Entrees

A good friend introduced us to Taureau, my favorite fondue restaurant in NYC. The Chef/Owner Didier Pawlicki was once featured on Bobby Flay’s Throwdown for his Perigord Cheese Fondue, which is what we always get there before it was even featured on TV ;). But the greatest part about this quaint French establishment is that it’s BYOB. What’s even better is that we manage to finish 1 bottle/person each time we go there… Yeah…

The picture above is not from Taureau, but rather from our own homemade Fondue Night.

Ah, Fondue Bourguignonne… Who knew thinly sliced beef flash fried in Peanut Oil (that’s the key, people! PEANUT oil) could taste SO delicious? Serve with dipping sauces. If you were me, you would experiment with whatever you could find in the fridge, but you could also use browse the BestFondue site for inspiration. For the cut of meat, I find beef tenderloin to be best – try to find ones with a good amount of marbling.

For the cheese fondue, my favorite recipe is the traditional cheese fondue, Neuchâtel Fondue

Recipe from The Fondue Cookbook by Hamlyn:

1 garlic clove, halved
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp lemon juice
10 oz Emmentaler cheese
10 oz Gruyere cheese
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp Kirsch (I always omit this because I don’t have any… nor do I want to invest in a bottle for such small amount in this recipe)
a pinch of white pepper
a pinch of ground nutmeg
a pinch of paprika (I must admit I usually use a few pinches :))
cubes of bread, apples, broccoli, carrots, etc. for dipping

Rub inside of fondue pot with the halved garlic clove. Mix wine with lemon juice and gently heat on stove top. Slowly add both cheeses while whisking the mixture in figure eight motion (this is key to achieve a smooth mixture). Mix cornstarch with Kirsch (or a bit of wine/water, if you’re not using), and introduce into cheese mixture. Once the mixture gets nice and bubbly, add seasoning according to taste.

Of course you can also use the kind of cheese fondue that comes in a box – they are surprisingly delicious. Here’s one that I have tried successfully: Emmi Classic Cheese Fondue.

I must say nothing beats homemade though.

Will you have your own Fondue Night?

-xo-

Angelina

Happy Wednesday and Happy Birthday to my old friend José in Seattle! I hope you’ll have a wonderful celebration with the wifey – we both miss both of you lots! I also hope that you’ll be enjoying some Seafood Boil this weekend. Maybe, maybe not? The wifey asked me for the recipe so I hope so! ;)

Anyway, 2 weekends ago we made a Seafood Boil and enjoyed it while watching Downton Abbey (I’m HOOKED!!!). You may have seen the post on my Facebook Page. I must admit that the idea came from my husband. I don’t remember exactly what he said that inspired me to make this, but in any case, this turned out quite delish.

Remember to taste as you go, because to be honest, ours turned out a bit salty. Woopsies!

Seafood Boil

1 small bag red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, quartered
4 celery stalks, cut into 3″ pieces
1 lemon, quartered
1/3 cup dry white wine
old bay seasoning
cajun seasoning
smoked paprika
s+p
2 corn on the cobs (or 3, or 4!), quartered
7 oz smoked sausage, cut diagonally into 1/4″ thick slices
1 dozen little neck clams
1 dozen tiger shrimps
1/2 stick unsalted butter
parsley, coarsely chopped
crusty bread, for dipping

1. Put potatoes, onion, garlic, shallot, celery stalks, and lemon into a large pot, and pour enough water to just cover everything. Season with s+p, and 3 heaping tablespoons of old bay. Boil for about 7-8 minutes until potatoes are almost fork tender.

2. Place sausages and corn on the cobs into the pot. I used 2 corns that I halved (wasn’t strong enough to quarter them), but I became sad later on as I wished there were more. The corn absorbed the broth SO nicely. Boil at medium heat for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the clams along with the 1/3 cup of wine. Cover the pot and steam for about 8 minutes or until the clams have opened up.

4. Add the shrimps and let cook for about 90 seconds. Don’t leave the shrimps in there for too long, or they will become tough, like mine… because well, I apparently don’t listen to myself.

5. Strain the boil but keep about 2.5 cups of broth and set the seafood aside on a serving dish. Pick out the celery stalks and lemons – you don’t want to eat those.

6. Combine broth with 1/2 a stick of butter. Season with more old bay, cajun seasoning, s+p, and a bit of smoked paprika. Add parsley.

7. Lastly, pour the buttery broth over the seafood, and serve with lots of crusty bread for dipping! :) Oh, and we had some pan-seared cod on the side. Way overkill, I know. I would omit this part next time.