27 September, 2011
Dinner on Me Project – Recipes
Posted in : Dinner On me on by : Heather Williams
This is the recipes for my Dinner on Me project!
French Onion Soup with Melted Gruyere Cheese
Recipe type: Soup
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Serves: 8
Caramelized sweet and red onions in a hearty stock with sweet red wine. Soup is topped with melted gruyere cheese and a rustic bread disk.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 large red onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 2 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 (14 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 sprig fresh thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt & Pepper, TT
- 8 thick slices French or Italian bread
- 2 Cups Shredded Gruyere, room temperature
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- Small Piece of Twine about 5 Inches Long
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.
- Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
- Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
- Arrange large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl ⅔ full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 ounces Gruyere cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
- Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!
Mixed Greens in a Parmesan Bowl
Recipe type: Salad
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Serves: 8
Crispy iceberg wedge topped with diced tomatoes and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan.
Ingredients
- Assortment of baby greens, mixed
- 3 Creole Tomatoes, Diced
- 8 Parmesan bowls
Instructions
- Remove any wilted leaves from lettuce.
- Place lettuce in crispy parmesan bowl.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup tomato dices on top of wedge, and then ladle warm dressing over the salad. Serve immediately.
Creamy Bacon Vinaigrette
Recipe type: Salad Course
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Serves: 6
This vinaigrette has the sweetness from the brown sugar and the crunchiness from the bacon to make it a warm, delicious dressing to be used over any type of salad greens.
Ingredients
- 7 Egg Yolks
- 1½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ lb Bacon cooked, drained & crumbled
- 1 Shallot, roasted & minced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, roasted & minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt, TT
- Pepper, TT
Instructions
- Whisk to emulsify egg yolks and oil until thick and creamy.
- Add everything except oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle oil slowly into the emulsification until it is fully incorporated.
- Pour over salad.
- If not using immediately, whisk again before serving.
Herb-Roasted Cornish Hens Stuffed with Maw’s Rice Dressing
Recipe type: Entree
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Serves: 8
Herb-butter rubbed Cornish hen roasted and stuffed with Maw’s famous rice dressing.
Ingredients
- 4 (1 ½ lb.) Cornish game hens
- 1 pound butter
- 1 cup chopped basil
- 1 cup chopped thyme
- 4 tbsp. chopped tarragon
- 8 tbsps. Minced garlic
- Salt, TT
- Pepper, TT
- Cooking Twine
- 8 Cups of Rice Dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Soften butter to room temperature and place in a large mixing bowl. Add basil, thyme, tarragon and garlic. Whisk until blended.
- Debone all of the corning hens leaving the drumstick and wing bone. Season inside cavity of hens generously with salt and pepper.
- Divide rice dressing into 2 cup servings. Place 2 cups into each of the Cornish hens. Rub herbed butter over each hen and gently lift skin of breasts and place a generous amount of butter under skin. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Tie legs together to keep them in place during cooking process. Place hens on a large baking sheet with a 1-inch lip. Roast uncovered 45 minutes, basting occasionally with drippings.
- Remove, place on a serving platter and let rest 10-15 minutes prior to carving. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Maw’s Rice Dressing for Cornish Hens
Recipe type: Entree
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Serves: 8
Maw’s famous rice dressing made with sautéed French onion sausage and long grain rice then let to sit to get the flavors to their full potential.
Ingredients
- 3 Cup of Long-Grain Rice, pre-cooked
- 1 ½ Cup Flour
- 1 ½ Cup Oil
- 2 Large White Onions
- 3 lbs. French Onion Sausage, de-cased and precooked and chopped
- 3 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 6 Cups Water
- Salt, TT
- Pepper, TT
- tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- In a cast iron pot, heat oil. Add flour and stir until brown, making a roux.
- Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
- Add parsley and stir until incorporated. Simmer for 12-15 minutes,
- Incorporate French onion sausage into the pot.
- Stir in water 1 cup at a time until it all incorporate into the mix.
- Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in 7 ½ cups of cooked rice and remove from heat. Season to taste.
- Set aside 3-4 hours then reheat before serving.
Maple Glazed Baby Carrots
Recipe type: Entree/Starch
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Serves: 8
Baby carrots sautéed with a sweet glaze.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Carrots, Baby
- 3 oz. Whole Butter
- Salt, TT
- Pepper, TT
- 3 fl. oz. Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 2 Green Onions, blanched and shocked
Instructions
- Wash, Trim and cut baby carrots as necessary or desired.
- Parboil the carrots in salt water and refresh. The carrots should be very firm.
- Sauté’ the carrots in the butter until nearly tender.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the maple syrup. Cook briefly, tossing the carrots so that they are coated with the maple syrup. Garnish with parsley and tie with a green onion.
Strawberry Napoleon
Recipe type: Dessert
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Serves: 8
Crisp puff pastry, fresh strawberries, pastry cream and crème Chantilly layers topped with a drizzle of chocolate make this dessert a light ending to any meal.
Ingredients
- 9 Puff Pastry Strips, 3in x 9in, docked and baked
- 1 lb. of Pastry Cream
- 1 quart Strawberries, macerated
- 1 pint Crème’ Chantilly
- Basic Sugar Glaze as Needed
- 1oz Dark Chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Allow the puff pastry to cool completely before assembling.
- Place 1 strip of puff pastry on a cake cardboard support. Pipe on a layer of Pastry Cream, leaving a clean margin of almost ½ inch on all four sides. Top the cream with a layer of berries.
- Spread on a thin layer of Crème Chantilly and top with the second layer of puff pastry. Repeat the procedure for the third layer of puff pastry and chill. Repeat this with the second and third set of puff pastry strips.
- Prepare the Basic Sugar Glaze. Place the melted Chocolate in a piping cone. When ready to glaze, place the third strip of puff pastry on an icing rack, flat side up. Pour the basic sugar glaze down the length of the pastry and spread evenly with a metal cake spatula. Allow the excess to drop over the sides. Repeat this with the second set of puff pastry strips.
- Immediately pipe thing lines of chocolate across the glaze. Use a toothpick to pull a spider web pattern in the glaze, and then place the top in position on the napoleon.
Pastry Cream for the Strawberry Napoleon
Recipe type: Dessert
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Serves: 8
Crisp puff pastry, fresh strawberries, pastry cream and crème Chantilly layers topped with a drizzle of chocolate make this dessert a light ending to any meal.
Ingredients
- quart Milk
- 3 ¾ oz. Granulated Sugar
- 5 Egg Yolks
- 1 ¼ oz. Corn Starch
- 1 oz. Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Boil the milk and 1.5 oz. sugar in a large nonreactive saucepan.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and gradually add the remaining sugar. Whisk in the cornstarch to combine.
- Temper the egg yolk mixture with ¼th of the boiling milk. Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook whisking vigorously until the cream boils and is well thickened.
- Allow the pastry cream to boil approximately 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately pour it into a clean mixing bowl.
- Fold in the butter until melted. Do not over mix, as this will thin the custard.
- Cover by placing plastic wrap on the surface of the custard. Chill over an ice bath. Remove the vanilla bean just before using the pastry cream.
Crème Chantilly for the Strawberry Napoleon
Recipe type: Dessert
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Serves: 8
Crisp puff pastry, fresh strawberries, pastry cream and crème Chantilly layers topped with a drizzle of chocolate make this dessert a light ending to any meal.
Ingredients
- qt. Heavy Cream, chilled
- oz. Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Place the cream in a chilled mixing bowl.
- Using a balloon whisk, whisk the cream until slightly thickened.
- Add the sugar and vanilla and continue whisking to the desired consistency. The cream should be smooth and light, not grainy. Do not over whip.
- Crème Chantilly may be stored in the refrigerator for several hours. If the cream begins to soften, gently rewhip as necessary.
Basic Sugar Glaze for the Strawberry Napoleon
Recipe type: Dessert
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Serves: 8
Crisp puff pastry, fresh strawberries, pastry cream and crème Chantilly layers topped with a drizzle of chocolate make this dessert a light ending to any meal.
Ingredients
- 9 ½ oz. Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 2 fl. Oz Milk
- 1 oz. Unsalted Butter, melted
- 2 tsp. Vanilla, Lemon or Almond Extract
Instructions
- Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Adjust the consistency by adding more cream or milk to thin the glaze if necessary.
- Adjust the flavor if necessary.
- Use immediately, before the glaze begins to dry.
Macerated Strawberries for Strawberry Napoleon
Recipe type: Dessert
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pints strawberries
- cup honey
- 4 tbsp. Triple Sec
Instructions
- Wash, then hull strawberries. Don't use strawberries that are "bad" -- overripe, under ripe, or moldy.
- Set aside 6-8 strawberries, and roughly chop the rest of them. Irregular shapes are good.
- Take the 6-8 strawberries that were set aside, chop them too, and then mash them with a fork so you've got a rough strawberry puree.
- Mix the chopped strawberries and the mashed strawberries in a bowl, trying to coat the whole pieces as much as possible.
- Add the honey, then the liquer, to the bowl. Stir gently until it's all coated.
- Refrigerate at least two hours.
- Note: If you don't want to use liqueur, you can substitute lemon juice and a teaspoon or two of lemon zest.