Frolic and Fun!

Sledding is fun!

Winter is not over yet. It is still winter in beautiful Vermont and there is still plenty of time to frolic around in the snow. Build a bonfire, go sledding, drink Long Trail's Hibernator beer, and make moose stew; this is my idea of a great time!

I am sharing a recipe that will keep you warm through the end of winter. Vietnamese Pho (pronounced fuh), the broth smells beefy, laced with ginger, star anise and freshly chopped onions and cilantro. A bowl of pho, Vietnam's treasured beef noodle soup will take the chill off on a cold Vermont night. The rice noodles are velvety and fresh, the edges of the rare beef curl up expectantly in the hot broth. Reach for a piece of lime to squeeze into the broth, a handful of cool, crisp bean sprouts, a few sprigs of herbs and fresh chilies. Pho is complete, nutritious, infinitely delicious and we could eat it morning, noon and night, day after day. Slurp up the flavor, eat it while it's piping hot, and warm up.

Pho

6 cups beef broth

4 (1/4-inch thick) sliced ginger

2 whole star anise
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick
2 clove garlic, smashed

1/2 pound piece boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of any fat

3 ounces dried flat rice stick noodles

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt as needed

1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

1/8 cup minced scallions

1/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, washed and finely chopped

1 small thin fresh red or green Asian chili, sliced very thin

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Lime wedges for garnish

In a 2 quart saucepan bring broth, ginger, star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
With a very sharp knife cut sirloin across the grain into very thin slices.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add rice stick noodles and cook 6-8 minutes. Drain noodles in a colander. Set aside.
Strain broth into saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in fish sauce, honey, salt and pepper. (Add more sugar for sweeter taste, or more fish sauce for saltier taste. Keep soup broth hot on the stove).
Add sirloin and sprouts and cook 30 to 45 seconds, or until sirloin changes color. Skim any froth from soup.
To serve, divide noodles into 4 bowls. Ladle soup over noodles. Sprinkle scallions, cilantro, chilies and basil over soup and serve with lime wedges.

Mr. Barkley came out to play!

Where are the marshmallows?

The Secret Ingredient Is ...Love

Have you ever tasted that special ingredient love? I often here about people adding it to recipes and have even seen it written on labels of different foods as an ingredient. Have you added it? I have, and I also remember the memorable meals with love added. This Valentines Day add some love to your romantic meal for your special one. I know it will be well received and remembered!



Below is the menu for my Valentine's Day Dinner for two:

Mussels with Provencal


Honey Lavender Roasted Vermont Raised Chicken

Wilted Spinach with Black Pepper and Local Goat Cheese

Wild Rice with Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes


Hazelnut Chocolate Lava Cakes



Chocolate Hazelnut Lave Cakes

Serves 6


lots of love
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup ground hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 425º. Butter six ramekins.
Melt chocolate and butter in heavy sauce pan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Add sugar and mix well. Then fold in chocolate mixture, love, flour and hazelnuts.
Pour batter into the ramekins, dividing equally.
Bake cakes oven until the sides are set but the center remains soft and runny, about 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 2 minutes.
Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates and serve hot with favorite garnish.

Warm and Cozy By The Wood Stove

Here in Vermont we create amazing
connections to land and food year round! We see red currents on a bush in our yard and turn them into wonderful wine that we share with family and friends. We hunt, and our freezers become full of amazing cuts of venison and moose, which we then share with family and friends.

Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying venison back straps wrapped in crisp maple-smoked Vermont bacon as a treat before dinner. Unforgettable indeed! In the summer we grow spicy garlic --with roots back to Germany-- that we savor in the cold winter months. The local bakery makes wood-fired artisan bread that is truly the best vehicle, for slow-roasted caramelized garlic. We find cheeses made in small batches by hard-working Vermonters in our independently-owned grocery stores. Winter also supplies us with local chicken, raised in a natural, stress-free environment as nature intended. By the wood stove, we are keeping it all sweet with community and of course our local maple syrup and wild honey.

These are just some of the many ways we are staying local in Vermont this divine winter season!
Explore your own town and see what special foods you find.

Be well and keep in touch,
Courtney

http://butterandcheese.net/
http://www.ontherisebakery.net/
http://www.sweetclovermarket.com/
http://www.mistyknollfarms.com/

Chef Idol for the week?

Submit your favorite recipe. Each week Star 92.9 along with myself will select the top 5 recipes. Then it’s up to you, the listeners, to decide which recipe is worthy of being the Chef Idol for the week. Starting Saturday January 19th, 2008, check back to this page to vote for your favorite then watch as Lana and I cook up the winning recipe online. The winning recipe will receive a free Chef Inn Training class to sharpen their cooking skills alongside Chef Courtney.Don’t forget about the big finale, as the winning recipes from each week will square off in a head to head challenge, where you decide the next Chef Idol. The Chef Idol will be treated to a culinary getaway in their own backyard at the Inn at Essex.

http://www.wezffm.com/cc-common/globalcontestfinder.html?contest=26552

Christmas Season in Vermont!

I am filled with gratitude for this wonderful holiday season. Thank you to everyone for the endless gifts of love and laughter!
From the festive holiday work party at Peter's with Jim's surprise guest, Caesar Salad, to Christmas Eve drinks with the sweetest Dave and Nancy who gifted me BBQ ribs for Christmas because they know a chef is always hungry. Then on a snowy Christmas Eve off to the Anderson's in Charlotte VT where we played Santa and drank Sarah's divine glug that not only had cardamon pods and orange peel but caramelized sugar as well.

The next morning was filled with presents, joy, excitement, and more culinary creations from Chef Sarah.

After assisting (refilling beverages) on the just built Ice House/Igloo, Sarah and I made the Christmas dinner feast while enjoying the sunset over the Adirondack's! We seared and roasted local beef tenderloin, sauteed winter greens with garlic and glug, roasted pearl onions and tiny potatoes , then may favorite, Ginger Bread which had the usual suspects like cloves, molasses, cinnamon, but what about mustard powder, coffee, and black pepper. Yes indeed and did it taste so out of this world, especially with Orange Hard Sauce. After all that I drove back to Mallets Bay so full of gratitude.

Thank you to all that made this a holiday I will always remember.

Holiday Cookie Recipe:

Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours!

Enjoy this family favorite Greek holiday cookie recipe. My mom always says they get better as they sit. So make them now and get a head start on your holiday baking. Be sure to save some cookies for New Years Eve 2007 as these are a traditional New Years Greek cookie!

Be safe, have fun, and keep in touch!

Kourabiethes

Yield: 3 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoon Brandy

2 ½ cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In a bowl mix the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
3. Mix in egg yolk and brandy.
4. Then slowly add flour and baking powder. Knead well until dough is smooth.
5. Divide dough in half. Mix cocoa powder into one half, mix until incorporated.
6. Take small pieces of dough and shape into balls using both even amounts of the chocolate and the plain dough to create a marble effect. Shape the size of a small egg, crescents, or into small pears and insert a clove in the top of each.
7. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake cookies 18-20 minutes.
8. Roll Kourabiethes while warm in powdered sugar. Then sift sugar over as they must be very well coated.

Variation: You may add 1/2 cup blanched and finely chopped almonds to the dough.

Chef Contos on the Radio

Tune in or listen on the web at on December 12th and 19th at 7:40am. http://www.wezffm.com/cc-common/globalcontestfinder.html?contest=26050
INFO:
Are you having friends and family over for the holiday season? Impress them with your newly minted cooking skills courtesy of Star 92.9 and The Inn at Essex, "Vermont's Culinary Resort."On Wednesday December 12th and 19th at 7:40a, tune in to Lana and Nolan to learn some exquisite holiday cooking tips with Chef Courtney Contos, New England Culinary Institute, Chef Instructor, at the Inn at Essex. Not only will Chef Contos give you some great tips for cooking this holiday season, but Star 92.9 and The Inn at Essex want to give you the opportunity to have some more in depth and personalized training with Chef Contos. On both mornings, you'll also have an opportunity to win a Chef "Inn" Training class with my self, Chef Contos. You'll be able to choose from classes including, Holiday Desserts, Heroic Holiday Entertaining and Winter Soups.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All around today, kitchen's are beginning to fill up with the comforting smells of Thanksgiving. I am in charge of birds out of state. Yes, out of state, my dear friend Heather is in Virgina taking on the big day with her natural free range bird and Jill and Kevin in Oklahoma are preparing for the holiday in their new home. My cell phone will be close all day. I myself am honored to be attending a large feast, home in Vermont. I will bring a Chocolate Maple Pecan Pie and a Rosemary & Pear upside down cake. Yum!

I am thrilled to have received a sweet last minute call for a recipe. The call came early morning for me and when I listened to the message, eyes barley open, it was a need for a brine recipe. Instantly I thought a brine recipe on Thanksgiving but not to worry it will be for turkey breasts.
I have offered my Maple Brine recipe and a wonderful Port Cranberry Sauce that works great as a a Thanksgiving side or to serve with all sorts of desserts.

Be well, have good thoughts and keep in touch!

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Maple Turkey Brine

1 12-18 pound turkey
2 quarts chicken stock
1 large bag of Ice
1 gallon water
1 pound kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 pound maple syrup
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons allspice berries

1.Line very large (about 16-quart) bowl with two 30-gallon plastic bags, one inside the other. Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in plastic-lined bowl or bucket.
2.Combine salt and hot water until it dissolves.
3.Add maple syrup, broth, herbs and spices to mixture. Once thoroughly mixed, add ice.
4.Pour cold brine over turkey in plastic bags. Brine must be cold. Gather tops of bags together, eliminating air space above brine; seal bags. Refrigerate turkey in brine 18 to 20 hours. You may also place your brining turkey in a the bag in a large cooler covered with ice and place it outside or in your garage.
5. When ready to roast remove turkey from brine and pat dry, then place in your roasting pan on a rack. You are now ready to roast your bird!!! Have fun.

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Port Cranberry Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 - 18 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Makes: 8 – 10 servings

1 12 ounce package of fresh cranberries
½ to ¾ cup sugar
1 orange zested
1 cup port
¼ teaspoon cardamom or cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Assemble and cook:
-Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and place over a medium flame.
-Bring to a low boil.
-Cook until the cranberries pop and the mixture becomes syrupy, about 15 minutes.
2. Chill and serve:
-Place mixture in a serving dish and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
-Serve either chilled or at room temperature.

Tis The Season To Get Cooking!

I love cooking with Vermont grade B maple syrup. As you see I buy in bulk from local sugarers. Besides turning desserts into a smashing success, maple syrup is great added to vinaigrette's with a nice aged red wine vinegar, roasted squashes, drizzled over aged cheddar, and Best Friends with Chicken and Pork. I especially like to make a quick pan sauce after searing pork or chicken by deglazing the pan with apple cider vinegar then adding equal amounts of maple syrup and high quality chicken stock. Do not forget some fresh herb element like thyme or rosemary. Reduce until you have a nice sauce consistency then turn heat off and swirl unsalted Vermont butter in and season with fine sea salt! You will love it! If it is too sweet add a touch more vinegar.















Cooking can be fun!

Seasonal Recipe: Fall

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding with warm Rum Sauce

Bread pudding
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 large whole eggs
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 cups 1/2-inch cubes of egg bread or white bread (about
12-ounces)
1/2 cup 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Rum sauce
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Bread pudding
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla extract and salt in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes.
3. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until it is firm to the touch, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding and serve warm with rum sauce.
Rum sauce
1. Stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until dissolved and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add cream, rum, and cinnamon and bring to simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 6 minutes.
3. Serve warm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead: cover and refrigerate. Re-heat before
serving.)
Serves 8
For those of you who are looking for a new twist to your Thanksgiving dessert, this is a perfect option.
Combining pumpkin and spices is the most comforting warm dessert.