Beef Stroganoff Soup

As much as I love beef stroganoff, it seems I never have enough sauce for the noodles.  It occured to me that I could actually turn all of the ingredients into a soup.  It is a creative cooking adventure to deconstruct a recipe and turn it into something else.  Rachel Ray is always doing this with her stoups.  I wonder if she has done it with beef stroganoff?  I haven't looked.

We have had a constant house party here at the lake this September.  It has been fun, but cooking for two again is relaxing.  The weather has cooled and I have the last load of beach towels in the dryer ready to be folded and stored for the season.  The light on the lake has lengthened and mornings are crisp and clear.  It is soup time.

The beef stroganoff recipe came about because it was what I had on hand.  There was a top sirloin steak in the freezer, beef broth and noodles in the pantry, and heavy cream and sour cream in the fridge.  It would have been good with mushrooms if I had them but the lack of them did not change the goodness of the soup.

A quick word about photography and my blog makeover.  The above picture was taken at my kitchen window which receives morning light.  The shadow that you see on the plate could be easily eliminated.   Cristobal told me that by using a white core board in front of the soup the light from the window would be reflected back on the food.  Here is an example of what I am talking about from expert photographer and blogger Helene of  Tartlette.  Notice the white board in her fourth picture.  I just need to get one for myself.  My new blog look is still in the works.  Son Michael is doing it in his spare time, so I will have to be patient. 

But you don't have to be patient waiting for this soup to cook.  It comes together quickly and tastes like it cooked for hours.

BEEF STROGANOFF SOUP

1 1/2 to 2 pounds top sirlion steak or roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 to 3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 to 2 cups medium egg noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sour cream and snipped chives for garnish

Melt butter and oil in heavy soup pot.  Add beef cubes in two batches and cook until nicely browned.  Add the chopped onion when you add the second batch of beef.  Return reserved beef to pot and add the sherry to the mixture.  Stir to deglaze the pan and cook over medium high heat until the sherry has reduced.  Salt and pepper the beef to taste.  Add the beef broth, water and Worcestershire sauce to pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until beef is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes.  Add the noodles to the pot and simmer until they are cooked through.  Add the cream to the mixture and stir and cook until it is warmed through.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and snipped chives.

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A Study in Quiche Photography

I am getting a crash course in photography from an expert in the field.  Cristobal and Kathleen with Azul Photography are visiting us this week along with our Son and Daughter-In-Law.  The good news is that Cristobal has approved of my camera which is a Panasonic DMC digital model.  The bad news is that I have a lot to learn.  I have never taken the time to play with all of the settings.  By the way, that first picture has a major flaw-my finger smudge on the lens.

We had a zucchini quiche for dinner last night and he showed me how to set the color and depth on my shots.  As most of you know, natural light is the best for food shots.  But sometimes it is dark before you have a chance to photograph anything.  I am trying to learn to eliminate the yellow cast that is produced by incandescent light.
 

I am enjoying the lessons.  The quiche wasn't bad either.  We kept it simple for the kids.  I grated the zucchini and kept the flavors mild to let the egg custard and Manchego cheese take center stage.


SHREDDED ZUCCHINI QUICHE

Pastry for a 9" pie plate
2 to 3 zucchinis, shredded
1 tablespoon kosher salt to sweat zucchini
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups shredded Manchago cheese ( Could substitute a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink or over a bowl.  Add the kosher salt and mix.  Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the zucchini to release it's juices.  Rinse the zucchini to eliminate the salt and squeeze it until it is very dry.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Prick prepared pie crust all over with a fork.  Place in oven to brown slightly (about 10 minutes).  Let cool for a few minutes.

Put half of the Manchego cheese in the bottom of the pie pan.  Add all of the zucchini.

Mix together the eggs, half and half, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Pour over the zucchini.  Add the rest of the cheese to the top.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake the quiche until it is puffed and slightly browned (about 30 to 40 minutes).

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Company Chicken

I have had a lot of company lately.  We have eaten well with everyone pitching in to help.  But I haven't thought to do a dish such as this.  This is one of those meals that you would serve at a dinner party like we used to have.  I am speaking for myself here.  At the lake we do not have a formal dining room.  We either eat on the screened in porch overlooking the lake or in the kitchen.  But this is also the kind of dish that I still like to make when time permits.  The chicken is not really complicated or time comsuming.  It can actually be prepared ahead of time and cooked when you are ready.  So no more excuses.  I am adding this to my list of company dishes.

The chicken is elegant with a savory stuffing under the skin.  I asked the butcher to bone the chicken breasts for me since it is impossible to find boneless breasts with the skin on.  The fillet strip is ground up in the food processor with spinach, cream, fennel seeds, lemon zest, and nutmeg to make the stuffing.  A spirited sauce is made with Madeira and chicken broth.

 

With the chicken I served Saffron Rice Timbales and Provencal Green Beans.  The two of us enjoyed it immensely.  Maybe next time I will actually share it with company. 

COMPANY CHICKEN ( Gourmet Magazine 1986)

For the stuffed chicken:

4 chicken breasts, boned but not skinned

1 1/2 tablespoons crushed ice

3 tablespoons chilled heavy cream

1/4 cup firmly packed cooked, squeezed, and chopped spinach (about 1/2 pound fresh)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the sauce:

1/2 cup Madeira

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Arrange the chicken breasts skin side down on a cutting board, making sure the skin is evenly stretched over the breasts, and remove the fillet strip from each breast discarding the white tendon.  In a food processor grind the fillets.  Add the ice, blend the mixture until the ice is absorbed, and with the motor running add the cream.  Add the spinach, the salt, the fennel seeds, the zest, the nutmeg, and the pepper and blend the filling well, scraping down the sides.  Turn the breasts skin side up and beginning at the pointed end pull the skin back carefully, leaving the thin trasparent membranes attached along a long side and leaving the skin attached at the opposite end.  Spread 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling evely over each breast, smoothing it, and stretch the skin over the filling to cover it.  Chill the chicken, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for 1 hour.  The chicken may be prepared up to this point 24 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled.  In a large ovenproof skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down, and season it with salt and pepper.  Saute the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown, turn it skin side up, and bake it, covered, in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Mine took longer because the breasts were large.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it stand, covered loosely with foil, for 5 minutes.

Make the sauce while the chicken is standing:  Pour off the fat from the skillet, add the Madeira, and boil it, scraping up the brown bits, until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.  Add the broth and boil the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.  Stir the arrowroot mixture, add it to the skillet, whisking, and simmer the sauce, whisking for 1 minute.

Holding a knife at a 45 degree angle slice the chicken crosswise and arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, on a platter.  Spoon some of the sauce around the chicken and serve the remaining sauce separately.  Serves 4. 

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SAFFRON RICE TIMBALES (Gourmet Magazine 1986)

1/3 cup minced onion

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads

2/3 cup long-grain rice

1 1/4 cups canned chicken broth

3 tablespoons drained and finely chopped pimiento

In a small saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the saffron and the rice, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the rice is coated well with the butter.  Add the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the rice, covered, for 18 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in the pimiento, remove the pan from the heat, and let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Pack the rice into 4 buttered 1/2-cup timbale molds (or small ramekins) and invert the timbales onto heated plates.  Serves 4.

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PROVENCAL GREEN BEANS (Provence the Beautiful Cookbook)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound small tender green beans (haricots verts), trimmed

salt and freshly ground pepper

handful of dried bread crumbs

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic cloves and when they begin to sizzle and color, add the beans.  Cook, tossing repeatedly, for 4 to 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the crumbs and toss or stir with a wooden spoon only until the crumbs are crisp and begin to color.  Serve.

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Pork Roast with Red Pepper Jelly

Changes are coming.  Not only to the weather with the crisp, cool mornings and pleasant evenings that make me want to make comforting food like pork roast, but to my blog as well.  This weekend my Son Michael and his family will be coming to spend a week with us.  Michael is a computer engineer and software designer.  Michael and Kristen are bringing friends with them.  Cristobol is a well known wedding photographer.  Do you see where I am going with this?  Computer expert/ photograper.  It is time to redesign my blog.  Michael has assured me that all of my archived material will be saved.  The picture of my kitchen will be reshot and changed in size, because I feel that it is a distinctive part of what this blog is all about.  I have been studying my favorite blogs for ideas on what to include in my new format so if any of you have suggestions, I would welcome them.  Just comment or email me with your thoughts.

But back to this wonderful pork roast.  I love my Le Creuset braising pan.  I wrote about it here.  It is great for small roasts and the heavy lid keeps all of the juices inside.  The way to ensure a moist pork loin roast is not to overcook it.  The browned roast and onions go into the oven for only 45 minutes to an hour, depending on size.  The addition of white wine, red pepper jelly and sage leaves give it great flavor. 


PORK ROAST WITH RED PEPPER JELLY

1 2 to 3 pound boneless pork loin roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion halved and sliced
1 cup white wine
3 tablespoons red pepper jelly
chopped sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in braising pan or iron skillet.  Season pork roast with salt and pepper.  Add roast and sliced onions to skillet and brown roast on both sides while tossing onions.  Add white wine, stir to deglaze pan.  Add red pepper jelly to pan.  Spread one of the tablespoons over the top of the roast.  Sprinkle sage leaves into pan.  Cover pan and put in a 350 degree oven.  Bake until roast is just cooked through, about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve. 

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Dirty Dancing Weekend

There has been a lot going on at Lake Lure.  This weekend is the second annual Dirty Dancing celebration.  You can read about the history of the connection here.  Our friends from Florida are here because they are part of a doo wop and oldies group that will be performing at Rumbling Bald Resort on Friday night and on the top of our boathouse on Sunday evening.

I haven't been doing much cooking, but here is one of Ina Garten's recipes for blueberry muffins that is perfect for feeding a crowd.  I will be back to blogging more regularly next week.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS (Barefoot Contessa Family Style)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed.  Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean. 

Pommes Anna

When dinner is leftover chicken or some other "ho hum" entree, try making these potatoes anna as a side dish.  It is a dish that will become the star of the meal.  I have been trying to clear the refrigerator of all of the holiday food and the last of it was leftover grilled chicken.  I was not excited to eat it once again.  I needed something on the plate to get excited about. 

I have this perfectly lovely mandolin that David paid a perfectly lovely price for and I can't bring myself to use it.  I have a fear of sharp blades.  The fear was exacerbated by the fact that David sliced off the tip of his finger using it for the first time.  But I got it into my head to make pommes anna with really thin potato slices.  I scrounged around in the deep recesses of the corner cabinet and brought out the mandolin.  Then I enlisted David to do the actual slicing with dire warnings about keeping his fingers away from the blade.  He did a great job and I ended up with paper thin rounds of potatoes. 

Pommes Anna are nothing more than thin potato rounds sauteed in butter with a little salt and pepper.  The potatoes are artfully arranged in a saute pan for the first layer, which will be the top when it is done.  More potatoes and butter are added to form more layers.  It can be flipped in the pan to finish the second side or, after being flipped, placed in the oven to finish cooking.  I used only two potatoes forming two layers so I cooked it all on the stove top.

Pommes Anna was created by Chef Adolphe Duglere at Cafe Anglais in Paris during the reign of Napoleon Boneparte.  Cafe Anglais was popular with the aristocracy and courtesans of the time.  It was purported to be named for one of the grandes cocottes of that era, actress Anna Damiens.

POMMES ANNA

2 to 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 to 4 Tablespoons melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice potatoes 1/16th to 1/8 inch thick, preferably on a mandolin.  You want paper thin slices.  Add a tablespoon of melted butter to a nonstick ovenproof skillet.  Arrange potatoes in a circular pattern overlapping slightly until pan is covered.  Drizzle with a little butter and salt and pepper and continue layering until all potato slices are in the pan.  Cook over medium heat until bottom potatoes are browned.  Place a large plate over pan and flip potato cake onto plate.  Return inverted potato cake to pan to cook on the second side.  If you have several layers you may want to finish the cooking in a 400 degree oven.

Place potato cake on a serving platter and cut into wedges to serve.

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Labor Day on the Lake

It was the best of times.  There is nothing like spending a long weekend with the family enjoying the end of summer on the lake.  We had cookouts, a birthday to celebrate, a wine tasting and some firsts.  Unfortunately I took very few pictures of the food but will share some of the images from the weekend.

Granddaughter Rachel has been taking swimming lessons and this was the first year that she jumped into the water from the dock.

It was Grandson Cameron's first visit to Lake Lure.

  

Uncle Jeff got a chance to wakeboard.

We had a blind wine tasting of Pinot Noir wines from California.  The unanimous winner was a Hendry Vineyard Napa Valley Pinot Noir 2008.  Thank you Dave A. for always bringing a case of Hendry wines to the holiday get together.

The kids had their own blind fruit juice tasting.  The winner was Simply Lemonade.

David smoked two pork butts for our pulled pork dinner.  It was better than any barbecue restaurant in North Carolina.  He made a ketchup based sauce and a vinegar based sauce.

My friend Lyla suggested I try Trisha Yearwood's recipe for Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese.  In the interest of keeping it real here, I have to tell you that this is not my picture.  I did not remember to take a picture.  The picture came from this site.  The adults absolutely loved the mac and cheese and it was easy to put together.  The kids liked it, but did not love it.  It has something to do with that little box of powdered cheese, if you know what I mean.

We also celebrated our DIL Kristen's birthday.  I made a Lemon Layer Cake with Raspberry Curd.  I made the cake layers and the raspberry curd ahead of time and frosted the cake on the day that we served it.  The cake layers are split in half and the raspberry curd is spread between the layers.

The raspberry curd  filling was delicious.  The recipe came from a book called Luscious Berry Desserts by Lori Longbotham.  Here it is.

LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH RASPBERRY CURD

Cake:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Raspberry Curd:
1 stick unsalted butter
12 ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon zest
3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Curd Directions:
Melt butter over medium heat.
Add raspberries, yolks, sugar, and salt. Mash raspberries. Cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour through a strainer, pressing to extract as much as possible.
Cool to room temperature then stir in lemon juice. Chill.

Cake Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Prepare two 8x2 round cake pans. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Pulse 1/4 cup of the sugar with lemon zest in food processor until finely ground.
Beat butter and zest mixture with electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add remaining sugar and beat until smooth.
Add 1/4 cup milk and beat until just blended. Reduce speed to low and alternately add flour and milk in 3 batches. Beat only until blended, no longer.
Beat egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat to stiff peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the batter carefully.
Divide batter between the two pans and bake about 35 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes in pan then remove and cool completely.


Frosting Directions:

Beat butter and zest until fluffy.
Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add lemon juice and beat for one minute.

Assembly:

Cut each cake into two layers.
Spread curd in between layers, leaving about a 1/2 inch border.
Spread frosting on sides and top



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Starry Starry Night Chocolate Cake

OK.  There is a story here.  My Mother was an artist.  She never had any formal training, but her talent was evident from an early age.  I remember as a child loving the smell of linseed oil and the vibrant paint colors on her palette.  She was a typical housewife of the 50's, but there was never anything typical about her.  She was a joyful person who loved her husband and her two beautiful (excuse the narcissism) children.  But there was always her talent that she could not hide even if she wanted to.  Her art teacher in high school  encouraged her to attend college and hone her exceptional skills.  But she had fallen in love with my Father who was a brave Marine during WW II.  Their life together was one of the most beautiful love stories that I have ever witnessed.  She was happy.  But she was also creative.  Imagine Van Gogh's painting of Starry Starry Night.  That is what I thought of when I made this cake which is very similar to something my Mother used to make.

My Mother embraced all styles of art but her talent was in realism.  She painted what she saw and wanted it to look as realistic as possible.  I have never seen anyone with a more precise eye to detail than my Mother.  Because I have four of her paintings I can marvel at her brushstrokes and the way she made flat canvases come alive with images.  Her portraits are amazing.   Here are three that are in our living room.  In the case of Andrew Jackson she copied the portrait by Thomas Sully.  I always wondered why she had never completed it, but this was the way Sully had left it.  It is also the image that is on the twenty dollar bill.






The only one of her paintings that I don't have, that I would love to have, belongs to my Brother Bill.  He has her Hemingway.  It is, in my opinion, a masterpiece and I applaud Bill for grabbing it first.  "Right!"

Mom was also a talented cook.  What I am today I credit to her example.  She cooked food, as she painted, with both creativity and love.  My SIL Barb recently sent me this recipe for chocolate cake.  Barb said  "Do you remember your Mom's Blackbottom Cupcakes?  This is a cake recipe that is very similar."  It is a recipe that I'm sure you can find on the internet as a Blackbottom Cake, but I choose to call it Starry Starry Night Cake in honor of my Mom.  She would have appreciated it's beauty and loved it.

STARRY STARRY NIGHT CHOCOLATE CAKE


1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. water
1/3 c. oil
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

FILLING:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour into 9x13 inch greased and floured pan. Combine cream cheese, egg, salt, sugar and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto batter in pan. Swirl knife through batter to create a ribbon effect.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and confectioners' sugar if desired.  Mom would have sprinkled it with plain sugar.
 
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I will see you after the holiday weekend.  We have lots of family visiting.  Have a fun and safe holiday.  More recipes are coming from our cookout.