Mulled Wine

I have one last story about Europe and that is about our favorite bar in Paris.  The day we got to Paris and had all that trouble trying to check in to our apartment is the day we discovered this place.  We went to this bar while waiting for the owner to show up and let us into our apartment and we were tired, hungry, and grumpy.  This is the first time we met the owner Didier, who was there each time we went.  We ordered a charcuterie board (pictured below) and some wine and were blown away at how tasty both were.  Once we had eaten we started to look around and realized that this bar was decorated with tons of food and cooking certificates ranging from gastronomy to cheese.  One of our visits while getting to know Didier he insisted on buying us both one last glass of wine, and on our last visit I finally asked about all of his certificates.  Didier is an amazing chef and all the food we ate there was fabulous, at one point in his life he was very involved in the chef scene and was a major competitor.  What we gathered is that he left that life to open his own bar and just do what he loves and cook, he is also quite the entertainer.  He was always being a ham and putting on American music for us and dancing around and singing along.  On our last visit I asked to get a picture with him and he insisted we take a picture with him kissing my cheek, so if you are ever in Paris in the 18th quarter please stop by Au Gamin de Paris.  Now let's talk wine, last night I hosted an event called Wine Wednesday which is a lovely thing that happens almost every week.  A bunch of us girls get together and cook and eat healthy foods and talk about life, play games, watch games and so forth.  Last night was the first time I hosted so I made sure to do it right and I made the ever so tasty Pizza Chili and adapted this recipe for the mulled wine.  Enjoy!

Makes 2 liters

The Ingredients
2 (750 mL) bottles red wine
1 (750 mL) bottle sweet vermouth
3½ ounces Angostura bitters
Peels from 2 oranges
2 grams clove
Peel from 1 lemon
About 6 whole green cardamom
About 4 whole cinnamon sticks
6 grams nutmeg
About 10 whole star anise
About 3 vanilla beans, split
3½ ounces brown sugar


The Process
1.  Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low.

2.  Steep on low heat, covered, for at least 1 hour.

3.  Strain or ladle, and serve hot.

Sharp Cheddar and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

During one of our last days in Paris we assessed what we had seen and what we couldn't live without seeing and that brought us to Musée Picasso Paris.  I had never realized that there was an entire museum dedicated to Picasso, so I was beyond delighted when we decided to go there.  It was in the nice part of Paris and it felt like we were in a movie, sun shining and all.  Below is one of my favorite paintings we saw and of course I bought quite a few fun things in the gift shop before we left.  After Picasso we walked around until we found a fun little place to eat lunch, but during our walk we found this open air market with the most adorable mushroom display I've ever seen (pictured below, note the little skiing guys).  Our lunch was fabulous and I got steak tartare one last time so that I wouldn't forget how delicious it is in Paris.  That last evening we stayed in and made food, I made porcini ravioli with tomato/eggplant sauce topped with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese (pictured below).  I can't even begin to tell you how badly I want to go back to Europe and eat all this amazing food again...  Well in the meantime I'll just keep trying to cook up some wonderful food here at home in PDX.  I adapted this recipe and it is so simple and tasty.  Also I forgot to take a picture of this dish because I was so hungry so the picture credit goes to Center Cut Cook.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded thin
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1  cup chopped fresh broccoli
sea salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
paprika
1/2  tbsp olive oil
toothpicks


The Process
1.  Preheat over to 350 degrees. If you're chicken breasts are not already thin, pound them with a mallet until thin. This makes the chicken easier to fold in half. Place them in a baking dish.

2.  Coat chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese evenly on top of the chicken breasts. Save a little bit to add to the top after you fold them.

3.  Sprinkle chopped broccoli evenly on top of the cheese. The smaller you chop your broccoli, the easier it stays on when you fold it.  Fold your chicken breasts in half and secure with 2-3 toothpicks each.  Brush the tops of the chicken breasts with olive oil.

4.  Cover baking dish with tin foil and place in the over. Cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.  Remove tin foil and sprinkle chicken with the remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Honey-Tamari Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy

One of our many amazing evenings in Paris we went to a restaurant that I had made reservations at called Le Timbre.  I had read amazing things about this place and decided it was a must do while in Paris.  It was a fixed menu with options on how many courses you wanted and we went all out with the five courses.  It was a very small and intimate restaurant with only the server and the chef running the entire show.  Everything was super delicious but my favorite three dishes are pictured below: cauliflower and smoked eel, white fish with cannellini beans, and rare filet mignon.  We also purchased an unforgettable bottle of wine to pair with our meal.  It was the most romantic meal we had in Paris.  After that we stopped at a store and bought a bottle of wine and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.  The Eiffel Tower was so beautiful with all of its lights shining in the night, we sat down on some grass near the base of it and popped our bottle of wine.  This romantic evening was so amazing I hope to experience it again in my lifetime.  Ok now let's talk salmon, my awesome dad caught this salmon and gave me a big ol' slab so I had to do it justice and make a tasty meal.  I adapted this recipe and it was heavenly to say the least.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 cup tamari
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 inch peeled fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 pounds salmon (about 4 fillets)
1 head bok choy, chopped up


The Process
1.  Whisk tamari, honey, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic together until honey dissolves. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade in separate bowl, then place salmon, skin-side up, in marinade. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes (I did an hour).

2.  Meanwhile, preheat broiler (or grill) to high. Heat 1/4 cup of water in medium skillet over high heat and bring to a boil. Add bok choy and cover. Allow to steam until almost tender, about 4 minutes, then add reserved marinade. Toss to combine, cook for an additional 2 minutes to reduce excess liquid. Remove from heat.

3.  Put the salmon under the broiler skin-side down and broil without turning until exterior is well-caramelized and the fish is just cooked through, 7-10 minutes, depending on thickness and the distance from broiler. (I did 8 minutes and it was perfect).

4.  Arrange bok choy on plates and top with the salmon fillets.

Harissa Beef Skewers with Tahini Slaw

Let's talk more about Paris because it was fabulous!  The next day in Paris we got up early and headed over to Notre Dame because they day before we tried to get in and the line was insane.  It was unbelievable inside and while we were in there a service was happening which immediately brought me back to my childhood as I was raised catholic (pics below).  We then went over to the catacombs and stood in line for an entire hour and only moved 14ft...so we decided our time was too precious to waste especially since it would have taken us another 2 hours at least.  From there we were hungry and stopped in this little cafe and had some amazing food, we shared foie gras with fig jam and toast and then a very large and delicious charcuterie board (pic below).  Next we went to the Père Lachaise Cemetery which was so beautiful and haunting.  We walked around for hours and visited Jim Morrison's grave and one of my favorites Oscar Wilde's grave (pic below).  Now let's talk about food I cooked.  I adapted this recipe for last night's dinner and while it turned very yummy there were definitely some tweaks I made and tweaks I should have made which I will note. And TGIF enjoy your weekend!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1/2 cup plain whole yogurt

2 tablespoons tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup dill sprigs, chopped

3 tablespoon Harissa paste (I used mild)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 pound beef, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 small head cabbage (I used Chinese), shredded

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Garlic powder

The Process

1.  Mix Harissa paste, olive oil, and 2 dashes of garlic powder together and place in bowl with beef chunks.  Let marinate for at least 1/2 hour. (This will help the flavor be more brilliant than mine was).

2.  In the meantime place the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cabbage, onions, and dill, and toss to combine. Set aside.

3.  When meat is done marinating preheat a grill pan or a grill to medium high heat.  Thread the meat onto skewers and brush with the leftover paste oil mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side. Serve over the slaw.

Pork No Mein

Another day in Paris we went to the Louvre for almost 5 hours (see pics below) and saw some amazing history and art.  Of course I was blown away at how huge the Louvre is and how we could have easily spent another 10 hours there and still not have seen all the art we wanted to, but again with only a limited time in Paris we had to choose wisely.  That is definitely a pretty part of Paris with the canal and it was much cleaner than where we were staying in the 18th quarter.  After the Louvre we went and tried escargot for the first time, I absolutely loved it but I can't say the same for Michael...you can tell how he felt in the picture below.  I wish I had gotten more at some point but I guess I will just have to try it here in America and see if it is up to par.  I've been trying to eat pretty healthy since we got back from Europe because even though the food was amazing it is a big transition for your stomach to have that many varying rich food and I kind of needed to reset.  I adapted this recipe last week and it was a wonderful alternative to Pork Lo Mein.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
4 Tbsp. wheat-free tamari
2 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
couple grinds of fresh ground pepper
2 lbs. boneless pork chops, cut into strips or chunks
1 small head of cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible
1 carrot, quartered lengthwise then diced
1 onion, cut in half lengthwise then into thin slivers
5 mushrooms, cut in half then sliced thinly
Olive oil


The Process
1) Make sauce: Place tamari, almond butter, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, and some salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

2) Preheat large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and pork, stirring. When one side is beginning to brown, add all the veggies, continuing to cook until cabbage is softened and onion is translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add sauce and stir to combine, until sauce is heated through. Serve it up!

Beef Stuffed Chard with Marinara and Gorgonzola

When life gets complicated and intense I like to focus on the things that make me happy and one of those things obviously is cooking.  The other thing that helps me on days like today is now reminiscing about our fun adventure in Europe, so I will continue on with the stories!  After Dijon we went to Paris for 5 days.  The place that we stayed ended up being nice once we got in but boy was that an ordeal just trying to get the keys.  To make a long story short the owner of the apartment has a cleaning guy who then also hands off the keys to the guests and he was definitely up to something sketchy.  He told us all these stories once in person and once over the phone as to why we couldn't get into our apartment at the original time...anyway 4 hours later we finally did get in and had a moment to rest.  The building also had really steep stairs as you can see in one of the pictures below.  That night we went on an adventure around town and stopped at a couple fun and hospitable bars but while we were walking around I found the funniest barber shop ad (pictured below).  The next day before we really began our adventures we ate breakfast at this cute little corner bar and I had thin rye toast with jambon, fromage, and tomates (pictured below) and it was amazing!  Speaking of food last night I adapted this recipe and it was so very tasty and healthy too!

Serve 2-3

The Ingredients

1 pound 90%-lean ground beef

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 cup onion, minced, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

8 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed (see Tip)

1 14 ounce can chicken broth

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Gorgonzola, (optional)

1 cups mushrooms, sliced

The Process

1.  Gently mix beef, almond flour, 1/4 cup onions, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until just combined. Divide the mixture into 8 oblong 3-inch portions.

2.  Overlap the two sides of a chard leaf where the stem was removed and place a portion of beef there. Tightly roll the chard around the beef. Place each roll, seam-side down, in a large nonstick skillet. Pour in broth, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads 165 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any remaining broth.

3.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion, mushrooms, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes. Serve the chard rolls topped with sauce and Gorgonzola cheese, if desired.

Skillet Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce

After we left Switzerland we had another 1 day stop in Dijon, France.  I didn't do a lot of research about Dijon before we left and so I had the impression that it was a small town but boy was I wrong, it was definitely at least the size of PDX.  Here we stayed in an adorable little garden cottage with a very sweet host who left us fresh croissants from the bakery.  We wandered around this city for hours and we went to the famous mustard shop called Maille founded in 1747.  This shop was amazing and we bought lots of gifts for people here, we did save two things for our selves though which were apple cider vinegar and a mushroom mustard.  There were tons of people on the main shopping street,  huge music boxes,  beautiful fountains (pictured below), and something similar to a puppet show.  We later found out that we were at the Saturday market that happens every week.  We eventually made our way back to our cottage and decided we were too tired to cook so we found a little sushi place near our home called Sushi Wabi.  It was so delicious, if you look at the picture below towards the back you can see they even gave us duck sushi!  I wish we had a little more time in Dijon but more time in Paris was also just fine with me.  We also enjoyed lots of wine from Rhone.  I adapted this recipe last night for dinner and it was crazy delicious, although my sauce didn't seem to thicken up like it was suppose to.

Serves 4-5

The Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 chicken thighs

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chicken stock

8 strips bacon (cooked, fat drained off, and chopped into small chunks) - divided

5 thin lemon slices

2/3 cup heavy cream.

2 green onions, chopped

The Process

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Generously season chicken thighs with salt and pepper - make sure to season under the skin too. Add chicken thighs skin side down to the hot skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on high-medium heat, covered, skin side down, without flipping, checking occasionally, until the skin side is very well browned.

2.  Remove chicken from the skillet.

3.  Add minced garlic and a small amount of chicken stock to de-glaze the pan and cook the garlic for about a minute. Add the remaining chicken stock (1 cup). Add half the bacon (cooked, fat should be drained off, and chopped into small chunks).

4.  Add chicken back to the pan, on top of bacon and in the chicken broth. Arrange 5 thin lemon slices around chicken thighs - and cook, simmering, covered, for about 20 minutes, until chicken is done and is no longer pink in the center.

5.  After chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet. Remove lemon slices from the skillet - it's very important that you remove them now, do not leave them in for the sauce otherwise it will be too sour. Add 2/3 cup heavy cream to the skillet. Bring to boil and mix everything well, scraping from the bottom. Immediately reduce to simmer, add chicken thighs back to the skillet and reheat.

6.  To serve, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken thighs, and sprinkle with remaining chopped bacon and chopped green onions.