Villa Rosa Inspired Sunday Dinner

 

I love Lisa Vanderpump and have her cookbook somewhere here at home.  I was inspired recently by a piece of cake someone posted on Instagram from one of her restaurants.  Some of her restaurants seem otherworldly, a garden and rose festooned fantasy such as the cocktail garden she has in Las Vegas.  So a piece of cake got me thinking about why I love Lisa and all the other British Grand Dames such as Joan and Jackie Collins, Shirley Bassey and Elizabeth Taylor.  Because while they are dramatic looking with their makeup and big hair, they are class to the core.  Not snobby - they do not have time for that.  Having come from a land that was severely blitzed in the second world war, they carry with them a tea and sympathy attitude and a humility of one who while knows how to enjoy the good life, never forgets where they came from.  This is why you will see comfort food on the menu like mashed potatoes and an unfussy appie of cheese and bread (they are after all from the land of pigs in a blanket which is served at every party I ever see in a British cookbook) mixed with a beautiful rose floral garden cake.  Bon Appetite everyone and Happy Sunday!

Chicken Milanese: 

 

You will need:

4 chicken breasts

salt & pepper

1/2 cup flour

2-3 eggs, well beaten

2 cups panko 

1/4 cup Parmesant

1 tsp. oregano

zest from 1/2 lemon 

2 tbsp. butter & 2 tbsp. olive oil

One by one, flatten chicken breasts in parchment paper.  I like to cut the chicken breasts in half, down breast bone, to make smaller. Season each breast with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Then, in 3 separate bowls (or plates) add 1/2 cup flour in one bowl, 2-3 eggs, beaten in another, then 2 cups panko with 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1 tsp. oregano, zest from 1/2 lemon in another bowl or plate.

When I flatten my chicken, sometimes I just put into a large Ziplock bag and pound it with the back of a soup ladle.  Nothing fancy here.  Today I just put chicken on parchment, folded it over and hammered it!  Not to much, just enough to make nicely thin - about the thickness of your finger looking sideways!

Then take 1/2 chicken breast and put on floured plate, shake and flip over to other side to cover lightly in flour.  Next, dip chicken into egg mixture, hold up and allow extra egg to drip off.  Next, put into mixed up panko mixture and gently press panko into the chicken with your hands.  Repeat this process with your remaining chicken breasts and put onto a separate plate near the frying pan. 

Over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil into a pan.  Once nicely heated, put a couple of chicken breasts in and cook, 2 minutes each side, or until nicely browned. Put aside on paper towel and squeeze some lemon juice over finished chicken.  Check to may sure there is no pink. By the way you can make these in advance and reheat in oven or in frying pan for a minute.  

Once done, you will work on your salad.  I concocted this the other day and love it.

P.S.  Feel free to make a heaping mounds of buttery mashed potatoes to add to your dinner.  Put the chicken on top of the mashed potatoes and then the arugula salad over top of the chicken. The vinaigrette will meld into the potatoes and give you a serotonin hit from all angles!

Lemon, Lime Vinaigrette with Capers and Parmesan

You will need:

3-4 cups arugula leaves, handful of mini tomatoes, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 6 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. Dijon, 1 tbsp. honey, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 3 tbsp. to 1/4 cup capers (I love lots over the salad), pinch salt and pepper.

In a medium sized bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon and one lime.  Then add  olive oil,  capers Dijon mustard, honey,  Parmesan, a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk!  Take a taste and adjust your seasonings if you like.

In a separate bowl, add a few cups of arugula and mini tomatoes, and spoon vinaigrette over and toss. Make sure the leaves are all covered and add more vinaigrette if you like.  Personal note, I like to double the recipe because you'll really want a good amount of vinaigrette to go onto the chicken too! 

To serve, put chicken on a plate and top with arugula and vinaigrette.  Top with More grated Parmesan cheese if you like.

Ros`e Wine Infused Cake with Rose Water Butter Cream Icing Covered In Pistachios, Gold Sprinkles and a Few Strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

What the hell happened to my French E?  Oh well.  For this cake, I made 4 layers, so double the recipe if you'd like to make 4-9 inch cakes. Otherwise, just follow the recipe as is for one cake.  

You will need:  1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 cup rose wine.

Mix together butter and sugar.  Then add liquid ingredients, the eggs and vanilla.  Mix the flour together with baking powder, baking soda and salt first,  then incorporate it into the bowl, alternating with the rose wine a little at a time.  Once batter is smooth, put into Pam sprayed 9-inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  I had divided the first batch into two 9-inch cake pans which makes for the cake to be thinner, but I made another batch to make 2 more cakes for 4 thinner layers.  The icing will plump it up!

Rose Water Butter Cream Icing  

Rose Water is used in Middle Eastern and Indian Cooking.  You can get easily at a Gourmet Cooking Store. or Middle Eastern Grocery  

You will need:  1 cup of butter, 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. rose water, 1/4 cup half and half, 1 drop of pink food coloring or more if you like, salted pistachios, gold sprinkles (if you can find edible gold paint then brush a few strokes on the side of this cake, it would be outstanding!  I couldn't find any in town yesterday, so will go downtown for it next time.) 

Mix up really well until nice and fluffy, then decorate your cake!  I added fresh roses, pistachios and gold sprinkles with a few sliced strawberries to look like pedals over top. For the record, un-iced cakes are not beautiful.  But you can make it look beautiful with patience and by letting your creativity to run wild.  Cakes are a canvas.  Enjoy yourself. XOXO

Julia Child's 109th Birthday Lunch

 

Hi everyone and welcome to a really delicious menu to celebrate cooking icon Julia Child who would have been 109 today.  What I loved about Julia was that she was an ordinary woman with an exuberant zest and love of life.  She may not have fit the mold of what we assume a TV Star to be, but here we are, celebrating a woman whose introduction to French food to North America took the 1960's and the 1970's by storm. That is a good lesson for all of us.  Do what you are passionate about, period.  Because when you live your life living your passions, the world for one will not be able to take their eyes off you, but they will be inspired in the process.  when the 

Today's Menu

 Cheese Gougeres

 Lemon Garlic Scallops with Yellow Beets 

over Lettuce & Dijon Vinaigrette

Pesto Potato Pasta with Parmesan

 Crunchy Herbed Baguette with Roasted Tomatoes

The Mi-Cuit aka The Best Chocolate Cake ever made

Chablis Wine

Cheese Gougeres 

Turn oven to 400 degrees.  Will bake for about 25 minutes

Get out a pot and pour into it, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 stick butter cut into 4 cubes (which is 1/2 cup butter), 1 cup flour, 5 eggs, 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.

I used a liquid measuring cup for both the liquids and the flour and they turned out perfectly.

Bring milk, water and butter to a boil in the pot and turn heat off.  Add 1 cup of flour a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and stir vigorously until the dough all comes together.  Turn dough into a mixer using the paddle and mix on low speed.  Add 1 egg at a time over a period of about 2 minutes.  Allow for each egg to incorporate into the dough.  By the way, the dough will break apart, but come back together, so no need to worry.  Once all the eggs have been added, add the cheddar cheese and mix through.  

Using either 2 spoons or a piping bag, dollop 1-1/2 inch mounds on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Put gougere 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.

Pop into the oven.  After about 12 minutes, turn the cookie sheet around so all the gougeres cook evenly.  Bake for another 12 minutes or until gougeres are lightly toasted.  These will keep well, so you can make in advance for a day or two.

Lemon Garlic Scallops with Yellow Beets Over Favorite Lettuce With Dijon Vinaigrette

Roast whole beets in a 350 oven in a little pan of water, about a 1/4 full for about an hour.  Test with fork to see if cooked through.  Cool and then peel and slice.  Better yet,  buy already peeled and packed beets to slice for your salad!

1 lb. bag of medium sized scallops, drained and dried, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. butter, 1 minced garlic clove, Pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, Chopped chives or parsley for garnish

In a frying pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and the butter.  Allow to melt and meld.  Then put scallops in and cook one side for about a minute or until just crispy and brown.  Add garlic at this point to pan and using tongs, turn the scallops over and cook for one more minute.  Take off heat and test one scallop to see if it is just cooked through.  You might need to cook for another 30 seconds or so depending on the size of your scallops.  When done, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over them and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer a plate with your favorite lettuce, and decorate with yellow beets.  Add the scallops and then drizzle vinaigrette over scallop salad.

Scallops Vinaigrette:  2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, pinch of sugar or sweetener is optional, but I always prefer it.  Shake or whisk vinaigrette then taste and adjust flavorings if need be.

Pesto Potato Pasta with Parmesan:  1/4-1/2 cup already made pesto, 20 baby potatoes or 5-6 potatoes cut into quarters, 1 small box of favorite pasta noodles or small container of fresh stuffed pasta such as tortellini or ravioli, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and a handful of basil leaves.  

Boil up baby potatoes or a couple of larger potatoes cut into quarters for 20 minutes.  Poke fork into make sure they are just done.  Don't over boil.  Drain potatoes and allow to cool.  Cook pasta according to box instructions making sure you first flavor the water with a couple of tbsp. salt.  Once done drain and toss with potatoes, pesto and parmesan cheese. Toss in basil leaves for garnish and for extra flavor.

Roasted Tomatoes:  Slice 4 tomatoes and put into a casserole dish or a roaster.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix together 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup olive oil and pour over tomatoes.  Roast at 350 for 1 hour.  Can serve cooled over toasted baguette.

Toasted Baguette:  Split length-wise, brush with olive oil if you like with favorite herbs, pop into the oven to lightly toast.  When serving, put roasted tomatoes on the side so people can put on toasted baguette if they like or add to their salad.

The Mi-Cuit otherwise known as The Best Chocolate Cake in the World!

9 ounces dark chocolate, 18 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 3/4 cup minus 2 tsp. all-purpose flour, sifted, 4 eggs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 3 minutes, then add the butter and melt again for 1 minute; stir to combine. Add the sugar, then the flour, mixing well between each addition.  Lightly beat the eggs with a fork until blended, then stir them into the chocolate mixture.  Pour the batter into a 9 1/2 inch round greased and floured cake pan.  Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees, place the pan in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.  Let the cake cool to room temperature before unmolding.

Enjoy everyone!  You will love this lunch.  Cheers to Julia! What a woman.  What an icon. Happy 109th Birthday! XOXO

My Favorite Grilled Portabello Mushroom Burger (Delicious Magazine)

This recipe is per person.   Obviously, you can use smaller amounts of pesto and aioli.

Favorite Hamburger type bun

1-2 portabello mushrooms - stalks diced

2 tbsp. olive oil for brushing mushroom before grilling

1 tbsp. finely chopped herbs - I mixed up fresh rosemary, thyme and a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder

Juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp. red chili pesto (I'm going to make my own but you can easily buy red pesto, no heat or with heat at any grocery story.  I got mine from Walmart in the International aisle.

2 tbsp. garlic aioli or as I used Stonewall Kitchen's  lemon aioli

Handful of rocket lettuce

Heat BBQ and whisk olive oil and herbs with any other seasonings that you want in a small bowl.  Brush mushrooms on each side let sit for 5 minutes to soak up herb oil.  Then grill mushrooms 5 minutes on each side on BBQ grill.  Sautee the diced stems in a pan.

When done, squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over mushrooms.  

Brush any leftover herb oil inside the hamburger bun and toast lightly in the oven. If you've run out, hell, make more!

Spread the base of the bun with red pesto and top with rocket lettuce, mushroom, Spread the burger lid with aioli and add sauteed diced mushrooms.  Absolutely delicious!

Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken With All the Trimmings!

 It's a cloudy day here in BC and we've had some much needed rain - finally!  When August hits, and Fall is near after a long hot summer, roasting a chicken is perfect.  You can keep your roast chicken super simple, or take it to the next French Bistro level.  If you'd like to just marinate your chicken in the buttermilk and salt recipe below, drizzle a little olive oil over it, and roast,  it will be fabulous.  However, I've stuffed my roast chickens with homemade croutons (I read this in the cookbook Tasting Paris) and my family literally hovers over the pan when the chicken is resting to pluck out a chicken juice soaked or crunchy crouton to devour.  Here is our Sunday dinner tonight, bon appetit!

Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken

425 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours

24 hours marinating prior to cooking

The 24 hour Marinade

1 liter buttermilk

1 4 ½-5 lb. roasting chicken

2 tablespoons kosher salt, or 4 tbsp. table salt

Olive oil 

Marinate chicken in buttermilk and salt using a big Ziplock bag for 24 hours in refrigerator. I double bag so no leakage.  After 24 hours….

Take chicken out of bag, rinse and dry.  I put paper towel under it and dried letting it dry for 15 minutes.  If you don’t rinse buttermilk, it will burn easily in the oven.

Optional:  If you want, mix 4 tbsp. butter with ¼ chopped herbs including some garlic powder, roll into 4 little disks and put underneath the skin of the chicken with 4 lemon slices and more herbs like whole leaf basil if you like. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Stuff chicken cavity with homemade 2 cups of croutons and put more croutons underneath chicken too if you like. I put larger slices of homemade croutons under chickens about 8 larger pieces each.  (I roasted two chickens.) Now pop into oven for 1 ½ hours.  Cover for 1 hour and take lid or tin foil off last ½ hour to brown. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. If it is getting too brown, put lid over it again.  When done.

Check chicken leg, juices will run clear. 

Let rest for 20 – 60 minutes.  After carving you can put some of the croutons back in oven to re-toast with all the delicious chicken juices in it!

Tomatoes Provencal

Oven 400 degrees, 15-20 minutes

1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest, few sprigs of Thyme, 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, course salt and black pepper then  6 tomatoes, ¼ inch sliced. Lightly oil a baking dish and layer/over-lap tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper then mix up dry ingredients and spoon over tomatoes.  Bake for 15-20  minutes under broiler.

Smashed Potatoes with Pea Shoots and Vinaigrette 

Oven 375 degrees, 45 minutes.

4 cups of baby potatoes, 3 cups broccoli, 2 handfuls of spinach, ½ red onion either sliced thin, or ½ cup diced, 2 green onions sliced.

Boil baby potatoes until just tender. Gently put into colander to drain and cool down for about 15 minutes.  Pam spray a cookie sheet/pan and roll potatoes out on pan.  Using a small glass or cup, gently smoosh each potato to ½ it’s width.  Then season with herbs you like and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over all the potatoes.  Don’t saturate, just a little bit.  Then put into the oven for ½ hour at 375 degrees.  Then add the broccoli and stir veggies around.  Put in for about another 15 minutes.  In a separate bowl add 2 or more handfuls of spinach and the onion.  When you take potato and broccoli out of the oven, put over spinach and onion mixture and toss.  The spinach will wilt a bit.  Then add 1/8^th cup of  your favorite vinaigrette  such as red wine or balsamic or make your own and toss again. Garnish with chopped green onion and pea shoots!

Grandpa Herrod's Festive Fruit Salad Over Ice Cream

My Grandpa Herrod would have been 102 this month.  Holy Wow!  Thought I’d share one of the recipes for a wonderful family dessert he gave me.

1 cantaloupe, 1 honeydew melon, 1 basket of strawberries, 1 cup sparkling rose, 1 tsp. vanilla, 4 tsp. sugar,

Cube honeydew and cantaloupe, slice strawberries and put into a Tupperware.  Add 4 tsp. sugar, 1 cup sparkling rose (or enough to cover), add vanilla, and mix.  Put in refrigerator for three hours to marinate. Serve your deliciously drunken festive fruit over ice cream.  Very delish!

 

 

 

Hy's Dinner at Home

Steak  

Pick your favorite 8 ounce steak.  I cooked up a strip loin. Take steak out of refrigerator for an hour to allow to get to room temperature before frying or grilling.  I'll be pan frying my steak.  Once steak has had time to get to room temp. season both sides well with salt, Montreal Steak spice, pepper or any other seasoning that you like (1/2 tsp. of each seasoning per steak).

Allow to rest again for a few minutes to allow for the seasoning to get into steak.  Heat up a pan to hot with about 3 tbsp. of olive oil in pan.  Throw in a couple of fresh herbs like a sprig of rosemary or a sprig of thyme.  I have both in the pan.  The herbs flavors will mingle with the oil and flavor the steak.  

If you like your steak medium, cook for 5 minutes per side.  For rare, 4 minutes per side.  Take out of pan and allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes to absorb the juices.

Caesar Salad 

 2 handfuls of romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup of croutons, 1 tsp. crushed garlic, 1/2 tsp. chopped anchovy or a little squirt of it like I used, 1 tsp. Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp. Tabasco, 1/2 tsp. Hy's seasoning salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. Dijon, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsp. Canola oil, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

In a bowl mix anchovies, seasoning salt, black pepper to form a paste. Add Worcestershire, Dijon, egg yolk, and Tabasco. Mix well. Then add red wine vinegar. Slowly add Canola oil, whisking until it thickens a little.  Add lemon juice and whisk more.  Then toss over a bowl of romaine with Parmesan and croutons. Enjoy!

CHEESE BREAD

This is for 4 pieces of cheese bread.  Choose first your bread you'd like to use, soft French, Italian or thick Texas Toast.  Slice 4 pieces and lightly toast on both sides in the oven.  Take out and cool.  In the meantime mix up a butter/cheese concoction of 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup shredded old cheddar, 1/4 cup shredded Swiss or smoked Gouda, 1/4 shredded Parmesan, 1 tsp. Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of white or black pepper.  

Divide Cheese mixture into four and scoop it on all four piece and spread with a knife.  Put on a baking sheet and under the broiler at 500 degrees.  Take out when nice and melted and toasted brown as you like.  Put into tin foil to keep warm and enjoy.