Beef and Stout Pie

My sister came into town last weekend, originally to attend my baby shower. Instead, she got to meet the baby himself! She was much more excited at that prospect. Since it was our first few days home from the hospital, we were still blumbering around a bit clueless. She took charge of the kitchen for us, cooking non-stop from Friday evening until she left early Sunday morning.

One of the three dishes she made for us on Saturday was a beef and stout potpie. She also made shrimp creole, and chicken and sausage gumbo, both of which landed in the freezer to be eaten at a later time. For the potpie, she bought a 4-pack of Guinness, which I am happy to say I will be able to drink in small amounts now (with food, and drinking lots of water afterward).

This is a hearty, stick-to-your ribs kind of meal. The stout gives the stew a subtly tangy flavor, and the cheesy crust is heavenly when eaten with a bite of beef.


Beef and Stout Pie
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
As seen on williams-sonoma.com

7 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Irish stout
1 cup beef broth
1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
One 16-inch round Stilton pastry (recipe follows)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:
In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. In the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add one-third of the beef and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Pour the liquid into a separate bowl. Repeat the process 2 more times, using 2 Tbs. oil to brown each batch of beef and deglazing the pot with 1/2 cup water after each batch.

Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry strips on top, allowing it to droop onto the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Stilton Pastry:

1 pre-made pie crust
4 oz. stilton or other pungent cheese, crumbled (we used gorgonzola)

Unroll pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the cheese over half of the dough, then fold the other half over the cheese. Roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1” strips.

Peanut Butter Cookies, and an unexpected arrival

To continue on Hubs' nesting/baking, he made peanut butter cookies. I have spent a good deal of time searching for a favorite recipe. My idea of the perfect pb cookie is soft, chewy, and very peanut buttery. Most are crispy, crunchy, or overly-buttery and not enough peanut bettery. My favorite batch was from grad school, when I made them with my friend Jenn. She sent me the recipe, but it didn't taste the same.

I told Hubs of my ideal cookie, and he set about finding a recipe to fit. He found one on epicurious.com, and added a few extra scoops of peanut butter. I loved them! I came home from my regular Sunday church gig, starving (as usual), and walked into the house to the aroma of peanut butter. Despite the considerable size of the cookie, I scarfed down two. It was all I dreamed of and more.

This ended up being the last baked good that Hubs was able to bake. That evening, we ended up at the hospital because I went into early labor. Maybe I was in denial, but I was thinking the whole time that it was nothing (I didn't feel any different), and that we'd be able to go home. Turns out, our little guy wanted to meet us 5 weeks early. Monday morning my water broke, and since he was in a breech position, I was scheduled for an immediate c-section. Two hours later, our son made his entry into the world. He weighed 4 lbs, 13 oz, measured 18 inches, and amazingly enough, was in perfect health. We named him Tyler. Despite his premature arrival, he did not need any additional care, and spent my recovery time in the hospital in the room with us.

Since we were expecting him in mid-October, we were caught quite off guard. I hadn't even had a baby shower yet. Friends and family have stepped in to get us things that we needed, and to lend their love and support as we had a crash course in baby care. We are now settled in at home, I am tying up loose ends at work, and we are spending many sleepless nights as new parents. Tyler is a wonder. I didn't think I could love my husband more than I did, but seeing him with Tyler melts my heart every time.


Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
from Bon Appetit
January 1998 (also found on epicurious.com)

3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c plus 2 heaping Tbs of peanut butter (creamy or chunky, but not freshly ground)
2 tsp vanilla
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Beat in both sugars. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Add eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough into a ball. Arrange dough balls 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a fork, flatten the dough balls and form crosshatch design on tops. Bake cookies until dry on top and golden brown on bottom, about 14 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

This should be the last CI recipe for a little while. Hubs' nesting instinct is manifesting in a desire to bake. Most of the recent baking posts have been because of this. He's made two different batches of chocolate chip cookies, a blueberry buckle, peanut butter cookies (more about those in another post), and this apple cake. Luckily, we have lots of friends and neighbors to share the treats with.

With about six weeks to go in the pregnancy, I tend to take nightly naps on the couch. Hubs will wake me up when he is ready to turn in, and he makes sure I brush my teeth and wash my face before I collapse into bed. He made this cake on one such evening. I remember waking up to the wonderful smell of baked apples. I tried a piece the next morning, and it was the perfect breakfast accompaniment to my frosted wheat and prenatal vitamin. I enjoyed it for many more mornings.


Apple Upside-Down Cake
from Cook's Illustrated
September and October 2009

4 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored
2/3 c packed light brown sugar
2 Tsp lemon juice

1 c unbleached flour
1 Tbs cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla


Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round, 2-inch deep nonstick cake pan; set aside. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

For the topping:
Halve apples from pole to pole. Cut 2 apples into 1/4 inch thick slices; set aside. Cut remaining 2 apples into 1/2 inch thick slices. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the 1/2 inch thick apple slices and cook, stirring 6 minutes. Do not fully cook the apples. Add the 1/4 inch thick apple slices, the 2/3 c brown sugar, and lemon juice. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and apples are coated, about 1 more minute. Transfer apple mixture to
prepared pan and lightly press into an even layer. Set aside.

For the cake:
Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk both sugars and eggs together until thick and homogenous. Slowly whisk in the butter until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; whisk until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into the pan and spread evenly over the fruit. Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

Cool pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Run paring knife around the sides of the cake. Flip cake onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet (to catch any drips). If any fruit sticks to the bottom of the pan, remove and replace it on the top of the cake. Cool cake completely.

Orange Chicken

Along with baking lots of tasty sweets, hubs has been on a roll with Cooks Illustrated recipes. Anything he wants to make, he looks it up on their website for a recipe. I don't like to be too dependent on one source for recipes, but they do taste good.

Since we don't have a deep fryer, we used the dutch oven with a candy thermometer attached to the side. The oil took a really long time to heat up, so I cranked up the burner, which then made the temperature sky rocket to over 400 degrees. As a frying novice, I wasn't sure how important it was to have the oil at the correct temperature. I had horrible visions of burning the chicken, splattering oil everywhere, and trying to put out a grease fire in the kitchen. Luckily, none of those things happened.

I have never been a fan of deep frying at home, although after tasting this dish, I may be a convert. The chicken was light, perfectly cooked, and didn't taste at all greasy. The sauce was pungent with orange and chili, and not too sweet. Hubs had a slightly glazed look as he ate, as if in a euphoric food stupor. Guess we may branch out in our deep frying ventures.


Orange Chicken
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
May 2005

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3/4 c low sodium chicken broth
3/4 c orange juice
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest, plus 8 2-inch strips of peel
6 Tbs white vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp corn starch
2 Tbs cold water
4 small whole dried red chiles, or 1 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)

3 large egg whites
1 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 c peanut oil

Place chicken in a 1 gallon resealable bag. Combine broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan. Whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 c of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken. Press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Chill for 30-60 minutes, but no longer.

Bring remaining mixture to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in orange peel and chiles. Set aside.

Place egg whites in a shallow dish. Using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second dish, mix the cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in a colander; pat dry. Place half of chicken in the egg whites, coating completely. Transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on a wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or a straight sided saute pan over high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees. Carefully place chicken in oil. Fry in 2 batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning pieces halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels. Let oil return to 350 degrees between batches.

Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Grilled Peaches Over Arugula

To accompany our grilled steak, we made this salad. Peaches are one of our favorite foods to grill. Usually, we just chop them in half, pull out the pit, and stick them on the grill. They always ended up slightly mushy, although delicious. Slicing the peaches into sixths was a little more labor-intensive during the cooking process, but the texture more than made up for the extra work. Plus, the grill marks showed up better on the slices, making for an attractive presentation.

The sweet balsamic reduction, the spicy arugula, and the creamy goat cheese combined fantastically with the peaches. All in all, this was a very satisfying meal.


Grilled Peaches over Arugula
adapted from Cooking Light
June 2008

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs honey
3 peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
6 c arugula
2 Tbs crumbled goat cheese

Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer until vinegar has reduced to about 2 Tbs. Remove from heat, and stir in honey. Cool to room temperature.

Prepare grill to high heat. Place peach wedges on grill rack; grill for 30 seconds on each side or until grill marks appear but peaches are still firm. Remove from grill.

Toss olive oil with arugula, and arrange on a platter. Top with peach wedges. Sprinkle with goat cheese, and drizzle with the balsamic syrup.

Summer herb chimichurri with grilled steak

The Food and Wine Festival at Epcot is hands down my favorite thing about living near Disney. Luckily, hubs and I play in the Candlelight show during the holidays, which means that we are casual status "cast members," and can get into the Disney parks for free for the year. At last year's F & W festival, my favorite dish was from the Argentina kiosk, which sold a beef with a chimichurri sauce. Full of parsley, olive oil, and garlic, the sauce tasted fresh and green, and was perfect al fresco dining.

I found this recipe in my favorite issue of Cooking Light, June 2006. It was their summer recipe issue. I adapted the chimichurri to reflect the sauce I tasted at Epcot, and to accommodate the herbs I had on hand.


Summer Herb Chimmichurri with Grilled Steak
adapted from Cooking Light
June 2006

2 Tbs olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 c arugula
1/2 c fresh basil leaves
small handful of fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 1-lb of flank steak, trimmed

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and saute until soft. Do not burn. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice, sherry, and crushed red pepper. Let cool for a few minutes.

Place garlic mixture in a mini-processor. Add arugula, basil, and parsley. Process until leaves are chopped and mixture has turned into a paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare grill. Rub paprika into both sides of steak. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 6 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Spoon sauce over the slices and serve.