Of course I wanted to make Randy's day special with food, so here's how it went...
BREAKFAST: eggs benedict (Randy's favorite breakfast) & spiced Americano
While I was serving breakfast, Randy told me that he secretly hoped I was making eggs benedict. I love how we know each other so well!
Spiced Americano
This is a great coffee for the very cold months! The spices in it add an extra warmth--perfect for right before heading out into the cold to go to work! (Or to sip around the house while doing dishes and laundry.) ;)
1 cup espresso
1 cup boiling water
spiced simple syrup (recipe follows)
whipped cream
cinnamon and cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
Let's talk about espresso. (First off, it's a pet-peeve of mine when people call it EXpresso. It's ESSSSpresso. Ahem, mother.) ;) I don't have an espresso machine, but you don't really need one to make espresso--especially if it's just going into a different drink like a latte, cappuccino, or Americano. I just use half the amount of strong coffee grinds as water. So for 1 cup of espresso, I use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coffee grinds right in my coffee maker.
I've been making a lot of simple syrups for drinks lately. A simple syrup is very easy to make. It's just water and sugar boiled on the stove until the sugar dissolves. Generally I like to do 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar. But you can use only 1/2 cup of water, too, for a thicker syrup. For this spiced syrup, use 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, a pinch each of cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. Once the sugar dissolves you are done!
Combine this syrup with the espresso and the boiling water. Top with whipped cream (you can make your own with 1 cup of whipping cream and a couple TB of powdered sugar--whip until stiff peaks form) and a dash of cinnamon. I stuck 2 cinnamon sticks in each Americano.
LUNCH: broccoli & cheddar soup in homemade bread bowls
Randy brought a few of his co-workers home for lunch and I made this soup and bread bowls and served it with salad. We also had leftover Italian cream cake and coffee dessert.
I started out the evening disappointed. The appetizer that I originally wanted to make for "grown-up time" required hours of refrigeration. I don't know why I didn't read the recipe more thoroughly a few days earlier! Luckily, I had enough ingredients for a great back-up plan! I told Randy that it just meant that his birthday food could be extended one more day--we'll have that appetizer tomorrow or the next day. :)
Randy loves gorgonzola cheese so this was really a great alternative to my original plan. I adapted this from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 TB cold butter
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold water
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
2-3 TB butter
cinnamon
For the crust, place the flour, cheese, cold butter, and water in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fully combined and the dough comes together. Pull the dough out and place on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
In a saucepan, place the butter and apples and cinnamon and cook over medium-high heat until the butter melts and apples become soft. Turn off the heat and add the walnuts and gorgonzola. Stir.
Preheat the oven to 400*. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out and onto a greased baking sheet. Pour the apple filling in the middle of the dough and then fold over the edges of the dough to form a crostata. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Apple & Thyme Martinis
A martini is Randy's favorite "mixed" drink. I prefer something a little sweeter than a traditional dirty martini. This is a perfect compromise, though definitely closer to a traditional martini than a sweet drink. This was the second simple syrup I made today!
6 oz apple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 sprigs of thyme, plus more for garnish
Place your martini glasses in the freezer. Combine the vodka and apple juice and refrigerate them. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and 5 thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool. When ready to serve, pour the vodka, juice, and simple syrup into the chilled glasses and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme. Add ice if desired.
Beef Stew with Butternut Squash
2 lbs stewing beef
2 TB olive oil + 2 TB butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup flour
salt, pepper
2 TB chopped rosemary
2 TB chopped thyme
1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1 cup marsala wine
2-3 TB sundried tomatoes
3-4 cups beef broth
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onions until they're translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another minute. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss the beef in it. Add the beef to the pan and cook until brown on the outsides of the cubes. Add the marsala wine, squash, and sundried tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol cook out. Pour the beef broth into the pot until it covers the beef and squash. Simmer for one hour and then serve.
Chocolate & Brie Paninis
I thought this looked like a really cool and different dessert. Actually, it seems like the perfect, hearty afternoon snack for my kids when they're older. But Randy and I really enjoyed them as a sweet/savory dessert. The basil is a great complement to the chocolate and we never would've thought of that!
Make a sandwich with artisan crusty bread of sliced brie cheese, chocolate chips, and chopped basil. Butter the outsides of the sandwich and place on a grill pan with a weight on it to press it down (or use a panini press). Flip the sandwich when it has dark grill marks on one side. Serve warm.
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