Porcini.... what's a Porcini??

Now that I mastered (with the help of Bloody Marys) poaching eggs, Chef Burrell’s recipe “Grilled Porcini with Poached Egg & Parmigiano” was up next….

Now the second issue with this recipe was that it used grilled porcini. I had to Google this. I didn’t know if I was looking for a meat, vegetable, fruit… no clue. Well to those of you who are not educated in the shroom world (like myself)… it is a mushroom. So, to find this specialty mushroom I had to go far away from my fuel perks land and into the Royal Fresh Market zone. I mean if you have ever been to the Fresh Market grocery store… you know that 1. You don’t enter hungry and 2. You enter to get what you want or you will walk out bankrupt. And try not to drink before you go, if you are like me at all after a little wine I end up getting a little too gracious. So, soberly to the “other side of town” to get my porcini mushrooms I go.

Just the ingredients of this dish sounds heavenly… besides 1 pound of porcini mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and cut in half lengthwise, you have your EVOO, kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes, 4 slices of rustic Italian Bread, 1 clove garlic, big fat finishing oil (BFFO)*, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 4 large eggs, 2 cups baby arugula, 1 lemon, and parmigiano cheese!!

On a side note- anytime I have not been able to find a specialty item or any other item for that matter, I just Google to find out what replacements can be used for it. Fontina cheese was hard for me in some recipes but Gouda or Edam cheese are replacements… this is just an example, but I know porcini mushrooms are not always around so just Google a replacement mushroom!

*Big Fat finishing oil (BFFO) is what Chef Anne calls your olive oil that is good enough to put on a salad. Something you would probably spend more on and has a flavor to it. Down in Hollywood, FL this is this great Yellow Green Market where you can put different flavors of olive oil into one. We are always trying new ones and this is what I use for my BFFO. The one I have tonight has red pepper, lemon, oregano, and basil in it. It’s so good!

Back to the kitchen I go with all my ingredients and two bottles of Chardonnay… first steps are to preheat the grill… or George Foreman in my case. I am sure Chef Anne and maybe some other chefs would be appalled. I know I know I know that grilling is obviously the better choice, but I live in a condo and it’s pouring outside. Don’t really want to be running up and down from the fifth floor to the pool area in the rain (even if it were nice out) just to grill… the George will do and it still leaves grill marks on things! I am sure the Chefs would look beyond it and say “At least you’re cooking!”

While your grill is getting all hot and bothered, sip your wine…. And then take your mushrooms and toss them in a bowl with EVOO, salt, and red pepper. You are going to grill your mushrooms until they are “beautifully marked, soft, and pliable.” Chef Anne recommends 4-5 minutes to start, flip 90 degrees and grill 3-4 minutes, and then turn over for about 2-3 minutes more!

While the grill is still hot, you want to get your bread ready and sliced. This too is hopping on that grill! Chef Anne has you grill the bread on both sides about 3-4 minutes and then after…. Best idea ever… she has you rub garlic clove onto the grilled bread and drizzle with your BFFO! Oh my mouth is watering… sip some wine to calm down… I know it’s big time!

While grilling your shrooms and bread, you must be preparing your saucepan for the poaching of your eggs… if you have no clue about this please divert back to previous blog post on my adventures of poaching an egg… 

Once your eggs are ready, the building of this masterpiece is ready to begin… first your arugula, then porcini, then egg, sprinkle parmigiano, red pepper, lemon zest, and your BFFO. Your bread will accompany this masterpiece.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy because your poaching skills have paid off, you learned what a porcini is, and you still have at least another bottle of Chardonnay to take out tonight….

Just the day in the life of attempting to Cook Like a Rock Star! 

The Art of Poaching…. Eggs that is….

Sorry for being missing in action lately… life has become chaotic… it’s not that I haven’t been cooking, oh I definitely have been putting fires out in my kitchen, but more of finding the time to write. So my friends, I am back to indulge you in my most recent kitchen antics, Chef Burrell’s recipes, and discovering interesting new cocktails to enjoy it all with.

While flipping through the pages of Cook Like a Rock Star…. I came across a photo that instantly made me salivate… Grilled Porcini with Poached Egg and Parmgiano. The poached egg looked heavenly… oh how I love runny eggs.. poached… sunny side up…. I just love dipping my buttery crispy toast into the smooth runny goodness of the egg yolk. This is it…. my new Burrell recipe victim.

Now, before just courageously heading to the store to figure out what type of mushroom is a Porcini… I had an issue… I have never poached an egg before. Eggs can be tricky you know. So, the task of poaching an egg must be the first step I take. The fact that learning to do this meant I could finally make my very own eggs Benedict added a little high kick and fist pump in all this! I mean eggs Benedict has to got to be one of my most favorite all time food dishes ever…. Whether it be with lobster, crab meat, Florentine with spinach, or with just some plain old Canadian bacon…. Eggs Benedict was something I could eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner… oh that smothering amount of hollandaise on top… Hollandaise sauce is one of those evilly delicious things that you are angry that someone created it but at the same time so in love with whoever did!

So, to the store I go for some English muffins (whole wheat 100 calories ones… gotta make up for that hollandiase sauce), Canadian bacon (thank you Canada!), eggs (going to be using a whole carton or two until I get this right), packet of Hollandaise sauce (let’s be honest people… I don’t even know how to poach an egg what makes you think I can make my own sauce..  maybe next year!), some fresh honey dew and blueberries for a side, and of course some Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix to go with my vodka… got to get in that Saturday morning breakfast mode!

After mixing my vodka and zing zang and taking three big gulps, I was ready to embark on my poaching journey… I literally just googled “How to poach an egg.” It was quite simple sounding and in fact it was, just requires a little bit of patience and definitely a bloody mary! All you need is a pan on high temperature filled with a bit of water and 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar added.  Just before the water starts to boil, you know when the little droplets of water are sitting on the bottom of the pan dancing and shaking because they are about to explode to the top, that’s when you crack open and drop in your egg slowly and gently. You use a spoon to keep pushing the egg together. Then, you turn off the heat and cover the pan and leave it to rest for about 4 minutes. A person had suggested on google to use the top of a mason jar in the pan to drop egg into to help keep it together. It’s a lovely idea, however, I don’t have mason jars sitting around that I can borrow the lids from. But I was able to keep my egg together and I carefully poached eggs one by one in order to get the right amount for our eggs Benedict creation.

Meanwhile, my bacon was cooking in the pan next to me, the English muffins were toasting, and the hollandaise sauce was cooking per packet instructions! First onto the plate is the muffin, then bacon, then gorgeously poached egg, followed by a ridiculous amount of hollandiase sauce… a little sprinkle of cheese (let’s be real.. cheese is good anytime of the day) and a little sprinkle of ground black pepper…

It was lovely how easily this worked out. I will admit though that recently I tried to poach an egg and I failed miserably. However, my patience level that day was not worthy for poaching eggs. I have come to the realization that I am an extremely impatient person… so I believe I have been treating myself to therapy while cooking…so maybe at the end of all this cooking I will become very patient.. either that or I will need some other sort of therapy or rehab with all my cocktails for that matter!

So, now onto the store I must go to figure out what a Porcini mushroom is and to put my poaching skills to the test with Chef Burrell’s Grilled Porcini and Parmigiano… to be continued…

TIME OUT: THANKSGIVING SUBSTITUTION

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash    

   If you are like my family and have a mixed variety of likes and dislikes when it comes to food, especially on the holidays.... this Chef Burrell recipe is a great happy medium for a sweet potato lover or hater on Thanksgiving. The sweet potato casserole and legendary potato bar have been a running family joke throughout the last decade. The oldest or “Golden Child” as we’d like to call him always demands a potato bar... and no I am not talking about a bar bar - the one with all you can drink liquor to devour with your Thanksgiving meal, I am talking about a bar with a plethora of baked potato toppings... things like bacon bits, sour cream, fresh chives, myriad of shredded cheeses, bread crumbs, chilli, just to name a few. And we have others with a more “sweet tooth” who have demanded a sweet potato casserole (which by the way always ends up being doused with too much rum and it ends up being a rum soup with sweet potato on the side). Either way it’s too much food to prepare to begin with without the demands of the picky eaters. So, if you are unsure how to please the masses this recipe is for you. Not to mention this is easy to make, quite delicious anytime, and can be enjoyed hot or cold! Chef Anne’s Sweet potato and Apple Hash is the name of the game tonight.

          To get inspired I enjoy an apple cider with a splash of rum.... kinda reminds me of my mother’s attempt at the sweet potato casserole... yum... rum... she will probably be angry when seeing this post! J

           Your ingredients tonight will be EVOO, 4 slices bacon, 1 onion, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (makes your kitchen smell delightful too), red pepper, salt, 3 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into ½ inch dice), ¼ cup of maple syrup, 1 ½ cups of chicken stock, 1 bunch of scallions, 3 granny smith apples, and green pumpkin seeds toasted. Don’t all these ingredients make your mouth water?  And it kind of combines the whole “potato bar” and sweet potato casserole ingredients in one!

           To begin this delicious dish, you add some EVOO to a pan and add the sliced bacon at medium heat. (Dishes that begin with bacon have to be the best.) Once the bacon starts to get crispy and brown you are going to add the onion, rosemary, and red pepper. Season with salt and sauté the onions until soft and aromatic. What a mix of flavours this is... your kitchen has got to be heavenly right now!

           Next you add the sweet potatoes, syrup, and chicken stock and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft, but not mushy. Then remove the lid and let liquid reduce by half then you add the scallion whites, apples and cook about 5 to 6 more minutes. Lastly stir in the scallion greens and toasted pumpkin seeds and BOOM there’s your Sweet potato and Apple Hash of Chef Anne Burrell. It’s so delicious. Have some tonight then you must have some for snack cold tomorrow! 

                I have been busy for the past month, so blogging Chef Burrell’s recipes have been on the back burner…. But since I’ve seen good friends and family… drinks have been exchanged and food creations have been made!  Let me share with you a few fun eats that have accompanied my red wine, fresh sangria mixtures, corona lights, and Ft. Lauderdale sunset cocktails!

Bahamian Calendar w/ Recipe

                This week I got a little creative... I have this Bahamian calendar hanging in my kitchen. I buy it or get as a gift every year. It’s full of destinations I’ve been to with girlfriends and places I’ve discovered while visiting my love. It also contains random local island recipes and for the month of April... Bahamian potato salad. I have two sailors to feed tonight so big we must go to fill these boys up. I decided to do a whole leg roasted chicken recipe as well that I found in a magazine. Tonight will be a little let loose entertainment night as well so to the store I go to get my ingredients, pick our drink poison, and make sure we have a full deck of cards for some gin rummy happenings!

                  

Chicken Recipe from Magazine

                For myself, I go for the 2 for $10 wine special with $10 fuel perks and for them next door for some Sailor Jerry and Coca-Cola. Deck of cards in the basket and all ingredients... time to get moving!

                To start, I must get the oven preheated to 400 degrees and potatoes chopped up. I love the multi-tasking of cooking. It’s almost like a high sometimes for me. Got to make sure everything is going on... maybe it’s the control freak in me. But, it’s exhilarating and a little red wine always helps me thrive! They Bahamian Potato Salad recipe called for 1 ½ pound of potatoes. I don’t know who they were trying to feed with this recipe, but I had potato salad left over for the next 2 dinners! So, beware of that! Potatoes are peeled and ready to go in the boiling water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I am rinsing off chicken legs, wedging 2 red onions, and cleaning cherry tomatoes for the roasted chicken portion.

                Another reason for my excitement for this potato salad recipe is that it calls for 3 hard boiled eggs. I have never hard boiled eggs before and I know that I love a hardboiled egg with a little salt. So, tonight I will learn for this recipe and even get to enjoy a few more for breakfast the next few days! (If you have never hard boiled eggs, it’s quite easy just Google it and you will be all set!) You are going to add 1/2 diced onion, ½ diced green pepper, and chopped eggs to the potatoes and let them chill.

Chick and Veg ready to go in oven!

               Back to the Chicken... The Caramelized Chicken calls for a delicious marinade that once you complete you put with chicken and veggies in a bag and shake it all around so it gets all the great flavours. The marinade includes a teaspoon dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dark sugar, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (my obsession), ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used a ton more), 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 table spoons ketchup, 3 table spoons olive oil. Mix this all together, throw in bag, and add chicken and veggies and shake shake shake... this can be quit comical after your second round of drinks! Place chicken and veggies into baking dish and into the oven they go for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Potato Salad enough for 2 weeks! :)

               Meanwhile after the potatoes are cooling, you can combine ½ cup Mayo, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 2 tablespoons relish, some hot sauce o the potatoes and MIX LIKE CRAZY. Then add salt and pepper to taste. BOOM POTATOES ARE DONE and your caramelized chicken should be almost perfectly golden and ready to be eaten. I suggest having men come over for this dinner. It’s a ton of delicious food! I enjoyed mine with two men, a deck of cards to pay Gin Rummy, and some amazing Red Wine! Only thing missing is actually being in the Bahamas! 

 WINO-NION Jam - a whole new definition for WINO... 

I have been busy with the Easter holiday and company for the past few weeks, so blogging Chef Burrell’s recipes has been on the back burner…. But since I’ve seen good friends and family… drinks have been exchanged and food creations have been made!  Let me share with you a few fun eats that have accompanied my red wine, fresh sangria mixtures, corona lights, and Ft. Lauderdale sunset cocktails!

So a few girls that were in an older class from my sorority started a Jam company in Brooklyn, New York named The Jam Stand. I tend to think it’s important to support people from my past, hometown, college, etc. So, as I saw their company hit Facebook I was all over trying to figure out what I could get. Now, I said I like to support these “small businesses,” but let me remind you I’m in no right rich and have a budget when partaking in these ”ventures.” But, they had jars of jam for a great price, so I bought 3. The Drunken Monkey, Strawberry Jam, and Wino-nion (you know that was my first choice followed by DM… let’s be honest here!). So, when and how to use these jams besides regular toast has been a current frustration… until a girlfriend made her own creation of Brie one night during a ladies night. Of course, I knew exactly what to do! Baked Brie and this Wino-nion Jam would be beyond perfection. So, here’s the deal: go to your local store, first stop at the wine section to get some delicious wine to accompany your cheese, then head over to the gourmet cheese and get yourself brie (you can do the circle shaped one or the triangle shaped one- I did triangle was quite fun putting together). Next stop the cold section where you get your frozen crescent dinner rolls dough (you know the one in the tube where you get to smash it with a spoon to get it to explode… always fun after a few glasses of wine!) and of course some jam (or you can order from The Jam Stand go to www.thej.am.com). So, while at home and after one glass down, slice your Brie in half horizontally. You place your Wino-nion jam (or other flavored jam you have chosen) where you sliced and then place top of Brie back on top. Take your triangles of crescent rolls and cover your Brie and jam sculpture- be sure to go under and over and pinch together all sides! Then for baking temp and time, just follow the instructions for the crescent rolls. Once this beauty is done, throw some crackers on a plate with it and let the melting cheese melt your soul. Crackers or not…. This is quite amazing! Snaps to Brandy for her Brie inspiration and the girls at The Jam Stand in Brooklyn, NY for the most amazing Jam I’ve ever had! All in the name of prepping to cook like a Rock Star! 

Bone In Rib Eye and Burnt Chips....

           You know when you get in a mood for a delicious piece of red meat? It’s like a carb craving but stronger.... that’s where I am at tonight. As I flipped through the pages of Cook Like a Rock Star... there she was... Bone In Rib Eye...

            I was so excited to make a meat dish and of course I had to pick a side of Chef Burrell’s to accompany it. I don’t know if sometimes all the excitement of cooking Chef Anne’s recipes causes me to get a head of myself or what, but I royally failed with this side. I had a little help in the kitchen this evening. And No I’m not talking about my 2 for $12 Merlot with $.5 fuel perks; I am talking about an actual person!  J

           So, a partner in crime to start the Bone In Rib Eye... Anne Alerts you that this steak should sit in the “rub” for 24 hours to absorb all flavors, but does say 2 hours or so will work if in a hurry. Well, not exactly in a hurry but do want to eat it tonight. I can honestly say that letting this Rib Eye sit in the rub for only a few hours was so incredible that I don’t even know what 24 hours would have done... my mouth salivates with the mere idea of it. So, the rub is the key to this meat. I have had Rib Eye millions of times in my life... no I’m not a ravenous carnivore just enjoy this steak, but I have never had bone-in Rib Eye and I have never had a rub taste this delicious. For the rub, you combine salt, brown sugar, red pepper (love it), pimento, garlic powder, and cumin. All of these seem to be key spices that Chef Burrell uses throughout many dishes and I have been incorporating them into my own cooking when not doing her recipes and they seem to add that zing to many dishes I have made. You rub this mixture all over the steak and wrap in plastic and into the fridge for as long as you can handle it. After, you grill these babies each side about 4 minutes. We did ours on the George Foreman and yes they were still perfection.

            Now... burnt chips you see... didn’t mean to be burnt chips. It was meant to be the beautiful and delicious Frizzled Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta & Walnuts. Oh how I enjoy having help in the kitchen but sometimes it can be very distracting and you can end up with burnt chips. I cooked this recipe just like it was said. Even in my picture below it looks pretty perfect. I mean the ingredients are simple yet mouth-watering... EVOO, clove of garlic, red pepper (love), ¼ pound of pancetta (aka bacon), walnuts, salt, and Brussels Sprouts (stemmed and leaves pulled apart). You just coat a pan with EVOO add garlic & red pepper until garlic is golden brown then you ditch the garlic clove. Add the pancetta and walnuts until crispy and brown then you add the Brussels Sprouts and salt and cover for only 2-3 minutes. Then, uncover & increase the heat and let the leaves brown. Chef Anne calls it “frizzle” for 8-10 minutes more. Well those 8-10 turned into 15 and in a blink of an eye that picture below turned black.... Bone In Rib Eye and burnt chips for dinner.

           I quickly whipped up a fruit salad to have as a side. We so enjoyed the Rib eye and it took away from the fact that I murdered the Brussels Sprouts that night. I shall re-do them next time and let you know how they turn out. Note to self: Pay attention, stop drinking so much wine, and use a timer! All in the name of attempting to cook like a Rock Star.... let’s be honest Rock Stars have their occasional binders where everything goes hay wire!

See the burnt chips! 

Just for Fun.... in between Chef Burrell’s recipes... these are other things I’m cooking...

I made some French toast for the man of the house this weekend... just dipped whole wheat bread both sides into 1 egg, splash of milk, drop of vanilla, and few shakes of cinnamon sugar mixture and threw them on the pan. Mean while mixed together some fresh blueberries, raspberries, and clementines for a fruit salad. As the French toast cooked on each side, I repeated until 4 complete toast were done and put a little bit of butter in between each piece, sprinkled with some powdered sugar, and lightly dripped maple syrup on top. POOF... breakfast... oh and course with a side of Prosecco and OJ mimosa! 

A few little “Piccolini” dishes to bring to my BIG Italian family dinner....

       I get a phone call from my mother earlier this week that my Aunt is coming to town and we are going to have a BIG Italian dinner at a family friend’s place... naturally I’m excited. That means LOTS of Red Wine and LARGE portions of incredible Italian food. Since many members of my family and friends have been supporting my blogging adventure, I naturally must whip up a few things to bring to the dinner. I flip to Chef Burrell’s “Piccolini” section and decide on the first two pages- Mortadella Pate and the Zucchini and Parm Fritters with Spicy Tomato Sauce.

      

       To be completely honest, I had no idea what Mortadella was and called a few local stores to make sure they had it. Funny thing is that some of the delis had no idea what it was either. For those of you who had no clue... I’d like to call it a high end bologna with pistachios in it. The fritters seemed relatively simple to make, but how afraid of frying something was I! So off to the store to get my Mortadella ingredients with extra pistachios and the scary yet delicious Peanut Oil for frying purposes!     

       Since I was sweating from nervousness due to the frying task I was   about to undertake, I slammed a glass of Cabernet (The Cab also gave me a $.10 fuel perks for purchasing it... there’s always great benefits for drinking wine!). I needed to get in the zone, so I started with the Pate. Melted some butter into a sauce pan and whisked in the flour and chicken stock. Next, you puree the large chunks of Mortadella (you have 2 oz diced up Mortadella on the side for later) and the butter mixture. Once smooth and consistent, Chef Burrell has you move to a mixing bowl where you add the diced mortadella and slowly add in the whipped cream until the mixture is well combined. You move it into a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. I also toasted some sliced 5 Grain Italian bread to spread the Pate on. This was a very simple appetizer to make and our group really enjoyed it, plus who doesn’t LOVE pistachios??

        

            Now onto the fritters... two different things going on here- 1. The Sauce and 2. The Fritters. For the sauce, Chef Anne’s instructions have you coat a sauce pan with EVOO, 1 chopped onion, crushed red peppers and salt. You cook the onion until “soft and aromatic” and then you add 1 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes and bring to boil and reduce to simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes.... just enough time to get it thick and ready for dipping the fritters into! Now onto the fritters, EVOO into a pan and cook 2 chopped onions until what’s those words again?? “Sort and Aromatic” and then add a zucchini chopped. Meanwhile in a bowl you are mixing flour, Parmigiano, and baking powder then adding the zucchini/onion mixture once it cools. Peanut Oil is filled in your large sauce pan over medium-high heat. I clump 1 inch balls of the mixture and dropped them into the pot. No oil gets on me, no horrid noise, no one dies.... it’s not that scary. I did stick my finger into the oil at one point.... I was trying to prevent two fritters from sticking together and the thought that this was high heat hot as heck oil never snapped into my mind.... amateur hour! These fritters were topped with a little fresh Parmigiano cheese and ready to be dunked in the delicious sauce with my family.

            

      Another couple recipes down and at the same time enjoying them with family, friends, and red wine.... all in the name of cooking like a Rock Star!

Killer Mac & Cheese with Bacon... and I mean KILLER!

         When flipping to the page where this recipe lies, there’s a picture that instantly makes your mouth water. You see this little bowl with cheesy macaroni and cheese and bits of perfectly cooked bacon mixed in. You almost feel like you HAVE TO HAVE IT! Not to mention you have probably made macaroni and cheese before. How hard could this be? You just cook some noodles and throw in that cheese packet, right? How misguided I was before this homemade macaroni and cheese. I believe I took a vow that night I made this to NEVER EVER EVER EVER have macaroni and cheese out of a box again.

          As I have said before, my love for cheese is a bit ridiculous. Where most people go for an afternoon snack of crackers, chips, nuts, or fruit, I can easily take down a block of cheese. So, when this recipe called for three different cheeses, I was ecstatic. Chef Burrell lays out the ingredients and instructions so simply again. EVOO, bacon, onion, salt, unsalted butter (didn’t even realize there was a salted nor an unsalted version), flour, milk, 1 pound of short pasta or shells, 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, 2 cups grated Fontina cheese, and 1 cup Parmigiano. Then these two interesting ingredients ¼ cup Dijon mustard and Tabasco... excited to see where these two end up? Because I was! Also to note, I made this on two different occasions so far and both times I couldn’t find Fontina cheese so I replaced with Gouda one time and then Edam cheese the second.... two fantastic cheeses and excellent replacements if you ask me!

         The first time I made these, I used some pasta I received for a Christmas present from the fabulous Marty and Lee (note: Marty is who got me this cook book to inspire me to do this blog... so Marty gets major snaps!). The pasta they gave me is short pasta, but they are in the shape of dog paws and bones... so a cute little touch to this Killer dish!

         I added little Chardonnay to the cooking mix tonight... you start with EVOOing (is that even a word? You get it!) a saucepan and adding your bacon and cook. Then, remove and pat with towels. Leave the bacon fat in the pan. (I think this must be a Chef Burrell secret because I bet this adds a ton of flavouring to the dish) Next, you add butter and onion in that same pan and cook onion until “soft and aromatic”. It’s so nice when Chef Burrell uses those key words because you totally know what she is talking about. Next you add flour and whisk in the milk, and salt. Bring to boil and let simmer until mixture gets thick. Meanwhile cooking your pasta on the side is important. Chef Anne suggests cooking the pasta for 1 minute under what directions say in order to get an al dente pasta.

         Meanwhile in your pan, add your 3 heavenly cheese and whisk. And now for the two special ingredients, you add the mustard and a “few shakes of Tabasco.” Then you stir in the cooked bacon and pasta and serve immediately! Not only did I make this for some close friends, I brought in leftovers both times for my colleagues to enjoy and all of them were pretty head over heels for this Mac & Cheese! Filling bellies and bringing smiles one Chef Burrell dish at a time.... all in the name of cooking like a Rock Star. 

I’d like to call this blog... I finally found my kitchen fire alarm.

Our fire alarm went off about a million times tonight... and on the 87^th time we finally figured out where that god awful piercing noise was coming from. Before then, yes we had no clue where it was and I was jumping around kitchen spinning my towel like the World Cup fans do. We had moved in July 2011, I mean it’s been like 7 months or so people.  But to not make us look like complete morons... it was hiding underneath the cup cabinet... strange place for it, but whatever we found it!

My man is in town tonight for this dining festivity, so to impress him I must. All the meat dishes in Chef Anne’s cookbook look so delicious, I needed to choose one that could be special for him. As I flipped to “Olive crusted lamb,” I instantly knew we just had to have these tonight. And of course a side... Chef Burrell’s Loosey Goosey Garlic Mashed Potatoes it is!

We head to the store to get the essentials.... love when our local store has wine tastings! Had a few samples and of course it put me in a great mood to get cooking! We headed to the meat section and there they were... precious little rack of lambs. As I gasped at the price (rack of lamb are quite expensive), I just thought to myself “you can’t screw this one up Christa or that’s like $45 down the drain.” On the other hand, Chef Burrell’s recipes so far have been very user friendly and I have yet to screw up on any. So back home we go with lamb, kalamata olives, fresh oregano, lemons, potatoes, milk, garlic, etc.

I started with the potatoes since those usually take forever. I am not going to say I exactly followed her recipe on these. I boiled the potatoes to get them soft and instead of running them through a rice mill, I pounded them with my masher. But used all her ingredients and steps and these garlic mashers were divine!

(The alarm was going off in between the steam from me mashing the potatoes and the browning of the lamb chops, probably more of the fact that I need to clean my oven and there's stuff that was burning in there surely didn't help!!)

Now, onto the lamb... Again we are browning this meat, which is just a delicious idea. So, you brown them on each side in EVOO on the stove top like 4 minutes or so each side. While the lamb relaxes waiting for the oven to heat up, you make your olive concoction that will be brushed onto the browned lamb. I give major snaps to Chef Burrell for this... it was so delicious and something I would have never thought of doing with lamb. You use a cup of Kalamata olives (my personal olive favorite), lemon zest, fresh oregano, and slowly pour in EVOO while pureeing. Then you take this paste and brush it heavily onto your lamb. Then pop these into the oven for 7 minutes. And Boom! What a perfect dish to share with a perfect man. And of course the red wine went down great while cooking this and eating it too! Two great recipes that made a great dinner for me and a very important person.... all in the name of cooking like a rock star! 

Anne Burrell’s Main Event “Seconds” :

Big Brown Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish

               

               Hate to admit it, when I saw the time 3 ½ hours I was a little overwhelmed and nervous. I mean I work until 5pm, I have not prepped yet, and we are looking at a 9pm or later finishing time. Eeek! But what the heck? They look so delicious and I need another recipe under the belt, plus this was my first meat course and my first major entree of Chef Burrell’s. The great thing about making these short ribs is that once you get it prepared and into the oven... you’re time is done. So, you can relax, pop open your bottle of wine, and turn the T.V. on the “The Bachelor” like I did. It was perfect since I had a friend come over and she made it at about 7pm. So the ribs had a little bit of time to go, but I wasn’t fussing in the kitchen and could actually focus on her... which of course was full of gossip and laughter!

                I was a little concerned about making these... I felt like “Man, 3 ½ hours if I don’t do it right these are going to be bad and there’s no other alternative but to warm up some crappy canned soup for dinner!” But again Chef Anne makes the ingredients easy to use. First you brown your short ribs bone in (I did make these with the bone out as well because my local store was having a sale on them and I couldn’t remember bone in or out when I was there- they were just as fantastic either way) over EVOO on high heat. Browning any meat seems to be essential to getting that delicious taste and it always makes my mouth water.

While browning, Chef Anne has you puree your onions, carrots, celery ribs, mushrooms, and garlic; this was a fun step as carrots were shooting out of the top of my blender as I forgot to put the top on (rookie mistake? Or maybe it was my nerves from trying to get this in the oven in due time!).  

                After browning  and removing the short ribs, you add fresh EVOO and add the puree of deliciousness into the pan on the stove top and let this baby cook. Once it becomes a bit brown, you add tomato paste and horseradish and let it cook for a couple minutes. I am usually not a huge horseradish fan, especially on red meat, but dang this was so good!

Next you dump in some red wine(great part about cooking with wine... you are still going to be “drinking” it whether it is in your wine glass or on your food!) You return the ribs to the pan add a bit of water, thyme, and bay leaves,  cover it with aluminium foil (especially the handle, it will melt. Thank you Brandy for that tip!) and you cook this baby for 2 ½ hours checking every 45 minutes.

Oh this meat just fell right off the bone... one of the best meats I’ve ever had in my life and I was able to enjoy it with a good friend and actually spend time with her while this beauty cooked.... another recipe down in the name of cooking like a rock star!

Chef Burrell’s Piccolini:

Peperonata with Goat Cheese

I have a confession to make... I’m severely infatuated with all cheese. So, flipping through Chef Burrell’s recipe book and seeing “Goat Cheese” instantly made me stop. My mouth was already salivating. I knew this had to be divine. From the picture in her book it looked like a twisted version of bruschetta (Chef Anne’s book teaches you that it is pronounced Bru-SKET-TA instead of Bru-SHET -TA). If you already knew that my apologies, but I did not and I am not truly convinced yet. J Little did I know how this was not like bruschetta and how little did I know how amazing this was going to be!

So, to the store I go for round two/recipe two of Cook Like a Rock star! Of course, my first stop was the wine section to pick my poison. Fish Eye was having a 2 for $10 deal on their Merlot and Cabernet... how fantastic! One of each please!

For Chef Burrell’s recipe, you use simple ingredients again which helps build my “chef” confidence. Red and yellow bell peppers, red pepper flakes (I own a large jug of these... so good to go), onion, tomato paste, goat cheese, fresh Italian bread for baguettes, fresh chives, paprika, garlic, sherry vinegar, and of course EVOO.

There is this wonderful, almost erotic, feeling that comes over me when I cook peppers and onion in olive oil on a stove top... the amazing aromas, the marrying colors they make together, I am not sure what it is, but it makes me feel relaxed, at home, and allows me to indulge in my red wine. I have my girlfriend over for entertainment tonight... yes she entertains me. It should be reversed, but her stories of her day make me giggle, drink more, and take my mind away from worries. She is probably the reason why an entire bottle of Merlot got finished that night. No, she didn’t help me since she only likes white wine, I took care of that bottle myself; she just made the kitchen and the Peperonata that much better.

After getting the bell peppers, red pepper flakes, onion, and garlic.... all sultry you add in the tomato paste, paprika, sherry vinegar and let the mixture absorb into each other until it gets thick. Meanwhile I have mixed a little of my lemon pepper EVOO with some garlic and brushed in on the baguettes and threw them in the oven to get them crispy, but not crunchy. Once the Peperonata was complete, I followed Chef Burrell’s picture of her Peperonata and spread the goat cheese on each baguette and topped with the Peperonata mixture. Chef Anne's final touch is to throw fresh chives on top. One bite of Chef Anne’s “Piccolini”, almost made me drop to my knees. How delicious the combination of warm smooth goat cheese, warm sexy peppers and  onions with the tomato paste. Mmmm... can’t wait to make that and bring it to parties, friend’s houses, the next office party. Recipe two completed with the help of a good friend and good deal on wine... all in the name of Cooking like a Rock Star!

*Photo above is my creation of Chef Anne Burrell’s Peperonata with Goat Cheese

Chef Anne's Spice Roasted Cauliflower with Japanese Artichokes

First of all, raw cauliflower appalled me. It never tasted like much and then the little "leaves" on it swishing around in my mouth as I crunched down on these as a child was just plain terrible. So, starting off with this recipe was not that exciting to me. Not to mention there is little prep, more time involved in letting it bake, so naturally that doesn't allow me to drink much Red wine- so I'm even more annoyed by this cooking experience. 

At my local store, they didn't have Japanese Artichokes (I almost swapped out for normal artichokes- what a mistake that would have been- I'm amateur I know) so I googled its substitutes and "boom," parsnips. What are parsnips? I had no clue but the store had them. 

I followed Chef Burrell's directions step by step, sip of Gnarly Head Cabernet every step of the way. It was pretty simple- mix EVOO, kosher salt, cayenne, ground cumin throw them on a baking sheet and "BAM'" 45-55 minutes in the oven. 

As these beauties roasted away in that oven of mine and as I quickly poured my last bit of wine from the first bottle into my glass, little did I know how amazing these simple vegetables were going to be. 

After letting them cool, I threw on some fresh chives and took my first bite. 

What a perfect balance of roastedness and spice- nothing to make you need to gulp your water (or wine if you are me), the spice roasted cauliflower and parsnips were simply perfect. I will never talk down about you cauliflower, NEVER again in my life. You are now so amazing to me! And that was day/recipe one of cooking like a ROCK STAR!

Hi, My name is Christa and I'm entering the world of blogging today. Stay posted with me as I attempt to prepare Chef Anne Burrell's Cook like a Rock Star recipes while drinking lots of red wine and entertaining guests.... 


Even when life gets a little crusty... I seem to find humor and love in it through cooking food, playing with friends, and gulping strong drinks!