Saturday Night Supper

Here is last night's menu:

For the warm goat cheese salad, I took a log of goat cheese and "squished" and rolled it until it was shorter and thicker. Then I took dental floss and sliced off six rounds. I finely chopped walnuts, and beat an egg to make a wash. I dipped each round in the egg wash and then coated it with the finely chopped walnuts. I put the coated goat cheese rounds on a greased pan and put them into the refrigerator until I was ready to cook them. I made a French vinaigrette using the Penzey's spice mix. I pretty much follow the directions on the bottle and then add a teaspoon of Country Style Dijon mustard. When I was ready to serve the salad, I tossed the greens with the vinaigrette and topped it with some sliced tomato and hothouse cucumber. I cooked the goat cheese rounds at 400 degrees until heated through and the walnut coating had crisped up. (I might try pan frying them next time.) Here is a picture:

I have posted the recipe for the lentil soup earlier in the post about Christmas Day Orphan Lunch. I tripled the recipe because I wanted larger portions. I learned that if the recipe is increased to serve more, it might be better to reduce the liquid a little if you follow my changes to the recipe and don't strain it like the original recipe calls for. Once again I served it with a bacon and truffle oil garnish.

I have posted the recipe for the Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs earlier. Here is the recipe for the brussels sprouts.

2 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 to 2 T olive oil (I used bacon grease)
10 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved through the core
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
2 T unsalted butter

Heat 1 T of the oil (or bacon fat) in a 10-inch skillet over medium low heat until it is golden and crisp all over. Transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels leaving the fat in the skillet. If you don't have 2 T of fat left in the skillet, add fat to make 2 T. Put the skillet over medium high heat and place the brussels sprouts, cut side down, in a single layer in the skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms are nicely browned. Once they are browned, add 1/2 cup water to the skillet, cover, and simmer until the brussels sprouts are tender. If the water evaporates before they are done, add a little more. Once they are done, use a slotted spoon to remove the sprouts to a plate. (I found out that I shouldn't have gotten them as tender as I ultimately wanted them to be. They continue to cook after they are taken out of the skillet so next time I will take them out before they are done.)

Return the skillet to medium high heat and let any water left in the pan boil off. Add the balsamic vinegar and few grinds of pepper. Boil the vinegar until it looks syrupy and has reduced to about 2 T. (beware the vinegar fumes, they can be pungent!). Turn the heat down to low and add the butter and swirl to incorporate. Add the sprouts and pancetta back to the pan and swirl to coat with the balsamic vinegar reduction. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Here is the recipe for the Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Mine didn't get crispy like I thought that they would, but everyone seemed to like them anyway.

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled (I used three, maybe I should have increased the topping)
2 T good olive oil
1 T light brown sugar
1/2 t Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
(I also added a dash of cayenne)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into three long spears. Place them in a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. (I lined my pan with nonstick aluminium foil). Spread the potatoes in one layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper, and cayenne if using, and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve hot.