Kicked Up Oysters AuGratin and Parmesan

My goodness, how long has it been since I posted a seafood recipe? It's the time of year to start eating some oysters...the food of love some say. Others, well, they just flat out don't like oysters. As for me, I love oysters and am still not afraid to eat them on the half shell (raw), but if I can afford them, I am on a quest to concoct new ways to enjoy them.

It's not easy getting decent oysters in East Tennessee. The oysters in this recipe aren't Louisiana oysters and are quite small, but we'll make due!

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Just be careful not to burn the butter. Stir in about 3 heaping tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook the roux, stirring frequently, until it turns blond, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add 1/2 of an onions sliced and saute for about 3 minutes, then add in 3 cloves of crushed garlic, continue cooking until the onions are soft, about another minute. Slowly add 1 cup of evaporated milk and 1 cup of whole or reduced fat milk.

Whisk constantly to prevent lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring right to the verge of boiling, then reduce the heat to simmer.

Add in one whole clove.

And one whole bay leaf. I have to stop here. Kaitlin asked me the other night if I would make something quick and simple for dinner and her dad told her, "Your mother can't make anything without adding a bay leaf to it." Wait until he finds a bay leaf in his beer...ok let's move on.

Let sauce simmer for about 15 to 20, stirring occasionally. The sauce will become thick. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup of prepared horseradish. Season with salt and black pepper.

Pour the sauce into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Set sauce aside and let it cool.

While the sauce is cooling, rinse drain and pat dry 3 dozen oysters and preheat the oven to to 450 degrees.

Season the oysters with salt and pepper and lay them in the bottom of a baking dish in a single layer; then pour the cooled sauce evenly over the oysters.

In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup of seasoned Italian bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Sprinkle over the oysters and sauce in the casserole. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Do you want to know the truth? I can't cook with out extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

C'est Bon Chicken

Do you need another chicken recipe? Do you need to use that orange marmalade that's sitting in your fridge? Well, we can take care of both right here!

Oh by the way, on my last post a couple of you seemed puzzled by my answer of Barracuda on my wish list...it's a muscle car.

Season 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Pour 1 cup of AP flour into a shallow dish and season with with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of paprika, and 1/2 cayenne. Thoroughly combine. Dredge the chicken through the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Note: While searing the chicken in batches, you may need to add one more tablespoon of oil to the skillet if the skillet becomes dry. Remove to a platter and set aside.

Add 1 cup of white wine to the skillet and deglaze the skillet, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, stir to combine.

Add 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce. Stir to incorporate and then add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard.

Whisk to combine.

Bring to a simmer and add the chicken and the juices that are left in the platter.

Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with a lid. Let the chicken braise for about 45 minutes.

Uncover and adjust seasonings serve with your favorite pasta or rice and garnish with parsley and chives.

Saturday

My blogging buddy and friend Gigi from Afterthoughts sent me this award. thank you Gigi!!

One of the conditions of accepting this award is that I have to answer the following questions.

The catch is I can only use one word for each answer.


1. Where is your cell phone? Purse


2. Your hair? Brown


3. Your mother? Smiling


4. Your father? Incredible


5. Your favorite food? Pasta


6. Your dream last night? Football


7. Your favorite drink? Wine


8. Your dream/goal? Peace


9. What room are you in? Loft


10. Your hobby? Blogging


11. Your fear? Clowns


12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Tuscany


13. Where were you last night? Out


14. Something that you aren't? Stupid


15. Muffins? Yes


16. Wish list item? Barracuda


17. Where did you grow up? New Orleans


18. Last thing you did? Smiled


19. What are you wearing? PJ's


20. Your TV? Off


21. Your pets? Dog


22. Friends? Many


23. Your life? Exciting


24. Your mood? Calm


25. Missing someone? Yes


26. Vehicle? Caravan


27. Something you're not wearing? makeup


28. Your favorite store? Bed, Bath & Beyond


29. Your favorite color? Red


30. When was the last time you laughed? Today


31. Last time you cried? Recently


32. Your best friend? Georgia


33. One place that I go to over and over? Grocery


34. One person who emails me regularly? Gunny


35. Favorite place to eat? Ruth's Chris


Next, I have to pass this award on to six other bloggers.


This is really difficult because there are so many amazing blogs that I follow.


Here are the six I choose to pass this award onto:

Betsy from Joyful Reflections

Dave from My Year on the Grill

Sandra from Thistle Cove Farm
Ginger from Once Upon a Gourmet Gin
Ramona from Japanese Redneck

Jane from Jumpin' in the Jungle

Have a beautiful weekend!

Dulce de Leche Apple Pie

Today you are getting a real treat! This has to be the best apple pie I have ever tasted. Thanks to Lucy from Sweets, Savories, Etc. who shared this recipe with us and won third prize for this pie. This pie doesn't need any further introduction.

This is some wonderful stuff. I've used it to make ice cream and cheese cake and now apple pie. Just have to figure out how to work into a pasta recipe! ~kidding~

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

5 to 6 cups of peeled, sliced apples (mixed tart & sweet apples i.e. Granny Smith, Braeburn, Macoun)

1/3 cup dulce de leche
2 Tablespoons apple cider

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract



I bought refrigerated pie crust and had problems with one of the dough sheets. It cracked and fell apart as I unrolled it. I just happened to have a frozen pie crust on hand so I used it as the bottom and the other refrigerated pie crust for the top.

Double crust for 9-inch pie, egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon of water, coarse sugar for top.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use center rack in oven. In a small bowl combine the sugars, cornstarch, spices and salt. In a large bowl, toss together apples, dulce de leche, apple cider and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and toss to combine.

Between waxed paper, roll out pie dough to 10”. Line deep dish pie pan with crust and let it hang over the sides. Brush with egg white mixture. Add filling and spread out evenly.

Roll out 2nd crust & place on top of pie. Crimp edges together in a decorative fashion to seal. Brush with egg white mixture. Cut a few holes in the top crust for venting. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. If pie is browning, cover it with foil a. Bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove pie from oven and cool on rack for several hours to allow filling to set.

Enjoy this pie this weekend - that's an order!

Dressy Fall Pork Tenderloin with Apples

It seems that the colors of Fall haven't lasted very long this year. Thank goodness the flavors I associate with Fall can stick around as long as I want.

It's Thursday and it's time to start thinking about what's cooking for the weekend. One of the luxuries of cooking on the weekends is I am not as hurried as I am during the week.

When pork tenderloins are on sale, I stock up. They are lean, versatile and so easy to grill, roast. marinate, or braise.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Take one package of pork tenderloin which contains two pieces of pork. Use a sharp knife and remove the silver skin. Thoroughly coat each tenderloin with extras virgin olive oil. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of McCormick's Montreal Grill Seasoning, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1 spring (about 1 teaspoons) of chopped thyme leaves. Massage seasoning mixture into the tenderloins and roast for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove, tent with foil and allow the tenderloins to rest so the juices will re-distribute. Carve on an angle.

While the tenderloins are roasting, peel and slice 3 Golden Delicious apples. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium heat and saute apples for about 15 minutes until they are tender tender. Season with a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of AP flour over the apples, toss to combine. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon over the apples and then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Arrange the apples over the pork to serve. It doesn't get much easier than this!

Orange and Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette was a lot of fun to make. It has such an explosion of flavors. The combination of the orange marmalade, toasted pecans and the apple cider vinegar really gave this vinaigrette some pop.

2 tablespoons of orange marmalade.

Place the marmalade in the microwave for about 15 seconds to loosen it up a bit.

Add in 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds.

Whisk in apple cider vinegar to taste. I like mine a little more tart so I used approximately 1-1/2 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk in 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Add in some toasted pecans to your mixed greens. Salad dressings are just fun to make. Your imagination is your limit!

Artichoke and Mushroom Pasta

About a month ago I attended a Pampered Chef party. I took your advice and bought a pair of poultry shears and a couple of other items, like a REAL cookie sheet and a cookie dough thingamabob and two tart pans. They threw in a cutting board.

The poultry shears are amazing. Cutting the back out of a chicken is like cutting construction paper. Thank all of you for getting me in gear.

This little jar caught my eye in the grocery a couple of weeks ago. My good intention was to serve this as a munchie one weekend while we were watching a football game, but everytime I opened the pantry door, it was staring me down. I couldn't resist, I mean artichoke topping...

pasta, you know where I'm going with this.

Chop two shallots and saute over medium high heat in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

When the shallots start to brown on the edges add in 8 ounces of sliced white or baby bella mushrooms and saute until they turn golden brown. Then add in 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for one more minute.

Add in the jar of artichoke topping, stir to combine. Lower heat to medium and simmer for about five minutes.

Add in 1 cup of heavy cream. You knew I couldn't do this without the cream.

Lower heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken. While the sauce is thickening, cook 1/2 lb. of your favorite short pasta. I used penne rigate.

Right before your pasta is cooked, stir in 1 cup of grated romano cheese to the artichoke and mushroom pasta sauce.

Thoroughly combine your cooked and drained pasta and hug an Italian!

I've been spending way too much time at Facebook, playing Mafia Wars and not blogging. I'm trying to quell my gaming OCD, but come join us over there anyway and be a part of our mob.