Dinners in Paris

Dinner Night 1: cheese, baguette, flan

Paris is a city full of decadent food. Restaurants usually have prix fixe menus and meals can easily take up to 2 hours as you enjoy three or four or more courses. Most prix fixe menus are actually a pretty good deal compared to ordering à la carte, but can quickly add up as lunches run from €15 up and dinners average €30 on the low end.  Since we were staying in Paris for 9 nights, we decided to rent an apartment studio with a kitchen so we could eat the majority of our dinners at home.

Sunday in Paris, Part 2

This is the continued recap of our first Sunday in Paris, a day when most shops and restaurants are closed but some neighborhoods, like Le Marais, remain open.  Catch up on Part 1 of our day to read about the other stops we made along our foodie afternoon walk.    

Pierre Hermé: Yogurt & Lime Macaron

We continued our walk around Le Marais and found ourselves at Pierre Hermé. They were celebrating Macaron Day (March 20) and customers got a free macaron with a donation of spare change. We selected 4 macarons to try out: yogurt/lime, chocolate/fig/foie gras, fresh mint/red berries, and pistachio/strawberry. I first tried Pierre Hermé macarons in Tokyo and then again when my parents brought a box back from their Paris trip. I loved how among the typical flavors (pistachio, lemon, chocolate, salted caramel, etc.) there were also very unique flavors with atypical ingredients (foie gras, yogurt, truffle, etc.) that seemed to change throughout the years. People often say there are two camps of Parisian macaron eaters: Pierre Hermé or Ladurée. I will expound further on this in a future post, but for now I'll say that of all the macarons I tried in Paris, the ones from Pierre Hermé are my favorite.

Our next stop at Rose Bakery was our original late lunch spot, but by the time we got there we were still full from our previous snacks. Rose Bakery is a British-themed cafe opened by a Franco-British couple. They're known for their quiches, salads, and baked goods, all of which are sourced from local and organic farms. We picked up an aubergine (aka eggplant) quiche and lemon polenta cake to save for dinner.

Olive Oil Flatbread Pizza

Flatbread pizza with brussels sprouts, prosciutto, and mozzarella

This pizza dinner was inspired by several factors: 1) we had just bought a bag of brussels sprouts from Costco, 2) on the same Costco trip I was craving cheese and charcuterie so we picked up mozzarella and a mix of salami, prosciutto, and coppa, and 3) we had recently returned from NYC where we ate a delicious brussels sprouts pizza at Motorino.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture from Motorino to show you for comparison (I was too engrossed in partaking in the deliciousness), but my memory tells me it must have looked pretty similar to the pizza we made.

Instead of adding sauce to the pizza, we just drizzled some olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.  I prepped the brussels sprouts the same way I do my oven roasted brussels sprouts, peeling off some individual leaves so they get nicely browned and become like veggie chips in the oven.  I actually roasted the brussels sprouts on their own first to make sure they were fully cooked and crispy.  I love flatbread and thin crust pizza for the extra crunch in the crust.  Plus, thin crust doesn't fill me up as quickly so I can eat more pieces!  I've tried this flatbread recipe several times lately and it's worked out well for pizzas, as an accompaniment to dips, or a snack on its own.  Keep in mind that it will not be a chewy, doughy pizza crust but more of a thick cracker.

Olive Oil Flatbread (and Pizza)

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450F and place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on the middle rack.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl or mixer bowl.  
3. Make a well in the center, then add water and oil.  With a wooden spoon or dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients on low until a dough forms.  Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and keep the dough together.  Knead dough on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.  
4. Divide dough into 3 pieces.  Working with one piece at a time while keeping the remaining dough covered, roll out dough on a sheet of parchment paper into a circle about 1/4 inch thick.  
5. Lightly brush top with additional olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  If making pizza, add your pizza ingredients at this time.   
6. Slide the parchment paper with the flatbread onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet.  Bake until pale golden and browned in spots and pizza cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.  While each flatbread is baking, work on rolling out the dough for your next flatbread or pizza on a new sheet of parchment paper. 
7. Remove finished flatbread from the oven by sliding out the parchment paper and keeping the pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven for the next batch.  Let flatbread or pizza cool on a rack for a few minutes before slicing and eating.

Savory Dutch Baby Pancake

I'm often torn between having something sweet or savory for breakfast.  The simple solution to that, of course, is to have both!  This morning I made a double batch of dutch baby pancakes.  I split the batter in half and added 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese to one half.  What resulted was a slightly cheesy flavor infused with the usual sweet pancake batter.  I like the browned cheesy bits on the surface of the pancake, but the batter base was sweeter than I would have preferred.  If I do a double batch of sweet and savory pancakes again, I'd add the sugar to the sweet pancake after splitting the batter in half.  Or another solution would be to make the cheesy batter on its own, decreasing the sugar and adding a bit more salt or other savory herbs.  All in all, still tasty and I'll let you know how it goes with a few modifications next time.

Guinness Cheddar Beer Bread

A pack of Guinness beer inevitably found its way into my pantry the week before St. Patrick's Day.  I'm not a great fan of drinking Guinness, but I do enjoy the novelty of baking and cooking with it.  With a few hours of notice beforehand, I made cheddar beer bread to bring to a St. Patrick's Day dinner.  The recipe is quick and easy, unique, and unusually dense.  The loaf felt like a brick and had the moist, dense, chewy texture of banana bread.  The Guinness flavor was evident but still subtle.  The cheese gave it a great saltiness and crispiness at its edges. 

Another great use for Guinness is in this lamb stew. :)

Guinness Cheddar Beer Bread
Adapted from theKitchn
Makes one 8 1/2-inch loaf

2 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness beer
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons dried dill
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, or coat with butter.
2. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the beer and mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Fold in 1 cup of the cheese and dill.
3. Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Pour the melted butter evenly over top of the dough. Bake about 30 minutes then scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top. Return the loaf to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
4. Turn out, slice, and serve warm.

Baking Sheet Macaroni and Cheese

 My favorite part of homemade macaroni and cheese is always the top layer.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  That top layer where the cheese and noodles get broiled to a nice dual texture of crispiness and chewiness.  That top layer "crust" that houses all the crispy breadcrumbs and lacks the typical creamy texture of mac and cheese.  This recipe gives you just that.  The baking sheet cooking method allows for a 50/50 ratio of "crust" to innards.  That means I get to enjoy my favorite part in each and every bite!  It's a bit unusual that this mac and cheese recipe did not include a roux, but I guess you may not need it if you're not going for the creamy factor.  We added some leftover lamb shoulder bits before the final cheese layer. Any other precooked mix-in (bacon, sausage, salmon, etc.) could also be added for some variation.  I really enjoyed the outcome of this cooking method and next time I will probably try some different cheeses.

Baking Sheet Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from food52
Serves 6

3 Tablespoons butter
12 oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (or gruyere, fontina, bleu, etc.)
1 pound fusilli pasta (or any other small pasta shape)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
salt and pepper
2/3 cup whole milk
1.5 cups panko or breadcrumbs

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to grease a 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet (or use parchment paper for easier cleanup and grease the parchment paper). Combine the grated cheeses and set aside 2 cups for topping.  Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl with the panko or breadcrumbs.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Drain. 
3. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne, and mustard.  Salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Spread the mixture in the baking sheet and evenly pour the milk over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top.  Evenly sprinkle the panko crumbs on top.  Bake uncovered, until golden and crisp, for about 15-20 minutes. 

Hollywood Food Tour

This past weekend we went on a Hollywood Food Tour led by Six Taste Food Tours.  Thanks to a good deal from Groupon, we enjoyed a full afternoon of walking and eating (mostly eating) for nearly 4 hours!  Our group of 10 people met up at the Kodak Theater and embarked on our eating adventure.  At each stop, a table was waiting for us and 2-3 dishes were brought out for us to share family-style.  We visited a family-owned Italian place, a Mexican grill, a hot dog stand, a lounge, and a diner.  My favorite dish was Chicharron de Queso (pictured above) from Loteria Grill.  The ultimate cheese skirt, this griddle-toasted cheese was both chewy and crispy and tasted great accompanied by guacamole and salsa.

We had a light brunch in anticipation of all the food we'd be eating that afternoon, but we were still incredibly full by the end of the tour and skipped dinner entirely.  It was lots of fun to try new places, hear food-related historical stories, and meet new friends who were equally passionate about eating.  My only complaint is that I wish there was more walking between each stop...so that I'd be able to eat even more. :)  

Cheddar & green chili scones

We were signed up to bring Sunday School breakfast again this week and I was set on making something sweet and something salty. I made a batch of the blueberry cream scones and decided to try another one of Smitten Kitchen's recipes for cheese scones. I didn't have jalapeños so I used half a can of chopped green chilis. These turned out great and the best part of all was the crispy cheese skirts! Now I want to bake up cheese crisps and crunch on them all day...

Jalapeño-Cheddar Scones