FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

Well, Ashley and I are celebrating our fourth year of blissful happy marriage today and as if being married to each other wasn't enough, our great friends Tara and Steve sent us the most beautiful gift...Straight from Paris (which is now our very favorite place to visit in the world).  We recieved a gift basket from the world famous and bread monopoly of Paris, Poilane!

I wish I could send out a smell email with the amazing aroma that followed the opening of this box.  It smelled like we were back in Paris walking into Poilane.

Included in this beautiful bread set was (clockwise from left to right) the classic poilane wheat loaf, rye loaf in the back there, amazing little butter cookies (6 for 150 calories and 4.5 g of SATURATED FAT!), walnut bread, and in the middle is the currant bread.

To honor the bread in all of its glory we decided to pair a few cheeses and some really great olive oil and parmesean to start our bread extravaganza.  The olive oil is a greek first cold pressed and of course the cheese is a parmagiano reggiano...

Ok, so I got a little ambitious with the cheeses...trying to get a nice spread of tastes and flavors we endulged in the following:

Blue Shopshire English Cheese (cow) - nice tangy blue, not quite as potent as some though...more mild

Talleggio (cow) - a soft white Italian cheese that had a similar taste to mozzarella but a little saltier

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor (goat)  - VERY goaty....definitley has some barnyard. Very tasty

Roth Kase Vintage Van Gogh Wisconsin (cow) - a nice gouda with mild flavor...not quite cheddar, but getting there

Lincet Delice De Bourgogne Triple Cream French (cow) - One of my very favorite cheeses...sooooooo creamy and sweet

Kerrygold Irish Cheddar (cow) - a very complete cheddar, salty and sweet

You will notice in this picture two things...1) the bottle of Cakebread Cab which another great friends of ours gave to us a while back, which at the time of this picture was about half full, and by the end of the night was all the way empty...thanks Mike and Megs and 2) the truffle oil oozing from the rinds of the goat cheese, this was a real treat.

side bar: DO NOT SERVE YOUR CHEESE COLD!

this is a lesson we learned a little while back,

and makes every difference in the world.

Let your cheese sit out for about an hour or so in

 the plastic wrap or in a sandwich bag

 and allow it to get to room temperature.

 You will discover a new world of cheese if

 you follow me through the wardrobe on this one

But wait...there's more!  What better way to showcase wonderfully baked bread than by making a panini with filet mignon and arugula, carmelized onions and (depending if you are Ashley or John) blue cheese or creamy triple!

First things first, get the onion chopped Ashley and melt some butter...

Onions were in the butter at about low medium for 20-30 minutes...don't want them to get fried...but brown and more mushy than crispy

Get the meat out of the fridge at least 30-45 minutes before cooking.  You want it to be room temperature to cook the most even.  Make sure you dry it off with paper towels to ensure a proper sear.  Generous application of Salt and FRESHLY GROUND pepper.

This preparation is all Thomas Keller!  Get some canola oil into the pan on high heat until smoking. Get steak on one side of the pan and DON'T TOUCH....NO...DO NOT!  After about two minutes the steak will release naturally from the pan, then and only then can you check for a nice brown crust...after about two minutes, give it a flip.

When you flip the steak, try to put it on a spot other than the one you were just at, it will be hotter over there and plus your steak needs a little change of scenery.  This is where it gets good...after you flip your steak, put about 1-1.5 tbs of butter right on top.  Let it melt for about 30 seconds.

The butter will start to melt a little, but there is still some oil in your pan, tilt the pan towards you and with a spoon bigger than your regular spoon, start basting the steak and butter with the melted butter and residual oil...this will make the butter start to melt into the oil.  Continue basting until the steak is finished cooking...maybe 3 or 4 more minutes.

This may have been the most fun cooking experience I've ever had...to baste a steak in its own juices and butter over high heat, the smoke the aroma...it's called bistro style and in this moment I felt like I was cooking in one.

The key to a happy marriage is splitting things right down the middle...Creamy triple for Ashley, stinky blue for Johnny

Steak is a nice rare-medium rare.  I would have maybe gone 30 sec. longer, but after cooking the sandwich on the panini press, it ended up closer to medium

Put the steak on the cheese, then top with the beautiful carmelized onions. 

we top the bread and flip it so that the bottom is on top and brush with olive oil, then re-flip it onto the panini press so that the bottom is the bottom again. (PAY ATTENTION MON AMI)  We had to take the bread off after cooking to top with arugula, if we had the cheese on top, it would melt to the bread and steak making it very difficult to do so.

I don't know how long..maybe 6-10 minutes...until it's golden and crusty.

Voila!

Serve with the rest of the cakebread and enjoy with your best friend.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SO GOOD WE LOST POWER

We made some spaghetti squash and as soon as it was done cooking, BOOM! lights out, power out for the rest of the night...but not before we were able to snap some shots of this very delicate, buttery delight.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 large sprigs rosemary
2 large sprigs sage
1 (3- to 5-pound) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour broth into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
Bruise rosemary and sage sprigs with the back of a knife and toss into
broth. Arrange squash in dish, hollow sides down, and roast until rind
gives easily when pressed and flesh is just tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
(Be careful not to overcook squash since it will become too soft and
soggy.) Transfer squash to a large plate, hollow sides up, and set
aside until cool enough to handle.

Using a fork, scrape squash out of rinds and transfer to a large bowl.
Add butter, parsley, salt and pepper and toss gently. Serve
immediately.

Use a nice sharp knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise...

Scoop out the seeds and get your bruise up the sage and rosemary.

Add the broth into the pan and throw in your rosemary and sage, lay the squash hollow side down into the pan for about 40 or 45 minutes. 

Once it comes out, remove the squash from the dish and LET IT COOL A LITTLE FOR CHRIST SAKE....(burnt my finger tips because I just couldn't wait!)  Take your fork and scrape away at the flesh of the squash to create your spaghetti...

We blanched some green beans which we tossed with about a tablespoon of melted butter and then into the spaghetti...very very good...Sweet, with the hint of sage and rosemary that we roasted it with and the salty finish of the butter...very easy and tasty...

Be careful though, this thing could knock your power out like it did ours, then it's candle time!

AUTUMN BOUILLABAISSE

If you try one thing on our blog, try this....it was sooooooooo goooooood!  It exceeded our expectations. 

So we got our first pie pumpkin in the farm box today!  In my opinion it's just too early for pumpkin pie.  I am still holding on to what's left of summer.  I found this recipe for an Autumn Bouillabaisse and even though it has Autumn in the name it seemed more appropriate than pumpkin pie.  We cut this recipe in half because we won't be home this weekend to eat leftovers and personally, I don't like eating leftover fish.  Yes I'm a snob, and proud of it. 

Ingredients (full recipe)

8 cups pumpkin, Sugar Pie or Baby Bear (about 3 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 leeks, white and pale green parts, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup white wine
4 cups gluten-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 pound skinless, boneless halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound jumbo scallops
1/3 pound large shrimp, deveined
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Lemon wedges for garnish


Method

Using a large knife cut off the top stem end of the pumpkin, creating a flat surface. Place the flat side down on the cutting board to stabilize the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, then into quarters. Peel, seed, and cube the pumpkin. Set aside.

I thought it would be easier to peel the pumpkin before I cut it in half lengthwise, not so much.  This person who wrote this recipe is much smarter than I am. 

I gave in and followed the directions. 

Heat the olive oil in a heavy 5 to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and leeks and sauté until tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Add the wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, turmeric, bay leaf, salt and pepper; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the pumpkin is just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the halibut, scallops and shrimp and gently stir to combine. Cover and simmer until the seafood is just opaque in the center, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a lemon wedge and serve immediately.

These pictures do not do this meal justice.  It was incredible.

I would recommend adding the shrimp one minute after the halibut and scallops, as they were a tad bit overdone.

Per serving (about 23oz/642g-wt.): 320 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 70mg cholesterol, 450mg sodium, 26g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 27g protein

Recipe Courtesy of Whole Foods