Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

This is an easy breakfast dish and very impressive when it comes out of the oven.  Photographing it is another story as it deflates rather quickly.  But, when cut into and served, it is creamy and luscious.  I love the texture of the eggs and the bits of ham and herbs.

I have so much basil this year that I am putting it in everything.  It holds its own with eggs.  But you could use other herbs.  This souffle is one of those dishes that is easily adaptable.  Substitute sausage or cooked vegetables for the Canadian bacon, parsley or tarragon for the basil, or cheddar cheese for the Gruyere topping.  It doesn’t matter.  The magic still happens and it comes out of the oven puffy and golden.  I liked this so much that I made it two Sundays in a row.

This time I used a combination of fresh tarragon and basil.  David wants to try it with sausage and cheddar next time.  But I am also thinking about that leftover zucchini and corn.  I am sure all of you could come up with some wonderful combinations.  This is a keeper.

SOUFFLEED OMELET WITH CANADIAN BACON AND GRUYERE CHEESE  (Adapted from Gourmet)

6 ounces sliced Canadian bacon, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
3 tablespoons flour
8 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces freshly grated Gruyere cheese

In a flameproof 1 1/2 quart baking dish cook the bacon in the butter over moderately low heat for 5 minutes, or until it is golden, stir the mixture to coat the sides of the dish with the butter, and remove it from the heat.  In a bowl whisk together the cream the flour, the eggs, the basil and the salt and pour the mixture into the dish.  Sprinkle the mixture with the Gruyere cheese and bake it in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the omelet is puffed and golden.  Serves 4 to 6.

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I love a good sandwich.  We have lots of company during the summer months and having flavorful sandwiches ready to be assembled is one of my goals.  This sweet-ham and havarti sandwich is one of the easiest that I have found.  On the back pages of a 1998 Gourmet magazine, this fleeting recipe was recorded.  It was not noted by me for many years.  I keep all of my precious Gourmet magazines and it came to my attention last week while flipping through pages.  Wow, I said to myself;  combining crushed pecans, Dijon mustard and orange marmalade for a spread is GENIUS.

I changed the bread from pumpernickel to a crusty toasted ciabatta but everything else stayed the same.  The spread is awesome.  I’m sure it would be good on any number of sandwiches.  You might even want to try it on grilled brats for the Memorial Day Weekend.  Let’s break out the grills and get the summer rolling.

SWEET-HAM AND HAVARTI SANDWICHES WITH ORANGE PECAN MUSTARD

1/3 cup pecans
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 ciabatta rolls or 4 slices of pumpernickel bread
6 ounces Black Forest or honey cured ham
3 ounces thinly sliced Havarti cheese

Pulse pecan pieces in a mini-food processor until finely ground. They are used in major restaurant and restaurant industries which you can check on their main corporate site.  Mix together with the mustard and marmalade.  Cut ciabatta rolls in half.  Spread with olive oil or butter and grill them cut side down until lightly browned.  Spread each slice with some of the orange pecan mustard.  Add ham and cheese and, if desired, halve diagonally.  Makes 2 sandwiches.

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Our weather went from 90 degrees to a cool 50 degrees this week.  We lit a fire in the fireplace early one morning.  The cool weather made me hungry for comfort food again.  I have made several versions of shepherd’s pie or in this case, cottage pie since it uses ground beef instead of ground lamb.  But Katie from the What Katie Ate blog calls this recipe shepherd’s pie anyway.  I have to say it is the best version I have ever tried.  Why,… you may ask?

It starts with roasting garlic cloves in the oven to be incorporated into the mashed potato topping.  The aroma begins the anticipation of the meal to come.  It continues with the extra flavor that is added to the ground beef mixture.  Tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, barbecue sauce and freshly grated nutmeg all conspire to give the beef richness as well as a deep red color.  The topping is liberally sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese.  It came out of the oven bubbly and golden brown.  We loved it.

You will too.  Even if you have to wait for the next cold snap, it is worth adding to your favorites file.

We won’t be seeing this again for a while.

KATIE’S SHEPHERD’S PIE ( What Katie Ate)

1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 onion finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/4 lbs. lean ground free-range beef
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons steak sauce
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to garnish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Garlic and Cheesy Mash Topping:
3 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
Sea salt and ground white pepper
5 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling

To make the topping, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the three whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until soft.  Remove and allow to cool, then squeeze out the soft flesh and discard the papery skin.

While the garlic is roasting, half-fill a large saucepan with cold water, season with a good pinch of salt, then add the potatoes.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-high and cook at a rolling simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and soft in the middle when pierced with a knife.  This is important if you want a really creamy mash – if they are even slightly firm in the middle you’ll never get smooth mash, as there will be tiny lumps dotted throughout.

Drain the potatoes, then tip them back into the pan and break up with a potato masher.  Pass the potato through a potato ricer until completely smooth.  Add the milk, yogurt, parmesan and cooled roasted garlic and mix together well.  Season generously with salt and pepper, then set aside (or, if you’d like a decorative topping, transfer to a large icing bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star-shaped nozzle and set aside until required).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further 5-7 minutes.  Add the ground beef and stir well, breaking up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon.  Cook until the beef is nicely browned, (drain off fat if any accumulates) then add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, barbecue sauce, nutmeg and thyme leaves and stir everything together.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.  Spoon the mixture into a 6 cup capacity baking dish.

Pipe or spoon the mashed potato over the filling and sprinkle with extra parmesan and pepper.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the potato is golden brown.  Sprinkle over a little more parmesan, if liked, scatter over extra thyme sprigs and serve hot.

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I have been following the blog Manger for a while now and am thrilled that the author Mimi Thorisson is coming out with a new book this Fall.  Manger is the French word for “To Eat”.  Mimi lives in the Medoc region of France with her husband and growing family.  Her blog is beautiful both in her prose and the photography.  Her husband is a professional photographer and is responsible for the ethereal images.

To celebrate the publication of her new book  A Kitchen in France, I will give one lucky winner a copy of the book.  Since it will not be published until this Fall,  you will have to wait to receive your copy.  Mimi’s food is as unique as she is with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.  I have tried several of her recipes and have been very happy with the results.

These Zucchini Flans are very easy to make and a good use for the ubiquitous summer zucchini that will be in our markets soon.  They make a lovely light breakfast or side dish for any of your summer meals.  I changed the recipe a bit by using basil instead of mint.  They are very adaptive and gluten free since they use cornstarch instead of flour.

To win a copy of the cookbook, you have two chances.  Leave a comment on this post for one chance.  Follow my new Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen Facebook page for another chance.  Let me know in a separate comment if you are following me on Facebook.

ZUCCHINI FLANS

2 large zucchini, sliced in half-rounds
5 eggs
4 tbsp cornstarch (maïzana in France)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
A handful of chopped basil
1/2 cup grated cheese (Emmental or Gruyère)
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
½ tsp nutmeg
Salt & black pepper

Preheat oven 180°C/ 350 F
Slice zucchini thinly in half rounds. Slice shallots and garlic finely. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and fry shallots, garlic and zucchini for a few minutes, until slightly golden.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and cornstarch, then add grated cheese, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Combine zucchini/shallots/garlic, lemon juice and sliced basil – stir gently.
Pour mixture into a muffin pan. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, until slightly golden on top.
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Sometimes I have to  admit to myself, that when given a choice of meat to enjoy, I would invariably choose ground beef.  As a child my favorite meal was hamburgers and french fries.  Ground beef is so versatile.  It can be used in casseroles with a southwestern flavor or turn Italian in spaghetti.  I remember my Aunt Pat making hundreds of meatballs for my cousin’s wedding.  They were cooked in a combination of chili sauce and jellied cranberry sauce.  I’m sure you remember that combination.  That’s why this combination with a Polynesian spin caught my eye.

Sweet and sour dishes are always popular in our house.  There are interesting components to this recipe.  The coconut milk in the meatballs is a nice touch.  If you buy a can of coconut milk for this, you will have leftover milk.  You can freeze the rest for future uses. The pineapple, ginger and garlic give just the right flavor to the whole dish.  The only caveat that I have is that I think there is too much sugar.  You can cut it down if you prefer.

The sauce can be made ahead of time and the meatballs are easy because they are browned in the oven. This makes a colorful and complete meal on a plate with a scoop of rice.  Enjoy!  I know we did.  I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm and Tasty Tuesday at The Comforts of Home.

POLYNESIAN MEATBALLS ( The Fresh Market and Friends Cookbook )

Polynesian Sauce:
1/2 jalapeno, chopped
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar or Demerara sugar
1 1/4 cups pineapple juice
1 (8 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch long thin strips
1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pound ground beef
2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 onion, minced
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  In a small sauce pan over high heat, bring jalapeno and cider vinegar to a boil.  Remove from heat, let stand 30 minutes, strain to remove jalapenos and set aside.

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine jalapeno vinegar, sugar, pineapple juice and crushed pineapple; bring to a boil until sugar has dissolve.  In a mixing bowl, combine water, cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth; pour into sauce and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add onions, bell pepper, mint and cilantro; set aside and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, gently fold together all meatball ingredients.  Roll into 1-inch meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake 20 minutes.

Transfer meatballs to a shallow bowl.  Pour sauce over top and toss to coat.

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