Pasta with Roquefort Sauce

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one annoyed with recipes that call for an expensive ingredient that leave you with a bunch of it leftover...and no idea how to use the rest of it! This happened to me when I made the Roquefort cheese sauce for my rendition of Ina's filet mignon recipe. I was left with a bunch of leftover sauce...and who wants to waste some good Roquefort? Not this cheese lover...


So I adapted a recipe from Saveur for a Roquefort pasta. Oh my heaven, was it good!


Ingredients
1 cup Roquefort sauce (which you can make by following these instructions)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 lb. pasta (anything that holds sauce well, like ziti, shells, gemelli...)
2 tbsp. fresh parsley


Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat, add a generous amount of salt and cook the pasta until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth and wine to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (should take about 5 minutes).
4. Add the Roquefort sauce and whisk until thickened, about 3 more minutes.
5. Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and stir, cooking for another minute so the sauce and pasta can cook together.
6. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
*Note: I like to add some protein, so I served it with some chicken breast (seasoned with salt, pepper and onion powder) that I sauteed in a small saucepan until cooked through.

Blueberry Slump

Wow, people! What a couple months it has been! I've moved across the country - nine states, three hotels, a Jeep with three broken hoses and a dead battery, last-minute trailer rentals, almost getting towed, 40 to 102 degrees in a three-hour span, endless drive-thrus, some great restaurants, a new hard drive and computer battery, packed and unpacked my life, said goodbye to my family and friends, said hello to new friends, started a doctorate program...and those are just the highlights. The transition has been challenging, yet rewarding...and perhaps the best news, my new kitchen is finally settled! With my photos from the last two months finally uploaded to the computer and a rekindled motivation to get back to work in the kitchen, Simply Delicious is back!


So what is a slump? It's an east-coast tradition that describes a dessert with steamed fruit atop warm dumplings. I'm sure you can already see why I wanted to try it! I adapted this recipe from the blackberry slump recipe over at Simply Recipes...my dad brought me a ton of fresh blueberries from Michigan on the final trip he made to Chicago before the move, so I set some aside for this recipe. I threw in some warm spices (this Christmas-candle), and man...the kitchen smelled awesome!


Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar + 1 1/2 cups
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 quart fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Vanilla ice cream, for serving


Directions
1. Combine flour, 1 tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a stand- or hand-mixer until the size of peas.
3. Add the milk to form a dough, and set aside.
4. In a large saucepan, combine the berries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon zest and juice and water. Bring to a boil.
5. Roll the dough into tbsp.-size balls and drop them into the boiling berry mixture.
6. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30-40 minutes. 
*Note: do not remove the lid before the 20-minute mark, and do not stir the dumplings!
7. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream .
*Note: Breyer's natural vanilla (with vanilla beans) is the best!

Fresh Herb Risotto

Risotto sums up all that I love about starch. Hot, creamy, slightly chewy yet soft rice cooked long enough to soak up the flavors of everything else you put with it. My favorite is a wild mushroom risotto, which I will post on this site someday, but I had a bunch of fresh herbs from the market and thought I'd try this with the remainder of my arborio rice. I found it while perusing the NY Times "Recipes for Health..." Risotto=healthy? Ok! You won't hear me argue that one!


Ingredients
7 cups chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used parsley, chives, dill and tarragon, but feel free to throw in whatever you prefer or happen to have on hand)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Ingredients
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
2. Chop the herbs and garlic. Add 1/4 of the garlic to the herbs, and set aside in a small bowl.

3. In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Dice the onion and add to the oil, along with some salt. Cook until tender, about three minutes.
*Note: do not brown the onion, as it will affect the flavor of the finished product.

5. Stir in the rice and three cloves of minced garlic. Stir until the rice is coated with oil and begins to crackle.
*Note: it may not look like a lot of rice at first, but trust me - it's really going to fluff up.

6. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed.
7. Add 1 1/2 ladles of hot chicken stock so that it just covers the rice. The stock should be bubbling, not too slowly or too quickly.

8. Once the stock is absorbed, add another 1 1/2 ladles of stock. Repeat this process until all of the stock is gone and the rice is creamy. This usually takes about 25 minutes.
9. Zest and juice a lemon, and freshly grate some Parmesan cheese.
10. Add the herb/garlic mixture you set aside previously, as well as a little salt, black pepper, and the lemon zest and juice. Remove from heat and stir rapidly until well-combined.
11. Serve hot, perhaps following a light salad to tie you over while the risotto cooks away.

Pretzel Rolls

The local farmer's market has a vendor that sells amazing pretzel bread. For a long time, I've bought one a week, though it usually doesn't last two days! It's salty yet sweet, soft with a great bread-y texture. It's really the most perfect pretzel bread I've ever had.


I've hunted the internet to find the recipe, but to my misfortune, it's not there. Guess some good things need to stay a secret, right? But I did find this recipe for pretzel bread at smitten kitchen, and it was not only easy to make but very, very tasty.


Ingredients
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp. hot water
Cornmeal (*optional)
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
Coarse sea salt


Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. sugar.
2. With the mixer on, gradually add the water until it forms a smooth, elastic dough.
3. Knead bread with your hands for a couple minutes on a floured surface.
4. Wipe out the mixing bowl, lightly grease it with olive oil and return the kneaded dough to the bowl, turning so the entire dough is coated in oil.

5. Cover with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel and let rise for one hour (or until doubled in size).
*Note: be sure to keep the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to ensure that the dough rises properly.

6. Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling it generously with cornmeal. Set aside.
7. Once the dough is risen, punch it down and knead it by hand for five minutes on a lightly floured surface. You will notice the dough getting more smooth as you knead.
8. Cut the dough in half, then half again. Then, cut each quarter in half. This will give you 8 generously sized pretzel rolls.
9. Form the eight pieces into rolls by molding them with your hands. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside and let rise 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.

10. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Also, bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
11. When the dough has risen a second time, use a serrated knife to cut an "x" onto the top of each roll. Don't hesitate to really cut here - do it like you mean it!

12. Once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and 2 tbsp. of sugar. Don't be alarmed when the water boils up like a science experiment - it's supposed to do that! The water mixture is going to seal the rolls and keep them moist and delicious on the inside while providing that crusty pretzel outside we expect from these little gems.
13.With the water boiling, place four of the rolls in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side (1 minute total). Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the lined baking sheet, "x" side up.

14. Repeat step 13 with the remaining four rolls.
15. Once the rolls have been boiled, you'll notice they begin to form a hard outer seal. Brush them with the beaten egg (combined with a little water) to ensure that they bake up nice and golden-pretzel brown. Quickly sprinkle (generously) with coarse sea salt.

16. Bake rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
17. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve them hot or at room temperature - they will keep for a day uncovered at room temperature.
*Note: if you cover them or refrigerate them, the salt on top is going to suck out the moisture from the rolls and you'll be very displeased. If in leaving them out they get a little hard, just heat them quickly in the microwave or under a broiler and serve.

**I served these for a dinner party alongside steak, corn and a summer salad...oh, and some apple pie for dessert!

Filet Mignon with Roquefort-Chive Sauce

Aside from not being allowed to have a grill on my little balcony, I'd be clueless (and scared) if I was able to have a grill but had to light it, use it, etc. It's definitely not my forte. So when I found this recipe for filet mignon from Barefoot Contessa and it didn't involve the grill, I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when I took the first bite and it was de-lic-ious. Tender and juicy on the inside, salty and crusted on the outside... just a few adaptations to the original recipe I found.


Ingredients
*Note: can be adapted based upon how many filets you are making.
3 filet mignon
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. peppercorns (I have a peppercorn blend, which provides a nice mix of flavor, but you can use black peppercorns if that's what you have lying around)
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature


For the sauce:
 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 oz. Roquefort cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. fresh chives, minced


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, generously cover the bottom with olive oil. Heat over high heat until smoking, about five minutes.
*Note: you want the oil really hot so it sears the meat right away. It helps form the peppery crust that tastes oh-so-good.
3. Meanwhile, coarsely ground the salt, peppercorns and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle.
*Note: you can also process them in a spice grinder, but I like to do it manually to ensure that nothing is too finely ground.
4. Add the mustard and crushed red, and stir to combine. Place on a flat plate so you can easily coat the steaks.

5. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and thoroughly rub 1 tbsp. vegetable oil on each.

6. Roll the filets in the peppercorn mixture on all sides, including the top and bottom, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides.
7. When the oil is hot, add the steaks and sear them evenly on all sides for two minutes each (totaling about 10 minutes).
*Note: use some tongs for this, as the oil is going to pop as soon as it touches the meat.

8. When the searing is complete, you'll notice the steak has a dark crust. This is a good thing! Remove the steaks to a clean surface and remove the excess oil from the Dutch oven.

9. Add just a touch of olive oil and return the steaks to the Dutch oven. Top each with 1 tbsp. of butter.

10. Bake uncovered in the oven for 8 minutes (for medium...less or more depending on your preference).
11. Remove to a plate, cover and let set for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.


For the sauce:
1. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Cook on a low boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt, pepper, chives and cheese. Whisk rapidly until the cheese is completely melted.
3. Serve hot on top of the filets. 

Roasted Sweet Corn with Chili-Lime Butter

Okay, people. Have you ever had Mirai sweet corn? It's been selling like mad at the farmer's market, and I'm hooked. It's a super sweet corn on the cob that tastes good cooked just by itself, with nothing added.


But when I think of corn on the cob, I think of salt and butter, too. So when I recently roasted some corn (in the easiest method possible...see below), I adapted a recipe for chili-lime butter from Tyler Florence. The result=delicious!


Ingredients
6 ears sweet corn, in their husks
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp. chili powder
Zest of one lime
1/2 lime, gently squeezed
Salt and black pepper, to taste


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the corn (husks and all) on the oven rack and roast for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, chili powder, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined.
4. Remove from oven with mitts or tongs and let sit for a few minutes on the counter.
5. Cut the ends off each cob and peel away the husks.
*Note: the silk will be moist, so it should peel away in chunks (much easier than peeling it raw when all those strings get stuck and you have to peel them one by one).
6. Slather the corn with the chili-lime butter and serve hot.
7. Oh, and lick your fingers! 

Don't waste all that good stuff!

Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

Summertime salads can get monotonous...tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, some fresh herbs...you catch my drift. But this salad ratches that up a few notches will some really bold flavors. It's a great accompaniment to a grilled steak or chicken dinner on a hot summer evening, adapted from smitten kitchen.


Ingredients
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 pints grape tomatoes
5 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup green olives, finely chopped
2 tbsp. olive brine (from olives above)
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper


Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 tbsp. vinegar with the chopped red onions and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the kick of the onion a bit.
2. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in half, and prepare the celery and olives. 
3. In a mixing cup, whisk together the other 2 tbsp. of vinegar, olive brine, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce and celery seeds.
4. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go, until well combined.
5. Add the tomatoes, celery and olives to the onion mixture.
6. Cover with the olive oil mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Cover and set aside for up to four hours in the refrigerator prior to serving.
*Note: I recommend letting it sit for at least an hour so the flavors have time to combine.