Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking

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October 24, 2016

{IHCC} Potluck with Curtis Stone

Posted by teaandscones under Asparagus, Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking, I Heart Cooking Clubs, IHCC, Recipe Included, risotto, Vegetarian
[2] Comments

I had one more recipe of Curtis’s I really wanted to try but never got the chance while he was out ‘assigned’ chef for I Heart Cooking Clubs.

asparagus and parmesan risotto

Y’all know how much I love risotto so I couldn’t pass this one up. Seems like every time I went to make it I didn’t have one of the ingredients. THIS time every thing came together. YUM!

About 8 cups store-bought vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 shallots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tble dried thyme leaves {I didn’t have any fresh}

2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, woody ends removed, stalks cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler, for garnish

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in the mircowave and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and sauté shallots, garlic, and thyme leaves until the shallots are tender but not browned. Add the rice and sauté just long enough to coat with the oil.Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes,or until it is absorbed.

Add the hot veggie stock 3/4 cup at a time stirring after each addition until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rise is al dente

Add the asparagus cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and mascarpone cheese and stir until the butter has melted and the cheeses are just incorporated. Add the parsley, mint, and lemon.juice. season the risotto generously with salt and pepper.

Garnish with the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve.

Curtis’s risotto was a beautiful white with the green asparagus shining through. My veggie stock was really dark so the risotto is very dark. But it was full of flavor. The mascarpone, which I would NEVER have thought of using, added a certain sweetness to the risotto. And the big shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano…. nuff said! I think I could live off of this risotto.

The recipe is from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone. Page 133} You can find the original recipe his website as well.

Want more POTLUCK? Visit IHCC.

September 24, 2016

{IHCC} Iozza’s corn and bacon muffins

Posted by teaandscones under Bacon, Baking, corn, Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking, I Heart Cooking Clubs, Muffins, Recipe Included
[4] Comments

It’s Potluck Week with I Heart Cooking Clubs. and the second to the last week to cook with Curtis Stone. And I still have several recipes I really want to make…..

These muffins are made for Curtis by his Mum when he is home. I can see why he likes them. Full of bacon, corn, seasonings, and cheese.

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Slathered with butter they are perfect for breakfast. They can be mixed and finished in about 30 minutes.

12 ounces hardwood-smoked bacon, coarsely chopped {+ 1/3 cup bacon drippings}
2 1/2 cups AP flour {I used 1/2 WWF and 1/2 AP Flour}
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups ~~whole~~ milk
3 large eggs
2 cups grated ~~white~~ sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh yellow corn kernels (from 1 cob)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives {I think they needed more.}

Fry the bacon over medium heat until nice and crisp. Reserve about 1/3 cup bacon drippings.

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Mix together the egg, milk, bacon drippings, corn, chives, and 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Mix the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Pour equal amounts into each muffin cup which have been brushed with bacon drippings.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the muffins.

Bake 18 minutes (mine took 15) or until golden brown. Cool slightly then run a small knife around the the muffins and remove from the pan.

Serve with warm butter. {Recipe makes 12 muffins) Similar Recipe here.

These were good. Definitely a repeat.

More Pot Luck at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

September 10, 2016

{IHCC} Curtis’ Coconut Rice

Posted by teaandscones under coconut, Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking, I Heart Cooking Clubs, IHCC, Recipe Included, Rice
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This weeks theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs was “Finishing Touches” which really left what we could chose wide open. Anything that was drizzled, powdered, sprinkled, or topped with something to add just that right touch to a dish. I wanted something simple and this recipe caught my eye because the last instruction in the recipe was,

“GARNISH WITH THE TOASTED COCONUT!”

Just the words I wanted to see.

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1 cup Basmati rice
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
½ tsp salt
lightly toasted coconut for garnish

Combine the stock, coconut milk, and salt in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Add the rice and stir constantly for 1 minute. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat, without stirring, for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and stand covered for 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Lightly fluff up the rice with a fork. Transfer the rice to bowls and garnish with the toasted coconut and serve.

This, as Curtis says, is a perfect side for any Asian dish. Since it is mild in flavor it would only enhance whatever it is served with. The rice is creamy with a touch of sweetness from the coconut and coconut milk.

The recipe is from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone on page 220.

For more garnishing;, sprinkling, powdering check with I Heart Cooking Clubs – Finishing Touches.

September 3, 2016

{IHCC} Potluck with Curtis

Posted by teaandscones under cheese, chicken, Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking, I Heart Cooking Clubs, IHCC
[6] Comments

Last week we were supposed to make a Curtis recipe that took 30 minutes or less. I didn’t quite make it in time. Although why I couldn’t find 30 minutes to make one simple dish is beyond me.

So here it is this week for the August I Heart Cooking Clubs Potluck.

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barbeque chicken quesadillas

If you have some roasted chicken, and I did, this dish is ready in about 10 minutes. Flour tortillas layered with Monterey Jack. roasted chicken, BBQ sauce and cilantro. There was also Jalapeño pepper but I left that out. NOT a fan!

Simply put the fillings on 1/2 of the tortilla, place the quesadilla on a griddle and cook on each side for about 3 minutes to melt the cheese and crisp the tortilla. 10 minutes, 12 minutes tops. It was perfect for a quick lunch or supper when you are too busy to do something complicated. Definitely a repeat.

I used an apple cider vinegar which added some kick with out the pepper. Perfect!

The recipe is from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone. Page 120

Want more potluck check out IHCC this week.

June 25, 2016

{IHCC} apples and pears

Posted by teaandscones under Apples, Baking, Curtis Stone Relaxed Cooking, I Heart Cooking Clubs, IHCC, Pears, Puff Pastry, Recipe Included, Tart
[9] Comments

This weeks’ theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs was Fresh and Fruity. Which is a great theme for this time of the year. So many fresh fruits and veggies everywhere. But here in the south while we have plenty of veggies coming in we don’t really have any fruits. Watermelon is about all. Fortunately for me I have some ‘fresh’ fruit that I canned last year so I used that.

For these….

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apple and pear upside-down caramel tarts

They are mini versions of a tarte Tatin and they are easy to put together. And delicious.

Caramel sauce:

Tarts:

To make the caramel sauce: Stir the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium heavy saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a simmer, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar that clings to the side.

The sugar that clings to the side of the pan has a tendency to crystallize and ruin the silky consistency of the caramel, so wiping the sugar off the sides of the pan will help prevent this from happening.

Allow the sugar syrup to boil without stirring, brushing down the sides of the pan and swirling the pan occasionally to ensure it cooks evenly, for about 8 minutes or until it begins to turn golden brown.

You will need to watch the syrup closely as it can burn quite easily.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the butter and whisk until the butter melts and the mixture forms a caramel sauce. Stir in the cinnamon.

Pour three-fourths of the caramel sauce into four 4-inch-diameter cake pans with at least 1 3/4-inch-high sides, dividing equally.

Allow the caramel in pans to cool.

Whisk the cream into the remaining caramel sauce to blend and set the caramel sauce aside.

To make the tarts: Arrange a layer of the apples and pears decoratively over the caramel in the pans, then stack the remaining apples and pears to fill the pans completely. Unfold the pastry on a work surface and press the seams together if necessary.

Cut out four 4-inch rounds.

Place the pastry rounds over the apples and pears and tuck the pastry down between the sides of the pans.

Prick the pastry 5 to 6 times with a fork or small sharp knife.

Cover the tarts with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day to chill the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Transfer the tarts to a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through and the apples are very tender.

Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the juices to cool and thicken slightly.

Place a plate over each tart.

In a swift movement, invert each tart onto each plate.

Remove the pans.

Drizzle some of the reserved caramel sauce around the tarts and serve.

Reserve any remaining caramel sauce in the refrigerator for another use.

These are definitely going into the dessert rotation. I always have puff pastry in the freezer and always have apples and pears on the counter (or in the pantary) so it would be no trouble to put these together – often.

These are from relaxed cooking with curtis stone (page 358)

Check wit the other members of I Heart Cooking Club to see what they made with fruit this week.

This week’s theme for IHCC is Local and Seasonal. Which is perfect because our garden is now producing. That’s definitely local and absolutely seasonal. We have been harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini for about a week now. The corn is growing beautifully and the eggplant is ALMOST there. In addition our neighbor’s garden is also thriving with all the rain we have been having. Between the two gardens I managed to find all the right ingredients for Curtis’

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crispy vegetable fritters

These little fritters are full of zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and onions and that’s really about all. There is no flour, no milk, just two eggs, seasoning and the veggies. They are light and crispy and delicious. They went together in no time and were the perfect side.

The veggies are cut into very thin strips ( I used my mandolin and the smallest julienne setting) then simply mixed and fried. Shallow frying with very little EVOO makes them healthier than deep frying.

The recipe is on page 34 of Curtis’ Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone.

What more Local and Seasonal? Click on over to I Heart Cooking Club for this week’s table full of goodness.