Puff Pastry with Blue Cheese Filling - I CAN COOK THAT

Welcome to the first weekly posting of "I can cook that!". My name is Dave, from My Year on the Grill. When I was first asked to become a weekly poster here, I had a couple of reactions...

First, I recalled watching Sesame Street with my children (nearly 25 years ago). There was a part of the show where viewers were asked to find the one that was not like the other...

Then, I was reminded of my own youth (nearly 50 years ago) when I would watch Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. The Gene Autry Show was about a singing cowboy, and his deputy partner, Pat Buttram who ride the west to help kids, women, men, or other misfortune people and bring the outlaws to justice. Gene Autry was always the upright person, recognized by the fans who adored him, while his partner Pat Buttram was clumsy, and just plain careless. Together, they made a great team and a dynamic duo for western TV.

OK, This site is filled with "Gene Autry's in cooking aprons". Wonderful, upstanding well respected cooks whose advice you all would be wise to accept. While I am here to be the wacky sidekick.

And that, in fact is exactly what I am. I am not a cook, by training, nor by background. My sainted mother was one of those 9 to 5 secretaries before Dolly gave her a theme song. While most of you watched and learned as your mother made pie crust from scratch, I watched Mom open the original blue box of macaroni and cheese. While you were getting your basic training in your home economics classes, I was in basic training.

3 years ago, I retired. I floundered around for awhile trying to find a hobby that would keep me interested. After trying a few, I would always get bored. Once you make your first ship in a bottle, the next one isn't as exciting. But, I discovered that making a 4 course dinner every night still carries the same thrill for me as when I first went off book, and altered the directions by adding just a few shakes of Tabasco sauce in that blue boxed Mac and Cheese. What I lack in knowledge and skill, I make up for in enthusiasm. I still get a thrill every day when I discover that...

I CAN COOK THAT !!!

And that is what this column is meant to be. A chance for you talented, experienced "Gene Autry in aprons cooks" to watch as this enthusiastic bumbling Pat Butram challenges the limits of his knowledge, skills and experiences. I will freely admit that many times when I begin a cooking project, I spend more time hunting techniques and possible alterations to a recipe than it takes to actually cook the meal. Wikipedia, YouTube and most of all, the more than 100 bloggers that I follow are teaching me to cook. And so, the Gene Autry's of this site are giving me a day a week to pick out a recipe from a fellow blogger and see if my enthusiasm and research skills will get me beyond my limited cooking skills and basic knowledge.

I always wonder why people blog. I suspect that there are a few of you who secretly hope to be discovered ala Julie Powell, or Ree Drumand, the Pioneer Woman. While I admire every blogger willing to "hang it out there" for all the world to see and judge, honestly, I only see a few truly ready to make the leap from self published bloggers to someone the world would pay to read. For whatever my opinion is worth, I feel that Mary from ONE PERFECT BITE has in all but name only, made that jump to professional quality writing. Daily, I feel I am reading a page from her book more than a posting in a blog. She gives tested and proven recipe content, as well as back stories and histories to the ingredients or finished menu item. She is also a very generous "Gene Autry in an apron". When I first saw her posting about Puff Pastry (click HERE to see that post), I had several questions which she took time from her life to answer. She went out of her way to give my "Pat Butram bungling" a chance to have a successful cook session.

Here is what Mary said to do...

Puff Pastry Pillow with Creamy Blue Cheese Filling...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients: Thick Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pastry Case:
1 (14-oz.) package thawed puff pastry sheets

Cheese Filling:
8-oz. blue or Roquefort cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup thick cream sauce
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2) To make cream sauce, melt butter over low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Blend in flour and cook slowly, until butter and flour cook together for 2 minutes without turning color. Whisk in milk; blend until smooth. Cook, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3) To make pastry case, lightly sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll one sheet of pastry to a rectangle that is 1/16-inch thick. Sprinkle cold water on a cookie sheet. Tap off excess. Transfer dough to cookie sheet. Roll out second sheet of dough. Let sit, covered, until needed. Prick center of dough at 1/4-inch intervals with a fork to keep dough flat while baking. Spread crumbled cheese down center of dough strip, leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides. Cover with cream sauce. Fold margins of dough up over filling on all four sides. Brush all margins with water. Cover with second strip of dough, trimming as required, and seal layers together, pressing firmly with fingers. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake 30 minutes longer. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.

And, here's what I did...

One note, if you are not used to my blog, you will notice that I probably show more photos than any other blogger. When I do a post, I always assume I am talking to someone that knows even less than I do. Even though I use 998 words, I still think that those extra words that a photo is worth is needed... for those worse off than me.

As always, I assemble my ingredients. I have learned from bitter experience that if I do not do this, I will miss a dash of this or a pinch of that. By having everything in one spot, as I use the ingredients I return them to the pantry or fridge. If I am sliding the meal into the oven and I notice that there is still salt at the prep area, I know that it is left out. More than once, this habit has saved a dish from being less than the recipe.

I did alter Mary's ingredient list just a bit. I used buttermilk instead of whole milk. No other reason than I like it, I have had very good results from substituting Buttermilk, and finally, I had just enough to use up and not have to pour it down the drain in a few days when it is beyond it's expiration date.

I also cut the recipe in half. Life is good, but it is just my wife and I at home. No need to make a dish for six when a half portion would work.

Next, I got to use a skill I gained at cooking school when I recently vacationed in New Orleans...

"First you make a roux" is a pretty common expression when you make a Cajun dish. While this is certainly NOT Cajun, it is French cooking, which influenced Cajun cooking, which is why making a roux was explained to me when I was in "the Big Easy". A roux is a pretty fancy cooking term for butter and flour.

It is still VERY exciting to me to whisk together the fat and flour, and slowly get that color change and the air fills with that nutty aroma. But in this case, Mary wanted a very light roux, so after two minutes, I added the buttermilk.

It didn't take long at all for the roux to thicken up. Mary said to let the mixture come to a boil. Mine never did boil. I just didn't have the confidence to let it get that hot, and risk burning the goo. If you double click the image to the left, the magic of the Internet will show that this had the consistency of thin icing. I was happy with the texture of the goo and when I dabbed a finger in, the taste was exactly right. So, I removed it from the heat and went to work on the puff pastry...

Merry Christmas to me...

My wife bought me a pastry rolling pin for Christmas. Prior to December 25th, I used a bottle of wine to roll out dough. I also got some tiny cookie cutters in the shape of Noah's ark and animals.

I rolled out just one sheet of the puff pastry. I rolled it out, increasing the size, breaking in my new rolling pin... whoo whoo! I love using new toys!

And next I was ready to do a little cutting.

I made a set of the Noah's Ark figures, and trimmed the remaining sheet to square the edges and cut that in half. Actually, I cut about 55%/45%. I wanted one sheet a little bigger than the other.

Next up is the layering...

I set out the smaller of the two sheets. I added a layer of crumbled blue cheese, leaving an inch all around the edges empty. The thick cream sauce was indeed very thick by this time. It was solid enough to plop onto the cheese, and it stayed in place as I folded the edges up to form a box.

Sorry I don't have a picture of the cream sauce on top of the blue cheese, but I was working fast before it started oozing where I didn't want it to be...

Next, I added the other half of the pastry. I brushed the edges with some of the egg, and folded the edges underneath the original pastry sheet.

I generously painted the sheet with the egg wash, and added some bling decoration in the form of wavy lines to look like ocean and the boat and a couple animals.

I also painted these figures with the egg.

I followed the cooking directions to a tea... and here is what I made...

I would like to say that this is exactly the way it came out of the oven...

It wasn't...

My pastry had split at the top. But, as Julia Child says, "When you are alone in the kitchen, you can just reassemble and... Who's to know?"

So, before I showed it to my wife, I scooped out just a bit of the goo, and shoved the pastry back together, and sure enough...

It looked just fine! Who's to know???

When I served it, I cut along the split and it worked just fine... Next time, when I lower the temperature in the oven, I will add a few strategically placed slit marks to relieve some of the pressure.

I was thrilled! It looked great! And it tasted just as good as it sounds! The pastry was crispy and the goo was perfect. This was my first dish using puff pastry, and it was not perfect. But I learned quite a bit about puffed pastry and thick cream sauce. I will be able to expand on the knowledge I gained, and make the same dish better next time, or alter ingredients and techniques to make it my own recipe.

And HEY... I CAN COOK THIS!!!

So, that's me in a nutshell. If you liked my writing style and blogging "feel", click HERE and come see my regular blog, MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. I post fresh content daily. I only post recipes that i have actually made, and I think you will have a good time if you take the time to read me.

If you want to see what I think is among the best blogs on the internet, click HERE to get to ONE PERFECT BITE and say Hi to Mary for me.

Thanks Mary, my very first "Gene Autry in an apron"

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2010 to all!!

Wishing a
Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous
New Year 2010 to all!!
Remember to Save Room for Dessert! You can link any dessert recipe below, and it would be very timely to link healthy, wholesome dessert recipes, too. What will you be serving your New Year's Eve guests, or your own family during 2010?

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Try a New Recipe Day: Min's S'moretini

Since New Year's Eve is coming up, I thought I'd share a fabulous drink recipe I created: Min's S'moretini. It was inspired by a drink of the same name at Outback Steakhouse, which I've still never tasted, and I don't know how they make it!

This drink is delicious, creamy, festive and out of the ordinary. It would make an outstanding dessert.

Although I haven't tried it, I bet you could make a Virgin S'moretini that would knock the kids' socks off by simply omitting the vodka.

Don't forget to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Happy New Year!

Please drink Min's S'moretinis responsibly.

Min’s S’moretini

Serves 1

Hershey's syrup (for rim of glass)

1/2 graham cracker, finely crushed

Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce

ice cubes

1 1/4 ounce vodka

1 ounce Monin Toasted Marshmallow flavoring

1 generous squeeze Hershey's syrup

1/2 ounce Monin Vanilla Syrup

2 ounces half & half

• Rim martini glass with Hershey's syrup and crushed graham crackers.
• Swirl bottom third of glass with a generous drizzle of Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce.
• In cocktail shaker, combine vodka, Monin Toasted Marshmallow flavoring, Hershey’s Syrup, Monin Vanilla flavoring and half & half.
  
• Add a handful of ice cubes and shake until combined and chocolate is incorporated.
• Carefully strain into glass, and savor.

*You can follow the links above for these ingredients,

or visit the Monin Gourmet Flavorings store*

Sausage Pasta Casserole ~ Cooking with Chaya

My husband said, this was interesting which meant to me, he did not like it, but then I watched him take three servings. He liked it. The truth is it is an interesting recipe because it is not a combination I have ever used and you, very likely, have not used, either. It worked though, it worked very well, blending flavors.

This has some of my favorite food, sausage, pasta, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes. For me, it had to be good and it was. If you make this, you can substitute in every area. You could use chopped meat or meat balls instead of the sausage. You could use another vegetable in place of the sprouts, (green beans, broccoli, cauliflower or even spinach. I would leave the pasta and tomatoes in place but choose any pasta you want.

Sausage-Pasta Casserole (two servings)

Ingredients:

2 large sausages, cut into about 8 pieces each

1/2 pound pasta of choice - I used penne (gluten free)

10 ounces Brussels sprouts

1 medium onion, sliced

6 tomatoes, bigger than cherry tomatoes, smaller than a full size one, in eighths

1 red pepper, sliced

4 tablespoons crushed tomatoes (canned)

Spray cooking oil

Method:

Put up water to boil and while browning, cook the pasta according to directions.

Microwave or boil Brussels sprouts.

Spray a large skillet with cooking oil and fry sausages in it until they are lightly browned.

Remove sausage. Do not clean skillet.

Fry red pepper and onion until slightly browned.

Add fresh tomatoes.

Add pasta and Brussels sprouts.

Add crushed tomatoes. If you need more crushed tomatoes, add what is necessary. There is also juice from the fresh tomatoes for the sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients gently together. I put these in a casserole and heated them in the oven for twenty minutes on 300 degrees.

I was Featured at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN #1

We have been receiving so many wonderful links here at OuR KrAzY KitChEn for recipes that we decided to initiate a new award, I was Featured At OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN. Thanks to our newest team member, Chaya for suggesting this idea. You can catch Cooking with Chaya each Monday here at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN. Each month we will go through all the links from that month and find one that we believe deserves to be featured. This month our very first award goes to:

Mary from Deep South Dish for her wonderful Pusharatas
Congratulations Mary! Go by and check out her wonderful recipes and blog.

Italian BBQ Chicken & Corn Casserole

With the big move I was reaching for recipes that would work around the things I had on hand. I came up with this recipe and it was a huge hit and sooooooooo easy, not that I'll let hubby know that LOL.

ITALIAN BBQ CHICKEN and CORN CASSEROLE

2 pounds chicken tenders
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained well
salt & pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2/3 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup Classico sun-dried tomato pesto

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  
• Arrange chicken tenders in the bottom of a buttered glass baking dish.*
• Salt and pepper well.
• Spread corn over chicken.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter until frothy.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook a few minutes until translucent.
• Whisk in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium high heat until thickens.
• Pour over the chicken and corn.
• Bake 45-60 minutes.
• Serve with Beer Bread for a yummy cold night meal.

*If you want to cut down baking time, brown the chicken first and decrease baking time by 30 minutes.

It's time to get the party started!

REMEMBER ALL REGULAR MEMES WILL APPEAR BELOW THIS PARTY

We're having a Christmas party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you're invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let's have some fun together.

• Do you have a special Christmas Cookie recipe?
• What is your favorite holiday recipe?
• Do you have a favorite fudge recipe?
  
• Do you have special way to decorate the tree?
• How about a party punch that's perfect for a holiday party?
• What is your idea of the perfect family holiday?
  

• Stop by the buffet table and grab a cup of egg nog and a plate of goodies.
  
• Sign Mr. Linky and let us know what you're bring to the party using the following format. For example: Tamy @ 3 Sides of Crazy (Peanut Butter Fudge Drops) or Martha @ Menagerie (POM Pie)

Leftovers - Simple Saturday

It's not a recipe, but it really doesn't get any better than those leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry topped sandwiches. Serve some of your leftovers tonight on little rolls for a quick, easy, and super delicious meal or share with us what kind of yummy creations you make with your holiday leftovers!

Merry Christmas from Joy!

Wishing a Merry Christmas to all!

Uploaded to Flickr by Douglas Coulter

I've posted a Christmas pudding recipe at Joy of Desserts, and I'm looking forward to your own Christmas or other sweet dessert recipes. Just link below.

Pick your favorite badge!

Try a New Recipe Day: Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers

I'm so excited to share recipes here on Try a New Recipe Day! If you'd like to know more about me, you can read my first Guest Post here for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, or check out my blog, The Bad Girl's Kitchen!

For the first recipe, I chose a fabulous family favorite, Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers. It contains simple ingredients which combine for amazing results. Once you get the technique down, it's not too difficult to prepare. This is one of the dishes that inspired my Chicken in a Fabulous Sauce category over at The Bad Girl's Kitchen! So far there are only six dishes that qualify for inclusion in the category, so take it from me, this chicken is special.

The recipe comes from the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook, 2008. The book contains the entire year of recipes from Food & Wine magazine, and is also the "Special 30th Anniversary Edition." I can't see any difference between this one and previous years (which were not the "special 30th anniversary editions") but whatever. There are some amazing recipes in there, along with gorgeous photography.

This chicken is savory and delicious, with a hint of lemon in a complex, scrumptious sauce. Fairly easy to accomplish. We usually serve it with wild rice and a fresh loaf of Artisan Bread for mopping up the fabulous sauce.

This dish is easy enough for a family dinner, but special enough for Christmas Eve. Try it and see!

Zesty Braised Chicken with Lemon and Capers
--Grace Parisi

Active: 25 minutes; Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
4 servings
Wine: Lively, tart Sauvignon Blanc (we finished off the lovely bottle I opened to make the sauce)

8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Four 1-inch strips of lemon zest
4 thyme sprigs (I used 1 or 2 heaping teaspoons dried thyme leaves)
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the chicken skin side down and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and pour of all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

2. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, capers and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and braise for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender.

3. Return the skillet to the stove and boil until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest, if desired, before serving.

Let's Make Magical Mondays

You must be wondering who is this Chaya who has been granted the honor and fun of hosting Mondays with Cooking With Chaya. Some of you may know me from my blogs, Chaya's Comfy Cook and Sweet and Savory Says it All. I hope the rest of you will get to know me and I will get to know you.

I am Chaya, a woman who is finding herself as a cook and baker. I want to cook or bake everything but everything is too much. Time and error keep me from reaching close to achieving a fraction of what I would like. I make my share of mistakes and I am willing to share them with you. Some have been shocked that I did share my burnt creations but I believe we learn from our mistakes. Of course, I hope there are many more successes to talk about. I would like you to come along with me on my journey, finding out who Chaya the Cook is. Hopefully, we will have fun doing this and come up with some good eating to put on our tables. Please, leave your recipes for all of us to try. Click on If you have another version of what I made, please add your comments. I want to learn from you. Together, we can make Magical Mondays.

I had no idea what recipe to start with and changed my mind a dozen times. Finally, I decided, I would share the last thing I made and stop agonizing. Here it is.

Candied Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes

I have made candied sweet potatoes for years but not like this and never with the butternut squash. I actually made the recipe, in the morning, with just sweet potatoes but found a lonely butternut squash in the refrigerator and decided to up the recipe with this delicious vegetable. I am presenting the recipe as baked together.

Ingredients:
Spray cooking oil
4 medium sweet potatoes

1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Method:

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Spray a medium size to large baking dish.

If you have a microwave, microwave the butternut squash for a few minutes to make it easier to peel.

Peel both the sweet potatoes and squash and cut into chunks about an inch and one half in size.

Sprinkle these with salt and pepper.

Bake in over for 30 minutes.

While the vegetables are baking, make the marinade by mixing all ingredients together.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and cover them with the marinade.

Make sure each piece is well coated.

Put back in oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

With a large spoon, once again, spoon the marinade from the pan onto the sweet potatoes and squash. If it has all been incorporated into the glaze on the vegetables, skip this step.

My sweet potatoes held the glaze better than the squash did.

This is the kind of dish you can serve with meat, fish and poultry. Its sweetness sets off other flavors.