This year has flown by me.  I know that’s trite and ridiculous,  and I’m showing my age but seriously.  That’s how it has felt.  It feels like it *should* be March and asparagus should be just peaking in season.  Of course it’s December and the end of 2009.  Thank God.  I mean that in both the sarcastic sense and the literal sense.  I guess it’s a coming of age thing when you recognize both the monumental joy a decade has brought you right along with a recognition of the pain felt along the way.  Do *any* decades just feel amazing start to finish with love and peace and prosperity the overwhelming theme?  If so, I’d like one of those please.

So in honor of 2009 and the millennium decade or whatever we’re calling these years, I’d like to express gratitude for:

1.  My sweet husband.  7.5 years of marriage  this Christmas and 13.5 together.  Thanks for being on my team, even when I want to throw things at your head, and thank you for always being you, the love of my life.

2.  My children.  What a journey it was to have you here with me.  The road was full of heartache, but the end is my ultimate bliss.  You are everything I ever wanted.  Literally.  And I love that both of you want to be chefs.

3.  Every culinary present I’ve ever received.  All of which have come this decade.  I’ve loved my kitchens, and I’ve loved my toys.  10 years ago, I was in college and had no kitchen – or at least not one worth mentioning.  Dear Kitchen Aid Stand mixer my husband swore I would never use, the card may as well have been written: To Lane, because you love to prove someone wrong.  Dear Cuisinart, (which shall be replaced soon due to the vast improvements to this year’s model) I.  Each and every one makes me happy, and *that* is the goal friends.  I’m thankful for the kitchen I’ve built this decade and look forward to having one twice as nice next decade ; )

4.  My friends and family.  Whose support and interest in my blog has totally blown my mind.  Thanks y’all.  Truly.

5.  The abundance of groceries in my life.  Both the actual food and the multitude of options I have for procuring them.  I am a seriously blessed lady.

So if you made it through my holiday musings, this is the soup I created for a pre-Christmas dinner at my house.  I love a soup course, and hate to serve a meal without one.  We had Cream of Asparagus soup at my luncheon on my Wedding Day,  and it has always held a sweet place in my heart.  You hear cream of …, and I see some of you tuning out.  Let me be clear – this is a predominantly asparagus and broth soup, cream is present, but it is not a cream based soup.  It was very well received.  I originally topped these with the tips of the asparagus, but they tended to sink.   So unless you want to top your soup with a dollop of cream, they may not be the best food presentation choice.

Cream of Asparagus Soup serves 10

4 tbsp butter

2 c. chopped onions

3 bunches asparagus, cleaned, snapped, then sliced into 1 inch segments

6 and ¾ c. chicken stock

¾ c. heavy cream

1/4 c. Madeira wine

1 and ½ tbsp lemon juice

12 turns fresh ground pepper

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Reserve 20 of the prettiest asparagus tips for garnish.  In a heavy bottomed stock pot, melt your butter on medium heat.  Add chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring to ensure you are not browning the onions.  Add asparagus and satue an additional 5 minutes.  Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until asparagus can easily be chopped in half with the edge of a wooden spatula.

Splitting into 3 batches, puree soup in a blender.  Once all pureed, in stock pot, add puree with cream, madeira, and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper.  Think of your seasonings as a jumping off point to start negotiations, bring soup back up to heat on medium, not to a boil, but warm.

Meanwhile, place asparagus tips in a pan of boiling salted water.  Cook until tender about 8 minutes.  Let soup rest 5-10 minutes at just below medium heat, then recheck and adjust seasonings as warranted.

Merry Meet!

Years and years ago I made the Halibut with Hollandaise from the Williams-Sonoma Simple Classics Cookbook I seem to always be referencing.  I remember messing it up and scrambling my eggs at least once.  In retrospect, everything went extremely easily this time so I’m not sure where I went wrong the first time.  If you’re hesitant with your double boiler, I would use a glass bowl over the pan of simmering water, just so you can watch it to ensure your water doesn’t boil.  And if your whisk is showing signs of rust or just bent and old, throw it out.  They’re not very expensive and I hung on to my crummy one way, way to long.  Sauces and gravies are so much more pleasant with a nice whisk.  Here’s the one I chose if you’re needing inspiration.  We’ll definitely continue eating asparagus plain more often than not, but this was a nice touch.

Hollandaise Sauce

4 egg yolks

2 tbsps fresh lemon juice

1 stick butter, melted

Beat egg yolks in top of double boiler until thick and creamy.  Add lemon juice then whisk continuously until mixture has doubled in volume.  Place over barely simmering water, whisking continuously, then slowly drizzle in melted butter in a stream, whisking continuously the entire time.  Continue to whisk over heat until mixture is light, smooth, fluffy and has again doubled in volume.  Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and a touch of cayenne.  Serve immediately.  Entire process took about 10 minutes.

Fish sauce is made from fermented fish, which at first hearing, sounds kind of gross. It is a staple ingredient in almost all Vietnamese and Thai cooking, and has historical use in China. I started using it in my Asian-inspired cooking, due to it’s prevalence in recipes.

5 skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed, sliced into thin strips

soy sauce

fish sauce

juice of one lemon

cumin

onion powder

fresh ground pepper

frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and chopped in 1-inch pieces

1/2 white onion, sliced

hoisin sauce

Place chicken strips in a large bowl and cover with soy sauce, add 1 tbsp. fish sauce, lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper, stir. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat a wok on high heat, then add 2 tbsps canola oil. When oil is hot, add chicken to wok in a single layer, discarding any used marinade. Put lid on and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Add onions and asparagus. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes, then add other drained vegetables. Add 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1.5 tbsps hoisin sauce and stir. Cover and cook additional 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Tonigt’s Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts and Asparagus

Everything’s better roasted. Really, meat, vegetables, you name it. And the process is pretty universal, high heat, drizzle of olive oil, few seasonings, and roast.

So the Cutters Cross spice in this recipe was given to me as a gift back in my working days. I used to belong to a professional group, TEC (they call themselves Vistage now). Our chair gave these as a Christmas gift one year. Anyway, these are great! spices. The steak seasoning is killer, and though I’ve been out for awhile the California Style Garlic Salt is a favorite of mine, too. I’ve always wanted to start a spice business, but life just keeps getting in the way. If you’re looking for a gift for a foodie friend, I highly recommend a box of these spices.

Roasted Chicken and Asparagus

3 chicken split breasts

paprika

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Cutters Cross Cajun Spice

olive oil

asparagus

Heat oven to 425. Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil. Season chicken breasts, with paprika, salt, pepper, and a generous sprinkling of cajun spice. Place chicken in a saute pan and roast in oven about 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 internal temp. Occasionally baste chicken with pan juices.

When chicken reaches 165 remove from oven to rest. Reduce oven temp to 400. In another saute pan shake asparagus with 2 tbsps olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in oven 8 minutes or 9 if they are thick asparagus.

I also made the Barefoot Contessa’s Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil except, I was low on both tomatoes and basil, so I only used four roma tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves. And I didn’t have Texamati rice, so I used regular long grain brown rice. It was delicious. Ina Garten is my hero.