Steak Au Poivre

Roasted Garlic and Herb Risotto

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

Creme Brule

Steak Au Poivre

2thick-cut Steaks Beef Tenderloin or NY Strip steak, 5-6 ounces, about 1 1/2 – inches thick

Coarse salt

1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns crushed

1/2 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup brandy

1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. At least 30 minutes up to an hour before cooking remove the steaks from the fridge. Sprinkle all sides of steaks with salt. Just before cooking, pat steaks dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Generously coat all sides of steaks with the fresh ground black pepper, pressing it into the steaks.
2. Heat a large heavy cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Just as butter begins to smoke, place steaks in pan for medium rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Adjust cook time for desired doneness, using a meat thermometer for doneness. Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil.
3. Turn burners off. Carefully pour Cognac into hot frying pan. Carefully light the alcohol with a lighter and swirl the pan around until the flame burns out. Turn heat back on to medium. Whisking until sauce lightly thickens, about 6-8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, pour sauce over steaks.

Steak temperature:

Rare 125F, Medium Rare 135F, Medium 145F, Medium well 150F Well done 160F

Herb and Roasted Garlic Risotto

Yield: 2 servings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon  olive oil

½ bulb garlic

3 ½  cups low sodium vegetable stock

¾ cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced

¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Freshly grated Romano cheese to taste

  Preheat oven to 425’

  In a small saucepan, heat vegetable stock to 180-200 degrees. Keep hot.

  With a pastry brush, coat garlic bulb with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes or until softened and aromatic. Open foil and let cool. Once cooled, gently squeeze out garlic pulp and set aside.

  To a medium saucepan, add vegetable oil and heat on low until oil shimmers. Add rice and stir until lightly toasted. Add roasted garlic pulp stirring until incorporated.

   Increase heat to medium/high and add ½  ladle of hot vegetable stock while stirring constantly. Stir at a slow, rhythmic pace careful not to break up rice grains. When liquid has evaporated or been absorbed and bottom of pan begins to show, add another ½ ladle. Continue adding stock and cooking/stirring in the same way until stock is gone. Remove from heat and taste. Add salt, pepper and freshly grated cheese to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

  To reheat, you can add a pinch of water to loosen while gently stirring.

Roasted Vegetables with Garlic and Balsamic

yield: 2 servings

10-12 oz assorted vegetables ( broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, zucchini or sweet potato)

4 garlic cloves, quartered

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fine balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper or more if preferred

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  In a medium mixing bowl, toss vegetables with garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper until coated. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 until vegetable start to brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Classic Crème Brûlée

yield: 8 servings

4 cups heavy whipping cream

8 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

½ teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Granulated sugar for Brûlée crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

  In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolks and beat well, whisking until yolks turn a pale yellow color.

  In a Medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream and heat on medium until mixture is approximately 170-180 degrees but do not boil. When steam begins to rise and small bubbles begin to form around the rim of the pan, turn off heat. Move bowl of yolks up against saucepan to limit spillage. Scoop 4 oz of hot liquid with a ladle and drizzle it into yolks while whisking it in. Add another ladle full being sure to whisk as it is poured to prevent eggs from cooking, gradually increasing speed. Repeat until ¾ of liquid has been added and bottom of bowl is hot. Return egg and cream mixture to saucepan and whisk to combine.

  Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Pour 4oz into each ramekin and set in roasting pan. Top off each ramekin with remaining custard. Fill roasting pan with 1 inch hot water around ramekins and place on oven rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until custard is firm but jiggles when shaken. Remove from water bath and set on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to cooler to chill.

  Sprinkle top of each baked custard with granulated sugar and using a torch, broil sugar until medium brown and bubbling. Let stand 3 minutes for candy crust to harden and serve.

Pasta from Scratch

Chicken Francese

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

Chocolate Lava Cobbler

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

Chicken Francese (Chicken French)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken cutlets)

1 large egg

1 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon oil

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided

¼ cup minced sweet onion

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

sliced lemon for garnish

Instructions

To create chicken cutlets:

Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Remove the rib meat/tenderloin from the breasts. Reserve for another use or cook with the cutlets. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and freeze for 15 minutes. This step makes it easier to slice the breasts creating cutlets. Hold the breasts firmly against the cutting board with one hand. Using a sharp chef’s knife, carefully cut the breasts in half horizontally with the knife parallel to the cutting board. If you purchased chicken cutlets, skip this step.

To prepare the chicken:

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Set aside. Combine the salt, pepper and flour in a separate shallow bowl and place next to the egg wash. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons butter and two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the butter is melted and the foaming stops. Using tongs, dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour mixture shaking off the excess. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture allowing the extra egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer to the flour once again, turning to coat. Shake off the extra flour and place in the hot skillet. Cook 2 or 3 cutlets at a time, turning once, until the chicken is well browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the prepared paper-towel lined baking sheet. Repeat, adding more butter and oil if needed until all chicken is cooked. Set chicken aside. Discard the grease and wipe out the skillet with clean paper towels.

To prepare the lemon sauce:

Add 3 tablespoons butter to the now empty skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine, lemon juice and chicken broth. Increase the temperature to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it is reduced to about 1 ½ cups and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low. Add the last tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Stir gently until melted. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. The lemon flavor will be intense.

Add the chicken cutlets to the sauce and heat gently for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, or until heated through. Top the chicken with sautéed lemon slices and garnish with minced parsley and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

yield: 2 servings

¼ teaspoon vegetable oil

8 oz asparagus spears, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon zested and cut in half

2 oz parmesan cheese, freshly shaved with vegetable peeler or coarsely shredded

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  Pre heat oven to 350

 Place trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over top. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

 Roast in oven for approximately 10-12 minutes

 Transfer to serving platter or plates, sprinkle parmesan cheese over top along with the lemon juice and zest. Serve immediately.

Brownie pudding (chocolate lava cobbler)

  yield: 8

1 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ½ cup hot water

Preheat oven 350

Grease 9×9 pan

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, milk, veggie oil, and vanilla. The batter will be very thick. Pour into prepared pan, spread evenly.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder, pour over top of thick batter. DON’T MIX.

Pour hot water on top and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Steak Au Poivre

Fresh Pasta with Marinara

Honey Siracha Carrots

Creme Brule or Cherries Jubilee

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

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Fresh Marinara Sauce

yield: 2 servings                                                                           

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

16 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

4 large basil leaves, chiffonade

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper seeds

4 oz water

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

  Add vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and heat on medium until oil shimmers. Add garlic and basil and stir for 1 minute until garlic becomes fragrant and just begins to brown. Add water and tomatoes immediately, then add salt, pepper and sugar. Drizzle in olive oil and decrease heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. If sauce begins to thicken and stick, add ¼ to ½ cup water and continue to simmer for a minimum of 1 hour.

Steak Au Poivre

2thick-cut Steaks Beef Tenderloin or NY Strip steak, 5-6 ounces, about 1 1/2 – inches thick

Coarse salt

1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns crushed

1/2 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup brandy

1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. At least 30 minutes up to an hour before cooking remove the steaks from the fridge. Sprinkle all sides of steaks with salt. Just before cooking, pat steaks dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Generously coat all sides of steaks with the fresh ground black pepper, pressing it into the steaks.
2. Heat a large heavy cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Just as butter begins to smoke, place steaks in pan for medium rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Adjust cook time for desired doneness, using a meat thermometer for doneness. Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil.
3. Turn burners off. Carefully pour Cognac into hot frying pan. Carefully light the alcohol with a lighter and swirl the pan around until the flame burns out. Turn heat back on to medium. Whisking until sauce lightly thickens, about 6-8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, pour sauce over steaks.

Steak temperature:

Rare 125F, Medium Rare 135F, Medium 145F, Medium well 150F Well done 160F

Honey Sriracha Roasted Carrots

ingredients

1/2 pound carrots, cleaned and slices 1/4+ inch thick

1/2 tablespoon honey

1/2 tablespoon sriracha (or other chili sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon oil

Toss the carrots in the mixture of the honey, sriracha, salt & pepper and oil, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes, turning once in the middle. (Tip: Don’t pour any excess honey and sriracha onto the baking sheet as it will just burn; save it and toss the roasted carrots in it again before serving.)

Classic Crème Brûlée

yield: 8 servings

4 cups heavy whipping cream

8 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

½ teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Granulated sugar for Brûlée crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

  In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolks and beat well, whisking until yolks turn a pale yellow color.

  In a Medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream and heat on medium until mixture is approximately 170-180 degrees but do not boil. When steam begins to rise and small bubbles begin to form around the rim of the pan, turn off heat. Move bowl of yolks up against saucepan to limit spillage. Scoop 4 oz of hot liquid with a ladle and drizzle it into yolks while whisking it in. Add another ladle full being sure to whisk as it is poured to prevent eggs from cooking, gradually increasing speed. Repeat until ¾ of liquid has been added and bottom of bowl is hot. Return egg and cream mixture to saucepan and whisk to combine.

  Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Pour 4oz into each ramekin and set in roasting pan. Top off each ramekin with remaining custard. Fill roasting pan with 1 inch hot water around ramekins and place on oven rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until custard is firm but jiggles when shaken. Remove from water bath and set on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to cooler to chill.

  Sprinkle top of each baked custard with granulated sugar and using a torch, broil sugar until medium brown and bubbling. Let stand 3 minutes for candy crust to harden and serve.

Classic Cherries Jubilee

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 cup cold water
• 1/8 cup orange juice
• 8 oz Bing or other dark, sweet cherries, rinsed and pitted (or use frozen pitted cherries)

• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon cherry extract
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 cups vanilla bean ice cream

Directions

1. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a wide saucepan. Stir in the water and orange juice; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking until thickened. Stir in the cherries and orange zest, return to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. While the cherries are cooking, spoon the ice cream into serving bowls.
2. Remove the cherries from the heat, and stir in the cherry extract. Pour in the brandy, and ignite with a long lighter. Gently shake the pan until the blue flame has extinguished itself. Spoon the cherries over the bowls of ice cream.

Pasta from Scratch

Chicken Piccata

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

Chocolate Lava Cobbler

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

2 chicken cutlets or breasts, boneless, skinless, butterflied pounded to create thinner pieces

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup flour

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic (from 4-6 cloves)

¾ cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoons lemon zest plus more to taste

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoons capers, drained

Fresh parsley, chopped, optional

Method

 Season the chicken all over with the pepper and ½ teaspoons of the salt. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dip each piece of the chicken in the flour, turning to coat and shake off any excess. Discard the flour when finished dredging.  Place chicken breast cutlet on a baking sheet

 Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoons oil in a large skillet set over medium-high until the butter has melted. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter.

Add the shallot to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute more. Stir in the stock and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, then stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.

Add the chicken back to the pan and finish cooking until it reaches correct temperature. Plate and garnish with parsley before serving.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

yield: 2 servings

¼ teaspoon vegetable oil

8 oz asparagus spears, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon zested and cut in half

2 oz parmesan cheese, freshly shaved with vegetable peeler or coarsely shredded

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  Pre heat oven to 350

 Place trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over top. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

 Roast in oven for approximately 10-12 minutes

 Transfer to serving platter or plates, sprinkle parmesan cheese over top along with the lemon juice and zest. Serve immediately.

Brownie pudding (chocolate lava cobbler)

  yield: 8

1 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ½ cup hot water

Preheat oven 350

Grease 9×9 pan

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, milk, veggie oil, and vanilla. The batter will be very thick. Pour into prepared pan, spread evenly.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder, pour over top of thick batter. DON’T MIX.

Pour hot water on top and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Quiche Lorraine

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

Caprese Salad with Strawberries and Avocado

Strawberry Shortcake

STRAWBERRY AVOCADO CAPRESE SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients  

• 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup mozzarella pearls, extra mini
• 1/2 cup sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1/2 large semi-ripe avocado, diced and sprinkled with lime juice
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, torn to small pieces
• ¼ cup olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Optional: honey roasted almonds, chopped or slivered

Instructions

1. Balsamic Reduction: In a small saucepan, add the balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil and stir 3-4 minutes or just until liquid is reduced by about half; should be thick and syrup-like. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temp.
2. Toss:When ready to serve, add all remaining ingredients to a large platter or bowl, folding very gently with rubber spatula. Add kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and then with balsamic glaze, sprinkle with almonds if desired, and serve immediately.

CREAMY POTATOES AU GRATIN

INGREDIENTS

1 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 medium onion, diced finely

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cups whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan

fresh green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer potatoes in the baking dish.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Whisk in flour and continue to whisk until browned, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and add salt and pepper. Continuously whisk until mixture has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat down to low and add cheeses and stir continuously until melted, about 30 seconds.

Pour cheese sauce on top of the potatoes, and cover with aluminum foil. Place into oven and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned and the potatoes are tender and mixture has thickened.

Garnish with fresh ground black pepper and green onions (optional) and serve immediately.

Quiche Lorraine

INGREDIENTS

One 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust

8 oz thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices), diced

½ cup chopped shallots, from 2 medium shallots

4 large eggs

1¼ cups heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

4 oz Gruyère, finely shredded (about 1¼ cups)

INSTRUCTIONS

Blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork, about 10 minutes. (If there are any cracks in the crust, see note below on how to patch them up.) Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork. Place the crust on a baking sheet to make it easy to move in and out of the oven. Bake on until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it; if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate. (If it cracks while baking, see note below for instructions on how to patch it up.) Set aside and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

In a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg; whisk until evenly combined.

Spread the shallots evenly over the bottom of the cooked crust. Top with half of the bacon, all of the Gruyère, and then the remaining bacon. Pour the egg/cream mixture over top.

Slide the quiche (still on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.

Strawberry Shortcake/Touch of Grace Biscuits

Butter for greasing, or nonstick cooking spray
2 cups (9 oz/255 g) spooned and leveled self-rising flour

1/4 cup sugar (or less, if you prefer your biscuits less sweet)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk, or enough for dough to resemble cottage cheese (if you are not using low-protein flour, it will take more than 1 cup)
1 cup plain all-purpose flour, for shaping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

1 quart fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced

⅓ cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon zest and juice

2 cups cream, whipped with a little sugar and vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and arrange a shelf slightly below the center of the oven. Spray an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the self-rising flour, sugar, and salt. Work the shortening in with your fingers until there are no large lumps. Gently stir in the cream, then some of the buttermilk. Continue stirring in buttermilk until the dough resembles cottage cheese. It should be a wet mess—not soup, but cottage-cheese texture. If you are not using a low-protein flour, this may require considerably more than 1 cup of buttermilk.

3. Spread the plain (not self-rising) flour out on a plate or pie pan. With a medium (about 2-inch) ice cream scoop or spoon, place 3 or 4 scoops of dough well apart in the flour. Sprinkle flour over each. Flour your hands. Turn a dough ball in the flour to coat, pick it up, and gently shape it into a round, shaking off the excess flour as you work. Place this biscuit in the prepared pan. Coat each dough ball in the same way and place each shaped biscuit scrunched up against its neighbor so that the biscuits rise up and don’t spread out. Continue scooping and shaping until all of the dough is used.

4. Place the pan on the arranged shelf in the oven. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with the melted butter. Invert onto one plate, then back onto another. With a knife or spatula, cut quickly between biscuits to make them easy to remove. Serve immediately. Butter ’em while they’re hot.

5. Meanwhile, place strawberries in a separate bowl. Toss gently with 1/3 cup sugar and lemon zest and juice, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

6. To assemble take a biscuit and top with sliced strawberries and then whipped cream.