THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

Yeah, I know, that doesn't sound very exciting does it? Well, when you combine two great recipes, it turns out even the mundane can be awesome! First, let me say that any recipe that asks me to sauté chopped  shallots  and fresh herbs in pan drippings is a good recipe. Oh, and there's of course butter in them there pan juices. The pork chops were "Pan-Roasted Berkshire Pork Chops with Vermont Ice Cider" (173) from The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook by Tracy Medeiros. For copyright reasons, I can't produce the recipe here, but suffice it to say, the secrets here are the bone-in  chops (with fat), shallots  (of course), fresh herbs , and then ice cider for the sauce. The first time I made these I used Neige  ice cider that I picked up in Québec, but this time I stayed closer to home with the very lovely "dessert cider" ("Pommeau") from Carr's Ciderhouse in Massachusetts. They are apparently sold out of it for the year, so now I'm r...

I have been cooking. Promise. But finding time for cooking is not the same thing as finding time for blogging, unfortunately. For Christmas Eve dinner I adapted a recipe for pheasant with wild-rice stuffing from the City Tavern Cookbook and applied to it to three Cornish hens. I think it was ok, but the burgundy marinade was probably a bit overpowering for the hens. Here they are ready to be roasted: Finished product: The most ambitious part of that endeavor was my first try at homemade demi-glace. I'm not a patient person, and demi-glace requires patience. Let's just say that. I think mine was too watery, but it did taste good. What I'm really excited about, however, is the iPad I received for my birthday. I've used it several times already, along with the AllRecipes.com iPad application , which I really enjoy. Of course any user-upload site for recipes can be hit or miss, but I do find that the reviews on AllRecipes usually tell the tale pretty well. (Sidenote: If y...

When it is hot, as it has been for the last several days here in Boston, I tend to avoid turning on the oven as much as possible, and use it as a great excuse to dine outside. I've had several Ina Garten recipes that call for grilling that I end up broiling in the toaster oven due to lack of motivation to fire up the grill. Finally, however, we tried Garten's Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin on the bbq. It is really very good...especially in the summer when you want a "lighter" meat. I'm not totally sure how I feel about lemon and pork, to be honest...there is a moment of adjustment when I first taste it, but then it is decidedly delicious. I think the fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic, and dijon save it. The lemon sort of "summers up" these more traditional pork seasonings. Now, looking back at my blog, I can't believe I haven't already blogged my Amish Slaw recipe...it is part of what I call the Summer Salad Marathon (SSM), but I actually make it...

I will start with a confession. I don't like avocados. Yes, I am from California, and I do NOT like avocados. Ok, mash 'em up with lots of spices, lime juice, etc. and call it guacamole and we are all good. So...why I would make something with avocado for the first time now that it is winter in Massachusetts is beyond me, but this recipe from the March 2011 issue of Real Simple jumped out at me: Pollock with avocado relish and carrot puree (click link for recipe) I used these amazing carrots I bought at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market from Winter Moon Farm for the purée. Something about a mixture of kalamata olives and avocado appealed to me--I can handle avocado when it is in smaller chunks--it is the slices that trouble me. I didn't have pollock, but substituted haddock from Jordan Bros Seafood (also purchased at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market). This recipe was healthy, delicious, and colorful--and would be great for summer. I used the leftover carrot pu...

I have wanted to use a recipe from Barbara Lynch's Stir cookbook, almost as much as I've wanted to go to her restaurant, No. 9 Park . Most of the recipes aren't weeknight-type meals, but this one looked like something I could handle. I bought some great pork chops from Stillman's at the Turkey Farm at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market , along with some apples as well. I'm actually not a big fan of apples with pork chops, usually, but the caramelization did the trick here! Mmm....caramelized apples... Due to copyright, I won't give the amounts, but the ingredients are as follows: Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples, Celery, and Spiced Walnuts grapeseed or canola oil (I used grapeseed) pork chops, about 1 1/2 in thick salt and pepper Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple (I used the latter) sugar (for caramelizing) unsalted butter (for caramelizing) chopped fresh thyme celery stalks, sliced very thinly on the diagonal whole parsley leaves (1/4 cup...quite a lot--...

I wouldn't classify myself as a huge carnivore, but when I do eat meat, I like it to be good quality meat. I buy most of our meat at our local farmer's market which a) keeps us from eating too much meat due to the expense and b) makes me much more conscious of the meat's quality, how I cook it, etc. These pork chops come from Stillman's Farm , and they were, like everything I've ever purchased from Stillman's, absolutely amazing. So, when meat is fresh and of high quality, I tend to go for minimalist recipes that enhance the meat's own flavor (sometimes a challenge with pork). I had some fresh sage that I picked up at the Farmer's Market, and so a little googling brought me to Josh Friedland's wonderful blog, The Food Section . Friedland summarized the recipe for the pork chops from Suzanne Dunaway's Rome at Home . I followed his directions with one tiny addition: white wine in addition to the lemon juice. I did need more liquid after the fi...

I've been away on vacation/visiting family so I haven't posted in awhile. When I returned from my trip, however, I had a burst of great cooking experiences. Due to copyright issues, I won't post the recipes that are not otherwise available online (in which case I've linked to them), but I do have some pictures to share. First, I made Ina Garten's " Savory Palmiers " (or see Back to Basics , 43) for a social event. I approached this with some fear as every time I open a package of puff pastry I hear this in my head. This is since my last attempt to make baked brie, which came out more like an exploding puff pastry volcano of brie. However, much to my surprise, they came out pretty darn well! My favorite part of the recipe was making the homemade pesto. All pesto is NOT alike, and Garten's recipe (or see Back to Basics , 44) is by far the best I've ever tasted! Can you really go too wrong with homemade pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and...

I've been enjoying the "A Month of Easy Dinners" issue of Real Simple (October 2009). I hope to try all of them, but some of them may have to wait until next Fall. This week, however, I managed to make the " Ravioli with Apples and Walnuts " and " Meatballs with Sautéed chard ". RAVIOLI WITH APPLES AND WALNUTS Modifications: I added some andouille chicken sausage we had in the fridge. Rating: 3.5/5 stars Notes: very good in concept and I liked the apples with the spicy sausage. I did find the dish to be too dry, however, and think I will toss it all in some truffle oil next time. Nice balance of flavors. MEATBALLS WITH SAUTÉED CHARD Modifications: none (served with whole-wheat couscous instead of suggested baguette) Rating: 4/5 stars Notes: really loved these meatballs--would make easy appetizers for a party, too. The combination of pine nuts, currants, cinnamon and pork gave them a Mediterranean taste and the moisture from the chard kept them fro...