Le Circque's Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

6 tablespoon(s) olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cup(s) plum tomatoes, chopped, peeled, and seeded
2 clove(s) garlic, divided, minced
Salt/ Pepper
2 cup(s) porcini or button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 cup(s) asparagus tips, blanched in boiling salted water for 4 minutes
1 cup(s) broccoli florets, blanched in boiling salted water for 4 minutes
1 medium zucchini, quartered, cut into 1-inch lengths, and blanched in boiling salted water for 4 minutes
1/2 cup(s) frozen peas, thawed in boiling salted water
1 cup(s) heavy cream
2/3 cup(s) Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus additional for garnish
2 tablespoon(s) butter
1 pound(s) spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1/2 cup(s) pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tablespoon(s) basil, cut into chiffonade

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add tomatoes, half of the garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until tomatoes have rendered their juice and begun to color, stirring or tossing occasionally, about 4 to 8 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.


2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat and sauté the mushrooms with half of the remaining garlic and a pinch of salt until they've given off most of their water and are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside, season to taste, and keep warm.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add remaining garlic, and cook the blanched vegetables until they've taken on a little color but are still firm, about 5 minutes. Set aside, season to taste, and keep warm.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, reduce the cream by half in a pan large enough to hold the cooked spaghetti, stir in the Parmesan and butter and turn the heat to low. Cook the spaghetti. When the spaghetti is 1 or 2 minutes shy of al dente, drain and transfer it to the pan with the reduced cream to finish cooking.

5. To serve: Transfer the spaghetti and cream to a warmed bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients and bring it to the table, with the reserved tomato sauce, mushrooms, sautéed vegetables, and the pine nuts each in separate bowls. Toss the spaghetti first with the mushrooms, then the vegetables, then portion it into warmed pasta plates. Garnish each plate with toasted pine nuts, 2 spoonfuls of tomato sauce, a pinch of basil, and freshly grated Parmesan, with salt and pepper to taste.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

I'm dying to try this recipe - I just have to find the edible Lavender flowers.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half
2/3 Cup mild honey (I have no idea what mild honey is)
2 Tbsp dried edible lavender flowers
2 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt

Method:

Bring cream, half-and-half, honey, and lavender just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, 30 minutes.


Pour cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard lavender. Return mixture to cleaned saucepan and heat over moderate heat until hot.

Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl, then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour into remaining hot cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, about 5 minutes (do not let boil).

Pour custard through sieve into cleaned bowl and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Cooks' notes: • To cool custard quickly after straining, set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until chilled. • Custard can chill up to 1 day before freezing. • Ice cream keeps 1 week.

Red, White, & Blueberry Creme Fraiche Puffs

Ingredients

1 package Peppridge Farm Puff Pastry Shells
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Creme Fraiche
1 1/2 assorted berries (raspberries, blueberries, & sliced strawberries)

Method

1. Prepare shells according to package directions

2.  Beat the cream for about a minute and then add the sugar - then beat until peaks form.  Then fold in the creme fraiche

3.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of whipped cream into each pastry shell.  Top each with berries and repeat the layers.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. 

Croque Monsieur

The Mister Crunchy

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
1 1/2 Cups Milk
A pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper, nutmeg, or more to taste
6 ounces of Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups grated)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, packed
8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread
12 ounces of ham, sliced
Dijon Mustard

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Gruyère. Set aside.

3. Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted. For extra flavor you can spread some butter on the bread slices before you toast them if you want.


(Alternatively, you can assemble the sandwiches as follows in step four and grill them on a skillet, finishing them in the broiler with the bechamel sauce.)

4. Lightly brush half of the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.

5. Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese. Place on a broiling pan. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.


If you top this sandwich with a fried egg it becomes a Croque Madame.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Royer's Cafe

While at Round Top, we ate at Royer's Cafe.  First we ate lunch at Zapp Hall.  We had chicken salad sandwhich, Texas Caviar, potato salad, & iced tea.  The potato salad was the best I've ever had, & the caviar is an excellent way to eat black eyed peas, which I don't normally like - but I loved it. 

"Don't drink downstream from the herd"

A few nights later, we ate dinner at the cafe in Round Top.  Bud Royer, the owner, puts on a show & talks to the customers before he lets them in to eat.  According to my mom, he's the restaurant natzi - he walks around with a clip board & demands manners. He's hilarious.  He was on Road Tested with the Deen boys - Bud is famous for his pie. 

I'm not a huge pie fan, but his pie is hands down the best pie I've ever had!  The crust is amazing.  The buttermilk & apple pie's are my favorite.

If you're going to Round Top during the show, I'd suggest a reservation!

Creamy Strawberry Crepes

Ingredients for crepe:

3 Eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 Tbspn butter, melted
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for filling:

1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbspn lemon juice
1 tspn lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
4 cups sliced strawberries

Directions:
Mix eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour, and salt in the pitcher of a blender until smooth.  Heat a lightly oiled griddle or non stick pan over medium heat.  Pour batter into skillet, using exactly 2 tbspn of batter per crepe.  Tip & rotate the pan to spread the batter as thin as possible.  Flip over when the edges are brown.  Stack finished crepes on a plate and cover with a damp towel and set aside. 

Blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth.  Gently fold in the whipped cream. 

To serve, fill each crepe with 1/4 sliced strawberries and 1/3 cup fillling.  Roll up and top with strawberries

New Year New Me

I'm starting a life style change this year.  I have my BODYBUGG, I bought a food scale,  I have the spin bike in the living room, and my Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, Biggest Loser Cardio Max, & Power Sculpt. 

The Bodybugg tracks how many calories I burn during the day.  You wear it 23 hours a day.  With the bugg, the online program allows you to input your caloric intake.  It then tells you how many more calories you need to burn & how many more calories you can eat for the day. 

I love this food scale.  I got it from William Sonoma.  You can place your bowl on the scale and zero out the "measurement" and then it measures your liquid or chicken without including your bowl.  The food scale allows me to CONTROL my portions. 

Alton Brown's List:

Things to Eat Daily:

Fruits

Whole Grains

Leafy Greens

Nuts

Carrotts

Green Tea

Things to Eat 3x's a Week:

Oily Fish

Yogurt

Broccoli

Sweet Potato

Avacado

Once A Week:

Red Meat

Pasta

Dessert

NEVER!

Fast Food

Processed Foods

Frozen Dinners

Canned Soup

Diet Anything

Buff BreakFast Smoothie

This is for one serving.  You can double it, stick it in the freezer and enjoy the other half later. 

To measure, place your blender on the scale, and zero it out.  You can use 4 fruits of your choice.  Freeze the fruits or buy them flash frozen.  Purple fruits are great! Such as the Acai juice (it helps with weight loss), blueberries, blackberries... You can use frozen dark cherries, bananas, strawberries, peaches... 

2 ounces of skim milk (or soy milk)

2 ounces of Acai Juice

2 ounces frozen banana

2 ounces frozen strawberries

2 ounces frozen blueberie

2 ounces frozen peaches

Start at the lowest speed and slowly accelerate to medium, until you achieve a vortex. Blend on medium for 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and blend for an additional minute. Serve immediately.

Lunch

Alton Brown uses sardines, but I'll be using chicken.  I measure out 3 ounces of chicken.  In the skillet, I add some EVOO, 1 TBsp worchestershire sauce, 1 TBsp low sodium soy sauce.  Cook in skillet.  Then in another skillet, add some EVOO and brown a piece of sourdough bread.   Take half and avacado and mush it up like you would a baked potato.  Spoon it onto the bread and add the chicken.   (I bet some fresh tomatos would be good as well).