My Top Five Julia Child Dishes! {Happy Birthday, Julia!}

 

We would hardly be where we are in the food community without Julia Child. She brought life to the world of cooking and made it what it is today. August 15th is Julia's birthday and it just feels right to share my most favorite Julia Child recipes with you!

Biftek Hache a La Lyonnaise/Ground Beef Burgers with Onions and Herbs If you make one Julia Child recipe, make this one! Not only is it one of her easiest recipes, but it is surprisingly delicious. Julia says this is how the French eat burgers - without the bun! The burger patties get dredged in flour which creates a crispy crust and the sauce is so flavorful. These burgers are rich, flavorful, and buttery delicious. In her book, Julia has various ways to change up the sauce and I highly suggest them all. We have these on regular rotation!

Supremes De Volaille A L'Ecossaise/Chicken Breasts with Diced Aromatic Vegetables and Cream I think the picture says it all. This is a stunning chicken dish and one that is so intoxicating as it cooks. The aroma and flavor of the onions, celery, and carrots in this dish are reminiscent of a chicken pot pie. It is so aromatic and comforting. It's one of those dishes that everyone would love!

Julia's Roast Chicken Okay, over the years I've made a lot of roast chicken: Tyler Florence's, Giada's, Yotam Ottolenghi's, and Ina Garten's. Trust me when I say that Julia Child's is THE BEST. Is it easy? No. Is it time consuming? Yes. Julia's method involves lots of butter and rotating and basting the chicken with butter on 5-10-15 minute intervals but it is oh so worth it! If you're looking to try a new Roast Chicken recipe this fall, please try this one! You won't be sorry. The end result is so buttery and delicious - a step above all the rest!

Supremes De Volaille Aux Champignons/Chicken Breasts with Mushroom and Cream We loved the first recipe with chicken breasts and aromatic veggies so much we tried Julia's Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream and it was equally delicious, especially for those who absolutely love mushrooms! You simply can't go wrong with any of Julia's variations on chicken breasts!

Jacques & Julia's Garlic Mashed Potatoes If you're looking for a side dish for any of these dishes, look no further than Jacques & Julia's Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You can't go wrong here, especially when you've got potatoes, butter, cream, and 10-15 cloves of garlic! This is an amazing recipes that is a people pleaser each and every single time!

Tessa Kiros' Milky Way Ice Cream Sundae {5 Minutes or Less}

Three ingredients and five minutes and you can have the ice cream sundae of your dreams! It's as close to instant gratification you can get in the dessert world.

All you need is Milky Way bars, cream, and vanilla ice cream. You are halfway to bliss!

All you need to do is melt the Milky Way with some cream in a pan and pour it over the vanilla ice cream. It's as simple as can be, but the resulting sauce is rather complex. It's kind of a cross between a hot fudge and a caramel sauce and when you pour the warm sauce over the cold vanilla ice cream the caramel sets up lightly and all those chewy bits are just the best!

My husband was so impressed with this one and declared it one of his new favorites. I highly suggest it if you're a Milky Way lover, or an ice cream lover, or just someone in need of a quick dessert. It is a winner!

Milky Way Bar Sauce

Adapted from Apples for Jam

by Tessa Kiros

Makes 2 cups

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 (2 ounce) Milky Way Midnight Bars*

Notes: The only difference between a regular Milky Way bar and a Milky Way Midnight bar is that a Milky Way is made with milk chocolate and a Midnight bar is made with dark chocolate. I used regular Milky Way because we are milk chocolate lovers, but you do you! I also think a Snickers would work just as well, or maybe even better if Snickers is your jam. *I didn't need 2 cups of Milky Way Sauce so I made about 1/4 of the recipe, using a King Size Milky Way bar and about 1/4 cups of heavy cream.

Pour half the cream into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat gently. Coarsely chop the Milky Way bars and add to the pan, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, until they are completely melted. Make sure that the cream is not too hot and that they are completely melted. Make sure that the cream is not too hot and that nothing gets stuck on the bottom of the pan, which would ruin your chocolate. When everything is nearly all melted together, add the rest of the cream, and whisk to break up the soft lumps. Remove from the heat and carry on whisking until the sauce is completely smooth. Cover when it has cooled a bit. Serve warm or even at room temperature, but store in the fridge if you don't finish it all. Even a teaspoon of it cold or at room temperature is great for lifting the spirits.

Ovens Off @ IHCC

Summer of Salads #10: Jacques Pepin's Zucchini and Olive Salad

 

This summer I turned up the notch on my veggie consumption. I was drinking green smoothies, making salads, and having meals consisting of nothing but veggies. Of course, I haven also reasoned that eating lots of veggies makes it okay to eat them with cheese. If a chef didn't write cheese into the recipe, well let's just say I did it for them!

For example, this week I chose a Jacques Pepin Zucchini and Olive Salad that was a very simple recipe consisting of zucchini, white wine vinegar, olive oil, olives, chives, salt and pepper. But to my horror, I feel like Pepin missed a perfectly good opportunity to adorn the top of this salad with crumbles of goat cheese. Right? I mean they pair so well together why wouldn't you?

And, take your time in the cheese section of your market because goat cheese has come A LONG WAY since it was first brought to market. I really like the Orange Blossom Honey Goat Cheese, but my newest obsession is the Everything Bagel Goat Cheese. Either of those version would be good here.

Pepin says to cut the zucchini into 1/4" rounds, dust it with salt and bake it for about 5-7 minutes to firm up the zucchini and heat up/cook some of the moisture out. This salad can be served warm or cold, but I enjoyed it best served warm. The zucchini pair so well with the briney olives and the creamy goat cheese. I also sprinkled my salad with a little red pepper flakes because I like things a little spicy. This was a really good salad that would make for a pretty appetizer when entertaining and/or served next to fish and/or chicken. I would definitely make it again, with cheese- of course!

Zucchini and Olive Salad

Adapted from Essential Pepin

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 6

2 zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pitted oil-cured black olives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Optional: sprinkle of red pepper flakes and/or goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the zucchini, trim off the ends, and cut into 1/4" thick rounds. Arrange the rounds in one layer on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with the salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the zucchini renders some of its moisture and softens slightly.

Transfer the zucchini rounds to a bowl and toss them gently with the pepper, vinegar, and oil. Serve immediately, garnished with the black olives and chives. 

The Three Sisters @ IHCC

Garden Fresh: Half Baked Harvest's Simplest Zucchini Parmesan Pasta

 I love a garden fresh pasta made with ingredients straight from the backyard: zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and basil. A garden fresh pasta like this is a good reason to especially if you top it with fresh Burrata! Fresh veggies and cheese...always a win!
 The zucchini sauce is best, in my opinion, if you grate some of the zucchini and cut the rest into bigger and smaller pieces. This way some of the zucchini melts into the sauce and you have some smaller chunks of zucchini and some larger. However, if you wanted a smoother sauce altogether you could simply grate all the zucchini. Make it your own!
 This is a simple pasta dish consisting of zucchini that gets cooked down with butter, pasta water, and cheese until it makes a fresh tasting sauce that coats the pasta. Short pasta shapes are best and I'm a big fan of farfalle, or butterfly pasta.You can chose to keep this dish rather simple by just tossing the pasta with the zucchini sauce, or you can top it with some cherry tomatoes and creamy, dreamy Burrata cheese! I look for any excuse to enjoy Burrata. It is quite simply the best topping of all!

I loved this garden fresh pasta. It was light and fresh and simply singing with summer flavors! It is a delicious way to use up all that zucchini on hand!

Simplest Zucchini Parmesan Pasta

Adapted from Half Baked Harvest

by Tieghan Gerard

Serves 6-8

1 pound pasta, any cut works

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 medium zucchini (yellow or green, shredded or chopped)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

chili flakes, to taste

salt and black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 cup grated Parmesan 

1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Manchego cheese

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

Optional: Burrata cheese for topping, if desired

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining reserve 1-1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, thyme, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is golden, 5 minutes. Mix in the butter. Using the back of your spoon or potato masher, mash down the zucchini until it becomes a chunky sauce.

Add 1 cup of reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pasta, parmesan, and pecorino, and toss until melted. Add more pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat, toss in the basil. Serve topped with more cheese, if desired, and enjoy!

Summer of Salads #9: Mark Bittman's Sichuan-Style Cucumber Salad {The Most Delcious Cucumber Salad Ever}

 

You're gonna think I'm crazy. But that's ok. I'm gonna say it anyway. This Sichuan-Style Cucumber Salad is one of the best things I've ate all year! I'm not kidding.

I had another salad planned this week but my friend gave me two beautiful cucumbers from her garden and since we're making Cool Treats this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs I decided I'd made a cucumber recipe. Because nothing is as cool as a cucumber, right?

This is NOT your typical cucumber salad served all summer long. This cucumber salad will BLOW YOUR MIND! I'm still not sure why on earth this is so dang delicious, but I ate the ENTIRE recipe all by myself. I couldn't stop! Something wonderful happens when you cut those cucumbers and let them sit for 30 minutes with salt and sugar sprinkled over top and then combine them with a soy sauce/sesame oil dressing with garlic and fresh hot chile and cilantro and lime juice and peppercorns! I mean WOW, I absolutely inhaled this. 

I even tried to put half away in the fridge but I kept licking my lips and getting that taste and I found myself going back to the fridge and eating the rest straight outta the bowl!

There is so many wonderful flavors going on here and the cucumber is just so bright and fresh and crunchy and flavorful and delicious. It's just simply addictive! Please get some garden fresh cucumbers and make this! I can't recommend it enough!

Sichuan-Style Cucumber Salad

Adapted from Mark Bittman

Serves 2-4

1 pound cucumbers

about 2 teaspoons slat

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns*

1 small clove garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeno or other hot chile

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice or rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

chopped cilantro, to your taste

 

NOTE: I couldn't find Sichuan peppercorns so I just used fresh cracked black pepper!

 

If the cucumbers are seedy (you'll know as soon as you cut into one), cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. (If they're not seedy, don't!). Chop the cucumbers, I like 1/2" or slightly bigger pieces. Put them in a colander or strainer and sprinkle with the sat and sugar; toss a bit and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes.

Grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder. (If you have a spice grinder than can handle it, add the garlic and chile, too - I used a mortar and pestle for this). Otherwise, mince the garlic and chile and combine with the peppercorns.

When the cucumbers look darker and slightly shriveled, toss the colander a few times to remove as much liquid as possible that's clinging to them. (You don't have to rinse; if anything, you'll wind up adding salt.) Put the cucumbers in a bowl and add all the other ingredients except cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with cilantro and serve. Bittman says room temperature is best, but I liked this as cold as can be best!

Garden Fresh: Pasta alla Bersagliera {Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino}

 Disclaimer: I watch a fair amount of YouTube. The kids at school think they have a claim on YouTube and that adults and/or teachers just don't watch it. They are always so surprised to hear me talk about it.

I love the cooking and travel vlogs, among others. This week I discovered the Pasta Grammar channel and I watched them make a dish called Pasta alla Bersagliera, which is a pasta dish based off Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil). The Bersagliera sauce is just like Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, except they add in little red Italian peppers (peperoncino) and a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. The YouTube video that inspired this dish is below if you'd like to give it a watch!

 

 

I was so glad to discover this dish because I have some of the ingredients out in my garden: little red peppers, basil, and I decided to add some cherry tomatoes.  

It's real simple! You place the olive oil in the pan with the cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, sliced red peppers and cook that down for a little bit. Then add the garlic and cook over low heat (being careful not to burn the garlic) until the garlic imparts its flavor and is a slightly golden brown. Some people toss the garlic, but I kept it and garnished my dish with it! The sauce will look broken, but that's okay. It will come together when you add the pasta and the pasta cooking water.

I researched many Spaghetti Aglio e Olio recipes prior to making this. Some called for one garlic clove, some called for 3, and others called for 8. I decided on 3 garlic cloves and 3 little hot peppers. I like that you can vary the ingredients based on your personal taste. Some people might want to add less garlic, or maybe more. Some might only like 1 pepper while others prefer more. It's up to you! The beautiful thing about cooking in your own kitchen is making it your own! This is a spicy and flavorful delight and tastes quite fresh and delicious! If you have the ingredients on hand you might want to try it!

                         Pasta alla Bersagliera or Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino 

                     Adapted from Pasta Grammar/Youtube and Giada De Laurentiis

                                                          1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, germ removed

1-2 red peppers (pepporicino) 

handful of cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

reserved pasta water, amount depending on how you like your sauce

Notes: This recipe and the measurements is based off of Giada De Laurentiis' Spaghetti Aglio e Olio and I have simply substituted the red pepper flakes for red peperoncino and added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. I got this idea from watching Pasta Grammar on Youtube and since I had the red peperoncino on hand I decided to adapt Giada's recipe and give it a go! This is a combination of their recipes with a little personal touch of my own with the cherry tomatoes. I don't claim it was authentic!

Place 6 quarts of salted water in a a large pot and bring to a boil.

In a medium to large skillet place the olive oil, cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, sliced peppers, and garlic (garlic should be left whole with the germ removed). Cook the mixture over low heat until the garlic becomes slightly golden brown. You do not want to burn the garlic! Remove the garlic. Add about 1 cup of hot water from the pasta pot and set aside.

When the pasta pot comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook about 2 minutes less than package directions. When the pasta is almost done, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta and add the pasta to the pan with the oil and tomato sauce. Stir and decide how much pasta water you need to make your sauce and pasta come together. Garnish with basil or other herbs, if you like and serve. 

 From The Garden @ IHCC

Summer of Salads #8: Heidi Swanson's Fruit Salad with Thai Herbs

 This week at  I Heart Cooking Clubs were taking a trip right in our own kitchen. It is so much fun to explore the flavors of other places.  

Today, we're taking a trip to Thailand. When I saw Heidi Swanson post her gorgeous Fruit Salad with Thai Herbs the other day, I knew I had to make it ASAP. 

I've never worked with lemongrass before and I have always wanted to! Now, does the addition of lemongrass make this recipe Thai? Probably not, but it is Thai-inspired with the lemongrass and the mint and well... I threw in a mango to add a little color and make it a little more tropical.

I love the jewel tones of this fruit salad. It's a color palette I've had my eye on for awhile now. Plus, plums and stone fruits are really underrated. Here I have a variety of plums, apricots, cherries, mango, strawberries, and blueberries and they are all glistening in a sweet citrus honey dressing with bits of minced tender lemongrass and mint! 

This is a beautiful and delicious version of fruit salad that I will be sure to make again and again. We loved it! I'd like to make it again with solely tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango, papaya, etc. Heidi Swanson says to garnish this with yogurt, coconut, or walnuts and of course you can, but I honestly it didn't need anything else. It was perfect with just the fruit! 

Fruit Salad with Thai Herbs

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

by Heidi Swanson

Serves 4-6

Fruit Salad

5-6 cups of season fruit (Heidi uses nectarines, pluots,

 cherries, blackberries, loganberries, and peaches)*

Dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lemon and/or lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

a pinch of salt

the tender interior of a stalk of lemongrass, minced

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

20 mint leaves, cut into strips

To serve: toasted coconut, dollops of creme fraiche or yogurt, toasted walnuts 

Notes: Any fruit can be used, but I used a variety of plums, mango, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and apricots.

Wash, cut, and arrange the fruit in a large bowl or on a platter. 

Whisk together the citrus juice, honey, salt, lemongrass, mint, and vanilla and set aside.

Drizzle the fruit with about half of the dressing and taste. Add more dressing, if desired. Then add coconut, nuts, and creme fraiche, or yogurt, and serve.