Steak au Poivre

Steak au poivre is something I never thought I could make. I’ve had it in Denmark at French restaurants and loved it, but like most sauces there is a degree of complexity, especially when it comes to French cuisine. Steak au poivre is essentially steak in a pepper sauce, and to all those who think it might be too complicated for you to make, it is relatively easy with this recipe, the most complicated part is cooking the steak. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

 

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Steak au Poivre

Ingredients

  • 2 - 4 steaks (of your choice)
  • 2 tbsp whisky/brandy
  • 250 mL chicken stock
  • 250 mL whipping cream
  • 1/2 tbsp freshly ground pepper
  • 25 grams butter (for steaks)
  • 25 grams butter (for sauce)
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper.

    2. Sear both sides of steaks in an oiled pan set at a medium/high heat setting. Use butter to baste steaks as they cook.

    3. Remove the steaks from the pan, and drain the liquid from the pan.

    4. Return pan to the heat set at a medium setting, and add butter to pan. Allow the butter to foam.

    5. Stir together whisky and chicken stock, and then add to the pan. Bring to a boil to reduce the liquid by half.

    6. Add freshly ground pepper, cream, and drippings from the steaks to the pan. Bring it to a boil to thicken the sauce.

    7. Add salt to taste.

    8. Return the steaks to the pan and serve.


Homemade Pasta

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients

  • 150 grams Pasta flour (plus more for dusting)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

  1. First, pour pasta flour in a bowl mixed with salt.
  2. Then, make a well in the center of the flour, and crack the eggs into the well. Next, gently scoop some of the flour into the egg (repeatedly) until a dough starts to form.
  3. Then, place the dough onto a clean surface dusted with pasta flour, and knead it just until it comes together.
  4. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
  5. When ready, divide the dough in half, and dust it lightly with pasta flour.
  6. Take half of the dough and run it through the pasta maker starting at 0 until desired thickness. I stop at setting 5. You can always just hand roll out the dough if you don't have a pasta maker.
  7. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.
  8. Next, either take a dull knife and hand cut strips or switch to the fettuccine setting on your pasta maker to make the pasta into fettuccine. I split each layer of dough into two so the fettuccine wasn't too long.
  9. Then, lightly dust the fettuccine in pasta flour so that it doesn't stick together.
  10. Boil pasta in salted water for 2-3 minutes.
  11. Drain pasta before serving. :o)

Notes

Don't cook pasta until dinner is almost ready.

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French Galettes (Buckwheat Pancakes)

A Galette is a savoury buckwheat flour pancake that originates from the region of Brittany in France. It can be topped with egg, ham, cheese, spinach, salad, onions tomatoes, salmon, mushrooms, bacon…or whatever other toppings you might like. The most common variety has ham, emmentaler cheese, and egg.

I first tried Galettes in Copenhagen, Denmark, and loved them instantly. The buckwheat flour has a really good flavor, it gets toasted in a pan with butter, and together with the toppings it is really delicious. It is perfect to eat for lunch or brunch since it is both filling, but also light.

I decided to try to make Galettes myself, and it’s actually pretty easy. I don’t have a special Galette pan or tool, but they still came out pretty good. The trick is to get the pan very hot before you pour in some of the batter, and make sure the pan is buttered, and the batter coats the pan. Don’t worry if the first pancake you make doesn’t come out right, it can be a bit tricky in the beginning just like it is making any kind of pancake.

If you want to see a video on how to make Galettes, I made a video here:

 

I got the recipe from a french blog. It is really simple, and makes 10 Galettes. If you want to try to make them yourself I have translated the recipe below.


French Galettes (Buckwheat Pancakes)

Prep Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: 10

French Galettes (Buckwheat Pancakes)

Ingredients

  • 300 grams buckwheat flour
  • 8 grams crushed sea salt
  • 750 ml filtered water

Instructions

  1. Mix the flour and crushed sea salt in a large bowl, slowly add in the water, and whisk until incorporated.
  2. Let stand covered for 2 hours at room temperature.
  3. Heat pan on a high setting.
  4. Coat pan with butter once hot.
  5. Add about half a cup (more or less) of the pancake batter to the hot pan, and move around to coat.
  6. Bake the Galette until crispy, about 3 - 5 minutes, then gently flip it over.
  7. Add your toppings in the middle of the Galette.
  8. Fold all four sides slightly. The sides you folded should have no toppings. This is just to ensure every bite has toppings in it.
  9. Serve on a plate.

Notes

I did not use filtered water, but that could be why mine didn't come out as crispy in spots, but they still tasted delicious. I also didn't use any special tools.

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You can also serve this with a salad on the side. I bought some mixed salad leaves, and added Good Seasonings Garlic & Herb salad dressing on top. 🙂

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Galette with ham and emmentaler cheese

 

Galette with ham, emmentaler cheese, scrambled egg, and a side salad.

How to Make Quesadillas

Quesadillas are so easy to make. You can make them with just cheese, refried beans and cheese, fajitas and cheese or taco meat and cheese. I am surprised how in Europe so many places make quesadillas kind of weird, with whole chunks of boiled chicken breasts or corn mixed in. So I figured there might be some people out there who don’t know how to make Quesadillas. If you want to learn how I make them, check out my video below.

           

 

 

How to Make Quesadillas

How to Make Quesadillas

Ingredients

  • meat (beef fajitas, chicken fajitas, or taco meat) - optional
  • refried beans - optional
  • tortillas
  • butter - optional
  • cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella, quesadilla...or a good melting cheese)

Instructions

  1. Butter one side of each tortilla (takes two tortillas to make one quesadilla).
  2. Place cheese on top of the butter side of one tortilla.
  3. Spread refried beans, or beef fajitas, or chicken fajitas, or taco meat on top of the cheese.
  4. Sprinkle more cheese on top of the filling.
  5. Place the tortilla with butter on top of the filling, butter side down.
  6. Toast in a pan on a medium/low heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
  7. Cut the quesadilla into 4 to 8 slices, like a pizza.
  8. Serve with guacamole or chips and salsa, if you want.
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That’s it. It is way easier than it is described, and you can also just make a cheese quesadilla. The meat is optional, and the cheese types are just suggestions.You can also mix a white cheese and a cheddar cheese together. Hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Luby’s Baked Potato Soup

In Texas there is a chain called Luby’s Cafeteria. It was a place I often ate at growing up, and I loved the food. So when I saw Luby’s released a cook book with their recipes, I bought one, and have been cooking with it ever since. One recipe from this book I use the most is the Baked Potato Soup recipe. I never actually ordered any soup at Luby’s, but if you want a great recipe for potato soup, this is it!

I usually divide the recipe in half, since it is just me and my boyfriend here, but I will type the full recipe below and you can divide it in half, if you wish. I modified the recipe a little bit so I will note what I leave out or do different.

I also made a video on how I make this recipe, that you can watch here:

Hope you enjoy it!

Luby’s Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Serving Size: 10

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chopped raw bacon
  • 4 tbsp (56 grams) butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • pinched dried thyme leaves
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 10 cups chicken broth
  • 8 cups peeled and diced potatoes
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large potatoes, baked, peeled, and diced
  • 1 dried bay leaf (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded american/cheddar cheese (optional)
  • 1 cup diced white onions (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place bacon and butter in a large saucepan/pot and cook bacon over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until crispy. Stir often.
  2. While the bacon is cooking, you should peel and dice the potatoes. 1 large baking potato usually equals 1 cup chopped potatoes. You can set them aside until you are ready to use them.
  3. You can add white onions, if you want, and cook them for 3 minutes.
  4. If you want bacon with a little crunch in your soup, then remove the bacon from the pot, and place it in a bowl lined with a paper towel, once it is crispy. Otherwise, just leave the bacon in the pot and continue the recipe.
  5. Next, add in the flour, and using a whisk stir it. Cook the flour for about 1-2 minutes.
  6. Then, add in the chicken stock, bouillon cube, thyme, nutmeg, and diced raw potatoes. I usually use water and extra bouillon cubes to make chicken stock, if you don't have chicken stock.
  7. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
  8. While the soup is cooking, you can prepare the baked potatoes.
  9. Pre-heat the oven to a high heat around 220C/428F. Then peel, and dice two large baking potatoes.
  10. In a plastic food safe bag, place the diced potatoes, and drizzle them with olive oil. Then, season them with thyme, salt, and pepper.
  11. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or an oiled baking pan, and bake them in the oven until tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. You should check on them as they cook.
  12. Next, if the potatoes in the soup are tender, then mash them with a potato masher. For a creamier soup, you can also use a hand mixer/chopper, but be careful.
  13. Then, add in the cream, and bring the soup to a boil. This will thicken the soup. You can add more cream if the soup is not thick enough.
  14. Next, lower the heat, and season the soup with salt, and pepper. Taste the soup. You can also add in more thyme.
  15. The soup is done now. Check on the oven baked potatoes, if they are finished then remove them from the oven.
  16. Now for serving. Put some oven potatoes in a soup bowl, and add in hot soup, and some toppings like bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or green onions.
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That’s it. I hope you enjoy this recipe. In the Luby’s cookbook, instead of baking diced potatoes in the oven with seasonings like I do, it says to peel the potatoes, bake them whole, then dice them. You can do that as well if you want. It might take a bit longer, and the potatoes will be flavorless. I like my way better. 🙂

Happy Eating! :o)