Strata with Tomatoes -Make Ahead Brunch

For Christmas we normally do a family brunch. I always like to find a make ahead dish so I can just enjoy hanging out with everyone instead of being stuck in the kitchen the whole time. This dish turned out really awesome! It had so many veggies that I felt like I was eating healthy and it would be a great way to sneak some veggies to your kiddos. 

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups whole milk
8 large eggs
10 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1 -pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
4 cups chopped greens, such as spinach or arugula
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crispy

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the tomatoes with the thyme, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are slightly dried and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, fontina, 3/4 cup parmesan, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. 

3. Add the bread cubes,bacon and greens and toss to coat. Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish, then top with the roasted tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and almost set, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, but keep the strata inside 10 minutes before serving. You can serve this dish at room temp but it's best warm. 

Cheese Fondue

I got this recipe from an old college friend of mine who made it, shout out to John Bessolo. It came out really well and I plan to make it again! Make sure to preheat the fondue pot as you're melting the cheese so the fondue doesn't cool down once you've finished it, you want it to stay warm and bubbly.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fontina
1/4 cup gruyere
2 - 4 tbsp. flour
1/4-1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp. chicken stock
1 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove
Pretzels, green apple slices, toast sticks with garlic, salami (prep before making fondue)


Directions:
1. Shred the two cheese and put into a bowl. Coat them with a light layer of flour (this will help them from sticking together).

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. You want a pan with a rounded bottom so no cheese gets stuck in the edges and burns.

3. Add clove of garlic to pan and allow to cook slightly until it is just browned, don't let butter get too brown. Discard garlic.

4. Add in 3tbs white wine and stir. Add a small pinch of cheese (about a tbsp) and whisk until cheese is melted. Add more cheese and whisk until melted. Repeat adding cheese in small bits until all of the grayed cheese is gone. If the mixture gets too thick, add a splash of wine or chicken stock to thin out.

5. Pour fondue into a preheated fondue pot so cheese stays warm. Place on the table with dipping choices and serve! 

Grilled Ribeye with Agrodolce Sauce

I wasn't able to take a pic of this dish but the sauce was really good! It was a nice balance of tart and sweet and since Brian loves vinegar, I will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
4 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. butter, at room temp

Directions:
1. Combine the vinegar, garlic, and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 5-10 minutes. Add the honey and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure to stir every once in a while so the sauce doesn't burn. Stir in the butter and set sauce aside.

2. Cook meat of your choice, beef and pork are the best choice. Once the meat is rested and sliced, drizzle the sauce over top and serve!

Salt Crusted Beef Tenderloin

 

I've heard about using a salt crust to cook a whole fish, but never for beef so I was intrigued. The meat ended up being so tender I could almost cut it with a fork! I made this as a special treat and I would definitely serve it to company at my next party! You could use top sirloin roast or top round roast instead of the expensive beef tenderloin. 

Ingredients:
2 lbs. beef tenderloin (for a larger piece of tenderloin, you'll need more salt crust to cover it)
pepper

Salt Crust:
3 cups kosher salt
1 cup water
1 tbs. chopped rosemary

Directions:
1. Cover beef tenderloin in black pepper. Heat a large pan oven high heat and sear the outside of the beef. Place in pan and allow to brown on one side for 4 minutes until beef is browned nicely, rotate tenderloin and repeat until all sides are browned.

2. While beef is searing, combine all ingredients for salt crust in a bowl and stir until combined. Mix should look like damp sand. (If you have any small cuts on your hand, make sure to wear gloves!)

3. Put 1/3 of the salt crust in the middle of a sheet pan covered in foil. Spread out the salt to make a level platform about 1/2 inch thick and about 2-3 inches loner than the tenderloin. Place tenderloin in middle of salt layer. Put rest of salt crust on top of the beef tenderloin, using your hands, make a dome of salt around the beef so it is completely encapsulated. Stick in a prob thermometer into the beef by sticking it through the end and into the middle of the tenderloin so you can make sure you get an accurate temp reading.

4. Preheat a 250 degree oven. Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until beef has reach 135 degrees Meat will continue to cook slightly in salt crust. My final temp was around 145 which is normally high for me but the meat was perfectly medium rare!)

5. Allow meat to rest for 20 minutes in the salt dome. This is a great time to reheat any sauce or sides you plan to serve with it. (I did my Irish Whisky Gravy with baked potatoes and sauteed broccolini with lemon.)

6. Using the back of a spoon tap the salt crust to crack it. Use the spoon and remove the salt crust. Move beef to a cutting board wiping off all excess salt (if you skip this step final dish could be too salty). Slice and serve!

Ina's Lemon and Onion Chicken

I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa and it looked so simple and tasty I had to try it. Butterflying the chicken was a great way to cook the chicken evenly and get a really crispy skin. The best part was that while I cooked the chicken, I was also cooking the sauce since you serve it with the pan drippings. I served this dish with potoatoes and green beans but the next time I make it, I will switch it up to an arugula salad. I plan to make a lemon vinaigrette using some of the pan drippings. A really tasty dish I will definitely make again! 

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor or mortar and pestle and process until ground. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.

3. Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture. Make sure to get underneath the skin on the breast as well to season the meat directly. 

4. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. At this point make any side veggies or salad. Cut the chicken in quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

Skirt Steak Fried Rice

This dish is really quick to put together. Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped before you start, you won't have time to be chopping while you're cooking. Everyone really loved this dish! It's great the next day too as leftovers!

Ingredients:
1 lb skirt steak
4 cups cooked rice
1 bunch broccolini, trimed so only the florets remain
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on a bias
1/2 onion, medium size dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 tbs. canola oil
Soy sauce


Directions:
1. Marinate skirt steak in a few tbs. of soy sauce in a plastic bag. Allow to marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.

2. Remove steak from fridge and allow it to come to room temp as you prep the rest of the ingredients.

3. Turn a grill to high and grill the skirt steak. You'll want to cook it about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1/4 inch strips.

4. Preheat a wok or large pan over medium high heat. Whisk together eggs. Put 1/2 tsp. oil in the pan. Add the whisked eggs and scramble. Remove eggs and set aside.

5. Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add the rest of the oil and the onions. Cook for one minute until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the carrots and broccolini and stir. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to cook together, stirring every once and a while until the veggies are almost cooked through.

6. Add the rice to the pan and allow it to toast for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add a few tbs. of soy sauce and a tbs. butter. Stir everything together.

7. Add the sliced steak to the pan and toss everything together. At this point your meal is done but you could add some garnish like chopped scallions or toasted sesame seeds.

Hasselback Potatoes

I wanted a really rich side dish for my steak and found this. It was a little bit of work but ended up being really tasty. I suggest serving it with some sour cream on the side! 

Ingredients:

6 medium baking potatoes (8 to10 ounces each)
1 ounce lemon juice
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. sea or kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated mixed Parmesan, gruyere and double Gloucester cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Peel all the potatoes and, as you peel them, put them in a large container with 1 gallon water and the lemon juice to keep them from browning. Once they are all peeled, remove them from the water and pat dry.

3. Then slice the potatoes about 1/4-inch apart and about three-quarters of the way through to create a series of uniform slices so that they are still joined together at the bottom. This should create a fan type finish to the potatoes.

4. Next, using a whisk, blend the butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Make sure to mix well. Dunk the potatoes into the butter mixture, making sure that the slits in the potato soak up the mixture as well. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, remove the potatoes, re-heat any remaining butter and drizzle on top. Divide the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Bake the potatoes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once melted, remove the potatoes and serve.