Bouillabaisse

I made this classic French stew back in December. My parents and grandmother were coming into town and I wanted to make a special dinner to celebrate the occasion. I also had to work the day that they were coming for dinner and as such, didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Bouillabaisse fit the bill. I spent a little over an hour on the fish stock and broth the day before and on Saturday night, while everyone sipped cocktails, chunks of fish, jumbo scallops, tiny clams, juicy shrimp, and lobster went into the pot to cook. A memorable and delicious dinner was ready in minutes.

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Mini-Blue Cheese Meatloaves

For those of you whose new year resolutions include shedding a few pounds, I apologize. Last week’s recipe for the cheesiest macaroni and cheese certainly won’t help you fit into your skinny jeans.  And I’m pretty confident I’m going to tempt you to forego those celery sticks for this hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal.  Waistlines everywhere – watch out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But before you start pointing fingers and warning me of the risks of my Paula Deen ways, I’d ask that you allow me to indulge just for the month of January.  It’s cold outside and while I’ll gladly cook fish en papillote the rest of the year, I want something hearty and homey now.
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The Cheesiest Macaroni & Cheese

 

You won’t find chunks of lobster, cheeses with French names, or even bits of bacon in this macaroni & cheese.  It’s certainly not virtuous (whole milk, butter and cheese are used with abandon) and it’s far from elegant.  Yet this recipe is one of my favorites.  It’s fun to make as it takes a little finesse, it makes your home smell wonderful as it bakes, and one spoonful will bring back lots of memories.  In short, this recipe for macaroni and cheese yields good food.

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Digesting 2011

2011 went by in a blur and while the year had so many wonderful moments and meals, my one regret is that I did not get to post to Minced as much as I would have liked.   While one of my goals for 2012 is to post more regularly, I’d thought that you might enjoy a quick overview of my 2011 year in food.  I consider these things the culinary highlights of the past year although there are so many other meals, recipes, and tastes that are certainly worthy enough to be included here.

To be honest, I had plans for many of these to become blog posts and pictures were taken in preparation.  Yet when intoxicating aromas filled the house and concoctions started to bubble, I forgot about work, poured a glass a wine, and concentrated solely on the pleasures of the good life.  Bon appetit and may your 2012 be just as tasty!

Duck, Duck…GOOSE!   A week before Christmas, this article in the Wall Street
Journal upended my plans for Christmas dinner.   While traditionally my family enjoys beef tenderloin on the holiday, this roasted goose recipe filled with Armagnac-soaked prunes stuffed with foie gras seemed too good to be true.  It’s classic French, ridiculously rich and wildly fun to make.   Nothing will get you more excited for the holidays than an order of mousse de foie gras arriving from D’Artagnan.  And licking foie gras off your fingers while cooking with your husband on Christmas Eve is a treat in and of itself.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

After a week of overcast days and dismal weather, today blue skies and a warm sun are making me want to put on shorts and eat ice cream.  A steaming bowl of belly warming, cream of broccoli soup couldn’t be further from my mind.  Unfortunately, that bowl of soup is exactly what I whipped up this morning for a segment on WCNC’s Charlotte Today show.   Let it be known that I’ve never claimed to have good timing.

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Bacon, Kale, and Onion Quiche

What a shame that quiche is usually reserved for bridal showers and ladies lunches.  After all, it’s an economical entrée of endless variations that is equally at home on the table for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Consider that you can prepare it ahead of time and serve it hot, cold or at room temperature and your probably kicking yourself that you don’t have a quiche in the fridge now.

Before you run off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make this quiche, stop for just a minute.  Peek inside your fridge.  I’m willing to bet that you have some milk or cream and a couple of eggs.  How about some flour and butter?   Yes?  Congratulations.  You can make a quiche.

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White Beans with Sage and Garlic

I was recently asked for my favorite convenience food for an article by Kathleen Purvis in The Charlotte Observer newspaper.   I immediately thought of canned beans.  To be fair, as a general rule, beans don’t usually elicit a lot of enthusiasm.  Steaks, oysters, delicious artichokes (I could go on and on) tend to get a lot more attention.   Beans, one might argue, are boring.

I disagree.  Beans are one of humanity’s oldest food sources and for good reason. While they often play a supporting role, beans paired with a grain provide all the protein that you need for a nutritionally complete meatless meal.  Take into the account the facts that beans are economical and in their dried form can be preserved for years (dried beans have been found in Egyptian tombs) and it is easy to see why beans are a staple for so many people around the world.

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Vietnamese Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches with Sriracha Mayo

Every time I make this sandwich, my husband starts talking business plans. He wants to know how much the food costs for such a sandwich would run and how many he thinks I could make on a Sunday morning.  Talk then gets into whether a food truck or a food cart would be a better long-term investment.

Minced LemongrassGreen Onions, Garlic, and Minced Jalapeno

“We need to think about these things,” he tells me.  ”After all, we wouldn’t do this full-time.  Nope, we would just have our little banh mi cart (or truck) on Sundays for Panthers home games.  But” and he pauses here for emphasis, “we would make a killing.  How could people resist this sandwich? They’d have to buy it.”

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Halibut a la Provencal

Earlier this summer, I was excited to be featured in an article about Davidson College alumni making careers in the food industry for my school’s alumni magazine: the Davidson Journal.   As part of the article, titled “Main Courses,” they asked me to share a recipe that I thought alumni might enjoy.

I wanted to pick a recipe that was approachable, but also taught a technique that could easily be applied to other meals.  My two most frequent requests from clients seeking private cooking lessons is that they want to learn how  to cook fish and that they want to cook healthy, yet still delicious, food.  This recipe for Halibut a la Provencal is perfect on both counts.

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Panna Cotta with Summer Berries

Panna Cotta with Summer Berries

When it comes to dinner parties, I tend to overdo it.   A week before the event, my list includes plans to bake my own bread, churn my own butter, and kill my own chicken (I exaggerate, but you get my point).   In my defense, it’s the cooking part that I love best.  To me, nothing is better than getting ready for a big meal.  I love planning what I’m going to make and then working to make sure that each aspect is perfect.  From the obsessively rolled sushi upon everyone’s arrival to the painstakingly baked tuile bowls that will cradle a scoop of homemade ice cream for dessert, I want to make sure that everything is exceptional. Unfortunately this slightly delusional behavior means that when the doorbell announces the arrival of my first guests, I often find myself stifling a yawn as I battle the urge to crawl in bed with a good book.

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