10 ounces canned beef consume
  • 10 ounces chicken broth
  • 10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
  • Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
  • 1 loaf country style bread
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Splash of Cognac (optional)
  • 1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated

What you will do

Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning
.
Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.
Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.