Recipe: Glazed Carrots with Goat Cheese and Honey

Glazed Carrots with Goat Cheese and Honey
Food and Wine Magazine, Feb 2016, p. 38
5 stars

This dish involves a lot of ingredients, but it was WORTH IT!  Really nice flavor that all of the herbs and spices imparted on the carrots.  We had this alongside Japanese Yams and an Aleppo-rubbed pork loin.  I would make this side dish for guests.

Ingredients:  butter, EVOO, carrots, garlic, tarragon sprigs, thyme springs, rosemary sprig, bay leaves, star anise, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, honey, apple cider vinegar, chicken stock, Kosher salt, pepper

And then, there's the gremolata ingredients:  chopped parsley, chopped tarragon, garlic, lemon zest, EVOO, goat cheese, Kosher salt, pepper, flaky sea salt

Couple of notes:

• I cooked the carrots for about half the time that the recipe calls for.  Didn't want the carrots to get mushy (plus, we like a little crunch), so definitely keep an eye on the carrots.
• Didn't use grated garlic in the gremolata.  I actually forgot to include it, and it still tasted great.

Recipe: Andouille Mac & Cheese

Andouille Mac & Cheese
Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2015, p.52
4 stars

A Cajun take on mac & cheese and the perfect accompaniment to brisket or ribs.

I didn't rate this a 5 because while there is a lot of delicious goodness, it doesn't have that bam(!) flavor.  The flavors meld together -- which is a good thing; I was just expecting a little more of a flavor punch and kick because of all the ingredients.

Ingredients:  shredded mild white cheddar, shredded sharp cheddar, andouille sausage, red bell pepper, onion, scallions, cilantro, parsley, pasta shells, whole milk, heavy cream, unsalted butter, flour, panko, garlic, thyme, cayenne, nutmeg, white pepper, Kosher salt, black pepper, canola oil, hot sauce, jalapenos

And by the way, the serving size for this is not 4 -- it's more like 8 or 10!  If you take a look at the photo of the item on Food and Wine's website, it looks like a huge chicken fried steak portion.

Recipe: Simple Bolognese (Giada De Laurentiis)

[Will insert a photo the next time we make it!]

Simple Bolognese

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

4 stars

Most bolognese recipes take a minimum of 3 hours to make, so I was skeptical about this recipe, but it turned out great!  Super easy -- took about an hour, and we made fresh pasta to go with the sauce.

Tips from reading the reviews:

• Add at least 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the veggie saute
• Add a bay leaf (and remember to take it out)
• Add red pepper

My tips/what we did:

• Use 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks
• Used regular parsley instead of flat-leaf Italian parsley

New tips as of 7/3/2022

We made a different bolognese sauce and liked the spice mix that was used.

• 2 bay leaves, 3 whole cloves, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• Toast spices in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until fragrant, about 2 min (to release their flavor). Let cool, then finely grind in a spice mill.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Farro Salad

Butternut Squash and Farro Salad
Us Weekly Magazine, Oct 19, 2015, p. 51
5 stars

Talk about a healthy, hearty winter salad that's so easy to make!  I saw this recipe in US Weekly magazine of all places -- it's a recipe from Katie Lee, the co-host of The Kitchen on the Food Network.

Just 13 ingredients:  butternut squash, shallots, raisins, farro, smoked Gouda, walnuts, arugula, grainy mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, ground cayenne pepper, salt and pepper

Well, 14 ingredients because we added bacon.  Bacon makes everything better!

In short since I can't find a link to the recipe online:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Peel and cut butternut squash into 1/2-inch chunks and slice 4 large shallots -- place them on the lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
• Roast until squash is soft and shallots begin to brown (about 25-30 min)
• Pour 4 tbsp sherry vinegar over 1 cup of raisins.  Soak for 15 min then drain the vinegar into a small bowl; place raisins in another bowl.
• For the dressing:  Whisk 2 tsp whole grain mustard into the sherry vinegar from the step above;  add 6 tbsp oil, season to taste with ground cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
• Toss 2 cups of cooked farro, the butternut squash, shallots, raisins, 6 oz diced smoked Gouda and 1 cup of walnut halves and toss with the dressing.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss in arugula.

Recipe: Shanghai Noodles with Golden Garlic and Soft Tofu

Shanghai Noodles with Golden Garlic and Soft Tofu
Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges (cookbook), p.235
5 stars

After being so impressed with Jean-Georges' restaurant in Deer Valley, I checked out his cookbook from the library to test out some recipes.  (This was my first time borrowing a cookbook from the library which is such a great idea!  Got the idea from reading a review on Amazon.com.  I hate buying cookbooks only to test out recipes and be disappointed.)

So. . .  we didn't make this exactly per the recipe.  Changed it up a bit, but it turned out delicious!  With all the changes we made to the recipe, I should make this as-is next time.

HUGE learning for me:  Steeping the mint and basil and adding chicken broth to it made an incredibly flavorful base.

Changes we made to the recipe:

• Sauteed some ground beef with onion and garlic and added it when mixing the final dish.
• Added green beans
• Added shitake mushrooms
• Did NOT use 1 cup of garlic -- used 4 cloves instead
• Did NOT use 1/4 cup of serrano chiles -- sliced up 2 instead
• Couldn't get fresh Shanghai noodles so used some other similar Asian noodles we had
• Couldn't find pea shoots so left that out

Recipe: Cumin Fried Rice

Cumin Fried Rice

Food and Wine Magazine, March 2015, p.60

4 stars

Great, easy side rice dish.

Ingredients:  basmati rice, shallot, ginger, cumin seeds, chickpeas, spinach, salt, pepper oil

Tips:

• Since spinach wilts down to almost nothing, I used almost 10 cups of spinach instead of 4.  I cooked it separately to keep the rice from being too wet.
• Added garlic and red pepper.
• Will try cannellini beans instead of chickpeas next time!

Restaurant: J&G Grill at the St. Regis in Deer Valley

J&G Grill at the St. Regis in Deer Valley, Utah

7452 Mary (Bloody Mary)

Brioche Bread Pudding with Roasted Pineapple
and Condensed Milk Ice Cream

This was my first dining experience at a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, and it did not disappoint.  Even though we didn't have a full sit-down meal (we sat at the bar), I'd rate this in my top 5 dining experiences in my lifetime.

It's rare when I dine at a restaurant and enjoy every single item I ordered and where service is flawless.  To help me remember our amazing experience, here is what we enjoyed:

Drinks:

• 7452 Mary:  At 7,452 feet, Deer Valley's signature Bloody Mary is topped off with a wasabi and celery espuma, cayenne pepper and black lava salt.  
• It was served with a pipette of Worcestershire sauce (fun!).  It's the best Bloody Mary I've ever had in my life.  Super fresh, spicy, unique with the wasabi/celery/green apple foam and the slightly sweet black lava salt.
• Smoke & Fire:  Don Julio Reposado Tequila, High West Campfire Whiskey, Lemon, Spiced Hibiscus, Orange
• Who would've thought to put tequila and whiskey in a drink together?  Smooth and balanced with lots of complexity.  Loved this.

Appetizer:  

• Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Spicy Radish and a Ginger Marinade
• Amazingly fresh;  I could've eaten 3 of this app since it was small; would've been perfect with crostini.

Entree:

• Sichuan Pepper Crusted Yellowfin Tuna
• It was served with 2 Shishito peppers and a soy-miso mustard sauce.  Ordered it rare, and it was amazing just like the app -- suprisingly not spicy even though it had the Sichuan peppers on the outside crust.  I must find Jean-Georges' recipe for the soy-miso mustard sauce!  

Dessert:

• Brioche Bread Pudding with Roasted Pineapple and Condensed Milk Ice Cream
• This is what bread pudding should always be like -- moist and decadent with every single bite.  It was topped with a thinly sliced dried piece of pineapple.  A lovely end to our meal.

Regarding drinks, I think their cocktail list was one of the best I've seen.  I wanted to try all of them!
Here was their specialty cocktail  menu:

I'd HIGHLY recommend dining at J&G grill or going there for apres-ski!  (Apparently, there is a way to ski down to the bar!)  Note that we took a nice finicular ride from the bottom to get to the hotel that's mid-mountain.

Restaurant: High West Distillery & Saloon in Park City, Utah

High West Distillery & Saloon in Park City, Utah

Fun, apres-ski hangout.
Creative strong cocktails.
Comfortable bar with knowledgeable bartenders.
Will definitely be back.

We ordered:

• Le Bouvier:  American Prairie Bourbon, Yellow Chartreuse, Cognac, Fino Sherry
• The Grand Duel:  Double Rye!, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Lagavulin 16
• Pretzel & Beer Cheese:  House Pretzel, Whiskey Whipped Beer Cheese, Mustard Dip & Pickles

Recipe: Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Panko

Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Panko

Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2015, p. 12

5 stars

Someone wrote to Bon Appetit and asked for Chef Stephanie Izard's recipe from her restaurant Girl & the Goat in Chicago;  I'm so glad that they did and that they published this recipe.

If you don't like cauliflower, try this and you may change your mind -- this side dish has tons of flavor and texture and is oh so easy to make.  This will be served at our next dinner party.

Ingredients:  cauliflower, toasted pine nuts, panko, Parmesan, thinly sliced pickled red peppers (such as Peppadew) garlic, butter, Kosher salt, pepper and mint (we didn't add the mint but that would have added yet another layer of flavor)

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Pot Pie

Chicken Parmesan Pot Pie - recipe from Fabio Viviani
People Magazine, Feb 2, 2015 issue, p.82
5 stars

I'm sometimes wary of recipes in non-food magazines but decided to try this chicken pot pie recipe -- with an Italian twist that was in this week's issue of People Magazine.  Really great recipe (winter comfort food), and we would definitely make it again!

Tips:

• Cook the vegetables less so that they remain their texture.  (Remove vegetables from the pan temporarily while cooking the chicken in the pan; then add the vegetables back.)
• Cook the potatoes just a tad less
• Add red pepper
• Cut the amount of flour down by at least 1/3 so the overall texture is less "thick"
• Add thyme
• As you can see -- we baked this in a large casserole dish vs. in individual ramekins

Recipe: S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue
Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, p. 72
5 stars

This was so good that I forgot to take a photo of it!
Of all the s'mores desserts I've made, this is one that I'd make again -- the recipe is a keeper!  It has a great balance of graham cracker crust (much thicker crust than most recipes), cakey/brownie middle and lovely marshmallowy fluff of meringue.  And best thing about it is that it's not super sweet.

Here is a photo from the magazine so you can see how it ended up looking:

I'll update this post with a photo the next time I make this *craveable* dessert!

Recipe: Carrot-Walnut Loaf Cake

Carrot-Walnut Loaf Cake
Bon Appetit, May 2015, p. 20
5 stars

This recipe is from the r.s.v.p. section of Bon Appetit -- a reader requested the recipe from Breads Bakery in NY (I'm so glad he did!).  We had all the ingredients in the house, so I made this randomly one afternoon.  It's one of my favorite desserts I've made recently ~ I kind of feel healthy eating it since there are carrots in it.  Haha.

The sprinkle of brown sugar on top before baking is a nice touch.

Ingredients:  flour, carrots, golden raisins, walnuts, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, baking powder, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• This made a loaf (8.5" x 4.5" pan) and 6 cupcakes
• Use more cinnamon next time
• Top with cream cheese frosting! Now it's really a cake.

Recipe: Coconut Rice Salad

Coconut Rice Salad
Food and Wine Magazine, March 2015, p. 60
3.5 stars

I wouldn't necessarily call this a 'salad.'  The recipe was ok -- we had to really "up" the flavor on it.  I'd make this again but increase the heat/add more spices.

Ingredients:  unsweetened coconut milk, jasmine rice, sugar, salt, chicken, Kirby cucumbers, scallions, canola oil

Tips:

• Used basmati rice instead of Jasmine rice
• Added Thai red curry paste to the chicken, but the chicken still needed more flavor even with that
• Added sriracha on top to add some heat
• Used extra-virgin olive oil instead of canola oil
• Cut the cucumbers at a diagonal or chop them vs. half moons next time

Drink Recipe: Celery Tonic / Celery Martini

Celery Tonic (Celery Martini)
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p.54
5 stars

I'm always one to try new (and sometimes odd) food and drinks, and I love it when we have everything in the house to make random recipes that I come across.

This recipe is very celery-y as you can imagine but really interesting, refreshing and one of my favorite drinks to make.

Recipe:

• Muddle 1 chopped celery stalk with 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 oz fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker, 1 minute.
• Add 2 oz. gin, fill shaker with ice, and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds.
• Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

As you can see from my photo, I made it into a beautiful cool green martini. . .

Recipe: Spaghetti with Fresh Zucchini Pesto

Spaghetti with Fresh Zucchini Pesto

Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2015, p. 60

4 stars

This was a pretty good and healthy (vegetarian!) dish.  We modified this recipe and added basil and used walnuts instead of almonds.  It's an interesting take on pesto by using zucchini.  

Add a simple garden salad with Parmesan crisps and a glass of white wine. . .  bon appetit!

Ingredients:  zucchini, spaghetti, Pecorino romano, garlic, blanched almonds, lemon zest, mint, red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper

Recipe: Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts
Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2014, p. 86
4 stars

We had extra fennel from another dish, and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. . .  found this recipe which was oh so easy and fresh -- a crisp/crunchy fresh and flavorful salad.  And only 10 ingredients!

Ingredients:  celery, fennel bulbs, Honeycrisp apples, basil, walnuts, Pecorino cheese shavings, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Pork-and-Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth

Pork-and-Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth
Food and Wine Magazine, March 2015, p. 101
4 stars

Hearty and quick weekday meal that is so flavorful and will make your house smell wonderful.

Ingredients:  ground pork, frozen peas, baby spinach, egg noodles, chicken broth, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Spinach wilts down to almost nothing, so we used almost 3/4 lb spinach (much more than what the recipe calls for)
• You probably will have leftovers, so definitely keep the egg noodles separate so that they don't get soggy -- don't cook the egg noodles in the soup

Recipe: Peach, Blueberry and Ginger Pie

A BA Kichen Primer: Fruit Pies
Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2015, p.33-38
5 stars

Pie Crust Recipe
Filling Recipe

I've made a Blueberry Ginger Pie and now a Peach, Blueberry and Ginger Pie using the pie crust and filling recipe in the June issue of Bon Appetit.  It beats all fruit pies I've ever tasted.

Tips:

• Crust recipes, in general, never seem to make enough dough for the bottom and top.  It's so odd.  When they do, the crust just seems too thin.  For the pie pictured above, I decided to make a crumble for the top.
• I don't think the pie crust needs as much butter as it calls for (1 cup + 2 tbsp).  I may test cutting it down just a tad next time.
• Make sure to set the pie plate on a sheet pan lined with foil.  The pie will bubble over with its yummy goodness.
• Serve the pie with homemade ice cream -- bourbon vanilla bean ice cream went great with the peach, blueberry and ginger pie.

Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Food and Wine Magazine, Apr 2015, p. 126

5 stars

This is the ultimate ham and cheese (non-)sandwich that would be lovely to serve at a tea or as hors d'oeuvres at a dinner party.  We had this for dinner with a nice salad and glass of Chardonnay.

Basically,  you create a bechamel sauce that is layered in with the ham and Comte cheese in the puff pastry.

Ingredients (11):  thinly sliced baked ham, shredded Comte cheese, puff pastry, egg, flour, shallot, milk, butter, whole grain mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper

Tip:

• Add a little more mustard and consider Dijon mustard

Recipe: Smoked Almond S'mores with Whiskey Marshmallows

Smoked Almond S'mores with Whiskey Marshmallows
Saveur, May 2015, p. 22
4 stars

S'mores from scratch.  It takes a lot of work, and I'm not sure if it's all completely worth it.

The graham shortbreads were good, not amazing.  They were soft and were a little crumbly -- perhaps, I didn't bake them long enough?

The chocolate squares were good.

The marshmallow recipe was good as well.

It just took a LONG time to make everything since there are 3 components.

I'll make these again and will report back on what to do differently and how to make these better.  (And I'll remember to take a photo next time!)