I ate mushrooms.

There, I said it. I can't quite believe it myself, but I did.

The theme of last night's cooking class was Italian, and we made tons of tasty dishes:

Linguine with white clam sauce:






Steak pizzaiola:




Shrimp oreganato:





Penne with eggplant and ricotta salata (which was so good, I brought leftovers home for lunch):




Risotto with sausage and sun-dried tomatoes (which contained the aforementioned mushrooms):





Of all the dishes, the one I least liked was the linguine with clam sauce. Nothing against the dish -- it was cooked well -- but when I was growing up, my family and I used to go clamming in Staten Island nearly every Saturday, which meant we ate linguine with clam sauce for several days after. I'm kind of maxed out on it. But if you've got a hankering for clams, it's a nice option.

What surprised me the most was the risotto dish. It's quite time-intensive and tedious to make, because it requires a lot of preparation and attention while it's cooking, but it's worth it. It was delicious, and you can barely see the mushrooms, as they reduce and blend with the rest of the dish.

For dessert, we did a "taste test" of the area's canoles. (Bon Appetit won out, in case you're interested.)

All in all, this was one of my favorite classes (although I say that every week!). I'm kind of sad that our last class is coming up, although it will be nice to have my Tuesday nights back. Next up: cake decorating. I wonder if we get to eat the results of that class, too...

Chocolate Fondue

Serves 15 to 20 [Editor’s note: Ha! I could eat it all myself!]

1 block (1 oz) Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
1 (8 oz) Hershey milk chocolate candy bar
1 (8 oz) Hershey creamy milk chocolate “Symphony” milk chocolate bar
1 cup light cream
1-1/4 tbsp cherry brandy
Sara Lee pound cake, cut into squares
Fresh strawberries
2 bananas, cut into thick slices or chunks
Marshmallows

Break chocolate into pieces and place in a saucepan. Add cream and brandy. Place on stove over very low heat and cook until chocolate is melted, stirring constantly.

Dip chunks of pound cake, bananas, marshmallows or strawberries.

Fondue will remain smooth and warm for at least one hour after you shut off heat. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a microwave.

Salmon en Papillote

Makes four servings

4 6-oz fillets of salmon
1 bag of spinach leaves, stemmed (do not use baby spinach)
1 medium zucchini green, julienne
1 medium yellow squash, julienne
1 large carrot, julienne and blanched
5 tsp sweet butter
1 lemon, cut in half
4 sprigs of thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut a piece of parchment into a rectangle about 20” long. Fold the rectangle in half and cut a heart, starting from the bottom of the folded side. A full heart should be visible when the paper is unfolded.

Lightly butter half of one side of the parchment paper. Place a handful of spinach leaves on the buttered section of the parchment and top with a salmon fillet. (Be sure the spinach stays under the salmon; exposed leaves will dry out.) Alternately lay the strips of zucchini and carrots across the top of the salmon. Top with a small dab of butter and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Across the top, lay two sprigs of thyme (or sprinkle some dried), and add salt and pepper. Repeat for each sheet of parchment.

Fold over the empty side of the heart to enclose the food, making a small crimp in the top edge of the heart. Continue crimping around the edge (each fold should hold the previous one). When you reach the bottom of the heart, fold the point under to hold it in place.

Place the packages on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes if fillets are very thin, or up to 13-14 minutes if thick. (Internal temperature should be about 130-135.)

Serve immediately.

Chicken Fricassee

Any eight pieces of chicken, or a 3-1/2 to 4 lb. chicken cut into parts
2 tbsp corn oil
2 cups sliced onion
5 oz sliced mushrooms
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
6 oz egg noodles (1/2 bag)
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup milk
1 cup raw baby carrots
Small handful of frozen peas

In a five-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and brown chicken pieces. Remove chicken and drain excess fat. Add onions, mushrooms and carrots, and sauté for about five minutes.

Stir in broth (scrape brown bits if you have), add and stir in noodles, salt and pepper. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally; then, throw in frozen peas and cover. Continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes more until tender.

Remove chicken pieces, vegetables and noodles with slotted spoon. Keep warm.

Mix cornstarch and milk in small cup. Add to sauce and stir. Stirring constantly, bring sauce to a boil and boil for one minute. Serve over chicken and noodles.

Behold: 800 calories' worth of fried, burgery goodness:

Five Guys FTW!

I loooooove Mexican food. If I was stranded on a deserted island with only one type of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican. I could eat it every day.


Unfortunately, though, there are no good Mexican restaurants in Bayonne -- rather, there were no good Mexican restaurants in Bayonne. One recently opened up and, I'm pleased to say, it's quite good.


El Aguila Dorada doesn't look like much from the outside, and the inside is just as unassuming, but the food is packed with flavor, super fresh and reasonably priced.


If you eat in, you'll get free chips and fresh salsa brought to your table. The salsa's got a bit of kick to it, but it's not unbearably spicy.


I ordered a chicken burrito, which was HUGE -- almost twice the size of my outstretched hands -- and came with a side of guacamole and a salad:










I don't even like guacamole, but I devoured this one. It was so good, creamy, with a nice tomato taste. I could have eaten an entire bowlful.


My dining companion had a Mexican burger, which is pretty much a burger with Oaxaca cheese and jalapeno peppers. Again, it was HUGE, and came with a side of fries:





The bill for both meals, with drinks: $20. Not bad at all, considering the quantity of food. If you're in the area, give El Aguila Dorada a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

You probably know by now that I don’t like mushrooms. Scratch that: I hate mushrooms. So when my cooking instructor told us in the last class that there were no more mushroom dishes, I was ecstatic.

Well, guess what? He lied. Lied! Not only did we have a mushroom dish this week, but there are mushrooms in another dish next week. Ack!

Luckily, my classmates were kind enough to allow me to remove the mushrooms from our chicken dish. And the instructor said I could leave them off next week’s meat dish, too. Were they being nice, or just trying to get me to shut up? You decide…

Anyway, this week we made two meals:

Chicken fricassee:

And baked salmon:

We actually cut up our own whole chicken -- and by we, I mean someone other than me. You all should know me well enough by now to know I’m not going anywhere near chicken innards. That’s what we pay butchers for. And if you think about it, I’m actually helping the economy by keeping the local butchers in business. Yeah, that’s it.

But enough about the meals. Let's get on to what you really want to know about, dessert. We made some truly delectable chocolate fondue:

And what’s fondue without things to dip in it?

Yeah, I pretty much made a pig out of myself. If you can’t make a pig of yourself over chocolate, then what good is it?

All in all, it was a good class. I probably won’t make the chicken dish, even without the mushrooms, because it’s just not my thing (I prefer grilled or baked chicken), but the baked salmon dish was really nice and light. I’ll have recipes up soon.

Next week we tackle Italian cuisine. Ole!

Poached Pears in Wine

Makes six servings

6 firm Bosc pears
Large bowl with acidulated water (water with lemon juice)
1 bottle Zinfandel or Merlot
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups water for poaching
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Peel the pears, leaving stems intact. Place in acidulated water and set aside.

In a large pot, bring poaching liquid (wine, sugar, water and vanilla) to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the pears to the poaching liquid. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until tender. Check by inserting fork. Some pears may take longer to soften.

Remove pears as they become fork-tender. During the cooking time, you may have to turn the pears over if the red wine does not evenly color them.

Remove from heat, uncover and allow pears to cool in the poaching liquid.

Remove the pears from the liquid and set aside. Cook the liquid over medium heat until reduced to a syrup. (Be careful; extreme reducing will make a molasses-like goop.) Serve over the pears.

Top with fresh cream:

1 cup heavy cream (do not remove from fridge until ready to use)
1 tbsp sugar

Beat the cream with an electric mixer. Halfway through, add sugar and continue beating until it forms peaks. Do not over whip, or it will become the consistency of butter.

Enjoy!

When I started the cooking class, I promised myself I would try everything we made -- no matter what.

And I tried, I really did. But this week I came across my Achilles' heel: mushrooms.

I hate mushrooms. They make me sick even thinking about them. A few years ago, my sister made stuffed mushrooms, and I popped one in my mouth, hoping I would find it so delicious that my disgust for them would go away. I wound up spitting it into my napkin (which isn't a reflection of my sister's cooking, seriously).

So when I found out we'd be making mushrooms in class this week, I was committed to trying them, dammit.

In the end, I couldn't. There's just something about mushrooms that makes me gag ... which is the complete opposite of what food should do, right? So I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and accept the fact that 'shrooms and I were never meant to be. I'm ok with that. So there.

Anyhoo, we made three dishes this week:

Lamb with pearl onions in a red-wine reduction sauce, which I helped prepare:



BTW, you can't see the writing on the apron. It reads: "Queen of Everything." Yep, that's just about right. ;-)



I did try the lamb. Even though I don't like it, it was well-done. I'm sure if it were a meat I enjoyed, I'd have liked the recipe.

Chicken with mushrooms:



I'm certain all you mushroom lovers will think this looks scrumptious, but I couldn't even bring myself to try it. I'll have to take the word of everyone else in the class that this was delicious.

Now on to dessert, which is my favorite part of every class. We made poached pears with fresh whipped cream:



Let me tell you, this picture does not do this dish justice. It was absolutely amazing. I'm not a fan of liquory desserts -- sometimes the liqueur is too overbearing -- but this dish was perfect. And the fresh whipped cream? OMG. It was so easy and soooo delicious. It would make a great dessert for Mother's Day (hint, hint).

So that was this week. I'm hoping to have the recipes up soon, in case anyone wants to try making anything. If you do, make sure you let me know how it turned out!

Bananas Foster

Makes eight servings

6 tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp banana liqueur
1/3 cup dark rum
2 tbsp lemon juice
8 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup broken pecans
Vanilla ice cream

Toast the pecans in the oven at 450 degrees on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. If you can’t use the oven, you can toast them in a sauté pan on top of the stove. Either way, be careful not to burn them.

In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add sugar and banana liqueur and cook until melted and thickened (approximately 3-4 minutes).

(Note: Be very careful when adding alcohol to a warm or hot pan. The alcohol and its vapors will ignite into flames over a large area. Be mindful of your hair, clothing (especially shirt sleeves), towel, face or guests near the stove. Also, shut off any other flames on top of stove (pilot lights are ok).

Add the rum and lemon juice and cook until syrupy. Add the bananas in a single layer and cook, basting occasionally. Do not stir.

Bananas are done when they begin to look translucent and are soft but not mushy. Serve with ice cream and topped with the toasted pecan pieces.

Enjoy!

Chicken Moutard

Makes six servings

Butter and olive oil
6 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
2/3 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly pound chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.

Very briefly warm the skillet. Heat the butter and oil together in skillet. After foaming of butter subsides, add chicken and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken from pan and put on warm plate.

Pour off the excess fat from skillet and discard. Add shallots and sauté for one minute. Deglaze pan with the wine while scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge brown bits. Cook and reduce the liquid by half.

Add the cream and reduce until mixture is thickened.

Add mustard to the sauce. Pour in any juices that have collected on the plate under the chicken. Heat through. Season to taste. Return the chicken to the pan for a minute, then serve.

Cajun Remoulade

1 cup for 4-5 fillets

1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/3 cup minced roasted red pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
A healthy dash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Season to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve with fish.

Pan-Fried Tilapia with Cajun Remoulade

Makes four servings

Four 6 oz. Tilapia fillets
1/2 cup seasoned flour
1 egg
1 cup ground cornbread stuffing or cornflake crumbs
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lemon

Mix the crumbs with the red pepper flakes and parsley.

Lightly flour the tilapia fillets. Dip in egg and then coat well with crumbs. Press down lightly so they adhere well.

Let fish stand at least 15 minutes before cooking (and up to six hours, covered and refrigerated).

In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil. When ready, add fillets. Cook 2-1/2 to 3 minutes on first side, or until golden. (Note: The thicker fillets will take longer to cook.)

Turn fish and continue to cook on remaining side for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain fish over paper towels and serve with lemon wedges and Cajun remoulade.