First Blog and Christmas Eve Eve Dinner

Greetings,


I am the resident chef and baker of our small family of two, myself and my soon to be husband, Raymond. I love to try new recipes and always have a new dessert in mind.


Unfortunately,  as most couples, do we found ourselves stuck in a "food rut". Calling on the old basics such as tacos and Chicken Helper a little too often...this had to stop. So I began to branch out again pulling out old recipes from my childhood and trying new foods. After several months of trying new recipes I realized I was forgetting as much as I was teaching myself.


In order to keep away the food monotony and to remind myself of what I make I am creating this blog in hopes it will shed light on what I actually do in the kitchen. Good, Bad...and well Tasty.










Every year near Christmas my friend Tempest and I get together to have dinner, drink wine, and exchange presents. This year we had dinner the night before Christmas Eve or "Christmas Eve Eve". Below is what I made to please her vegetarian needs and our taste buds. The tomato soup was an original recipe while the lentil salad is mostly from Emeril Lagasse.


I do not have any pictures for these recipes, I will be more diligent in my picture taken for future recipes.


Christmas Eve Eve Dinner


Creamy Tomato Soup with Pesto Goat Cheese Toast Rounds & Lentil Cous Cous Salad


Creamy Tomato Soup


Ingredients:


1 Medium White Onion
1 Large Carrot
1 1/2 Cups Warm Chicken Broth
1 Large Can Peeled Tomatoes (28 oz)
1 Cup Half & Half
1 Bunch of Basil (roughly 1/2 oz)
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Flour
Salt & Pepper


Directions


Peel and dice the carrot and onion into uniform size pieces. In a large pot cook onion in the butter over medium heat. Once the onions are soft and translucent sprinkle in the flour a little at a time while stirring until a paste forms. Let the paste cook until it begins to bubble and turn light brown. (If this all goes well, congratulations! You just crated a rue!)  Slowly incorporate the warm broth into the rue and onions. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has begins thicken.


When the broth has reduced slightly add the can of tomatoes with juices and diced carrot. Increase heat and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes and carrots and tender and can be easily broken apart with a fork.


Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or traditional blender and return to warm pot. Add the half and half . You can substitute cream for a thicker soup. Chiffanod the basil by rolling multiple leaves together and slicing into strips. Turn off the heat and add the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Pesto Goat Cheese Toast Rounds


Ingredients


Baguette Loaf
Pesto
Goat Cheese


Directions


Preheat oven to 357 degrees. Slice break into once inch rounds. Spread each round with one tsp of pesto and top with cheese.


Bake for 8 minutes or until brown on the edges.




Lentil and Cous Cous Salad


Ingredients

8 ounces French green lentils

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and sliced thinly

2 tablespoons chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano)

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

French Vinaigrette, recipe follows

1 box prepared  roasted garlic and olive oil cous cous (follow package directions)



Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, bay leaves, thyme, carrot, celery, shallot, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft. Cover with water by 1-inch, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender yet still firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and discard the bay leaves, and thyme. Place the lentil mixture in a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add the tomatoes and chopped herbs and toss the lentils with some of the vinaigrette. Mix with Cous Cous and goat cheese and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Serve with crusty bread or fish or chicken.

French Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil


Whisk together the vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Use at once or cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.
Yield: 1 1/3 cups




Enjoy!