Recipe: Chicken-Barley Soup with Herbs and Egg Noodles

Forgot to take a photo of the dish!

Chicken-Barley Soup with Herbs and Egg Noodles
Food and Wine Magazine, Jan 2017, p. 91
4 stars

Nice, hearty winter dish that is really easy to make (not much to it), but just takes time to cook (over 1.5 hr) so we made it over the weekend.  I rated it 4 stars and not 5 because it's not a wow-knock-you-off-your-rocker-i'd-serve-this-to-guests kind of dish, but it was a good, solid, healthy dish that has been great for leftovers.

Ingredients:  chicken legs, leeks, celery, mixed mushrooms, garlic, thyme, chicken stock or broth, pearled barley, egg noodles, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper, chopped parsley or tarragon

Tips:

• Used more celery than was called for
• Used chicken thighs instead of legs
• Parsley or tarragon is definitely a nice addition/garnish

Recipe: Celery Root Bisque with Walnut-Parsley Gremolata

Celery Root Bisque with Walnut-Parsley Gremolata
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016, p. 132
3.5 stars

This recipe was fine but needs a little work because the soup was a bit too watery;  however, it had good flavor.  The walnut-parsley gremolata was surprisingly delicious and a necessary addition.

Ingredients:  celery root, leek, chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chicken stock or broth, walnuts, parsley, heavy cream, garlic, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper

Tips:

• Add a couple of small potatoes next time to thicken up the soup.
• Add croutons to the top for extra crunch!

Recipe: Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream

In the springform pan before flipping it on to the baking sheet

Voila!

Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2016, p.100
4.5 stars

This recipe is not for a beginner baker, and it's not a quick recipe.  Not hard, just a lot of steps and takes some time!

It's a really nice fall/winter dessert that's a bit on the sweet side primarily because of the caramel.  With vanilla bean ice cream on the side, it's perfect for a apple-gingerbread lover.

Ingredients:  unsalted butter, light brown sugar, lady apples, flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, dark molasses, pure maple syrup, eggs, fresh ginger, baking soda, heavy cream

Tips:

• Cooked the apples all at once in a large skillet vs. in 2 batches.
• Sliced the apples differently than how Bon Appetit sliced them.
• Baked for 47 min.
• Next time, will cut the salt to just 1 tsp.  Each bite is a little on the salty side.  

Recipe: Haricots Verts Salad with Crispy Potato Chips

Haricots Verts Salad with Crispy Potato Chips
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2016
4 stars

I loved this dish, but blog contributor 'the grandcruman' was not a fan since this had a strong vinegar-Dijon mustard flavor.  So note: you must like that flavor profile in order to like this dish.  This dish does not lack flavor for sure!

In short, this is a haricots verts (or green bean) dish with crispy potatoes on top and a shallot/Champagne vinegar/Dijon mustard with parsley vinaigrette.

Ingredients:  baby Yukon Gold potatoes, haricots verts, thyme, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper, shallot, Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley

Tips:

• Used green beans instead of haricots verts.
• The potatoes stuck to the aluminum foil.  We'd suggest slicing them thicker next time and not using aluminum foil on the baking sheet.
• This makes a lot of dressing.  For 2 lbs of haricots verts, make just 3/4 or less of the dressing.

Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Rice

Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Rice
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2016, p. 12
5+ stars

This is one of the best dishes we've ever made -- super flavorful and a restaurant quality dish.  The recipe was in the r.s.v.p. section of Bon Appetit magazine where people request (sometimes beg for!) recipes for dishes they've had at a restaurant.  This one is from Elizabeth Street Cafe in Austin which I've dined at and enjoyed.

This will be a "go-to" recipe for us.  It's very easy; you just need to have all ingredients on hand.  AND. . .  it doesn't require hours to cook.  We've tried making flavorful broths (like for pho) before, and this one was simple and packed a punch of flavor with all of the ingredients.

Ingredients:  dried kombu, chicken thighs, ginger, star anise pods, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, chicken stock or broth, glutinous (sticky) rice or sushi rice, fish sauce, light brown sugar, scallion, jalapeno, cilantro, white onion

Tips/Additions:

• Added a garlic glove to the broth
• Added red pepper flakes to the broth
• Topped it with white pepper
• As you can see, I love jalapenos so topped mine with quite a few -- top it to taste!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Mexican Baked Eggs

Messy plating, but hey, it was delicious!

Mexican Baked Eggs
Food and Wine Magazine, Jun 2016, p. 52
5 stars

Talk about easy and quick dish to make for a weeknight meal.  We amped it up by adding a few ingredients -- see tips below.

I'm all about flavor, and this had it -- just see the ingredients.

Ingredients:  eggs, poblanos, garlic, cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce, queso fresco, cilantro, jalapeno, dried oregano, olive oil

Tips:

• Added chorizo
• Added red pepper
• Topped it with sliced avocado and radishes
• Add salt to taste