For Christmas this year, my lovely sister Leah gave me a wonderful Williams-Sonoma cookbook full of recipes for the thing I love most in the world; brunch!  Paging through page after page of beautifully shot photos, I finally settled on a recipe for a corn & chile strata with chorizo.

This is an extremely homey dish, and after refrigerating overnight, I absolutely could not wait to get this in the oven the next morning.  Definitely worth the preparation because it was so light and fluffy the next day; satisfied my love of homemade brunch in a huge way!

Ingredients:

• 3 poblano chiles
• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for cooking
• 1 lb. fresh mexican style chorizo (casings removed)
• 1 vidalia onion, chopped
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Kosher salt
• 12 slices day old baguette, sliced 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick
• 2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat the broiler.  Place the chiles on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides, about 12 - 15 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board (or place in a paper bag) and let cool until easy to handle.  Peel off the blackened skin.   Discard the stem, seeds, and ribs, and chop the chiles.  Transfer to a bowl and add the corn.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add the chorizo and cook.,, breaking it up with the side of a wooden spoon, until it begins to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion softens, about 5 minutes more.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage mixture to paper towels to drain.  Discard the fat in the pan.

Lightly oil a 3 quart baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, hot pepper sauce and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt until well combined.

Arrange 6 of the bread slices in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, tearing the slices to fit, if needed.

Top evenly with half of the chorizo mixture, half of the chile mixture, and half of the cheese.

Repeat with the remaining bread slices, chile and chorizo mixtures, and cheese.

Slowly pour the milk mixture over the layers.  Wrap securely in plastic wrap.

Press gently on the plastic to completely submerge the layers in the milk mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees F.

Uncover and bake until the strata puffs and becomes golden brown, about 1 hour.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Chicken Corn Poblano Casserole. Or any other pepper you like.
2. Mexican Pork Carnitas Lasagna
3. Cinnamon Vanilla Wedding Cake with Mexican Hot Chocolate Buttercream

Preparing mussels at home has always intimidated me.  I’m not exactly sure why; I’ve done pretty well at my first attempts at Beef Wellington and Risotto Tortes, so why would the thought of preparing mussels at home frighten me?

Well, foodborne illness, for one.  Overcooking them, for another.  A laundry list of potential failures threatened my never-attempted mussels for years and years.

Until I swallowed my fears and went for it anyway.  On New Year’s Eve 2011.  And then again on New Years Day 2012.

Dare I say that now I’m slightly addicted?

To help clear the air about how to handle mussels and remove the fear, there are really only a few things you need to know before you start:

• Scrub the mussels well under running cold water to remove any barnacles, etc.  A very stiff cleaning brush comes in handy for this.
• Tap on any mussels that are open (they responded quicker/more fervently using the back of the cleaning brush), and if they don’t close, discard them.
• Any mussel with a broken shell should be tossed out.
• Each mussel has a beard which you can find sticking out of the side.  Pull this out in a back and forth wiggling motion to ensure you get it all off.

• Once the mussels are cooked, the shells should be open.  Any mussels that are close at this point should not be eaten.

I think the most important step to note is to not soak the mussels in water, and to not *accidentally* turn the tap water to warm and leave them for any amount of time in slightly tepid water.  Because that might cause you to freak out and think you ruined your *entire* New Years Eve dinner when they all open and you think they’ve all gone belly up.

Fear not, though!

One rather strong rap on the shell with the back of the cleaning brush will quickly have those mussels closing up shop and you can then proceed to make this meal.

Which is delicious, by the way.  And quick!

• 1 large free-range or organic egg per person.  I used 2 and we ended up with lots of leftovers
• 100 grams flour per person, plus extra for dusting
• Sea salt

For the Mussels:

• 2 lb. mussels (my local Central Market had Prince Edward Island mussels)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbsp butter, divided in 2 Tbsp amounts
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup diced smoked chorizo
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
• healthy pinch saffron threads dissolved in 3 Tbsp hot water
• small bunch parsley, chopped
• 3 sprigs of thyme

Directions:

For the Pappardelle:

Flour your finished sheet generously, then fold it up and cut across into 1/2-inch strips. Gather all the slices together and toss them through your fingers, with a little flour, to open them up and make your pile of pappardelle.  Place to 1 side and repeat with the rest of the dough.

When ready to serve the mussels, add the pasta to heavily salted boiling water, and remove when cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.

For the Mussels:

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil and melt the butter.  When shimmering, saute the shallots and garlic until translucent.

Add the sliced mushrooms and sprigs of thyme along with the diced smoked chorizo.

After the mushrooms have reduced in size a bit, add the tomatoes.

Move the pan off of the heat and carefully deglaze the pan with a white wine you like to drink (I used a Honig Sauv Blanc).  Once the wine has been added, move the pan back onto the heat.

Dissolve a hefty pinch saffron threads in a few Tbsp warm water, and add that. Bring everything to a boil.

Add the cleaned and de-bearded mussels (this is what a beard looks like), cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Steam until the mussels open, about 5-8 minutes.

Remove the mussels from their shells once they’ve been cooked through and set aside in a separate bowl.  We found it was easiest to use a small spoon for this task.  And gloves.  Definitely use gloves because those puppies will be HOT!

Reduce the sauce about 7-10 minutes until a slightly thicker consistency.  Add the mussels back to the broth.

Remove the pan from the heat, fish out the sprigs of thyme and finish with the remaining butter.

Serve atop the fresh pappardelle with a garnish of minced parsley.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Fresh Pappardelle with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
2. Tomato Saffron Risotto
3. Seafood and Sausage Paella

So, you know how there are just certain things you go to the trouble to prepare just to harvest the end result?  A whole duck just to capture the delicious rendered fat?  An entire pound of bacon to, once again, harvest the delicious fat?

This year, I knew I was going to be hosting two Thanksgiving meals, so I decided to roast a duck just for the fat.  I didn’t have any plans for that fat until Christmas day, when I decided to roast some potatoes in that delicious fat and then broil them until golden.  These are super easy to make, and really delicious hot from the oven kissed simply with sea salt.

Ingredients:

• 1 russet potato per person, peeled and chopped into long, slender planks
• 3 Tablespoons duck fat
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.  Move a rack to the top 1/3 of your oven.

Add the duck fat and the olive oil to a roasting tray and place in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until the fat melts and coats the bottom of the tray.

Remove the tray from the oven, and (working quickly) add the chopped potatoes in a single layer.

Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and place in the oven on the top rack.

Roast for 35 minutes until golden and crispy outside, and fluffy inside.  Flip once about halfway through.

If it’s taking a bit longer, broil on Hi until they start to crisp up once the potatoes are cooked through.

Place the hot fries a plate lined with kitchen paper to remove the excess fat.

Sprinkle with salt while still hot.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Duck Confit Fingerling Potatoes
2. Satisfying my love for sweet potatoes in a whole new way. Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
3. Balsamic Duck Breast, Goat Cheese, Fontina, Rosemary, and Honey Grilled Onion pizza

While very belated, I wanted to finally getting around to posting my first attempt at making a from-scratch Green Bean Casserole.  On our way home from visiting our family in Houston this Christmas Eve, W mentioned that he was once again craving GBC.  He wasn’t sure what he wanted as a main, but he absolutely knew he wanted this as a side.

Comfort dishes like this one always appear to be so much simpler to prepare when using a canned cream of something-or-other soup instead of just making your own cream sauce.  This one is as simple as melting some butter, whisking in some flour, and adding some liquid and combining the components into a baking dish.

Ditch the topping in favor of just the traditional French fried onions (if you want) and you have a quite simple make-ahead meal that will win over family and guests alike.

Ingredients:

For the Topping:

• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups (6-oz) of canned fried onions
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the Green Beans and Sauce

• 2 lbs. haricots verts or thin green beans, ends trimmed and halved
• 8 oz. mushrooms (I used chantrelles and cremini) cleaned and chopped
• 2 small shallots, finely diced
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus 1 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream (or in a pinch, half and half, I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese, about 2 ounces grated (an aged white Cheddar works nicely, too)

For the Topping:

Combine the butter and panko in the bowl of a food processor. Add the fried onions, salt, and pepper and pulse just until coarse crumbs form, about 3-5 (1-second) pulses; set aside.

Or, for a bit of nostalgia, go with a healthy topping of canned french fried onions, which is what I’ve done.

For the Beans and Sauce:

Preheat your oven to 425º F, and move your rack to the middle position.  Since we’re going to quickly blanch the green beans after cooking, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice; set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the green beans to a steamer basket.  Cover and cook until the beans are bright green and tender about 6-9 minutes (taste for desired tenderness).

Drain beans in a colander and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking process.  Spread beans in a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain completely.

In a large pan, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides.  Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic.  Sauté until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.

In a non-stick pot melt 3 Tbsp butter.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.

Slowly add broth and half and half, whisking costantly.  Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce has thickened, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes.  The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

Add cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the green beans to the mushroom mixture and stir to incorporate.

Place beans and mushrooms to a 3-quart (or 9 x 13-inch) baking dish.

Add the sauce.

Sprinkle the topping over the beans and bake until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

*You can also make this dish in advance-

The topping can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, then combined with the fried onions just before cooking.  Once the beans and sauce have cooled separately, they can be combined.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  To serve, remove the plastic wrap and cover with foil.  Heat the the casserole in a 425º F oven for 10 minutes.  Remove the foil, add the topping, then bake for another 10-15 or until browned and bubbling.

Related posts:

1. Shoepeg Corn Casserole
2. Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Casserole
3. Chicken Corn Poblano Casserole. Or any other pepper you like.

I started looking through the Starters/Appetizers recipe of my blog and realized “Sheeesh, for as much entertaining as I do, I sure don’t have a lot of quick and easy appetizers on the site . . .”

Sweet and salty inspiration then struck us; W and I decided to wrap some brie and some sort of fruit in some puff pastry, bake it, and call it a day.  But then the question came to us; Which fruit should we use?  There’s the ever popular preserves option, but we don’t keep a lot of preserves handy in the fridge, so that was out.  I thought, for a moment, about going savory with some sun-dried tomatoes as an excuse to use the last of our soon-to-be-dying basil due to the impending winter.  But, ultimately, we went with chopped dates since they were in our pantry and I had no impending plans for them.   The possibilities are endless here, so go nuts!

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 round of brie
• 1 beaten egg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Lay the puff pastry out flat and place the brie onto it.  Roll it out a bit if your round of brie is on the large side.

Spread the dates  over the brie and press down just a bit.

Fold the pastry over the top of the brie and wash with your beaten egg.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet in the center of the oven.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes or until golden.

Serve and enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Guinness Steak and Cheese Pie
2. Warm Plum Tart
3. Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

So, it’s finally starting to feel like Fall around here, and with the slowly changing leaves (very slowly, because Dallas has been hovering in the mid-70s this week), it’s starting to look a bit like it, too.  So, when my friend Miah posted this recipe for a pork chili simmered in pumpkin ale with chocolate, pumpkin, and spices, I thought “What on Earth?  That sounds really odd.”  And my next immediate thought was “. . . but Miah wouldn’t steer me wrong. . .”

And he absolutely didn’t.  The combination of flavors this chili produced were nearly addicting.  It’s a bit on the spicy side (so, I’ve been told; my sensitivity to spice has been reduced drastically in recent years) so it may be “Holy crap, my tongue!  It burns!” spicy to those of you who haven’t been challenged to eat raw peppers as of late.

Also, while the garnish may not look exceedingly appetizing (and as a friend pointed out, a bit like melted Velveeta), it’s a really uplifting flavor and is delicious mixed in with the very complex sweet and spicy chili.

Ingredients:

• 3-4lb pork shoulder, cubed into 1/2″ pieces
• 6 strips bacon, diced
• 2 bottles of pumpkin ale (1.5 for simmering, the other half to drink - I took this advice, and you should, too)
• 1.5 cans of pure pumpkin
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 yellow/orange bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, diced
• 3 poblano peppers, diced
• 3-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, large dice
• good handful fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1 can creamed corn (or substitue 1/2 cup frozen corn)
• 1/4 cup chipotle chili powder
• 2-3 tsp of Mexican oregano + 1 tsp during simmering
• 1-3  tbsp pumpkin spice (or cinnamon/nutmeg; varies….season, taste, then adjust)
• 2 oz of dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
• flour for dusting pork
• Greek yogurt for garnish

Directions:

Put a dutch oven on medium-high heat.

Cook the bacon in the dutch oven until most of the fat has been rendered off and the bacon has gone just crispy.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and reserve the rendered fat for later.

Trim and cut up your pork into 1/2″ cubes.  Lightly flour and season with salt and pepper.  Add a bit of the rendered bacon fat and in batches, start browning your meat.

Once browned, drain the leftover fat, and then add back the pork to the dutch oven.

Pour in 1.5 bottles of your favorite pumpkin ale.

If there isn’t enough to cover the meat, add some water, orpork/chicken/beef stock to the pot so it’s just barely all covered.

Add in 1 tbsp of the Mexican oregano, chipotle chili powder, and chipotle peppers.  Let the pork simmer covered for 30 minutes over medium heat.

When the pork has almost completed simmering, in a separate cast iron pan over medium heat, heat some of the reserved bacon fat.  Add in all your peppers, garlic, and onion.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Saute it all for about 5-7 minutes.  Then add in tomatoes, creamed corn (or frozen corn), and pumpkin puree (save a couple tbsp’s for the side). Cook for a few more min.

Pour the tomato/pumpkin mixture into the simmering pork.

Add in the rest of oregano. Add in rest of the spices and let simmer on med-low, covered, for an hour.

When done, add in your beans, pumpkin spice (or nutmeg and cinnamon very gradually), bacon, and chocolate, and simmer over low heat for another 20 minutes or so.

Mix those couple tbsp’s of pumpkin and some of the Greek yogurt together with a pinch of cinnamon.

Garnish with the pumpkin/yogurt mixture, perhaps some chili, and some thyme leaves and serve.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Chili Pepper Braised Pork Tenderloin
2. Pumpkin Soup With Bacon and Sage
3. Bean and Quinoa Chili (Chili Sin Carne)

It’s been quite some time since, but W and I jetted off to Sardinia in May ahead of what was a very generous (and timely) vacation to the island of Capri provided by Small Luxury Hotels.

Well, *provided* after I spent weeks and weeks voting and asking many of you to spend some time voting for me, so for that, I thank you.  I intend to do some justice to Capri at a later date, but this post is intended to focus on our lovely experience at a hidden gem of a restaurant in Palau on the northeast tip of Sardinia, La Gritta. Oh, yeah.  And something, something . . . on a boat.

Coincidentally, the Rally d’Italia Sardegna (knocking things off of W’s bucket list left and right) was located on Sardinia just barely adjacent to our booked week at JK Place Capri, so we decided, why not!?!?  It must be meant to be!  So, we set off in search of the perfect hotel to complement a vacation we were setting off for in Capri (aka, we were looking for something cheap, but nice).  Finally, we found a really lovely resort outside of Cannigione on the Costa Smerelda in Sardinia, Hotel Villa del Golfo.

I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that this place was Heaven perched on a hill over the sea.  In Sardinia.  Did I mention our next door neighbour parked a 458 Italia within the walls of his villa?  I know, there’s some irony in there somewhere .  . .  We all essentially had our own villas, with enormous terraces and comfy patio furniture.

And are you ready for the kicker?  This place was under $300 a night.  That’s right, I said dollars and not euros.  I know, I was floored when we checked in and it wasn’t a 10′ x 10′ single room with linoleum and a “shower room” complete with toilet.  Not to mention, we had a separate bedroom with a 4 poster bed swagged in filmy white curtains and the largest terrace I think I have ever seen.  It felt like home!

So, once we got all checked in and settled, we immediately took pictures because this place is just lovely.

So much texture and colour, and you’ll see in upcoming pictures, the *water*; it was the most indescribably beautiful green-blue.  Clear as could be, but not nearly as warm as it looked like it should be.

Each villa was completely stucco with the most rustic looking clay tile roofs.  I was so fascinated with the multi-colour tiles, I took a picture of just the roof.  I mean, it was pretty spectacular, and being a Las Vegas native, I’m somehow drawn to stucco + terracotta tile.

Our view was a bit interrupted by some of the other villas, but with water like that, I was pretty well ok with that.  Perusing the hotel’s offerings for that week, and knowing we had little (if nothing) planned to do the next day, we thought we would sign up with other hotel guests to enjoy a day of sailing to and eating/exploring through the Maddalena Archipelago,  a plan that we felt deserved a celebration.

First bottle of wine sought.

So, once we had an hour or two to acclimate ourselves and a plan in motion for the next day, we decided it was high time we found the nearest grocery store and acquired ourselves some wine.

Rumour had it that Cannonau, Italy’s version of the Grenache varietal, was worth the attempt, and boy-oh-boy did we end up loving us some Cannonau.  I’ve tried many different vineyards/vintages since, but this bottle was one of our favourites.

Also, remember I was mentioning the comfy furniture? Well, this table was a shin-killer, but it didn’t matter all that much to me because it was just so pretty! Many an evening while sipping wine I was plotting ways in which I could sneak it into our luggage to bring back to Dallas.

That being said, I cleverly decided to avoid posting the rest of the spread we ate that night (mortadella, salame, pecorino, and olives, anyone. . .?) because the pictures were just . . . well, they were an abomination.  We were starving after 18+ hours of travel just to get there, so plating/presentation was the absolute last thing on my mind! So, my apologies there, but the pics get better.  I promise.

The next morning, we arose completely bright-eyed bleary-eyed for our 8 am departure on the hotel’s yacht, and absolutely craving the strong, bitter coffee Italians are known for.  And, to W’s pleasure, they absolutely did not disappoint; he was practically mainlining the stuff.

Also to our pleasure, we arrived in the lobby and found we were the only people who had opted to cruise that morning.   It was a very Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous moment for me when I realized we had the boat, the whole boat (and crew), all to ourselves.  All of the coffee, pastries, wine, and food - all to ourselves!  Those other suckers don’t know what they missed.

So, off to the Marina we went, where we met our Captain. Andy was a guy who I would love to model my life after.  If I knew how to sail.  He was Australian, lived on Sardinia, and sailed for a living doing nothing but entertaining hotel guests whose eyes must have also have been as big as the saucers mine were.  Oh, and did I mention he was Australian, complete with the awesome accent?

Yes, if you’re ever at Hotel Villa del Golfo, someone tell Captain Andy his hand (pointing out the final destination in the Archipelago) made it to Lauren’s Kitchen.  I threatened him, but never made good on that promise; until now.  :)

So, we then met Luca, who was Andy’s first mate and a fantastic chef/fisherman/sailor.  He kept us happy the whole day, and did I mention; cooked all of our meals for us, and fished off of the boat while we were traipsing around a deserted island?

I snapped a pic of him cooking while he was below deck.  There’s something to be said for having absolutely everything you need in the kitchen within arm’s reach.  Watching Luca cook, I could tell he’d done this a time or two before; and with aplomb.  So, now onto the pics of things.  Food, water, Maddalena. . .

This is where we finally dropped anchor.  I can’t even begin to tell you how crystal clear and simply stunning the water throughout the Archipelago is on a beautiful day.

We were there in early May, and earlier in the day had some overcast skies, but when that sun came out; it came OUT!

Past the beach and around that bend was a larger private beach and a little cottage that had been relatively undisturbed for what is probably decades.

Truth be told, Captain Andy told us most of the history of this whole area, but I’ve since forgotten because of the sheer amount of time + wine since that time.

On to the food . . .

wide shot of the spread

Luca's catch for that day!

caprese, salame, pecorino, basil, and balsamic!

seafood pasta

So, now that I’ve got you good and warmed up; it’s time to discuss lunch at La Gritta in Palau.  The real gem of our entire trip was this small, out-of-the-way restaurant on a hilltop overlooking Palau.  The drive to get to the restaurant from Cannigione is just beautiful as it cuts a swath through the mountains to the northeast corner of the island.  Large estates (all of which have their own vineyards), rambling ranches (did I mention the plentiful sheep on Sardnia?), and miles of twisty, narrow roads.

When we arrived, the old house in which the restaurant is housed doesn’t look like much, but the white tablecloths and pristine glassware remind you that this is a top rated restaurant for a reason.  The chef is quite genuine and put together a fish-centric tasting menu that I have not been able to stop thinking about.  I think it only appropriate to do the rest of this post in just (mostly) pictures.  I’ll let them tell the tale;

Ristorante La Gritta

Simple grey stucco walls and chunky white block lettering, quite the juxtaposition from what lies inside . . .

Michael Febbo: I guess I wouldn't make a very good food critic. I recently ate here and I thought it was pretty good. I looked it up and it only got one star, and that was from a freakin tire company. Who knew!?!

Ran into a high school friend of mine in Sardinia who was covering Mini’s return to rally during Rally d’Italia.

He had a clever quip about Michelin-starred restaurants that I had to include, since it seemed quite fitting with us there for the rally.

La Gritta's dining room; so homey

Those copper pots; serious want!

fish tasting menu; hand-written by the chef

Chef Roberto handwrote our menu once I mentioned I was going to blog about the experience.  It may be 4+ months later, but I genuinely appreciated his effort/suggestions throughout the meal.

monkfish wrapped in iceberg lettuce with a balsamic reduction

What a delightful way to begin our meal!  The fish was steamed and the lettuce wilted perfectly.  I was disappointed this was only a 2-3 bite dish.

seafood salad with ginger dressing

Lovely salad with exceedingly tender squid, prawns, and fish.

thyme-scented king prawn with saffron risotto

This king prawn (especially sucking the head out) was very nearly the highlight of my trip.

coriander scented stuffed squid with prawns and monkfish

I have not been able to get this out of my mind since our trip.  The squid was so incredibly tender, and the presentation was visually stunning; perhaps my affinity for hard-boiled eggs coloured my view on it a bit, but this was definitely the best dish we ate all week.  The coriander aioli drizzed atop the stuffed squid was an impeccable accent to the deliciously savory stuffing.

menu; the back

The rest of the menu.

homemade taglioni with seafood mix

Again, the pasta was very clearly fresh, as was the seafood.  Squid, prawns, oysters, small amount of oil all tossed together.  Brilliant!

braised dentex bream steak with ratatouille

As much as I’d love to say I absolutely adored the sea bream, this one didn’t quite do it for me.  The components were elegant (crispy skin, well-cooked fish, lovely ratatouille), but because of how dense the fish was, it seemed to be a bit too much to finish out the savory courses.  I’d love to go back and try it on it’s own, but I suspect that, for me, it’s just the texture of the fish I don’t quite love.

truffle amuse

Surprise truffle served to us was the perfect size, and a wonderful accompaniment to any wine we had leftover!

colourful sugars for coffee

Maybe I’m silly, but I just couldn’t get over all of the multicolored sugar options.  I had to HAVE ALL THE SUGARS!

caramel glazed mille-feuille with chocolate cream and italian custard

This was so delicious, sweet, but not too sweet, with some tartness thrown in from the raspberry coulis.  Perfect end to our meal.

pecan brittle

Oh, wait!  It’s not over yet!  Freshly made brittle from the kitchen!

L & W with the view at La Gritta

Happily stuffed.

L and Chef Roberto Pierre

Oh, and one more pic of the stunning water .  . .

Archipelago di Maddalena

Related posts:

1. And then there was Paris . . .
2. Red Snapper en Papillote
3. I didn’t disappear. I just went to France.

I’m not really one for baking, as I feel I’m more improvisational in the kitchen as opposed to a scientist.  Measurements (exact ones, anyhow) tend to scare me a bit.  And, if I’m being honest, I’ve had my share of baking experiments gone awry in the past, so I’m not really interested in repeating those mistakes any time soon.

However, I’ve made some Lemon Almond Biscotti without a whole lot of drama in the past, so I thought I’d take a stab at some that included one of my favourite things; Chocolate!  These were pretty great, and didn’t last long in our household, as both W and I are coffee drinkers (him, way more than me!) every morning, and we have friends who accept our generosity at exactly face value; please remove these delicious treats from our household so our waists don’t expand *that* much.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Place your oven rack in the dead center of your oven.  Preheat to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl (or a stand mixer’s bowl), beat together the butter and sugar using your electric mixer’s medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.   Beat in one egg, and then the other, and then the vanilla until combined.

Drop the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until just combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.

Split the dough in half and press them into two loaves, spaced about 3 inches apart or so. They’ll spread to about 12 by 2-inch loaves.  Bake the loaves until golden and beginning to crack on top, which was about 40 minutes.

Let the  loaves cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and lower your oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Transfer each of the loaves to a cutting board and with a serrated knife, slice each on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Return the slices back to the baking sheet, and bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, which will be about 15 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through baking.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Lemon Almond Biscotti
2. Cinnamon Vanilla Wedding Cake with Mexican Hot Chocolate Buttercream
3. Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I have been a vegetable roasting fiend as of late.  Pretty much any combination of vegetables, I’ll roast.  Lately, I’ve rediscovered the magnificence of simple roasted brussel sprouts, and at the risk of over kill, it’s been a two-three time a week meal since we’re trying to watch our figures and make sure our upcoming trip to Las Vegas allows us to be gluttonous fools for a weekend.  DB Brasserie and Burger Bar await, as does Bouchon for brunch.

Well, that’s where this post runs off the tracks.  I had every intention of just using minimal oil, salt, pepper, and garlic to season these things, but then the idea of bacon and topping it all with a couple of eggs crept into my mind, and all hell broke loose in the form of these breakfast-inspired roasted brussel sprouts.

Gotta love the versatility of them, but they can get exceedingly addicting.  Just fair warning.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. brussel sprouts, cleaned, stemmed, sliced in half
• 8 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2-3 poblano peppers, seeded, de-veined, and sliced
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 slices smoked bacon, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• 1-2 eggs per person

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large enough baking sheet to hold all of the vegetables in mostly a single layer, add some olive oil to lightly coat the sheet, but not to leave a puddle.

Place the brussel sprouts flat side down at evenly spaced intervals across the sheet.

Add the onions, peppers, and then the tomatoes, and lastly the garlic.

Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and season with a healthy amount of salt and pepper.

Set your timer for 10 minutes, and place in the top 1/3 of your oven.

After 10 minutes have passed, remove the tray from the oven and add the bacon for another 10-15 minutes, depending on how done you like your bacon.

When the bacon is about done, remove the tray from the oven, crack your eggs over the top of it (we just used 1 per person) and return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes.

Once the egg is cooked to your liking, plate and serve.

Don’t forget to mix all of that delicious yolk goo-i-ness into the rest of the veggies.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Baked Eggs Florentine
2. Honey Thyme Roasted Root Veg
3. Roasted Red Potatoes

Though I’ve done so in the past (I know; bad, bad Lauren!), I just can’t bring myself to call these braised pork shoulder breakfast tacos “carnitas”.   I didn’t slow cook them in lard, and sort of cheated, if I’m being honest.  Because really, that’s just what braising is; joyous, minimal prep, and then shoving the meat in a dutch oven with some liquid, and just let. it. go.

I watched nearly the entire web series The Guild (highly recommended if you’re an internet nerd, and well, you’re reading this blog, so I strongly suspect that you might be) while I was waiting for dinner to be ready.

On Sunday, all I knew is that I had 1.5 lbs. of pork shoulder to use, and scrambled eggs + sweet, spicy, porky goodness sounded like total win to me.  The great thing about braising pork shoulder is ultimately it’s versatility; stuff it in a taco, make a casserole with it, serve it over rice or just eat it out of the Tupperware the next day.

I wrote the recipe for a larger amount of pork (because most people will have a 4-6 lb. pork shoulder to work with), but what I like to do since we recently invested in our KA meat grinder (on another note, grinding meat has become somewhat relaxing in a way), is to buy a 10-12 lb hunk of shoulder from our favourite meat shop and break it down into 1-2 lb. freezable portions, so that I’m never rarely overcooking and thus, boring ourselves with the same leftovers for days. This amount (1.5 lb.) of shoulder easily made 8-10 breakfast tacos, which was perfect for 2 nights of dinner for 2 people.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound pork shoulder roast, cubed into 2 inch pieces or so
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tbsp chipotle (or ancho, or whatever strikes your fancy) chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (depending on heat preferences)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 slices thick cut bacon, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 12 ounces good ale or darker beer
• zest of 1 lemon (or oranges, or limes)
• juice of 2 lemons (or oranges, or limes)
• Chipotle Chiles in Adobo (to taste; I used 2 of the chiles and about 1/8 cup of the adobo)
• enough good quality chicken stock to cover the meat
• Scrambled eggs for each taco
• Corn or flour tortillas

Directions:

Combine the salt, black pepper, chili powder(s), cumin, cayenne, paprika, sugar, and mustard in a bowl large enough to accommodate the pork shoulder.

Toss each piece in the mixture to coat evenly, gently pressing the rub into the meat.  Let the meat rest for about 20 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a large enameled dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and when it’s barely glistening, add the diced bacon.  Continue to cook and stir frequently until the bacon has rendered all (or most) of it’s fat and become a bit towards crisp.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper (or paper towels to those of you who don’t randomly spell words with an unnecessary ‘U’) to drain.

As for the rendered fat, remove the vast majority of it and reserve for the next couple of steps, leaving just enough in the bottom of the dutch oven to brown the pork shoulder.

Over high heat and in batches, sear the pork shoulder pieces until brown; about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the pork and set aside on that same plate lined with kitchen paper (or a second plate if you have a LOT of pork). When all of the pork has been seared, add the onions to the pot, and more rendered bacon fat if you need it and cook until the onions are a bit translucent.  Add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant.

At this point, there should be loads of fond (browned bits of goodness) in the bottom of the pot.  Add about a cup of the chicken stock, all of the beer, lemon juice, and zest to the pot, and bring to a simmer, remembering to scrape up all of those delicious bits of fond.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

When your liquid is at a simmer, add the pork and the bacon pieces back into the pot, as well as the chipotles (roughly chopped) in adobo.  Add more stock until you’ve just covered the pork and bacon.  Covering your dutch oven with the lid tightly,  braise the pork for 3-3 1/2 hours, until meat is falling apart.  Turn the pieces of pork over a few times at about 1 hour intervals.

When the meat is exceptionally tender, pull it out of the oven and remove the pork from the pot in a clean bowl, cover tightly with tinfoil and set aside.  Over medium high heat, bring the rest of the sauce to a simmer, reducing it at a low simmer for about 30 minutes.  While you’re reducing, try to skim as much fat off the top of the liquid as possible, it will reduce the greasiness of your carnitas.

When the sauce is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, reduce the heat to low, and remove the large pieces of fat from your pork and returning the tender meat to the reduced sauce.  Shred the meat into the sauce, and if you have any of the sauce remaining, save it for another purpose.

When your meat is finished cooking, scramble a couple of eggs; I like Gordon Ramsay’s method for scrambled eggs. Dice up some tomatoes and onions, maybe make a little Guacamole; chop up some cilantro and crumble a little queso fresco over the top of the pork.  Add a delicious freshly made tortilla and nom down!

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Pork Carnitas Tacos
2. Pumpkin Ale Pork Chili
3. Chili Pepper Braised Pork Tenderloin