Sunday Dinner

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Salmon Rilletes

Rosemary Crackers

Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

Flageolets in Thyme Jus

Bibb Salad Salad with House Vinaigrette

Lemon Custards

Gingersnaps

Remember when I was I was sharing my chicken stock recipe? I referred to it as a 2 for 1 special. Well, here is another 2 for 1 deal.  I also refer to this as a building block or culinary platform because it can be used in multiple ways.

Confit is anything that is suspended in oil or sugar for a lengthy amount of time. Both solids and liquid can be used in many recipes. Tonight, I used the garlic confit and oil as part as the marinade for the lamb and I used the whole garlic confit cloves when finishing the flageolets.  The garlic can also be spread on toast and used in baking bread.  It is really good when added to a shellfish broth as well. The oil is well, garlic oil. I could spend a lot of time talking about the uses of garlic oil.

The original (ok that made me laugh out loud🧛; garlic and original- cue the CW series) recipe called for canola oil, but I prefer Safflower oil.  It is a neutral oil with added health benefits like vitamin E. The recipe also calls for copious amount of garlic cloves. You can either take the time to peel them or you can take a short cut and use peeled garlic cloves from the store if available (I use Christopher Ranch). 

Upon looking at my written recipe you might ask, What is a diffuser?? To put it simply, mine is a black thingy that you put over your stove burner to "diffuse" the heat. I use mine all the time (it actually has a permanent home on the top left burner) even if I am keeping water warm for tea. Your stove is different than mine so it might look a little different, but the garlic confit will be on point.

Happy Sunday!

Classic Italian Lasagna

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Classic Italian Lasagna- I am still trying to figure out how in the world this recipe made it into a cookbook that is called EVERYDAY Italian.  The only way that this dish could be made "everyday" is if you purchased store bought marinara and béchamel instead of using the two homemade sauce recipes that I recently shared.  Using store bought might be the option for you, but I cannot speak for the end result.  Even then, there is still the par cooking of the noodles, grating of the cheese, thawing out the spinach (don't forget to use my easy method HERE), the cooking of the meats and then mixing a few things together before layering it all together. Are you still with me?? I hope so because this is one superior lasagna recipe!!

What really sets this recipe apart from other lasagna recipes is a mixture of the marinara and béchamel sauce.  It is rich, creamy and full of flavor.  The other stand out component is the meat layer.  I don't use ground beef.  Instead, I use a mixture of Italian sausage and pancetta.  After all, this is an Italian dish. As far as the cheeses, use whole-milk ricotta and mozzarella and not part-skim.  This is not something you will eat everyday, so splurge and get the good stuff.  

Béchamel Sauce

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I could spends hours talking about this classic French white sauce. From the seasonings to the roux... I am channeling my inner Joy of Cooking with this building block. 

Sunday Dinner

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Obatzda

Sauerbraten

Braised Red Cabbage

Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Chives

Apple Galette

Caramel Sauce Cockaigne

Lightly sweetened whipped Crème Fraîche

Now that I am going on my third year of sharing our Sunday dinner menus, I am going to run into menus where I have shared all of the recipes.  Today is a good example.  However, there is still one element to the dinner ingredient list that I can share.  

Crème fraîche is a soured cream.  It is less sour than regular cream, thicker in consistency, and higher in fat.  I can find crème fraîche in my local markets, but I realize that some of you may not be able to.  Well, let me just climb up onto the "homemade" soapbox to tell you that this is a super simple recipe.  All that it requires is some advanced planning so you can have it ready when needed and a little patience as it sours.  The cooler the temperature in your kitchen, the longer the souring time.  But once it finally thickens, you will be rewarded with some luscious and almost sweet soured cream to use in your favorite recipes.

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Sunday Dinner two years ago

Sunday Dinner three years ago

Sunday Dinner

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Garlic Roasted Shrimp with a Cocktail Sauce

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

served with a Béarnaise Sauce

Pomme Frites

Simple Salad

Chocolate Fallen Souffle Cake
served with a Crème Anglaise

All of these good eats and I am sharing this?!  I am a firm believer that a good cook needs to have building blocks in their culinary repretoire.  As good as building blocks are own their own (like roasted beets and caramelized onions), their presence in other recipes can really heighten the overall dish. So before I share a recipe like the salad we are enjoying tonight, I need to share the base that helps to build the salad. And since I use it in many other dishes too, I felt it was important enough to have its own page in my online cookbook.

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Roasted Beets

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Here is another staple/building block in my cooking.  I use roasted beets in salads, vinaigrettes, and even sandwiches, but most of the time they are served warm from the oven with a bit of butter and vinegar as a side dish to our meal.  Roasting beets brings out their natural, earthy sweetness that my family just can't get enough of.  Summer, spring, winter, or fall, we enjoy these tasty gems all year long and they will be on our upcoming Easter menu in some way, shape, or form.


The recipe I am giving you is more of a guideline than a recipe.  I have offered several ingredients to suit your own taste.  My favorite way is to simply toss the sliced or quartered beets with a bit of butter, red wine vinegar, salt and chives.  I have family that enjoys them with orange juice and dill (that's the Scandinavian side).  There are also those of us that enjoy them straight from the oven with a sprinkling of salt.  Just remember, make them for you, make them your own.  


Before I give you the recipe, I must leave you with a warning-- beets STAIN everything and I mean everything.  With that in mind, I would like to give you two tidbits of valuable beet preparation and consumption information.  First, buy a box of disposable gloves from the drug store to wear when you peel them.  That will prevent your hands from looking like you walked away from a crime scene.  Second, put a little note on the bathroom door to remind yourself that you ate beets the night before.  That will stop you from making a frantic phone call to you doctor☺.  

Caramelized Onions

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While I enjoy sharing everyday recipes and Sunday Dinner menus, I figured that I should also begin sharing the building blocks to my cooking.   Strong kitchen fundamentals provide the foundation for more advanced kitchen applications needed down some of the more winding recipe roads.


If you are a regular reader, you know that we love our onions.  Shallots, yellow, red, sweet, and green-- we enjoy them all raw, roasted, creamed, and pickled.  Caramelized onions, however, take the front seat in our house.  I use them in baked breads, sandwiches, soups, and appetizers.  Oh, and as a side to roasted meats with a sprinkling of freshly grated cheese-- yum!  The process of cooking the onions low and slow is long, but crucial to achieve that soft, tender, sweet caramelized taste. This method also provides the desired texture and appearance.  The upside is that they can be made days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or even frozen.   Mine never seem to make it to the freezer.


The caramelized onions in this post were made with red onions.  I do the same with yellow onions.  There is one difference in the cooking process between red and yellow onions.  When caramelizing red onions, I use water to deglaze the pan and stir in a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar at the end.  When cooking with the yellow onions, I like to use white wine instead of the water when deglazing the pan.  Sometimes I add minced garlic or herbs.  I will include these variations in the recipe below.

Trim the tops and root ends of the onions and peel.  Cut in half from top to bottom and lay cut side down on cutting surface.

Following the grains of the onions, cut the onions in thin slices.  When you get towards the end of the onion, turn it on its side and continue slicing.

Repeat with remaining onions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and oil.

Add the onion slices and stir for 10 minutes.  Season with salt and sugar.  Add garlic or herbs if using at this time.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.  The long, slow cooking allows the onions to soften before caramelizing.

After 1 hour, increase the heat to medium-high.  Cook, stirring frequently until the onions have brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes.

Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup water or wine, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in balsamic vinegar if using and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.