Veal Chops with Caramelized Shallots

Just yesterday I walked into a local store and all the Christmas decorations were being replaced by red hearts, cupids and boxes of chocolates. Valentine's Day can be a nice time to go out to dinner with your "special someone" or cook a romantic dinner for two.  I remember cooking my first valentines day dinner for a boyfriend in high school. I made heart shaped ravioli..pretty cheesy now that I look back. I also remember my first valentines day dinner with my husband. At the time we just started dating and I cooked stuffed chicken breast and I made chocolate covered strawberries.

Thinking about dinner for two reminded me of a recipe I made recently. It is perfect for two people, it is so delicious and will really impress who ever is lucky enough to eat it. The reason I believe this dish is perfect for two is because veal chops happen to be on the expensive side. However, if you would like to splurge, this recipe is perfect for a dinner party. It is simple to prepare and easily as tasty as any fine dining restaurant dish. I have included a recipe for 4 below, you can easily cut it in half for two or double it for guests.

Veal Chops with Caramelized Shallots (recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
15 whole shallots, trimmed with roots ends intact
24 whole garlic cloves (2 heads)
2 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/3 cup good sherry vinegar
1/2 cup ruby port wine
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 (10-14 oz) bone-in rib veal chops, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra for grilling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add shallots and garlic for 15 seconds. Drain and peel them; blanching makes peeling easier. If any shallots are very large, cut them in half through the root so they stay intact.

3. In a large oven proof saute pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter, add shallots, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, and saute for 2 minutes over med-high heat.

4. Place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing once, until the shallots and garlic are lightly browned.

5. Place the pan on the stove-top, add in remaining 2 tbsp of butter and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add in vinegar and port, bring to a boil, and simmer for 6 minutes until liquid is reduced. Add in brown sugar and thyme and cook for 1 minute, until syrupy.

6. Meanwhile, place the veal chops on a board and pat dry. Rub all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes while you prepare charcoal fire or heat gas grill to medium heat (or you can use grill pan on stove-top) If you are using charcoal, make only one or two layers of coals.

Grill veal chops for 6-8 minutes per side, until nicely browned and cooked to internal temp. of 145 degrees F. Transfer to a serving platter, cover tightly with foil and let rest 10 mins. Reheat the shallots and garlic and spoon over veal chops, sprinkle with extra thyme and salt, serve hot.

Happy New Year: Double Hot Chocolate

"A walk in the woods provides the perfect opportunity for kicking around some random thoughts along with leaves. Celebrate the moment with a mug of hot chocolate and something sticky and sweet"

A quote from a new cookbook Donna Hay Seasons, which happens to be one of the most beautiful cookbooks I own. 

Here are some inspiring photos I have come across, along with a "real" hot chocolate recipe. I hope you enjoy! 

Double Hot Chocolate: Serves 4 (Recipe from Donna Hay Seasons cookbook)

7 oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped

7 oz good quality milk chocolate, chopped

4 vanilla beans, split and seed scraped

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

Divide the chocolate, vanilla beans and seeds between 4 mugs or glasses. Place the cream and milk over low heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Pour over chocolate, stirring until dissolved. 

Homemade Sugar Body Scrub

Here is another gift idea for this holiday season. You can find most of these ingredients in your pantry without having to run to the store. I used a combination of roasted almond oil, sugar and almond extract. I have listed a few other combinations as well. Rub this sugar scrub on your body in the shower and rinse away the dry skin. The oil will leave your skin feeling extra smooth. Enjoy!!!

Homemade Sugar Body Scrub 

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4- 1/2 cup oil (olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil)
1 tsp almond extract (you can also use vanilla extract or any essential oil's you prefer)

1. Mix together white sugar and brown sugar in a bowl. Place sugar into jar (that can hold 2 cups).

2. Pour oil over top of sugar one tablespoon at a time. Let the sugar absorb the oil slowly. Let each tablespoon seep into sugar before adding more oil.

3. Once you added all the oil and it seeps halfway down the jar, add in extract.

4. Pour all contents of the jar into a large bowl and mix together until fully combined and moistened.

5. Repack the jar with the sugar mixture and seal tightly with a lid. Decorate with fabric, ribbon and homemade label.

Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Here is a great quick gift idea for this holiday season. I saw this recipe on the show Best Thing I Ever Made. Ted Allen was sharing his recipe for "Real Maraschino Cherries" and I immediately knew I wanted to give this a try.

Fresh sour cherries are only available for a limited time in the summer but you can use canned or jarred sour or tart cherries any time of year. If they come in a heavy syrup, make sure to rinse them off before starting the recipe.

These cherries aren't going to look or taste like the fluorescent red cherries you buy in the jar. These are soaked in Maraschino Liquor, (a sweet cherry liquor) and go perfect with any cocktail that calls for a cherry.

You can find similar packaging at Michael's Craft Store in the Martha Stewart packaging section. I also decided to hand write and paint the labels but you can print them online as well.

Homemade Maraschino Cherries
Makes 3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup maraschino liqueur
• 1 pint sour cherries, stemmed and pitted  (you can buy a jar of sour cherries in light syrup, and drain the syrup)
• **I used 2 cups of liquor for two 15oz cans of pitted sour cherries. That amount made 3 small jars (around 8oz jars)

1. Bring the liqueur to a simmer, and then turn off the heat. Add the cherries, stir, let cool, and then pour into jars. Refrigerate. Cherries will be tasty for months.

Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache Filling

Now that the horrible case of Pneumonia is leaving my system, I am ready to start posting some more great recipes. It's cookie season and most home bakers will be very busy this week. I am sharing this recipe that I tried during Thanksgiving for Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache filling. I really loved the taste and texture of these cookies and will definitely be making them for my family and friends this Christmas.

This recipe comes from cookbook Flour: spectacular recipes from Bostons Flour Bakery and Cafe by Joanne Chang. Everything I have tried so far in this book has come out amazing. The recipes are easy enough to do at home, but come out very professional.

These cookies gave me a tiny bit of trouble but with an easy solution. I found the cookies to spread a little thin. What I decided to do was to take them out of the oven closer to 20 minutes and cut them with a round biscuit or cookie cutter to make perfect circles. An important step with these cookies is to let them cool COMPLETELY on the cookie sheet before transferring them. I am ALWAYS impatient at this point and have ruined many cookies by not waiting. This time I will force myself to wait until they are cooled before I move them.
 ***These cookies are naturally gluten free.

Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache Filling
Makes about 20 sandwiches

Almond Macaroons shown in 2nd and 4th row

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups blanched whole almonds (I couldn't find whole, so I used slivered)
2 2/3 cups sugar
6 egg whites
2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate-chopped
1 cup heavy cream

1. Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or sil-mat.

2. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until ground into fine powder. (Stop grinding once they reach a powder to prevent making paste) Remove 1 cup and set aside. Add in sugar to the almonds left in the food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds. Add in egg whites and continue to process for 30 seconds or until well combined.

3. Transfer almond paste in a medium bowl and fold in reserved ground almonds. Fold in extract and salt.

4. Using your hands (dampen with cold water) or using a small spoon, make walnut sized rounds of batter and place them 2" apart on baking sheet. You should have about 40.

5. Bake cookies 20-25 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack.

6. To make the ganache: While the cookies are cooling place the chocolate in a medium-heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, scald the cream (bubbles start to form around the edges of pan but do not boil). Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit 30 seconds. Slowly whisk together until the chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature (or cooler in the refrigerator) at least 1 hour until ganache is thick and spreadable. (This can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks)

7. Remove the cookies from parchment paper. Spread about 1 tbsp of chocolate ganache on flat side of cookie. Top with second cookie and repeat until all cookies are sandwiched together.

Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.