FFWD - Chicken Breasts Diable

What a great way to make a chicken breast gourmet!  I had to laugh when I read that diable is the French word for devil!  I have a memory from a trip to Paris.... We went shopping in and around Paris and went into this tiny store MAILLE selling all things mustard!!  It really is a small store and I must have spent at least an hour trying to decide what to buy!!!  (My sweet husband was starting to loose patience with me :-)  I couldn't decide on which mustard to buy... I would pick things up and this is where I got into TROUBLE... they had a vinaigrette that I was looking at ... it was separated...my impulse was to SHAKE it up...so I DID...and the store keeper ran over to me and scolded me...DO NOT SHAKE!!  I will never forget it....but it is a MEMORY and every time I look at Maille Dijon Mustard I remember being scolded!!!  That was a very devilish sales girl....

But this recipe was delish....

 

Easy...cook your chicken pieces into a mixture of butter and oil.  Brown on both sides.  Then make a delicious sauce of shallot, garlic, white wine, and heavy cream and the devilish ingredient DIJON MUSTARD!!!  It all turned out to be this really yummy sauce!!!

I served this with a dish that the FRENCH FRIDAY WITH DORIE group had already done last year that I hadn't done yet...  Garlicky Crumb Coated Broccoli (page 334 in the book)!

It was another fast easy dish... and so good!!!!  Simple ingredients...broccoli, butter, garlic, bread crumbs, and parsley.

 

It really was the perfect dish to go with Chicken Breasts Diable!

 

Here is my sweet mustard jar from my shopping trip in Paris....I love it....BUT just to get back at that devilish sales girl....I keep salt in my mustard jar!!!! 

 

FFWD - Cheating On Winter Pea Soup

We love soup in our house ... although this is a pretty green ... I wasn't too sure about it ... UNTIL I tasted it!!!  What a delicious soup this is.  Just a few ingredients too -- onion, vegetable broth, frozen peas, and romaine lettuce. Adding romaine sounded a little strange ... but that little voice in the back of my head said ... go with it and trust Dorie!!!

Cook onions till wilted and then add broth, frozen peas, and romaine lettuce!  Simmer for 10 minutes.

Working in SMALL batches, puree the soup....REMEMBER to cover blender or you will have green soup all over!!

This soup is so good hot..or cold!

 

 

We enjoyed our soup with this French style Flat Bread with Ham, Caramelized Onions & Gruyere Cheese pizza from Trader Joe's!

FFWD - Coeur A La Creme

I have flipped past the picture of this dessert in the cookbook Around My French Table many times thinking ... that is a beautiful dessert!!  A added bonus was that is was so easy to make for something that looks pretty special.

I let mine chill for 2 days and it probably drained 1/8 cup of liquid.  I did use the lower-fat cream cheese .. Neufcatel.

It really is the perfect Valentine Dessert.  I used one large mold and it was firm enough to slice.

 

 

I had a few extra raspberries ... so I kept playing :-)

 

 



Beurre & Sel Jammers

 This is my new favorite cookie!  After buying these in New York I couldn't wait to get home and make them myself!  I love that you make them in stages...make the dough one day and freeze it...the next day you make the cookies.  For some reason that really appeals to me :-)

 Cookies ... all baked and cooling!

 

 I found using a small cookie cutter covered with foil protected the jam from getting the streusel all over the jam.

These are REALLY good ... and freeze great too!

 

 

Beurre & Sel Jammers

Bon Appetit / December 2012

by: Dorie Greenspan

 

Cookie dough:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Streusel and assembly:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 5 1/2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup thick jam, such as lingonberry, apricot, orange marmalade, and blackberry

• Special equipment:A 2" cookie cutter; 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins

Preparation

For cookie dough:
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and salt; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and mix just to combine. Dough will be soft and slightly sticky.

Divide dough in half. Place each half between sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Flatten dough into disks. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough, occasionally lifting paper on both sides for easy rolling, until 1/4" thick. Freeze dough in paper until firm, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.

For streusel:
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter and vanilla into dry ingredients until no large lumps remain and butter is well incorporated. Streusel will be sandy and hold its shape when pressed between your fingers. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Streusel can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

For assembly:
Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F.

Using cookie cutter, cut out rounds of frozen dough from freezer. Place rounds in bottom of muffin cups and gently pat to flatten. Continue cutting frozen dough into rounds; gather scraps and repeat process of rolling out and cutting to make 34 rounds. Cover muffin tins with foil and chill in freezer until dough is firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon jam into the center of each round of dough. Using your fingers or a small spoon, sprinkle 1-1 1/2 tablespoons streusel around edges of each cookie, trying not to get any in the jam.

Bake cookies, in batches if needed, until sides and streusel are golden, 20-22 minutes. Let cool in tins for 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of muffin cups; gently remove cookies and let cool completely on a wire rack. DO AHEAD: Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

MY NOTES:

I used ½ teaspoon of jam and 1 Tablespoon of streusel per cookie.

The jam I used: Raspberry Peach Champagne Preserves

Secret Valentine Cookies Exchange

Thank you so much to my Secret Valentine - Geri Saucier from My Southwest Kitchen!  Geri sent me Peanutty Fruit and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She found the recipe in the latest issue of Better Homes and Garden Magazine.  It is a Dorie Greenspan recipe.  She said she thought they would be the perfect cookie for a Dorista Secret Valentine and she was so right!!

Look at those yummy cookies!!  I loved all the ingredients in them ... chocolate, peanut butter, oats and dried cranberries.

Geri had them packed in this cute container and also sent a couple of Valentine kitchen towels!  I have this "thing" for kitchen towels ... they are a great addition to my collection Geri!

A special THANKS to Alice Mizer for organizing the FFWD Valentine Cookie Event!!

 

Peanutty Fruit and Chocolate Chip Cookies

by:  Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large mixing fowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add granulated and brown sugars; beat 2 minutes more until mixture is smooth.  Add egg; beat for 1 minute.  Reduce mixer speed to low; blend in the oat mixture. mixing only until it disappears into the dough.  Using a sturdy spatula, stir in chocolate and dried cranberries.
3. Divide dough in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days.)
4. Position oven racks to divide oven into thirds; preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Working with one half of the dough at a time, shape dough into 3/4 inch balls.  Place balls about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, pressing down gently into rounds.
6. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until just firm around the edges, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the halfway point.  Remove baking sheet from oven; let rest for 2 minutes.  Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack.  They will firm as they cool.  Repeat with remaining dough, always starting with a cool baking sheet.

Serve with Strawberry Ice Cream, if desired.

Makes about 120 bite-size cookies.

For standard-size cookies
Shape dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, pressing down gently into rounds.  Bake at 350 degrees F oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until just firm around the edges.  Cool as directed.  Makes about 45 cookies.

Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

FFWD - Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin

 

I was looking forward to this weeks recipe using pork tenderloin.  You can do so many things with this lean piece of meat. I also did a make-up recipe that the Doristas made in December, Celery Root Puree.  Dorie recommended that it went well with this pork dish.  I think Celery Root Puree is my new favorite dish!!! 

The ingredients were:  4 large navel oranges cutting two of them into segments, zesting two of them, and then juicing them.  One large pork tenderloin, and 1 onion finely chopped.

Brown the pieces in butter and oil.  Add the orange zest, juice, and onion.  Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. 

 

Add the orange segments and continue cooking for 3 more minutes.  It is NOT the prettiest dish I ever made ... my oranges kinda fell apart!  It did have a great taste and we enjoyed it.

But...believe it or not these weird things (celery root) were the star of our dinner!  Celery Root Puree is easy to make and can even be made of ahead of time!

Cut 2 celery roots (first time I have ever bought these)
1 potato and 1 onion into cube size and boil in milk and water until fork tender.  Drain and put into a food processor adding butter and puree! 

That is it...it is absolutely delicious!!!

These recipe can be found in the cookbook Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.