Kitchen Conundrum

Renee’s Run Away to Live In Paris. Ok, Just For A Month.

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Paris -0235It’s true! I have run away from home and I am living my dream in Paris. Well, not perfectly of course. It is the middle of winter, you know. It’s rainy, cold and foggy and I’ve had such a migraine since I arrived. I’ve been fully functioning in the early mornings for a few hours, then by mid-day I have a mini aneurysm, and end up sleeping until dark when I get up and head out again, missing most of the daylight.

But alas, I have had several adventures in my short three days that I’ve been here so far.  Arrived Monday morning and delivered myself promptly to the studio I’m renting. It’s in one of the nicest areas of Paris in my opinion-much like the upper east side of Manhattan (and costs about the same!). It’s a 6th floor walk-up that faces a courtyard. It’s the kind of apartment that if I had a half million I’d buy in a heartbeat! Cute and cozy!

Since I had no sleep whatsoever on the plane ride over, I spent Monday day in bed sleeping and then I finally dragged myself up in the evening to go to the FranPrix (an ok grocer, but rather limited selection) to buy some groceries only to discover there is a huge, beautiful grocery store, MonoPrix, just around the corner in the opposite direction. Now, I know!

Ok, I didn’t buy the chocolate pudding. But look at that! A massive tub! I could seriously eat the whole thing in one sitting. Hence the reason I did not buy it. Because I would. But the rest, all came home with me. An interesting thing about the milk. It’s not found in the refrigerator. It’s all found stacked like water bottles on the shelves. Must be ultra-pasteurized. I prefer my milk cold, so I put it in the fridge, but it doesn’t have to be chilled.  It tastes perfectly fine too to my Americanized palate.

Tuesday morning I woke up and headed to a cooking class where we learned how to make three dishes. I always love taking cooking classes, learning new techniques and tasting food from other peoples perspectives. I have had and made two of the dishes we prepared so the methods were not unfamiliar to me. But it was really fun nonetheless. And of course, eating lunch with new people you meet is always great. The class can be scheduled through Viator and is held in the home of Chef Marthe. She’s extremely knowledgeable, very hospitable and quite personable. She really made the class a lot of fun.  There were only 5 people in this particular class including myself. The small size made it that much more intimate and many laughs were shared among the group as we all rallied for one another during our “tasks”. Marthe also has one of the most beautiful stoves I have ever seen. Covet, covet!

The three dishes we prepared provided a feast for us for lunch. Starting with Les Gougeres (Cheese Puffs or Cheesey Poofs as we called them), Chicken with Two Vinegar’s and for dessert, an Orange Cake with a Glaze that was divine! Along with that, we were served cheeses, salad and warm baguettes that we picked up at the market just before class. And yes, of course there was wine! It was a delightful way to spend the day. Cooking, eating and drinking wine with new friends.

So, if you are in Paris, and want to try something fun and different, attend this small group cooking class. You have to eat anyways and this is an exciting, hands on experience and a great way to meet people.

 

 

 

 

Kerrygold Introduces Two New and Delicious Butters

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The Kerrygold brand brings together the best of Ireland dairy products all under one label. We, here at Kitchen Conundrum, love Kerrygold butters and cheeses. Their Pure Irish Butters are beautifully golden with a luscious creamy flavor that lingers in your mouth and has an aroma of rich buttery goodness. Everything you cook with their butters just turns out better. Cookies are more golden, crusts are flakier and sauces and are richer. It’s as if you’re getting the cream skimmed off the top of fresh milk.

Their outstanding dairy products come from cows that are allowed to roam freely in Ireland’s lush pastures and graze on the rich beta-carotene grasses, hence, the nice golden colors of their cheeses and butters! They also are not fed any growth hormones. The cows live on small dairy farms where the average herd size per famer is just 40 cows, thus making sure they are well maintained. These small farms, the ones that meet Kerrygold’s strict standards, produce milk that is then sent to local co-ops where all the milk is collected and sent to be made into butter and cheese. These supplier co-ops have formed the Irish Dairy Board as a means to market and export their dairy products for the world to enjoy. This form of cooperation ensures the viability of Ireland’s small family farms and the quality of their production.

Kerrygold recently introduced two new butter products, Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter, and Reduced Fat Irish Butter. The Naturally Softer Butter is made with a unique process that uses only the milk produced in the summer months. The milk produced in the summer months contain more naturally softer fats, and this along with special gentler churning method allow Kerrygold to produce this more easily spreadable butter while still maintaining Kerrygold’s usual flavor and golden color. The Reduced Fat Irish Butter is different from most other lower fat butters and spreads in that Kerrygold uses no artificial flavoring or additives, just pure Irish milk and salt, while having 25% less fat and 50% less sodium but maintaining the full flavor of regular butter.

Kerrygold was kind enough to send us samples of these two new products and challenged us to come up with new and innovative uses for them.

While Kerrygold does state that neither of these are good for baking with, there are still many other tasty ways to enjoy them. Some of our favorites were blending the Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter with Ancho Chili, and Cocoa powders. Drop a spoonful onto a grilled steak to add just the right taste of Mexico.

 

Mix dried tarragon and finely diced shallots to the Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter to add wonderful taste to everyday corn on the cob.

 

Finally we loved the combination of adding red pepper flakes and cumin to the Kerrygold Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter and letting it melt into freshly baked cornbread.

 

No matter how you use any of Kerrygold’s butters, each bite will be a festive and delicious experience!

 
Disclosure: Kerrygold sent us samples of these two products as part of a promotional contest.

Serve Up a Big Plate of Comfort- BBQ Beef Brisket

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BBQ BrisketStews, soups and one pot meals are the epitome of comfort foods, along with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. But sometimes, you just need a nice slice of meat on a plate and BBQ Beef Brisket is a simple and delicious, comforting food.

The best part about this recipe is that it’s so incredibly easy, and yet, it’s a crowd pleaser every time. You basically put it in the oven and two- three hours later (depending on the size) it emerges tender and incredibly flavorful.

You can make your own BBQ sauce or you can just pour a bottle of one that you happen to have in your fridge or pantry over the meat. On a weeknight, don’t bother fussing so much.  Any bottled flavor will do, but Hickory Smoked and Original Recipe BBQ Sauces are my favorites. When you have more time, you can make your own sauce.

 

BBQ Beef Brisket

Ingredients

1 3-4lb Beef Brisket

1 c. BBQ sauce (recipe follows)

¼ c. water

1 onion, sliced thin

Salt & Pepper

Method

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.

Season both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper being generous.

Add the onion to the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Place the brisket on top of the onions and pour the BBQ sauce and water over the meat.

Loosely cover with foil and place in the oven to bake for 2-3 or until fork tender. If you see that it is drying out too much, add more water and BBQ sauce. About half way through the cooking, flip the meat over so both sides absorb the liquid and the edges don’t become too charred.

Remove meat from oven and rest on a cutting board for five minutes before slicing very thin.

Enjoy with your favorite side. The meat also makes incredible sandwiches for days to come- with cole slaw and a pickle on the side!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

2 c. ketchup
½ c. mustard
½ c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. Worcestershire Sauce
¼ c. lemon juice
¼ c. molasses
¼ c honey
1 c. brown sugar (preferably dark)

3 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced

Method

In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, molasses, honey, and brown sugar. Blend until mixed thoroughly.

Over medium high heat, warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so.

Add the chili powder mix and the wet ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid off to thicken it a bit.

Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more of anything you prefer a little at a time. Some prefer a sweeter sauce, so add more honey and brown sugar. Some prefer more vinegary, so add a touch more. For more spice you can add hot sauce and more chili powder.

Not only is this a very good standard BBQ sauce for brisket, but it’s great on chicken too. You can keep a bottle in the fridge for a week or two.