Guinness Soup with Dubliner Toast

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Everyone is Irish today, and the Kuenn-Phipps household is no exception. Usually, we go to a Swedish bar for whiskey and free soda bread, but we went out last night (for, um, Irish pub food) and opted to kick it leprechaun-style at home instead with this very simple,  delicious soup.

Guinness Soup with Dubliner Toast

Serves 4

6 stalks celery
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup water
Salt to taste
1 Potato, cut into pieces
1/2 cup peas
2 tablespoons butter
6 oz. Guinness
2 tablespoons flour
2 palm-sized slices of bread (Ideally you’d use soda bread; I used whole-grain Breadsmith bread)
4 slices Dubliner cheese

Heat oven to 450. On a stovetop, add celery, garlic and shallots to a pot and cover with water. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then add potatoes and peas, and simmer for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, begin melting butter. When butter is about half melted, add Guinness and bring to a soft boil. Add flour and stir to mix. When the Guinness roux is ready, add to pot containing vegetables and bring to a simmer.

Top bread with Dubliner, place on top rack in oven for 5-10 minutes, until cheese melts. Serve soup in bowls; top with toasted bread and cheese.

This goes best with Smithwick’s, Guinness, or your favorite Irish spirit.

Avocado Cheesecake

Hell yes.

On Saturday, I realized I had two avocados I needed to use in a hurry, I’d already froze some guacamole and it turned out, Saturday was also Pie Day.

I’d been wanting to make an avocado cheesecake since eating one (well, a slice of one) at Vermilion, a Latin-Indian fusion restaurant that is a favorite of mine.

I didn’t have any cream cheese, so I decided to use goat cheese and some Greek yogurt instead. I made the Graham Cracker Crust from How to Cook Everything, and winged it on the cheesecake, after reading a few different recipes (HtCE, Joy of Cooking, AllRecipes). After it finished baking, I pulled out the chocolate glaze I have in the freezer (yes, I keep chocolate frosting in my freezer at all times), microwaved a couple tablespoons, and drizzled it on top.

It’s a pretty sweet cheesecake (avocados are sweeter than you may think), so if you wanted to make this as a savory cheesecake, I’d make the crust using crackers and omit the sugar and lemons.

All in all, it was a success, although I overbaked the crust slightly. Keith even asked when I planned to make it again. It was easy, taking about an hour total, so I will say: soon.

Avocado Cheesecake
(Serves 8 )
(I am not even going to attempt to calculate the health-consciousness of this, because then you won’t want to eat it.)

Crust (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

9 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling

4 eggs, separated
4 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cup 2% fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 avocados
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup sugar

For crust: Melt butter in a saucepan. Add graham crackers and sugar to food processor, pulse until well-mixed and turned into crumbs. Slowly add butter to mixture in processor, pulsing until well blended. Generously butter a springform pan. Using spatula, scrape mixture into springform pan, carefully press into bottom and sides. Bake at 350 until just set, about 8-10 minutes.

For filling: Separate four eggs; set aside egg whites. Using a stand mixer, beat yolks until light and slightly fluffy. Add goat cheese, yogurt, avocados, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar, beat until smooth (this will probably take awhile). Preheat oven to 450. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Using a spatula, slowly fold egg whites into mixture. Pour onto crust, in springform pan. Bake for 10-20 minutes (until filling is just set and slightly golden). Remove from oven, remove springform sides, and cool (about 20-25 minutes).

I drizzled this with chocolate glaze and served it warm. I suspect it would also be delicious if you refrigerated it for an hour or so.

Field Trip!

The best possible use of one day's caloric allowance

Earlier this week, I watched the No Reservations Chicago episode, and Anthony Bourdain put a little bug in my ear named Hot Doug’s. On Saturday, we had the best weather we’ve had all year (about 60 degrees and sunny!) so we decided the best way to enjoy it was to get in line for nearly two hours and enjoy the world’s greatest sausages. And duck-fat fries.

I went with the Atomic Bomb (spicy pork sausage with sweet & spicy curry mustard and jalapeno-havarti cheese) and a smoked cajun pork sausage (with roasted garlic mayonnaise and smoked gouda), while Keith went with a chorizo with tomatillo mole and habanero jack and the applewurst sausage with lime-ancho mayonnaise and cotija cheese. We split the duck-fat fries.

So you maybe asking yourself, “did you say two hours?” Yes, I did. Hot Doug’s has seating for about 25 or so, and they only offer the duck-fat fries on weekends. Anytime you go, there’s a line and on weekends, it’s usually about a block long. I went there on Christmas Eve Day, and even then, ended up waiting about twenty minutes. It’s part of the Hot Doug’s experience.  But you know, it’s so good and so unique, it’s totally worth the wait. Doug is a big sweetheart, too.  You’ll have to make a commitment, but it’s a worthy way to spend a couple hours on an afternoon, especially if you’re really hungry.

Afterward, we went to our favorite theater, the comically run-down* City North 14 and saw Coraline, complete with 3-D glasses, graffiti, and malfunctioning lights.

*Last night was the first time in months that we’ve gone to City North and not received free passes for some kind of breakdown in the theater. Keith swears when we saw Quantum of Solace, he listened to the teen couple sitting behind us lose their virginity.

Egg White Frittata

I love brunch. If I could have brunch every day, I would. Waffles, French toast, pancakes, bacon (when I’m eating it*) — bring it on. But one thing I don’t like in my brunch is eggs. I remember the last time I ate eggs. It’s my first memory. I was about 2 1/2 years old, in my high chair at Grandma Pence’s house, and my mom served me scrambled eggs. And I said, “No. I don’t eat eggs.” And she said, “But you ate them yesterday.” And I said, “I don’t remember yesterday.” And I did not eat eggs (unless baked into something) for the next 25 years or so.

And then, at someone else’s house or maybe a restaurant, I had frittata. And it turns out, when baked into a casserole, I do like eggs. Or egg whites, at least.

I found a version of this recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook. Whenever I make it, I use whatever cheese, herbs and vegetables I have around. Last week, it was broccoli and red peppers, with smoked cheddar, pepper, salt and basil. I’ve made it with red peppers, peas and parmesan cheese; black beans, shredded chicken, cilantro and cheddar; asparagus and blue cheese … it’s very easy to modify. If you want to make it for more than one person, use 3 egg whites per person. It can be unwieldy to fry it if you’re making more than two, so if that’s the case, bake it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees instead of frying it.

Egg white frittata

Egg White Frittata

Serves 1

3 egg whites
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned, drained of oil
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup smoked cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon basil
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine egg whites in a bowl and beat lightly. Add sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli and cheddar. Stir, then add herbs and seasoning. Pour into small pan and cook until eggs set. Turn, and cook each side until golden. Serve.

*Every two or three years, I start to feel guilty about eating meat and start by cutting back on mammals. Unforch, bacon is delicious and it doesn’t stick.

Curried Chicken Salad

One thing that every post-grad job I’ve held has had in common is close proximity to a Whole Foods Market, and as such, my wallet has gotten to know its hot bar, sandwich bar, soups, and deli counter very well over the years. I am not a fan of mayonnaise and generally shy away from chicken salad, but one day, at the Gold Coast Whole Foods, they offered a free sample of their curried chicken salad. And a love affair was born.

As tasty as it is, I’m not the kind of girl who can routinely spend $5 a pound on deli food, especially when I know I can make it myself for about the same price. Plus: this is another fantastic use of leftover rotisserie chicken.

Curried Chicken Salad

Curried Chicken Salad

Makes 4 Servings

2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
4 stalks celery, diced
8 dates, pits removed, cut into quarters
1/2 cup light canola mayonnaise (I like Spectrum Naturals)
1 tablespoon dried celery root
1/4 cup curry powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine chicken, celery and dates into a bowl. Add mayonnaise, stir  until thoroughly mixed. Add dried celery root, curry powder and salt and pepper. Stir until mixed well. Serve on French bread as a sandwich or on lettuce for a salad. You can adjust the dried celery root, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste — but I say, if you’re putting curry into something, put some damn curry into it.

Mashed New Potatoes with Chives

My last winter CSA shipment came in on Thursday, and we received three kinds of potatoes along with plenty of other goodies. Keith roasted a chicken in the crockpot that afternoon, and I thought, you know what will be great with this? New potatoes, freshly plucked from the ground. And you know what? They were.

Mashed New Potatoes with Chives

(Serves 2)

2 cups water
1 tsp kosher salt
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed, skin-on
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp butter
8 chives, cut into pieces
Salt & pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil on high, add salt. Once water is actively boiling, add scrubbed potatoes. Boil until very tender, about 10-15 minutes — you should be able to pierce them with a fork. Drain, and put potatoes into bowl. Add half cup milk and butter. Mash using a fork or potato masher. Add chives, salt, and pepper, and stir. You may need to add more milk, depending on how lumpy you like your potatoes. Serve with roast chicken, carrots, or anything else that goes well with mashed potatoes.

Top Chef and Professionalism

Keith and I bought one of those fancy new plasma TVs, and it came in on Thursday. That night, he had to go see something that I believe technically qualifies as a film, and I thought, hey, you know what would look great in high-def? Undercooked creme brulee! (I am a few weeks behind on Top Chef, so I started where I left off, the episode where the chefs appear on The Today Show.)

One thing I like about Top Chef is that it’s not a typical reality show. There’s not a lot of drama. It usually comes down to the quality of someone’s food, as well as the quality of the presentation. Ultimately, it’s about doing the best job you can in your chosen profession.

Like anyone else who likes food, television, and profanity, I’ve read Kitchen Confidential, and for all his swagger, I take to heart Anthony Bourdain’s conclusion on running a kitchen: you have to be a hardass and call people to the carpet when necessary, but you need to lead them, too. That means making your staff want to follow you. No matter how talented you are, no one will work for you if you’re disrespectful and treat your employees and colleagues like they’re garbage.

Stefan, despite not making it into the final three in this particular episode, is the front runner this season. He’s clearly very good at what he does, he uses tools in a smart way, he’s creative, and his food usually looks terrific. He’s also a complete jackass. Now, my friend Scott Tobias argues that this shouldn’t matter, as the show’s called Top Chef not Top Chef and Nice Person. And yeah, that’s true. But being a chef is more than just being a superlative cook. It’s about being a superlative cook who can also run a business and communicate with a staff.

I think of Richard, from the past season, who I still believe to be the most talented and innovated chef on the show. He came off as gracious, kind, smart — the kind of person you’d want to work for in a restaurant or any other venture. He had leadership skills. He knew when to take the sword and he knew when to credit his colleagues.

And success on this show is also about making the right decision at the right time. The fellow who made the undercooked creme brulee went home, because he needed to make something he could demonstrate in a two-minute cooking segment. It was the wrong choice. By the end, I think he knew it. But he spoke derisively about how he was being punished for ambition, because he wanted to do more than just make a salad — which, of course, is exactly what Ariane made and she ended up winning. That her salad was very good is only a portion of why she won; she also made something she knew would be replicable for viewers, fun to watch on TV, tasty and (this is important) somewhat nutritious. Because people watching cooking on TV? They want something that’s good for them and simple. They don’t want something that’s going to take months off their lives and require buying equipment they don’t have.

Now, whether this is a fair challenge for the show is another question, but who among us has not been required to do something outside our job description as part of our daily duties? When that happens, you get the job done. You bitch about it, sure, but you do it and you do it as well as you can.

Which is why this post called Top Chef and professionalism. Because I think the lessons of the show can be applied to virtually any profession. You can be a great maker of widgets, the most talented widgetmaker there is, but if you can’t work with your fellow widgetmakers, you’re not going to get very far. Show confidence in yourself and advocate for your colleagues and staff, and they’ll follow you. When they don’t get the job done, hold them accountable but work with them so they can do what needs to be done. Give them expectations, and encourage those around you to exceed them. Don’t make dismissals like “not my job” or act like you’re above anything. Don’t do everything yourself; delegate but stop things that aren’t going to work and rethink them. Say no when you have to. Get creative. That’s what Top Chef requires of its contestants. And as others (Dale) learned, when you can’t meet those standards, you won’t be the winner.

Squash Fauxsotto: Or When Things Look Wrong but Turn Out Okay

Tonight, I made turkey burgers stuffed with smoked cheese. Usually, when we have turkey burgers, we have sweet potato fries. But I didn’t feel like waiting around 25 minutes for the potatoes to cook. We had some leftover butternut squash pieces, and Keith had this idea of serving it with orzo and basil, and I thought that sounded better. So I made the orzo, and the squash was a bit frozen, so I threw it into a pan with some fresh basil and set about finishing the burgers. I went back and looked at the squash and it was getting a little … squashed. So I put in the orzo and some shredded asiago. I am really not sure why I felt compelled to do this, but I did, and it became obvious the only way to turn this into something edible was to mash the squash and mix it all together.

And you know? It tasted pretty good and resembled a squash risotto. It was ugly as sin, so I didn’t take any pictures. But in case you want to make this on purpose (and I think I might in the future!) here’s the recipe:

Squash Fauxsotto

(Serves 2)

1 tsp salt
2/3 cup dry orzo
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, cut into pieces
Fresh basil to taste (I used about seven sprigs)
1/4 cup asiago cheese, shredded

Fill pot with water, add salt, bring to a boil. Cook 2/3 c up orzo in water, about five minutes. Drain and set aside. Put butternut squash pieces and basil into the drained pot, cook until squash is soft. (In my case, this was almost no time because it had already been cooked once. If it’s raw, it’ll probably take a little while.) Add orzo and asiago, stir until smooth. Serve.

Black Bean Fiesta #2 (Now with Plantains & Scallions!)

Quesadillas

I’ve become a big fan of remaking leftovers or, more to the point, making a meal that can be changed into  something else with minimal effort. When you work full-time or just have a hectic schedule, this can be a timesaver that’s tastier and better for you than takeout. (WYEIWYG favorite Robin Miller calls this “morphing” your meals, and that is why she is on television and I am writing a blog.)

Tonight’s effort, Black Bean Quesadillas with Plantains and Scallions , began Friday when my  husband made vegetarian tacos (black beans, red pepper, homemade guacamole, taco shells). I also threw in some shredded rotisserie chicken I had, which I usually use for salads and to bulk up soups throughout the week. I served this alongside Sopa de Lima.

Black Bean Quesadillas with Scallions and Plantains
2 servings (9 Weight Watchers points per serving)

Quesadillas
2 sprays cooking spray
2 flour tortillas, 6 inches
1/4 cup guacamole
1/2 cup black bean and pepper mixture
1/2 cup roasted chicken
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Plantain-Scallion Saute
1 plantain
6 scallions
1 tsp canola oil
salt & pepper to taste

For quesadillas: Preheat oven to 400. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. On one side of 6-inch flour tortilla, spread guacamole. Layer black bean mixture, roasted chicken, and shredded cheddar. Top with second tortilla. Bake 5-7 minutes, then flip and bake another 5-7 minutes. Cut into sixths and serve.

For plaintains and scallions: Peel plantain, cut in half lengthwise and then into bite-size pieces. Cut root and tops off scallions (they should be about 5 inches long). Heat oil in pan, add scallions and cook until they begin to soften. Add plantains, and fry until golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; serve.

Curry-Lime Fish with Green Beans and Chili Sauce

Curry-Lime Fish with Green Beans and Chili Sauce

So we’re trying this new thing where we (well, I) sit down on Sunday and plan our meals for the week, based on what we have in the house. Last night I found out we had green beans, some sweet chili sauce, and frozen cod. One of my favorite Thai dishes is a spicy fried fish with green beans, and I thought I might try to recreate it. (I can’t remember the dish’s name; I used to order it from The Bangkok all the time, but the Bangkok closed and became a bar partially owned by Fall Out Boy, and our new go-to Thai restaurant doesn’t serve it.)

I also tried to lighten it up a little. Instead of using eggs and flour to batter it, I combined mustard, egg whites and lime juice to make it stick, and I mixed together curry powder and bread crumbs. It worked out pretty well: make it tonight and see for yourself.

Curry-Lime Fish with Green Beans and Chili Sauce

Serves 2

(8 Weight Watchers points per serving)

12 oz. cod fillets
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon Chinese spicy mustard
1 lime
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp canola oil
1 cup green beans
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (I used store-bought, because I am lazy)
1 tsp hot sesame oil

Cut cod into bite-size pieces. Use a fork to whisk together two egg whites, mustard and juice of 1/2 lime. (Reserve other lime half for green beans.) Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish, mix together with curry powder. Dredge fish pieces through egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Heat canola oil in pan, place fish pieces in and fry until golden. Drain cooked fish on paper towels; keep warm on a plate in the oven on a low setting.

Meanwhile, split green beans into two or three pieces. Braise until tender in juice of 1/2 lime and salt to taste.

Mix sweet chili sauce and 1 tsp of hot sesame oil together, microwave for 30-45 seconds or until warm.

Layer fish on two plates, followed by green beans, followed by fish. Spoon chili sauce over fish and green beans and serve.