Wednesday Night Dinner Plans
• Gruyere and Tarragon Skillet Soufflé
Serves: 4
3 tbs. fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
8 large eggs, separated
2 tbs. chopped tarragon
2 tbs. hopped chives or green onions
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
2 tbs. unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, stir breadcrumbs into milk and soak until mixture becomes pasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cups of the cheese.
About 20 minutes before serving, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form very soft peaks. Scoop whites into the yolk mixture and quickly fold them in. Heat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add butter and swirl until melted and sizzling. Pour batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Immediately put skillet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until puffed and deeply browned. Serve soufflé immediately, using a large spo9on to scoop onto warm plates.
• Feta, Fennel and Mint Salad
Serves: 6
2 medium sized fennel bulbs thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 tbs. sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 navel oranges
In a large mixing bowl, combine fennel, mint, vinegar, oil and salt. Toss in olives and feta. To prepare oranges, slice off the top and bottom. Using a sharp knife, follow the curve of the fruit to slice off the peel and white pith. Cut oranges in quarters, then slice each quarter into wedges 1/4-inch thick. Toss oranges into the salad and turn out onto a platter or shallow bowl.
• Blue-Cheese-Rosemary Puffs
Makes 30 to 40 puffs
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rye flour
5 large eggs
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
In a medium saucepan, combine water, salt, rosemary and olive oil and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flours all at once and immediately whisk vigorously until you have a thick mass that pulls away from the pan. Transfer batter to an electric mixer (or if you prefer, leave it in the pan and use a whisk and muscle) and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in blue cheese.
Line top baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat, or lightly butter them. Drop batter in spoonfuls on the baking sheets, allowing plenty of space between each spoonful for puffing. If desired, refrigerate or freeze pans until 30 minutes before serving.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffed and browned (allow an extra 5 minutes if they came from the freezer). If you have just one oven, it’s best to bake each pan separately.
____________________________________________________________
Earthly Eating Recipe
Apple, Sage and Cheddar Pancake
Serves: 4
Filling:
2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 tbs. coarsely chopped sage
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tbs. sugar
Pancakes:
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. coarsely chopped sage
1 1/4 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tbs. unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 325°F. For the filling, melt butter in a heavy 12-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in sage and cook for 1 minutes, until butter sizzles and is fragrant with the sage. Toss in apples slices and sugar and put skillet in the oven. Bake 1`0 minutes, or until apples are soft.
While the apples cook, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl with a immersion blender or whisk. Stir in remaining sage and 3/4 cup of the cheese.
When the apples are done, scrape them into a bowl. Rinse and dry skillet and return to medium heat. Swirl in remaining butter. When butter sizzles, pour in batter and return skillet to oven on a center rack. Bake about 209 minutes, or until puffed, brown and crisp around the edges.
Remove the pancake, spread the apples in the center, and top with the remaining cheese. Return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm the apples and melt the cheese.
Happy Eating!
Leave a Reply