NuM NuM

Mmmm...look at that melting cheese. Lobster played chef tonight and cooked us a delicious gourmet meal. He made filet mignon with a balsamic syrup reduction. If you've never reduced balsamic vinegar like this, I highly recommend it. Once reduced, the vinegar becomes rich and sweet and you can pour it over anything...ANY-THING!! It's especially good over vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

But for tonight's meal, lobster paired it with steak. The combinatiom of sweet and savory was sublime - not to mention sweet and salty is my favorite combo. The meal took me back to a meal we had on our honeymoon in Florence at this restaurant. If you're ever in Italy, I highly recommend you give it a try. You can order a pasta sampler, meat sampler and even a dessert sampler in which they bring you three to five different dishes for each course - it literally is an endless orgy of eating. If you can't travel to Italy, you're in luck because they have a sister restaurant in San Diego. Alas, try the recipe and see if you're a fan of the sweet and savory too.

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Cantal Cheese - 6 servings
Adapted from here

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 (5 to 6-ounce) filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Cantal cheese, blue cheese, or goat cheese

Directions
Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet. Crumble the cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast but I rarely ever make it at home for some reason. Today my sister and mom came over for brunch so I decided to whip up a frittata sammie. Frittatas are an easy dish to entertain with since they're not fussy and can be served hot or at room temperature. They're also great because you can add whatever veggies you have in your fridge and throw them in. I had a ton of asparagus so that was the main component of this dish. The frittata turned out okay but didn't have enough flavor b/c I didn't salt it enough. That was easily fixed with some salt sprinkled on top along with some Cholula hot sauce - which always makes everything better.

My favorite part of the dish was the slow roasted tomatoes. Cooking tomatoes this way releases their natural juices and even the most un-ripe tomato will be sweet and juicy. NUM! They are a great addition to any sammie, burger, and in between slices of melted ooey gooey grilled cheese sammies.

Frittata and tomato sandwich – 3 servings
Adapted from Michael Chiarello

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 7 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fontina or provolone cheese , grated
• 8 slices country-style bread
• Red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
• Oven roasted tomatoes

Directions
Preheat broiler.
Cut and discard tough ends of asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil, S&P. Put asparagus on a sheet pan and broil for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into 1/2 inch bite size pieces. Stir the asparagus and basil into the beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a 10-inch flameproof nonstick skillet over moderate high heat. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. When skillet is hot, add the egg mixture. Let the eggs cook without stirring until they begin to set, then lift the edges with a spatula and let the uncooked eggs run underneath. Continue cooking until the eggs are mostly cooked but still a little runny on top. Place the skillet under the broiler just until the surface of the frittata no longer moist, about one to two minutes, then sprinkle the cheese on top and broil again until the cheese melts. Slide the frittata onto a serving plate and let cool to room temperature.
Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, place on baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and crisp.
Cut the frittata into slices, place on warm slice of toast, place tomatoes on top of frittata, season with salt and pepper and chili flakes to taste, and cover with another piece of toast. Serve


Oven roasted tomatoes
Vine ripened tomatoes or Plum tomatoes
Dash of salt and pepper
Dash of sugar
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 270F. Cut tomatoes in half and de-seed. Sprinkle with S&P, sugar and olive oil. Roast for two hours until tomatoes collapse. To store, keep in refrigerator in an air-tight container. Mine were done after two hours but if you keep them in there too long they will turn black, so check on them after about 1 1/2 hours.

UPDATE: Brush olive oil on bottom of baking sheet. Cut tomatoes in half and de-seed and flavor with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Place cut side down and roast at 200F for six hours. These make great additions to sammies or make into a sauce by adding slivered basil, capers, balsamic vinegar and garlic. OR use these in your next caprese salad.

Tonight's meal was inspired from a potluck lunch I had with my girlfriends a few weeks ago. I love having a themed potluck meal since it's always so fun to see what everyone brings. Friend #1 made these mouth watering bacon wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. I helped myself to about four, five, six...I stopped counting after six. Friend #2 brought noodles and the portable stove for the meal and friend #3 made the shabu shabu. I was assigned the dessert course and got lazy and bought red velvet cupcakes from a bakery...GASP...didn't make anything homemade.

I've always had shabu shabu at restaurants and didn't realize how fun it is to make it at home - especially if you have your own portable stove. Since everyone participates in making their own meal it's nice to just veg and chat. I highly recommend having a shabu shabu theme night for your next potluck :D

As for the meal, there's no exact recipe but more of a method. For the broth I pretty much followed this recipe but just added a bit more ingredients since I needed more water. After you make the broth, the rest is up to you. The choices are endless. I made mine with five baby bok choys cut into 2-inch pieces, 16 oz firm tofu, and 2 packages of enoki mushrooms. As for the sauce, I grated one korean radish (daikon), thinly sliced one green onion, and poured 3/4 cup of store bought ponzu sauce and put them in three separate bowls. That way, lobster and I could create our own dipping bowls. We also added some "La-Yu" chili oil to our bowls for some extra kick. Light, healthy and num num.

This weekend was my favorite niece's second birthday. To celebrate, white man made his family's famous seafood gumbo. You may remember him from this post. I've been looking for a gumbo recipe to try but after eating his, the search is officially over. This gumbo was LEGIT. It was soooo good that for this post, and this post only, will I refer to him as GENIUS WHITE MAN. I'm even writing it in CAPS to emphasize the yummyness behind this dish AND maybe because he gave me the recipe.

The recipe itself is not that difficult however making the roux was quite a daunting task. I was tired from just watching him. You're literally stirring the roux non-stop for about thirty minutes until you achieve that dark brown color gumbo is known for. If you think risotto is difficult, do not attempt to make a roux. However if you do decide to make gumbo, this step must not be skipped since it gives the dish such a deep rich flavor that takes your taste buds to an entirely new level. Since this is his family recipe, I am sworn to secrecy and cannot share it with all of you but must hoard it all for myself. Who knew it would be such a benefit to have a Texan round eye for an in-law. Thanks GENIUS WHITE MAN :)

Since it's officially spring I thought I'd make a light dish to celebrate the season. This galette is now a new favorite. It had a rich, buttery, flaky crust and was filled with cheese, caramelized onions, oven roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. During the last ten minutes of baking the smells permeating from the oven were hypnotizing. I could smell the cheese melting and found myself sitting in front of the oven watching the timer count down. After the first bite I was hooked and had to stop myself from eating the whole thing. The galette tasted more like a thin crust pizza since the tomatoes made a sweet sauce and melted into the cheese, it was sublime!! This is a great dish to serve to company since it even tastes good at room temperature.

Tomato, Caramelized Onion, and Cantal Cheese Galette
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters
Serves 4-6 as appetizer, 3 as main dish

Galette dough:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup ice water

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Cut half of the butter (it should be cool, but not too hard or cold) into the dry ingredients until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal.
3. Lightly cut the other half of the butter in, leaving it in larger pieces.
4. Mix in the ice water with a fork until mixture is just moistened. Gather the dough (it will be crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap and gently knead, forming into a flat disk.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour and up to a full day.

Galette:
1 recipe galette dough
4-5 vine-ripened tomatoes or 2-3 dozen cherry tomatoes
2 medium yellow onions
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh basil
8 oz Cantal cheese, grated
1 egg white

1. Roll the dough into a circle about 12 inches across (it does not need to be perfectly round). Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate.
2. Slice the tomatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices and lay them on paper towels to drain.
3. Peel and thinly slice the onions. Sauté them in olive oil until caramelized and soft, 30–45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Take the galette dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle it with half of the grated cheese, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge.
6. Spread the onions over the cheese and follow with a layer of whole basil leaves.
7. Arrange the tomato slices in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping them. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
8. Gently fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling to make an enclosed edge, leaving the center of the galette exposed.
9. Separate egg white from egg in a separate bowl and and brush over the edges of the dough.
10. Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour on the bottom rack of the oven until the bottom and top of the galette are golden brown.
11. Allow to cool on a baking rack.
12. Meanwhile, chiffonade a small handful of basil leaves to sprinkle on top.
13. Slice into wedges and serve either slightly warm or at room temperature.

**Mine took 55 minutes. Cantal cheese may be hard to find but it is worth the search. It is rich and buttery and a cross between parmesan and gruyere.

Since it was BLAZING hot today I thought I'd make a refreshing salad for dinner. I was originally planning to make shabu-shabu tonight but I could just imagine lobster and I sweating over a steaming hot pot of water. Strangely I'm missing the cold days of winter since I have so many soup and stew recipes I still want to try.

Anyway, this salad is more of a throw everything you have in your fridge into your bowl kinda salad. BUT, the star of the dish was the dressing. It was light, garlicky :) and super tasty!! The best part is that it uses ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, so no extra trip to the grocery store es necessario.

Spring Pazanella
4 servings for a main dish, 6 for a starter
Adapted from here

1 baguette loaf
4-5 vine-ripened tomatoes
10 basil leaves
3 tablespoons of capers drained and chopped
1 bunch of asparagus
Few handfuls of mesclun mix

Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

For the vinaigrette combine first five ingredients ad slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Toss with rest of ingredients.

Cut bread into half inch cubes and toast in 425F oven for 5-7 minutes. Ideally you want the bread to brown on the outside but still be a little soft in the midle. It's okay if they get too crispy like croutons b/c the dressing will help soften them. Broil asparagus for 5-7 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them and then cut into bite size pieces.
Combine bread and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing and serve.

I played Iron Chef tonight and rummaged through the fridge to see what I could throw together and this dish was born. I bring you a simple, flavorful, quick weeknight meal that will be on the table in less then thirty minutes. Well, I take that back. The tofu takes the longest to cook so it may take a little longer, but you cannot skip this step b/c it's the best part of the dish. Using this cooking method results in a crispy exterior with a soft middle which makes it taste DEEP FRIED...NuM! The sauce is also quite tasty and will definetely be a "go-to" recipe when it's the middle of the week and I can't wait for the weekend.

Tofu, Broccoli, Asparagus Stir-Fry - 2 servings
Adapted from here

12 oz extra-firm tofu
8 ounces broccoli florets
8 ounces asparagus
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 garlic clove, minced
1 slice fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken broth
1 teaspoon of cornstarch

Preparation
1. Drain tofu, pat it dry and slice into one inch squares. Toast in a dry non-stick skillet and brown on all sides. After tofu is done browning, set aside on a plate. This will take about fifteen minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Mix chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and oyster sauce in a small bowl.
3. Prepare an ice bath. Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice and enough water to cover it and set aside.
4. Cut broccoli into 1 1/2 inch florets and 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place veggies in boiling water and cook for about three minutes so they still retain their crunch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to ice bath.
5. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat for about a minute. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. (At this point, you can add a pinch of dried re pepper flakes if you like it hot and spicy) Add the tofu and stir-fry until it is just heated through. Add the broccoli, asparagus, and chicken broth mixture and stir fry until sauce has thickened and vegetables are heated through. At this point, taste the vegetables for seasoning. Mine were a little under seasoned so I drizzled the dish with more oyster sauce.
6. Serve with rice.