Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Crispy Prosciutto and Roasted Red Grapes *Recipe 25 - Page 64*

I chose this dish because I had leftover prosciutto from the gnochhi recipe. We had all the other ingredients on hand, so it was really easy to put together. I was excited because this is a meal that everyone in my house can eat. My son is allergic to so many things that we can all rarely eat the same meal in one setting. But, today I didn't have to cook two different meals and that always makes me happy...especially when it's time to do the dishes. It was a really good recipe and I was hoping to have leftovers, but no such luck. It got gobbled up in one setting! That's always a good sign. The pork chops were very juicy and tender from the brining. The pan sauce was excellent and had a really unique flavor from the grapes that were roasted in the pan. The sauce went together really well with my garlic roasted potatoes on the side. Crispy prosciutto.....need I say more? I could eat this stuff by the trayful!! Make way more than you need, it is addictive. The flavors in this meal were so complimentary to one another. I'm pretty sad that there is none left over.

RECIPE
2 quarts water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 whole cloves
6 allspice berries
4 bone-in pork chops, about 1-1/2 inches thick
extra virgin oil
1 pound California red grapes, on the vine and cut into 4 smaller bunches
freshly ground black pepper
8 slices (3 ozs) prosciutto
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in slices and chilled
fresh italian flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish (I didn't have this, my local store doesn't carry it)

In a resealable bag combine the water, sugar, the 1/4 cup salt, thyme, cloves, allspice berries to make a brine. Add the pork chops, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Note: While the pork chops are brining take advantage of the fact that your husband and daughter went to the video store and your 2-year old is napping. Run to the bathroom and take a much needed luxurious bubble bath. Now that you and your pork chops have both had time to soak you can start cooking.

Preheat oven to 425F. Drain and pat dry pork chops. Set two large cast-iron skillets over medium-high heat and add a 2-count olive oil to each. Add 2 chops to each skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden. Turn chops, then push them to one side and set grape clusters in pan. Drizzle with a litte oil and season with salt and pepper. Place skkillets in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until chops are cooked through (160F). Remove from oven and set chops and clusters of grapes aside on plate; keep warm. Note: Tyler's recipe says to cook the prosciutto in the oven at this point, but your chops would get cold for sure. I cooked the prosciutto prior to the pork chops by placing it on a roasting tray in a single layer and roasting for 15 minutes, until golden and crispy. It was really easy to reheat in the oven when the chops were done. I simply put the tray back in the oven for about 1 minute.

Combine pan juices in one pan and set over medium heat. Add chicken broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen all the brown bits. Whisk in the chilled butter to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve pork chops with roasted grapes, crispy prosciutto, and pan sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4 (I made a total of 6 pork chops)
Time: 1 hour

Try this one! You'll enjoy it for sure.

Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding with Lemon Fondant *Recipe 24 - Page 204*

This is one of the most delicious things I have ate in a long time! Even if you don't think of yourself as a bread pudding fan, this is an awesome recipe! It is dense and crisp on top and tastes like berries with a lemon glaze. Absolute heaven! Worth blowing the diet. I couldn't find brioche bread, so I made my own. Please make this recipe, you will not be sorry:

RECIPE

You will need: 6 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, 3/4 cup whole milk, 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 3/4 granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling, 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 (12-14oz) loaf brioche, 2 cups mixed berries(blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), 1 recipe Lemon Fondant

Lemon Fondant: Combine 2 cups of confectioner's sugar with the juice of 2 lemons and 2 teaspoons lemon zest in a bowl. If necessary, add a splash of water to achieve a dizzling consistency.

Directions: In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and egg yolks, the milk (I used 2%), cream, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Tear the brioche into large pieces (couldn't find locally, so I made my own). I tore mine in pretty large chunks and I am happy I did. Layer the torn brioche pieces in a 9 X 11 baking pan with 2 cups of the mixed berries. (I bought a bag of frozen blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries and it was exactly 2 cups of berries. This was a much cheaper and easier option. The bag was $2.99 and then I had the berries on hand for whenever I made the brioche). Pour the egg mixture over the top and press down gently on top with the flat side of the spoon so the bread soaks up the liquid. Set in the fridge for 15 minutes to soak.

Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle the bread pudding liberally with granulated sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes until pudding has puffed up slightly and the custard is set. (If it gets too brown on the top, tent it with foil while baking). Serve warm bread pudding with a drizzle of Lemon Fondant. Pure Heaven. And, this is coming from someone who TRIES to like bread pudding. I say I try, I really don't enjoy it. However, this recipe is decadent and just plain delicious. I am willing to bet anyone will love it and I am thinking about making it for our new neighbors who are moving in this weekend.

This is the only Tyler recipe that I have made this week. I was behind from being sick with the flu last week. We had to get caught up on so many things....

Serves 6 to 8 (more like 8)

*Tyler's version takes 1 hour. I made the bread myself so it pretty much took me all night!! You know a recipe is terrific when you are writing about it at midnight.

Brioche

I bought a great new book all about baking breads! It really is a pretty book by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno and it is simply called "bread". It is a wonderful resource for a new baker. It shows pictures of each bread and gives many variations on each recipe. It explains all about working with dough, as well as different types of flours and add-ins. I am currently IN LOVE with this book. It's the best $12.95 that I've spent in awhile.

Tonight I baked a loaf of brioche. One of the reasons that I've started baking bread is because there are no good choices at our supermarkets. I have never seen brioche or challah at our market. I don't even think Panera carries this type of bread. Well, now I am so excited that I can bake any bread that I want or need. And, the best part: I can do it myself! Cheaper, fresher, and just better!!

This is only about the 8th or 9th time that I've baked any bread at all and I would still consider myself "very new". They say that brioche dough can be hard to work with and it certainly was. It went fine up until the time that I had to work in one and a half sticks of butter. Then it truly became a buttery and greasy nightmare and my husband, daughter and myself really didn't think the bread would turn out.

I am very happy to say that it turned out very tasty. I have never had brioche before, but it is very much like a croissant. I will be making this bread again very soon. We were very impressed. I made this loaf for my next post, Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding with Lemon Fondant. I think Tyler would be impressed that I made my own brioche!! The recipe is not included in this post, but you can find many others online at foodnetwork or allrecipes.

Happy Weekend!!

Chicken and Marsala w/out Mushrooms *Recipe 23 - Page 87*

This has not been a great week. My daughter had a fever all weekend and ended up with strep throat and then I tested postive for the flu, strain A. I have never had the real flu before and do not care if I never get it again. I got a burst of energy one night and decided I had better cook the chicken in my fridge before I had to throw it away. If this recipe hadn't been so easy than this chicken would've bit the dust. I didn't have the mushrooms, but decided that I would go ahead with it anyway. I was surprised at how easy and delicious this recipe was. I was also happy that I did cook this because then my daughter and I had leftovers to eat all week. I will totally make this dish again and again. You know something is really good when you can eat it while being sick with the flu!!

Ingredients: 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, kosher salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 stic unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch fresh tyme, 2 cups halved button mushrooms, 2 diced shallots, 1-1/2 cups sweet Marsala wine, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 stick butter cut into cubes, 2 cups penne pasta

Directions: Rinse chicken pieces, then pat dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan heat a 3 count of olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and brown in hot oil for about 10 minutes, until golden all over turning pieces to brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on another plate. Add garlic, thyme, mushrooms, and shallots to hot roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and saute until mushrooms are brown and shallots are slightly caramelized. Deglaze pan with Marsala and chicken broth, scraping brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Nestle chicken back in pan, making sure each piece has contact with bottom of pan. Top each piece of chicken with butter. Cover the pan with the lid, leaving it slightly askew. Cook over medium-low heat about 30 minutes (or until chicken is 180F with a thermometer). Baste chicken with pan juices periodically.

Meanwhile, cook the penne pasta to package directions. Season with the chicken with salt and pepper and serve with penne pasta.

This is recipe is a keeper!! Easy and delicious!

Homemade Pizza Dough/Pizza

I was searching blogs the other day and found a great group who attempts to bake all their own breads. This was really appealing to me since baking bread is my new obsession. Cooking my way through Tyler's book forced me to reattempt baking with yeast. I had a successfun run with his Parker House Rolls and have been hooked ever since. I am curious about all breads now and my husband has been wanting to try pizza from scratch. This pizza turned out better than I thought it would. The whole house smelled like a pizzeria and the pizza itself was so good! You would think it came out of a brick oven. I used a pizza dough recipe from food network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/pizza-dough-recipe3/index.html. This recipe seemed to have really good reviews. Let me just say that we were so impressed with this pizza dough that I do not see a reason to change recipes.

The key to baking this pizza was to put your pizza stone in a 500F oven and let it heat up. Prepare the pizza and slide onto the hot stone. You will hear that sizzle when the pizza heats the stone. That is what makes that crust so good. We topped our pizza with tomato sauce, lots of pepperoni, and a spicy marinated mozzarella cheese. I also added some fresh basil, red pepper flakes and some freshly grated parmesan. The end result was out of this world! We are excited about coming up with all kinds of toppings.

Happy Valentine's Day Truffles

Happy Valentine's Day!!! What better way to celebrate than with chocolate? Today I made four different types of truffles. I followed Alton Brown's recipe on Food Network and omitted the brandy. I wanted to make truffles without liquor since they were for children. Instead of coating the truffles in cocoa power we used: crushed and salted cashews, rainbow sprinkles, powdered sugar, and mint flavored sprinkles. The truffles turned out so pretty and they were so addictive!! They were smooth and creamy and well, I had to try all four different flavors. If you love a good truffle recipe, try Alton Brown's on Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-truffles-recipe/index.html.

Potato Gnochhi with Peas, Prosciutto, and Ricotta - TFF

When I created this blog I was fortunate enough to find another blog named Tyler Florence Fridays. This blog is so much fun to be a part of. We can cook any recipe from Tyler's collection and then everyone's recipes are posted each Friday. There is always a wide variety of items each Friday and I really look forward to seeing what others cook. It is inspiring to me since I am currently cooking my way through one of Tyler's newest books, Stirring the Pot. This recipe was our February monthly challenge. If you click on the TFF link on my page you will be able to view the recipe.

This dish was very flavorful and was full of different textures. There was the crispy prosciutto and peas, the soft and fluffy gnochhi, the creamy ricotta, and the smooth sauce with shallots. I don't think I would change anything about this dish. It really is a perfect and complex dish and hits all your taste buds. I will say, however, that this was a rather lengthy dish to prepare. I'm guessing it took at least over an hour to get everything together and plated. Towards the end there were several things happening at once. Next time, I would make the gnochhi ahead of time, if possible. I would also have the ricotta prepared and set aside. This way you could concentrate on cooking the gnochhi, baking the prosciutto, blanching the peas, and making the sauce.

I am looking forward to seeing other people cook this recipe during February. I am willing to bet that everyone who tries this recipe will love it.

Good recipe Tyler!