Beef Wellington and Cheese Pastellitos

I'm on a roll! The success of Monday's cook-a-thon got me very excited for Tuesday night's attempts. Especially because I was flying solo on these: I had no real recipes. First up, Beef Wellington. I look at countless recipes, each one completely different than the other. so, I decided to just wing it. Traditionally, you use a fillet for these, but I didn't want to spend the money. So, I used really nice cuts of sirloin, and it turned out wonderful. I served them with sauteed spinach. Divine!

Recipes are below. I didn't get a pic of the pastellitos, because I gave them to my coworkers before I took the picture. I assure you, they were beautiful :)



Flaky goodness!



  

Beef Wellington

2 steaks (fillet or sirloin, up to your wallet), seasoned with salt and pepper

1/2 package of puff pastry, thawed

carton of mushrooms, I used baby portabellas, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 c. dry white wine

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add oil and butter into a pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Allow to cook for a  few minutes then add mushrooms. Once veggies are tender, add salt, pepper, and wine. Cook for 10 minutes, then set aside.

In a preheated pan, cook steaks. Joe likes his medium, so those were cooked for a minute on each side. I like mine more well, so they got 3 minutes per side. Set the steaks aside to rest.

Roll out puff pastry and cut into 4 squares. Place a heaping teaspoon of the mushroom mixture in the middle of a square. Place steak on top of the mixture, then add an additional teaspoon of the mushrooms. Take a second square and place it on top. Seal edges with your fingers. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with second steak. Brush each parcel with the egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is brown and an internal thermometer registers to your desired doneness.

Sauteed Spinach

1 bag of baby spinach

1 large white onion chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp all spice

salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onion in the olive oil until they start to caramelize. Add spinach and spices. Cook until done, 15 minutes over medium heat. Easy!

Cheese Pastellitos

Again, this may be waaaay off base from any sort of authentic recipe. If so, my apologies. But I've eaten a ton of these over the years, and I think there were spot on.

2 packages of cream cheese

1/3 c sugar

3 tsp milk

1 tsp lemon juice

3 sheets of puff pastry

1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water

simple syrup ( 1/2 c water and 1/2 c sugar boiled)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Add cheese, milk, and lemon juice to the bowl of your mixer and beat for 3 minutes. While the mixer is still on, slowly add the sugar.

Roll out dough on a floured surface. Cut the dough in the shape of a cross. Then cut each square in half to make triangles. Place a heaping tsp of the cheese onto a triangle. Take a second triangle and cover it, sealing the pastry with your hands. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all of your dough is gone. Brush each parcel with the egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and starting to brown. Remove pastries from the oven and brush with simple syrup. Sprinkle on additional syrup if you'd like (I did). Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

30 by 30: the countdown continues

The last post about my failed quiche really motivated me to kick it into gear this week!

Last night (after work, no less) I decided to tackle three things on my list. I made Julia Child's classic Boeuf Bourguignon, German Pretzel Bread, and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. Being that I started pretty late after a run to the grocery store after work, I wasn't feeling overly confident that all components would work. But, for the sake of keeping my blog promise, I gave it my best...

Wow. It was just all so good. I don't even know what my favorite part was. The Boeuf Borguignon was so savory, and had layer upon layer of flavor. It was so worth the time. The pretzel bread had the most opportunities for disaster because I'm not very experienced with yeast breads. But, then again, that's why it was on my list. The bread was delicious. It had a salty, crunchy exterior, and the exterior was rich and doughy. A perfect compliment to the Boeuf, as it gave us something with which to sop up the extra sauce :)
Finally, the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. I recently acquired an ice cream maker from a friend. And while it would have made the process easier, I would have had to freeze the barrel in advance. Since it was not fully frozen, the maker would not operate. Instead, I used the old fashioned meathod: Hand churning. This produced two outcomes: a light and irresistable ice cream, and a right arm so sore I could barely brush my teeth this morning. Oh well, all in the name of food!

Rather than typing out all three recipes here, I've included links below, followed by each recipes' picture. I'm very pleased with the first installment of this weeks' cook-a-thon. Stay tuned for tomorrow, I plan to try Beef Wellington and Cuban Pastellitos tonight!

Boeuf Borguignon 

Pretzel Bread

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Sorry no pic for this one!

30 by 30

A funny thing is happening in the food blog world.  It turns out that a whole bunch of us are relatively the same age.

We're all turning 30 this year.

Wait, what? 30??? crap.

Actually, unlike most of my friends, I'm not that all upset about turning 30. I embrace it. I lived my 20's. I fell in love, I got 2 college degrees, got married, added Oliver to our family, bought a house, and was blessed to have Abigail. I've added friends and family. I've lost a few very special people. I'm tired of my 20's. I'm ready for my 30's. I expect them to be a bit calmer, but not any less challenging. In fact, to transition from my 20's to my 30's I'd like to give myself a challenge...

A lot of my food blog buds have created a "30 before 30" list of foods they want to attempt before they turn 30. Most of them started this project when they turned 29. When I turned 29, I was 9 months pregnant and not at all concerned with cooking or blogging. Now that I'm back, I'm trying to create that list.  I turn 30 on July 23 of this year and this list is to be completed by then. That's not a lot of time. I need to make this list and start cooking, ASAP! I need your help: What would you like me to make? Here's the first half of my list. It looks like I need a few more...

1. Boeuf bourguignon (ala Julia Child, not by cheating with my crockpot)
2. Pretzel Bread Rolls
3. Kibbe (Lebanese dish)
4. Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
5. Cheese Pastelitos (Cuban pastries)
6. Bread Pudding
7. Beef Wellington
8. A Wedding-style cake (even a small one)
9. Beef Brisket
10. Duck a l'orange
11. Vegan cupcakes
12. Quiche
13. Croissants
14. Bagels
15. Gnocchi

Well, I need help! Please leave your suggestions in the comments below, or email them to me at Natyak1 (at) aol (dot) com. Thanks! And I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Time to get back into the kitchen....

Birthday Cake

My husband loves cake. Loves it. So, for his birthday, I always make him his special birthday cake. I make it only for him, the same one every year, and he loves it. I love it. We all love this cake. So, if you have someone that you love more than anything, make them this cake on their birthday. They will love you for it. :)

Here is what you need to assemble this cake:

-2 sponge cakes. Make sure that you allow PLENTY of time for them to cool! After they have cooled, slice each cake into two layers, resulting in 4 layers of cake.

-1 batch of mocha frosting. Set aside 1 cup of this frosting to pipe on decorations later.  

-1 batch of chocolate frosting

-cake syrup

Place your first layer, cut side up, onto the cake stand. Make sure you center it now, becuase it will be too late later ( I always forget this step!) Brush a few teaspoons of the cake syrup onto the top of the layer. Spread on mocha frosting. Use as much or little frosting as you would like, but remember this is going to be a 4 layer cake- don't go overboard now! Top with second layer, cut side up. Again, brush on syrup, then frosting. Repeat with third layer. Brush the 4th layer of cake with syrup, then place it onto the cake, cut side DOWN. This will give you a smooth surface to frost on top. At this point you want to apply the crumb coating to the cake. This is the first round of frosting the entire cake. It is a thin layer of the mocha frosting, just ment to keep everything (crumbs) in place. After you have finished, place the cake into the fridge for at least 20 minutes to allow the frosting to set up.

When you are ready to continue, take the cake out of the fridge and frost the cake with the chocolate frosting. Everyone has their own method, so just do whatever works best for you. Once you are done, put the cake back into the fridge to set up while you prepare your piping bag. A few notes about piping: use the mocha frosting to decorate, as it is a different color as the chocolate frosting. It gives the cake a nice contrast of chocolatey colors. :) Also, when filling the bag, I find that it is easiest to stand the bag up in a large glass. This way, you save any frosting that escapes. Pipe the decoration around the cake, or you could use chocolate shavings if you don't want the hassle. I used a very basic decoration this year, as I was running out of time. But you can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Trust me, it doesn't matter. This cake is that delicious!

Enjoy!

Catching Up

Here's what I've been working on lately:

Fruit tarts for a friend

Madeleines as a gift

Antipasta Platter for a birthday party

And a special dinner for my hubby: Lobster Ravioli in a Corn Cream Sauce, served with Cheese Toasts and a light salad.

Have a great weekend!!

Baked With Love...

It's my birthday! (real, not blog)

I have been a little down lately. Someone recently broke in and stole my beloved pet turtles. (I know, who steals turtles??) To cheer me up, my AWESOME husband decided to make me a birthday cake. Most of the time, I bake everyone a cake on their birthday. But then I have no cake on mine. So Joe spent all night last night in the kitchen while I watched TV- talk about a role reversal! I was banned from even helping. But, I did make him promise to take pictures of his creation in its various stages, for blogging purposes. So, just to be clear: I had nothing to do with the making or decorating of this cake whatsoever. I didn't even take these pictures. I was allowed to see it this morning, and I'm really looking forward to eating it! Without further ado, allow me to present:

My Birthday Turtle Cake



Ok, so Joe committed the cardinal sin of my kitchen and used boxed cake mixes and prepared frostings. But, as long as I'm not committing the sin, I guess it's ok. He baked 2 cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. he put chocolate frosting in the middle, and covered it with buttercream frosting.



The first cake was cut down to be the body, while the second cake was shaped to be the shell.




He dyed the fondant green and striped on the shell markings.





Legs and a tail were added.He couldn't add a head because it wouldn't fit on my cake holder, and we would be transporting this cake to my birthday dinner. So, he added some eyes peeking out from underneath the shell, as if the turtle were hiding. This is very realistic, as it is how my turtles always reacted to him!



I can't wait to eat this cake! And, it was SUCH a sweet gesture. Even though I didn't make this cake, it was so nice that I had to post about it.
Thanks Joe!!!

A Disney Birthday

My cousin's birthday was this past weekend. And, as promised, I made him a birthday cake. After much thought, a Disney cake seemed appropriate (he's a Disney freak like me). His favorite character being Goofy left me no choice: a Goofy had to be made.

I recruited my husband for this project, and we spent many hours debating how we would tackle it. We ended up using a bit of floral wire to secure Goofy's frame (totally the husband's idea). As for the cakes, I made 4 9" round Devil's Food Cakes. I filled them with a Chocolate Ganache and frosted them with vanilla buttercream. After they were shaped as Mickey's head and ears, each cake was covered in black fondant. Finally a painted Goofy was afixed on top. All in all, a success.

Devil's Food Cakes
Chocolate Ganache

Goofy
I don't want to bore all of you with pictures of Goofy being made. If you are interested in seeing the progression, follow this link.
Enjoy!

No longer Newlyweds....

Wow, a year? I can’t believe that it has been a year already. June 16th was our first wedding anniversary. Our wedding was held at the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. The food was amazing that day. For our anniversary, I decided to re-create the meal we had at our wedding. As nice as that sounds, we had a 5 course dinner at our wedding. I wasn’t concerned with making the food; I was more concerned with making the food, and enjoying it with my husband. I didn’t want to rush through the courses, but I didn’t want the food to get cold either. Fortunately, the food was perfect. And, it turns out that our year-old cake layer was delicious! I set the table using our fine (read: unused) china and all. It was a lovely, romantic dinner.



*Note: My wedding menu is listed in italics. My changes are described below each course*

Appetizer: Risotto Cake topped with Warm Buffalo Mozzarella, Roasted Garlic and Thinly Sliced Prosciutto Served with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

Well, I’ll be honest. I did not make the risotto cake or the roasted red pepper coulis. I couldn’t figure out how to make the risotto cake, even after numerous internet searches, and I personally don’t like red peppers. I also don’t like prosciutto, but my husband lives for it, so that stayed. Instead, I toasted baguette slices with olive oil. I then topped them with the mozzarella, garlic, prosciutto (tomato for me), and balsamic vinaigrette.



Salad: Caesar Salad with Croutons and Shredded Asagio Cheese

I had never made my own Caesar salad dressing before, mostly because I wasn’t sure about the anchovies. But for the sake of good food, I dealt with it. I used a recipe from the Food Network’s website for the Caesar Salad and the croutons. It turned out delicious, but a bit too spicy for me. I won’t add the hot sauce to the dressing next time.



Intermezzo: Champagne Sorbet

Well, I don’t have an ice-cream maker, so making my own sorbet was out of the question. Instead, I made a champagne granita. I used an Asti, so that the granita would be sweet and refreshing. I served the granita in chilled martini glasses, just like they did at our wedding. It was delicious! The best part was that I have a lot leftover, a real treat in the hot South Florida weather!



Main Course: Beef Filet Mignon Served with Cabernet Sauce, Lobster Tail, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato, Asparagus & Baby Carrots

I originally intended to keep dinner a surprise. That is, until I realized I’d be responsible for the lobster. And I could not deal with the lobster. My husband is responsible for all shellfish in our household. I have a strange issue with seeing my food in its whole form before I eat it. Needless to say, killing a lobster is not in my repertoire. So, I had to tell my husband about the dinner. He was happy to help out. He picked the lobsters at the supermarket, hid them from me, and then kicked me out of the kitchen so that he could do his thing. Totally worth blowing the surprise!

I kept the filets pretty simple: salt and pepper on each side. I first cooked them in my grill pan on the stove for 2 minutes on each side. I then put them into the oven until they were done (Joe likes medium, I like medium-well). I then let them rest while we started our meal.

I made a few changes with the vegetables. While we love garlic mashed potatoes, I make them regularly. So, it wasn’t very special any more. Instead, I added Boursin Cheese to the mashed potatoes. They were delicious, and a perfect pairing for the filet. I made Asparagus and Broccolini, as I couldn’t find good looking carrots, only the “baby” variety. The Cabernet Sauce was made using another Food Network recipe. It was delicious, and I can no longer imagine steak without it!



Dessert: Wedding Cake

Although we had a Disney wedding (and are TOTAL Disney freaks), we kept Mickey out of the theme. There were only 2 places where he could be found: our chocolate place cards and our cake. Our cake was over the top and wonderful. It had a White Chocolate Castle on top (which I enjoyed after the honeymoon), white chocolate bridges, and a Lennox Mickey and Minnie (provided by my Aunt). It was totally Disney.

My mom and dad were awesome. They took total responsibility for the top layer of the cake, to preserve tradition. They even drove straight home from Orlando with the cake near the A/C vents to ensure that the cake would not go bad in the summer heat. Needless to say, I was going to eat that cake. Since my husband was convinced that year-old cake was going to be disgusting, he warned me that he would take no part in eating it. So I got to pick the flavors (as each tier had a different flavor and filling). Naturally, I chose chocolate cake with dark chocolate mousse filling.

We had the cake with the same kind of Champagne served at our wedding. I think my husband (who is not a chocolate fan) ate more (year-old) cake than I did. It was that good. And, I look forward to having the rest of the layer this week!



I think this dinner may need to become tradition. To another year…