Monthly Archives: May 2011

May 30, 2011 · 9:44 PM

Grilled Teriyaki Steak

When I decided to fire up the grill for the first time this season to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend, I had no idea I’d be shivering and grilling in the rain.  It didn’t even hit 50°F yesterday!  Saturday night there was snow falling!  This just doesn’t happen in late May in Reno.

To inaugurate grilling season I chose to use my Dad’s stand-by Teriyaki marinade with some steak.  I have memories of my Dad mixing this up and letting t-bone steaks marinate in it all day.  It has always been a favorite of mine.

I believe the recipe for the marinade came from an old edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I have a newer edition (relatively; it’s copyright 1989) and the recipe is not in there.  I’m also pretty sure my Dad changed it a bit.

This time I used a piece of beef labeled “London Broil”.  Research leads me to believe it is actually a top round steak. Use your favorite cut of beef.  T-bone and rib eye steaks both work well with this marinade.

It let my steak marinate for four hours, flipping it several times.  With the thickness of my steak, I wish I had it in the marinade a little longer, but it was still delicious.

Steak with Rice and Sesame Asparagus

Grilled Teriyaki Steak

(click here to print)

  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • steaks (t-bone, rib eye, flank, etc.)

Combine soy sauce, vegetable oil, molasses, ginger, mustard and garlic in a glass dish.  Mix well.  Add meat and turn to coat.  Marinate steak at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove steak from marinade.  Grill the steaks to taste.  If using flank or top round steak, let the steak rest for about 5 minutes and then slice thinly across the grain.

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May 27, 2011 · 7:32 AM

Cardamom Rice Pilaf

Cardamom Rice Pilaf

I don’t have much to say about this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Cardamom Rice Pilaf.  It was delicious, the flavor was unique, the rice was cooked perfectly, and my whole family loved it.  But still, it’s just rice pilaf with the addition of bruised cardamom seeds and lemon zest.

I served the rice with Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote, also from Around My French Table (I’ve been dying to try this recipe and making the rice gave me the perfect excuse).  The flavors of the two dishes went really well together.

Rice with Curried Chicken

If you are looking for a rice pilaf with a unique flavor, give this one a try!  I can’t wait to see what the other Doristas served with their Cardamom Rice Pilaf.

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May 20, 2011 · 10:43 AM

Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

I just want to say how much I’ve been enjoying participating in French Fridays with Dorie.  It’s been great fun cooking a recipe from the same cookbook each week, especially knowing there are home cooks around the country (and world!) cooking along with me.  I really enjoy seeing all the variations people come up with.  I am also learning new skills and improving old ones.

One of my favorite things about FFwD is trying recipes I may have skipped over.  Take for example the Eclairs we made last month.  I would have drooled over that recipe every time I saw it, but probably would never had made them because they seemed like so much work.

Then there are the recipes that just don’t appeal to me but become happy surprises.  Like this week’s recipe, Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad.  The recipe sounded find to me, but I was turned off by the picture of the yolk running into the salad.  I don’t like runny egg yolks.

At first I considered making myself a hard-boiled egg to put on top of my salad, but in the spirit of FFwD I decided to compromise.  Rather than following the salad recipe to cook the eggs, I used the “old-school” poached egg recipe on page 492, but cooked the eggs a little longer than recommended.  I ended up with yolks that were not quite completely cooked through, but also not runny.  Perfect!

The eggs is cooked perfectly (for me)

We really enjoyed this lovely salad.  The flavors of the mild vinaigrette blended very nicely with the asparagus, greens, bacon, eggs and walnuts.  To turn this into a main course dinner salad, I gave each person a few extra asparagus spears and an extra handful of lettuce.

Served with white wine, cheese and bread, this was a perfect Spring dinner!

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May 18, 2011 · 1:12 PM

BBQ Chicken Salad

I really like the take-out BBQ Chicken Salad from Trader Joe’s.  It’s the item I choose most often when having a grab-and-go lunch.  It has a nice blending of flavors and textures.  Every time I eat this salad, I think to myself that I could probably come up with a recipe to recreate it at home.

Trader's Joe's Salad

When I recently picked up a copy of Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Family Favorites by Beth Hensperger, I quickly spotted a barbecue chicken salad recipe.  While it wasn’t exactly like the Trader Joe’s salad, it looked like a great starting point.

I used the recipe’s “Barbecue Dressing” as-is, but changed up almost everything else.  Many of the ingredients are the same but I changed the proportions.  Most significantly, I grilled the chicken instead of poaching it in the slow cooker, and I added Romaine lettuce and Ranch dressing.

The end result tastes very much like the Trader Joe’s salad!  The creamy sweetness of the Ranch dressing contrasts nicely with the tangy spiciness of the barbecue sauce.  The Romaine gives the salad a nice crunch.

Tossed and ready to eat

BBQ Chicken Salad

(click here to print)

Barbecue Dressing:

  • 2/3 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed

Corn Salsa:

  • 1 cup fresh, frozen, or canned corn kernels
  • ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if canned
  • ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Salad:

  • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 cup shredded Jack cheese (about 4 oz)
  • 10 cups chopped Romaine lettuce (about 2 hearts)
  • Ranch Dressing (use your favorite – I used Litehouse)
  • ½ cup crushed tortilla chips

In a small bowl, mix the Barbecue Dressing ingredients together, stirring with a whisk to mix well.  Place ¼ cup of the dressing in a smaller bowl and set aside.

If using fresh or frozen corn, cook briefly in boiling water until just tender.  Drain and cool.  If using canned corn, drain well.  Combine the corn, black beans and red bell pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.  Brush the chicken with the reserved ¼ cup Barbecue Dressing.  Grill or broil the chicken until cooked through.  Let the chicken cool a bit, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Place the Romaine lettuce in a large bowl.  Toss with the Ranch dressing to taste.  Divide the Romaine between 4 plates.  Place a quarter of the corn salsa on top of each serving.  Next divide the red onions and Jack cheese among the plates.  Add the chicken on top of the onions and cheese.  Drizzle a little of the Barbecue Dressing on top of each salad.  Finally, top with the crushed tortilla chips.

Pass the extra Barbecue Dressing at the table so diners can add to taste.

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May 13, 2011 · 7:00 AM

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I don’t think I’ve ever made quiche before.  I also rarely order it.  It’s not that I don’t like quiche; I just like other things more.  This may change now that I’ve tried Around My French Table‘s Spinach and Bacon Quiche.

This was a very yummy quiche that my 7 year old daughter loved!  But what’s not to love about bacon, eggs, cheese and spinach?

Start with a partially-baked tart shell.  This is my first time using Dorie’s Tart Dough recipe and it is a winner!  The crust was buttery and flaky and delicious.

Pre-Baked Crust

Add sauteed onion, garlic, spinach and chopped bacon to the tart shell.

Add the savory filling

Next, whisk together a couple of eggs and some heavy cream and pour it over the savory ingredients.

Pour the Egg-Cream Mixture

Sprinkle a little grated Paremesan cheese on top.

Top with Parmesan Cheese

Wait patiently for the quiche to bake.

Fresh from the Oven

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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May 10, 2011 · 5:37 PM

Tourteau de Chevre

I wasn’t going to make this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe.  I really wanted to but I just couldn’t justify making a whole cake for my small family.  But happily the perfect opportunity presented itself:  we would be hosting my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day dinner.  Hmmm, I wonder what to serve for dessert?  Tourteau de Chèvre!

Tourteau de Chèvre is kind of like a cheesecake made from goat cheese, but it’s quite different from a traditional New York-style cheesecake.  First of all, it has a pastry crust rather than a crumb crust.  But the main difference is the texture:  the tourteau is much lighter and a little drier.  The lightness comes from whipping egg whites to firm but glossy peaks and folding them into the rest of the batter.  When it bakes, it puffs up almost like a souffle.

Fresh out of the oven the cake is "puffed" up

I “sprung” for an 8-inch springform pan (sorry, I couldn’t resist…) since I wasn’t happy with the results of my Michael Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake using a larger pan.  I am very glad I did because it came out perfectly!

Dorie gives the cook a couple of choices when making Tourteau de Chèvre.  The first choice is whether to use the Sweet Tart Dough or the regular Tart Dough (used mainly for savory dishes).  The other choice is flavoring: vanilla extract, orange-flower water, Cognac or nothing.  I chose the Sweet Tart Dough and vanilla extract and thought the flavors blended really well.

I’m SO glad I had an excuse to make Tourteau de Chèvre.  I love, love, loved it!  I served it with sliced strawberries and drizzled with a little honey.  The strawberries paired fabulously with it!  The dessert was a big hit with everyone, even my chocolate-loving husband who seemed skeptical when I described it to him earlier in the day.

Tourteau de Chevre

The recipe for Tourteau de Chèvre can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.  You can see how others liked the recipe at the French Fridays with Dorie site by clicking here.

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May 9, 2011 · 10:41 AM

Garden Journal: The Cardboard Experiment

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day!  We had a lovely day and a fabulous dessert that I will be telling you about tomorrow.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was having trouble keeping my garden soil moist enough for my seeds to sprout.  Well, I did a little research and came up with something worth trying.

I was perusing our newest gardening book, The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, and found the chapter on planting seeds.  It talked about keeping soil moist in dry climates, and suggested one may have to water two to three times per day!  Not going to happen!  But then there was a little sidebar about germinating carrots, which are apparently very sensitive to soil that doesn’t stay evenly moist.  The book suggested placing cardboard over the beds to keep the soil moist.  I thought, if it works for carrots, why not for other types of veggies as well?

Using rocks keeps the carboard in place even when it's windy

It appears to be working!  After a week of using the cardboard I have beet sprouts, a bunch of arugula sprouts, and a few chard sprouts.  I have also set up the drip system, which soaks the beds more deeply than the hose.  With the drip lines, I don’t even need to move the cardboard to water my beds.

Lessons learned for next year:

1. Set up the drip system right away!
2. Use cardboard until sprouts appear to keep the soil moist.

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May 4, 2011 · 9:33 PM

Tag, I’m It!

There’s been a game of tag going on around the blogosphere and last week Elaine, from California Living, tagged me.  It started out as an Easter game:  if you got tagged, you were to put together a virtual Easter menu based on dishes you have previously posted on your blog.  Since Elaine got tagged so close to Easter, she changed the rules so that you can create a meal for any upcoming celebration of your choosing.  After browsing my previous posts and recipes, I decided to create a Father’s Day dinner (I know Father’s Day is a ways off, but really it will be here before we know it!).

To start things off on this virtual meal, here is a lovely Caprese Salad:

Caprese Salad

For the main course, let’s have BBQ Meatballs.  Instead of the potatoes shown below, I would do mashed potatoes, either Yukon Golds or sweet potatoes.

BBQ Meatballs

Finally, to finish off the meal, how about Macaroon Cake:

Macaroon Cake

Since most of the people I would tag in this virtual game have already been tagged, I will not pass this one on.  I hope you enjoyed catching up on some of my older recipes!

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