New gadget

In Portland last weekend I picked this up at the Williams-Sonoma store:

Isn't it marvelous?

It was  a splurge, but...

I needed it.

Quick weeknight dinner: Broiled Pork Chops with Carmelized Onion & Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

A quick sauce recipe to dress up simple broiled pork chops.  If you carmelize the onions in the slow cooker during the day, the sauce goes together quicker still.

Broiled Pork Chops with Carmelized Onion & Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

4 onions, sliced into ¼” rings

2 tablespoons butter

Vermouth or white wine (about ¼ cup)

3 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Heavy cream (about ¼ cup)

6 bone-in pork chops

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sweat the onions.  Cover and cook on low heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.  (Or put the onions and butter in a slow cooker in the morning and leave it alone on low all day….)

While the onions are cooking, sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper.  When the onions are done, run the chops under the broiler and finish the sauce:

Increase heat to medium high, add a stiff shot of vermouth and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Reduce heat to low; add the gorgonzola cheese and a few tablespoons of cream and stir until the cheese has melted and the mixture has thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon the sauce over individual pork chops to serve.

6 servings.

Buttermilk Waffles

This is a nice Sunday-morning treat.  Yes, the amount of butter is crazy high, but it produces an incredibly crisp, delicious crust.  Half a cup of wild blueberries (fresh if in season, frozen if not) are a nice addition.

The recipe yields about a dozen waffles, which (anecdotal evidence suggests) should satisfy three or four eighth-grade boys for at least a couple of hours. 

Buttermilk Waffles

1 ¾ c all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3 large eggs

16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 1 cup) butter, melted and cooled

1 ½ cups cold buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, butter and buttermilk.  Gently whisk the liquids into the dry ingredients, just until incorporated – the batter should be a bit lumpy. 

Spoon batter ½ cup at a time onto preheated waffle iron, close the lid and bake until golden brown.  Serve immediately with butter and maple or blueberry syrup.

The view from my office window

Actually it's the view from outside the window. 

Help...

The view from my cellar window

Lovely, isn't it? 

Ordinarily this would look out over the lawn, our erstwhile garden, and through the woods to glimpses of the lake. 

Right now not so much.

Recipe: Cream of Mushroom Soup with Gorgonzola Cheese

Tonight's dinner was based on this recipe at Allrecipes.com, with a few tweaks. 

Now that I'm thinking about it, homemade garlic croutons would make a smashing garnish.  Hmmm.

<pause while I cut some stale bread and put it in the oven to dry>

Start with a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat, into which throw a diced yellow onion and a healthy dollop of garlic.

When the onions are translucent, add pound of sliced fresh mushrooms and one can (drained) of mushroom stems & pieces, then cook it down until the mushrooms are tender, stirring regularly.

Sprinkle with a bit of flour....

...and stir until thickened.  Moderate the heat if necessary to prevent sticking.










(At this point I added about two cups of leftover porcini mushroom sauce for pasta.  It's all about using up leftovers in this house.)











Mix that all up...

...add four cups of chicken broth and a cup of heavy cream... 




...a bit of salt, a few turns of pepper and some crushed dried rosemary. 

Stir in about 3/4 cup of crumbled gorgonzola cheese...

... and continue stirring over low heat until cheese has melted and incorporated into the soup.







Remove half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.

Return the blended soup to the stock pot.

Add a tablespoon of dry sherry and a quarter cup or so of chopped parsley. 



Stir to until soup is thickened and heated thorougly. 

Correct seasonings and serve, garnished with croutons and additional fresh parsley.














Cream of Mushroom Soup with Gorgonzola Cheese

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 lbs. mixed mushrooms, sliced or chopped
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
5-6 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon sherry
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
Croutons, for garnish

In a stockpot over medium heat, melt butter in oil.  Add onions and garlic and sautee until onions are translucent.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly, until tender. 

Sprinkle with flour and stir until thickened.  Gradually add stock and cream, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Reduce heat, stir in gorgonzola cheese, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.  Return to the soup pot.

Stir in sherry and 1/4 cup parsley and correct seasonings.  Heat through and serve, garnished with additional parsley and croutons.

Serves 6.

Amsterdam Lace Scarf

That delicious yarn from the Yankee Swap?

  This pattern on the KnitMonster site really struck my fancy:  a unique accessory, with enough of a lace pattern to make for interesting knitting but not so complex that it would compete with the striping of the yarn. 

  There was just enough yarn for a modest-sized (42 x 20) triangular scarf (though not for a fringe, pity).  It's cozy and warm and I've been wearing the heck out of it since it's been so f'n cold.

Speaking of that, for something new and completely different, we're having yet another of those foot-and-a-half-everything-is-closed storms today. 

This calls for soup and fresh bread and casting on another project.