Tag Archives: Sunday Dinner

Sunday Dinner – Raclette

Written by on 23rd October 2010 in Blog POSTS with 1 Comment

Sunday Oct 17, 2010

FLASHBACK – The 1970′s raclette and fondue craze has hit my house with force this season. We had an awesome Raclette dinner on the weekend which is a healthy alternative to the hot oil fondue and which was a wonderful birthday gift from my freind Jeffie! Thanks Jeffie it was so fun!

The raclette is an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle. The cheese is sliced and accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables and assorted meats. These are then mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the small coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese.  The meal obviously takes longer than a sit-down dinner because you cook your own stuff and it is in small portions - but it is social, nifty and fun. I am planning another one soon…I feel so european:)

Raclette Items at my table included : (Use what you have)

Boiled potatoes

sliced baguette

sliced chicken breast

sliced tenderloin

raw shrimp (no tails)

sliced mushrooms

sliced peppers

Sliced Zuchinni

Bean Sprouts

Cheeses: Gouda, Fruliano and Fontina

Sauces 3 kinds: Soy based, chipotle mayo, lemon taragon concotion

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Squash is Good

Written by on 13th September 2010 in Blog POSTS with 0 Comments

Sunday Dinner Sep 12, 2010

I love cooking, but I hate cleaning up! I will try to make this a regular contribution….when the meal is worthy!

My Inspiration: Anniversary dinner at Italian restaurant on friday night

My Menu: Roasted squash Manicotti and Pork Tenderloin with apple gravy.

My Wine: Sovereign Opal 2009: Calona Vinyards

What I did : Roasted butternut squash Manicotti  Cut the squash in half (substitute, acorn even pumpkin – not spaghetti tho), scoop out seeds and score the flesh with a knife. Pour olive oil all over and add salt pepper and garlic and bake at 350 for approx 2 hours or until fork tender. Scoop out into a bowl and mix it with about 1 cup of shredded asiago (could use parm or any other stronger cheese) some freshly ground nutmeg and more salt and pepper. (Adding ricotta or cottage cheese would make it go further.) I Boiled some Manicotti, filled a ziploc bag with the cheese and squash mixture, snipped off the end and filled each one. Tip for not ripping the noodle is to squirt a little into each side so your squirts meet in the middle. Bake them together for about 1/2 an hour with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with roasted Pine Nuts (try with a cream / cheese sauce, pesto or a tomato sauce but they are also REALLY good just on their own). These would also be great in shells or as home-made ravioli   Pork Tenderloin with Apple Gravy Marinate the pork for about 4 hours in olive oil, mustard, salt pepper, apple cider vinegar, fresh rosemary, honey and garlic.  Bake @ 350 or BBQ the pork basting it occasionally with the juices until the temp reaches approx 170 degrees.  Add a touch of flour to the drippings and instead of water use some apple juice or apple sauce, stir until cooked.

Oh and a salad on the side :) – N

I'm not a food stylist....yet

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