Sole Meurniere

Tonight I made Sole Meurniere... I hope that's spelled right. It's a very fancy sounding dinner that maybe costs ten bucks for two people. PS - I do not like fish. At least cooked. Sushi is great, but I've never liked the "fishy" taste of fish. Let's see how this turns out.

Ingredients:
3 Sole Filets
Zest and Juice of a lemon
Parsley
2 ish Tb Butter
Salt, Pepper
Flour
Asparagus



Retrospective thoughts: I am in need of a better lemon zester or microplane and a fish turner if I'm going to keep trying to make fish. And a potato ricer. But that's just because Grandpa says you need one to make gnocchi.

Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce, Attempt #2

So I was really confident with this one. I had picked out the recipes, studied them, engrained them into my brain... and then didn't buy enough tomatoes. And then tried to halve the gnocchi recipe. Et cetera, chaos ensues. Watch for the moment of total destruction!



Stay tuned for Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce, attempt #3. Not any time soon, mind you. I'm a little gnocchied out.

Bruschetta and Garlic Bread

I was feeling all hippie-healthy, and decided Bruschetta would make a fine dinner. Here is my recipe for not-too-greasy-that-Mom-can't-eat-it Bruschetta and sinfully garlic-y bread.

Recipe: Some tomatoes, some basil, some olive oil, some salt (like the exact measurements?), crusty bread, more olive oil, a clove of garlic.



Later, I was bored and made chocolate molten cakes. They. Were. Godly. Steve and I moaned around the apartment for a while and are fighting the urge to eat more. It is made of everything that is sin. Melting. In chocolate.

Recipe: 3/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 6oz dark chocolate, 1/4 cup flour, 4 eggs, garnished with the devil.

Melt the butter and chocolate together, mix all other ingredients in another bowl. Combine and cook in 4 ramekins for about 14 minutes. Eat. Orgasm.

Cheese Souffle

This is, by far, the most difficult thing I think I've tried to do. A cheese souffle, for one.



One thing I've been thinking about: All of these fancy, schmancy French dishes are probably stupid expensive in restaurants, but let's look at what it actually took me to make a cheese souffle.

A tablespoon of butter.
A tablespoon of flour.
Some scraps of cheese.
Two eggs.
A splash of milk.
A stick of wood.
A piece of cloth.

Oh... woops, I left the last two in Anatevka. But you get the point - why so expensive, Restaurants? I made this at home for about 3 bucks. Make it yourself, people.

Boeuf Bourguignon

After buying "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," it's almost silly not to make Boeuf Bourguignon. So, here's my attempt.



Recipe ideas for later - Molten chocolate cake, cheese souffle, apple tart tatin... any ideas?

((EDIT: Apparently, it's pronounced "key-aunti," not "shee-auntie." Thank you, Harrison.))

Rolled Omelette

Wooo!!!!! That's all I have to say.



Afterwards, I tried to recreate the experience for Steve, and ended up breaking his omelette in half. Oh well. It was Diner worthy nonetheless.

Ingredients - 2 eggs, salt, pepper, 1 Tb butter, lots of arm muscles.

Recipes!

As requested by Jessica (red haired one, not cooking expert one), here are the recipes for things that turned out well so far. If you really want my recipe for gnocchi, ask and I'll laugh at you then give it to you.

Steak, Potatoes, Etc:
-Steak - A steak. Olive oil, salt, pepper.
-Potatoes (for one or two if you're not addicted to mashed potatoes as I am) - 3 Red potatoes, 1 Tb butter, splash of milk, salt if needed.
-Asparagus - 10 Asparagus stalks, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 clove garlic.

Asparagus Risotto: (for one)
3/4 Cup Arborio or Risotto Rice, 6-10 Stalks Asparagus, Chicken or Veggie Broth (amount alters, just buy a box and go with it), White Wine, Parmasan Cheese.

Matzo Ball Soup:
-Balls - 4 egg yolks, 4 egg whites stiffly beaten, 1 cup matzo meal, 1 Tb veggie oil or schmaltz, salt
-Soup - 1 Cut Up Chicken (about 5 pounds), Radish, Turnip, Carrots, Onion, Dill, Rosemary, 1 can broth, Water to cover the rest, any other veggies you like.

Hopefully that's all right... Tonight, I make dinner for my parents for the first time. Don't think I can video tape with all the stuff going down. The Menu is Bruschetta on Garlic Bread, Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus. And if all else fails, Mom's bring seven layer cake.

Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce

So I started setting up to videotape myself making Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce, and got very angry at my day, so threw the laptop back at the couch. But, things that happened:

I discovered I LOVE artichokes. Where have they been all my life?

However, Alton lied when he said that the stem of the artichoke tastes as good as the heart. Lies. It tastes like wood. Unless I didn't peel it far enough.

I made a perfect hollandaise. Perfection. Too bad I, apparently, do not like hollandaise. But I am very proud of how it turned out.

I got my first cooking-related injury. I was cutting the fuzzies (actually called the "choke," but it just looks like hair.) off of the artichoke heart, and my finger got in the way. I now cannot do dishes because putting water on my finger stings hardcore.

Overall, a nice turn to an otherwise rather frustrating day.

Matzo Ball Soup

At last, some success. In honor of Passover, the end of winter, and being diagnosed with strep throat, I made chicken soup with matzo balls, to great acclaim from Steve.



Also in this video: The first appearance of my wonderful, fabulous, beautiful, new cast iron dutch oven, care of Mom.

Asparagus Risotto

So, after the last fiasco that was my Gnocchi (French Fries) and Stewed Tomatoes (Ketchup), I decided to cook something I actually have in the past. Asparagus Risotto with Parmesan. ((EDIT: Thank you, Jessica, for correcting me. I did not cover my risotto in sauce and cheese and bake it a la parmigiana.))



Soon to come: Matzo Ball Soup.

And vegan cookies. I didn't forget.