To know me is to know I love cheese. In fact, my friend Renea sent me this mug a while back and it pretty much sums up my daily life:
So, when I got an email regarding sampling Ile de France cheese, I was all over it. I had my choice between camembert, brie, and goat. Now, even though goat is my favorite of the bunch, I decided to go with the camembert because it's a cheese I don't really eat all that often and, come to think of it, I don't think I have ever bought.
Camembert is a very mild cheese and it has some nuttiness to it. I would say it is similar to brie in taste and texture (though it has some more punch than brie). It's creamy and, while it's probably "better" to just eat it at room temperature and not necessarily cook with it, there are few things I like better than a nice, melty cheese. Mmm. So, I decided to use it in one uncooked application and 2 cooked dishes (and, of course, I ate some on its own).
This Ile de France camembert was delicious! It's got a fabulous texture and just enough flavor that it lends itself to many pairings, but can stand on its own, too. I'm hoping to order some of the goat cheese next!
Now, onto the dishes!
First, I used it in a porcini risotto. I think the slight nutiness of the cheese pairs well with the earthiness of the mushrooms. Plus, I will take any chance I get to make risotto since we don't eat it all that often. This was so good that I think I may make it again next week!
Porcini and Camembert Risotto
Serves 2 as a main dish
1 (1.5 oz.) package dried porcini mushrooms
1.25 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup arborio rice
2 sprigs thyme
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, kept warm on the stove
2 oz. Camembert
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and then add the boiling water. Allow the porcinis to reconstitute for about 15 minutes. Strain them, reserving the water you used, and chop the mushrooms.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before stirring in the rice, chopped porcini, and thyme. Stir the mixture so that the rice is coated with the oil and begins to toast slightly.
Add the wine and deglaze, allowing nearly all the wine to evaporate. A ladel or so at a time, add the porcini liquid and the broth, alternately, stirring continuously and allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding the next ladel.
Continue adding the porcini liquid and broth a ladel or so at a time, stirring, until the rice is cooked al dente. It should still be slightly firm to the bite, and it should be a little "loose." You're not looking for a rice type dish that has absorbed ALL its liquid. There should be some liquid still in the pan.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the camembert and the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary and serve immediately (as if you could wait!).
Next, I made a simple salad. This is an endive salad with toasted walnuts, room-temp camembert, sliced apples (use your favorite kind) and cider vinaigrette. I like my dressings more acid-y than most, so I do equal parts apple cider vinegar & olive oil. (I also added pressed garlic and salt and pepper, of course.) As you know, I am working on having the love for fruits with savory dishes and this one won me over. Delicious! To let the apples absorb the flavor, and to keep them from browning, add the sliced apples to the dressing as you prep the rest of the salad.
And, finally, I made some camembert and maple bacon cups because the only thing better than cheese is cheese and bacon. For this I just chopped and cooked some bacon. I mixed just a tiny bit of maple syrup into the cooked/drained bacon and filled pre-made phyllo cups with that and the camembert. Easy and delicious!
I admit, I'm a bit of a (ok a HUGE) slacker when it comes to memes and awards. It's not that I don't appreciate getting tagged or being given awards, because I do! It always makes me smile. Honestly, I don't really have much of an excuse other than general laziness and the lack of creativity/thought when it comes to writing about myself. I mean, really, I think it took me the better part of a day to come up with my "interests" for facebook. ;)
That said, you obviously know I like music quite a bit, being that I started Eat to the Beat and all, so when my friend Ivy at Kopiaste tagged me for this musical meme, I stopped being a lazy bum and decided to fill it out.
The rules for the this particular meme are:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring (or whatever season). Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.
None of these songs are very new, really, because I have been way out of touch with the music scene as of late. I used to be a bit of a music snob (or maybe I still am) and had several jobs/internships dealing with music, but since then I tend to hear about music months after the fact. Still, I love it!
1. "Oh My" by Office. Office is a local band that I've been listening to for the last year or so and they're great. This is the song that ALWAYS gets stuck in my head. And to be honest, I don't even understand half the words. Don't you love singing along to a song when you don't even know what the hell you're saying? Me too.
2. "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash. Kate Nash has a way of singing about some really terrible things she's gone through in a fun, poppy way. Plus, I <3 the Brits! :)
3. "Side with the Seeds" by Wilco. Wilco is one of my co-favorite bands and I've just loved this song since Sky Blue Sky came out. I won't tell you how many times I listened to it in a row last week.
4. "Hollow Man" by REM aka my other co-favorite band.
5. "Better Version of Me" by Fiona Apple. My husband always says that he doesn't understand why I need such a big iPod, because really, the only CD I need on there is Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine. It could be true. I am still listening to this album as much as the day I got it and this has always been one of my favorites.
6. "If" by Janet Jackson. Thanks to last week's America's Best Dance Crew, I've busted out all my old Janet Jackson and this is definitely one of my favorites.
7. "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend. Music and grammar. If this song mentioned food, it would be a trifecta of my true loves.
I'm tagging:
1. Kate
2. Peter G.
3. Julie
4. Erika
5. Holly
6. Jenn
7. Lindsey
I'd love to hear what you guys are all listening to! But considering how terrible I have been with memes, I won't be offended if you don't do this one! :)
Gimme a V! Gimme an O! Gimme an X! What's that spell? VOX!
What better way to tell the world how much you love Vox than to announce it on Facebook? That's right: Vox now has an official Facebook page! Become a fan of Vox.com on Facebook and let your friends know what you really care about: staying connected with friends and family through blog posts, photos, videos and comments.
Once you're a fan, you can also add photos and videos to the page, write on the wall, and connect with other Voxers in ways you may not have previously. Plus, it's a great opportunity to let people know about your Vox blog, or start discussion topics. To become a fan, just visit the official Vox.com Facebook page and click the "Become a Fan" button in the upper right hand corner.
Once you've joined, why not post a response to the current discussion topic? Just post a link (and a brief description, if you'd like) to what you consider one of your all-time best Vox posts.
What are you waiting for? Become a Vox.com fan on Facebook today!
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
Sometimes, you don't really know what lurks in the depths of your freezer. I admit I'm a bit of a list-maker (read: crazy person) so I have a list of all the meats and quantities magentized to my freezer door. But, I don't write down the random things in there, like pesto "cubes," walnuts, tortillas, phyllo cups, or in this case...artichoke hearts.
Tom and I have been out of town a decent amount, and we're going out of town again Saturday through Wednesday (which, as you may have guessed, translates to no blogging for me). So, rather than buying tons of groceries like I usually do, I've been trying to use up what's in the freezer and my cabinets, buying some fresh produce when necessary. When I saw the artichokes, I knew they needed to be used up soon.
This Greek dish is most commonly made with lamb. And, of course it's better with lamb because lamb is better than chicken. Duh. But "lamb" was not on my magnetized freezer list, so chicken it had to be. But no worries--this is a really tasty meal with chicken, too. It's sort of like eating an avgolemono stew, rather than a soup, with artichokes in it. I personally prefer using a dark meat chicken for this because 1) it tastes better and 2) it holds up better to poaching/braising/etc. without drying out. We had this with a salad, and some rice to soak up all the egg-lemony goodness.
Have a great weekend and early week, all!
Chicken with Artichokes and Egg Lemon Sauce (Kota Me Aginares Kai Avgolemono)
Serves 2
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pieces bone-in chicken (thighs, leg quarters, etc. I skin them because to me, skin is worthless if it's not crispy from roasting!)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 cups chicken broth
Dill, to taste
1 cup artichoke hearts
1 egg
1 lemon, juiced
a little cornstarch
salt and pepper
Heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then brown in the hot oil. Remove the chicken, and add the diced onions to the pan, cooking until translucent. Stir in the garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits as you deglaze, and bring to a boil. Add the dill, chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Add the artichoke hearts and continue to cook, this time uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the artichokes are tender. Season to taste if necessary.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice and a little cornstarch. Slowly add a couple ladels full of the broth from the pan (I find it easier to plate the chicken first, so you don't have to maneuver around that) to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly so your eggs don't scramble. Then, slowly add that mixture back into the pan, again whisking constantly. Stir until thickened. Pour the avgolemono sauce over the chicken and artichokes (and rice!)
Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
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I was hoping to post the Eat to the Beat round up before going away for the weekend, but my schedule has been really hectic this week and I'm not going to get a chance. I promise I will post it first thing next week! We have some great entries, again.
Also, just a quick note to those of you who use a reader. Several months back, Vox randomly switched to a feed that only shows the first couple of sentences and small pictures in readers, which I found to be incredibly annoying. I was playing around trying to move my site (again) when I came across my full RSS feed. So, if you want to be able to view my entire post in your reader and not just the first few sentences, you need to subscribe to this feed: http://ellysaysopa.vox.com/library/posts/rss-full.xml
Have a wonderful 4th, all!
We had more great entries for this round's Eat to the Beat! If you didn't get a chance to participate this time around, be sure to check out the guidelines and submit your entry for the next round-up in September. Many thanks to those who participated, and I hope to see entries from you and others for the next edition! If I missed your submission or you see any other problems, please let me know.
Now without further ado, I bring you the June round-up.
Val, who is definitely serving up More than Burnt Toast here, brings this gorgeous and no doubt incredibly delicious chocolate budino with ice cream to EttB. *drool* Val's inspiration was one of my favorite songstresses, Sarah McLachlan, and her song "Ice Cream." This pudding cake is made all the better with a big ol' scoop of cool, creamy goodness.
Núria takes some of my favorite ingredients and makes this irresistible Spanish tapas of quail egg on sobrassada toast. This may be tapas, but I would be content eating a couple of these for dinner. Núria also shares the story of when she was in Mallorca (eating lots of sobrassada sausage!) with her then-boyfriend, who ended up falling in love and marrying someone else. Like the Hermes House Band says, "Life is life!" But of course, for Núria, it ended well and that was a great experience for her, since she ended up later meeting her husband. And of course because she got to eat all the yummy sobrassada ;)
Ivy of Kopiaste takes the Fool's Garden song "Lemon Tree" to a whole new level with this tasty lemon marmalade. I have yet to make marmalade myself, but I think I may start with Ivy's recipe, as I love anything lemon flavored. With all those rinds and juice it has got to be really flavorful...and perfect on a scone :)
Although Albert Hammond claims "It Never Rains in Southern California," rain is exactly what prompted Susan, a favorite FoodBlogga of mine, to make this fresh cherry and peach upside-down cake. I have to agree that there is something great about baking a cake when it's raining outside. And I can take some thunderstorms if it means a piece of that!
"The first cut[let] is the deepest" kind of sounds like a Weird Al version of the famous song, doesn't it? Hehe. But, in this case, Mollie's mind just instantly went to that Cat Stevens (or possibly Sheryl Crow?) song when she started preparing these chicken cutlets for her delicious looking chicken parmesan. Mmm, this dish looks crispy and moist and cheesy and yum.
Peter, the Greek gourmand over at Kalofagas, definitely made me laugh with his entry. Though his dish ties in with Elton John's "Rocket Man" the song posted on his blog is a spoken word version by none other than William Shatner. I admit, I do have some Shatner in my music collection, vis-a-vis the Ben Fold's collaboration "Fear of Pop." But I digress; this rocket (or arugula) pesto on spaghetti looks so delicious. I love, love, love arugula. And you know already how I love pestos!
Rachel, the Crispy Cook, was "tempted by the fruit of another" much like the popular '80s band, Squeeze when she created this entry. "Tempted" is definitely one of my favorite '80s songs and mango is one of my favorite fruits, so I, too, would be tempted by this beautiful grilled cardamon-glazed mango! Grilled fruits are one of my favorite new things!
Erika from Bean's Bistro is definitely one of those ubercreative types. You can just tell by her EttB entries. This time, she makes "When Doves Cry" Cornish Hens with Port Sauce and Grapes. We all remember Prince's "When Doves Cry" (and, we will no doubt now have it in our heads for days) and this is a perfect tribute to the song, and to purple man himself. Cornish hens are kinda-sorta like doves and the stuffing is bold (like Prince's father?). And of course grapes are signature Prince-purple. NICE.
Stefany is not only joining EttB for a second time, but she is giving us 2 dishes yet again! And if that wasn't good enough, Stefany is channeling a good old fashioned 1980s hair band, Poison. Surely you remember the song "Every Rose Has its Thorn." Stefany picked up a couple bottles of rose nectar and was on her way to EttB goodness. And, since "every night has its dawn," Stefany gives us these buttery bites of goodness--Morning Rose Madeleines. Plus, she makes these great rose cupcakes. I'm not sure which one I'd rather have, so you can just ship one of each to me, Stefany. Thanks!
One of the reasons I love blogging events is that you learn all about new blogs, and Ben's was one of those blogs (though not from this event). His blog is full of amazing looking stuff, and this arroz moro is certainly no exception, considering my mouth dropped when I first viewed the picture. Ben enjoys salsa music and especially likes Cuban singer Cecelia Cruz. And of course Cuban music goes perfectly with that delicious Cuban dish!
Dear readers, I seriously cannot tell you how much I love key lime pie (okay, anything with lime). In fact, I'm sad to say I've never made my own, but after getting Erin's entry to this event, I definitely need to give this recipe a try. Erin's key lime pie goes hand in hand with a Kenny Chesney song of the same title. Like Erin, this makes me wish I were relaxing on the beach (eating at least 2 pieces of key lime pie).
Lindsey channeled the Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever" when she made these gorgeous, juicy strawberry anise scones. These yogurt scones have actually been on my (mile-long) "to try" list for a while and I think the addition of the anise sounds wonderful. And even better, though you wouldn't know it by looking at them, these scones are healthy, to boot.
Whenever Michelle at Big Black Dog sits on her porch sipping lemonade in the warm weather, the song "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" pops into her head. By the way, is that even the title? I don't know. What I DO know is that this lemonade looks fabulous. I'm not sure which I like better in this pink lemonade--the cranberry juice or the lime. I am a sucker for -ades of all sorts and this one looks so good and refreshing!
Kate at Paved with Good Intentions used inspiration from the Eagles to make this really schmany dessert of champagne ice cream. You remember in Hotel California where there are mirrors on the ceiling and the champagne's on ice? Kate used Cava in place of champagne but, hey, I am all for adding any type of booze into my food, thanks. I can just see this with some chocolate covered strawberries (and, I'm not going to lie, I kept hearing this as "cham-PAHN-ya!" a la Christopher Walken in SNL).
Kelsey at Apple a Day ditches the apples for some berries and makes this gorgeous All-American Berry Bundt Cake. It's stuff like this that really makes me want specialty cake pans. Mmm. This cake sounds so good (I love ANY form of fruit dessert), and it fits in perfectly with the song Kelsey chose, which is "All American Girl" by Carrie Underwood. The red and blue berries and white cake are totally festive.
And here's my dish--chocolate milk cupcakes, inspired by Rufus Wainwright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk." I have never really been one for moderation, so anything that's "a little bit sweeter, a little bit fatter, and a little bit harmful for me" is right up my alley.
I have been absolutely exhausted lately. I've been busy at home and on the weekends, and I've been working at a different office (that takes longer to get to/from) during the week. I've been neglecting blogs (including my own!) and emails, and I apologize.
Normally I have some sort of rambling at the beginning of my posts but today you're getting just the food! No rambling (for those of you who bother to even read my rambling, that is).
We had these chops last week so I can only hope that I got the measurements right because it's been a while. But, if I were to make these from scratch today this is how I would make them so I assume this is how I made them last week :) As you know, I am a smoked gouda fanatic and while it lends itself to many dishes and flavors, I think smoked gouda pairs best with pork. And when you add caramelized onions, mushrooms and thyme, the complementary flavors only enhance. Enjoy!
Pork Chops with Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
Serves 2
2 pork chops
1 oz. shredded or sliced smoked gouda
1 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 yellow or vidalia onion, cut in half and sliced
2 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. dry sherry or marsala
1/3 cup beef broth
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Slice a pocket into each pork chop and fill it with the gouda. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Sear the pork chops for about a minute per side, just to brown them. Move the chops to a baking dish and cook in the oven until just slightly underdone.
Meanwhile, melt the butter to the skillet in which you pan-fried the chops, over low heat. Stir in the onions and thyme and cook over low heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally--about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high and add the sherry. Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook until the sherry is almost completely evaporated, a couple minutes. Stir in the broth and cook it for another couple minutes to reduce it, slightly, too. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops back into the skillet, spooning the onions and sauce over them. Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the pork chops have cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly.