Yesterday I was migrating my website to a different server to correct the interminable slowness my site has been experiencing.  The first tech support call was great.  The second guy is responsible for the rampant hostility toward computer guys everywhere.  You know like the Nick Burns computer guy skit from Saturday Night Live.  I used to be Nick Burns – well hopefully I was less of a jerkhole, but that was my job.  At the end of the day, the site has been migrated and from my end all the issues seem resolved.  Please let me know if you continue to experience any time outs or slowness, and I’ll try to keep traceroutes, ping tests, and packet loss out of casual conversation.

I really was trying to be reasonable with the chicken tetrazzini.  I planned to make one for dinner and one for the freezer.  Found the recipe, then completely abandoned any potential for taking the easy road.  Cause I’m all from scratch, y’all.  Don’t feel compelled to fall victim to my insanity.  If you do, I recommend this as a Sunday project if you’re a working person or at least as a part of a larger meal plan.

My dear friend, Elizabeth, tried some Oprah meal planning awhile back.  In my memory it involved something like buying two rotisserie chickens, shredding them, then making four meals from the bounty.  I can’t remember much other than I don’t think she was wowed by the results.  My problem is we don’t really eat dark meat, so rotisseries don’t really provide a lot of shredded chicken.  Many things in cooking don’t translate into economies of scale but shredding chicken does.  No need to go all crazy and roast first, then boil the chicken like I did.  I was suffering from existential angst on Monday, forgive me.  I’ve been boiling split breasts for chicken soup for years with wonderful results, the extra roasting is so *not* necessary.  In any case, if you want to shred your own chicken, just get a large pot and do a bunch – like 8 or 10 large split breasts.  Then you can have shredded chicken and broth for Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas or Chicken Stuffed Fried Avocados or Mediterranean Penne  or Chicken Salad or something of your very own creation.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

adapted from Martha Stewart Everday Food April 2007

makes 2 casseroles, each having about 5-6 servings

5 split chicken breasts

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1 lb sliced white mushrooms

1/2 c. flour

3 c. 1% milk

3/4 c. dry white wine

3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 lb. linguine

10 oz. frozen petite peas

(Martha uses the shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken, if you go that route you’ll also need 2 c. of chicken broth)

In a large pot, cover split breasts with water, then add 2 teaspoons of salt and 16 turns fresh ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about an hour, then remove chicken to a bowl.  Using a two bowl system, remove the skin and bones from the split breasts with two forks, then move your chicken to clean bowl and shred.  Repeat until you’ve shredded all your chicken.  Reserve 2 cups of chicken broth.

In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add sliced mushrooms.  Season mushrooms generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  I sprinkle the whole surface, but you can use approx 1/2 teaspoons of salt as a guide.  Increase heat to high to brown mushrooms, stirring occasionally.  Wait for mushrooms to release all their water, then continue over high heat until nicely browned.  Remove mushrooms to a bowl.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a bowl.  Break linguine in half, then cook approx nine minutes until just slightly less than al dente.  Drain.

In the same skillet used to brown the mushrooms, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, then add flour, stir, and brown for 2 minutes.  Add milk while whisking furiously, then add wine and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then continue to cook over medium heat for 3 more minutes.  Whisk every 30 seconds or so.  Add a teaspoon of salt and 20 turns of fresh ground pepper, then 2 cups of the grated parmesan and the thyme.  Stir to combine, then adjust seasonings to taste.  This is the easiest place to mess up the recipe!  Be sure to season your sauce to taste.  The pasta, the chicken, and the peas are all pretty bland – all the flavor comes from the sauce!

In the now empty pasta pan, combine pasta, shredded chicken, browned mushrooms, peas, and sauce.  Stir until thoroughly coated.  Pour into two 8×8 glass pans.  Top with remaining cup of Parmesan.  Cover one pan with Saran wrap, then press down on casserole to create an airtight seal.  Freeze for up to two months.  Bake other casserole for 30 minutes at 400, until bubbly.  In full disclosure, I don’t use my freezer very often.  I’m not entirely sure what will happen when I cook the frozen one, but Martha says it’s freezer friendly so I believe her.  I’m guessing to thaw it in the fridge the day before, then cook it covered at 400 (30 min?), then uncovered  another 15-20 for browning.  I’ll let you know when I cook mine!

As for grill lighting, I’m becoming the master. After a tragic winter of failed attempts at chiminea lighting, I simply won’t be outdone by my grill. Incidentally, I can not believe I haven’t blogged about my awesome new grill/smoker combo. Mr. Richard bought this mammoth grill then only used it three times, at the end of the day, realized his vision was merely a pipe dream and lovingly passed the grill to me. Because of course I want/need a way to cook for a small army at one time. Back to the point, if you’ve been thwarted when lighting a charcoal grill, look no further. This method is absolutely fool proof. First, you need a chimney starter.  Next, you need lighter cubes.  You can light it using newspaper coiled into tubes in the bottom of the chimney starter, but if you live with someone like me, all newspaper is instantly recycled upon delivery.

To start, open the grate, pour in most of your charcoal into a small group, but no more than to about two briquettes deep.  My grill has two grates, if yours only has one, hopefully it will swing open halfway, otherwise, I don’t know what to tell you.  Place two lighter cubes on the remaining grate, then place the chimney starter on top.  Pour a small bunch (15? briquettes) onto the top grate of the chimney starter.  Light the cubes and then wait about 10 minutes until the large flames begin to die down.  Use a heavy potholder glove to dump the freshly lit coals onto the waiting pile in grill.  Wait about 20 minutes and you will have a piping hot fire, that’s hot, but not too hot.

If you’re a boy scout reading this, you’re surely laughing at my step-by-step breakdown of charcoal kindling.  And embarrassed by my necessity of gear and equipment.  But I’m neither a boy nor a scout (I don’t think that brief stint in Brownies counts) and even though I’ve done this a bunch of times, I still have to look up directions from Google.  Heaven help me, I could have never made it before the Internet, I’m certain I would have simply starved on the spot.

Beer Can Chicken on the Grill

serves 4

1 whole roasting chicken, giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

12 turns fresh ground pepper

1 beer in can

2 wedges lemon

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Prepare a grill.  Use the instructions above to light charcoal grill until coals are nearly completely white or turn a gas grill on medium high.  Open beer, I of course, prefer Bud Light, but please use your beer of choice.  Drink half the can.

Mix together all the spices in a small bowl, then rub all over the skin.  Squeeze the lemon juices into remaining beer and add chopped garlic.  Place beer on grill, then lower the chicken onto the beer can so the bottom of the drumsticks are standing tripod fashion on the the grill.  That’s it!  This will need to cook for about an hour on the grill, check for an internal temperature of 165, being sure not to press the thermometer to the beer can.  When you’ve reached this temperature, we use a combo of turkey forks to remove chicken and tongs to slide out the beer can and leave it on the grill.  Be gentle!  The chicken is unbelievably tender and the bones will pop right out!

Enjoy!

Speaking of Spiceman, there is an intriguing artisan grocery delivery service which recently sprung up in Dallas.  I haven’t tried the service yet, but I am curious about it.  Artizone’s model allows you to purchase artisan grocery products from multiple gourmet stores in one order for home delivery.  Some of the stores currently offering delivery through Artizone include, Spiceman’s 1410, La Duni, Flavors from Afar, and Scardello.  Since that’s a pretty impressive list of vendors, I’ll have to give it a shot.  I’ve used nearly every online grocery delivery service in existence back as early as the late 90′s, unfortunately they all tend to go bankrupt as soon as I’ve become accustomed to the service.  Here’s to hoping that Artizone’s niche service will break the trend!  If you’ve tried Artizone, send me a note!  I’d love to hear about your experiences.

This batch of mushrooms came from Central Market.  They seem hit or miss to me on what types of fresh mushrooms they will have in stock.  The varieties don’t particularly matter, I’ve used all sorts over time.  I look for the most tender mushrooms, (think of the opposite of the creminis, they’re the only meaty mushrooms I choose).  This batch used hedgehog, brown clamshell, oyster, and creminis.  At least two of those are described as being similar in flavor to chanterelle mushrooms, which are my all time favorite mushrooms, but currently out of season.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

(approx 3 qts, serves 7-8 bowl size, 10-12 cup size servings)

8 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion (not sweet!), chopped

4 stalks chopped celery

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 lb. fresh oyster mushrooms, chopped

1/3 lb. fresh Hedgehog Mushrooms, chopped

1/3 lb. fresh Brown Clamshell Mushrooms, chopped

1 lb. cremini baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

3/4 c. Courvoisier

6 c. chicken broth

1 c. heavy cream

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat.  Melt 4 tbsp of the butter then add the onions, celery, and cayenne.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the garlic.  Cook 2 minutes, then add the remaining 4 tbsp butter and all the mushrooms.   Sprinkle the mushrooms with thyme, 1 tsp of kosher salt, and 10 turns fresh ground pepper.  Raise heat to high and brown about 8-10 minutes, stirring every minute or so with a wooden spatula.  Add Courvoisier and cook until liquid becomes thick and syrupy, 3-4 minutes.  Add stock, then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Use a ladle to transfer 1/3 of  soup to a blender to chop.  Pour to a clean bowl, then repeat with the last two portions.  Return soup to stock pot.  Add cream, cook 5 more minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings.  I added an additional 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and a few quick turns of pepper.  Enjoy!

My top 5 turkey rules for home cooks.  Your mileage may vary, but these are the rules I live by.

1. I don’t brine any more.  It destroys the gravy.  Brining is thought to lead to a moister bird, but follow the other rules and you won’t have those issues anyway.
2. Do not attempt to prepare the turkey straight out of the refrigerator.  I let mine rest for an hour, otherwise the temperature change from fridge to oven is too shocking!
3. High Heat at the start, then reduce the temperature.
4. Use real butter.  It just makes for better flavor.
5. Let the turkey stand at least 15 – up to 30 minutes before carving.

Perfect Roast Turkey

16 lb turkey

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

2 tsp herbes de provence, (I like Morton & Basset the other brands contain fennel which is overpowering to me)

4 cloves garlic

1 and 1/2 tbsp melted butter

paprika

2 tbsp butter

Bring the thawed turkey out of the refrigerator approx 1 hour before cooking to bring closer to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 425.  Rinse turkey with water, inside and out.  Remove neck and giblets from the inside of the turkey.  Pat turkey dry with paper towels then place on a V-shaped Roasting rack in a roasting pan.  Inside the turkey cavity, add two teaspoons kosher salt, 20 turns fresh ground pepper, Herbes de Provence, and garlic cloves.

Drizzle skin with melted butter, then sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Roast in oven for 30 minutes.  Use additional butter to rub on skin, then reduce oven temperature to 325.  Roast for about 2 hours longer – rubbing butter on skin every 30 minutes.  Begin checking internal temperature in thick part of thigh and breast after total cook time of two hours.  Turkey is done when the internal temp reads 175, be sure to check with thermometer between leg and thigh as well as in thickest part of the breast.  Tilt turkey at an angle to pour cavity juices into drippings.  Remove turkey to a cutting board to rest.

Turkey Gravy Recipe

Drippings from Roast Turkey

All Purpose Flour

2 qts turkey stock

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

I come from the school of thought that it’s impossible to have too much gravy.  So I never reduce down from the amount of pan drippings, but you can – the important thing is to be close to a 1:1 ratio of drippings to flour.  With a bird of this size, I usually have around 1/2 c. drippings.  Pour drippings into a measuring cup, then pour back the quantity you want to your roasting pan.  Position the roasting pan over two burners over medium high heat.  Add an equal amount of flour, then whisk over medium high heat until browned and paste like, about five minutes.  The longer you brown your flour, the darker your gravy will be.  Slowly! (this is key to preventing clumps) add turkey stock, whisking constantly to combine.  Increase heat to high.  Bring to a boil whisking constantly until thickened.  If gravy is too thick add additional stock, if gravy is too thin, keep boiling to thicken.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**If you have troubles with your gravy being lumpy, I have another method posted in this Turkey Recipe.  It involves shaking the flour with stock or water in a water bottle to combine before adding to the drippings.  The flavor is not quite as rich and deep as with browned flour, but you may find it a bit easier of methods.

**Turkey Stock can be made or purchased.  I’d recommend Kitchen Basics brand – in Dallas available at both Central Market and Albertsons.  I haven’t seen it at Tom Thumb yet, but I’d imagine they may well have it during season.  You can sub chicken broth will good result, but go for the turkey if you can find it.

So this one goes out to Mr. Antione.  And my absurd love of rap music.  What?  Who?

First things first.  Mr. Antoine was my 9th grade biology teacher.  He did an entire 6 weeks in the spring on edible plants.  (And 6 weeks in the fall on *in*edible, if memory serves.)   Legendary.  At the time I thought it was all a little bit insane – the plant identification lab, hiking through the field behind RHS in search of edible bits, cooking in class, staying after school to work on extra identification practices with friends…  Hell, now I’m irritated.  Why can’t we go to 9th grade when we’re 30?  That sounds like fun now.  Sadly, Mr. Antione passed away a few years back.  I have no idea what the current 9th graders are studying back at RHS.  I’m fairly certain they’re missing out on the morel mushrooms sauteed in tons of butter lesson.  Rest in peace, Mr. Antione, I feel certain you would have loved this recipe.

And to the rappers, well, I owe you cognac.  Sure, I don’t think think I could possibly consume a glass of it, but I’m glad *you* can.  And I love to cook with cognac.  Even more, I just love to say Courvoisier in my rapper voice.  I thought about linking to the youtube video of the song in question, but my parents read this website.  And on the off chance that one of them might accidentally click on that link, I’m fairly certain I’d be grounded.  Or censured.  Or both.  Either way, this article sums up pretty well how the hip hop music culture has embraced Cognac and greatly expanded its demand.  I think subliminally, rappers have led me to owning 3 different brands of cognac in my liquor cabinet.

The photographed servings were enormous, so I’m editing the recipe a tad to a more reasonable amount.  I promise it will taste better if you prepare while listening to a hip hop station on Pandora.  Or if you need me to, I can still make you a mix cd.  Just ask my sister, Allison.  And if you’re just not into all that, throw on some Michael Bublé, grab a big glass of red wine and own your evening.

Beef Tenderloin over Calamarata Pasta with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

serves 4

.75 oz dried Porcini mushrooms

1 and 1/2 c. boiling water

3 tbsp butter

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 c. Courvoisier (or cognac of your choice)

2 approx 8oz beef tenderloin filets

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil

2/3 c. sour cream

1 and 1/2 c. heavy cream

8 oz dried Calamarata Pasta

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp Black Truffle Salt

Add dried mushrooms to boiling water and let soak for 45 minutes.  Drain, rinse, soak another 5 in boiling water.  Drain, then pat dry with towels to reduce excess moisture.

Melt butter in a saute pan.  Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to pan, then cook 3 minutes over medium heat.  Add Courvoisier and let continue to cook.  Start you fillets, but be prepared to come back to your sauce when your fillets hit the oven.

Preheat an oven to 450.  Generously season fillets with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Heat a stainless saute pan over medium high heat for about 2 minutes.  Add olive oil, swirl, then quickly add fillets.  Brown on all sides, about 6 minutes in total depending on your thickness.  Then move to oven, cook to an internal temperature or 138 in the thickest part.  Start checking temp after 6 more minutes. Set a timer, you’re going to be busy.  When fillets hit the proper temp, move to a cutting board to rest.

To the mushroom sauce, add sour cream and cream.   Cook over medium high heat, stirring every two minutes with a spatula.  Do not stress about this, you want to cook and then cook it some more.  If it looks bubbly and like it’s cooking onto the pan, good.  Stir gently and cook some more.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil – at least 6 cups.  Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt once boiling.  Stir, add pasta, then boil for about 16 minutes then check the tenderness by taste.

As the mushroom sauce begins to develop a dark color and a thick texture, add the lemon juice and the truffle salt.  Stir, then continue cooking over medium.  You want the sauce to continue bubbling.

Drain the pasta when ready, then fold into the mushroom sauce.  On your cutting board, slice fillets into strips, then top a pasta serving with tenderloin in a fan pattern.  Top with a gentle sprinkling of chives.  Cheers.  And Pass the Courvoisier.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received several coupons from Fresh Express redeemable for one free bag of salad each and the challenge to create a recipe featuring the salad.  I jumped at the chance as we already eat a lot of Fresh Express Salads around here.  My favorites include the Baby Spinach, the 50/50, and the Fresh Herb Salad.  Any of those three would create a terrific base for this crab cake salad, but can you think of anything more tender than a 1/4 pound of lump crab meat?  A cake like that deserves a bed of pillows provided by tender baby spinach leaves.  If you’d like to give this salad a shot, or come up with a fresh salad creation of your own, post a comment and I’ll mail you a coupon for a free bag salad, compliments of Fresh Express.

Did you read that right? Yes, 1/4 pound of lump crab meat.  I use the super lump crab meat from Costco.  It’s $13.99 a pound compared to the fishmonger’s $25 a pound.  There are almost never shell pieces mixed in and it tastes and smells delicious, sweet, and delicate.  I cooked these in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in my Calphalon Unison Slide Non-Stick Griddle.  Crab meat is so tender, frying crab cakes in loads of oil is blasphemous.  This non-stick griddle has such a slippery surface, you can use very little oil when browning, but not run into any sticking or falling apart issues, just be sure not to flip before your first side is completely browned.  As an added bonus, the Unison line is dishwasher safe!

Crab Cake Salad

1 pound super lump crabmeat

1/2 a large white onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp capers

3 tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped

3 tbsp panko

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

panko for coating

olive oil

1 bag Fresh Express Baby Spinach

In a large bowl, pick through crab meat and remove any shells you find.  In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, then onions.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add garlic.  Cook one more minute, then add mixture to the crab.  Add egg, mayonnaise, capers, parsley, and panko to crab mixture.  Add old bay, 3 dashes of cayenne from shaker top, salt, and pepper.  Mix all together, then divide mixture into four equal portions.  Form each portion into a round disk about 1 inch tall.

Preheat oven to 300.  Cover the bottom of a rimmed plate with panko.  Place crab cakes one at a time on panko, then coat completely in panko crust.  Heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat.  Add two teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat.  Brown the crab cakes on one side for about 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.   Turn, then brown the second side for 3 minutes.  Add small bits of additional olive oil if pan looks dry.  Move pan to oven and bake 5 more minutes.  Serve over a bed of Fresh Express Baby Spinach, top with blue cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette.

Sherry Vinaigrette

4 tbsp sherry vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp water

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk like crazy.  Serve.

Roasting the cherry tomatoes allows them to absorb the heat from the chili flakes and the flavor from the garlic an the herbs.  The resulting pan sauce is delicious mopped up with a crusty french bread, but I’d love it served over a garlic mashed potatoes as well.  I served the dish with lentils and a spinach salad, it made a colorful presentation and was all completely finished in 45 minutes with a lot of idle time!  Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Oregano Recipe

serves 4

4 bone in split breasts

2 bags cherry tomatoes (next time I’ll try grape tomatoes!), whole, washed, and stemmed

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 and 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 turns fresh ground pepper

1/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  In a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish, place the four split breasts evenly spaced.  In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Season the chicken breasts with a sprinkling of kosher salt and pepper, then pour tomato mixture over the top.  Roast in oven for about 40 minutes, until an internal temperature of 170.

Enjoy!

I also wanted to try the polenta base with a Port Salut and Montasio cheese so I’ll be trying that later this week.   You can also make them with blue cheese or a parmesan or probably fontina, but the cream cheese was yummy.  Really surprisingly delicious for me.

All of my food idols recommend cooking with as nice a wine as you would drink, if not nicer.  I’ll admit, I don’t do that.  This recipe was made with Black Box wine and a part of an already opened bottle of Bogle Cabernet. I do drink box wine.  I like it.  It takes up less room in both the grocery cart and the recycling bin than the equivalent 4 bottles of wine.  It’s cheap.  It doesn’t compare to a $50 bottle of Cab, but I can’t really afford those anyway.  Now the already opened for a couple days of Bogle?  I probably wouldn’t drink that.  That’s another bonus to the box.  It stays fresh.  Once a red wine has been opened, I tend to think of it as expired.  I tried the Bogle before I cooked with it and though it tasted a little vinegary.  Not horrible, but not preferable either.  Cory thought it was fine, but I’m never quite sure if he’s telling me the truth or if he just didn’t want me to waste that bottle and open another bottle.  Either way, it didn’t make one bit of difference in the sauce.  The sauce was divine.  So good that I’m thinking about eating it again.  For breakfast.  So the moral of the story is, I don’t know who is right on the mandatory quality of wine for cooking.  I’d say no to using a big jug of red table wine, but that’s mainly because I don’t really like that flavor to begin with.  But I think I’d still consider it sacrilege to cook with a $30+ bottle.

Cabernet Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs

adapted from Bon Appetit October 2007 serves 10

5 lbs boneless beef short ribs

4 long stalks rosemary

dried thyme leaves

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

4 and 1/2 c. cabernet sauvingnon

1 can beef consomme

1 can water

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

Use your thumb and forefinger to strip all the leaves from the rosemary stems.  Chop leaves into smaller pieces with a sharp knife.  Rub beef ribs with the rosemary, then sprinkle with the ground thyme leaves from a shaker top spice jar.  Next, season with kosher salt and pepper.  Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add olive oil let warm 1 minute, then add 4-5 of the ribs so they can sit in a single layer.  Turn the heat up to high and brown ribs on all sides. When thoroughly browned, remove to a plate and continue until all ribs are browned.

Preheat oven to 375.  Pour any fat from stock pot, than add wine, consomme, and water and bring to a simmer.  Add ribs and any juices from plate, cover and put in the oven.  Cook for two hours.

Remove stock pot from oven and use a large shallow spoon to skim any fat from the surface of the liquid.  (Up to this point you can do a day in advance – reheat on the stovetop to a simmer, then continue.)  Remove the ribs to a bowl and cover tightly to keep warm.  Turn heat on stock pot to high and boil sauce until reduced to about a third of the volume.  In a small bowl, use a fork to mash the softened butter and flour to a paste.  Add to stock and whisk furiously to combine.  Continue heating until thickened – about five minutes.  Serve ribs over polenta then spoon sauce over both.  Happy Eating!

Creamy Polenta Recipe

I used Elise’s recipe from Simply Recipes with a minor adjustment.  I’d say this recipe serves about 6 – maybe 7.  I used a 5:1 water to polenta ratio instead of the written 4:1.  To stir in the cream cheese with ease, I’d suggest having your cream cheese at room temperature, then adding it to your pan, covering it with a mound of warm polenta, cover the pan and walk away for 5 minutes.  Then come back and it’s a lot easier to stir.  Yum.

Hands on Holiday Meal Class

Learn to roast a perfect turkey, every time.

Learn to make mashed potatoes that make your relatives weep with bliss not to be outdone by the art of perfecting a brown gravy.

I still love a green bean casserole, yum.  But it seems they’ve gone out of vogue on most holiday tables.  So we’ll cover haricots verts with almonds.  A crisp and crunchy bright green dish perfect for the holiday table.

Don’t forget the stuffing.  Herbed or cornbread?  Don’t be confused when you hit the grocery store.  Perfect stuffing, every time.

Only responsible for bringing a dessert?  Great, we’ll cover the basics of pie crust making, both the flaky pastry crust and the graham cracker crust.  I promise, it’s really very easy.  But don’t worry, there’s no shame in buying a pre-made crust.

Class time 3 hours -$70

each class will be kept to small groups, no more than 4

Email lane@dinnerandconversation.com for more information and to schedule your dates.

Cheesecake Tartlet Recipe

makes 12 3.5 inch tartlets

1 box graham crackers

6 tbsp sugar

10 tbsp melted butter

16 oz cream cheese

2/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. sour cream

Preheat oven to 300.  In a food processor pulse to grind up the graham crackers.  Pour crumbles into bowl and combine with sugar and melted butter.  Press about 2 tbsp of mixture into each tartlet, then press with fingers to evenly cover bottom and sides.  Add cracker mixture as necessary to ensure that all sides of tartlet are covered.  Place tartlet pans in oven to crisp cracker mixture for 3 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth and you see no lumps.  This seems to take an unbelievably long time, but be patient, it will appear smooth eventually.  Add sugar and beat until combined, add eggs one at a time, then use spatula to scrape the sides of bowl.  Add vanilla and sour cream, beat until combined.  Pour mixture into tartlet pans.

Bake in oven 14-16 minutes checking at 14 minutes by jiggling pan.  If the entire filling jiggles cook the additional 2 minutes, when only the center jiggles remove from the oven and cool on counter.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Remove from tartlet pan by pushing up  from the bottom.  Use a butter knife to remove the disc bottom and plate.