Trout a la Meuniere
A fabulous co-worker of my husband recently sent home some beautiful, freshly-caught trout. Oh, the color! I wish I had taken a photo before any treatment. The scales were beautifully rainbowed (is that a verb?); the flesh was a succulent pink.
I’ve never been one to mess much with whole fish, as the bones kinda scare me. But here I was, with this fabulous product (already gutted, de-headed and finned, and ready to go), and a load of books from school from which to choose a preparation.
I pulled out my Escoffier book, an English translation of the early French chef’s tome on classical cooking. Even in English, it’s hard to read, as it’s not laid out much like a modern cookbook. But I looked up trout, and there it was: Trout a la Meuniere. Simple. Delicious. Let’s go.
- Remove head, guts and fins if necessary. (Yay, I got to skip this.) No need to scale, but wash the fish off gently. Don’t be alarmed by the slimy coating, and don’t scrub it off…it helps with the cooking process.
- Put about 3 tablespoons of unsalted whole or clarified butter in a large skillet or saute pan. Nonstick is nice but not entirely necessary. Melt over medium-high heat.
A note about the butter…it will brown, and if you have the heat too high, it will scorch or worse. So watch the heat, and if you want to try clarifying butter, you don’t have to worry as much about scorching it. - Salt and pepper the fish, and lightly dip in flour. Tap off most of the flour and place in the hot butter.
- Don’t move the fish for a couple minutes, until browned. Turn once and cook another couple minutes.
- If you’re not versed in judging doneness, use a meat thermometer (I like this one) and remove fish to a platter when it reaches 145 degrees.
- Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the fish and squeeze a lemon over it.
- If your butter is not yet brown, cook it a bit more until it is, then pour over the fish.
A couple notes: The butter amount is for three medium-sized trout in a single pan. My pan was very large, so it could brown without overcrowding. Judge for yourself based on the size of your pan, but I wouldn’t generally cook more than two or three at a time.
Now dig in! We finally figured out that you can lift the entire rib cage out of the fish, which was easier than trying to pick out the bones. Still, watch for any escapees.
Simple, yummy, and fancy. Who knew French cooking could do all that?
What’s Cooking in Food Production II
Wow…that’s all I had to say after the first day of production (actually cooking in the kitchens) in Food Production II. I so thought I was prepared, and I so…wasn’t.
First, I stayed up late the night before and reviewed what we’d be cooking the next day. Sauteed chicken with salsify and herb sauce, wilted spinach and spaghetti squash (later substituted to carrots). So I printed out the menu, wrote out all my mise en place, listed what equipment I’d need to gather, and figured out in what order I’d need to do things. I found a similar recipe in our textbook and attempted to copy it, but my printer wouldn’t comply. So I went to bed, knowing I had things a few steps ahead. It’s all in my notebook.
Fast forward, next morning in class, 8:30 a.m.
I realize I’ve brought the wrong notebook.
Egads, it’s elementary school all over again!!! Thankfully, the instructor went through everything anyway, and I was able to remember much of what I had written before. No problem.
She assigns me and another student as “food stewards,” which means we are to gather food product for everyone instead of each student running around (like we did last semester) looking for stuff. No problem. We take a break after the lecture and before setting up, and I cut it short so I can get a jump on setting up my station.
Oh crap moment #2: I realize I’ve brought my baking kit rather than my knife kit. They look EXACTLY the same. Sigh. (I managed to keep this from my instructor the whole time, but I guess she knows now, huh?) I managed to borrow a knife from a friend and keep moving.
Then, although I thought I was doing well and working ahead, I fall behind gathering the food for everyone. And as we begin production, I realize we had forgotten a few things. Sheesh. NOT. On. My. Game.
I oversalted, undercooked, and generally felt like a screwup the whole time. I forgot to add aromatics to the fond before deglazing with liquids. And it’s funny…I looked back at my blog post from almost exactly a year prior, where I am teaching this exact same technique. I KNOW this stuff. I just forgot!
But I managed to get my dish done, and besides a little too much salt, all other offenses were fixed. A few minutes in the oven went a long way with my chicken, which turned out quite well. The instructor, while tasting my dish, was talking with another instructor at that moment. She reached over and smacked my arm while nodding to her colleague about the conversation at hand…a silent gesture that told me it turned out OK after all. She did say I should sauce half-way down the chicken, so both the protein and the sauce are identifiable. Good sauce. A little too much salt.
Whew.
I’ll go over the actual recipe another day this week, when I make it at home for the family. It’s quite easy, and the sauce is sooooo delicious.
And I’m sure I’ll do better the second time around!
Fancy Pants Goes to Ghana, Again
Me eating kontomire stew with a local woman in Ghana.
This week, I have the privilege of crossing the ocean on a big airplane (yipe) and visiting Ghana.
I went about this time last year, and it was definitely one of the defining trips of my life. I always wanted to visit Africa, and when my church presented an opportunity to serve, I jumped at the chance.
Had I ever been out of the country? No. Was I crazy about that reeeeally long flight (can’t remember exactly how long, but it’s LONG)? Of course not. But these things are meant to be.
You can read my entire mission blog from last year, if you wish, here. But now that I have a somewhat-successful food blog, I wanted to share the story of the one and only time I really got to try real, no foolin’, not-prettyed-up-for-the-Americans Ghanian food. (Most of the time we ate American food at our hostel and had either hand-packed lunches or — get this — Chinese food. Our gracious hosts wanted to make sure we were comfortable with our eats, but I wanted to try local stuff, too!)
Our group was working one day at a mission church in a village out from Accra. Long story short, I didn’t catch wind that I was supposed to be back at the church at a certain time, and my translators and I traipsed the community for hours, until someone called one of the translators (yes, cell phones work great there) to see what was up. They were more than a little freaked out that we hadn’t returned. It had been so long, in fact, that our leader asked me to just “stay put” in the church office for a while. I guess I was grounded. 
So, here I am, moping a little that I caused trouble. About the time I’m feeling really sorry for myself, a bunch of local women bustle into the room, carrying coolers of hot food. It was lunchtime.
Soon, I am eating kontomire stew and plantains with my right, bare hand (as is tradition there), chatting with the women and learning a few words in Akan, their native language. We shared, laughed, and talked about our children. I discovered that, in their culture, if you finish your plate, you want more.
We bonded, over a meal, as people have done for thousands of years. I’ll never forget it.
This trip, I hope to have some more local food experiences, and not just for the food itself. As technology allows, I’ll let you know what I find as I find it.
(And I hope it includes this.)
Gone Fishing for a Healthy, Yummy Dinner
Are you hungry yet?
The whole thing started one morning this week when I decided to make cornbread. For breakfast. That’s what happens when you read Cornbread Nation 4 (Southern essay-style food writing at its finest), buy Crescent Dragonwagon’s Cornbread Gospels cookbook, and decide not to go back on your raisin’, at least today.
When I had finished my morning repast of dainty (wheat-free!) cornbread pieces, dipped in molasses for historical accuracy, I had some left over for dinner.
Cornbread. Fish. We’re on to something here.
I dug around in the freezer for some tilapia, my favorite fish for baking. I decided upon a simple preparation: Sprinkle the fish with salt and garlic powder, then dredge in a mixture of breadcrumbs, freshly grated parm and some parsley.
The side dish required a little more creativity. I am attempting to ease myself back into a sugar-free, wheat-free diet, or at least significantly reduced. Although I really want pasta, I know that short-grain brown rice is my best option. It is thought by some to have detoxifying effects, not to mention lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber. It also has a lovely, nutty flavor, although the white-rice-addicted may need some time to adjust.
To dress up the flavor a bit, I decided to dice and sauté an orange bell pepper that has been languishing in my crisper, along with some carrot and celery. I also chopped some jarred roasted red bell pepper, just for a change in sweetness and texture, holding it to the side until the sautéed veg was ready to go into the rice.
While the brown rice took its sweet time cooking (45 minutes or so), I sautéed the veggies (too early, but no matter) and got the fish ready to bake.
Here I should note the obvious error of using breadcrumbs when I’m trying to avoid wheat. It was one of those autopilot moments — this is the way I’ve always made this recipe. Next time I’ll experiment with cornmeal and parm, but for now, this will do.
I salted the rice while cooking, but not much. When it was done, I stirred in the veggies, along with a healthy scrubbing of parm against my mighty Microplane. You might add a splash of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce (the real kind, please), but don’t overdo it; this ain’t stir-fry.
Meanwhile, the fish baked for 10 minutes at 375 degrees on an oiled pan. You should check yours and adjust depending on the filet thickness; I recommend a thermometer to get it right without cutting into the fish (I use this one and cook to 145 degrees).
I reheated my beloved cornbread in the (gasp) microwave. I know, I shoulda put it in the hot oven with the fish. At this point I was desperately trying to get out the door to a girlie get-together, and I was lucky to take a photo for you (you’re welcome). I got a bite of fish. But reheated later that night, everything was lovely.
Oh, and the cornbread…it deserves its own post. Another day, my friends.
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MomCation Menu
Nice spill on my shirt at the beginning of the class. If only I had remembered my chef coat...
I had the most wonderful getaway this weekend with a group of mommas. We had a little retreat together at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, thanks to MomCation.
This event was the brainchild of my new friend Fawn, author of Instead of the Dishes (another fab blog). She asked me to teach a cooking class, and I decided to attend the whole weekend, although I didn’t know a single soul there. It was the right decision!
My crazy (I mean, really crazy) class covered a bazillion things in 90 minutes, but focused on (1) whole food eating and (2) smart meal planning. Hopefully you’ve already read my thoughts on the former, so here’s the synopsis on planning a week’s worth of meals:
- You spend less
- You eat better (less junk and fast food)
- Your family is happier (especially hungry hubs)
And here’s the week of meals I covered in class. As promised, I’m also including recipes when they apply.
- Monday: Roasted Chicken (Just do what Michael Ruhlman says here)
Extra Points: Chicken Stock - Tuesday: Slowcooker Jambalaya (Uses extra chicken and stock)
- Wednesday: Baked Fish with Orzo and Asparagus
- Thursday: Flank Steak (Use technique here and use for sandwiches or salad)
- Friday: Spaghetti and Killer Easy (ish) Marinara
- Saturday: Noodle Fritatta (Uses leftover spaghetti and asparagus)
- Sunday: Wide-Eyed Pork Tenderloin
If you’re reading this on Sunday (maybe Monday), I’ll have to finish updating the recipes later. It’s late, and I have a whole weekend of momma work to catch up on!
There was also another cooking teacher, Tammy Felder, who came by for a session before mine on Saturday. She had some great ideas on pantry items, budget meals, entertaining, and a KILLER shrimp bisque soup. (See photos)
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Risotto 101 in Food Production I
The final product. YUMMM!!!
In last week’s Food Production I class, we made one of my favorites: Italian risotto. I was glad we had the chance to make it, not only because I love it, but also because the last batch I made at home was kinda awful.
Reason being, you just can’t leave it. Once you start, you stay with it. Which can be kinda impossible with a two-year-old in the house. I had to turn off the heat and avert some sort of disaster (can’t remember what), and the rice got soggy on the outside before cooking through.
Properly cooked, risotto is creamy, rich and savory, without a bit of cream added. This is due to the particular kind of rice used, arborio, which is short-grained and very starchy.
Wanna give it a shot? Sure you do. It’s fairly easy once you get the procedure down.
1. Sweat it out. I mean, your aromatics. By aromatics, I mean veggies and such that will infuse the rice with flavor, smell and overall yumminess. And by sweat, I mean sauté in a bit of oil without browning, just enough to release some of the liquid in the veggies. This usually includes a mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion), as did ours at a precise 1/8″ dice, but can also include garlic and mushrooms (we added the mushrooms). Use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup veggies of your choosing, pre-diced before you start heating the pan.
2. Get toasty. Add one cup of arborio rice to the pan with no liquid to toast it a bit. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula and wait. This essential risotto step adds depth of flavor and a bit of color. But don’t burn it, for heaven’s sake…more work to be done.
3. Ladle it on. While some cooks swear that the stock you add to a risotto has to be hot, our chef instructor said it wasn’t necessary. He was right; ours turned out fine. Your call. Either way, you’ll need about a quart of stock for one cup of dry rice. Homemade would be great, but canned/boxed works.
The trick: don’t add it all at once. Add just one ladle-full at a time, and stir gently until it’s absorbed, a few minutes. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Somewhere in here, you can add in a 1/2 cup of dry white wine, if you want. Also, if you have some fresh or dried herbs, add ‘em now, closer to the end of the process so they don’t get bitter. I used some fresh rosemary and lemon zest.
This section can take 30 minutes or more, so be patient.
4. Get cheesy. When all the liquid is absorbed, fold in 1/2 cup (or more!) of freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese. Please, for the love of all things holy, don’t use the stuff in a can.
5. Meet the meat. If you choose to have any proteins (read: meat) in your risotto (we didn’t), have it already diced/shredded/whatever before you start. Then, when all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, gently fold in the meat. Trust me, it’s fine without it. You could also fold in leftover meat and/or veggies for a lovely second-round stretch of a previous meal.
6. Consume rapidly. We bought some take-home cups from the school restaurant and carried it home for later noms. That is, after snarfing about half of it on the spot. Totally delish!
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Wide-Eyed Pork Tenderloin w/Maple Red Eye Gravy and Matcha Salted Egg
My apologies for the terrible photography. Someday, a Nikon D80. For now, iPhone.
Just the title is a tasty mouthful, no?
Since starting culinary school, I’ve actually cooked (I mean, really cooked) at home less than ever. You may have noticed, since I’ve had fewer posts about elaborate, fancy or otherwise unusual meals I’ve concocted. I’m just too exhausted!
At the tail end of a restful Spring Break, I got the vibe again last week. Here’s what I came up with on a total whim, after grinding some coffee late Saturday night for the next morning’s cuppa before church.
Wide-Eyed Pork Tenderloin w/Maple Red Eye Gravy and Matcha Salted Egg
- 2 Pork tenderloins
- 4 fresh, large eggs (preferably free range), or 1 for each diner
- 1/4 c. whole coffee beans, any unflavored variety (I used Kona Cloud Coffee, medium roast)
- 2 T. whole peppercorns (black, red, or a variety)
- 2 T. dried onion flakes
- 1 T. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Ferneau Seasonings (or Old Bay, or a few dashes of paprika, fennel seed and garlic powder)
- 1/2 cup apple juice or water
- 2 T. orange juice concentrate
- 1 T. pure maple syrup
- 1/4 c. half and half
- 1 T. cornstarch
- Matcha salt for sprinkling (available at Park Hill Pantry)
Trim silverskin and large pieces of fat from the tenderloins. Rinse and pat very dry with paper towels. Place in a dry baking dish.
Place coffee beans, peppercorns and dried onion in a coffee grinder or (preferably) a spice grinder.
The rub applied to one of the tenderloins.
(I used my coffee grinder but promptly washed it, so my coffee wouldn’t be oniony!) Grind the mixture until fine. Place in a small bowl and mix in the kosher salt and Ferneau (or other) seasoning. Using your hands, press the mixture over all surfaces of the tenderloins.
Heat a large nonstick skillet with about one tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, sear the tenderloins, one at a time, turning after about one minute on each side. Look for a crisp, dark sear without being burnt. (Even a little burnt will be OK.)
At this point, you can store the tenderloin overnight or up to 24 hours in the fridge. This allows the flavors to infuse into the meat, and also allows for my favorite Sunday morning food trick — the slow cooker.
Putting the sear on the crusted tenderloin.
Place the loins into an 8 qt. slow cooker. Whisk the orange concentrate into the apple juice or water and pour it in. Cover and set to high for 4 hours or low for 8. I did mine on high, and when we got home from church, the loins were beautifully moist and tender, even at the higher temperature.
When they’re done, remove the tenderloins to a platter and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. This makes them easier to slice without shredding that beautiful, dark crust. Meanwhile, dump the juice left in the slow cooker into a small saucepan. (If you trimmed the loins well, don’t worry about skimming fat, but you can if you want.) Heat the juices to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch into the half and half, then stir into the juices. It will thicken quickly, so whisk constantly until smooth and the consistency you want. It should be plenty seasoned from the crust, but taste it at the end and see if it needs any salt or pepper. At the very end, add the maple syrup and whisk smooth. (If you don’t have the real stuff, I’d rather you just left it out.)
While your gravy is heating (or holding), cook one or two eggs over easy or medium in another nonstick skillet, or poach ‘em if you know how. After the flip (or extraction from poaching water), sprinkle with matcha salt and freshly ground pepper. Repeat until you have one egg for each diner. Then go apply for a job as a short order cook.
Slice the loin, top with gravy, and serve with the egg and a nice salad. Yummers.
Another sorry excuse for a photo. Attempt at close up.
As usual, let me know if you try this, and send me photos!
Coffee
Cooking from the Pantry
I was recently inspired by fellow foodie bloggers Once a Month Mom and Five Dollar Dinners to take part in the “Eat from the Pantry Challenge.”
The idea is born partly from being frugal and partly from respecting our resources, looking down on waste. This has been important to me lately, especially after traveling overseas. We throw away more food daily than some people see all week.
To participate, you can be really formal and organized about it, or (like me) not. No guilt either way. Just become more aware of what you are buying and cooking, what is being used and what is being wasted.
The organized version, I do plan to accomplish sooner or later. It entails making a thorough inventory of your freezer, fridge and pantry (a great opportunity to throw out funky stuff, too). Then create meal plans, about a week at a time, using those things. If you’re really into a challenge, commit to using just those things.
My own going-to-school-again-plus-too-much-other-stuff version: Take a quick visual inventory of said freezer, fridge and pantry and do the same, just a day or two at a time.
This has become my own free therapy program…I’m addicted to grocery shopping. I love it. I’d rather fill up a Kroger or Whole Foods grocery cart any day over shoe shopping. Just me. This process has made me so very thankful for what we already have in our home. In fact, the phrase “embarrassment of riches” keeps coming to mind.
Enough sniveling! Here’s what I made last night from freezer, fridge and pantry: An Asian/Italian fusion dish. Sortof.
I should have sprinkled sesame seeds into the noodles and carrots after they were done, but I forgot. So here's the "really finished but not quite as well lit" photo.
I had some deer tenderloin that a co-worker had given the hubs (yum). I also had a box of spaghetti (half-price damaged box at Kroger) that could stand in for Japanese udon noodles. I had some really great bulk carrots in the fridge. And I’ve got gobs of vinegars, oils and seasonings. So.
I marinated the deer in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and some Italian herbs. About an hour before dinner, I sliced the carrots into batons and sprinkled on a bit of olive oil and apple cider vinegar for a quick marinade. Then, as I boiled the noodles, I seared the meat in a very hot pan. When the meat was at medium (deer can get chewy any further than that), I took it out and held it on a plate. The noodles came out about then, which I drained into a colander that I left in the sink.
I deglazed the pan with soy sauce (well, actually Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, but either works) and poured over the hot noodles, which soaked it up gladly. I tossed in some sesame oil, a bit more soy and some green onion slices. And to really confuse the palate as to which continent it was visiting, I tossed in about a half cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Then I tossed the carrot batons in the pan, just enough to heat through and gather up some more of the yummy bits left in the pan. (Hubs doesn’t like mushy cooked carrots!)
I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be all that great (kind of a make-do dinner), but it was really quite tasty! And, miracle of miracles, EVERYONE in the family ate it. Even the 2-year-old, who has been on a hunger strike if it isn’t a hot dog or chicken nugget. I’d probably marinate the meat longer next time just because deer is kinda tough, but beef would be fabulous this way.
Why don’t you give the Eat from the Pantry Challenge a whirl? Even if it’s just for one meal, I’d love to hear what you find and create with it.
Marinated Flank Steak Sandwiches with Chipotle Remoulade
Before I say anything, I should tell you what happened when I served this to hubs. As our dining room table is covered with yet-to-be-refilled ornament containers, I handed him this sandwich to take to the coffee table, while I finished getting the kids’ dishes ready. Before I could get there, he ran back in the kitchen, did a crazy little flailing happy dance, and exclaimed, “Meat candy!!!”
Yes, I must admit, it was that good.
I’m working on making my posts shorter (yeah, right), so here’s some quick steps to make your own:
- Marinate a 1 to 1.5 lb. flank steak in 1/4 cup olive oil and your choice of savory seasonings. I used some fresh thyme, rosemary and crushed garlic left over from Thanksgiving, plus kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. This freezes well and marinates beautifully while thawing. A 1 lb. steak makes about four good-sized sandwiches.
Heat a grill pan to darn near smokin’ hot, remove chunks of marinade from the meat and place in the pan. Don’t fuss with it, but let it sear and cook about 4-5 minutes each side. The oil from the meat should be enough, but if you need to add a bit more oil it’s OK. I also added a bit of butter. It made the meat more crusty, which was OK with me.- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp, which should be about 150 for medium-rare. I almost always undercook it the first go-round, but I’m getting better.
- Let it rest. This is critical. Do not touch for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile…
Make the remoulade. My very simplified version was jarred roasted red bell pepper (1/2 cup), mayonnaise (1/2 cup), and about 1/4 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, and smoked chipotle powder (you can sub cayenne), and a dash of garlic powder. 
Also used 1 T. of Sparkling River Farms’ Hickory Chip Chipotle Sauce. Traditionally, you should also include celery, parsley, green onion, etc….I kept it simple, but go ahead. I blended it with my stick blender. It was a bit runny — I forgot to dry the peppers off — but fine for this.- Slice the flank steak as thinly as humanly possible. Cutting on an angle helps make a tender bite. If yours comes out a bit rare in spots (like mine), I won’t tell anyone if you drop the slices back in a hot pan for a few seconds.
- Get the extras ready. Wash and dry a few leaves of green leaf lettuce, and slice your hopefully-homemade buns. I made these last night, and the recipe is wonderful!
Assemble. I put a light smear of the remoulade on the bottom bun, then added lettuce, meat, and lots more of the sauce.
Then enjoy!
Thanks for reading. Next post, I’ll tell you about my upcoming adventures as a culinary student.
Chasing Rabbits to Make Uptown Turkey Pot Pie
Ever just get in a really intense cooking mood, just to see where it goes? I do this sometimes, mainly to learn a new technique, but also just to get some “cook” out of my system.
I did this the other day when I had a moral obligation to use turkey bones. (You know, the same creepy obligation that requires you to make quick breads when your bananas go brown.) I wanted to learn to make brown stock. It may have been haphazard, but it worked, and it was step one to a quite yummy dinner! And, it ended up just being about enjoying the process. Even if I cheated really badly at the end.
If I haven’t mentioned it, we ended up frying our gargantuan turkey (from Farm Girl Natural Foods in Perryville, Arkansas) on New Year’s Day, since I was sick on Thanksgiving. After enjoying it with friends, blackeyed peas and coconut lime cupcakes, I kept the bones for stock. Yes, turkey doesn’t have a lot of marrow and such for gloriously gelatinized stock, but they’re bones, and as the LOLcats would say, they haz flavor. (The turkey itself was amazing, too! Definitely buying from Farm Girl again.)
This could get really long, so lemme esplain in bullets what came to pass, over two days:
- Consulted my new On Cooking textbook. A nerd that way, I am. Had to try brown stock after reading The Making of a Chef.
- Roasted the turkey bones at 375 degrees, about 1 hour.
- Removed bones to huge pot, poured off fat, deglazed pan of yummy bits w/water while over two stovetop burners. The resulting yum-sludge is called “deglazing liquor.” Also goes in pot.
- Dumped mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion dice) into pan, cooked until caramelized. Also in pot.
- Covered bones, mirepoix, etc. w/cold water, peppercorns, bay leaves, carrots, celery, etc. and simmered about 5 hours.
- Strain, chill in ice bath, refrigerate overnight, lift fat off top (there wasn’t much). (Now we have brown stock, boys and girls, the beginning of several mother sauces we’ll discuss another time!)
- Diced and boiled some lovely Yukon Gold potatoes. Love those.
- Diced up some turkey breast and leg meat that was pulled off earlier, and diced some more carrots and celery. Very slightly softened veggies in pan w/oil, added turkey to warm it up.
- Made something close to a brown sauce by making a roux (4T butter + 4T flour), adding a bit of cold brown stock to break it down, and then adding more stock until I got 3-4 cups. Simmered w/thyme, bay leaf, S&P until thickened and held warm.
- Oiled a large baking dish and put in veggie/turkey/potatoes. Poured the brown sauce over all.
Now, here is where I caved. All this work, all this from-scratch goodness. And what do I do? I go and get an idea. POT PIE. And do I feel like making a scratch crust at this point? Of course not.
I hate to admit it. You know by now I don’t use much processed food. I only keep these for the hubs, who loves them.
CRESCENT ROLLS!
Again, I hate to admit it, but it turned out pretty well. I unrolled the boogers (the jumbo size kind) on top, covered with a cookie sheet (coulda used foil) so it would heat through, then removed the sheet and baked until it was brown, about 15 minutes.
Whew. Are you tired? I am.
But it was gooood!!! Even better the next day, after the brown sauce had set up a little better and had an even better flavor and texture.
I don’t really expect any of you to follow along and make such a thing. I just wanted to demonstrate that it is good to chase the occasional culinary rabbit, even if you have to finish it off with a processed bag of plastic Easter grass.
BONUS FOOD PHOTO:
I made these tonight, so I’ll have a bit of bread in the morning and some buns for dinner tomorrow night. Gonna make some kind of sandwich out of flank steak I have marinating. Here’s the recipe on AllRecipes for the rolls…absolutely killer, and you can make a whole loaf out of it if you want. I recommend using a whole yeast packet rather than the amount listed.
More soon about my day at Pulaski Tech, getting ready for culinary school! I’m so excited!!!!
