Mardi Gras

Laissez les bons temps rouler!! 


For anyone not from the South, it means "Let the good times roll!" and it is instrumental to this time of year...Mardi Gras!  And since I am not in N'awlins (New Orleans) celebrating this year...I decided to make some of my favorite bites that remind me of the Big Easy...beignets and gougeres!

No Gluten, No Problem is a great blog that I follow, and they have an AMAZING Pate Choux recipe. It's super easy and the results are always perfect! Using their recipe, I made a batch of pate choux and then split it. Half I used for beignets, and to the other half I added a half cup of Parmesan and Romano cheeses combined (yes, I know it should be Gruyere...but I was out!). 

 For the Beignets, heat a pot of oil to 350 degrees, and add scoops of the pate choux (I used a teaspoon scoop). They will about double in size while they fry, and are done when they are a nice dark golden brown all over! Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Now, the good part...while they are still warm, coat with powdered sugar! Bite size bits of heaven.

For the Gougeres, heat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix the choux and cheeses. Once mixed, put dough in a pastry bag (or gallon sized ziploc) and pipe into little mounds about an inch apart on a parchment (or silpat) lined baking sheet. Keep a little bowl of water near, you will need to dip your fingers in it and smooth the tops of your mounds. Once it is all piped and smoothed, brush the gougeres with a little beaten egg and put in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25 min, until dark golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack for a few minutes. **this is important** Do NOT open your oven while baking! Use your oven light to check how they are doing. Because they bake by steaming from the inside, opening the oven door will effect the outcome. Once they have cooled a few minutes, Enjoy!!!

xoxo

I love food

We have established that I love food, really good food, already. And last night I had the pleasure of pigging out. I got to have dinner with my friend Katie (sans all kids...woo hoo!!!) at a newer restaurant in town called....'town. And holy moly...it was good. Really really good.

At her suggestion (she'd been there before) we sat up at the bar facing the open kitchen...and actually sat directly in front of the executive sous chef...which worked in my favor by landing me treats all night. Like the blue crab beignet....I  mean seriously, how can you go wrong with a deep fried crab stuffed donut??!?! Which I promptly followed up with the prix fixe menu selections of a pear & arugula salad with white balsamic vinaigrette; duck confit on a bed of green lentils and onions; and a hanger steak with parmesan herb fries and a chimichurri sauce. All paired with a yummy malbec. Oh, and a bitter chocolate terrine with blackberry cassis sorbet.

Was that for both of us you ask? Uh, no...that was just mine. that's right...4 courses. Katie had some of my salad, and half the beignet...but she had her own food....which of course, I also had to try....like the seared scallops with fennel, orange segements, jalapeno, and a cardamom vinaigrette....and the roasted snapper with mushrooms, local potatoes, leeks, verjus sauce (didn't try this bad boy...allergy thing...although she wouldn't stop raving about it).

By the time I got home....I thought my stomach was going to explode. In a good way of course, but explode none the less. And since of course, I could not go to bed on such a full stomach, I had to console myself by watching Grey's and Private Practice...oh darn. ;) Jasper, however, was quite put out that there were no leftovers....because we all know mommy is a pig when it comes to good food. Seriously...there were only bones left for the confit....and I felt no shame.

So, after a lovely night's sleep (thank you ambien) I got up this morning a very happy girl when I realized it was the first day of Diwali (Happy Diwali all my Hindu friends!) and that I would be noshing on some seriously yummy Indian food all day~

I am in heaven.