Roasted Vegetable Tarte Tatin

 

Happy New Year!  I thought I'd start off 2011 by sharing an absolutely delicious creation.  To my surprise, the Food Network Magazine consistently delivers solid recipes that rarely fail to please.  This was my favorite from all of my holiday cooking.  I had never heard of a Tarte Tatin, but in doing a little research I learned that it was created in error as two French sisters attempted an apple pie gone wrong.  What you're looking at above are gorgeous roasted root vegetables: sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, leeks and garlic all slow-roasted first to bring out their flavor.  As they cooked, I created a little caramel and then proceeded to assemble this dish upside-down.  The caramel went down first, followed by sage and oregano.  As the root veggies came out of the oven I positioned them in the caramel which hardened very quickly.  I was afraid at this point because the caramel wasn't perfectly covering the bottom of my baking dish - thankfully this all smooths out when you put it back into the oven.  A small sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and a final layer of puff pastry were the final toppings.  It baked for only a short time before smelling divine.  Once it came out I had to invert it.  This was the scary part - the pan had to cool for a bit but remain relatively warm for the Tarte Tatin to pop out.  I held my breath as both myself and my mom (assisting me as sous chef for this dish) had four hands working to flip it.  To my great surprise, it worked!  The picture you see is only moments after it came out of the pan.  We sliced it up immediately and it was pure heaven!  The sweetness of the caramel sauce pairs amazingly with these root vegetables.  A total winter treat in my opinion :) 

Make it again? This is sure to impress any dinner party.  In fact, it is pretty enough to place as your centerpiece.  Serve it right on your cutting board covered in parchment paper and scatter it with a few more herbs for a rustic, beautiful focal point.  I plan to use it for dinner parties and holiday gathering throughout the winter months.

Improvements?  No improvements to this recipe are needed.  It is perfect.  Variations could be fun though.  Different herb combinations as well as alternate root vegetables could be used.  I used leeks because I had them on hand even though the recipe called for a regular onion.  Purple potatoes would also add to the presentation.   

Here is the link for the recipe, enjoy!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/vegetable-tarte-tatin-recipe/index.html

Cider Braised Chicken with Leeks and Apples

 

This is a grand slam.  I have to call it an instant success, my now-Famous Fall Chicken.  Long have I struggled with chicken: how to find that perfect done-ness in between overcooked, dry and tastless, but not undercooked and deadly.  I am continually possessed by the fear that I may kill my sweet family with raw chicken and tend to overcompensate with many meals of chewy chicken.  

Aside from slow cookers, I was in search of a way to cook chicken in less than 8 hours and still have it come out juicy and tender.  Braising did the trick.  Here's what I did:  the pan was heated to a very high heat initially and I seared the chicken to a golden brown - to the point where there were delicious brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan.  After the searing the chicken pieces were removed to rest on a plate.  Leeks and apples, such a beautiful fall marriage of fruit and vegetable, were tossed into the pan with a bit of good olive oil.  I sauteed them until the leeks began to caramelize, the apples looking like a delicious newcomer in my saute pan.  When I thought they could take no more, I popped the top on a bottle of cider beer and poured a bit in.  From my extensive cooking channel marathons, I believe this is called deglazing the pan.  I am calling it sheer disbelief - all those brown bits (the ones I thought I would be scrubbing out later on) literally floated up off of the pan and into the mix.  I daresay, the pan was spotless.  As the cider reduced, I continued to add more until I had added roughly half of a bottle.  Then it was time for the chickens' return.  I nestled each breast among the leeks and apples as the cider continued to bubble.  Down went the heat and on went a tin foil tent over the pan - it was time to cook the chicken through a slow simmer.  Twenty minutes on the timer, and enough time to enjoy a glass of wine before the main attraction was ready. The result can hardly be described by words alone - the juiciest chicken, the perfect fall compliments from the sweetness of the apples, the subtle spice of the leeks and the tangy cider.  A perfect 10.

Make it again?  Already made it two more times :)  Like I said, it's my Famous Fall Chicken from this point forward. 

Improvements? Incorporate more pieces of chicken, like the thighs.  Experiment with different types of beer. 

Baked Potatoes with Sauteed Spinach, Leeks & Sour Cream

 

This is my prized creation of the week.  Unbelievably delicious!  Here's what happened: I was feeling a little under the weather, a little chilled due to the rain and the admittance that fall is in fact here.  In my box, I found four Russet potatoes and began to get that reminiscent feeling of how comforting a baked potato can be.  But baked potatoes can be dry.  I am determined to banish my kitchen of dry tasting foods.  I peeked into my fridge and remembered that I had purchased my favorite condiment earlier in the week: sour cream.  I knew I couldn't use sour cream alone though; my baked potato would be delicious, but not that nutritious.  So I dug further into my box and came up with this: I would attempt an alternative spinach dip to top my potato.  I started by sauteing leeks, one of my very favorite fall vegetables.  As they began to brown, I washed a giant bunch of spinach and tossed it on top.  Spinach always amazes me - the amount you start with hardly compares to what you end up with.  Nevertheless, I wilted the spinach down, seasoned them both with s&p and brought them off the stove to cool.  When my potatoes finished baking, that is when the magic began.  I cut the steaming potato open and in a bowl I quickly whipped a couple tablespoons of sour cream with two heaping scoops of spinach and leeks.  It resembled spinach dip and I dolloped it straight into the potato.  Absolute heaven.  Creamy, delicious, nutritious and ......comforting. 

Make it again?  Ha ha...I had the remaining potatoes with topping for breakfast and dinner the next day.  Do I still need to say yes?  This goes straight to the top of my fall rotation.  

Improvements?  Possible addition of artichoke hearts into the saute mixture.  Any other leafy green could most likely be substituted for the spinach as well.