Cornish Game Hen with Pomegranate Molasses - Fancy Schmancy!

For New Year's Eve, Craig and I prefer to stay at home.  I try to make something a bit on the fancy side, where we can safely drink a bottle of champagne or wine.  I'm not ashamed to admit that we're usually asleep by 10:00pm, after watching the East Coast pre-recorded Times Square stroke of midnight. Yeah, we're living "La Vida Loca".

I've been on vacation since December 23rd, which gave me a chance to watch some pre-recorded shows of Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.  I love her quirky blonde hair, and her zany way of teaching.   In one episode, Anne made Cornish Game Hens with Pomegranate Molasses.  I taught myself how to make Pomegranate Molasses, last year (and it's super easy, by the way).

I've never made Cornish Game Hens, and I'm not sure why.  I saw them at Whole Foods, and that made choosing my New Year's Eve menu pretty simple.

I asked the butcher to remove the spine so that the hens would be butterflied. I'm not gonna lie-- this kinda creeped me out.

I felt a little bit better, once I tied the legs together.  I hate to burst anyone else's bubble, but I didn't stop to think about what a Cornish Game Hen really is, until now.  It's a chicken, that's no more than five weeks old.  Here I thought it was some fancy miniature poultry.  Oh well, these were ready to be pan seared and roasted.

First, I poured some of my homemade molasses into a pan, with some smashed garlic, on medium heat.

In a screaming hot pan, with olive oil, I seared the seasoned chicken (salt & pepper), skin side down,  for a good 6-7 minutes. (Of course the skin needs to be patted dry, and free of any kind of moisture.)

I cooked the other side for about 3 minutes, and then placed them on a baking tray.  I brushed the pomegranate molasses onto each bird, and returned them back to the pan into the oven, at 350F, for about 20 minutes.

I was sorely tempted to make Anne's Israeli Couscous with dried apricots and pomegranate arils.   However, my husband isn't crazy about couscous, but he loves Brussels Sprouts.  I remembered a recipe I had made, last year, for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses and Vanilla Pecan Butter. I wanted to tie in the Pomegranates, so this seemed the perfect choice. I decided not to make the Vanilla Pecan Butter, though. Instead, I added the zest of lime, lemon and orange-- and it smelled so bright and lovely.

Once the Brussels Sprouts were roasted, I drizzled them with the remaining pomegranate molasses and added some pomegranate arils that I easily de-seeded...

... using my underwater method (sure alleviates a juicy mess).

Happy New Year, for the Love of my Life.  I presented to him the Cornish Game Hen and his favorite vegetable.

VERDICT:  The dinner looked fancy, with a candle lit table and soft music.  I have no idea why, but seeing that little bird on my plate was unsettling. I could envision it with the feathers, and I felt like I was killing someone's baby.  This is a very strange feeling, considering I am a carnivore-- and occasional "flexitarian".  I couldn't eat the little legs!  Flavor-wise, the bird was moist and flavorful. Craig ate the whole bird, without any problem.  The Brussels Sprouts turned out to be my favorite part of the meal.  I'm the one who's a bit underwhelmed by this veggie, but the citrus zest and molasses was perfect.  I loved the crunch of the tart pomegranate arils.   As far as the work involved, it was no more difficult than a typical work night dinner.

Would I make a Cornish Game Hen again?  Probably not.  But, they do make a fancy presentation, but they're a bit pricey. I'm posting Anne's recipe at the end of this post, and the recipe for the Brussels Sprouts.

 Six years of marriage, and I still feel like we're on our honeymoon.

My husband will probably feel embarrassed, but I wanted to share a couple of photos from today.(Sorry, Sweetie, but I love this photo of you.)

 The Famous Lone Cypress Tree, Pebble Beach

It's our sixth wedding anniversary, and we spent the afternoon having lunch at Spanish Bay, in Pebble Beach (California).  It was a warm and gorgeous day, so I couldn't resist taking a few photos of one of the most famous places on the planet.

If you've never visited here, I hope you do.  If you have, then you know how blessed I feel to call this home.

Craig caught me tweeting photos on Instagram. (I cut my hair even shorter!)

Tomorrow, we are headed to San Francisco, for a few days of sightseeing and good eats!

Happy New Year!

Panko-Stuffed Broiled Tomatoes

When I made Ina Garten's Potato Basil Puree, I decided to add broiled tomatoes as an extra bonus.   I often forget how delicious tomatoes can be, when they are filled with bread crumbs, seasoned with fresh herbs and garlic oil.  They're also really easy to make. I've tried a few recipes, but this is my favorite version:

I'm such a fan of panko crumbs. I love that special "crunch" that I don't get with regular bread crumbs.  I add fresh thyme, a little bit of Parmesan cheese.  In a separate pot, I heat a little bit of olive oil and butter, and then some minced fresh garlic. On very low heat, I allow the garlic to infuse the oil.

 

I use Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise; seeds and pulp are removed.

Season with salt and pepper...

Slowly, drizzle the garlic-herb oil/butter mixture into the panko crumbs, and combine with a fork.

Fill each tomato...then bake at 350F for 7-8 minutes.

Place a small pat of unsalted butter, and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.

VERDICT:  I'll let my son be the judge. You see, he's always hated tomatoes... ever since he was a little kid.  Brian looked at his dinner plate, and poked at the tomato suspiciously. He took a bite-- he tasted that wonderful garlic and herb combination, and that buttery crunch of the panko crumbs.  His eyes grew big, and he liked it!  It took 23 years for me to see the day that he ate a tomato.  Now, that's a compliment.  The tomato complimented the delicious Basil Potato Puree, perfectly.   As Ina would say, "How Easy Is That"?

Short-Rib Soup with Mushrooms and Israeli Couscous

Spring is beginning to make its presence known, in my part of California. I already spotted the first of the California grown asparagus-- yes!  Our Wisteria is in full bloom, and my rose buds are showing promise of rose flowers in our garden.

 If you've been following the news in California, we've had some really heavy rains.  Then, just when we were worried that our local river might flood, we were blessed with 80-degree weather for the last two days.  Today, we're back to overcast skies and chilly winds.  Crazy weather!   I am never sure if I can uncover our Weber grill, or it's time to braise something, or make soup.  Before the recipes for all the Spring vegetables start hitting blogsophere, I wanted to post the soup that I made with the leftover Red Wine Braised Short Rib recipe that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

Speaking of the last two weeks, I have been missing in action.   Suffice it to say that my work schedule doesn't leave me enough time to post recipes as much as I once did.  I miss it, terribly.  For now, it seems I can only post once a week... twice, if I'm lucky.

With that said, let's make soup.  I love making soups, year-round.  It's fun for me to transform leftovers into a delicious soup.  When I make pot roast, I always make souI. When I made the short rib recipe, I saved the vegetables that were used in the braising of the short ribs. I cut up the leftover short ribs and set them aside.

This recipe also comes from Chef Huber Keller, who inspired me to make the Red Wine Braised Short-Ribs.  He used Israeli Couscous.  I happened to find a bag of Harvest Grains, that I had purchased at Trader Joe's.

I cooked one cup the Harvest Grains, per the instructions on the bag...

...and set it aside.  Make a bouquet garni by wrapping the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and 2‐ inch celery piece into a 2‐inch piece of leek. Alternatively, wrap in cheesecloth.

Chef Hubert Keller used Shitake mushrooms.  I used Cremini mushrooms, because it's what I had on hand. i decided to brown them in a little olive oil. You don't have to do this, and you can just add them to the soup sliced raw.  If you don't have leftover cooked vegetables, then simply saute a mirepoix of onion, celery and carrots, and saute them in bacon (or olive oil).

To the vegetables, add the remaining braising liquid, red wine, bouquet garni and some beef stock.

Add the chopped short ribs, couscous and mushrooms...

Truthfully, I liked the soup almost more than the actually braised short rib dinner. The braising liquid is what makes the soup so rich and flavorful.

So there you have it-- how to turn leftovers into something really flavorful and filling.  A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.  

I haven't been able to visit any food blogs for two weeks, and I'm regretting that I'm missing out on some terrific recipes. . I'll do my best to pop in and visit those of you who are on my blog roll-- and to my newest followers on my blog and my Facebook Fan Page.  I'm sorry I haven't been around much.   I'll find more time, soon.  I'm working on it!

Cheers!

Valentine's Day Menu: Sole Almondine, Lemon-Smashed Potatoes & Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Tyler Florence.  Yeah, yeah-- he's cute.  But, so is my husband.  That's all that matters, right?  I've hung on to these unposted photos of last year's Valentine's Dinner that I made for Craig for a year!  Why didn't I post these sooner? I meant to.  Alas, I found myself not being happy with the photos of the plated dinner.  I rushed the shots, because...well, it was Valentine's Day and we were hungry.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.   I decided to get over myself, because this dinner was memorably delicious-- and it's time to share the photos whether I like them or not! The real story behind this dinner menu was seeing Tyler Florence make this on one of his Ultimate shows on Food Network.   I was so impressed with the simplicity of all three recipes, that I decided to make this for my man, last Valentine's Day.  As I edited the photos, my taste buds remembered how delicious this dinner was-- and I am definitely going to make this again.  This is easy enough for beginners, and it will impress anyone if you make this:

You want fresh filet of sole. In my case, I used tilapia, because fresh sole wasn't available.  You want white wine-- but I favor Dry Vermouth for cooking.  You also want slivered almonds, fresh lemon, fresh Italian parsley and shallots.  First, I'll show you how to make Tyler's Lemon Smashed Potatoes.

Unlike the tradition way of making mashed potatoes, you use Yukon Gold potatoes. No peeling, no cutting-- put them into a pot, whole and add cream and milk (I used 2% milk). Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. NOTE: Cooking times vary-- mine took more like 40 minutes to cook.  Easy!

Remove about 2 cups of the liquid and reserve. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes while adding about 1 cup of the reserved liquid, to just 'wet’ the potatoes.Add more, for desired creaminess. Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl and serve immediately.  NOTE: You can keep the potatoes warm, on very low heat. The extra milk/cream can be added right before serving. Works beautifully!

Dee-lishus!

 After starting the potatoes boiling, I'd move on  to prepping the green beans:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim off the tough end of the beans and arrange the beans on a nonstick cookie sheet.Drizzle with olive oil season with salt and pepper, to taste.Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melts and forms a crisp shell over the beans, about 10 minutes.Let the beans sit a few minutes for the cheese to cool slightly. Lift the beans out onto a platter and serve.

Back to the fish:

Set a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat (if you have 2 pans you can work simultaneously at this point, i.e. 2 fillets per pan) and add a 2-count of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to each pan.  Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, then dip them into the egg mixture. Allow some of the excess egg to drain off, then add them to the hot pan.

Cook 2 pieces at a time. Fry for 1½ to 2 minutes, then carefully turn the fish over to cook the other side.With a spoon, baste the fillets with the butter sauce. Repeat basting to ensure the fish remains moist. Once the other side is cooked (about 30 seconds) carefully remove the fillets from the pan to a serving platter.

Once the fillets have been removed the pan, add the chopped shallots and gently saute over low heat until translucent, about 1 minute.Deglaze the pan with the white wine and finish with the lemon juice. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

 To serve, spoon the sauce over the top of the fillets and sprinkle generously with the toasted almonds. (I did this step backwards, but it all turned out fine.)

Serve with chilled white wine and candlelight...

TASTING NOTES:  This menu is one of several of Tyler's Ultimate success in my own kitchen.  Truly, this menu is so easy to make, that you can do this on a work night.  It's pretty fool-proof, and much cheaper than going out on a very busy night on February 14th.   As for the potatoes, they are creamy and delicious!
The lemon zest works well in the potatoes, and as a side dish with fish. I've used this technique to make galric smashed potatoes by adding  whole garlic cloves to the milk and omitting the lemon zest. So good!

 The green beans...  while I didn't get a decent photo of them, they were excellent. C'mon, melted cheese on anything is good!

All three printable recipes are at the bottom of this post.  Tyler Florence-- yes, he's one of my favorite Food Network chefs. 

Made with love by,