My Last Supper

My time in Tennessee is coming to a close and a new chapter begins.  This has been a wonderful five plus months and I have made so many wonderful friends that I will dearly miss.  I will miss the politeness in the language.  I will miss being called honey, sweetie or Miss Sarah by complete strangers who just want to be nice. 



This also takes me into a new chapter with my blogging.  To celebrate this milestone I have decided to enjoy meals from my blogging friends.  I started with the thought it would be a 'Last Supper'.  But  that left out too many people.  So I have decided to have a 'Last Breakfast', a 'Last Lunch' and a 'Last Supper'.



I am choosing recipes from many of my new blogging friends.  I am doing this backwards because I thought the title of this blog was catchy.  So today honors my blogging friends with their input to my last real cooked dinner before I start my long journey back to Canada.



I have chosen Chicken a la Nantaise from lostpastremembered as my entree.   This was way easier to prepare than it looked from her beautiful presentation. 



This is a tough act to pair.  Her meal is so complete.  I want just a little pre-dinner bite.

You all have such hearty appetizers!  It was difficult to choose one.  But I did find a nice little bite from Tomatoes on the Vine - Prosciutto Wrapped Greens.  This also honors another blogger, La Table de Nana, because I will be using her recipe to prepare the prosciutto.



I used mache greens with a light lemon vinaigrette.  It was perfect - almost an amuse bouche.   Making the prosciutto was a no-brainer, just like Nana said.  I like it sliced very thinly so I will be buying a meat slicer.

Dessert posed a particular challenge.  I have no pie plates, muffin tins, springform pans, hand mixer, stand mixer, nada.  I only have a baking sheet.  So that leaves out all pies, tartes, ice creams, meringues and almost everything that comes to mind.  But no fear!  Winter Guest gave me a wonderful dessert called Postre de Musico.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed simple raisins with the Moscato.  I also included  marcona almonds, dried apricots and my candied Meyer lemon slices.

Chickens a la Nantaise

2 boneless chicken breasts (the original recipe called for pieces)

2 T butter

½ c mushroom broth (from rehydrating dried mushrooms)

½ c Madeira Wine (Charleston Sercial)

1 ½ c béchamel sauce

½ c cream

3 small artichoke hearts

2 thin slices ham

1 egg, beaten

1 c breadcrumbs

6 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp chopped herbs

Chop the artichoke hearts and ham into small dice. Season with salt and pepper and moisten with ½ c béchamel sauce. Make into tablespoon size croquettes and freeze for 20 minutes as they will be very sloppy.

Take them out and roll them into the egg, then the breadcrumbs and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oil to 350º to deep-fry the croquettes.

Fry the chicken breasts in 1T butter until gently browned and nearly done and remove. Deglaze the pan with the mushroom broth and Madeira and reduce while scraping off the brown bits in the pan. Add the béchamel sauce and the cream. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer the chicken gently until cooked through.

Sauté the shrimps in butter, add lemon and herbs. Keep warm and set aside.

Fry the croquettes in the oil until brown.

Place the croquettes and shrimp decoratively on the plate with the chicken. Spoon the sauce over all. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Serves 2, generously

To  make the prosciutto, purchase a small pork tenderloin.  Lay out a linen or cotton tea towel and envelope the tenderloin with sea salt and Herbes de Provence.  Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 4 or 5 days.  Voila!  It cures and makes a nice prosciutto.

I will be posting my lunch and petit dejeuner next.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ultra Easy Pickled Beets

This is so easy it is embarrassing.  I oven roasted some beets, cooled them and peeled them.  I had pickled sweet ginger for sushi in the refrigerator.  I made a simple mixture of rice vinegar with a tablespoon of sugar and heated it until the sugar dissolved.  I placed the sliced, roasted beets in a container with a lid, added some whole and chopped pickled sweet ginger and then added the sweetened rice vinegar to cover.  After a couple of days in the marinade, the beets were ready.  They are delicious!  And the red coloured ginger could be used as a garnish on your sushi plate or in a salad.

I am also honoured to be recognized by one of my favourite blogs lostpastremembered.  You have to visit her especially if you have an historical interest in food.  I am learning so much.  Thank you!

And in the custom of receiving accolades, I am passing this on to some of my other favourites:

Memoria at Mangio de Sola

Nadjibella at Saveurs et Gourmandises

Marjie at Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet

Mags at Other Side of Fifty

Velva at  Tomatoes on the Vine

Nana at La Table de Nana

Mamatkamal at Moroccan Cuisine

They have such wonderful recipes, cooking and presentation ideas.  Please check them out.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Another Photo Op for Miss Sugar

Isn't she sweet?  But then I'm her Mom and I'm biased.  She loves to be fed her treats from the hand.  It is so heavenly that she closes her eyes and imagines she is in a cozy place.

She just always seems to have this grumpy look but she can't help it!

What lady would like to be seen like this!  Just checking my teeth!!!

Nap time with my little Yogi Bear buddy.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Teaching Kids to Appreciate Food – Andrew Kaplan of Yum-o!

Andrew Kaplan is Director of Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! non-profit organization.“Food has an impact on everyone,” Andrew Kaplan tells me as we chat over coffee on a cold and dark winter evening in New York City. “Everyone’s got that story growing up – a smell they remember, a favorite dish their mother or father made, or a favorite restaurant in their town. It’s something everyone relates to and it

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Chicken Paillards with Hazelnut Cream Sauce

This is another dinner for one.  And again, it is a dinner chosen by the boundaries of the pantry.  I think that cooking without a recipe is an invaluable skill.

Chicken Paillards with Hazelnut Cream Sauce

1 chicken breast

1 T butter or olive oil

2 T chopped shallots

2 T chopped and toasted hazelnuts

2 T dry vermouth

2 T mushroom broth (from rehydrating dried mushrooms)

2 T heavy cream

Slice the chicken breast on the diagonal to make 4 equal pieces.  Place each piece between two pieces of waxed paper and pound to make a thin scallopinis or paillards.

Saute the chicken pieces in butter until cooked.  Place on a plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm.  When the chicken pieces have been cooked, in the same pan saute the shallots.  Deglaze the pan with the dry vermouth and mushroom broth.  Reduce until only half remains.  Add cream and hazelnuts and again reduce until the desired thickness of the sauce has been reached.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the paillards.  Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Potatoes, Ham and Eggs - Hungarian Style

Some recipes achieve a timeless distinction within families. You might not eat them very often, but they’re part of the fabric of your lineage. There’s a story or person connected to the best family meals. You might recall that the first time Mom ever served a particular dish, she mentioned that it was her mother’s or aunt’s recipe, and for some reason that legacy stuck with you, forever

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Grit and Wisdom of Chef Candy

Chef Candy Argondizza was my Chef Instructor at the French Culinary Institute in 2005When the going gets tough and temperatures rise, my thoughts turn to Chef Candy Argondizza, my Chef Instructor at the French Culinary Institute during my La Technique sequence in 2005. Chef Candy had a bullet-proof exterior, Teflon hands and a heart of pure edible gold.I think of Chef Candy every time I tackle a

reade more... Résuméabuiyad