Cornish Hens with Lemon, Herbs, and Roasted Root Vegetables with Apple Juice

mike has this at Indian Road cafe the other night.  i thought i would give this a try.

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish hens (about 1 3/4 pounds each), room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry
• 1 bunch fresh thyme (about 1/2 ounce), plus more for garnish
• 2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

To make the root vegetables:

Ingredients

• 3 cups apple juice
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds turnips
• 1 1/4 pounds parsnips
• 1 1/4 pounds carrots
• 1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (yams)
• 3 Andouille sausages, cut into cubes

Directions

Boil apple juice and wine in heavy large saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 30 minutes. Whisk in butter.
saute the andouille sausages in olive oil.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and cut vegetables into 1/2-inch pieces. Divide between 2 large roasting pans. Pour apple juice mixture over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast until vegetables and sausages until they are tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

http://www.marthastewart.com/340178/cornish-hens-with-lemon-and-herbs

Chicken Florentine

something quick and simple for dinner.

4 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 shallot, sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

12 oz fresh spinach

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup half & half  

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

Wash and dry the chicken breasts, and season with salt and pepper. Place half the olive oil in a medium skillet and cook the chicken about 4 minutes on each side over medium heat. Remove to plate, cover with foil, and keep warm.

Place the rest of the olive oil in the same skillet and heat over medium heat. Sautee the mushrooms and shallots until well cooked and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Sprinkle with the garlic powder.

Add the spinach to the skillet and heat through until wilted. Stir in the soup, cream, and nutmeg, and blend well. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and cover. Cook over low heat until chicken is done and flavors blend, about 8 minutes longer. 

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/chicken/easy-chicken-florentine.html

Flourless Chocolate Soufflé (Soufflé au Chocolat)

i made this as a special treat for Mike tonight.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. milk
5½ tbsp. sugar, plus additional for dusting soufflé dish
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Confectioners' sugar
 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Place milk and 4 tbsp. sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 45 seconds. Stir in chocolate and cook until melted, 1–2 minutes. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl (glass or stainless steel), cool for 5 minutes, then beat in egg yolks.

2. Beat egg whites in a nonreactive bowl until foamy, then sprinkle in remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

3. Butter a small soufflé dish (2½" deep, 6'' diameter; soufflé will not rise in a larger dish) or three to four smaller ramekins, then lightly dust with sugar. Gently mix one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites, one-third at a time. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into dish.

4. Make sure oven rack is low enough to allow soufflé room to rise as much as 2'' above the dish. Bake until puffed, about 25 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately. (Soufflé will begin to deflate after about 2 minutes.)

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Chocolate-Souffle

Straciatella (Italian Egg Drop Soup)

i was visiting my parents home this afternoon.  dad and i were talking about our trip to Italy in 2006.  we were talking about the sights and of course food.  part of the trip we were in Sorrento and had this soup tonight i made it.
Courtesy Georgia Downard

Ingredients

5 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth 

4 large eggs

12 oz. fresh spinach, chopped

20 small meatballs (check out the meatball recipe on my blog: http://cookingandgrowingupalittleitalianboy.blogspot.com/2013/08/meatballs.html)

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, or to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large saucepan bring stock to a boil over moderate heat with the spinach. In a bowl beat together the eggs, Parmesan and parsley. Reduce the heat to low and drizzle eggs into stock, gently stirring. Simmer, stirring, just until eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/straciatella-italian-egg-drop-soup-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Veal Scaloppine with Mozzarella, Eggplant and Pancetta

    6 veal scallops
    1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
    Freshly ground pepper
    1/2 lb. pancetta cubed
    1/2 cup all purpose flour
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2 tbsp olive oil
    3/4 cup dry white wine
    2 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    Eggplant sliced thin
    1 small chopped onion
    1 garlic cloves diced
    Fresh parsley
    Salt
    Pepper
    Lemon wedges

Season veal with sage and pepper.
Dredge veal in flour; shake off excess. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add veal and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add a slice of fresh mozzarella and let it melt. Transfer veal to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and discard.

In the same skillet, saute the eggplant, 4 min on each side.  Place on top of the veal

In the same skillet, saute the diced Pancetta for 5 min on medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook 5 min.

Add wine to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in 2 tablespoons chilled butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Remove toothpicks from veal. Pour sauce over. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.