Good morning, Culinary Sunday followers! I hope you are all safe, healthy, happy and ready for another Sunday with us filled with good food and drinks! I do want to start with a side note - that bitch named Sandy. Both J&J and I are fine - lost power for a day, tree fell near the house, but no permanent damage. However, the CT coastline, and much of NY and NJ were absolutely devastated by a storm that, yes, we did underestimate its intensity. If you live in those areas, we feel for you, and we hope you are safe. Anyone who wants to help, can contact the Red Cross to find out about donation or volunteer opportunities.
Deep breath. Change of pace. Back to the blog. I know I promised fish, however, we were a little unsure of how quality the fishies would be after such a crazy storm. And we were hosting some from NY that had no power still, and wanted a warm, homey, comfy meal for them. So sorry, guys... chef's choice - we changed it up. I promise you will LOVE it!
Cocktail - Vanilla Pear Whipped Martini
Whipped vodka, regular vodka, Vanilla Pear Polar Seltzer. Delicious! Amazing! Welcome back, vodka! On a side note, I know that I have said in the past that through my admin functions, I can see who visits our website, what posts are most popular, etc. I'd like to point out that we average 15-20 hits per week from Russia, who are our #2 followers so far this year. Last week - not 1 hit! We are sincerely apologetic about the lack of vodka martini recipes. Please come back to us. (Side note - welcome to our blog, Vietnam and S. Korea.)
Appetizer - Marinated Shrimp with Champagne Beurre Blanc
Heavenly. Beurre blanc is right up there with bearnaise sauce for me. I could literally make a meal of just some bread and sauce. We followed the recipe exactly, except using Prosecco instead of Champagne, and it was fabulous! Rich, decadent, and absolutely luxurious. (Yes, we may have even used our fingers to sop up the remaining sauce once the shrimp were gone... don't judge.) This recipe makes more than double the beurre blanc you really need. Tonight's leftover recipe will be shrimp over linguine tossed in the leftover beurre blanc. Yum.
Appetizer Wine - 2009 A. Chopin et Fils Cote de Nuit Villages
I looked everywhere to find a wine rating for you, but all the websites that list this wine are in foreign languages that I can't interpret. So let's just say... it was great! We went back to Harry's and finally saw Greg after what seemed like months without him! And even though it was his day off and he was walking out the door, he stuck around long enough to help us out! (Thanks!) This white burgundy from France was perfect! It was rich and heavy like a Chardonnay, but instead of oaky and buttery, had a nice grassy and tart taste with a crisp acidity. Perfect match!
Entree - Chutney Glazed Cornish Hens with Hazelnuts and Dried-Fruit Stuffing
How have we never cooked these before? Little baby chicken perfection! And they are soooo cute! Ok, let's talk recipe. We followed exactly, and there was obviously a bit of leftover stuffing, which was absolutely ok by us! We did not follow the cook time in the recipe - you would have a way overcooked bird. We did 350 for 1 hour, glazed, and then another 15 minutes at 350 and it was perfection! The only recommendation we have is to add another layer of glaze and then broil in the last few minutes so the skin gets crispy and beautiful! The stuffing was great, too! Absolutely not too sweet, and very savory. The crunch of the hazelnuts were perfect texture against the dried fruit! In all honesty - this is the perfect "company dish." It's easy to make, everyone likes chicken, and so impressive once plated.
Side Dish - Roasted Caramelized Acorn Squash
Aren't they beautiful? Ready for the easiest recipe you'll ever make? Half an acorn squash and scoop out the insides. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar in the center, then add a tablespoon of butter. Roast at 350 for an hour. (Stick with knife to see if tender, may need more cooking time.) Broil for the last minute or two for glorious caramelized texture. These little babies are like candy! The butter and brown sugar melts and spreads throughout the squash. Just perfection! (Edit: thanks to those who let me know that I originally called these butternut squash. Ugh. That's why I shouldn't post at 7am.)
Final Plate
Entree Wine - 2009 Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne
This Italian red was fabulous! It was a ruby purple color with ripe cherry aromas and hints of vanilla and mineral. It was dry and medium-bodied with soft tannins and a good complexity. Some may want to stick with a white for poultry, but as Greg said, it's not the bird, it's what is next to the bird that determines your wine. (That, and we just prefer reds with our main course.) Home run on this wine!
Dessert - Dark Chocolate Orange Souffle with White Chocolate Chunk Whipped Cream
We are becoming souffle junkies. They are just so easy! This was one of the most decadent desserts we've had! First off, we used 3/4 oz. ramekins, and the recipe as written makes about 4 servings. We then baked only 10 minutes. However, we did follow the ingredients exactly, and add the end, poked a hole in the souffle and filled with the whipped cream. The contrast of dark chocolate versus white chocolate was insane. Then you had the citrus of the orange peel and the cointreau followed by the slight chunks of white chocolate with every bite. Just amazing.
So there you go. Another Sunday, another meal, another success! I hope you'll enjoy these recipes just as much as we did. Next week is going to be real fun. After discussing cooking with our favorite vegetarian, Jeff, he and I realized we both have an obsession with a little thing called "puff pastry." So he issued the challenge... can we create a vegetarian meal that has puff pastry incorporated in each course? Well, Jeff... yes, we can... we absolutely can!
Next Week - Vegetarian & Puff Pastry
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