This dish was inspired by one I read about while on our ski vacation in February. As you know, we are BIG fans of braises here at Oui, Chef, and with the resurgence of cold weather here in the northeast (it was 17 ℉ with the wind chill this morning….no, I'm not kidding!), it seemed the perfect time to share this heart warming recipe with you all.
Archives for March 2012
Soi Polo Chicken Thighs
Have you ever encountered one of those marketing cards you sometimes get with your bill at the end of a restaurant meal? You know, the one tucked in next to the comment card that is pitching a special event at the restaurant, or advertising a new cookbook that the chef just authored. Well, a couple weeks back the boys and I were enjoying a Sunday brunch at one of Todd English's restaurants and we received one of these cards when presented with our bill. It was pitching his new cookbook entitled Cooking In Everyday English: The ABCs of Great Flavor at Home, and as a teaser for his new tome, it included a recipe from the book on the back. This is the recipe we found, and if its any indication of the quality of the rest of the recipes in his new book, Todd clearly has another best seller on his hands.
Spicy Asian Shrimp Baked in Parchment
Fresh off the success of our parchment baked fish with fennel, I thought I'd toss a similar recipe your way so that you could totally master your parchment baking technique. Inspired by my friend Amelia's comment on our fish post, I thought an Asian spin on this shrimp would be fun. Given that most of us here at Oui, Chef like foods that bite back, I decided to spice this dish up by adding some sliced jalapeños and a touch of sambal oelek (Asian chili paste).
GF Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
These little bad boys came about as the result of my volunteering to bring a sweet treat to a Cooking Matters board meeting I was attending last week. You see, one of my fellow board members is about to go on maternity leave to have her first child, so it was decided that we'd have a little baby shower for her at last week's meeting.
As coming up with cool baby gifts is not my strong suit, I offered to bring the eats. My first thought was to make a batch of these Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cupcakes that I had found on Joy the Baker's site, but upon learning that one of the board members can't tolerate gluten, I had to pivot quick and work up another plan.
Creamed Kale
This recipe is dedicated to my friend Liz who writes the great blog Liz The Chef , and who upon learning of this dish in my Bittersweet Chocolate Tart post on Tuesday, said that as good as the tart looked, she was really looking forward to hearing more about my creamed kale.
How's that for a switch!
A Chocolate Lovers Tart
On the ocassion of our college guy gracing us with his presence at the beginning of his spring break, I decided to pull out all the stops for dinner this past Saturday. We started with his all-time favorite, steak with sauce bernaise to which we added a new treat, creamed kale (recipe to follow soon), and to finish off the feast this awesome chocolate tart.
Seared Fish with Green Gazpacho Sauce
As winter beats a hasty retreat here in the Northeast, my thoughts are turning to vibrant, fresh and lighter spring dishes. While this gazpacho sauce is certainly something that you could make year round, it's bright-green hue just screams spring, don't you think?
I first saw this recipe in Bon Appétit a few years back, and the sauce looked so beautiful that I knew I'd have to try it one day. Be careful not to over-process the sauce as the crunch from the cukes adds a welcome texture to the finished dish, but by all means play with the other ingredients to make this plate your own. Feel like adding basil, tarragon, thyme, or dill to the sauce? Go ahead….I'll never tell.
Cappuccino Brownies
These gorgeous little bombs were the 4th "cookie" that my sibs and I traded in our holiday swap this year. You regulars may remember the other "swap" recipes we've already shared, the Chewy Gingers, the 3 Chocolate-Cranberries, and the Chocolate Mints. For what it's worth, just a half-step behind the Gingers at the finish line, these were my second favorite of our swapped treats.
Maple-Bourbon Pork and Beans
Here's a little something for those of you tiring from our recent meatless and low-sodium posts. It's still Winter here in the Northeast, and while I haven't gotten around to cooking a cassoulet yet this season, today we're eating the next best thing, pork and beans.
As much as I love cassoulet, coming up with all of the traditional ingredients can be tricky, and a bit pricey what with all the duck and specialty sausages required. If you are hankering for a traditional French cassoulet, I highly recommend D'artagnan's cassoulet kit, if not, stick with me here for a pork laden, Americanised version of the classic French dish.