Need some inspiration for a romantic meal this Valentine’s Day (or any old day)?  Here are four, simple-to-make dishes along with wine pairings that are sure to show your loved one(s) how much you care.

• Savory Cheese Tartlets with Blackberries paired with  La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco ($12)
• Cream of Asparagus and Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese Soup  paired with  2007 Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Pinot Noir ($65)
• Boeuf en Croûte (Beef Wellington)  paired with  2006 Stag’s Leap Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)
• Simple Greek Yogurt and Berry Tart  paired with  2008 Heron Hill Late Harvest Vidal Blanc ($18)

BONUS – breakfast:  Strawberry and Nutella-Stuffed Crepes

Whichever dish you decide to prepare for your loved one(s) this Valentine’s Day, I hope your meal is paired with love.

Cheers,

Veronique

Among my circle of friends, I’m typically the one cooking and baking (and loving it).  This weekend, my two girlfriends from Florida, Eileen and Gloriann, came to visit me to help celebrate my 40^th birthday.  To their surprise and my amusement, I put them to work to make me a birthday pie.  The recipe below is inspired by a chocolate cream pie by Hershey and it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 cups milk, divided
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
• 2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Directions:

1. Combine chocolate and 2 cups milk in medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining cup of milk and the egg yolks.  Stir the egg mixture into the sugar mixture.   Gradually add the egg and sugar mixture to the saucepan with the warm chocolate.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils, about 2 minutes.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie crust.  Press a sheet of shrink wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  Cool for 20 minutes then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. Top the pie with whipped cream before serving.

8 to 10 servings.

I got this recipe from the fine folks at Driscoll’s^® and had to share it as it is perfect for holiday entertaining.

Filling Ingredients:

• 5 oz. rindless goat cheese, at room temperature
• 3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. honey, preferably full flavored, such as chestnut or thyme, warmed

Cream Cheese Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature, plus more for pans, if needed
• 3 oz. cream cheese, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

 Directions:

1. Combine flour and salt in a food processor fitted with metal chopping blade and pulse to combine. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse about 10 times, until mixture begins to clump together. Gather up dough and shape into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and easy to handle (about 2 hours).
2. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Have ready two 12-cup miniature muffin pans (each cup measuring 1 7/8 inches across the top and 7/8 inches deep), preferably nonstick. If the pans are not nonstick, lightly butter them.
3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Place one piece in each muffin cup.  Using fingers, press dough firmly and evenly up sides to make a pastry shell.  (A wooden tart tamper can help the job go quickly.) Freeze 5 minutes.
4. Mash goat cheese and cream cheese together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add egg, yolk, minced thyme, salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Spoon equal amounts of filling into chilled pastry shells.
5. Bake tartlets until crust is golden brown and filling is puffed (about 25 minutes). Let cool for 10 minutes in pans. Remove tartlets from pans and transfer to a wire cake rack to cool completely.
6. Just before serving, lightly brush tops of tartlets with about 1 tablespoon of honey. Arrange berries on top as desired. Drizzle with the remaining honey. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and serve.

Servings: 24 tartlets, 8 to 12 servings

It is that time of year when braised meats and stews just sound wonderful.  This week, my local grocery store had beautiful cubed veal available, so I created this simple-to-prepare, make-ahead, one-pot stew that is great reheated on a week night but elegant enough to serve at a dinner party.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 2” pieces
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. each oregano, salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a shallow dish sprinkle the flour over the veal cubes then coat the meat lightly.
3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it is nearly smoking.  Season floured meat with salt and pepper, add to hot pot and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes.  If your pot isn’t wide enough to accommodate all the meat in one layer, brown in two batches.  Place cooked veal on a platter and reserve for later use.
4. In the same pot the meat was seared in, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened and slightly golden, about 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.  If the onion-mushroom mixture becomes dry while cooking, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and lower the heat to medium.
5. Add the Dijon mustard, the oregano, the broth and the wine to the onion-mushroom mixture and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
6. Return the veal and its juices to the pot, add the cream, stir well to combine all the ingredients and place in the oven.  Cook for 3 hours.

Serves 4.

Notes:  The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Serve over white rice or egg noodles.

Growing up, my Grandma made jelly roll cake all the time.  A favorite was the vanilla cake with raspberry jam tucked inside and confectioner’s sugar lightly dusted over.  Every Christmas, our family shares a Bûche de Noël, in recent years, it has been purchased because nobody has wanted to tackle making it from scratch.  This will be the first Christmas we spend without Grandma and I have decided to bite the bullet and make our family’s Yule log.  Here is a version I might use, unless I have a chocolate craving.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
• Zest of an orange
• 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• Browned Butter and Salted Caramel Frosting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat an 11×17 jelly roll pan with cooking spray.  Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper and coat the paper with additional cooking spray.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar, Grand Marnier, zest, vanilla and salt and beat for another 2 minutes.
3. Add flour in quarter cup additions, incorporating with a rubber spatula very gently. Do not over mix!
4. Spread the batter evenly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Wait 3 minutes and remove the cake from the pan and onto a large kitchen towel dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  Peel off the parchment paper.  Wait 2 minutes and roll the shorter side onto itself using the kitchen towel as a guide until a tight roll is created.  Chill rolled cake for 30 minutes then unroll the cake gently, removing the towel as you go.
5. Spread 1 cup of frosting on the cake in an even layer then roll back into a tight log.  Cut a 2-inch piece at one end of the cake at an angle and place atop the cake to create a branch stump.  Frost the outside of the cake, including the stump, run a fork over the surface of the cake to create mock bark then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve 10.

I recently attended a berry virtual tasting hosted by Driscoll’s and WineTwits and created the following recipe to share with the group.  The results are just as tasty when blackberries are used.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cup half and half
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
• 4 croissants, cut into1/2” cubes
• 1 6-ounce container of fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Heat cream and half and half in a saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla until well combined.  Add a ladleful of hot cream to the egg mixture and whisk well to bring up the temperature of the eggs.  Add the rest of the cream to the egg custard and whisk well.
4. Add the cubed croissants to the custard and gently push down the cubes into the liquid to ensure they absorb as much custard as possible.  Set aside for 20 minutes.
5. Lightly coat four 10-ounce ramekins with cooking spray.  Add two raspberries to each ramekin then divide the bread and custard mixture between the four dishes.  Divide the remaining raspberries amount the dishes and sprinkle each with the rest of the sugar, about one teaspoon each.
6. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for about 35 minutes, until puddings are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.  Serve while still warm with a drizzle of Blackberry Balsamic Coulis and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

It’s getting cooler outside and this type of weather calls for me to fondue.  This past weekend, I hosted a fondue party where I served a cheese fondue as an appetizer that was made using Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar and Victory Headwaters.  Great combination and prepared in a snap.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces medium-bodied beer (half a bottle)
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Pinch of grated nutmeg

Preparation:

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the beer and Worcestershire sauce.  In a small dish, combine the mustard and flour to form a paste.  Add the paste to the beer mixture, whisking vigorously to fully incorporate.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.
2. Add the cheese to the beer mixture by the handful, allowing the cheese to melt before adding more, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add nutmeg and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.  Keep on low until ready to serve, then pour the cheese into a warm fondue pot.
3. Serve with crusty bread cubes and baby potatoes that have been par boiled.

Makes 6 appetizer-size servings.

Notes: Can’t find Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar?  No sweat – use any other sharp cheddar.  The fun part of cheese fondue is that you can vary the cheese and the liquid you use.  Gruyere and white wine would be amazing.

Last night, I had some friends over for fondue night.  We don’t fondue as often as we should because when we do, it’s a great time.  There’s no better way to stretch out a meal than to fondue.

I served a cheese fondue made using Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar from Vermont and Victory Headwaters.  Sharp cheese and beer – winning!  For dinner, I typically do a fondue pot with beefy, wine broth for shrimp, chicken and cheese cubes and a pot with hot oil for beef tenderloin.  The dinner fondues are served with three dipping sauces, this time: Sriracha and maple mayo, a Dijon mustard and tarragon mayo and a garlic mayo.  Just a fun concept and please ping me if you’d like fondue tips.

Today is football day at our home and we usually take it super easy on Sunday afternoons.  This means that I typically make dinner in the morning so we can just eat in front of the television later.  Today, I made my Grandma’s amazing meat sauce that we’ll eat with spaghetti.  I double the sauce recipe as it freezes beautifully.

Hope you’re having as great a weekend as I’m having!

Cheers,

Veronique

When we lived in Ft Lauderdale, we often lunched at a small Cajun restaurant called Creolina’s.  The food was amazing and one of my favorite dishes was the crawfish etouffée they served over plain white rice.  This version calls for Andouille sausage as I like its porky flavor with the seafood.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 3 Andouille sausage links (about ½ pound), cut into bite size pieces
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, halved
• 1 12-ounce bottle of medium-bodied beer
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound crawfish tails, cooked
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Add oil to a heavy Dutch oven set over medium heat.  Add the sausage links and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pot and set aside for later use, keeping the rendered fat in the pot on medium heat.
2. Add the butter to the hot fat in the pot and when completely melted, add the flour.  Whisk the flour into the fat to incorporate and create a roux.  Cook the roux, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until it is the color of peanut butter, about 10 minutes.
3. Place the celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to roughly chop, about 1 minute.
4. Add the processed vegetables to the roux in the pot and stir with a wooden spoon to fully combine.  Cook the mixture over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the beer, clam juice and broth to the vegetable mixture and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen up all the brown bits.  Return the sausage to the pot, add the spices, bay leaves and simmer for about 1 hour.
6. Add the crawfish tails to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through.
7. Serve the etouffée over white rice and garnish with parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Notes:  If you have crawfish in the shells, simply remove the tails, then add the shells to a pot with 4 cups of water.  Simmer for 30 – 45 minutes, then strain the crawfish juices.  Use 1 cup of the crawfish juice in place of the clam juice.  Don’t have crawfish?  Simply replace with shrimps!

I know beef Wellington is pretty old-school, but I love recreating these types of recipes and I find that my guests really enjoy them – either for the first time or for the first time in a long time.

Although beef Wellington looks fancy and difficult to make, it is not, even for novice home cooks.  The dish is beautiful to present to special guests but straight-forward enough to make on any weekend night.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ pound piece of beef tenderloin, patted dry with paper towels
• 1 tsp. each salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 large shallot, fined minced
• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. each salt and freshly cracked pepper
• ½ tsp. dry thyme
• 4 ounces mousse of duck foie gras (1/2 an 8-ounce container)
• 1 sheet from a 17 ¼-ounce frozen puff pastry box, thawed
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour for dusting when rolling out the pastry
• 1 egg, scrambled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large frying pan, heat oil over high heat.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the surface of the beef and add to the hot pan.  Sear on all sides until deeply browned, about 5 minutes total.  Remove beef from the pan (reserve pan for later use) to a platter and allow to cool completely.
3. Melt butter in the reserved large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme to the shallots and sauté until completely softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat, and allow to cool completely.  Drain any liquids that might have been released from the mushrooms and pat the mixture well with paper towels.
4. Add the mushroom mixture and the foie gras to a food processor and pulse until nearly smooth with a few small pieces, about 1 minute.
5. Spray an unrimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet, ensuring it adheres to the cooking spray.
6. Unfold a puff pastry sheet on a floured work space.  Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the pastry to enlarge the rectangular sheet by 2 inches in each direction.  Move the pastry to the baking sheet by rolling it over the rolling pin.
7. Place the tenderloin in the center of the pastry and spread the mushroom / foie gras mixture over it, patting down the mixture with your hand to ensure it coats the beef completely and evenly.  Fold the pastry over the beef and seal all the seams – there will be extra pastry that needs to be cut away using a sharp knife.  Delicately, turn the pastry-wrapped beef over so that the seams are beneath the Wellington.  Cut a few slits on the pastry top and brush the Wellington with the egg mixture.
8. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees for 5-10 additional minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the tenderloin is a few degrees short of the desired doneness.  Let the Wellington rest for 5-10 minutes then slice into 4 portions with a serrated knife.

Serves 4.

Notes:  This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 8.  Don’t like or want to use foie gras?  Simply replace with softened butter.  Serve this dish with mashed potatoes and pepper / Béarnaise sauce.