Spinach and Brie Crepe Filling

A few friends had a crepe party for a bon voyage party for a friend going to France for the summer. We had all sorts of chocolate and fruit fillings lined up, but wanting a savory option also, I opened my fridge to have a look what was inside. This is pretty simple, but ended up surprisingly popular. The measurements are very approximate as there was a lot of just adding to taste, but here's the best I can give you.



Spinach and Brie Crepe Filling

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
  
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• approx. 10 ounces spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• about 1/2 to 3/4 pound brie, cubed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Heat the olive oil in a deep-sided pan, and saute the garlic and shallot. Add the spinach, and stir until wilted. Remove the spinach and set aside, leaving what oil you can in the pan.

Using the same pan, melt the butter, then add the flour, making a paste. Pour in the milk, dissolving the paste, and stir in the cheese. Allow the cheese to melt. Add back in the spinach, and season with salt and pepper. If you need to thicken, dissolve a few teaspoons flour in equal part milk, and stir into the mixture.

Pan Seared Tuna with Asparagus and Tomato, Caper, Parsley Reduction

I grew up hating fish (as in loathing it, if that verb is strong enough). As I have grown up, however, I have realized more and more that it's not fish in general that I hate--it's overcooked, frozen fish that I hate (and in all honesty, what's not to hate about it?). It has taken a surprisingly long time for me to overcome the childhood aversion. When I did, though, I came to love a well-cooked piece of fish.

This recipe was inspired by a challenge I saw on a cooking reality competition show, and then adapted from a recipe by Emeril. While it looks like I have prepared two plates, one for me and one for a special someone, in the name of full disclosure, I ate both pieces myself in one sitting. It was good.

Lesson learned. A few capers go a long way.


Pan-Seared Tuna with Asparagus and Tomato, Caper, Parsley Reduction

Serves 2: multiply as needed

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 medium ripe tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup water or fish broth
  
• 1 tablespoon capers, with the brine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 -4 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 sushi-grade tuna medallions (or steaks, if you're looking for a larger, heartier meal)
• 10 thin stalks asparagus

Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, and saute for a minute or two, until slightly browned. Add the tomato, and stir until soft. Add the water/broth, capers, and lemon juice and simmer for a few minutes, until reduced and thickened. Add the parsley and butter, stir to incorporate. Turn down the heat to low, and let it simmer while you cook the fish.

Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Cover the bottom of a wide pan with some olive oil and heat over medium high. Move the pan off-center so there is a definite hot side and a cooler side. Add the fish to the direct heat, and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Place the asparagus in the cooler side of the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the tuna, and cook for an additional 2 minutes for medium (maybe longer if you're using full steaks). Place the asparagus on a plate, top with the tomato caper sauce, and the fish. Garnish with parsley.

Easter Dinner for 10

I get a little bored of the traditional holiday meals sometimes, so I like to play around with them a little. I know that on Easter you're supposed to eat a big ole' plate of ham, but something about ham didn't really speak to me this year as the North Carolina weather turned blissfully pleasant, the azaleas and dogwoods were in bloom, and local, leafy greens started popping up in markets. I wanted something a little springier, lighter, and fresher. Pork, while still coming from pig, seemed to fit the bill. And at the risk of seeming trite or cliche, I kept getting drawn to multicolor, baby versions of normal foods: new spring lettuces, fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, baby zucchini, etc. What can I say? It's springtime.

Easter Lunch for 10

Salad: Spring greens with thinly-sliced white asparagus and shallots, pecorino romano cheese, edible flowers, and grapefruit vinaigrette. I don't know how essential the flowers are to the flavor of the dish, but they added some beautiful color and spring feeling. And to boot, it was kind of fun watching people wonder if they really could eat them. I won't lie to you, this wasn't the best salad I've ever made in my life, but it may be about the prettiest and most talked-about in the course of eating it, so I think it's still a good trade-off.


Entree: Thyme-braised pork loin with raspberry-balsamic reduction, roasted multi-color fingerling potatoes with parsley, orange and rosemary braised baby carrots, and grilled baby zuchini.

I dont' have much experience with pork loins, so the texture wasn't exactly what I was going for, but I'm sure I'll get it with time. The sauce was quite good, however, and complimented the lightness of the pork very well. I will also never get tired of purple potatoes.


Dessert: Sorry there's no picture, but I made SmittenKitchen's lime and coconut cake. I have made this a few times now, and the texture is great, the flavor wonderfully bright and light with a little twist of citrus. I serve it was a raspberry coulis and big dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Valentines Day Menu for 2

This was an all-out, no-holds barred display of culinary prowess meant to impress. Rather than a sit down meal, we made it course by course, eating as one was done, then moving on to the next. In all, it took about 3.5 hours to eat, but boy was it good.

Valentines Day Dinner for 2

Appetizer: Blood orange jumbo scallops with sea beans: This is a really elegant appetizer, and really isn't too hard to make quickly. The presentation is really nice.


Soup: Roasted butternut squash soup with rosemary, blue cheese, and crispy shallots. I don't have a recipe for you for this one, because I don't feel like I've really nailed the flavor yet. These basic flavors--butternut squash, onion, blue cheese, rosemary, and olive oil--work together beautifully, but the soup itself was still missing a little depth. I'll keep playing, but you may have to wait until next winter. Sorry.


Salad: Mixed greens with pears, Robusto cheese, cashews, and a balsamic vinaigrette. This one was pretty basic, and the combination is an extended family favorite that shows up at just about every family potluck.


Entree: Seared New York strip steak (cooked medium) with apple cider shallot reduction, horseradish mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, and pan seared wild mushrooms. I like a good steak something fierce, and let me tell you, I'm getting pretty dern good at preparing them. The sauce may have been just a touch on the sweet side, but this was a quality plate, let me tell you.


Dessert: Warm chocolate melting cake with vanilla ice cream and mixed berry coulis. This is my go-to standard, fulfill my inner chocolate yearning standby. When elegant dessert is called for, warm chocolate melting cake is there.

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

This is a light, fresh dressing for a spring salad.

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

Thoroughly mix all ingredients together with a wire whisk or immersion blender. Serve with spring greens.

Cilantro Pesto

This is a south-of-the-border twist on a classic Italian pesto (which I'm not terribly fond of, in all honesty, but people seem to get offended when I say that, so don't tell people). It's dead simple, and gives a great little kick to seafood, pasta, or as a topping for tacos or burritos.



Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 cup loosely-packed cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup Monterrey jack cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth and even throughout.

Basic Beef Enchiladas

There is absolutely nothing exciting or clever about this recipe. I'm just putting it up because a friend asked for it. You could probably find better recipes all over the place. But it's fast, easy, and even domestically-challenged college boys can't mess it up. Enjoy.

Basic Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 tablespoons oil or butter
• 1 small, yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• 1 can green chilies
• Flour tortillas (the smaller, taco-sized kind)
• About 2 or 3 cans enchilada sauce
• Lots of shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, or something similar)
• Juice of 1 small lime (optional)
  
• Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
  
• Chopped tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil / butter in a large, flat skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the ground beef. Break apart and stir until evenly browned throughout. Add the green chilies. Work them into the ground beef, and stir until evenly mixed in. (add the lime juice, if using).

Pour some of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish or similar-sized pan. Make sure the whole bottom is coated. Place a few spoonfuls of the beef mixture into a tortilla. Spread it evenly along the length of the tortilla. Roll tightly and place it in the plan. Repeat until you run out of beef.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, coating as much as you can. Top with the cheese (and cilantro, if using).

Place in the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbly. Let cool a few minutes. Serve plain, or ranchero style with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole.