Chicken and Leek Pie

 I'd never used leeks before until this recipe. I am sorry I waited so long to use them. They are quite tasty.

Pie Filling 

16 oz. chicken stock
3 chicken breasts
75g. butter
2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and cut into ½ inch slices

2 garlic cloves, crushed
55g. plain flour
7 oz. milk
2–3 Tbsp. moscato (optional)
5 oz. heavy cream
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Pie Pastry 

350g. plain flour, plus extra for dusting
175g. butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp. cold water
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

To make the pie filling: Heat the stock in a saucepan. Add the chicken and bring to a simmer. 

Cover the saucepan and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

After 10 minutes, remove the chicken breasts from the stock. Reserve the stock for later.

In a very large saucepan, melt 25g. of the butter. Then stir in the leeks and coat with the butter. Cook over medium low heat for several minutes. Add in the garlic and cook one more minute.

Add in the remaining butter. As soon as it has melted, stir in the flour. Stir continuously for 30 seconds.

Pour the milk in slowly, about an ounce at a time. Stir very well between each add, making sure the milk gets absorbed. 

After all the milk is incorporated, add 10 oz. of the reserved chicken stock and the moscato (if you're using it). Stir until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't let this boil or your milk will break. Gentle simmer only.

Remove from the heat, stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with cling film, making sure to touch the surface of the sauce with the film so a skin won't form on it. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Put a baking sheet in the oven to warm up.

To make the pie pastry: Add the flour and butter to a food processor (or cut with a pastry blender) until the mix resembles course breadcrumbs. 

In a small bowl, mix the egg and cold water together, beat lightly. Add to the food processor. Process until the mixture comes together into a ball. 

Portion off 250g. of the pastry for the pie lid.

Roll the remaining pastry out on a lightly floured surface, turning the pastry frequently until around ¼ in. thick and 1½ in. larger than the 9 inch pie dish. 

Lift the pastry over the rolling pin and place it gently into the pie dish. Press the pastry firmly up the sides, making sure there are no air bubbles. Leave the excess pastry overhanging the sides. 

Cut the chicken breasts into bitesized pieces. Stir the chicken into the cooled sauce. 

Pour the chicken filling into the pie dish. Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg. 

Roll out the reserved pastry for the pie lid. Cover the pie with the lid and press the edges together firmly to seal. Trim any excess pastry. 

Make a small hole in the center of the pie with the tip of a knife. 

Glaze the top of the pie with beaten egg. 

Bake on the preheated tray in the center of the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown all over and the filling is piping hot.  

One of my all-time favorite savory pies!

Adapted from a BBC recipe.

Clam Chowder

 12-13 oz canned clams
1/2 c. celery, thinly chopped

2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 c. heavy cream
2 c. whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
cooked bacon, crumbled
oyster crackers

Drain the clams, reserving the clam juice.

In a large saucepan, add celery and potatoes, and the clam juice and chicken broth. Add more broth if the potatoes aren't fully covered in liquid.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. 

In a separate pot over medium low heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Let cook for 20 seconds, then season with salt and pepper.

Add the cream and milk to the butter and flour, stirring constantly so there are no lumps.

Add the cream mixture to the potatoes and broth. Add the clams. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Serve with bacon and oyster crackers (if that's what you want). This is my new favorite soup. I will be making this a lot more this winter.

I adapted this recipe from Kyleecooks.com

Orange Souffle

Creme Anglaise Sauce

2 egg yolks
1 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
1/4 tsp. vanilla
orange zest

Souffle

1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 tsp. butter
5 tsp. flour
1/4 c. cold milk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. orange zest
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
1/8 tsp. vanilla
2 egg whites
1/4 c. sugar, divided

 To make the creme anglaise sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan until smooth.

Over med-low heat, stir constantly with rubber spatula, scraping the bottom, until thickened and reaches a temperature of 180 F.

Remove from heat, strain to remove any uncooked particles of egg. Allow to cool. Add in some freshl orange zest to the cooled creme anglaise. Then make the souffle.

 
To make the souffle: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the insides of 4 4 oz. ramekins with 1 Tbsp. melted butter, and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Melt 5 tsp. butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook and stor flour into the melted butter until golden brown and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Pour in milk and cook, stirring continuously until smooth and thick, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Stir orange zest and orange liqueur into butter mixture until combined. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Slowly add 1/8 c. sugar and whisk until combined. Add remaining sugar and continue to whisk until meringue is thick and holds it shape, but is not stiff.

Fold half the meringue into egg yolk mixture until well combined. Gently fold in second half until well mixed. Transfer to the prepared ramekins, allowing 1/4 inch of space at the top.

Bake until risen and browned, about 16 minutes.

Immediately make a divot in the top of each souffle with a small spoon. Pour the creme anglaise into the divot and over the top of each souffle. Serve warm. Enjoy!

I have this souffle on a Princess Cruise ship. It was the most amazing dessert I'd ever had. I wanted to remake it. I found these recipes on Allrecipes.com and it is very nearly the same and most heavenly.

Victoria Sponge Cake

Cake:
shortening for greasing 
1 c. self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
14 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. caster sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk

Filling:
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 c. caster sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. raspberry or strawberry preserves
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease and line two 20 cm round cake tins with parchment paper. Grease the paper too.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Whisk in all other ingredients, adding in the eggs one at a time.

Divide the batter between the tins.

Bake 20-25 minutes until the center is cooked through.

Cool 5-10 minutes in the tins before removing to a cooling rack. The cake needs to cool completely.

To make the filling: Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a medium sized bowl until firm peaks form.

Spread the jam on one side of one of the cakes. Spread the cream on top of the jam. Sandwich the other cake on top of the jam and cream.

Dust with icing sugar.

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6603/classic-sponge-sandwich

Cabbage Soup

14 oz. Polish sausage, sliced
garlic powder

Cabbage Soup

basil
thyme
black pepper
onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, diced
1 head of cabbage, chopped
2 c. milk
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. cream
1 1/2 tsp. cornflour
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
coriander
dry mustard

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the Polish sausage. Add garlic powder, basil, thyme, black pepper, and onion powder to taste. Cook until just starting to brown on both sides. Set aside.

In a large pot, add the minced garlic and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients. Also add in more of the previous seasonings used on the sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, then add in the cooked sausage. Simmer another 15 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally. Serve hot.

I was inspired by a recipe from daringgourmet.com.

Homemade Butter

Whipped cream stage

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

Pour the heavy cream into a jar with a tight lid. Shake the jar back and forth for 10-20 minutes, or when yellow clumps start to form. Add in some salt if you want it at this point, and shake a minute longer. There will still be some liquid left, which is normal. If you don't use the butter right away, strain off the liquid and store in an airtight container.

Homemade butter

If you don't want to shake a jar for 20 minutes, there's always the electric mixer. Still takes about the same amount of time. The cream will first turn into whipped cream, and then the clumps will start forming and the liquid will start separating out.

It was pretty fun to make homemade butter. And it tastes great!

Shrimp Monica

1 lb. farfalle pasta

Cream sauce cooking

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. water + 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, mixed
1 lb. shrimp, frozen, peeled
6 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder

Uncooked shrimp

1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
3/4 c. Parmesan

Cooked shrimp

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain. Return to pot. Toss with the olive oil and cornstarch slurry. Cover to keep warm.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the shrimp until they are pink all the way through. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add in the onion, and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and all the seasonings. Stir and cook about 1 minute.

Cream sauce, almost done

Add in the white wine, turn the heat to high. Cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated. When it's ready, turn the heat down to low for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Add in the lemon juice, then the cream. You don't want to put the cream in when the temperature is still high because it can curdle your cream. Heat through.

Add in the green onions and cilantro. Cook for a minute or two.

Add the pasta and shrimp to the cream sauce. Toss to coat all the noodles and shrimp. Cook until everything is heated through, which should only be a few minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the Parmesan. Serve hot.

Shrimp Monica!

I served this with a side of french bread. Definitely a recipe I will come back to.

Here is a link to the original New Orleans recipe I adapted: http://www.gonola.com/2011/05/15/crawfish-monica-recipe-for-a-new-orleans-jazz-fest-classic.html

Macaroni Pasta with Vegetables

8-10 oz. macaroni pasta
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
8-9 baby bell peppers, de-ribbed and diced
1 zucchini, sliced and diced
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 small can mushroom pieces, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c. cream
Parmesan, shredded

Cook the pasta, then drain. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, saute the vegetables and mushrooms in a skillet with the olive oil. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme. Whisk in the cream. Add the cooked pasta. Stir together, making sure to coat the pasta with the cream. Add in a few pinches of Parmesan. Stir in. Make sure everything is heated through. Serve hot with a few more dashes of Parmesan on each serving.

Definitely a 30 minute meal. And very delicious.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/penne-with-sauteed-vegetables.html

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs:
1/2 c. breadcrumbs

1/2 c. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. onion, minced
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. allspice
black pepper

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. beef stock
1/4 c. cream
black pepper
nutmeg
white pepper
dried parsley
1 tsp. soy sauce

To make the meatballs: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream. Stir, then set aside for 5-10 minutes so the cream can be absorbed.

In a large skillet, saute the onion in 2 Tbsp. butter, about 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, break up the pork and beef. Stir in the egg, spices, cooked onions, and the breadcrumb/cream mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking dish with foil. Set aside

Form the meat into balls. In the large skillet, melt the rest of the butter over medium high heat. Add the meatballs (in batches if you need to), and cook. Rotate until browned on all sides. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 10 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the flour, and stir about 1 minute. Add the beef stock. Let it start to bubble, then whisk continually until it thickens.

Add in the cream and spices. Heat through. Add in the soy sauce. Stir. Pour over the baked meatballs. Serve hot.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/swedish-meatballs.html

Creamy Pasta with Sausage

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Sausage and onion

1 whole onion, diced
1 lb. Polish sausage
thyme, basil, pepper, oregano, coriander
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chicken broth
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 oz. can green chiles, mild (or whatever you want, I suppose)
1/2 c. heavy cream
8-10 oz. pasta (if you use more, make sure you increase the chicken broth amount)
1-2 Tbsp. cilantro
1 c. Trader Joe's Creamy Toscano Cheese (or Parmesan or Asiago)

Everything in one skillet

Add the oil to a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and onion; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. While the onion and sausage are cooking, add a little bit of each spice listed above. Add the garlic; cook about 30 seconds.

Mmmmm, ready to eat!

To the skillet, add the chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, cream, pasta, and cilantro. Stir it all together. Add more of the same spices here. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese. Serve hot. It is delicious.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. carrots, thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1 box Near East Long Grain & Wild Rice with flavor packet
2 Tbsp flour
4 c. chicken broth
3 c. water
3/4 c. heavy cream (maybe a dash or two more)
1/4 c. milk
2 small chicken breasts, chopped and cooked
several large dashes coriander
dash of garlic powder
small dash of red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan, add some olive oil, the red onion, carrots, marjoram, salt, pepper, and the flavor packet. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the wild rice, stir. Then add the flour, make sure it gets stirred around. Then add the chicken broth and water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, add the cream and milk to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until hot. Add to the soup mixture along with the cooked chicken, coriander, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 20-25 more minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/copycat-recipe-week-day-2-panera.html

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

Onion, Garlic, and Vodka

1 lb. pasta (I used farfalle)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. vodka
16 oz. tomato sauce
thyme, basil, coriander to taste (I used a bit more thyme than the other two)
1 c. heavy cream
large pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
lots of cracked black pepper
Parmesan, shredded

Sauce with the cream just added

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While your pasta is cooking, saute the onion in 2 Tbsp. of the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. After about 3 minutes, add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vodka (be very careful if you use a gas stove). Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and spices. Taste to see if you want to add a bit more of the spices. Stir and reduce the heat to low. I let this cook on low about 5-6 minutes, just so the flavors can percolate.

Pour in the heavy cream, stir, then turn the heat to the lowest setting. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Then stir in the 1 remaining Tbsp. of butter. When it has melted, add the cooked (and drained) pasta to the sauce. Make sure all of it is coated. Add the parmesan to each dished up serving.

Sauce with the pasta added

Here is a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/penne-alla-vodka-recipe/index.html. Can't go wrong with The Pioneer Woman!

*Note: Adding cooked zucchini to this might taste really good. I think I will try that next time!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (If you don't have Italian sausage, just add fennel, oregano, and garlic powder to the sausage while it cooks)

potatoes, onion, garlic

5-7 slices of bacon
5-6 red potatoes
1 onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 qt water
6 c. chicken broth
2 c. kale, chopped
1 c. heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Cook the sausage (with the seasonings if needed) until cooked through. Set aside. Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble, set aside.

sausage and bacon

Slice the potatoes between 1/8 - 1/4". Make sure they are all similar in size so they cook evenly. Dice the onion. Put potatoes, onion, garlic, water, and chicken broth into a large pot over medium heat. Cook until potatoes are cooked through (about 15 minutes).

Add the sausage, bacon, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Soup's on!

Turn to low heat, add the kale and cream. Let the soup heat through. Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.

Here's the link to the recipe I adapted. Hopefully it tastes a little like the Olive Garden's soup. Chris said ours tasted better.  =) http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/11/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana-soup.html

Flourless Chocolate Cream Cake

Here is a link to my friend's recipe that I used: http://bakingbuzzybee.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/flourless-chocolate-cream-cake/

It turned out pretty well, though it does take a bit of time.

Cake:
6 eggs
2/3 c. caster sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder (it's actually supposed to be slightly less than 1/2 cup, so just don't fill the cup to the top)

Filling:
200 g. white chocolate (a little less than 8 oz.)
1/2 c. cream (again, slightly less than 1/2 cup)

Topping:
1 c. cream (it's actually 7/8 c. or 13 1/2 Tbsp., or just shy of 1 cup)
50 g. dark chocolate, grated



Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease two 8 inch round baking tins and line with baking parchment (if you only have one 8 inch baking tin, like me, then you can just divide the cake ingredients by two and bake one cake at a time).

To make the cake: Start by separating the eggs, place the white in a clean bowl and whisk till stiff. With the yolks beat them with the castor sugar until pale and thick, then add in the cocoa powder to the yolks and beat this lightly.

Gently fold egg whites into the chocolate yolks in three parts, use a metal spoon. Once combined, pour the mix into the prepared tin/s and bake for 10-15 mins. They should be slightly shrunken and springy to the touch. Leave to cool slightly then strip off the paper base.

While waiting for the cake to cool make the filling.

To make the filling: Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Bring the cream to the boil then immediately pour over the chocolate, leave for a min then stir till melted. Leave to cool slightly then spread on one layer of the cake to 1 cm away from edge.

(optional) Add berries to the ganache filling e.g. cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries…

Place the other cake on top of the filling. Whip the cream until it is firm then spread all over cake, sprinkle all over with grated dark chocolate.

 

Recipe courtesy of Miss Deborah Nugent

Fettuccine Alfredo

Delicious!

1/2 c. butter
1 c. heavy whipping cream (or whipping cream)
1 c. parmesan, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian season, aka oregano, thyme, and basil to taste
Fettuccine noodles

Boil your noodles.

In a medium pot or skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and saute the garlic for a minute or two. Then add the cream, cheese, and seasonings. Use a whisk to stir until smooth. If you use whipping cream instead of heavy cream, cook it a little longer in order to make the sauce thicker.

Drain your noodles. Add the sauce to the noodles and serve right away.

For chicken fettuccine,  cook your chicken when your noodles are boiling, and add the chicken to the noodles when you're adding the sauce.

Adapted from recipe courtesy of Stephanie Schmaljohann

Chicken Lazone

I made this recipe for dinner, and Chris said it was the best chicken he'd ever had.

Here's a link to the website where I found the recipe I adapted: http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-lazone-65768

1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
cayenne pepper, thyme, basil, coriander (measurements are up to you, but I go heavy on the thyme and coriander)
4 whole chicken breasts
1/4 c. butter, divided
1/2 c. heavy cream

Combine the seasonings and coat chicken breasts. In large saute pan melt half of the butter and cook chicken over medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Pour the cream into the skillet and lower the heat. Simmer for several minutes (about 5-10), stirring until the sauce thickens then add the remaining butter. Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through. When butter is melted, place chicken breasts on four plates and top with the sauce.

I may have played around with the spices a bit. Make sure you let the chicken brown on both sides because that adds way more flavor. It was delicious.

Cooking

Served over rice