Creamy Mascarpone Polenta and Filet Mignon with melted goat cheese and balsamic vinegar reduction

Well, not much to add to this fine concoction, it is as delightful as you can see it through the pictures, which by the way don't make justice to it!

The mascarpone adds such a velvety texture to the polenta that you don't want to miss, and the steak... it gets straight to man's heart :D The richness of the Filet Mignon itself is amazing plus the tangyness of the goat cheese and sweetness of the balsamic vinegar reduction completes this amazing dish.


Creamy Mascarpone Polenta:


Ingredients:
(Yields 6 generous portions)

5 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 small sprig fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a large knife
1 fresh bay leaf
1 1/2 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbspn. unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
2 Tbspn. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until hot. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep the stock warm.

Meanwhile, combine the cream, milk, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf in another medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat.

Strain the cream mixture into a large heavy saucepan. Slowly whisk the polenta into the hot cream mixture. Whisk in the warm chicken stock. Whisk the polenta over medium heat until it boils. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring often, for 1 hour, or until the polenta has the consistency of mashed potatoes and no longer has a starchy taste.

Stir in the mascarpone cheese, parmesan cheese, butter and parsley. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and serve.


Source: Recipe Courtesy of Curtis Stone - Relaxed Cooking with CS.






Filet Mignon with melted Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction:


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 (5 to 6-ounce) filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese


Directions:

Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet. Crumble the cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve.

Source: Recipe Courtesy of FoodNetwork - Giada de Laurentis

Herbed Baked Eggs

If you're looking for something more sophisticated at breakfast time, this is the way to go!


Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
6 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving


Directions:

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or
teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.


Source: Recipe Courtesy of Barefoot in Paris

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Silky texture and delicious flavor... great for kids!


Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, core removed, cut into florets
4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 bunch chives, minced for garnish


Directions:

Combine cauliflower florets, milk and half a teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Strain cauliflower from milk mixture, reserving both. Transfer cauliflower to a blender. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and butter to the blender. Add half of the reserved milk liquid. Secure top on blender and puree mixture until smooth. If mixture is too thick, thin by adding some of the remaining liquid. Season, to taste. Serve in a large serving bowl topped with chives.


Source: Adapted from Food Network - Recipe Courtesy of Guy Fieri - 2008

Saffron Couscous

Don't we all have those days when you have to whip something up in a hurry? Well, here is a quick and flavorful recipe to add to your dinner table within minutes!


Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
Large pinch of saffron threads
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup plain couscous
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (see Note)
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

Combine the chicken broth, saffron threads, and salt in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the couscous and stir to blend. Sprinkle the raisins on top. Cover the pan tightly and let is stand until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork, and mix in the pine nuts. Season with pepper to taste, and serve!


Note: To toast pine nuts, simply place the nuts in a saute pan and stir or toss them over medium heat so they toast evenly. They should take 4 to 5 minutes to become light golden in color.


Source: Relaxed cooking with Curtis Stone

Triple Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

My friend Lauren shared this recipe with me. It was great. This cake is richer in flavor and texture compared with the one I posted a few weeks ago. It also has walnuts and raisins incorporated into the batter.

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Bon Appétit | October 1994
by Becky Guyton: West Carrollton, Ohio
Yield: Serves 10


Ingredients:


- For the Cake:

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup raisins


- For the Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, chopped pecans and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

For frosting: Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy.


Assembling the cake:

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

Source: www.epicurious.com

Stuffed Chicken breasts

This is a recipe I came up with for a very special occasion. Sometimes you just look what you have in your fridge/pantry and need to come up with something nice but not too complicated to make.

This is a very good dish. Great in textures, flavors and also provides a very nice presentation, so if you want to wow your crowd, this is the way to go!

Ingredients:

2 halves deboned and butterflied chicken breasts
2 tspn. olive oil
1/2 package frozen spinach thawed
1/2 container ricotta cheese (almost one cup)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced Pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella cheese

2 eggs
Panko breadcrumbs
flour
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
2 Tbspn. Butter


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay half of the pepperoni slices neatly over the top to cover the breast. Add half of the spinach mixture and cover with half of the mozzarella cheese. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with the italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.

In a large frying pan, melt two tablespoons of butter.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Sear the logs and gently transfer them onto a lightly coated baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. (This cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken and filling). To be more accurate, you can bake it until the chicken internal temperature reaches 165ºF.

Cut into pinwheels and serve.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin - Cinnamon Rolls

This is delightful recipe. I made these beauties sometime in October and didn't have a chance until now to post them, so maybe you want to give it a try for next Fall :)

Ingredients:

- For the Dough:

1/4-ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 tspn. pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


- For the Filling:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup walnuts, or pecans


- For the Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teas. vanilla
1 Tbspn. Rum
1/4 tspn. nutmeg
1/4 tspn. cinnamon
1/2 tspn. Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 cups + 2 TBSP. confectioner's sugar
2 Tbl. milk


Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.



When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix all the filling ingredients but the walnuts and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal.




Cut into 12 to 15 slices. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.



Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.



Meanwhile, cream the cream cheese and butter until well incorporated. Add the pumpkin and spices (dried and liquids). Add the powder sugar by half cup of it at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. The frosting should be soft, smooth and very creamy. Cover the rolls while they are still warm.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Food Network - Cinnamon Rolls - Recipe courtesy Paula Deen