Fall Gourmet Goodness

 

The gourmet girls met for yet another evening of fine cuisine.  Friday, September 17 we convened at Laura Steven's for a wonderful meal.  Raquel started us off with her amazing Mini Chicken B'Steeyas appetizer (Martha Stewart).   Lara's Green Salad with Vinaigrette was light and flavorful.  Jodi favored us with her "labor of love" Cracked Wheat & Molasses Bread from Keeping Up Cookbook.  Our main dish was Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Applejack Cream.  LS also served some mashed sweet potatoes on the side.  Lynley brought yummy Twice-Baked Potatoes and for desert there were Spicy Chocolate Truffles (Williams-Sonoma) and Fresh Orange Pound Cakes with an Orange Glaze (an Emeril Lagasse recipe from Foodnetwork).  It was another home-run with an array of delicious food and fun with friends!

 

 

 

Our chef hard at work in the kitchen!

 

Lara, Jodi & Bridget

 

 Lynley, LS and Raquel

Notice the new blog format.  Each of the recipes from the evening's meal are in a separate post.  We will tag each recipe post and create a directory by category in an effort to make your recipe searching easier.  Also notice our new search bar on the sidebar to the right, which is very handy for locating just what you're looking for.

Also, I just posted the recipe for Lara's crepes from last month.

Mini Chicken B'Steeyas

Green Salad with Vinaigrette

1/2 lb Butter lettuce or mixed salad greens

2 TBS red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

6 TBS olive oil

In a small mixing bowl combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Whisk until well blended.  Add the oil steadily while continuing to whisk.  Taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.  (You can also adjust the amount of vinegar and oil to your liking).  Cover and refrigerate until time to serve.  Can be used on green salads, tomato salads, and to dip steamed artichokes in.  Experiment with all of your veggies!  Serves 6.

Lara tossed the lettuce with the dressing and in a separate bowl tossed fresh tomatoes from her garden with the dressing.

Cracked Wheat & Molasses Bread

Jodi found this recipe in Keeping Up Cookbook.

Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Applejack Cream

Lynley's Twice-Baked Potatoes

Spicy Chocolate Truffles

Heavy Cream, 3/4 cup

Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons at room temperature

Semisweet (plain) chocolate, 12 oz finely chopped

Unsweetened chocolate, 1 oz  finely chopped

Pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon

Unsweetened coco powder, 3 tablespoons

Sugar, 2 tablespoons

Ground red chile, 1 teaspoon

Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon

1. Make the truffle filling.  In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream and butter until the butter melts.  Remove from the heat, add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates, and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and stir until smooth.  Scrape the truffle mixture into a large bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until firm throughout, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

2. Shape the truffles.  On a dinner plate, using a fork, stir together the cocoa powder, sugar, chile, and cinnamon.  To form each truffle, scoop up a tablespoon of the cold filling, quickly roll it between your palms into a rough ball, and roll the ball in the cocoa mixture to coat evenly.  as the truffles are formed, place them on a lined baking sheet.  The truffles may be served right away, or covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.  For best results, bring to room temperature before serving.

Warning: These truffles have a real kick!  If you don't like spicy, omit the chile powder.