Creme Anglaise

This is like liquid creme brulee except it's easier to make & has more uses. Pour it over everything and anything sweet. I'm making mine for berry cobbler. But, honestly I could just drink the stuff.

• 2 cups half & half
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 large egg yolks

Have a fine medium-sized strainer & bowl ready near the stove. In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the yolks until well blended (don't let it sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks).

In a small saucepan heat the cream & vanilla bean (if using) just to the boiling point. Remove from heat & whisk a few tbsps of the cream in the yolk mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized saucepan, and, over medium heat, gently heat to just below the boiling point. Steam will begin to appear & the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard & run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

Immediately remove from the heat & pour through the strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean & scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. For maximum flavor, return the pod to the sauce until serving time. If using vanilla extract, add it now.

The creme anglaise can be refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

**If sauce was overheated & curdled, IT CAN BE SAVED. Pour instantly into a blender & process until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little extra cream before blending.

Makes 2 cups.

Oh man....

Potato & Fennel Soup w/ Garlic

Made this up today based on what was in the fridge. I'm stoked because it comes out to about $1 a serving and money is tight these days. You could vary it any way you want to incorporate leftover produce (spinach, carrots, etc.). Here's what I did:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed

Heat oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Add onion and celery and saute until onion is translucent.

Add garlic & saute about 2 minutes longer.

Add fennel & leek and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add potatoes along with marjoram and enough water to cover potatoes (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked (took about 20-25 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Once potatoes are cooked, turn heat off, mash potatoes up a bit with a potato masher and stir in milk & remaining butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

French Onion Soup

It takes a lot of ingredients, but homemade french onion soup is kinda the bees knees. Don't believe me? Try this and get back to me. Last time I made this I was recovering from shoulder surgery, so you'll have to let me know if it's good or if I was just on painkillers.

• 10 sweet onions (like Vidalias), or a combination of sweet and red onion
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups white wine
• 10oz canned beef consomme
• 10oz canned chicken broth
• 10oz apple cider (unfiltered is the best)
• Bouquet garni: fresh sprigs of thyme, bay leaf & parsley
• 1 loaf country style bread
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• splash of cognac
• 1 cup fontina or gruyere cheese, grated

Trim the ends off each onion, then slice from end to end. Remove peel & finely slice into half moon shapes.

Set electric skillet to 300 and add butter. Once the butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all the onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweatted (shut up, I know that's not a word) down, for 15-20 minutes.

After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany & reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consomme, cider and herbs. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler. Cut bread into rounds large enough to fit the mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for ONE MINUTE.

Season soup with salt & pepper. Splash in the cognac. Ladle soup into crocks, leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese.

Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden (1-2 minutes).

Coq Au Vin

Classic chicken in red wine, also known as Coq Au Vin. This has a ton of ingredients but none of them are hard to find. It's usually a big hit although I'm starting to stray away from cooking with red wine. I'll still cook with white, but red is so acidic that I think I need to go buy some Prilosec before I make food with red wine again. Too much info? Ah well, it's a free recipe. A free purple recipe, even.

• 8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 quarter chicken pieces
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• freshly ground black pepper
• one 1lb bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled & cut into large rounds (thirds)
• 3 carrots, peeled & cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2.5 cups full-bodied red wine
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Cook the bacon over medium heat in olive oil in a large dutch oven until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Season the chicken pieces generously with the salt & pepper and brown the pieces in two batches in the bacon drippings (mmm...bacon drippings...). Set aside.

Pour off about half of the pan drippings, then add the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and carrots. Add the 1.5 tsp salt & the flour, stir to coat the vegetables.

Pour in the wine and chicken broth, stir until you don't see any lumps of flour. Add the chicken, thyme, bay leaves, and half of the bacon to the stew. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Cover and braise until the chicken and vegetables are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce thickens, about 10 more minutes.

Stir in the parsley and vinegar. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste, and search with the remaining bacon.

Creme Brulee

It's everyone's favorite thing to get at a fancy restaurant, but you can do this at home with very little effort. You just need the equipment. Namely, ramekins & a torch. You can buy a set of ramekins for like $5. Really. As for the torch, save yourself the trouble and skip buying a kitchen torch. Mine runs out of butane so fast that it really takes the fun out of it. Alton Brown suggests just using a regular blowtorch. I concur. The process is exactly the same. You don't need a kitchen one. Now, to buy a blowtorch...

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp plus 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 extra large or jumbo egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use good vanilla, it will make a difference)

Preheat oven to 300 & prepare some boiling water.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 tbsp sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until small bubbles appear around edges of the pan, 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla until smooth & light. Pour hot cream mixture into egg yolks, a little at a time, beating continuously until well blended. The instructions said to strain it through a sieve at this point but I did not. It's your call.

Next, divide among 4 ramekins & arrange them in a baking pan & fill pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with foil and place on the middle shelf of your preheated oven.

Bake until the custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Then chill them in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

When you're ready to serve, take them out of the fridge, and sprinkle each with sugar evenly over the top. You really don't need that much.

With a torch, move the flame over the ramekins in a circular motion until sugar melts & becomes golden brown & bubbly.

Leftover Cheese Spread

Ever find yourself with a fridge full of small bits of all kinds of leftover cheeses? Don't waste those post-party leftovers! Put them all together for the classic "Fromage Fort" - leftover cheese spread. You'll pat yourself on the back for being so thrifty and not letting good food go to waste:

• 1 lb leftover cheese. Any kinds, as many kinds, it doesn't matter. The recipe always seems to work. Just make sure it's all room temperature so it mixes well.
• 1/4 cup dry white wine.
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter (you can get away with less).
• 2 tbsp parlsey (fresh is better but I did fine with dried).
• 1 clove garlic.

Mix all ingredients in food processor till well blended. Serve soft or refrigerate to make it a bit firmer.

Goes great with your leftover toast, bread, crackers, fruit, cold cuts....

...yeah I stole the picture. wanna fight about it?

Potato Soup with Turkey Bacon

The original recipe I found for this called for real bacon. But we've tried it both ways, and honestly like it better with the turkey bacon. I don't usually like meat dressed up as other meat, but turkey bacon is total magic.

• 1/2 lb turkey bacon (or more, depending on preference)
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 4 cups chicken broth (you may need more)
• 3 tbsp margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup heavy cream (milk is fine too)
• pinch of tarragon
• pinch of marjoram
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• grated sharp cheddar cheese

Spread bacon out in a pan & bake at 350 until mostly cooked (about 10 minutes). They should be just starting to crisp.

Pour fat into a saucepan (or just use butter), turn up the heat, and saute the celery & onions until onions are translucent.

Add garlic, bay leaf, herbs. Then, add potatoes & toss to coat. Saute for 4-5 minutes.

Add bacon & cover with enough stock to just cover potatoes (turned out to be about 1 quart). Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

In a small separate pan, melt butter & cook with flour for 1-2 minutes. Add to soup with the cream (or milk).

Season with salt & pepper & top with a ton of grated cheese. Chives wouldn't hurt either.

Creamy Garlic Soup

This was a serious hit with my family. I went BEZERK with the garlic but it's ok. That's how I roll. Anyway, prepare to have awful breath. Don't say I didn't warn you.

• 3 heads (yes, heads) garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil (and then some)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 1/4 cups onions
• 1 1/2 tsp thyme
• 18 garlic cloves (yes, in addition to the 3 heads)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 4 lemon wedges (so really, we're talking about a whole lemon here)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut tops off garlic heads, sprinkle with olive oil & cover.

Bake until tender - about 45 minutes. Cool, then squeeze between finger tips to release the cloves (or, of they're really hot, get your husband to do it. Hey, I never said I was a feminist).

In a saucepan, melt butter; add onions & thyme; cook 6 minutes.

Add roasted garlic & raw clove; cook 3 minutes.

Add broth; cover & simmer until garlic is tender, 20 minutes.

At this point you could add mushrooms if you like that sort of thing. I do not.

Transfer to blender and puree. I would puree maybe 3/4 of it and leave the rest. You want some texture.

Pour mixture back into the saucepan; add cream and S & P to taste. Bring to a simmer.

Divide cheese among 4 bowls. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over each bowl. Pour soup over top & serve. If you've got it, chuck some chopped fresh parsley in there too.

Top with crostini (recipe to come).

mmm...crostini...

Vichyssoise

Yeah, it's cold potato soup. Try it anyway.

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 cups leeks, sliced & washed
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled & diced
• salt & pepper (I'd better not have to tell you that fresh ground is best)
• 8 cups chicken broth (I only used 6)
• 2 cups heavy cream (I used 1)

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add leeks & cook over medium heat. Then add potatoes, salt & pepper. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook till veggies are tender.

Put 3/4 soup in blender and puree.

Return to pot & stir in cream.

PS from Gia-Ninh: "pair with sauvignon blanc (fume blanc)"