Pommes Dauphinoise from BBC Good Food

It's been a cooking frenzy today. I must admit, I was disappointed in myself and my recent lack of posts, but I think today I am making up for it with 3.

I love BBC Good Food Magazine. There are always really great recipes in it. In the May 2008 issue is a recipe for Pommes Dauphinoise, yum. I decided to give it a whirl this afternoon for a dinner tonight for Lil and I, as J has a late meeting in Boston. I've settled on onion, bacon and cheese omlets to accompany this amazing potato dish. We're in for a treat tonight!

The recipe is really simple. I am not sure if the picture really does them justice, but they tasted excellent!



Pommes Dauphinoise
(adapted from BBC Good Food)

1 large garlic clove
butter, for greasing
500 ml milk
pepper, cayenne & nutmeg, pinch of each
1 tsp salt
2 lbs potatoes, sliced as thinly as possible (I used the slicing disk on my processor)
6 oz grated cheese (the recipe calls for Cantal or cheddar, I used a nice, sharp cheddar)

Method
Cut the garlic in half and rub around the inside of a large baking dish., then crush the garlic and put it in a large saucepan. After a few minutes, when the garlic-rubbed dish has dried, butter the dish well.
Add the milk, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, potatoes and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir continuously, to prevent the potatoes from sticking, simmer 1-2 minutes until the liquid thickens, then remove from the heat. Stir in half the cheese. Heat oven to 350F. Pile the mixture into the prepared pan and push the potatoes down into the liquid so they are not sticking out. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the top is dark golden and the potatoes are completely tender when poked with a knife.

Something new... Broonie.

There are so many awesome food blogs out there and there are many I try to read when I have some time. Baking For Britain is one of my favorites and there are many recipes I often admire on this particular blog. Broonie sounded and looked amazing so I decided to try my hand at it this morning. Baking For Britain's post on Broonie is quite informative and I really enjoyed reading about it, not to mention the pictures made it look so delicious, I just couldnt resist the urge to bake it. As it was baking and even before I put it in the tin to bake, it smelled wonderful! I could mostly smell the ginger and molasses and my mouth was watering for the 45 minutes it took to bake.

There wasn't a snowball's chance in h*ll that I would be able to resist trying some before I packed it away in an airtight containter to hang out for a day or so. Loaded up with butter it was quite yummy. My 'assistant' Lil agreed after a big bite by saying, 'Mmmmmmm, Mummy, so good.'

Project Vanilla Update!

I'm so excited about this project I feel as though I could burst!

I've been dying to make my own vanilla extract for quite some time. Mom & Dad were in NH last week and picked me up a handle of vodka to start my project (how incredibly awesome of them!) I was really excited when we visited with them this weekend for the holiday. I really wanted to rush home and start the extract straight away. But when we did arrive home yesterday, suprisingly I wasn't up for starting the extract and spent the evening reading. So, this morning, coffee in hand, I got everything together and as I write this, it's in our hall closet 'maturing.' I am insanely excited!

Here's a sneak peak! :o)



And the excitement doesn't end there! We arrived home to a package from Moolka with Lillian's kitchen just waiting to be put together. My apprentice finally has her very own kitchen! J and I put it together yesterday afternoon and when she woke up from her rest we were ready, video camera in hand, to show her her new kitchen. She was so excited and needless to say she has been 'cooking' non stop since. I'm really excited for her... she absolutely loves it and truth be told, I like it quite a bit as well!

Project Vanilla Update

Sooooooo, EXCITED!

My vanilla beans arrived this morning in the mail. I was incredibly overjoyed when I opened the mailbox and there they were. I believe my reaction was a very excited, 'YESSSSSSSS!'



Inside the envelope were 50 gorgeous, plump, luscious, pleasantly scented vanilla beans. I ordered them on Ebay from Top Vanilla. After much searching on the net, they seemed to have the best deal. I am very pleased and cannot wait to begin my vanilla project. I have not weighed them yet as they are packed in plastic and vacuum sealed and I do not have all the supplies for my project yet. If I had to make an educated guess I might say there is about 5 to 6 ounces there, so just shy of half a pound. They are approximately 6.5 inches to 7 inches in length. And, from the research I did online there are approximately 50+ vanilla beans per half pound and 100+ per pound. I got 50 beans for $19 and change and then the shipping was only $5. Seemed like a great deal to me! :o)

To be continued...

Buffalo Chicken Tenders w/Blue Cheese Dip

All American fare. I made some delicious Buffalo Chicken Tenders from the May issue of Everyday Food. They came out superb! We gobbled them all up and I will definitely make them again. Give them a whirl, they'll be excellent, I promise! :o)

Project Vanilla: Part I

I just bought 50 vanilla beans online... keep your fingers crossed that they turn out to be a decent lot of beans! Here's to hoping!