March 16, 2014 - Nuts and Espresso

Okay, full disclosure - this is NOT an Irish recipe.  And as I'm going through our previous posts, I've realized that our Irish postings are the MOST viewed postings around this time of the year.  So we totally appreciate you coming to us for some St. Paddy's day inspiration, and we totally apologize for not flexing our Irish muscles again this year.  But once again - corn beef and cabbage just isn't our thing.  

So instead, we had some fun this week and built a recipe around nuts and espresso... that's right... coffee and nuts... because why the heck not?

Cocktail - Espresso Tequila Cocktail

Cold brewed espresso, tequila, the juice from brandied cherries... delicious!

Appetizer - Sweet Potato Souffle with Frangelico Goo and Toasted Hazelnuts

http://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/recipes/a-next-day-sweet-potato-souffle-20121118

Yup, we subbed Frangelico for the rum because it's a hazelnut liqueur.  We also halved the souffles (which made 5) and did one quarter of the goo, which still made plenty.  Delicious!  Sweet but savory and the goo was insane.  Unexpected and absolutely brought this souffle to a whole new level.

Appetizer Wine - 2010 Murrieta's Well the Whip

This white blend combines a ton of different varietals for a wine that just explodes with peach, vanilla, and butterscotch.  It has a nice grassy-ness to it, and some minerality to balance the richness of the predominant chardonnay grape.  A superb white!

Entree - Duck Breast Crusted with Honeyed Nuts, Coffee Infusion and Brandied Cherries

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/duck-breast-crusted-with-honeyed-nuts-coffee-infusion-and-brandied-cherries-recipe.html

Oh yeah, let me walk you through this.  First - the sauce will take about an hour to properly reduce.  Give it time and be patient.  We also halved the sauce for 4 people and should have actually quartered the sauce because there was a ton leftover.  Also, we had no duck consomme (which is actually just clarified stock) so used the veal/duck demi-glace that we've used for other recipes.  2 cups cream, 1 cup of the demi-glace.  Secondly, the nut crust is fairly straightforward - just don't burn the nuts.  When cooking the duck, we do not recommend using the oil to cook the duck - it will hinder the duck breast from getting crispy.  And the cooking time is perfection!  Flavor-wise - very good!  The combination of nuts, honey, coffee, brandied cherries - insane!  The coffee sauce turned out fantastic - mild, light, and full of flavor.  (Keep in mind - we did not use cracked espresso beans, but instead used 2 "pods" for the coffee machine I have at home and steeped.)  Side dishes - quinoa from a box and the endive from the recipe.  The endive was great as well, especially with the orange in it!  Refreshing, light, and almost palate cleansing.

Entree Wine - 2010 Moncayo Alto Campo De Borja

Stop the presses.  Best wine I have had so far this year!  This Spanish red is explosively perfumed with dark berries, flowers, and spices.  There are lots of berries on the palate, but a nice smokiness to counter it from being too sweet.  And the finish is smooth and lingering with well-balanced tannins.  If you're looking for a nice bottle to bring to a dinner party - this will make you a rockstar.

Dessert - Chocolate Espresso Flourless Cake with Brandied Cherries

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flourless-Chocolate-Espresso-Cake-with-Raspberry-Sauce-754

This rich, dense cake is perfection!  It has a fudge like texture and took to our brandied cherry topping very well.  Keep in mind - it uses mostly semi-sweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate so it is not very sweet.  We thought it was a perfect balance but those who prefer the flavors of milk chocolate vs. dark may want to sub out the unsweetened chocolate for semi-sweet or milk.  Delicious!  

All in all, a fantastic meal.  Who knew we could create such a gourmet menu with nuts and coffee as inspiration.  See you all soon!

PS - There are a few most posts on our sister blog culinarysundaysleftovers.blogspot.com

February 21, 2014 - The Winter Olympics

Good Morning, everyone!  We figured that it would be fun to somehow honor the Olympics in this post and racked our brains trying to think up a fabulous Russian menu.  Well... we really couldn't find anything we liked, so we changed our criteria and made a menu to honor the Top 3 Medalists.  Well... the medal count of course had to change that day, but we made it work.  The medal count in the end was:  USA, Russia, Canada.  However, the night before Norway/Netherlands were tied for the #3 spot.  So we compromised... you'll see:

Cocktail - Maple Syrup Old Fashioned

CANADA

Since Canada kind of snuck up on us last minute, we turned it into our cocktail.  Canadian whiskey, maple syrup, lemon juice, dash of bitters!  Classic cocktail meant for the cold weather!

Appetizer - Pierogi Ruskie

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/pierogidoughs/r/ruskiepierogi.htm

RUSSIA

Yes, pierogis are traditionally Polish.  However, when we googled Russian recipes, they did show up multiple times.  And we like them, so judgement call - it's Russian.  They are rather labor intensive, but such awesome comfort food.  Make them, boil them for about 2 minutes (until they float), and they saute up in some butter and top with caramelized onions!  (Side note - I wonder if you could use wonton wrappers and make your own that way and save some time??)

Appetizer Wine - 2012 Cloud Break Chardonnay

This wine costs under $7.  Yes.  Seriously.  However, I've only found it at our local "big box wine retailer" Total Wine.  Full bodied with lots of butter, apple, and oak - this is a great everyday drinking wine!

Entree - Root Beer Glazed Pork Chops over Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/root-beer-glazed-pork-chops-bourbon-mashed-sweet-potatoes-caramelized-onions-recipe2.html

USA

Don't ask why we picked this as our representation of America.  It was just a stockpiled recipe that looked awesome!  First and foremost - let that root beer glaze reduce!  It will take at least an hour.  Make it the first thing you start when you get into the kitchen!  We grilled the pork chops for ease and the caramelized onions were made in a large batch so we could use them for the appetizer as well.  The bourbon sweet potatoes are amazing - but use your judgement.  We didn't use as much sugar or cream, just kind of added to taste.  This meal was delicious!  I don't even know how to explain that root beer glaze, but it was insane.  It was almost like a thick balsamic reduction but without the tartness.  If you're looking to jazz up a pork chop - this is the way to go!

Entree Wine - Trumpeter Malbec Syrah

As you can tell from the label, this bad boy has been hanging out for a while in the wine fridge.  Unfortunately, I don't have a year for you - but we don't discriminate.  This was a fantastic pairing for the pork chop!  Berries, chocolate, and tobacco were on the tongue with there were sweeter tannins and a pleasant bit of oak.  Smooth but structured - this was a great wine to hold up to the pork chop but not overpower it!

Dessert - Something Dutch

NETHERLANDS/NORWAY

Okay, this is a recipe that John used to make a lot as a kid, but couldn't think of the actual name.  The first picture is the egg-based liqueur (Advocaat).  I know what you're thinking, but don't worry.  Basically - you soak raisins in rum overnight.  Then you add the egg liqueur and put into a crepe.  We topped with some whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts.  Do not serve this to children as the Advocaat has some serious bite to it.  However it is delicious and works so well with the rum soaked raisins.  But trust me, no need for an aperitif!

So there you go - our ode to the Olympics!  

Psst...

We added three more posts to our culinarysundaysleftovers.blogspot.com site... go check it out!

We should be doing a blog dinner this week so stay tuned for updates!