Cauliflower Gratin

After much needed practice, last night I was psyched to have one of my first dinner guests' in the new digs! My favorite photographer type person came over to catch up on gossip and enjoy some tasty morsels, and I was more than happy to oblige. I had just read all about cutting down on meat in our meals, but with homemade pizza, risotto and this side, it looks like I missed the boat on no carbs. Oh well... there's enough time in 2011 to catch up- right?


Cauliflower Gratin
From: Barefoot in Paris
1 (3 pound) head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
Salt- kosher or sea salt preferred
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all- purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Pre- heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5-6 minute, until tender but still firm. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter- flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup Gruyere, and the Parmesan cheese.
Pour one-third of the sauce on the bottom of a 8x11x2 inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*This recipe is easily halved for a smaller party.
**This dish can also be made and assembled in advance (up to one day). Hold off on the topping until ready to cook.

Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This past week had me thinking a lot about family and how much they mean to us here. We have a couple of people close to us that are not feeling 100% so I headed into the kitchen to whip up some meals for them so they can use all their time getting better and Mr. Smith headed out onto the ice to show one of our favorite little guys how to skate:

This soup is the perfect thing to warm your bones whether your just off the ice or resting up.

Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
From: Cooking with Shelburne Farms

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 coarse kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons creme fraiche, or heavy cream
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. An ice cream scoop or serrated grapefruit spoon works well for this task.
Place the squash halves, flesh side up, in a 9 by 13- inch baking dish. Put a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup in each cavity. Sprinkle each half with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the squash is very soft. Cool just until the squash can be handled.
Carefully pour any liquid from the squash cavities into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade or a blender and then scoop all the flesh into the food processor. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, remaining tablespoon of maple syrup, remaining teaspoon of salt and creme fraiche (or heavy cream). Puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as necessary.
Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan, whisk in about 2 cups stock to start, and heat through over medium heat. Thin with additional stock and adjust seasoning to taste. Swirl nutmeg and cinnamon into soup as needed.

Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce

Back when Mr. Smith and I were working on getting hitched, we registered for all types of necessities. You know- wine glasses (check), sheets (check), towels (check)... and what do we have here? oh yeah... the fry daddy type thingy that Mr. Smith needed.

You know, since married life was certain to bring buffalo wings and french fries. Well, as you can see, I broke down in the blizzard this week and took that bad boy out. You can also see the glass of wine that helped coax that decision....
This was actually not as painful and messy as I thought, so I fear there will be more wing type challenges ahead.

Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce
From: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes- 2 *
1 cup Frank's cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine all ingredients except egg yolk, water, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Heat sauce over medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and allow it to cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
While the sauce cools, vigorously whisk egg yolk with water in a medium bowl for 2 minutes or until color is pale yellow. Whisk in cornstarch until dissolved.
When cooled, drizzle the hot sauce mixture into the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream while rapidly whisking. Cover the sauce and chill until needed.
Cook 20-30 wings according to your fryers directions. Ours is 350 degrees for 12 minutes (cooked in batches). Put the cooked wings in a plastic container with a lid along with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sauce and give a good shake to cover chicken.
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery/ carrot sticks.
Enjoy!
*Note: This book makes me laugh- they actually had to have two volumes of this? and they're so top secret that they sell it at TJMaxx? Killing me....

Italian Meatballs

I know several people who can jump into the kitchen and whip together a batch of meatballs in their sleep- no recipe, no problem. I, on the other hand, need the recipe, a tutorial, pictures, yada yada... I know there's an egg, meat, and breadcrumbs maybe? How big should they be? How long should I cook them?

Alice Waters to the rescue again! I love the way she writes a recipe- absolutely foolproof. This recipe rocks my world and produces gorgeous specimens that rival the best (sans Mrs. St.P's).

Italian Meatballs
From: The Art of Simple Food
Season:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork shoulder*
with:
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
In a small bowl combine:
1 cup torn-up pieces of torn up, day old bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup milk
Set aside to soften. Grate, using the large holed side of a box grater:
1 small onion, peeled
This will make a sort of rough puree that will add moisture and flavor to the meatballs. Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread and put the bread in a large mixing bowl with the seasoned meat and the grated onion. Add:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Fresh- ground black pepper
Combine the ingredients with your hands, gently but thoroughly. Overworking the mixture makes the meatballs tough. The mixture will be soft. Gently form the mixture into meatballs, either with your hands or a small ice cream scoop. If you make them Alice's size she recommends the size of ping pong balls and cook for about 6 minutes. I like them a bit bigger and cook them from 15- 20 minutes (I get about a dozen out of this recipe). Bake them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 450 degree oven**, or alternately in a frying pan on the stove top.

*If you don't have pork shoulder, alternately use 1 pound of meatball mix (ground veal, pork, and beef)
**I also add in a large can of whole tomatoes (and their juice), a couple fresh sprigs of rosemary, and 3 whole garlic cloves (peeled) over the balls before they go into the oven. It can sometimes save me from making a sauce, and helps impart a little extra flavor.

The Blue Moon

I hope the New Year is treating you all well!
I, on the other hand, am trying to get my mojo going here in our new digs. After trying to learn how to use a knife again I am going back to work on things I know like this and this. I have not, however, forgotten how to shake a cocktail, so I broke into a bottle of Creme Yvette that was gifted to me and has been calling my name.

The Blue Moon
Variation by Cooper Spirits
1 1/2 parts gin
3/4 part Creme Yvette
1/2 part fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.