Beef Tenderloin with 5 Onion Sauce

  • 3 1/2 pounds of pretrimmed beef tenderloin
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
  • 2 large red onions, sliced and separated into rings
  • 2 bunches of green onions
  • 12 shallots
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup cognac
  • 1/2 cup of beef broth

Brown tenderloin on all sides in hot oil in heavy pan or dutch oven.  Remove and reserve drippings in pan.  Add butter and saute yellow and red onions for 5 minutes, add green onions, shallots and garlic and saute another 10 minutes.  Stir in cognac and beef broth.  Reduce until the consistency is gravy-like.  Place tenderloin on top.

Bake uncovered at 400° for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 145°.  Remove tenderloin from roasting pan.  Reserve onion and juice in pan.  Let meat stand loosely covered for 10 minutes. Cook onion mixture over medium heat stirring constantly for 3 – 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.  Serve with meat.

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Stuffed Pork Roast with 2 Sauces

Pork Roast

  • 4 Pound center cut pork loin boned
  • Pecan Bread Stuffing
  • Cranberry Coulis
  • Onion Creme Sauce OR
  • Five Onion Sauce

Preheat oven to 400°. Spread 1/4 of the stuffing over the pork loin, roll and tie with string.  Spoon remaining stuffing into a baking dish cover and set aside.

Place the roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Set roast in oven and immediately lower temperature to 350°.

Bake stuffing for 30 minutes. Roast until meat thermometer registers 160°.  Remove the roast from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Cut roast into slices, stuffing may fall out.  Center extra stuffing on each dinner plate and place 2 slices of pork over top.  Serve with Cranberry Coulis and one of the other sauces.

Pecan Bread Stuffing

  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 pounds of onions thinly sliced
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 2 oz prosciutto ham
  • 1/2 cup French bread crusts trimmed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Saute onions in butter until soft. Transfer half the onions to a food processor, reserving the remaining onion for Onion Creme Sauce.  Add the pecans, ham, bread and S/P and mince.  Chill before using.

Cranberry Coulis

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 pound cranberries
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Combine water and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil.  Make sure sugar is dissolved.  Add cranberries.  Lower heat, cover and simmer until cranberries have popped about 5 minutes, Transfer to a food processor and puree.  Strain through a sieve, add s&p to taste.  Heat through before serving.

Onion Creme Sauce

  • 2 cups of whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • onion reserved from stuffing
  • salt and pepper

In saucepan combine the creme, broth and onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is reduced to 2 1/2 about 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Transfer to a food processor and puree.  Strain puree into a bowl.  discarding any unblended bits of onion.  Stir in salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through.

5 Onion Sauce

  • 2 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
  • 2 large red onions, sliced and separated into rings
  • 2 bunches of green onions
  • 12 shallots
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup cognac
  • 1/2 cup of beef broth

Saute yellow and red onions for 5 minutes, add green onions, shallots and garlic and saute another 10 minutes.  Stir in cognac and beef broth.  Reduce until the consistency is gravy-like.

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Paella – Mom Style

Be as creative as you like with the fishes.  Mix and match as you see fit.

  • 1 lobster or 2 lobster tails
  • 6 medium size raw shrimp
  • 6 small clams
  • 6 mussels
  • 1/2 lb chorizo or smoked sausage
  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken cut up
  • s&p
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 oz cubed pork
  • 1/2 cup onions
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • 1 G or R pepper cut into strips
  • 1 lg tomato chopped
  • 3 cups long grain rice
  • 1/4 tsp saffron
  • 6 cups boiling water
  • 1/2 cup peas thawed
  • 2 lemons

 Prep:

  1. Shell Shrimp but keeps tails on
  2. Cut lobster into serving pieces
  3. Clean mussels and clams

In the same skillet:

  1. Season chicken and then brown pieces – remove when cooked
  2. Cook sausage, slice and brown slices. – remove when cooked
  3. Cook lobster 2 – 3 mins – remove when cooked

Sofrito:

Remove remaining oil from pan.  Add olive oil and brown pork cubes.  Add the vegetables and cook until is is thickened

Cook Paella:

  1. Heat oven to 400°
  2. In 14″ pan or paella pan combine sofrito, rice, salt and saffron
  3. Pour in boiling water and bring to boil, stirring constantly – then remove from heat immediately
  4. Arrange the meat and fishes on top of the rice
  5. Scatter peas on top
  6. Set pan on the floor (or bottom) of oven.  Bake uncovered 25 – 30 minutes
  7. Do NOT stir paella once it is in the oven
  8. When done, remove from oven and drape a kitchen towel over paella and let it rest 5 – 8 minutes
  9. Garnish with lemons and serve.

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Beer Can Chicken

1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp italian seasonings
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp garlic powder
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 lbs)
1 can ale or beer

 

Mix spices and rub on chicken, including inside.  Let stand on wire rack for a few hours.  Set chicken on open beer can 2/3 full.  Turn off center burner, place chicken over the center burner.  (or charcoal grill – charcoal-less part of grill).  Cover and cook until brown and coked through, 50 – 60 mins

Let rest for 10 mins before carving

 

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Chicken Francese

1 lb chicken breasts pounded thin
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
s&p
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup mixed fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme sprigs
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 to 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 – 2 lemons sliced
1 chicken bouillon cube or packet
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

  1. Pound chicken breasts thin in between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap:  add a few droplets of water to the paper and pound with rolling pin or meat mallet.
  2. Make an egg wash with the eggs and water
  3. Mix flour, salt, pepper and parsley
  4. Dip chicken in egg wash, then flour mixture
  5. Saute in oil until light brown
  6. Remove from pan and drain
  7. In same pan add 1 cup water, lemon juice, buillon, s&p, thicken – add softened butter as you remove from heat
  8. Arrange chicken in baking pan – pour sauce over the top, and top with lemon slices
  9. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
  10. Meanwhile heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a small deep saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, drop mixed herbs, patted very dry, a small handful at a time and fry until crisp, about 10 seconds. They will bubble up furiously. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
  11. top cooked chicken with fried herbs – serve

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Grandma’s Pot Roast

Buy a small pot roast – either chuck roast or bottom round roast, top round will do but is usually more expensive.   Grandma always uses top round

Dredge in s&p and flour
Brown on all sides in 3 Tbsp of oil
remove from pot

add 1 cup chopped onion and 1 1/2 cloves of garlic minced, cook until soft

Put meat back into pot and add 1 1/2 cups of HOT water
1 bay leaf
1/4 c vinegar
2Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 c ketchup
1/2 tsp salt

cook over LOW heat for 3 hours
turn meat every half hour

Remove meat and thicken gravy with small amt of cornstarch dissolved in a Tbsp or 2 of water

Serve with carrots and wide egg noodles.

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Roasted Fresh Ham w/ Maple-Mustard Seed Glaze

14 – 16 servings

3 cups unsweetened apple cider
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 cups Apple Jack or Calvados
1 tsp dried thyme
Fresh Ham 10 pounds
– rind and excess fat removed
8 cloves of slivered garlic
1 Tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp pepper

Simmer apple cider in small saucepan over low heat untiil reduced to 2 cups (12 mins)
Remove from heat, add onion and let cool
Combine cooled mixture with Apple Jack and thyme in large stainless or ceramic bowl
Cut slits in ham at 3 inch intervals – – insert garlic in slits
Marinate overnight in fridge – turn several times
Remove from fridge 2 hours before roasting
Heat oven to 400
Remove ham and pat dry with paper towel
Strain marinade into small bowl discard solids (3.5 cups)

Rub ham with s/p
Place fat side up in large shallow roasting pan
bake in center of over 40 minutes — reduce to 325 and contine to bake – basting with marinade every 30 minutes – for about 3 more hours
Ham should be 3/4ths cooked

Make maple mustard seed glaze – keep warm

Maple Mustard Seed Glaze

1/4 cup veg oil
3 Tbsp grated onion
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp dijon mustard
4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 ground pepper

Heat oil until rippling – add onion and saute for 1 minute
Add remaining ingredients – increase heat to med-high
Boil uncovered stir occasionally – reduce to 1 cup – 18 mins
Keep warm until ready to use.

Remove ham from oven – leave heat at 325
Transfer to platter
Heat drippings to boiling, scrape brown bits from bottom of pan
Strain into heatproof bowl and refrigerate covered
Return ham to roasting pan and baste with glaze
Continue to roast – baste with glaze every 20 minutes
Cook until thermometer reaches 165 about 1 – 1.5 hours
Transfer to warmed large platter. Cool 10 minutes
Remove drippings from fridge, discard fat
Heat drippings until boiling
Pour into warm gravy boat
Slice ham to serve – accompany with sauce

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