White Asparagus with Brown Butter Sauce

***I needed a quick side dish the other night, and I saw this recipe right on the white asparagus package. It sounded pretty simple (and it was!), so I gave it a try. This was my first time cooking with white asaparagus. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was really tasty! Brad and I try to eat really healthy, so next time I'll probably find a recipe that doesn't use butter and bread crumbs...but hey, it was a nice change.***

Ingredients:

12 white asparagus spears, peeled & trimmed to 6" lengths

Salt & fresh ground pepper

2 ounces butter

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the asparagus for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain the asparagus and set aside.

In a large saute pan heat the butter. Add the breadcrumbs and saute until golden. Add the reserved asparagus and saute until well coated with browned butter and bread crumbs.

Sprinkle with parsley, season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Fresh Fig & Walnut Cookies

***These cookies are really unique. Not only are they made with fresh figs and walnuts, but their consistency is almost like bread. That's right...I guess you could call them a "bready" cookie. Is that even a word? I don't think so...hah.

If you saw my Fresh Fig & Walnut Bread post a little bit down the page, this recipe is almost like a cookie version! They are delightfully scrumptious! I only wish that figs were in season all year long. However, I do have 2 loaves of the Fig Bread waiting in the freezer for us whenever we get a craving for it one of these fall days.

The only negative about these cookies is that they don't keep very good after the first 2 days or so. They are definitely the best right out of the oven!***

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup fresh figs, peeled, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream sugar and shortening and add beaten egg. In a medium-sized bowl, sift dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, blending on low speed. Use a spatula to fold in figs and nuts. Drop by spoonfuls on greased sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container in the pantry for up to a week.

Source: Chef Mom

Grilled Pork Loin w/Apple-Cranberry Filling

UPDATE (9/29/08): I made this pork loin again a few days ago for a dinner party. However, this time I baked it in the oven instead of cooking it on the grill. I much preferred it in the oven, and it got rave reviews! The outside was more tender, and it was more moist overall. Just bake it at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours...or until instant read thermometer reads 145 - 150 degrees.

***Okay ladies and gentlemen, I've officially found my favorite way to prepare a pork loin. This dish was a.m.a.z.i.n.g....and it didn't just taste good, but it made my entire house smell of sweet apples, cranberries, cinnamon, fresh ginger and apple cider...oh my goodness. It was like Yankee Candle good...lol.

This would no doubt be the perfect holiday dish...or just the perfect way to welcome the fall season. I'm so happy that there are left-overs sitting in my fridge right now. The fact that its grilled makes this one even better.

This recipe made its way to me via iTunes of all places. I subscribe to the Cooks Illustrated Podcast, and this is the most recent video. HERE is a link to some very helpful notes for this recipe.

Did I mention that I loved this dish? LOL.***

From Cooks Illustrated:

"This recipe is best prepared with a loin that is 7 to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide. To make cutting the pork easier, freeze it for 30 minutes. If mustard seeds are unavailable, stir an equal amount of whole-grain mustard into the filling after the apples have been processed. The pork loin can be stuffed and tied a day ahead of time, but don't season the exterior until you are ready to grill."

INGREDIENTS:
Filling
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 large shallot , halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups dried apples (packed), 4 ounces
1/2 cup dried cranberries (packed), 2 1/2 ounces
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds (see note above)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pork Loin
2 cups wood chips
2 1/2 pound boneless center-cut pork loin roast (see note above)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking grate

DIRECTIONS:

1. FOR THE FILLING: Bring all ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Push mixture through fine-mesh strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes; reserve glaze. Meanwhile, pulse apple mixture in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer filling to bowl and refrigerate while preparing pork.

2. FOR THE PORK: Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut meat to even 1/2-inch thickness. Season inside liberally with salt and spread apple filling in even layer, leaving 1/2-inch border. Roll tightly and tie with twine at 1-inch intervals. Season exterior liberally with salt and pepper.

3.Drain chips and place in small disposable aluminum pan. About 20 minutes before grilling, place pan with chips on primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking); position cooking grate over burners. Turn all burners to high and heat with lid down for 15 minutes. Scrape and oil grate. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). Place roast, fat-side up, on side opposite primary burner.

4. Grill-roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 130 to 135 degrees, 55 to 70 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking time. Brush roast with half of reserved glaze; flip and brush with remaining glaze. (You may need to reheat glaze briefly to make spreadable.) Continue to cook until glaze is glossy and sticky, about 5 minutes longer.

5. Transfer roast to cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. (Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees.) Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, removing twine as you cut. Serve immediately.

Source: www.cooksillustrated.com/podcast

Espresso-Blackberry Macarons - Gourmet Magazine

***I was flipping through the most recent issue of Gourmet (a special issue about Paris), admiring all the Parisian cuisine when I spotted these macarons. Macarons are one of those things that I've always avoided because I just thought they would be too complicated...but this recipe is actually pretty simple! After reading the article, I was inspired to give these a try. I made half of them with blackberry jam, and I made a chocolate filling (recipe below) for the other half. When we make it to Paris one day (it just might be sooner than later...hopefully!) I want to visit some of the famous French Patisseries...like Laduree, Pierre Herme, and Fauchon to name a few. And what trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to La Maison Du Chocolat? One day...

Now, these aren't the prettiest macarons that you'll ever see, but they were okay considering it was my first time making them. I am going to make them again very soon. I found THIS yummy looking recipe for Red Berry Macarons on Tartelette's blog that I just might tackle next. I want to perfect the macaron cookie...after reading some other blogs it seems like it might be a little difficult to make them rise perfectly...practice makes perfect, though!

Appréciez cette recette!!!

From Gourmet:

"These cookies should set for a while before serving. The fillings help soften the meringue—and your patience will be rewarded with a wonderfully chewy texture.

For more recipes inspired by the City of Light, visit our Paris City Guide."

For macarons:
3 oz almond flour (2/3 cup) or blanched sliced almonds (3/4 cup) or slivered almonds (2/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
For filling
About 1/2 cup blackberry jelly

Equipment:
- a food processor with a sharp blade or an electric coffee/spice grinder

- a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain tip or a qt-size sealable bag with a corner snipped off

- an offset spatula

Make macaron batter:
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Grind almond flour or almonds with confectioners sugar in food processor until powdery, 30 seconds for almond flour, about 2 minutes for almonds. (If using grinder, grind in small batches.) Sift through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl (if not fine enough for almost all of nuts to go through sieve, regrind). Sift again into a large bowl.

Stir together espresso powder and vanilla in a cup until powder has dissolved. (I used regular instant coffee granules, and heated the vanilla a little to help the granules completely dissolve.)

Beat egg whites with salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Beat in granulated sugar, a little at a time. Increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks, about 1 minute. Add espresso mixture and mix at low speed until incorporated. Fold meringue into almond mixture with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate and batter will be loose.)

Pipe and bake macarons:
Put small dabs of batter under corners of parchment to secure to baking sheets.
Spoon half of batter into pastry bag. Holding bag vertically just above baking sheet, pipe 1 1/2-inch-wide mounds of batter about 1 inch apart, stopping pressure and flicking tip sideways to avoid peaks (tamp down any peaks with a wet finger). Refill pastry bag and repeat. Let macarons stand, uncovered, at room temperature until a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Bake macarons, switching position of sheets halfway through, until crisp and interior does not give easily when a macaron is gently pressed, 22 to 28 minutes total. Cool completely on baking sheets (for residual heat to harden bottoms) on racks, about 30 minutes. Loosen macarons from parchment with offset spatula (they will be fragile).

Assemble cookies:
Sandwich flat sides of macarons together with a thin layer of jelly.

Layer macarons between sheets of parchment in an airtight container and let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours to soften before eating.

Here's the recipe for the chocolate filling that I used:

Chocolate Filling:

Softened butter

Powdered sugar

Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used the Starbucks Mocha Powder)

Directions: Mix about 1 cup powdered sugar and several tablespoons cocoa powder together thoroughly. Beat into softened butter (about 3/4 stick), taste. You might have to adjust the measurements slightly...adding a little at a time to get your desired consistency. The measurements above are a good starting point.

Cooks’ note: Filled macarons can be kept in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap, chilled 2 days or frozen 1 month. Bring to room temperature in wrapped container (to avoid condensation), about 1 hour if chilled or 2 hours if frozen.

NOTE: If you have trouble removing the macarons from the parchment paper, put a thin layer of water between the parchment paper and cookie sheet (be careful not to let the cookies get wet!). This will loosen the paper from the cookies. Don't let the cookies sit on the water for too long...they will get soggy.

Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

***This dish was delicious! I don't cook with prosciutto as much as I'd like to. The grocery store down the street doesn't always have it in stock, so I usually have to go to Whole Foods or The Fresh Market to get it....if I want good quality prosciutto, anyway! Brad isn't crazy about peas, but he actually liked this dish okay. The sauce is really great...but then again heavy cream always makes sauces better...lol.***

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
8 slices prosciutto (about 4 ounces total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Meanwhile, make sauce: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream, peas, and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until peas are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in lemon zest and juice. Pour sauce over pasta; add Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add enough reserved pasta water to thin sauce as desired. Serve immediately; top with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Source: "Everyday Food: Great Food Fast" by Martha Stewart Living