Pork Medallions with White Wine Jus, Buttered Courgettes, Caramelized Onions and Potato Puree

Once in a while I put my toque on (not literally) to cook a fancy-ish dinner, and a couple of nights ago was the night I unearthed my minute cooking skills. I've recently just finished watching the Australian franchise of Masterchef, a cooking competition for amateur cooks, and I was completely blown away by the skills and knowledge of the contestants. It indeed inspired me tremendously. Main reason why I cooked something special for dinner!

So what's on the menu, you ask? I served a wonderfully cooked Pork Medallions with White Wine Jus, Buttered Courgettes, Caramelized Onions and Potato Puree. It was absolutely faaan-tastic! So here's the lowdown of what I made:

• Medallions - I used pork tenderloin; I made sure the meat were free from dripping moisture (this technique would allow the meat to brown while cooking); I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper; I pan fried the medallions on a rosemary and garlic infused oil; I allowed the medallions to rest before serving to let the pork juices sip right back in the meat.
• White wine jus - I deglazed the pan I used for cooking the medallions with white wine, then I allowed the white wine to reduce; voila.
• Buttered courgettes - I sauteed the courgettes in butter; seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Caramelized Onions - I patiently cooked my sliced onions in olive oil on a low heat until it wilted and caramelized.
• Potato puree - I passed my boiled potatoes through a fine sieve then mixed in warm milk and cold butter and mix until really smooth; seasoned with salt and pepper.

I gave a pat on the back to myself for this dish; I was extremely ecstatic on how it came out. I was pleased with my plating (my weak point) as well as the taste of the dish as a whole. The medallions came out really nice and tender; it still had a lovely soft blush of pink when sliced. It's just a bummer I wasn't able to take a picture of the sliced pork; H and I were so focused on eating!

'Til my next super occasional non-baking post!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Ratatouille

I've been thinking a lot about the ratatouille Remy made in the Pixar flick Ratatouille lately. So I've been doing a bit of research and these are some infos I've found:

• Ratatouille is a popular vegetable stew in France.
• It originated around the region of Provence and Nice.
• It's key ingredients are tomatoes, aubergines/eggplants, courgettes/zucchinis, onions, bell peppers and different herbs.
• The ratatouille dish on the film is actually confit byaldi (a recipe developed by a French chef, Michel Guerard, for his interpretation of the traditional dish).
• The producer of the film consulted chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry as to how Remy should serve a ratatouille for a food critic.

With all my readings, I made my own little interpretation. First I made tomato sauce by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft. Then I added a can of diced tomatoes, chopped parsley and bay leaf; simmer the sauce until most of the liquid evaporates. When that's done, I took out the bay leaf then just pureed everything. Then I added bell pepper that has been roasted, peeled and finely diced. Oh, of course season with the standard S&P.

Ok so the tomato sauce is done. Next, layer the tomato sauce with the aubergines and courgettes that has been thinly sliced starting with the sauce at the bottom and finishing with the fan of vegetables on top. Drizzle the fan of vegetables with olive oil and season with S&P. Cover the casserole and bake for 55 minutes in a 375 degrees F oven.

Et Voila!

So for dinner, we had a very healthy and delectable ratatouille. I served it with rice, shrimp and balsamic vinaigrette wine reduction. It's definitely a dish for keeps! :)

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Curry in a Hurry

So another non-dessert post... :) I was craving for seafood curry recently. So the other night I've decided to make prawn curry for dinner...

I opted to be a bit creative with this one. Instead of having the usual plain rice, prawns and curry sauce, I made curried rice with garlic prawns :p It turned out really good!:) H loved it too :) So another recipe for keeps for our dinner menu ;)

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Not About Dessert

Yesterday, I feel like putting a bit more effort for our dinner.

Our dinner is usually simple like roast this, grill that, steam this, etc... simply cause I don't like doing the dishes after cooking a meal..

So in effect of my mood --> Chicken Fricassee with Duchess Potatoes! :)

I'm made up with the result. At first I was searching for a good recipe of a Chicken Fricassee, but I found the recipes too complicated.

So in the end I just searched for what fricassee means. It's basically any meat (mostly poultry) coated in flour then pan fried. Then add a liquid like wine or stock. Then the liquid would eventually thicken cause of the starch on the meat, which in result gives you gravy:)

So base on that info, I came up with my own Chicken Fricassee :) I marinated my chicken with parsley, garlic and lemon juice. Then I coated them with flour; pan fried. Then I poured the white wine. Simmer until it turned to gravy:) oh, don't forget to season with salt and pepper ;p Voila! :D

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte