Category: Tasty Recipes

This sweet and savory brisket recipe was a big hit at the holiday dinner party.

Into the French Oven go sliced carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, whole prunes, fresh rosemary & thyme, 2 bay leaves and a little olive oil. Add about a half cup of brown sugar and equal amounts of chicken stock and sparkling apple cider.

Brown the brisket under the broiler to get some caramelization then the meat goes into the Le Creuset French Oven, cover to cook for many hours at 200-225 degrees. This photo is about half-way done, had to take a peek (and a photo).

“Le Creuset has been the mainstay of French chefs as long as anyone can remember. Since 1925, the skilled craftsmen at Le Creuset have perfected enameled cast iron cookware. Each shape is one of a kind, made from molten steel and cast in a unique mold, and then expertly enameled. No other procedure yields cookware that so evenly distributes heat, browns and caramelizes food to perfection, and creates a masterpiece at the table.”

After several hours, 6 plus, remove the meat from the pot, cool, then store separately in the refrigerator overnight. Remember to remove the bay and the sticks from the rosemary and thyme.

Cook’s tip: Taste the meat, if it is not butter tender, keep on cooking slowly…

Day 2: Skim the congealed fat from the sauce then heat and reduce by half. Meanwhile slice the cold brisket against the grain.
Use an immersion blender to puree some of the sauce, leaving some vegetables whole. Adjust seasoning.
Place the sliced brisket in a roasting pan or Pyrex dish, add the sauce, cover and reheat. Serve with horseradish cream.

Happy Hanukkah!
No knife required… dahlicious, and so tenda!

This is Nuovo Pasta crab and lobster ravioli. Crabmeat & steamed lobster are coarsely ground and tossed with drawn butter and herbs. This mixture is folded into a crab mousse then piped into a striped square ravioli with red and yellow pasta.

Serve with a lovely green salad and crusty Italian bread…MANGIA BENE!

For the sauce: Saute minced shallots in butter, then add white wine and reduce. Add chopped tarragon and lemon juice. To finish, whisk in creme fraiche and season to taste with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

It’s raining in Southern California today. Hooray!

We are in the midst of a drought so this is really good news for everyone except my dogs, they don’t like rain (probably because it is so foreign to them). Hopefully it won’t cause any mudslides or flash floods in the wildfire areas.

How about a hot gooey grilled cheese & tomato sandwich for lunch on a rainy day?

Cooking the carcass for soup the next day makes the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving all over again. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the soup is delicious and not too heavy, just right for after the holiday.

This recipe is All Leftovers from Thanksgiving plus a couple pantry items.
Saute onions, leeks, celery, and carrots until soft, then add garlic and cook for another couple minutes.
Meanwhile add 2 bay leaves to the turkey broth and add pearl barley.
Cook for about an hour until the barley is tender.
Add the vegetables and diced turkey. Simmer for about 10 minutes more.
To finish, add chopped parsley and low sodium high-quality soy sauce.
Salt and pepper to taste.

The 25 lb. beauty, pictured here.
My “Do Nothing” recipe for cooking a turkey:
1. Loosely stuff the cavity with roughly chopped onions, carrots, and celery, lots of butter and salt and pepper.
2. Rub the entire outside of the bird with soft butter and salt and pepper.
3. Put more roughly chopped onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of the roasting pan with enough chicken stock so that the pan does not dry out.
4. Roast at 325 for about 5 hours and leave the bird alone, don’t baste, don’t cover, just “do nothing” and then marvel at the beautiful bird when it reaches 165 to 170 degree internal temperature.

I believe the secret is to start with a great turkey. This is a fresh Diestel Turkey Ranch Premium Range Grown Broad Breasted Young Hen Turkey.

It’s our tradition to serve oysters on Thanksgiving.

This year, we have Tori & Tom’s special recipe: Pacific oysters on the grill with a pat of butter, minced garlic, smokey barbecue sauce, a dash of Crystal Hot Sauce, and freshly grated horseradish.

Ooooh! Were these ever good! We could have eaten another 3 dozen…

A special thank you to Tori, Oyster Shucker Extraordinaire!

These oysters are from Hood Canal, Washington.“Oysters adore Hood Canal. The water is kept brackish, cold, and oxygenated by the Olympic rivers.” Rowan Jacobsen

Cook’s Tip: Barbecuing the oysters takes one dish and guests out of the kitchen while you’re preparing the big meal 🙂