New Year – More Blogging!

[5:20pm, C] It’s only been more than a year since I last posted, but I figured I should have at least one post in 2011 before 2012 is here.

First, a recap of 2011: Matt and I got married (yay!), Matt started a new job and I started a new job within my current job.  We went to three weddings for dear friends, celebrated my grandma’s 70th birthday (go grandma!) and bought a new (used) car.

In 2012, we’re looking forward to five weddings (!), two vacations, and hopefully one huge life change.  Since we’re hoping to scale back in 2012 with the down economy, it will mean more nights in cooking and hopefully, more blogging about our cooking adventures.

So, to ring in the New Year, we’re live blogging our New Year’s Eve meal!  Instead of fighting the Chicago crowds for a drink and freezing outside while waiting for a cab, we fought the crowds at Whole Foods for a crazy amount of groceries and are staying in tonight and preparing an (epic) five course meal while watching Midnight In Paris before the ball drops at midnight.

The Menu

Cheese course
Avocado and Arugula salad
Steamed Mussels
Trout Amandine with Wild Rice Pilaf
Lemon Sorbet with Blackberries

The Beverages

Seven Daughters White Wine blend
Terre di Gioia Pinot Nero
A New Year’s cocktail of Ketel One Vodka, Chambord, Saint Germain liqueur (elderflower) and Chandon Reserve Sparkling Wine (saved from our honeymoon, courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law)

At this point, we’re still cleaning the house…

Thank goodness it’s just the two of us!

[7:39pm, M] Well, I ate all the crostini, so we’re making progress. The Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove is a delightful soft aromatic truffled cheese, and pairs nicely with… uh, pear. A polite Pinot Nero with the appellation Terre di Gioia (Italian for “Maybe You Shouldn’t Drink It All Before The Salad”) rounds things out, along with a Borough Market English cheddar that reminds us of food stalls and Turkish Delights on the south side of the Thames. A large French round loaf is sitting on the table, intimidating us.

Only 4 courses to go!

[7:49pm, C] While Matt was enjoying the cheese course (after a lovely prayer by Matt) and continuing to tidy up the living room in its post-Christmas state, I made dessert, started on the salad course and the rice pilaf.

For the dessert, we were content with just having lemon sorbet with a few blackberries for garnish, but after we started putting out the beverages we realized we had some Chambord in our liquor cabinet.  A large handful of blackberries, 3 spoonfuls of sugar, 3 spoonfuls of Chambord and 1 spoonful of lemon juice later and we have the beginnings of the sauce.   (I’m improvising here.)

The salad dressing is chilling and its flavors are melding together as we speak in the refrigerator, and the rice is on the stove with the chicken broth (1 cup wild rice + 3 cups chicken broth – boil the chicken broth first, rinse the rice in a few changes of water, add the rice, bring to a boil again, cover, heat and simmer on low for 50 minutes).  Currently chop, chop, chopping away…

[8:17pm, M] Fireworks! Or a terror attack! Either way, something interesting is going on outside.

[8:36pm, C] Oh no, Matt has the video camera out.  He is talking to himself in the mirror.

[8:47pm, M] Who was that handsome devil? I like the cut of his jib. Right now, we are about to start cooking our seafoods simultaneously. On the left side of the stove preparing mussels is Cristiana. On the right, with trout, is Matt. This is going to be a lot like Iron Chef if the chefs were handcuffed together. Note to self: new show idea.

[9:31pm, C] Friends, we did it.  Pictures and recipes after the jump — Happy New Year everyone!!

Cheese Course

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor (a ripened goat cheese), Borough Market Cheddar (a farmstead English cheddar cheese), Blackberries, Sliced pear, Cornichons, Crostini and crusty French bread

Avocado and Pea Sprout/Arugula Salad (adapted from this Avocado and Watercress salad recipe by Maggie Ruggiero – Gourmet, May 2008)

I love watercress.  The fresh taste, bitter bite – I almost always pick up one or two bunches on our Asian market grocery trips.  It’s great in soups, stir-fried in garlic or raw, topped with saucy beef to slightly wilt the leaves.  Unfortunately, on the one day we actually wanted to include it in a planned meal, Whole Foods was already out and we were too pressed for time to go elsewhere.  A Google search later and a possible substitute was curly endive, or frisée… which Whole Foods also did not have. So, we improvised with arugula and some pea sprouts. The result was a nice blend of peppery bite and distinctive, earthy pea sprout taste, a great base for this fresh, Asian-inspired dressing.

Ingredients

 1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tbsp grated sweet onion (use large holes of a box grater) (I used finely chopped red onion)
1/4  cup finely grated peeled Gala apple (use small holes of a box grater) (I used a Microplane grater for a small Fuji apple)
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil with a few drops of sesame oil)
6 cups watercress (thin stems and leaves only) (I substituted in a handful of arugula mixed with a small bunch of pea sprouts)
1 firm-ripe avocado

Stir together vinegar, onion, apple, soy sauce, and sugar until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in oil.

Just before serving, toss watercress (or in my case, arugula and pea sprouts) with enough dressing to coat. Quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Gently toss with watercress.

 We chilled our dressing for 30 minutes or so to let the flavors meld.  We ended up serving these in a bit of a rush since we were simultaneously finishing up the fish and mussels, so we skipped the tossing and just drizzled the dressing on top.  It was a really nice, light salad that complemented the delicate flavors of the trout and steamed mussels.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine broth (adapted from this recipe by Annette Joseph)

I have always wanted to make steamed mussels at home, but had been intimidated by the process of purchasing and working with live mussels.  What a surprise how easy it was to make!  Whole Foods sells them in approximately 2lb bags and the mussels are already scrubbed and debearded.  I just popped the live mussels in a bowl of fresh water in the refrigerator before I cooked them and gave them a few good rinses (rubbing the shells periodically for any noticeable dirt or sand, tugging out any remaining beard threads and throwing out any cracked shells) before placing them in the broth.

I have to admit – I apologized profusely when I threw these little guys into the steaming hot white wine broth after jostling them around to clean them under cold running water…

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups dry white wine (Use a wine you would actually drink!)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
3 ½ pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded (I used approximately 2lbs)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.

Add shallots and garlic, the crushed red pepper and salt; sauté until shallots is transparent, about 3 minutes. Add wine, bring to boil, add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. (This was pretty much perfect timing.  The mussels were fully cooked, but still tender.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer mussels to a large shallow bowl.

Boil broth in pot until reduced to 1 cup, add butter, about 3 minutes. Pour broth over mussels. Sprinkle on top with parsley. (I mixed some of the parsley in with the broth to let a wilt a little, but only because I’m not a fan of raw parsley.  Too pungent for my taste.)

This was a really good recipe.  It delivered a nice, flavorful broth that was perfect for sopping up with crusty French bread.

Wild Rice Pilaf (adapted from Chef Ron Berg’s Northwoods Wild Rice Pilaf recipe)

During our first summer after we started dating, Matt brought me up to his family’s cabin in the Northwoods/Gunflint lakes area. It’s a beautiful, slightly isolated area – a wonderful place to spend a week relaxing with a few good mystery novels while enjoying homecooked meals.

We did get to spend a few nights eating out at one of the few restaurants nearby, and Matt raved about a Chef Ron who was known for his ability to cook Northwoods fish.  We had our best meal out in the area that night and I was so impressed with his wild rice pilaf that I couldn’t stop thinking about his particular take on wild rice whenever I saw it in stores or in the bulk bin.  When I found this recipe, I had to try it.  Overall, the recipe was almost as good as the version in the restaurant, ruined only by my overly wet wild rice. (I used 3 cups of broth to 1 cup of wild rice – Whole Foods blog, I trusted you.) This is why I only make rice in a rice cooker with the fingertip measuring method – no matter how many times I make rice in a pot, I always either make it too wet or too dry. Kitchen fail.

Ingredients

 1 cup cooked wild rice, cooked in chicken broth (use low sodium if you are using pre-made broth)
4 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp minced garlic (optional)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped (optional) (I omitted the red pepper)
4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the optional garlic, onions, green and red peppers, and mushrooms and saute until the vegetables are soft.  Toss vegetable mixture with the cooked wild rice and chopped parsley.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To get it in that neat form, slightly grease a ramekin and pack the rice in the ramekin.  Carefully flip the ramekin over onto a plate, tap the bottom and then garnish with parsley.  I was duly impressed when Matt showed me how to do this and was surprised that it actually worked!

Trout Amandine (adapted from this recipe by Lola)

This was a really good recipe, expertly cooked by Matt. The almonds were absolutely delicious and I loved how the almond and butter mixture complemented, rather than overpowered, the flavor of the fish.

Ingredients

2 whole (10 ounce) trout, pan-dressed
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
8 slices lemon, for garnish

Rinse and pat dry trout. Season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge trout in flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over high heat until melted. Add trout and brown both sides. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. (We covered the pan, so by the time it had browned, we only cooked for another 7 minutes or so – about 3 or 4 minutes each side.) Remove trout to a serving plate and keep warm.

Wipe out pan and add 2 tablespoons butter. Cook butter over medium heat until it just begins to brown. Add the almonds and brown. (Watch out — the almonds won’t change for several minutes, but once they start they’ll brown quickly.)

Pour sauce and almonds over fish and sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.

It was a very romantic meal.

We finished the meal with some lemon sorbet topped with the Chambord soaked blackberries.  (Note: The sugar didn’t completely dissolve, probably because blackberries are a lot heartier than fleshy strawberries or raspberries.  I would recommend making a simple syrup by dissolving some sugar in water on the stove before mixing with the blackberries, lemon juice and Chambord.)

We also used some of the leftover blackberries in our post-New Year’s Eve countdown cocktail – a shot of Ketel One, a half shot of Chambord, and a half shot of Saint Germain dropped in a flute glass of sparkling wine.

All in all, it was one of the best New Year’s Eve celebrations in recent years and our first as husband and wife. We’re looking forward to many more delicious dinners in 2012.

Happy New Year!! Best wishes to everyone in 2012!