FFwD - The Month of February - Short Ribs in Red Wine and Port

French Fridays with Dorie is such a fun group to be a part of. No one is required to bake every single week, in fact, you can bake along as little or as much as you wish. This week was short ribs in red wine and port. Sounds delicious, know?

P.S.: By the way, I have missed the whole month of February's recipes for FFwD and I don't know if anyone noticed but the recipes for the month, put together, make (1) amazing dinner . . . which is what I did. February 4th: Basque Potato Tortilla, February 11th: Orange-almond Tart (I made Pear-Hazelnut Tart variation), February 18th: Pancetta Green Beans, and February 25th: Short Ribs in Red Wine and Port.

My short ribs came (5) to a package so I had to decide between less or more then the called for (12) short ribs in the recipe. I went with (15) because I just couldn't resist. Leftovers sounded wonderful!


My pictures were all over the place for clarity; which was not noticed until after dinner was eaten and the pictures were downloaded to the computer. I have no clear pictures to show you of the wine/port/vegetable/herb mixture. I do have the ribs just out of the oven from broiling with the glaze applied.

Out of all (4) recipes, my two absolute favorites were the green beans with pancetta and the pear-hazelnut tart. Bob Mills sells packaged, ground hazelnuts and since hazelnut flour was in my pantry, this is what I used for the tart.

The basque potato tortilla is delicious and easier to make then I thought. We used mushrooms, onions, and potatoes. Leftovers made the perfect warmed up breakfast. Dorie was absolutely right about using a cast iron skillet for great results.

Oh the green beans! Loved, loved, loved the green beans. My first time ever using walnut oil drizzled over all. Just a little bit was plenty and the pancetta made the whole dish taste so much more with the salty, slightly crisp, and just a little nutty. A definite make again recipe. So good!

My only picture of the gremolata, an amazing flavor accompaniment, adding another level to the short ribs. I had no idea tangerine and beef went together so well. I used chopped parsley instead of the cilantro mainly because that was what we had on hand.

Dorie, every recipe I have tried in your new French cookbook has been a treat and fun to plan and put together. I already have a list of recipes to re-make, trying your variations you put to the side of each recipe. You Rock!

French Friday's with Dorie ~ Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

French Friday's with Dorie has been a great experience in diversity of recipes for the last three weeks. This week: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup.



I have made Pho from scratch, a LONG process, and Dorie's soup is much like chicken Pho, except MUCH faster to assemble. Oh, and I have never added coconut milk to Pho before and yet Dorie calls for it.

I did not have coriander seeds, so used powdered coriander to compensate along with pink peppercorns instead of white.



All the ingredients went together quickly and brought to a boil.

The chicken breasts with skin and bone were added in to simmer then removed and the meat picked apart from the bones. After cooling down, the chicken meat was shredded, the noodles were cooked and cilantro was chopped. Added all three of these ingredients to the soup and simmered for a short amount of time. Added lime juice at the end.

Verdict: We loved the flavor of the creamy noodles, light coconut base, spices, and chicken. I did not have bean sprouts or fresh basil leaves on hand (forgot to buy them) but I did have chile oil, hoisin sauce, and lime wedges. A definite addition to my kitchen dinners! Now I would like to try the Curry version of this same soup. My husband loves curry. Thank you Dorie for another great selection this month!

French Friday with Dorie ~ gerard's mustard tart w/dinner

The kitchen is uncomfortably warm. The oven has been baking away for over 3 hours. Both Shadow and Fluffy are fully extended on the couch "and" ottoman with paws curled over their eyes while they nap. The aroma of a warm tart crust fresh from the oven fills the house. Tomorrow is French Friday with Dorie and our second choice for the month of October; gerard's mustard tart.

Many thoughts circulated through my head while looking at the recipe for this savory tart last weekend. Two types of mustard, one grainy; leeks and carrots, julienned and steamed; and a filling resembling a quiche. Creme Fraiche is already waiting in the refrigerator. What could the tart possibly taste like? Is mustard going to be the dominant flavor? Dorie says to add according to taste. I was not sure what the taste should be. Then there is the dinner menu; one of my favorite past times, meaning get out old and new recipes to find ideas to match the tart.

An hour later, recipes spread across the couch, ottoman, floor, on top of the cats (they love playing hide-and-seek with loose paper), my menu was assembled on my menu notepad.

I am sticking with Dorie's exact measurements for the ingredient list along with baking the tart shell from page 498 of our French Table cookbook. I am also baking Dorie's Banana Cream Pie out of Dorie's Baking from my home to yours cookbook (I missed the week the banana cream pie was baked in TWD.).

Dinner for Early Evening:

Dorie's recipe of gerard's mustard tart

Feta-Stuffed Shrimp

Sirloin Steaks with Blue Cheese and Mushroom Wine Sauce

Roasted Broccoli w/Herb Lemon Butter

Dessert:

Dories recipe for Banana Cream Pie

Feta-Stuffed Shrimp

(adapted from a recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

8 jumbo shrimp

1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted red pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup butter plus 3 tablespoons, melted and divided

1 large egg yolk, beaten

1/3 cup white wine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the spine of shrimp from head to tail, cutting almost all the way through the shrimp; remove the dark vein, and rinse shrimp. With your fingers, carefully spread apart the shrimp, and flatten the halves on a flat surface. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, red pepper, garlic, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, ¼ cup melted butter, and egg yolk; stir well.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of bread crumb mixture onto each butterflied shrimp, mounding the mixture, if necessary.
Place the stuffed shrimp in prepared dish.
Pour wine and remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter around shrimp in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.
Transfer shrimp to serving plates, and drizzle with pan juices.

Issues along the Way:
*My crust baked up to more of a chocolate brown, just past golden, and I had yet to add my filling. I made a foil circle and covered the edging while baking the tart filling. Worked out perfect.

*I was planning on making this dinner Wednesday night before I realized the tart dough is chilled for 3 hours, assembled and chilled again, then baked and cooled before adding the filling. For pre-planning purposes, the tart shell dough is a breeze for baking the next day.

Verdict: The mustard was not over-powering. We were pleasantly surprised at how mellow the flavor actually was. The crust was crisp and flaky while the filling was firm and moist. We both loved it!

I can not wait to try the mustard tart recipe again with fresh tomatoes. I already bought them to try this weekend.


Dorie's banana cream pie filling was quick and easy to put together. I wasn't sure about the sound of cinnamon with banana but the flavors mingle perfectly. Hubby had two pieces after dinner. Where he fit them, I am not quite sure. =)

We both are up at 4 a.m. so a special dinner can make the long day melt away.

Thank you Dorie for choosing another dish that will not be forgotten in our kitchen.

French Fridays with Dorie ~ Mushroom Cappuccinos with Dorie's Golden Gougeres

Food Blog Grand Opening!!! Confetti Everywhere!!!! French Friday's with Dorie Greenspan is finally here! Dorie's brilliant cookbook "around my french table" is packed full of over 300 recipes and waiting for fresh new food markers to appear on each and every recipe. Whip out your mixing spoons, dust off your Dutch ovens, bring your appetite, and start cooking!

Amazon is just a click away to buy "around my french table"!

Dorie is just too cute! So are all her friends who created the French Fridays with Dorie blog site! A warm and enthusiastic Thank You to Rachel, Joel, Alison, Travis, and Laurie for creating and achieving the bright, easy to navigate, informative, and fun site!

Dorie is just as excited as the rest of us who have just tried our very first recipe. She picked our opening 4 dishes for the month of October and we are baking her first choice, one of Dorie's favorites to share with friends: gougeres!

Starting with a cream puff pastry dough, adding Gruyere and a spot of sharp cheddar;

baking into round puffs of golden, crispy perfection;



served with steaming hot cups of mushroom cappuccinos (Bouillon de Champignons Comme un Cappuccino, recipe by Michelin 3-star chef Alain Chapel);

and filled with a family recipe of Pacific shrimp salad.

The anticipation wrapped around being a part of an excited group (more like blogging family) of people like myself who cook from the heart, always excited to share with family and friends, just tickles me. Many of us have been baking together out of Dorie's "Baking from my home to yours" and have become friends along the way.

We are excited to welcome new members and Thank you Dorie for letting us share in your spotlight with the newly published work-of-art: around my french table.

Thank you!!!!! =0)

What a warm and fuzzy feeling to have on an early Friday morning.

Mushroom Cappuccinos

(recipe by Alain Chapel; printed in Oct./2010 Saveur magazine)

(Project Foodie website will also have the recipe)

"To foam the broth, use the steamer attachment on a cappuccino machine, or froth it in a blender." (Alain Chapel, Saveur, Oct. 2010; pg. 98)

Ingredients:

6 T. butter

1 lb. button mushrooms, halved

8 oz. mixed mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, and blue foot, thinly sliced, trimmings reserved

1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Kosher salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

12 crayfish tails, cooked and shelled, or 4 oz. cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces

4 sprigs fresh chervil or tarragon

Directions:

Heat 3 T. butter in a 3-quart high sided skillet over medium heat. Add button mushrooms and mushroom trimmings and cook, stirring often, until they release their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add 3/4 ounce dried shiitakes and 4 cups of water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid has reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 2-quart saucepan. Strain broth, pressing mushrooms with the back of a spoon to extract liquid; discard solids. Add cream to mushroom broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Season broth with salt and a pinch of cayenne and set aside.

In a spice grinder, grind remaining dried shiitake mushrooms to a fine powder. Transfer mushroom powder to a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast, swirling pan constantly until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushroom powder to a small bowl; set aside.



Heat remaining butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add mixed mushrooms, season with salt, and cook, stirring gently, until tender, 4-5 minutes.

Add crayfish, season with salt, and cook until hot. Remove pan from heat and set aside.


To serve, foam reserved broth on high speed in a blender or with the steamer attachment on an espresso machine. Mound crayfish mixture in 4 teacups or small bowls, and ladle in broth. Spoon foam on top, dust with mushroom powder, and garnish with chervil.